Emunator

Wow, is this really your first piece of music that you've written? If so, you're starting off very strong. I like the general mood of the piece, though an above poster described the feelings emoted by the song better than I ever could so I won't comment on that As for the production and arrangement, the it's very stagnant. I agree with the subtle tempo inflections that previous posters have suggested, but in addition to that I think adding in a new instrument or changing up which ones take the lead at times would bring even more diversity to your piece. A section where the strings can take a bigger role, or a part where the piano takes center stage over the piano, or adding in an entirely new instrument like a flute are just a few examples I can think of. The change-up around halfway through the song was much-needed and executed pretty nicely, so that also helped reach the same goal. I love the concept, but you're gonna need a bit more variety or some more emotive performances (which, unfortunately, you can't get from samples as easily :\ ) in order to keep the song engaging. If you're really serious about this song, check out the links on the sidebar of this page and you can find plenty of instrumentalists who may be willing to contribute live parts to you. I think if you can polish up the arrangement and do some work to keep it more dynamic, it would be an option worth exploring

Your stuttering lead synth tends to get annoying after a while and it doesn't really work for the melody, I would definitely change it up and use that synth for support instead of as a lead. The other noticeable synth that you've got (the one that becomes prominent around :10) would be very well suited for a lead and would be a much more interesting choice. Other than that, the rest of the song isn't too bad but it needs some expansion. Change up your sound choices every once and a while and keep experimenting with those glitch effects, they sound nice

The mix feels empty a lot of the time, some supporting pads would do this mix wonders, or even some static noise clips to give a bit more personality to the glitchiness, which you've got a pretty good start with but it's not worth as much when the supporting instruments/synths are sparse/nonexistent. I'll take what halc said one step further and say that some of your panned synths, as well as the drums, is a little disorienting too. If you beefed up the overall soundscape I doubt this would be as big of a deal, but when you've got a loud synth in one ear with nothing else around it, it sticks out rather unpleasantly.

TheGuitahHeroe, you're misuing "liberal" Liberal means that the song is too far away from the source tune, the word you're looking for is conservative. I won't touch on the arrangement since you're not submitting to OCR, but here's a few production pointers - your piano definitely has way too much reverb on it. The section of the song from 1:31 to 1:42 doesn't harmonize well and sounds oddly dissonant. I see what you were trying to do there but I don't think it worked out. Even if you're not working to submit this to OCR, I would at least rewrite that section It's an interesting take with some good energy at times, though. Nice video, too

Well, it's 4 AM right now, I've got to be up in 3 hours, but I just got a WIP from Vampire Hunter Dan that's got me so giddy that I can't sleep It's a medley of two songs that I'll keep secret until the release of the project, but all I can tell you is that I never thought one of them would even be remixable, let alone in a full symphonic fashion. Absolutely stunning work, some of VHD's all-time best! Also, welcome GSlicer to the project, he's reworking his 2 recently-rejected DKC3 mixes for the project as well. They're very good already, just need a bit more source on them!

I'm digging this a lot, I can't imagine how much effort went into creating this. As soon as I find out whether I've got money in my checking account or not, I'll buy this Really stellar work, I'm highly impressed, especially by the piano solo at the end. Very inspiring stuff!

lolwut I don't even -- what is going on here?

Double post, but I wanted to formally welcome AkumajoBelmont to the project. He's got a concept brewing for Enchanted Riverbank that sounded like a great idea to me, hopefully it pans out! EDIT And just a night later, he's already got a laid back vocal dance WIP in that's showing a ton of promise. Good job on the quick work!

Maybe it's just 'cause it's early in the morning, but damn this is throwing me for a loop. I don't think I'm coherent enough to handle this song It gets really disorienting at times, especially on headphones. No, but seriously, this is pretty killer. I agree with halc that it could use one more musical element to fill out the space a bit, but this is pretty interesting as-is. I'm always impressed by the different directions that you take your songs, you're a really talented arranger

You've got some interesting ideas and I'll give you props for trying to pull off the tempo changes, but I think you used it too frequently and too early in the song for it to be a really effective choice. It does help break up what would be an otherwise-monotonous song, since your groove and your melody are pretty much the exact same throughout the whole song, so good job for trying that. Modulation should be used sparingly though so it doesn't make the song feel spastic. A few production notes; your strings are really, really piercingly loud. Throw a limiter on them or turn down the volume a bit, because they really break through the high end and hurt when you're listening on headphones. Also, regarding your panning, I noticed that a lot of elements are panned really hard off to either side, especially in the beginning. It makes the song a bit disorienting and I would consider moving some of your elements (at least the bass) more toward the center. I know it says you're finished, but take these critiques into consideration in the future so you can improve on the next songs you do. I think you've got a grasp of the ideas of remixing, but it definitely needs some polishing on the production but especially on the arrangement side of things. Keep at it!

Hey, this is tight It's got a nice groove, although you really rely on loops a lot so I doubt this would fly with OCR unless you varied some things up, particularly the drumloop. Very good choices for your lead synth though, it fits with the laid back groove. I'm liking it, but I'd recommend doing something to change up the drums and make the mix overall a bit less repetitive. When your song is so short, you need to make every little bit count. The ending too is so abrupt, if you're looking to make a completed song I'd definitely try to write something in to make it more conclusive. Repetitiveness aside, though, what you've got is a very nice groove track without any other glaring flaws! Nice work

Oh dude, this is so sexy. I didn't know you made this type of music but daaaamn is it good Sub this now!~

Yeah, if you ever need feedback again and it's not coming, shoot me a PM. It's my job to handle this thing so if your thread somehow slips through the cracks, let me, Nutritious or halc know That said, I don't think there's much that could change with your WIP, it's a very good one!

The intro part sounds like it's way too drowned in reverb, so I'd recommend taking that down a tad. Overall, it's a pretty solid arrangement, although I think it goes on a bit long. I think you could cut some of the meat out of this and bring it down to 3:30 or 4:00 and still retain the majority of the effect from it. I really like the groove and especially when your bass ranges pick up, it's pretty good for an atmospheric groove track. I can't think of any specific critiques, I think you pretty much nailed the genre you were going for. Best of luck with whatever you're submitting this for!

There's playlist links above both of the tracklist, or with DKC3 SNES, there's an RSN link as well.

Just in the interest of giving a status update to those curious: Brandon Strader is 100% finished with his Dixie Beat remix, becoming the 2nd person to get me a completely finished song! *applause* Blue Magic's been doing some serious work on Waterfall (GBA) and has also taken on another track - Big Boss Blues. Halc, too, has been putting some solid effort into both of his songs. 8-Bit Instrumental is the 4th artist to join the "silver club," and is finishing up with a Crazy Calypso song that I think everyone will love AMT, Vampire Hunter Dan, Harjawaladar and Theophany are all working hard on their songs (as far as I'm aware, anyway!) Mazedude will have a final WAV in any day now, his track is probably the best one I've heard so far! That's about it - thanks to everyone who's taken initiative to get things done in the last 3 days. I've been beside myself with excitement about how much progress many of you have made lately. Thanks all! To the rest of you, get on it, you've got less than a month before the deadline!

Yeah, I was just gonna say the same thing. Although the Sonic series can't be neatly wrapped up into a trilogy like DKC can, so I guess if you spin the question right, DKC could be the first complete series of games to get their own remix albums Also, major props to halc for being a total badass and springing a Water World WIP on me from out of nowhere Great Job!

You are a saint, thank you I appreciate the effort, I know the source material is somewhat out of your comfort zone but I've got no doubt that you'll be able to pull off something great. And yes, good catch McKnackus. I had them listed on the tracklist, but I botched the names. Everything is fixed now Woah, and just like that, I've got a real solid WIP in from 8-Bit Instrumental in a Hawaiian island jazz style. Very impressive! On another note, Jade dropped her claim on Enchanted Riverbank due to time commitment issues, so that one's up for grabs too. Sad to see her go, but hopefully someone talented will be able to step up and fill in the gap

Commiseration or commemoration? Commiseration is not a good thing Also, halc's updated WIP is kicking some major ass. I've never heard him do chiptunes like this before, it's really going places! I imagine you'll all be very impressed with what he's come up with! The Vagrance, likewise, has updated his Treetop Tumble dubstep mix recently and I should point out that it's also very solid Let this serve as an example to the rest of you - most of my WIP updates are coming from the same few people, I'd like to see some more fresh stuff coming into my inbox in the coming weeks. Nobody's going to hurt you if you get something in before the deadline!

It's mostly Monobrow's track, but Prot's told me that he'll help out on the song when needed. They work great as a team so I'm excited to see what they do with the track

Welcome AMT to the project! He's doing an electronic/metal hybrid of Big Boss Blues that I think has the potential to be really good. Thanks for signing on! Glad to have you

Brandon? Huh? Last time I checked he was only remixing, I don't currently have anyone else working with me on the project But he has made a really kickass Title theme remix, so kudos to him on that! And same to all the other artists who've submitted WIPs or finished songs!

Well, they're both aware of each other's interest in the same track, but I don't think either of them wants to collab. I'd be pretty excited to see that happen, but I'd say that 2 separate remixes by two of the most talented remixers in the community is nothing to be disappointed about either

Arrangement's sounding pretty good, I like the percussive work especially, it keeps the mix moving My biggest gripe is the fact that your strings sound very muffled, like certain frequencies are getting lopped off by a limiter or EQing. It's most noticeable in the intro when your strings are most exposed, and as a result it felt like I was listening to the strings from behind a glass wall The piano sample feels a bit weak as well, and the delay/sequencing in general seems a bit too rigid, if you understand what I'm getting at. Hm... I think this is pretty close but I would definitely look into what's causing the issues with strings and look into nabbing a more expressive piano sample. I know free ones exist that sound better than this, they just require a bit of hunting down. Good luck!

Yeah, it's tough to say. The orchestration is obviously amazing - you've really made a name for yourself with these brilliant orchestral compositions lately, and I think this one's a must-listen regardless of whether it's too conservative. My gut tells me that this is too conservative to pass the OCR panel, but it's worth a shot I suppose. This is one of those mixes where the sound quality and orchestration is good enough to warrant at least giving it a chance to be on OCR. I'd also highly recommend submitting this to R:TS so you can get it some more immediate exposure. Good work, I don't really think this is OCR material but you've got a talent for making this sort of music and I can't wait to hear more from you!