Altermentality

Yeah, it may not be the most phenomenal vgm ever, but it deserves more love than it gets and there's a lot of potential within its simplicity. Especially considering the associations many people of my generation have with it. Those games really ignited my imagination when I was younger, and I'm certainly filled with a strong sense of adventure whenever I hear it again, especially a good remix of it.

Well... that makes three of us For me, it's gotta be the Donkey Kong Country games, some of the very first games I ever played. That music blew me away as a very young child and was woven into the fabric of my mind forever. It's just brilliant. I had a bunch of MIDIs of it saved onto my family's computer when I was quite little. That's the reason for my DKC2 sig; playing it at such a young age, it had a huge effect on me musically and artistically and is possibly the very reason why I'm here. ...And also Earthworm Jim. I didn't realize that the Moonlight Sonata was anything other than that song that played on the Villi People level until my dad told me it was classical music. It went on to be my favorite song of all time, anyway. But the original stuff in those games was also great, with New Junk City being a special favorite of mine. And of course, the art style of those games was one of my biggest all-time influences.

Thank you very much! I checked the mid frequencies of the kick, as suggested earlier, but they are already down to pretty much nothing... I think it's just the quality issue of Tindeck, since I heard it doesn't always upload at 100% quality and the chirp is definitely not there in my original version. The same thing happens when I use Dropbox. But I don't really want to mess with it because it sounds fine on the MP3 on my computer.

Oh you know what might be cool, a little cartoony "CHOMP!" sound effect in there once or twice =P I do like this song as it is, but I'm considering making an altered version that's somehow more manic. I hate to bump this, but I still never got the constructive criticism I would have liked. If anyone wants to offer, I'd be very thankful.

I was just thinking about that last night. I wonder if I could give that backing part to another synth, or a piano (like it is in the source) during the later part of the song. Or I could have it completely sung by crows! ...(joke) Thanks! Now I'm wondering about the title. It's not called Crooked Wings anymore, but it would be nice to have something that evokes the crows after all. Into the Stars is kind of bland, but I think it fits the mood well. Hmm.

If I may, it just... sounds a lot worse than the first part. There's this high-frequency thing going on there that really grates on the ears. And the lead is overpowering and reminds me of a MIDI. I'm still an amateur at this myself, but I can tell you that much at least. As for the ending, I think it's a little drawn-out, and that zinger that comes in at the end is kinda cheesey, but that's just me.

Alright, done! You're right, it sounds- dare I say- FUNN-KY! The funny thing was I hadn't added any more crows, I just cleared up some muck so you could hear them better I actually did add a little bit of crow action for this... New version! However, it's probably not very noticeable, as I don't want to go overboard. They come in on the last two beats of the measure in the later part of the song. So, the changes are *funkier bassline *subtle crow additions *slight change to the kick I'm actually thinking about getting this to a point where I could submit it now. The question is, what does it still need to reach that point? Any new comments? Thanks again, everyone! The improvement in this song since I first posted it is striking!

New version! Changed the intro, as evktalo suggested. The mechanical bassline is never isolated now. I also made a slight and occasional change in the backing part (well, parts- one is played by a synth, and the other by a kalimba-type thing) that was played by the piano in the source, to add in that little alteration in tune that closes the phrase in the source, but which I hadn't been using before. It's a nice little variation. I also varied up the drum loop in the background. It sounds a lot more interesting with some interruptions in there. Took out the drumline during the pure choral/crows part. Changed the instrumentation a bit in the second half of the song, taking out some synth strings and replacing them with something a bit lighter. This is just getting better all the time, but I'm sure there's still work to do. Amusing how I thought my original upload was quite good, and I didn't know where to go from there. I would greatly appreciate any more listens and suggestions. <3

Congrats! This was wonderful, and an interpretation of the song that manages to be incredibly fitting and still new. By all means follow the advice others have given you as far as cleaning it up, and submit it; it never hurts to try! Good luck!

"yay yay yay yay yay, yay yay yay yay yeh-" Yeah, I would recommend changing that lead, and if you use it at all, only for a brief instance. I wouldn't use the same instrument for the melody throughout- variation is fun, plus it takes the pressure off having to choose one lead and one lead only. But definitely not five minutes of that thing. ^^; (No offense, it is kind of fun but it just gets old, that's all.)

Ok, thanks! Also, I'll keep the end part for now, then. Hmm. Any constructive criticism? There must be something that bothers someone. Oh well, until I get some, I have other things to work on. (Including schoolwork. Eheh.)

Thank you very much for your feedback! I guess what I like about the mechanical bassline is it reminds me somewhat of the lower-quality SNES version of this song I grew up with, without being quite so low-quality, but I guess that doesn't matter to anyone else as much as it does me ^^; I will probably not start off the song with it like I'm doing right now though, and try not to leave it alone. Also, glad you like the crows

Thanks, Bison! I added an original bassline and a new subtle sparkly part. Also, I think the kick has improved. Update! I'm starting to be quite happy with this. The track has come a long way since my original upload, that's for sure. But where to go from here? The most frustrating thing now is that the Kore player makes FL run really slowly, and in order to hear anything decently I have to render the full song, which takes like five minutes each time...

I've updated! Have a listen, if you please. I think it sounds significantly better, but please let me know what you all think. It's also going once more by the original name I gave it, Into the Stars. About the choice of source, thanks. I totally love this song, partly because it's just a great song, partly because of its irony. Psycrow is one of my favorite characters since childhood (I'm a messed up little girl...), but he's a badass fierce bird who loves huge guns and throws puppies out of windows, and he gets this totally happy theme. That's Earthworm Jim for you, the game series where Beethoven plays while you navigate your way through intestines filled with pinball bumpers. And even while making a very spacey and relaxing theme I want it to have a very slight zany element. I had to have the crowing in there as a tribute to the character and to the feeling of the source game. And also that MYOWW vocal-ish synth, it seems a bit silly (which is what I wanted) but tell me if you think it throws off the atmosphere. I don't, or I wouldn't have settled on it, but I'm just one little amateur. =P Thanks for your time! Much love!

The boss theme that immediately pops into my head as my favorite would have to be this. I first heard this theme when I was four or five years old, and my dad would rent games allegedly for my entertainment, although I could really only play the easiest levels and he would tackle the rest. Gaming became, at the time, something like an unpredictable, high-stakes cartoon that I would watch my dad partake in. Donkey Kong Country and its sequels were probably the first games that I ever really fell in love with, and their incredible music has stuck with me forever. One thing I love about this tune is it doesn't start out badass and intense from the beginning. Having wandered through jungles and mines and factories, the Kongs now suddenly find themselves at a totally foreign locale- on a pirate ship. It seems pleasant enough, and there's a beautiful view of the island which you've just traversed in the background. The tune introduces you to the new location with a jolly sea song- but suddenly the merriness fades out and the intense percussion rolls in, and you know it's on, as your giant reptilian nemesis appears for the final showdown. I always associated the really heavy percussion and bassline with the power of all the things that keep falling from the sky in this battle onto the shaky wooden deck of the ship, whether it be cannonballs or the leaping K. Rool himself. It's these things which add the driving force to the song, while the guitar riff cuts straight to your heart, crescendoing and then fading back out again, eerie, almost already like a melancholy call to tell you this is the end. It seriously gives me chills.

Thank you very much, guys. However, I still feel that this remix is missing something, I just don't know what yet. As for the nostalgia bits... that's an intriguing idea. The original instrument I had for the main melody was a banjo that sounded a lot more like the original version. But I don't know if I want to go there... I think the whole thing is already pretty nostalgic. I think I'm also going to chop off the little bit of bassline that lingers at the ending.

Oh, Angry Aztec! I was thinking of trying this one myself. It keeps to the tune pretty straight, although I like the extra supporting parts you added, and the variety of instruments makes for a fun listening experience that kept me interested throughout. However, like it's already been said, it does sound very much like a MIDI. Work on some different instruments and I think you've got something really cool here!

No, it's ok. I'm totally just starting out and discovering things. And like I said, I don't plan to get this accepted, I'm just learning, and part of that learning process is getting myself some better stuff to work with.

Current Remix Version: http://tindeck.com/listen/uqpt Remix (first version) (just listen to it for like 20 seconds, that'll be enough, I promise )Another source Sound effects used By Timbre (http://www.freesound.org/usersViewSingle.php?id=1015240) tc630__psychotic_laugh_stereotypical_madness effect.wav (http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=74261) By mich3d (http://www.freesound.org/usersViewSingle.php?id=32482) BigDogBarking_02.wav (http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=24965) By Koops (http://www.freesound.org/usersViewSingle.php?id=29508) Apple_Crunch_16.wav (http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=20279) By ggctuk (http://www.freesound.org/usersViewSingle.php?id=638065) comic bite 2.wav (http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=80551) I decided to remix Tutankoopa's theme because I remember really liking all the desert music from Paper Mario, and I like him as a character- some grumpy Koopa who's (claiming to be?) a pharaoh and hangs out in a pyramid with his dear pets. I was able to recall his theme: "Oh yeah, it goes like this! And then there's... some other parts I can't remember." But when I listened to it again, it turns out I really did remember it all, because it's just the same ten measures repeated over and over again. Seriously. But I think the ridiculous redundancy of the song worked to my advantage by encouraging me to get a little bit of material to sound as good as I can. I tried to vary the soundscape sufficiently here, and at the end I threw in the bassline from Dry Dry Desert proper. The name, of course, comes from Tut's not-so-loyal Chomps that he uses in this battle. I'm still a newbie and would like advice on anything you can give me. Unusual problem: I don't know if you guys hear this, but every time the kick comes in there's a little chirping that goes with it. There is nothing in the arrangement to account for this, and I don't hear it in my MP3 render, only when I upload it to the internet (and I've tried two different places). Is this just an issue of reduced quality? What's going on here? Thanks, everyone!

Whoa, I had taken this for completely-ignored for a while. I'll see what I can do about the quality of the instruments. I tend to get used to a sound and it's only when I go back to a song after not working on it or hearing for a while that I notice hey, that sounds really cheesey. Thanks, guys!

Hehe. I know this song is pretty old, but I've been listening to it for years. Now that I'm a member, I'd just like to say how much I appreciate it. Funnily enough, I hadn't played Chrono Trigger when I first heard this mix. It was only later, after I had finally been introduced and it became one of my favorite games of all time, that I saw someone mention the Frog cameo in this song. I had gotten so used to hearing this piece as it is, and recognizing it as its own beautiful work, that even after hearing the original Frog's Theme I failed to put them together until it was pointed out to me. The cameos are a creative touch. I was reading this thread and someone else mentioned the feeling of lost things lying at the bottom of the ocean. That's a great analogy. To me this song is also somewhat like sinking into an ocean of nostalgia. Your memories from different periods in your life are coming gently and inobtrusively back to greet you- I've been playing DKC since I was old enough to comprehend anything, and Zelda came in when I was around 13, and Chrono Trigger a few years after that. For me, it's almost like moving from the past- where things seemed to move a lot slower and I had all the time in the world, which is why the piece is a DKC theme- and rushing towards these later themes in the future where everything seems to move a lot faster, which is why they are only snippets.