ectogemia
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Hi. So this was my contribution the Mega Man 9 Concrete Man Remix Album, which I tried out for OCR. It didn't get accepted unfortunately.
Here's the version on the album:
Here's my latest version: http://www.box.com/s/b8m6ecan65clrpas36u4
I wasn't planning on re-doing this seeing as it was already part of an album, but I got extremely inspired lately and thought I'd at least try.
The main issues brought up on the judges panel were that the soundscape was too sparse, not many change up in the drums loops, and that the arrangement could use some changeups, or maybe adding some soloing.
So yeah, I would absolutely love some feedback ideas. I'm addressing these core issues as of now, but anything else brought up would be awesome.
here's the original btw:
Intro drums are just a bit corny-sounding and exposed. They need a little processing and perhaps some compression. The piano has similar issues and is quite robotic. The crash at 0:54 is nearly silent, but I'm partial to huge crashes myself. The little chromatic roll at 1:10 is a fine idea, but it sounds a bit exposed as it is. Perhaps add a little flair to blend it in to the melodic line better. The counter-melodic music boxy thing at 1:38 sounds a little bit off, harmonically speaking. The kick and snaps around 2:15 also need some treatment. Compression for sure, here. The kick needs more frequency punch in general. Try experimenting with different EQ configurations and maybe add some overdrive after the EQ. Around 2:46, the pizzicato string part is clashing harmonically with the other parts.
The arrangement itself was very smooth, and the sound choices were solid. That said, I wasn't a fan of the piano you chose, though; just sounded a little bit low-quality. Nice outro.
Aaand it's done.
Yep, not a bad job, just need to address the compression issues, harmonic issues, and that's all I've got for ya.
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Soooo, Darke... you going to update the Egregious Scores from last week?
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hey who killed that horse over there
It was none other than my remix, Equestrian Slam.
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Happy birthday, WCRG overlord. Your birthday wish must have been for all the competition participants to come up with ways to enhance the title of my "Electric Sleep" remix. Thanks for looking out for ol' ecto!
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I heard that guy's remix is entitled Enteric Seep. What an inappropriate individual, I hate him because he's stupid and he's dumb and he's stupid..
edit: and he's stupid.
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You guys and your talks about ear beer and bass orgies are making me feel doubtful over mine
I've been improving since the first round, sure, but I'm starting to face a lot of doubt over its stance for sure now.Guess I might as well be ready to accept merely 7th place at best.
Whatever you have now, add a sweet bass. What? SEVENTH PLACE is evolving! Conglaturations! Your SEVENTH PLACE evolved into FIRST PLACE!
Wait, I thought it was called "Eccentric Street"...It is. Why the hell not?!?!.
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Hey, Ecto, I saw that you submitted "Electric Sleep" to the judges, but it looks like it's on the "Currently in the Judging Process" as "Electric Sheep."
Did you change it after all of the confusion in this compo, or are the judges the ones confused now?
OH MY GOD WHY IS IT SO...
No, the damn remix is entitled Electric Sleep. Although, I do plan on making a Sheep Man remix fairly soon that will be entitled Electric Sleep... ELECTRIC SHEEP. Ok, this is getting ridiculous. I really meant to type Electric SHEEP that time around, but my fingers did not comply. Anyway, I will make a Sheep Man remix called Electric SHEEP because all this confusion in this compo basically demands that I do
I'm sure everyone will call that one Electric Sleep, and I'll just give up on everything and everyone.Aaaaaanyway, thanks for letting me know
I sent a very, very nasty PM to the judges. -
I heard Flexstyle's remix too. DAT BASS. OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhgod.
I'm really amped for this round
seems like there will be plenty of badass remixes.mine includedHARDMENWILLPREVAIL
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still sounds to me like backing synth at 0:28 is clashing with the lead. Small issue that can be overlooked in the grand scheme of things production wise, but fixing the small issues really makes a good project sound great
Compression is gone, sounds great to me now.
Arrangement is bloody good. My only complaint - and is this something I'm guilty of as well- is that Elec Man's takes a back-seat a lot of the time, but you have some fantastic source melding. Clearly you've got an eye for good arrangement.
Generally, this sounds good to me, though at times its a little liberal. Seems like you use a lot of the same source parts generally which makes it feel slightly more repetitive than it could be. Don't be afraid to use more source, and don't be afraid to give Elec Man more spotlight!
Honestly tho, for subbing, I'd consider the yes, Source checks out, its got plenty of variation and production is solid. Nice work!
Well, Hoo-Ray! Thanks much for the multiple listens
I'll fix the lingering lead clashing and sub it. If I get NO'd for, um, liberalism, then I'll adjust it. I like it the way it is now, but will OCR like it? If so, I won't fix what ain't broke
edit: hah, and you said I have a good ear (WAIT, EYE) for arrangement? You know, I still don't really know what arrangement actually means
I just try to make cool music, hah. Can someone give me a good working definition for it? Yes, I'm aware google is at my fingertips and that I sound like a dumb-butt asking such a fundamental question. Deal wid it. -
Exactly. I morph the idea, but can't get the original idea back
I probably sound like a broken record at this point having said this in so many threads, but I used to have this issue (in fact, I had no musicality whatsoever) until I started to improvise on piano. The more I did it, the more in tune I got with the music in my mind, rhythmically, harmonically, and melodically. Just figure out the chords to a simple song (VIDEO GAME MUSIC PREFERRED, K?) and jam it on your left hand and play variations on the melody with your right. Then start making up your own stuff over the chords. Do this all the god damn time for months and months, then sit down at your favorite DAW and let the music flow. Your mind will explode with how easy it all will come out.
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I generally play around on my keys with different presets til I start making some cool sounds. Then I generally make a chord progression and start making all my own patches at that point or using ones I've made in the past. 75% of the time I'll toss in a melody of some sort, and the other 25% of the time, I'll start putting together some percussion for the chord progression. If I do the melody first I do percussion next and vice versa. This is pretty much my MO every time I open a project file, and it gets 60-90 seconds of music written in no time.
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It's like telling people in a cooking competition this week's secret ingredient is potatoes. By itself a potato is pretty boring, but when you start combining it with other foods it's amazing.
In other words, whine less, mix more.
This... this is a really effective anaology
Was thinking the same myself - I would have been cheering if I were able to do this weeks mix. Would have fit my cheesy tendencies to a tee
Then you'll love my mix
plenty of cheese for you. -
None of you Wily source haters have the memory of playing the game after getting it for Christmas after it first came out, and having this song play while feeling that sense of accomplishment after finally figuring out how to beat Elec Man (if you didn't know to use Cut Man's weapon, he was impossible to beat).
Yeah, it's simple, but so...many...memories.
I hate everything about Elec Man, including his level, his theme, his boss fight. Including myself.
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Okee, I made some production alterations as per Willrock's suggestions in addition to a couple more issues I noticed. I moved the bulk of the solo at the end up an octave and added a lot more rhythmic flair to it and colored the solo with more weird accidentals and such. Sounds WAY better now, and the talkbox doesn't clash with the bass anymore. I added reverb to the talkbox. I adjusted the volume of the square arps to make them more present when necessary. No, all of that did not take me the three hours since I got Willrock's crits to do
I rediscovered my guitar in my closet after years of neglect and had a mad improv session. My fingers hurt (to be read in the voice of the old lady from Happy Gilmore).I hate to be the guy who constantly uploads updates and expects feedback on incremental changes, but yeah, that's pretty much who I'm being right now
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Ummmm, I had an awesome time remixing this theme. No, the source is not that great. It's insanely simple, and in a bad way. But you have to find a way to make it badass. That's the point of ReMixing or whatever, right?
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edit: YOU WIN, WILLROCK. I put just the tip of my reverb into the talkbox lead, and it sounds way better. I didn't see that coming
Well, as promised, I guess I shouldn't submit the better-sounding version to WCRG shit!The talkbox leadAs for not being willing to change it, may I ask why? For the record, reverb is best executed when its not noticed.Yes, dry is good in some aspects but I do feel the talkbox lead would benefit from just a touch of reverb so its not so exposed like it is. Its your call if you take my advice or not tho, so don't feel pressured
Well, I have a fairly amateurish ear for production. Not bad but not definitely not great.
The reason I'm not too keen on changing it is that I was intentionally going for a really dry analog section followed by a really wet funky section. The idea is great and all (AWESOME NARCISSISM, ECTO?), but as I said, all the crits I've gotten so far were along the lines of "cool mix, man, but that intro is a little dry." Maybe I should cave in and settle for "cool mix, man."
The talkbox is actually COMPLETELY dry. It isn't even routed to a mixer insert; that should speak to my commitment to keeping that particular lead dry
hmm... I'll give it a shot adding a little reverb to it, though. Couldn't hurt. unless it does -
NOTHING TO SEE HERE except the mix I already downloaded. Now I know Ecto's plans for this round, mwahahahahahahahaha. I WILL RULE THE WORLD!
Haha, my plans? Utter destruction of round 8? yep.
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wtf u can't get outside feedback before the end of the round, you cheating butthole
<3 you
. I'll take any criticisms anyone has to offer, but in the spirit of the competition, i'll be submitting this particular version or an older version to darkesword and an improved version (assuming i need to make some changes) based on your critiques to ocr.
. I'll take any criticisms anyone has to offer, but in the spirit of the competition, i'll be submitting this particular version or an older version to darkesword and an improved version (assuming i need to make some changes) based on your critiques to ocr.
. I'll take any criticisms anyone has to offer, but in the spirit of the competition, i'll be submitting this particular version or an older version to darkesword and an improved version (assuming i need to make some changes) based on your critiques to ocr.
now what
<3
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Mod Review
Cool Mix. Starts off a little rough - intro is fine, creative drums, but the lead synth that comes in is too loud at the start, and stuff generally seems too dry. That backing synth also is clashing frequencies with your lead. When the bass kicks in tho, brighter story! Nice production from there. You've got some cool parts here. Seems like the production gets slightly overcompressed at 1:14, altho someone I said had overcompressed production claimed to not have a compressor on his track earlier today so take that with a pinch of salt. When that dry lead comes back in from the intro, it sounds as exposed as before - put some reverb on it, the dry signal should actually put it at the right volume for the track if you do it right, so you won't even have to mess around with volume.
Hah 2:44-2:56 or so is awesome, love the creativity. Good stuff here! Fix the intro production and this shall be pretty cool. I'll come back and comment more on arrangement in a bit, I'm hungry, but at a glance the arrangement seemed cool, if not a little liberal at points.
Which dry lead? The talkbox lead or the saw lead? They're both very dry. I'm not willing to change the talkbox lead, but I've been considering adding some reverb to the saw lead. The idea was to make the analog parts sound really dry by minimizing the processing, but I've gotten a fair amount of negative feedback on that idea. As such, I'm open to altering that particular lead.
And shit, yes, there is overcompression at 1:14. I kind of improvise on some of my production techniques since I've kinda figured out a lot of that stuff just by trial and error. 1:14 was me trying to be sneaky with a horrible scheme I devised to maximize the volume which made the part AFTER 1:14 sound bad, so I turned off the plugin I was using to maximize everything before that part, and it led to a little distortion as the volume instantly changed. Back to the drawing board on that
I should really google how to do that properly.Nice catch on that backing synth clashing with my talkbox lead early on. I hadn't caught that, and it's a fairly nasty error on my part.
And yes, as per my MO, the arrangement is definitely quite liberal, but I think there's plenty of source in there
a lot of the "original" melodies were inspired by Elec Man, and you can probably hear that if you listen to them closely, but OCR judges aren't so interested in original melodies inspired by the source so much as they are the source itself -
mega man 1, wily tower 1 source
Welp, here's the final version of my superfunky megaquirky remix for this weeks' Wily Castle Remix Gauntlet entry. I'll take any criticisms anyone has to offer, but in the spirit of the competition, I'll be submitting this particular version or an older version to DarkeSword and an improved version (assuming I need to make some changes) based on your critiques to OCR.
Yes, the analog parts are supposed to sound very corny
Enjoy, and please leave constructive feedback!
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double edit: I guess something was up with an unused channel because in that 10 second window I have before the project crashes, I selected all the unused channels and deleted them, and suddenly everything is ok. I am so confused. Anyway, looks like the issue is resolved, so feel free to delete this thread
edit: looks like it crashes every time after within about 10 seconds of opening the project no matter what I do.
I'm getting an "FL Studio Engine Launcher has stopped working" error as soon as I click the OK button to render an mp3. Sometimes, it even crashes when I'm selecting the filepath to which the mp3 will be written, oddly enough, it seems to crash during this step as soon as I scroll with the mouse wheel. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling FL10; no success.
This is really frustrating :/
Anyone have any idea what's going on?
Is there a way to render an mp3 from the .flp without having to open the .flp??
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The previous 2 posts have been 110% fact.
Thank you.
If the silver surfer's failure (see: default) pose isn't one of the stock avatars on OCR, it should be.
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YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAA. Remix is done. Remix is insanely funky and quirky. Just needs a little mixy-mixy.
Also, what the hell happened to halc this week?
silver surfer'd
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Round 7 of ecto'sstreamofconsciousness reviews:
A Swarm of Voxels -- The intro is a winner. I love the thick, wide bass. 0:35 is when shit hits the fan, but in a good way (?). The energy is fantastic here. As always with your work, the harmonies get quirky and awesome soon thereafter, and as always with your work, I love it. There was a ton of attention to mixing throughout except perhaps that final, high lead at the end that was a just a tad shrill. The arrangement was tight as always.
Totally Tubular Fortress -- ALL YOUR TRACKS SOUND THE SAME!! And MAN, have you NAILED this style. I love your old-school sound so much. Teach me your ways <3. This mix is a bit muddy throughout, perhaps a bit much reverb in naughty places where it shouldn't be. The lead that comes in around 1:53ish is a bit loud and perhaps a bit hot on the highs. The drum groove is a bit repetitive as well. Despite my critiques, this was really enjoyable and the arrangement was excellent. That said, the lack of rhythmic variation made things seem like they plodded a long a bit.
WHICH ONE DO I SHOOT?! -- The intro wasn't my favorite for some reaason, then 0:45 SLIDEY SYNTH. LOVE. And then wubz? OK, I'll bite. And it tastes great. The glitchies were quite tasteful and added a lot to the arrangement. Speaking of arrangement, you did an awesome THOUGHT INTERRUPTED oh god, that gated voice. That's just about my favorite thing ever. Fantastic choice. Speaking of arrangement, you did an awesome job with Gemini Man's theme, and the way you integrated Wily's theme was slick.
Megaman Awesome -- I liked the intro until the harmonies went woo-woo
the synth you have keeping the chords in the beginning is playing some overtly wrong notes. At 0:53, things get back on track, harmonically speaking... and back off again at 1:09. The arrangement is also quite conservative. Seems a bit like a MIDI rip with that little transitory chord jam between Heat Man bits.Call the Fire Department -- That one Skrillex song would be quite silly if some lady had shouted "CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT" instead. These are the things I think about on too little sleep. Turns out I can't sleep through someone vacuuming the house. Oh well, your loss is my gain. What? The mix is over already? I wasn't even done typing random, stupid crap. Well, I suppose it was enjoyable for its length, if a bit thin.
Wily's Ruin -- Again, I'm not a fan of vocals, but man, these were well done. It reminds me of my emo days early in high school (silly days, those). I wish I had more critiques, but I was too busy nostalgia'ing at the Taking Back Sunday sound of this, sorry
But I loved it. At times, the meter of the lyrics didn't quite work. Right at about 2:32, the vocals were noticeably out of key. Very creative and solid arrangment. <3 it.When The Moon Cries -- The staccato string stabs seemed just a bit weak. Your breath was smelly at 0:34. Smells like Nyquil. "I will give every bit of my all" seemed to have an awkward meter to it. The vocals have the perfect amount of reverb on them and seemed to be very well-mixed. What happened to the Jason Covenant who wrote Sweet Dream Lullaby?!?! Your 3 remixes have been nothing like that gem
Not that these haven't been excellent throughout, but it would have been nice to see you attempt different styles. What's that? There's even a woody flute like in your other remixes! "At the end of nighTTTT" is a bit strong on the T. Same with "lighTTTT". Nitpicky: at 4:28 with the filter sweet, there was no transition into the sweep, just kind of a switch to the filter being on. Was a bit jarring, but my personal preference is to have smooth filter transitions; nothing wrong with what you did. Very slick arrangement, interesting soundscape throughout.Black Alleycat -- The drums seemed a bit weak before the lead dropped. I think the Rhodes chords could have used just a bit of variation. Maybe some color notes here and there, a little added and varied syncopation. The lead at 1:25 needs a bit more volume to it. Its frequencies seem a bit thin as well. I love the groove throughout, and the bitcrushed drums were an excellent choice. Very smooth piece, though a bit conservative, but I'm more partial to highly liberal arrangements myself. I'll be damned if the OCR judges ever pass me based on my liberal arrangements (and I made my first-ever submission a few days ago, so time will tell!
).Halite -- Gorgeous intro. The bass seems a bit weak. The transition into Crystal Man craziness is a bit weak. That section itself sounds nice (and verbatim...) but a bit thin. I love the filtered guitar-y thing. Very well-executed. The drum groove in the end is a bit weak. It could use a little more compression love, even some more variation, too. I like how the ending of the piece just kind of decays on the listener.
Float -- You win, teamie!! <3
Skull Shield -- The kick seems to be mixed a little funny. I think it's clashing with the bass quite a lot. The guitar playing is great! The arrangement was very conservative, and there seemed to be little variation in the soundscape, but shit, it's a metal song. Why vary what isn't broken? Welp, I enjoyed it, although it was conservative and perhaps a bit derivative, but again, metal is metal, and if it isn't all screamy and shit, it's usually pretty badass. That's the worst penis I've ever seen in my life.
Overall, the arrangements of the source tunes were somehow perhaps the most clever and yet the most conservative of any of the rounds so far. One would think those things are mutually exclusive, so maybe I just don't know what I'm talking about.
VOTES:
1. Wily's Ruin
2. A Swarm of Voxels
3. When The Moon Cries
Mega Man: The Wily Castle Remix Gauntlet 2011
in Competitions
Posted
Well, I have an awkward hour or two of nothing to do before the first of many chrimbus dinners I'm signed up for, so it's review time.
Synthesize This -- Got a nice disco orchestral feel to it. I feel like that lead needs a little life, some vibrato for sure. That filter envelope just isn't cutting it. Right around 2:12, there's a muted guitar sounding thing that is panned pretty hard left. Kinda obnoxious, needs to be closer to center or better balanced. Benny Hill theme? Why the hell not, right? Not sure why this bothered me, but at the end of some of the phrases, the lead would filter out a lot... just when one would figure the lead should be at its strongest to really strongly close out the melodic idea. Whaaaa, and an Earthbound reference at the end? Nice. Welp, I really enjoyed it. It was well put together and very well-produced despite those minor issues I brought up.
Cruise Control -- I get the vibe that all your remixes for this compo have been pretty "safe" so to speak. I really would have liked to have seen some weirdo stuff going on, but I guess I'm just partial to weirdo music a lot of the time. Annnyway, the arrangement is very tight and concise, although it's extremely conservative. The production was excellent, but I thought the guitar could have used juuuuust a bit more love.
Drag Me Up (to Heaven) -- Oh shit, I love it already. The arp that starts around 0:27 is just a little loud and hot on the highs. I love the rhythms going on here. Hah, the Magnet Man arrangement is so weird. It's much slower than I'm used to hearing. Those panning pulse stabs beginning around 1:32 are a little loud and hot on the highs as well.
Tomahawk Man's Final Chapter -- The spoken word stuff is too loud and exposed and panned left a little bit. Piano is a bit dry and mechanical as well. Hah, all that being said... I love the weirdness of it. The chip lead is a bit loud as well. You've gotta low pass that magical8bit stuff juuuust a little bit. They're really fuzzy with the very high frequencies being so naturally loud. The stereo image around 2:02 when the organ comes in is vastly different than what was occurring immediately before it, and the transition is slightly jarring. The muted rhythm guitar at time is extremely quiet and indiscernible -- kinda just seems like noise. LMAO, the "nooooo" at 4:42. Sounds like Consuela. Ok, and that last Tomahawk Man line was wonderful. Yeah, so by the end of it all, this remix had won me over. I really wasn't sure if you were being serious or not through it all, so I didn't want to be an ass and start trashing the spoken word stuff, but yeah. By the end it was pretty clear you were just being 100% hilarious. So anyway, thank you for that. Very creative, solid arrangement, production was lacking a bit.
Towering Shade -- It all seems a bit dry and conservative, although I know you mentioned that you started it last night or something like that, so considering that, it's alright.
Subarctic Nightfall -- Ooooo, I love the juxtaposition of the rhythm and the chill piano-y stuff. That being said the first piano lead-in is a bit loud. Right around 1:07 there's a bit of an awkward harmonic moment. Piano is too loud again around 1:13. I kinda struggled to hear the crappy Wily theme. Anyway, nice work man. You've really honed your chops since your first entry. It shows. You're starting to figure out the chillout style.
Top This -- In response to the explicit challenge in your remix title, please see remix #09 entitled Current Events (Elec Man in Wily Tower 1-1) in order to have your challenge met. Welp, I said it before: DAT BASS. So damn thick. And yeah, I don't know what I was missing the first time. I hear Wily's theme loud and clear this time. I think the first listen I gave it was more of a "HOLLYY CRAPPPP" listen, just kinda taking in all the craziness for its own sake. That comb filtered wubwub bass is NICE. The odd harmonies of Top Man's theme as played by that bell-sounding thing were awesome. Yeah, so this even better the second time around. Awesome work. If I were even remotely a dancer, I would have danced to this.
Ivory Tower -- Oh I geddit. Ivory because it's a piano. Welp, I love me some solo piano and I love me some classical musikz, so let's see how this goes. Very nicely composed so far. All that theory that I'll never learn, and so expertly implemented! And yet completely lost on me. Love the abrupt transition into Wily at about 1:24. Gorgeous arpeggios at 1:59. Eh, I really don't know what to say about this one. I really have nothing to critique. Just an #1 spot? Probably.
Electropuncture -- The lead at the beginning needs a little off its high-end and volume. The arps are nice
Did everyone use square arps in their respective remixes this week? I'm sure C7 had them in there somewhere with the piano. Arps were a bit loud around 1:40 as well. But holy crap, man. This is a sweet arrangement. Very chaotic and crazy. The piano needs a lot of production and humanization love. The piano's compression was extremely apparent during those runs around 1:58. Soon after, the piano chords were squashing other frequencies and exhibiting overcompression as well. 2:25 transition got me rock hard. both themes were VERY well integrated. There was a ton of source material here, but it still seemed like a completely unique product, so nice job!
The Return of Gangsta Man -- YOU HAVE DEFEATED GANGSTA MAN. GET EQUIPPED WITH: F. STAMPS. Haha, I LOVE the crash man implementation at 0:52. Once the chip lead comes in, it's a bit weak (are you using the Crash setting on Peach? how creative
). The lead at 1:48 needs to be quieter and it needs to be EQ'd pretty heavily as it's clashing with other instruments. The minor Crash Man at the end was excellent, too. Solid arrangement with some production issues.
I'm a little partial to complex arrangements and chips, so Gario gets the #1. I love me some piano, so C7 grabs #2. Flexstyle's arrangement was thicker than Queen Latifah. #3.
1. Drag Me Up (to Heaven)
2. Ivory Tower
3. Top This