The Vodoú Queen

Well...mine's in too. ^^; Decided to go for this one.
Thoroughly enjoyed doing this, although it was the biggest, most exhausting, and massive music composing headache I've ever had, LOL.

Well...mine's in too. ^^; Decided to go for this one.
Thoroughly enjoyed doing this, although it was the biggest, most exhausting, and massive music composing headache I've ever had, LOL.

Well...mine's in too. ^^; Decided to go for this one.
Thoroughly enjoyed doing this, although it was the biggest, most exhausting, and massive music composing headache I've ever had, LOL.

The People's Remix Competition 430
PRCv18-10

Hello everyone and Welcome to the People's Remix Competition!
In PRC428 it was Wassup Thunder who got the win. The source has been selected for PRC430 which already started two days ago, directly after the end of the mixing stage from last round.
Source: Rush 'n Attack (NES) - Stage 1
https://compo.thasauce.net/files/materials/PRC430_rush n' attack Stage 1.mid
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush'n_Attack
https://compo.thasauce.net/rounds/view/PRC430
 
The deadline is Wednesday July 28th 2021 at 10:59 am ThaSauce time (18:00 UTC, 19:00 GMT), check the link https://compo.thasauce.net/rounds/view/PRC430 for the exact time left. Make sure that the song is uploaded to ThaSauce or that there’s a download link posted in this thread. 
You may enter as many mixes as you like and work with as many people as you like on each mix. You are free to create a second ThaSauce account for that if you use ThaSauce, it's needed to be able to upload a second remix if you use ThaSauce. Of course you can also upload it somewhere else and put a download link in this thread.
Do not make qualitative comments on an entry until the results of the vote have been posted in this thread.
Mixers cannot vote for themselves but if they vote they receive a free first place vote added onto their score.
The winner of this round may select the source for PRC432.
The winner of PRC428, Wassup Thunder, who picked this source, has a double vote but can only participate by submitting a Bonus Mix 
You can find the full rules list at this page as well.
 
GOOD LUCK!
 
PRC Home Page

Submitted my entrant!

Compo: MnP (Meat 'n Potatoes)
Congratulations to HarlemHeat360 for winning the last round! As a result, he/she get's to choose this month's MnP source! Here's what he/she had to say about their pick:
"Well, after some thought, I felt it would be nice to go somewhere nice and simple but lovely. I was inspired partly by Chris Cornell and his video about pokemon music (link below). I think I myself often overlook 8 bit music from the GBA for my go to PS1 classics and such, but man the guys behind Pokemon found a way to give us some lovely tunes. This one has pretty start and I'm really digging that alone but then that breakdown? Wow! I'm so curious as to what you creative folks could possibly come up with! Funny thing is I don't remember this track from my childhood and this version was my favorite! Oh well, lets dust off our thinking caps and try and make some beautiful pieces!" - HarlemHeat360
GAME: Pokemon Gold/Silver (GBC)
SOURCE: National Park
VIDEO:
Deadline: 20th August @ 1PM
Closing Date: 22nd August @ 1PM
Vote Ends: 29th August @ 1PM
MnP ARCHIVE  - made by Trism 
submit: http://compo.thasauce.net/rounds/view/MnP126
MISSION STATEMENT
The goal of Compo:MnP is to promote that "meat and potatoes" conservative approach to remixing: this includes the mood and composition of source tunes. It is up to the remixer to create their own personalization, or to simply give it a sound upgrade. Moreover, the compo is a great opportunity to hone your remixing skills and give video game music the respect that is due. SOME reinterpretation is recommended, but not required.
MnP Instructions/Guidelines
Rules for Picking a Source:
All video game sources are limited to the 6th generation of video game consoles and earlier. This was due to community consensus, where people preferred to remix more retro games, than newer games. 6th generation includes: GameCube, Xbox, PS2 and Dreamcast.  I'm now restricting big name franchises (Such as Zelda and Mega-Man) to one source per year. This is to encourage more obscure games, that not many people will know about to be picked.  Make sure you provide me both a video and a MIDI of the source in question.  Note: This is subject to change. Also keep an eye out, if any special rounds come into fruition. 
Guidelines:
Modifying the Source is fine, so long as it doesn't sound completely separate from its original intent.  If you're gonna do a genre change, at least make sure the original aspect of the source is not lost. Tempo changes are fine, as long as it's not a big change. I'm talking like, going from 80bpm to 140bpm.  Submissions must be at a maximum of 20mb (keeping in step with ThaSauce's file size max), and submitted as a MP3 file. Only 1 entry per participant. Previous winner cannot participate but can submit a BONUS entry.  Try to avoid making quality-based comments on submissions until after the Round is concluded.  It is to avoid a Bias in Votes. MISC/TIPS
- When picking a source tune, make sure it has a MIDI to make people's lives easier.
- In-game sound FX are permitted, so long as they don't comprise the whole track (i.e. replacing entire MIDI tracks with just sfx)

Pokemans! I haven't worked with pokemon music for such a long time, glad to have a chance to get back to it. Gold/silver was the first one I remember beating as a kid. And I got lots of memories running around this area, trying to catch scyther.

I'm not sure of the exact approach I'll go for this song but I know it'll be fun!

Nice choice! I can't remember the last time I worked with Pokemon music. Now what does this little thing want me to do with it...

Pretty much sums it up lol.

Got my bonus entry done!

I'm hoping I can come up with something more instructive like Wassup when I'm less sleepy but my tip for now is to listen to some true classical music (as in music from the actual classical era like Bach or Mozart). If you can read sheet music then going on YouTube and seeing the versions uploaded with sheet music to follow along may help too. 
If you don't like classical music (please don't force yourself haha) then I think learning some basic theory stuff if you don't know any (which is 1000% fine!) and try just playing things in thirds. Like insert the notes in your daw or however you like in thirds and just see how they sound. Use your ears and maybe move them around a bit. Have fun and see what sounds interesting! 
Although I'm classically trained, I still suck at remembering a lot of complex theory things so a lot of the time I rely on my ear and just fiddling around to see what may work. Some of the best things I've made were mistakes haha. So don't be shy and just see what works!
Last tip I have is to find midis of songs you like and literally just one to one them. Like find out which instruments are what (if they arent labeled) and load some VSTs and watch it play. Look at the notes or the midi blocks while the song is being played and see what is doing what. Isolate tracks on solo if you need to as well. And honestly if it sounds hot? Copy it. Add it to something else and see how it fits. Sometimes you'll be surprised at how well it does and when it doesn't, try and move parts of it around to force it to fit. Essentially what you are doing is learning about melody and harmony by deconstructing already made ones and hearing how they sound while seeing what they look like in your DAW. I know the word copy sounds like a no no, but at first that's all we are doing is copying. Later you can make it your own or even sometimes just copy it straight up if it's just a snippe of a basic harmonic or melodic progression and it fits your piece. Plagiarism in music starts when you are really straight up taking a whole musical line along with its placement in a piece and the other musical structures around it. But if it's a few notes or chords, then lord knows it's been done infinite times. As you become more skilled. You'll be able to do this less and rely more on your instinct. Which may still include things you like that you first heard from other places. But that's music imo. That's your heritage and you gotta own it sometimes. 
 
Anyway, sorry I'm rambling. I hope you find a path that leads to stronger melodies and harmonies! 

@thenerevarinYup!

Anybody can participate ?

@Bundeslang
Yeah no problem. I'll send the original mp3 file I used as the submission next time I'm on my PC.

I decided to try and find something actually instructive to share, rather than just say "experiment till you find something that sounds good". I found this article here, https://medium.com/@NickEss/a-beginners-guide-to-counter-melodies-ebc5ae8b10cd, that shares some specifics and examples that might be helpful.
A couple personal tricks I use are making a counter melody that inverts the kind of notes the main melody is doing (IE, when the melody is fast short notes, a counter melody of long notes, etc). When making some melodic variation, I often take the melody's original notes and keep them the same structure (like, the quarter notes, 18th notes, half notes stay the same) but change the notes to make a new melody. Not sure if I wrote that out in a sense-making way...

Hey guys,
Dunno how to go about asking this, but I noticed a few colleagues of mine do this quite readily and frequently in MnP and PRC, and it has been recently brought to my attention in some criticism of my work in recent rounds...and this may sound real stupid or asinine to ask, but what is a good way to write counter-melodies or additional / extra harmony lines to a remix from a VG midi? At the moment I don't have a MIDI controller / keyboard to hand, but I am a bit at a loss for the technique of doing it. Been told with some of my work I don't explore melodies or harmonies enough?--or at the very least, they can be a bit underwhelming because I'm just using what I'm given, pretty straightforwardly. And it's getting to a point where no matter the additional content I slap onto a remix, be it a loop, a unique VST choice, or a sample / SFX, it isn't seemingly...IDK what's the right words...I guess bringing out enough potential in whatever I'm working on.
Want to see if anybody has some tips or tricks in making them, like I'm unsure...maybe breaking down whatever melody or harmony is already in the music and rearranging notes and stuff enough for it to go parallel with what's there, and enhance the experience, so to speak.
I figure this is the natural next step in trying to learn how to make music, trying to put your unique spin on it... So yeah, if anybody has anything that would be helpful.

Don't rush on my account. I've waited at least 15 years, I can wait a little longer  

Hey everyone,
I would love for anyone to do a remix of the final palace theme from Adventure of Link.
 
I'm partial to EDM and Synthwave, but would be happy with just about anything as long as it's upbeat. Thanks everyone!

Awesome. I'm psyched!

I forgot I had an account on freesound, good idea. Maybe I'll find something that'll work.

Got something in. Keep mixing folks.

Don't know what happened. Haven't been able to check before. Can you make the song downloadable or send the song to me so I can upload it to ThaSauce.

I hadn't forgotten, lol...
----
1) 'Benny Rikashi and the Puffoons' – Souperion
Pros:
This is a beautiful remix of the source. Everything melts and melds right in. Well-coordinated and organic. Love it.
I'm not usually one into Bluegrass / Country, but I liked this a lot. Especially the creative addition @ 1:44, that kind of turned the song into a pirate jig, a la Pirates of the Caribbean. Really cool.
There's so much variety here! Also, loved the ending.
Critique:
Disappointed there's no dueling banjos. Also, half-expected a hurdy-gurdy or accordion to come outta nowhere in some parts. The song really didn't need it, but it was just a weird expectation on my part, especially when it began to build up to the end.
I'd honestly be a nick-picky SOB if I sat here trying to find “issues” to critique on here. In reality, I can't really think of any, and on first listen-through, I was very satisfied with the finished product.
Excellent job! Never thought I'd actually super enjoy a Country song for once. xD
 
2) 'Beats Rikashi' – TheVideoGamer
Pros:
I'm kinda glad and taken aback that you went the truer path of 1:1 remix this time around, aside it being the MnP standard. Usually, you'd do something much more hardcore, whether or not your tune is in keeping with the MIDI completely or not. Major props there, going outside your usual mould.
Like Wassup's, I like the bombastic, cheery atmosphere in this piece. It's great to hear.
Love the percussion! I think it could've had some steel hanging drums in it somewhere, since you mentioned you were trying for a Caribbean / Jamaican party, or rather, marching band vibe. The swinging synths really provoked that feeling, but yeah, good stuff.
Critique:
Thought the bass was a bit too..."bassy"? The reverb and volume on it, I mean... Sorry—I know what you were trying to go for but it was overwhelming from the get-go.
The drums are extremely loud, too. I had my headphone volume down to < 20% and it was still kinda overmuch. Again, I get what you're going for, but balance is key I suppose.
Wasn't feeling the ending, apologies, but this composition is not bad at all for something not generally “in your wheelhouse.” I enjoyed it nonetheless. :3
 
--BONUS--
+ 'Fairwinds Festival' – Wassup Thunder
Pros:
Really love the happy-go-lucky, playful atmosphere you made with the song. Had a similar cadence and feel to the 'Millennial Fair' song from Chrono Trigger. It was a real joy to listen to.
The strings were a wonderful addition halfway through the song, and rounding it all up with the bells / chimes at the end was fabulous.
It was loud, but never felt “too” loud throughout. It felt just right for the mood you were trying to express and set. Excellent work with sound balancing, as far as I can hear.
Critique:
To be honest, there wasn't really much in the song I could hear or pick out that was specifically problematic. The instruments seemed fairly well-balanced between the lot, and nothing really swamped or stomped on any other track used in the composition.
I think my only major concern was the lack of a discernable fore, middle, and background between instruments. A lot of it was very “in-your-face” / foreground-related, with no midground and a bit of back (the drums and percussion.) Having a few of the lighter instruments maybe more in-between things might've helped, but I wouldn't want to take too much away from the loudness and bombasticness of the song, when it's supposed to be very uplifting and joyous.
Great work, though!

Ok sorry i was so late, i have been very busy the last week or so. I've listened to them all and here's what i think of it, in grave detail.
Souperion - Really liking the dark rock vibes in the first half, it's almost like some intense boss battle. Great string ambience, this is one spooky tune. Like how you also tried to invert the chords, so we still get the complex 7th's, but in a minor key. Interesting melody switch too, it's very dissonant, but in a satisfying way. Nice that you included some synths, really brings it to life. Don't hear much of the main melody, but i'm sure that's just a stylistic choice, especially since we are dealing with a lot of synths. The mix is really nice on here, very heavy but in a great way. Now the second half really makes me feel like i'm in coral cave. It goes straight into the original vibe, with lots of beautiful relaxing synth warbles, and a great glide on the arp. Now i would have loved to hear more of this, because i'm personally biased towards this part, it's so relaxing, and play's super well to the source's melodic content. Also like how the main melody takes full effect here. Mixing wise i couldn't find any problems, not much in the overall track to be honest, it's very well done. Maybe more of the second half would have worked for me, and a better less abrupt ending, but all in all, lovely work, really enjoyed this. Well done!
Wassup Thunder - This is very close to the source, really like how you made the breakbeat out of light percussion. Makes the source more airy and breathy as a result. Not as intense. This does mean we loose a bit of the low end, but the bassline is there so it's not too much. Great bass sound actually, very juicy and enjoyable to my ears. Also really like the piano integration. Now the whole thing sounds lovely, but what would really work is a drum beat. I know i said it makes it light and airy, but i do feel drums could make this into something special. You could even do your classic Eurobeat 4 on the floor. Also i feel there is 2 things that could be improved. First the bass needs to be better mixed, i sense parts where it gets a little too loud for me, like it's almost distorted. I get this a lot in my tracks sometimes, and people have rightly pointed it out. It usually happens when i go for really intense basslines, mixed with distorted beats. The only other thing i might suggest, is doing more original things to the arrangement. I feel this is more on the MnP side than the PRC side, however though i too fall into this trap in PRC, so i call this one a minor issue. Plus as well, sometimes things sound better when it's closer to the original, so don't worry about too much. The last part is awesome, i love the choir integration, it's very well done, you've take only 2 chords and done something special with it, and i love it. Really nicely done on the arrangement. Well done!
Marcusg - Really lovely breaks here, i definately like the grooves a lot. Loving the wonky piano feel, definately liking the simple ideas, it's done well. The breaks are fantastic. Really liking the sub bass too. The piano is very out of time, even if i said it was nice. I don't know it just feels great on it's own, but weird when the beats and bass come in. It's also very simple, i'd argue too simple, i feel there could be a lot more to this, especially since there is only 2 chords. I also feel as well, the breaks are a tad bit loud for the melodic elements, but that's just me. I mean the breaks on their own sound awesome, but it's the integration that feels off for me. I still like this idea a lot though, the sound selection was great. Yeah it's only 2 minutes, but it's done well. Great work on this, well done!
TheVodouQueen - I laughed at the inclusion of Monkey sound effects, that's pretty funny. There seems to be some kind of live recording going on, with a radio. I think that could have been a Youtube video, who knows. Now listening to this in detail, my comments need to be completely rewritten. I love the pad sounds, and definately the drums, funky vibes all around. The educational comedy part was just the icing for me, i laughed so hard. Your creativity seems to always shine, some of the ideas are so original. Now i can kind of see why i thought this was a remix of Redial, because the pad sounds are quite full on, so i hear a lot of Redial in the front and Coral Cave in the background. However though, this is PRC, so this would be understandable. I also managed to hear a lot more of coral cave this time than when i skimmed through. Especially with the melody in the middle. I kinda owe everyone an apology for rushing mine, listening to it now, it's much better than before. The only problem i really have, is a kind of a polish thing. The drums get pushed down by the pad and melody, which i feel could be big and full. Also i feel there are parts that could be instrumental, (Or at least more instrumental than i'm hearing), to give time for some melody/drum play. Really though that's all i have, the rest sounds great. I love the work you did on here, and the humour was awesome, so much originality. Much better now that i got a chance to really listen to it, in full.  Well done!
Ok so what would i change from my original ranking?
Compared to my original vote, Wassup Thunder's track has more unique parts than before and was definately not as static as what i've written. Had a lot more cool elements to switch it up. I still think it fits more in MnP terms, but this one isn't an issue per-say. I also had a mixing issue with the bass, something not in the original critique.
Souperion's track was definately well mixed, i don't know why i put that in the original votes, this obviously came down from me not listening to it properly.
Listening to Marcus's entrant, definately changed a lot of things. I hate to say this, because i don't want to bring this user down or anything, but i felt i was being way too generous with this entrant. I still commend him, because it was a lovely arrangement, i loved the breaks, however the arrangement felt very simple, and the piano was a little out of time, which is especially noticeable when the drums in. It's more so Marcus started it, as kind of an idea, that could be expanded or finished upon. However though, i am taking into account it was rushed, and a couple of rounds ago, he said he was still learning FL Studio, so i don't want to be too harsh (Which i'm worried i am being). I still loved the track though.
TheVodouQueen was definately a big overhaul to me. I original said it was a remix of redial, and although to a degree i still can see why i said that, it's actually got a good chunk of Coral Cave, especially in the melody. More so when i listen to it, i only came up with a few mixing touches, i felt were needed, and maybe too much voice clips were used (But i consider this small, since everytime i listen to it, i get conflicted thoughts. I love it in one part, but then i think, maybe it's a bit too much. Still enjoy them though). The main pad sound might be why i initially thought of Redial, but going back, i've decided to backtrack on that, since i didn't listen deep enough Lovely work on this anyways!
Based on these alone, if i were to be given a chance to do a re-ranking of my top 3 votes it would be as follows:
1. Souperion would be first.
2. TheVodouQueen would be second (Although her's was very close to being the top spot)
3. Marcusg (I still think your entry is very solid, and i really do like the work you've done with the breaks).
Wassup Thunder would have made the 3rd spot, if the bass was mixed in a bit more (Still enjoyed his a lot though).
Hopefully people can be assured that i've listened to them properly now and done really critique on it, not some half-assed poor attempt.
Sorry it took so long too, been so busy this week. Onwards and upwards.