SuperiorX

Yeah, I still have the old copy (obviously). I was just trying to mess around with stuff to try to make some of the changes Rozovian suggested. The more I listen to it, I think I still like version D6 the best. That's probably going to be the one I end up submitting unless I go back and change it some more.

Ok, so another minor update: Here I raised the reverb on the piano to attempt to dampen the sound, to not make it so dry in parts. I also adjusted the bass a bit, and added in some faint low brass accents to attempt to accentuate the bass melody. I think it worked. I messed with the panning on the hihats as well, but I don't think it's very noticeable. I'm pretty sure this is how I'm going to leave the track before I submit. Update 7: http://www.box.net/shared/5zjnpkt7bo

Well thanks! I'm glad you like it so much, now I just hope the judges will! Yeah I agree... I added a little more reverb to the piano to dampen the sound. For most of the song the piano is filler, until the improv section at the end, so I guess I didn't want it to stand out to much. For the bass, yeah I can't seem to get it quite how I wanted it. I wanted it a little more prominent but not too overpowering. I've tried messing with the EQ a bit and I think it sounds a little better now (I'll have to re-post an update soon). I think I'm going to add in a little more lower brass to accentuate the bass melody. Awww... but I like the count-in and sticks heh, I'm probably going to leave those in anyway. Thanks a lot for the feedback though, it's a great help.

Ok, well this isn't anything structurally different with this update. It's mainly all 'fine tuning': I raised the master volume for the whole track, cause it was a little quiet, when I was comparing it to other songs. I lowered the volume for the improv section (2:30 - 3:05) to make more of a contrast between the preceding and latter parts. I lowered the reverb on the trumpets a bit, cause they were a bit too echoey, given the environment I was trying to emulate. I also boosted the bass just a bit throughout the entire track. I also fixed a few troublesome trumpet notes that were clashing between 2:17 - 2:29 I'm kind of at a loss with what else to do with this. I didn't want to fine tune it to much because then it would kind of lose that live feel I was trying to give to the song. I don't want it sound like a studio recording, I was going for a live jazz/big band feel set in a small, dark nightclub. Hence why the whole track has a kind of 'fuzzy' feel to it. I think I'm about ready to submit to OCR (wish me luck!), unless anyone has any last minute suggestions. Tell me what you think! Thanks again. Update 6: Superior X - Lay Down and Dive (MM4 Dive Man) http://www.box.net/shared/0ykz5m1tq6

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I appreciate it! @ZealPath, yeah I though the ending fit perfectly Yeah, I had been thinking that at times too... I never really repeat the same melody twice, there are always at least some variations on the theme to try to keep it fresh. I might mix up some of the transitions though to give it some more variety, we'll see. Hopefully I'll have some of the fine tuning posted up by early next week. Thanks again everyone.

Update: Alright so I've been working on this a lot the past week. Structurally the song is where I (think) want it to be. I added a little 'chill out' section with some piano and trombone accompaniment that leads up to the finale of the song, as well as a cheesy intro part that I like nonetheless. I think it really helps give it that real live jazz band feel that I am trying to give to the song. Basically now I just want to go through and do a lot of fine tuning. Volume levels, dynamics, intonation, and what not, to get everything to blend well together and sound appropriate. Once I finish polishing it up, I'm going to attempt to submit it here, so if anyone has any advice I'd greatly appreciate it. I haven't really submitted anything serious to OCR so I'm not quite sure the best way to go around doing it, other than just submitting and hoping for the best. Tell me what you think everyone! Thanks. Update 5: http://www.box.net/shared/toa1lgavos

I thought it was you! Again, awesome album. I really like how you created a story and had it flow through each song. I know that's what you did with the original Mega Ran album also, but Mega Ran 9 seemed to take that to a new level, it seemed to fit together a lot more seamlessly. Definitely good stuff, I plan on picking up the full CD now that's out. Keep it up!

I like this one a lot! The well-executed trombone parts really adds a nice level of depth to the piece! At first I wasn't sure how guitar and trombone would work together, but it sounds great! We need to have some more OCR songs with brass!

Oh, yeah the song just kind of cuts off because I haven't finished it yet. I plan on having closer to the 4 minute mark for the entire song, I just haven't gotten the next parts ironed out yet, so that's why it just abruptly ends. And yeah I still need to fine tune all the mastering, so that's why everything hasn't blended well yet. I'll address all those minor details once I have the entire track more or less how I want it. Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad with how this is coming along so far.

Update: Ok, so this time around I got rid of the weak, fake sounding drums that everyone's been talking about. Drum sequencing is definitely not my forte, but I think I got this sounding pretty good now. The whole drum track has basically been rewritten, a lot more variation, and a lot better samples. I also fixed some intonation and timing issues with the trumpet hits during the solo sections. Any and all feedback is appreciated! Tell me what you think, Thanks! Update 4: http://www.box.net/shared/vv1mx966oc

Yeah I seem to agree with everyone else here. This track rocks. I really didn't think anything else could be done with the Wily castle stage music, but this proves me wrong. This is a very fresh take on an overused source, great job! Now... just give us an update!

YES! Bass drum! I think that sounds a lot better now. Except maybe from 0:32-0:55, to me it sounds a little overpowering because it isn't just a straight ahead beat. After 0:55 it blends in fine, but from 0:32-0:55 it sounds maybe just a LITTLE bit too exposed. Maybe it's just me though. The rest of it though, way better! I like the added beef to the synth as well. Nicely done. I would agree that it seems OCR ready!

Yeah v1.9 does sound waaaay better in terms of the clipping issues compared to 1.5. I'm really liking this a lot now. The high pitched synths have really kind of grown on me, I'm not sure if you adjusted those since 1.5, but whatever it is it does seem to sound a lot better. The only issue that is still kind of nagging me is that bass drum during the beginning of the track, when it is really exposed. After the 1:00 mark there is so much else going on, it doesn't seem to be an issue, but I would say go for a beefier bass drum sound in the beginning at least while it's exposed. Something with a little more boom to it, whether it be via a new sample, or just some nice reverb. I have a huge amount of different bass drum samples... I could send you some if you don't want to sift through samples online.

Major Update: So I've extended the song quite a bit now. I have a trumpet and a sax solo section. I'm not sure if those solos are the ones that are actually going to stay, I'm probably going to replace them after I work on them some more, but for know they are there. Oh and I replaced the bass sample again... I still don't think it's quite right. And I think the song is getting borderline repetitive, or maybe it's just me since I've heard it 6878974653 times now. I think I'm going to take some time away from it and come back to it later. Tell me what you think of the changes so far. Thanks again everyone. Dive Man Jazz Remix Demo 3: http://www.box.net/shared/1gg0z4gfrj

I enjoy this track! I love the source, and yeah it is hard to believe that there aren't more Sparkman remixes already on OCR. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I have much to add that hasn't already been said. Some of the high-pitch synth pads on the main melody do sound a bit painful at times, maybe you could mix it up with a couple different samples with varying pitches. It could give the track a little more variety. Also, the bass drum in the beginning sounds a little off, maybe a little lighter then it should be. Other than that, I really like it, I think it definitely has the potential to pass the judges. Maybe not the first time around, but maybe after a little more tweaking. Good job!

I really enjoyed this mix... from the beginning "aww shit" I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I could tell it was going to be special. I'm not a big fan of rap either, but I thought that this was well executed, and the source tune does fit perfectly with the hip-hop/rap genre and lyrics. I particularly enjoyed the layered vocals, as they added a really nice amount of depth to what could have been a rather empty mix with only a single vocal track. Good job!

Yeah I have to figure out something with the drums and bass. I think the bass in the 2nd demo I put up sounds better than the first, but it's still not quite there. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the drums. In my head I can envision how I want them to sound, but I can't quite get that to translate onto my software right. I might have to look into a different program for laying down the drum beats, all I'm doing right now is tying together single beats of snare, bass, and hi-hat. Either that or just look for better samples. I'm glad you like it though! Hopefully I'll have the majority of the song up sometime next week. I actually have your version of Dive Man on my itunes playlist I love it, that and your Jewel Man mix is awesome too. You make some great stuff, keep it up!

Minor update: Well I replaced the piano sample, it sounds a lot better now. I lowered the volume a bit on the drums and tried to give them a little reverb, and I also finished out the first section of the main melody. From there I plan on deviating more and adding in some instrumental solos. I uploaded two different versions that have different bass samples, the first one is the original bass sample and the second is a new bass sample, but something still just doesn't sound quite right. And I know I still need work on the percussion, but I think I'm going to finish up the song first and mix up the drums once I have the rest of the instruments down. Update 1: (original bass sample): http://www.box.net/shared/26ce1n5z5d Update 2: (new bass sample): http://www.box.net/shared/d3iyrvmp33 Tell me what you think. Thanks!

I very well may take you up on that shameless endorsement, err, offer. I had been thinking about the idea of a live brass section from the beginning anyway, and a trombone would be a nice addition. After one run-through of the main melody, I was planning on deviating a bit with alternating trumpet and tenor sax improv solos, with some nice piano accompaniment. I haven't exactly decided or figured out how I want those to go, or for how long, but if the need for a bone arises, I will let you know. Thanks for the offer!

Yeah those were the biggest areas I wanted to work on, the piano actually is just a MIDI for now. I just needed a placeholder for the time being. Yeah I've got to figure out the percussion... I hadn't heard any of Neskvartetten's stuff before so I took a listen, and that was really good! The amazing brass samples are actually from a trial version of the Wallander Instruments vst, which is a incredibly realistic sounding brass and woodwind set. I just decided to try it out and was really surprised with the quality. The full program is $599 though, so the demo with have to do. I'm a trumpet player myself so I was thinking or just recording the trumpet parts, but I'd need to get my hands on a higher quality mic, either way the brass needs the least work anyway. Thanks for the feedback guys, I'll post some updates here soon.

Final Update: Lay Down and Dive (MM4 Dive Man Mix) http://www.box.net/shared/3v3sn3im2i ------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey everybody, I'm rather new to the forums. I've done a lot of mixing in the past, but nothing really ever worthy of OCRemix (arrangement-wise), so I figured I'd post a little something I've been working on and see what everyone thinks. This is kind of a smooth jazz remix of Dive Man's stage from Mega Man 4. I've always liked the Dive Man theme, and this takes it in a totally different direction. I just picture Dive Man chillin' in a nightclub enjoying the music, and drinking a martini. Yeah Here's the source material (MM4 - Dive Man's stage): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQVlXJ0cMY4 Here's my WIP: Superior X - Dive Man (Jazz Remix 1): http://www.box.net/shared/qb127ocvrx Well, I hope you guys like it so far! It's a little rough around the edges still (the percussion needs some work), and I've only gotten about the first minute of the song down. From here I plan on having some improv trumpet and tenor sax solos switching off. Tell me what you think, all feedback is appreciated! -SuperiorX

Random, is that you singing the main vocals in Boss Battle: Jewel Man? I know it's you doing the rap verses, I couldn't tell though on the vocals. Regardless, awesome album! I can't wait for the full version! Keep it up!