Jivemaster

Mike has made contact with me with concerns that he submitted a slightly earlier version of his track. His new version can be found at the original link here (also posted in the OP). He leaves the following note:

It's always good to hear people try something a bit different and break away from the norm utilising instruments or combinations of instruments we don't hear all that often. However with this ambition comes a number of challenges: deciding what will play each part in the arrangement, knowing what works and fitting the pieces together, and most importantly - how to mix the parts. This is where I feel this mix falls flat. When listening to your submission, it felt a lot more like a demo or practice run than the finished item. This is largely in part due to the missing upper frequencies on the entire performance and a heavy emphasis on low-mids. The entire mix is muffled. At the same time, some instruments sound thin, like some of the drums (especially the snare and lighter kick) and the lead in places. The bass is also hard to make out. You have a lot of elements sharing the same frequency range, which also makes some of the parts hard to hear. I was not a big fan of the phaser/flanger effect over the violin through the entirety of the piece, and would've liked to see it used sparingly along the mix to break things up and add variety. Arrangement wise the drums feel too busy and messy at times. When things slowed down around 1:45 and the drums dropped away, there was no real impact when they returned to get the mix going again. The solo-ish portion in the centre with all the effects was an interesting change, but goes on weird for far too long with long interludes between any kind of discernible melody. Above all else, I really feel this submission needs go back to the drawing board mixing wise, including a complete reset of the mixer and EQ on every instrument. Pay particular attention to what parts require what frequencies, and carve out the unneeded frequencies on the parts that do not require them using EQ and/or HPF/LPF's. My other crits still stand but may be lessened by a rework of the mixing. NO

Interesting arrangement and choice of tracks. I did hear more of a leaning towards the Mario side of things, but a nice blend overall. Your instrument choices and overall arrangement here where quite minimalistic, which worked in your mixes favour. Alternating between different leads certainly maintained interest. This minimalism did expose your samey drum loop sequence through the majority of the arrangement though. On the mixing front, I feel more use of stereo space could have been utilised, as everything feels close to centre except for the odd effect here and there. That crit aside, everything was audible. Of particular note, the bit crushing and glitching you have used to break up the track has been used sparingly and differently throughout, which is just the way it should be. Nice work here. The ending leaves a lot to be desired, to the point where it feels like you copied some bars of the main melody down with everything else peeled back, added an accompanying panning synth and called it a day. It would've been great to hear a bit more creativity at the end of your track. But I won't hold it back for this one especially if no-one else is. YES

Straight up, I feel this mix was mastered too hot, I had to reach for my volume control to properly evaluate the track. If this mix is indeed clipping, we would certainly need a version which is properly limited before posting. The combination of two guitar OCR guitar gods does not disappoint here as far as general riffage and energy is concerned. The energy does stay up for the majority of the track though which can be exhausting to the ears, but I did notice some subtle changes in pace here and there. I would have really liked to hear a point in the track that relaxed things for a longer duration to change things up (the acoustic sections helped). I also thought there were a few mixing problems. Most things are ok until we get to the more dense sections where there are several guitar tracks running simultaneously fighting for attention, all while drowning out the drums beneath them. The mix also gets a bit cloudy and individual elements become lets audible when the track gets busy. Most synths stuck out and were relatively clear but some were a little masked like the portion at 2:08 and 4:26. I have a feeling that the limiting may actually be the culprit here, and that easing off on it may do the trick and fix the problem. The source usage was clear and I liked the arrangement, although I felt more originality could have fit into here considering the duration. I won't say this felt cover-like, but some repeated ideas did detract from the originality of the overall arrangement. It breaks me to hear a track thats too hot. If nothing else, I would really like the limiter eased off to bring back some of the dynamics into the track and to keep it from peaking. If this happened, I could likely look past the other crits. As it stands however, its a NO (borderline)

A chill rendition of the original, which picks up with a bit of energy near the end. Your instrument choices fit well together for the most part, and I found the beat drove things along nicely (at least initially). There are a couple of issues to point out that I think need attention: On the production side, I do feel that some clarity is lost in this mix which could be a result of too much reverb or too many stereo sounds fighting for space. In addition, when the track gets busier there is some cloudiness in the low-end. I think the track would benefit from some more clarity, through a combination of dialling back the reverb and/or running a HPF/EQ over the parts that don't need the lows. I had some problems with the lead line being quite generic sonically, but found your riffing compensated for this for the most part. Arrangement wise, you have a good concept, but I did feel the mix felt a bit samey as things progressed. You did break down things here and there which was definitely needed, but I wish there was more variation in some of your parts (your drums in particular). Of the above issues, I feel the clarity aspect is what tips me to a NO overall. If we can get some more clarity we're in a better place.

At first I didn't find the hiss too off-putting, especially once the music filled out, it was far less noticeable. That said, I am not against this going back for a pass of de-hissing, especially after hearing the abrupt cut off at the end of the track which made its presence much more noticeable. Mixing wise, things felt ok until the guitar came in. I felt it off balanced the stereo mix being panned slightly to the left and being as loud as it is. I didn't have major problems with tone, but I do agree it has a pasted on feel, which may be due to the instrument being dry. The mix also gets quite busy in spots, with strings, piano, guitar, drums all fighting for your attention. I would like to see some rebalancing done on the track so everything has its place and the parts are more audible. If necessary, consider pulling back or removing some parts during the busier sections. I was quite surprised when the mix ended, it felt quite abrupt. I really felt an outro was needed, even if it was a selection of peeled back layers before finishing. Overall I think these few issues need to be addressed before green lighting this mix. NO

An interesting take on this source. I enjoyed the instrumental selection and progression over the course of the track. A couple of points: I agree with flex that the drums are not overly interesting in this mix. This is partly exacerbated by the fact that the musical elements surrounding them are real so the parts stick out. It's not a deal breaker for me but a bit more attention to detail would have strengthened the percussion and mix overall. I found the distortion guitar tone a bit bland and quite dry. It didn't wreck the mix for me but I would've liked to see some more development there. I thought this mix was ok production wise, I could make out all the elements and didn't have any major problems with the mixing. YES

You've taken a song of nightmares and made it a lot more musical IMO. The track is coverish, but feels original enough in its own right with its synth/rock approach. Now a couple of things to mention. Sample allowed or not, I do wish the intro was your own interpretation. Your vocals are good, it is a shame however that your bass synth buzzes through it. The entire track would benefit from the bass being carved back with a LPF, or even a simple dip in EQ where the vocals and bass synth meet. If you insist the bass takes up the frequency space it does, consider side-chaining EQ to dip each time the vocals hit. These are really the only problems I have with your mix. A solid job, but the vocal being lost is too much of a deal breaker for me. Consider the points above to give your mix that final polish. NO Considering the NO's here are in relation to the vocals being a little quiet, would we be able to pass this if the vocals were made louder so they are more audible? I wouldn't expect this to take long for the artist to do.

Great sounds as always Mike, giving the original a nice 80's feel. I don't have any major production crits with this one. I would have liked to hear some more variation in the source tune throughout the mix, but it wasn't a deal breaker for me. Ultimately I think Deia has done a solid job in outlining the major issues you face with this track - some notes are a little ill fitting and stand out across the mix. IMO it would be too sad to let this through without some note tweaks to bring your riffing into alignment. NO (borderline)

Nice production work, the intro builds up well, and everything is clear. However as the song goes on, not a lot changes. I do feel the track is relying on layered patterns a bit too much and could do with some more work on the arrangement side. As it stands, the mix is very textbook in its execution, where layers are peeled back and re-added, and the content of the layers doesn't really change. Some additional elements are added later, but they really just sit on top of the existing layers and to me are not strong enough to keep the mix going for the duration. This is a shame because everything else is well done. All this really needs is some more original interpretation of the source tune, to change up the arrangement as the song progresses. NO (please resub)

I really like the instrumentation in this mix, a nice choice of voices, with things not sounding overly mechanical. An interesting way to combine sources and a very out of comfort zone remix fo sho. For me I am in the Chimp camp where the vocals proved problematic to me, but for different reasons. The first few lines in particular I was not sure about - some of the pitch changes felt like they were out. As the mix progressed, I felt things got better, especially when vocal harmonies hit. I thought the "chorus" was pretty decent as well. I didn't have any major problems with your mixing - some elements could have been brought out more, and some parts were slightly dry, but nothing stood out to me that I felt required major reworking. A bit difficult for me to really rate this one at this point, as I like it but some of the vox were definitely weird and could perhaps do with some slight pitch correction/manipulation. I'd like to see what others have to say about this one. I'm pretty borderline at this point. NO (borderline)

I feel this mix showcases some of challenges Dustin has been facing for some time when it comes to mastering. I feel this is a bit of an improvement over some previous mixes, but there are still some mixing issues. Juggling that many guitar tracks is certainly tough, and I feel that adding as many as there are here can really crowd the sound spectrum and it becomes difficult to give everything its own space. That said, I feel most of this is audible, there is no muddiness in the mix, and it gets straight to the point arrangement wise. My main crits are: the synth is awfully generic, I would've enjoyed something a bit more dynamic/evolving. It was also lost a little in the mix. the track would benefit from more dynamics, as it is mastered pretty damn loud, but I'm not hearing in concerning distortion. the machine gun drumming portion felt a bit off to me in contrast to the guitars, but the section did not last very long. I would love to see Dustin ease off on the mastering a little in future tracks so there is more room to breathe. But as far as my crits go, I don't think there is enough here to no the track. YES

Tiny chimey intro sets things up. The bass in the intro portion is a bit rumbly. Upon further listening, I feel it takes up a bit too much of the frequency spectrum. Your chimes remain audible, but your choirs and other elements become clouded in that section. I appreciate the section doesn't last for long, but I would really like to see that part altered to make it fit better into the mix. A dip in the low-mid EQ is probably all you need. Drums are definitely on the soft side for me. I know these harder rock tracks are all about guitars, but I think the drums are just too drowned out. There are some unneeded lows in your mid-range dominant instruments here that could be toned back to make the entire track clearer. Your arrangement is fairly solid, the song feels like it ends quite quickly, even though it's 3mins long, which is a strong point. I'm not sure what the others will think but I feel your track is let down in the mixing department. You need to clear up the lows to allow the other instruments to come though, and your drums could be lifted a few db so they are more audible. NO (please resub)

Nice intro that really builds the track up. Almost cinematic. Good use of stereo space, some nice choices in sounds. Enjoy the contrast between the electronic and more traditional instrumentation. Arrangement wise this moves along well, changing from section to section, although some parts like the strings are a bit too persistent in playing the same thing for my taste throughout the track. When the lead guitar hits in the last quarter things become quite full sonically, however I don't feel this breaks the mix. A nice intro to finish things on. Overall a nice modernisation of the original. YES

Always enjoy it when an artist does something a bit different and takes some chances. You have a nice clear set of synth and chip sounds here driving the mix, things are clear and audible. There were a few things I thought could've done with improvement. I thought the main hook was used a bit too much throughout the track. There could've been some more variation of that part, or further synth tweaks along the way to make it feel more varied. I found the clap/snare slightly weak compared to the other punchy elements in the mix. A layer with a bit more low end or even a small amount of EQ may have brought its punch out a bit more. The arrangement at times felt a little samey in places, but the appregos were largely responsible for that. Overall I'm ok with this one. YES

Very poppy and worlds better than the original. Nice synth work and the guitar lead was a pleasant surprise - I particularly like how it wasn't overused. Nice variations in most instruments, a good chunk of original stuff - almost too much as Nutritious points out, but you have hit this very well. Source could be clearer but if you've hit the mark you've hit it. Awww but a fade out YES

Feels like a modern take on the original. There are a couple problems I think that should be addressed before you're green lit. The first is you have some mixing problems (specifically: high end frequency clutter), which has already been brought up twice, but doesn't hurt to speak about it again. Your chimes get close to piercing frequencies at times (especially the high notes), some tiny EQ notches would sort that. I also noticed you also have a buzzing saw synth panned dead centre in the background across a lot of the track - this really could be removed to open up some high end space, as it doesn't add much value to the overall arrangement and at times almost works against the track in obtaining clarity, working in unison with your chimes to exacerbate that piercing effect. Conversely, I felt your piano could've had more low end as it was lacking in body. The second thing is popping some variation into your drums, which has also been stated. I actually like your drum sounds, I think an occasional change of hit here and there would make your track more organic. This isn't as important to me as the mixing, but would be beneficial to strengthening your overall sound. Mixing is your big one here, but I don't think it'd take long for you to get this one polished. NO (please resub)

Not a bad start. Things are clear and you have quite varied instrumentation. After some listens, I'm with the other judges on this one. -Production value is mostly solid and your mix has some nice sounds but the arrangement is too close to the original source tune, we need more you in this mix. -The trumpet lead is a bit too cheesy for my taste, I'm a bit borderline on that one. It'd almost be better off as a synth lead. -Your track really feels like it should end around ~4:50 as it brings itself to a close at that point, and I didn't feel the part afterwards added any extra value to your mix. -The breakdown around 2:20 goes for too long and is called in too early, your track would really benefit from this portion being halved and saved for a bit later in the mix. -Your transition sample was good but its overuse dampened its effectiveness each time it played. Consider playing with different transition noises or apply some effects over the sample to make them play a bit different. You have a solid base here and there is little to worry about on the production side. You just need to get in there and make the arrangement more your own and end it more logically. NO (please resub)

So crunchy. Enjoy your mix a lot, great production quality and an interesting choice of genre to adapt the source to. I think the major problems with your mix have already been mentioned by my fellow judges - you have a solid rendition that starts off great but doesn't really go anywhere after the "cover" portion competes. It feels a lot like a solid WIP that has had most of its sounds sorted and is now waiting for the arrangement filled out. More variety on the arrangement side would pretty much green light this track. Most of your instrument choices are spot on, but the brass stands out as being very fake and feels like a placeholder waiting for a higher quality instrument to be dropped in. It doesn't bother me greatly, but the track would certainly benefit with some more realistic sample choices there if you go back to revisit this for resub. Some distortion bits also get a little ear piercey in the high end (like the portion at 1:42), but these parts are mostly isolated events. If you can strengthen the arrangement above all else, I think we'll be on board. NO (please resub)

Your mix feels very cinematic. Great sound choices, everything is clear production wise, and things move along nicely. I perhaps would've liked to hear some more variation in the main melody, but you do use a bunch of accompaniment parts that do a decent enough job of making things feel different as the mix progresses. Source usage is clear. YES

Quite a thumping straight forward mix. You have done a respectable job on pretty much everything as far as production goes. My crits mainly sit with the lack of variety in this mix. Your leads play pretty much the same melodies throughout the entire track for example, as well as the drums. There is also overuse of some samples, like the echoey growl and the yells - the more they're used, the less impact they carry as the track goes on. Your breakdown in the last third changes things up nicely, albeit a bit late in the mix. I think the track is mostly solid and really just needs some more interpretation of the source thrown in, whether thats an occasional change in the melodies and/or perhaps another (original) breakdown. I would personally like to see a reduction in the frequency of those vocal samples as mentioned, but if there's more variety thrown in across the track it may be enough. NO (please resub)

I'd like to echo the crits my fellow judges have already stated. My main complaint is the drums feel very faint in the mix, so much so that I don't think I could pass this track on that fact alone. I felt in particular the snare was weak and consisted mainly of a little pop. Something bigger would suit the track a lot more. There are some nice synths and other sounds across this mix. You build a nice soundscape. You have a bit of clashing frequency wise between some of these sounds though. As has already been mentioned, you need to use some EQ to separate each element more, and perhaps make use of a HPF to cut the lows from some instruments that do not need those low frequencies, as the bottom end is a little clouded. You tick the source box no problems. I think the primary things to work on here are (as mentioned): the drums to make them more audible across the mix and some better mixing with some EQ to get things sitting right. NO (please resub)

Great piece. Your piano and violin play off each other well and keep the arrangement interesting. A nice take on the original source tune. I couldn't pick up the hissing that Larry mentioned, not sure if its a problem with either of our equipment. When listening I felt the violin was kind of muffled throughout the entire mix and I kept wishing the highs were more audible. I also heard some awkward bits around the 2min mark, some slightly off notes on the violin or something, was a bit weird. No problems with arrangement, pacing is solid and keeps the journey going, which is quite hard to achieve with just 2 instruments. I kinda wish that violin was brighter to match the quality of that piano, which feels well produced. I'll go borderline Yes for this because I feel that violin is close to dealbreaker for me in its current state, when coupled with those few weird notes. Otherwise nicely done. YES (borderline)

Some nice work on this one. Always up for remixers to step out of their comfort zone and do something quite a bit different to what they normally produce. Nice guitar work across the track. The chanting was an interesting addition, but I found it a little repetitive in places. You have a lot of sections in this arrangement, and lots of instrument changes to deal with. Some parts got a little too wacky for me, especially around the midway point with squelchy synth wubbing everywhere. Your transitions aren't too bad. The accordion and flute bits near the end caught me off guard, a cool folky way to start tying up the track, with guitar re-appearing in the last moments to finish the job. Production is not too bad, I'm not hearing deal breaker issues, but some things get a little muffled at times, and the snare gets a little lost in a couple of sections. And while it doesn't factor into the vote, I wish the title was more creative. Overall I'm ok with this one. YES

Nice piano track, enjoy what you've done here. I haven't heard your original, so I can only go off what I'm hearing here. This is a pretty solid piano take of the original, even if it does sound robotic in spots. The main thing that hit me was I thought the reverb was a little on the dry side. Looking at your comments you have stated you were asked to ease off on it. I feel like this could do with a little more, but it's nothing to knock you back on. Interesting all the way through with a lot of changes, nice job. YES