Jump to content

Chimpazilla

Judges
  • Posts

    3,206
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    6

Posts posted by Chimpazilla

  1. I agree with every crit listed here, but I still think this track is good to go.  Without timestamping, I feel like the source usage is dominant enough, there's no doubt about what is being remixed.  I love the hybrid genre here, jazz, electro and some chippies.  The mixing could surely be cleaner, and the leads could be less vanilla, but what's here gets it done.  The drums and bass pattern feels a bit loopy, and the abrupt ending feels sloppy, but the overall effect is very unique and fun.  Let's do this.

    YES

  2. Cool dance track, definitely not psytrance.  The arrangement is incredibly full which is fine, but the mixing sinks it.  The bass is fatiguing which may be due to the timbre used, it has a lot of mids which is making the rest of the mids feel intensely crowded.  Find a way to clear up the mixing by replacing sounds or eqing or stereo widening so the mids aren't migraine-inducing.

    NO (resubmit)

  3. I don't hear the source at all, and I agree with Sir_NutS that if I played this for someone with no explanation, they would most likely never pick out the source tune.  The effects are very odd to me, this tune is very unusual, and I can't say I am enjoying it. 

    Edit:  My level of enjoyment does not affect this vote.  But no matter how many times I listen to this, I cannot discern the source.

    NO

  4. This is super cool, vocals are dynamite, but I feel like there's something off with the chords, there are some notes that aren't quite fitting in, and it makes the soundscape dissonant and washy.  Anyone else hearing that?  It could be due to the long pad notes bleeding into each other,  but honestly I hear dissonance starting with the sparse intro, the bass notes don't quite work.  Agreed let's request lyrics if it passes.  I'm very interested to hear more opinions on the harmony/dissonance issue.

    edit 1/24/19:  That harmonic dissonance still bugs me.  Also, the vocals are all mixed in the center, making the track unnecessarily mono-ish.  I'm not quite ready to pass this one yet.

    NO (resubmit please)

  5. I agree with the guys on the mixing being a tad flat.  I agree with MW that the main hook is played on violin a few times more than I'd like.  The breakdown is epic and the trumpet is sequenced well although the volume gets too loud at one point.  The sudden chiptune section is an excellent surprise, and the chiptune elements mix in a very cool way with the orchestral soundscape when they play together.  Overall a unique and creative take on this source!

    YES

  6. I agree with the other Js that the vocals sound like they aren't nested into the track well, they sound pasted on, perhaps they are just too loud, fx and all.  Other than that, the track is very well crafted.  Drum groove gets repetitive after awhile.  This track is almost good to go for me, but I have to agree with Sir_NutS here, the too-quick fadeout is a dealbreaker.  It would be so easy to end this on the downbeat with a nice crash or something, but the quick fadeout sounds too awkward.  I hope we can get that fixed!

    YES (conditional on fixing ending)

  7. I'm really torn here, the mix itself is beautiful and well put together, but I can't quite get into it because of the repetitive nature of the arrangement.  I get that the source is repetitive, but that doesn't mean the remix has to be.  The mix builds and things are added, but the way the writing is, it feels like a four and a half minute build to nowhere, followed by an extended outro.  I feel like if the arrangement were broken up just a bit in the middle that would help, even if something like the outro were to appear halfway through and then something similar at the end like you have already.  As it stands, the arrangement just doesn't keep me engaged even with all the additions made.  I may be in the minority with this opinion.  Good luck with the rest of the vote!

    NO (resubmit)

  8. The kick feels pretty heavy/punchy for this instrumentation, especially when it's exposed like at 0:51 and 3:38.  The instrumentation is somewhat odd, especially the two leads, but the overall effect is completely unique.  The lead in the final passage is very vanilla and dry.  The breakdown is almost too bare. The arrangement is great, though, and I am enjoying it.  I especially like the kettle drums.

    YES

  9. What an interesting take on this source!  Very groovy and chill.  I don't care for the long pauses, especially when they fade to more than a second of complete silence, but like Larry I am not bothered by them.  My main gripes are: 1. the Christmas bells are too loud and up front when paired with the snare, and 2. fade out ending.  Still, unique, creative stuff here.

    YES

  10. On 2/9/2018 at 8:07 AM, Sir_NutS said:

    I've listened to this a few times now and I can see where some judges are coming from.  The atmospheric parts of this song are sometimes burying the leads, and in some cases, the leads and harmonies are competing pretty hard for space.  I do think that not all of the mixing here is bad though, the drums are coming pretty clearly, and things are fairly separated in the stereo field.  I believe this song could be better with another pass on the mix side, but I also believe that what we got is good enough, and enjoyable.  

    This remix takes the original atmospheric tone and expands upon it by adding more interpretation that feels a bit jazzy at times, and I was pleasantly surprised by the directions the artist took with some of the variations. It takes its time to develop ideas but doesn't drag on.  This was a very pleasant listen and I think the mixing issues didn't take away much of that enjoyment.  It's arrangement/tone/ambience vs some mixing issues for me, and I think the former tips the scales in its favor.

    YES

    This, exactly.

    YES

  11. I don't know this source, but it's a pretty simple source.  I listened with MW's timestamping and I find it to be plenty accurate (Gario, your timestamping seems too harsh here).  The arrangement itself is unique and fun and the production is tight although the bass has a bit of an odd tone.  The piano intro and outro feel so different to the rest of the arrangement stylistically that they feel somewhat tacked on, but they work well enough.  I can tell there is a "kids' show" influence in the track, it's bubbly and upbeat, while still having good emotional content.  The instruments are fun and varied and everything is sequenced very well.  I'm curious, what tin whistle did you use, it sounds great.  The arrangement is quite liberal and it feels more original than remix to me, but I love it and I've gotta go with it.

    YES

  12. I just listened to your other Zelda mix, and this one sounds SO much more 3D by comparison.  I agree that the brass does sound quite lifeless by contrast to the strings.  I hear those same little distortions that DA pointed out, it doesn't bother me enough to send back to fix.  The entire mix sounds too dry, so my same advice applies here as in the other mix, some more creative eq, positioning and especially varied reverbs would make the soundscape even more alive and 3D.  But this is lovely!  Another fabulous arrangement, so full of feels.

    YES

  13. Humanization is tricky even when strings or woodwinds are used as backing elements.  In this case every instrument is super exposed, and given that situation, I feel like the humanization is more than adequate.  That said, I wish the production had a bit more shine on it, perhaps a bit more eq or instrument positioning or varied reverbs to make the soundstage more 3D, with leads sounding more upfront and backing elements more in the background, and more of a feel of being onstage in a real hall.  The arrangement though, caries it totally.  It is absolutely lovely and so emotive.

    YES

  14. I didn't hear the original submission so my vote is on this version.  This is a source tune I adore, but I'm not sure this remix approach is working so well.  The track has two very distinct vibes that are sandwiched together and the transitions are minimal.  I'm not a fan of the lead guitar panning back and forth.   The drum writing plods and feels super simplistic and at times the groove feels quite awkward and forced.  The arrangement itself feels repetitive and choppy and it drags on for four minutes.  The performance is loaded with timing errors in the guitars and drums.  Good luck with the rest of the vote and I'm sorry to come down so hard on this but this track doesn't feel ready for prime time to me.

    NO

  15. I agree with the mixing critiques, the intro panning is distracting, the overall volume is low and the middle section gets a bit overcrowded.  My bigger concern is that the source is a super simple series of notes, and the way those six notes are used here is so completely different from the source tune as to be unrecognizable.  This is one of those rare instances where even though the source is used verbatim, I cannot hear (or feel) any connection to the source tune at all.  I only recognize Minuet of Forest at 2:02, right before the track ends.  Cool track, but I don't feel it fits OCR standards.

    NO

  16. Wow what a mix of moods and genres.  It's a very unusual mix, but it works well to tell a story, something I appreciate.  The transitions are a bit awkward, but well enough executed considering the huge variation in soundscapes stitched together.  The organic instruments are sequenced well, and the synths are well blended in.  Creativity wins the day here, and the varied harmonic soundscapes and chord structures are wonderfully emotional.  I feel like I just watched a movie about Midna's life!  Source is woven all through the track.  Well done.  (I love that Boss Defeated theme, I have remixed it myself)

    YES

×
×
  • Create New...