zircon
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Posts posted by zircon
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I like the direction this is heading.. but as the other judges mentioned, nothing happens! Come on. It's definitely possible to take a simplistic source and have it go in a completely new direction, and it seems to me like you have a good idea of what you're doing in terms of instrumentation and production (though that phasing seems a little out of place). Just keep going with it. Provided you can create a cool structure and expanded arrangement with the same level of interpretation that you have in this version, I think this could be really cool.
NO
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A "woooosh" eh? That sounds to me like some sort of high passed white noise with the filter cutoff being automated..
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Guess I can't comment on the arrangement in comparison to the source, but structurally, this is weak. It doesn't go anywhere - it just sort of repeats with a few layering changes every once in awhile, but not enough to salvage it. Make use of more added layers at the very least to create dynamics in the mix. You can repeat sections and make it not sound repetitive by making subtle variations in the different instruments, for instance, or by adding new parts to the mix.
Production-wise, there are numerous problems. The drums have no swing or processing whatsoever, and their sequencing is both unrealistic and uninteresting. All these factors combine to make an extremely boring and plodding drumline. Spend a little bit more time on the rhythm section in the future - just because you're doing a rock-style mix doesn't mean you can ignore the percussion. Like Digital Coma said, the lead is OK (though a little bit of reverb/delay to make it wetter wouldn't have hurt), but the bass guitar is very weak. Probably would have made more sense to use a synth bass or something along those lines. The harmony part (the choir) is also not implemented well, being quiet, lofi, and dry. Finally, the overall mastering is 'dull'. Try using equalizers to increase the brightness of the guitar and choir, the bass of the bass drum, and the crack of the snare, for instance. You can also use reverb more to make stuff sound more realistic.
So anyway, lots of problems, but don't be discouraged.
NO
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Oof, yeah. Very poor implementation of the instruments.. though it's clear that the mood was intended to be sort of airy and light. The drums take away from that completely. Besides repeat over and over, the mix does basically nothing with the original. Seems pretty much like a basic first effort with FL to me.. keep practicing.
NO
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I'd say this has a pretty interesting arrangement, considering the original isn't all that complex to begin with in terms of melody and progression. I also feel that the structure is well-constructed, even though several elements remain somewhat static. Production sounds great to me, with lots of subtle stuff going on to make the whole mix sound more.. (ahem) atmospheric?
I'm not a big fan of the vocals, but because they're so short, it's really not much of a problem. I see this mix as a fun interpretation that manages to sound fresh even while it doesn't take the source in a wildly new direction. I can't think of many reasons not to say..YES
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Hmm. I like the general idea here - groovy drums, real instruments, and synths with lots of processing tricks to spice things up.. but I don't think it was executed well. I really like the arrangement, on the other hand. I'm not sure about that 'stuttering' effect - it's cool the first few times, but gets a little irritating as it goes on. As for other issues, the lead sound is just WAY too basic and dry.. you've gotta change that. Drums could have more flavor too, though I like their sequencing. Finally, what's up with the ending? It wouldn't have taken much effort to have the mix actually resolve rather than just cut off (basically).
Bottom line is that I think this needs more tweaking and polish.. I'd like to see a resubmit though.
NO
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yeah... what? That beat gets really old, really fast. Combine that with very boring and generic synth textures and a lackluster arrangement, and it's not looking good. Try not to include themes from other games just because you can't think of any arrangement ideas either.. it's a bad habit. There's plenty of source material to work with in either one of these themes. The production is pretty clear until about 2:00 when things get messy, perhaps because of the timbre of the synths. After that, it's just lots of repetition.. boring.
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Definitely glad soc submitted this, because I think it's one of his best mixes so far. The overall texture or soundscape is superb, created by the various synth patterns, atmospheric leads (like the violin and synth flute), and acoustic drums. Production-wise, I think I would have preferred a real flute, and additional variation or processing of the drums to keep things fresh, but it doesn't detract from the song too much. The arrangement is also quite good overall as a reinterpretation, though the structure suffers from repetition and the lack of new ideas or layers. In fact, I'd say that this probably sits RIGHT on the border of what is passable and what isn't, because it stretches just a handful of ideas over 4:30.. but my vote would be that it doesn't cross the line. It's a good re-invention of the original and has great sound quality.
YES
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I appreciate the effort here - intense rearrangement, atmospheric, chill - but it needs a lot more work. Try to work in the source more, for one thing, rather than just a variant of the progression. Expand the structure so it goes somewhere. In terms of production, yeah, the piano is way too dry compared to the rest of the sounds, which for the most part aren't too bad. The drums get somewhat repetitive after awhile, so considering adding more patterns to break up the monotony.
Good effort, keep at it.
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Not really feeling the intro.. ambient/synth effects can work well to create a mood, but introducing the robotic voice and lame bass synth really just ruin things right off the bat. Things don't really pick up, either. More synths are introduced as the melody comes in, but the percussion takes too long to come in. In terms of arrangement, it seems really just expanding things rather than re-interpreting them for the first half, and then after that it starts to go in a different direction, but there's a sparseness of sound that never goes away. The drums are also very static. Put in some fills, use more layering: do something interesting with them. Not sure about those 'airy' fx that come in towards the end too.
Sounds to me like 2 minutes of ideas spread over nearly 5 minutes, with not much of a structure besides "intro -> rest of the mix". There are some cool ideas and sounds though, so don't give up on this yet. Rework the structure so it actually goes somewhere, and be more creative in your rearrangement.
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I have to agree with Larry that I'm not seeing much of a rearrangement or reinterpretation here. Lots of sound changes, some variations in there, but the original is unmistakably present in the rhythms, synth timbres, and overall structure. The production is just fine outside of a little dullness on the synth guitar, but the great feel overall doesn't justify the lack of a substantial arrangement. While this is very enjoyable, I think it sticks too close to the original in not only notation, but general style as well. I would love to see this resubmitted with a more interpretive arrangement, though I can understand if Vurez wants to keep this as more of a tribute or cover than a rearrangement in our sense of the word.
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Arrangement-wise this feels a little disjointed.. I agree with Larry's comments on what you're doing right and what you're not in this department. In terms of sound quality, your execution is a mixed bag. The drums are very dry throughout and don't really flow with the feel of the mix, for instance, but the pad sounds and orchestral instruments sound good (just try to center things less). Keep an eye on your reverb/delay levels too, as I noticed the sound getting mushy in a few places. You can try to remedy this with some selective EQing too, by reducing particularly 'resonant' parts of a sound. Like Gray said, I think there has been a steady improvement in the quality of your mixes. Don't let our criticism slow your progress; you're getting closer every time!
NO but please resubmit.
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Arrangement isn't my concern with this one. There are some production issues that stand in the way of an otherwise cool mix. The drum patterns sound very "GM" and the panning doesn't help either. That synth lead is VERY good, but the rest of the sounds, between the bass, drums, organ synth, etc. are cluttered. Go easier on reverb and use an EQ more to separate the different parts. Overall, as the mix progresses, the sound becomes more and more messy. Not cool. I would try reworking your drums a bit first and then see what you can do to make the individual elements stand out more. It seems like you have a handle on designing electronic sounds, and there are some cool ones here - keep working on this!
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Yeah.. I think recording could have been better - there's a lot of fret noise and an audible noise in the recording. The buzzing doesn't help too much either. Might want to try recording at a better location, or using a de-ess plugin like mda de-ess (free) to reduce the noise. Or at a minimum do another take and try to reduce fret noise, because it's a little irritating. Anyway, in terms of rearrangement, I think it's solid, but really lacks in dynamics and structure. I didn't find kLuTz's take all that interesting either - it didn't really go anywhere, and neither does this. Changing up the playing style more, making more rhythmic changes, or incorporating some other parts could conceivably help (like some soft woodwinds). Even if it was re-recorded, I don't think this arrangement would stand on its own.
NO but keep at it.
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Very interesting. I think this is what you would call "mixing it up".. really reminds me of Shnabubula's stuff, and Rellik + Ziwtra too, to a certain extent. Lots of crazy drumwork and subtle stuff going on. Apparently, this was done with MIDI only, with no VSTs or outside samples, which would explain the lack of any advanced processing, and the somewhat lofi sound. And while there are certainly better sounds available.. I think Lunar did a hell of a good job with the limited tools he had, and the arrangement is off the hook. I think the fact that the instruments are similar isn't a big enough deal to merit a no. Good job overall.
YES
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OUCH. FL defaults, presets, instruments.. come on. There are way, way better free sounds out there. Start with hammersound.net and kvr-vst.com, go to the Remixing forum if you need more help. Production is just abysmal, and the arrangement certainly doesn't carry anything.
NO
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The opening makes this seem a little dull.. and overall I have to say that the sound could be better. More of a 'stereo' feel, more brightness, and less midrange resonance could really help. The sample itself isn't bad, I think it's just the processing that you need to work on. Keep tweaking that. Arrangement-wise, there's certainly a strong human feel to it. The main giveaway that it is sequenced is that too many chords have notes that all strike at the same time, and some of the swung passages just don't sound right. However, in terms of dynamics and interpretation of the original, it's quite good. For piano mixes, those areas are especially important, and clearly there's a lot of effort put into tempo and rhythmic changes.
A close call for me, but I'm going to go with a YES.
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Eh.. this mix is pretty 'timid' overall. The production is solid, but presents absolutely nothing outside of standard dance music cliches. The sounds are pretty bland, partially due to the encoding (VBR next time!) and partially due to the processing, or lack thereof. There are multiple layers of sound, but they tend to simply mud together rather than mix smoothly. More reverb/delay on certain parts could certainly help round out the sound, if used sparingly. Consider using slightly less.. generic sounds as well, if not for your percussion than for your synths. Automation of filter cutoffs, volume, and panning can help too.
The arrangement does expand on the original well, and I don't have much of a problem with that. I do think that you should go back and spend more time on production, specifically the synth sounds and processing, to make the entire mix flow better.
NO, but resubmit.
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Fairly bland overall. Recording is not all that great, drums are VERY plain, and the guitar playing, while not terrible, certainly does not carry the mix which is otherwise minimal. Arrangement is not very interpretive either, with little sign of attention paid to transitions. Fill this out way more in terms of arrangement and instrumentation, or at least go for more interesting guitar and drum parts.
NO
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Arrangement is great, but I'm inclined to agree with analoq that this sounds sloppy overall. The rhythms and velocity changes are unnatural and really throw me off as a listener. Getting a live version of this would be *really* great if you can't fix up the sequencing manually.. which may or may not be harder, depending on how quickly you can work in a piano roll. Production otherwise sounds pretty good - I wouldn't touch the piano sample, the reverb, the EQ, or anything else besides the overall level which is on the quiet side.
NO but resubmit.
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While I think some of the power of this mix comes from the pro samples used, I think that one could create a similar atmosphere using free samples. I obviously have no problems with ANY technical aspects here - absolutely beautiful usage of orchestral instruments and percussion, ethnic percussion, synths, vocals, etc.. couldn't have asked for more. I agree with Gray that while you could interpret this as being quite similar to the original, listening closely reveals that it is using new elements and a new structure to create a different style and tone. I wouldn't object to more material being added, but as it is, I'd say this is an extremely well-done and unique interpretation.
Excellent job. YES
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I'm with Gray here that this really isn't my style, but it's easy to see that it has some strong positive qualities. The arrangement expands much more on the original than most metal/rock guitar remixes we get, for one thing, and the overall production is good; it's obviously somewhat 'dirty', but there's no clipping, and there are no problems with processing/dynamics. My own opinion would be that the vocals should be louder, but this is a really minor issue, and this may simply be a characteristic of the genre. Dennis definitely deserves praise for the overall structure of the mix, too.
YES
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Wow, thanks for the feedback, guys! Glad you enjoyed the mix
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This is a fairly solid mix in a lot of respects. Recording quality is certainly good; sounds like you used an EQ to reduce the hiss though, try mda de-ess next time, it'll maintain more brightness while still eliminating the hiss. I think I have to agree though that the arrangement and playing could be better. The piano is a very expressive instrument, but it simply was not used to its best potential here. I suggest more changes in dynamics, articulation, and rhythm. Structurally, it doesn't really go anywhere either (the original didn't either). Perhaps make the arrangement longer and explore some of your own ideas more to make things more interesting and engaging for the listener.
To quickly summarize, the production sits well with me, but I think the performance and arrangement could use some work. Go for a resubmit if you can. NO
*NO* Ikaruga 'Black Ice (Polar Edit)' *RESUB*
in Judges Decisions
Posted
Introduction seems a little lackluster to me.. not a great opening to the mix. The kick sound in particular is just completely out of place. The hihats and snare seem like they would fit best in a breakbeat, while the kick sounds like it belongs in some sort of four-on-the-floor house music. I'm not being nitpicky here either.. it just strikes me immediately as being detrimental to the 'airy' feel of the rest of the mix. The same goes for the bass instrument. In terms of other production values, I'd say the chopped up/processed vocals (or synth vocals) don't work well, and the nature of most of the sounds is very static and not at all progressive. My other complaints: the ghost notes on the finger snap are annoying, and some of the sounds are distant for no reason (like the timpani and marcato strings).
Not really hearing any egregious bad notes.. but I would say that some of the parts don't flow together as I'd expect them to. I feel that the problem with the arrangement is more with the structure than anything else - it doesn't go anywhere. The original was an exciting, upbeat, and dramatic tune with a lot of dynamic aspects to keep it interesting throughout. However, this mix only timidly interprets it, slowing it down and taking the 'edge' off without adding anything to make up it. I was waiting the whole time for some spacey synth sweeps to come in, or fast breaks, or neat processing, but nothing happened instead. Ouch
My best advice would be to upgrade your percussive samples, focus on creating more dynamic drum parts, and writing a more substantial structure. You definitely have some of the fundamentals down, so just keep going with it.
NO