Mad Mad Mario Land

[SonicJiggleBath]

I noticed that there was only one Super Mario Land remix on this site, and I felt that another one was called for. I was close to just submitting it right off the bat, but it would be better to hear from some people before making any last changes and actually submitting it.

About the composition

I wanted to incorporate my three favorite themes from the game: The pretty Princess Daisy theme, the World 1-1 theme, and the Underworld theme. I also included the Game Over at the end.

Stylistically, I wanted to rejuvinate the music with both electronic and orchestral characteristics. I wanted it to feel fresh enough to stand on its own, and still have some of the nuances that we liked about the original game music. In order to keep it from feeling repetitive, I took the Overworld theme and created a minor version that would act as a bridge between the Overworld theme (major) and the Underworld theme.

PLEASE! Any suggestions are welcome, good or bad. I hope you like my rendition of MAD MAD MARIO LAND!

http://www.iamcamiam.com/music/Mad%20Mad%20Mario%20Land.mp3

[Colonel_Vector]

Okay, awesome first attempt. Take what i say with a pinch of your finest salt, these are just my personal thoughts from a non-musician POV:

I like the intro, although I think you should cut it down and 'get to the point' a bit quicker. We're talking like 10-15 secs here.

I like the first section (1-1 theme). You keep the theme going nicely, and mix it up to keep variety without being jarring.

Nice lead into the underworld theme. This'll be a personal thing but I think you should definitely keep the first underworld theme bit you did going longer. You could build something up nicely. I love the original theme myself and what you started with was awesome, but you cut it a bit early.

You then have a kind of break and then back to underworld. I think with this whole section it sounds a little bit jarring, like you've thrown maybe one or two themes too many into the same space. Personally I'd extend that original underworld bit into here, but don't forget to mix it up just a little so it doesn't sound too repetitive.

The ending isn't how I'd personally have it, but that'll again be a personal thing. from a general point of view it ends quite nicely, so if you like the sound I'd keep it as is.

There you are mate . Nice job, you've made an awesome start there and I think with a few more comments and some tinkering you've got a great mix on your hands.

Definitely one I'm keeping my eye on.

[Dafydd]

You're right about this game needing some more love. This piece is... interesting. I can't say I like it very much, but it's an interesting piece. I think it would sound better if you reduced the reverb for some of the instruments in some places, and maybe did something cool with compressors...

[Rozovian]

Heavily distorted synths, each hard-panned in each direction; clutter from lack of mixing, very inconsistant sound, but not to the point that it's bad. Pausing for drum-only breaks before going to the next source theme makes it sound very medley-itic. Without looking up the source, I'd guess you've stitched together some MIDI with drumloops.

There's a nice progression, and I hear how this could turn out pretty nice, but it needs work. If you're sticking with the synthy soundscape, you should at least focus on using them consistently. Pan stuff less and worry more about their volume and how they work together. I noticed a lot of clashing notes and melodies, so fix those.

Go for a more consistant synth sound, ie use the same synths instead of switching to new ones every time you get to a new source. And while on the topic of sources, blend them together better. A lot of the synths you're using don't really contribute with m uch more than clutter, the bass and some of the backing synths need replacing.

Take a backup before doing any changes, tho. This isn't bad, but it's not cohesive either. The soundscape is a mess and the arrangement is newby. I applaud the motivation, and wish you luck. This needs loads more work, but nice job so far.

[SonicJiggleBath]

You're right about this game needing some more love. This piece is... interesting. I can't say I like it very much, but it's an interesting piece. I think it would sound better if you reduced the reverb for some of the instruments in some places, and maybe did something cool with compressors...

Thanks a lot people! Your feedback is much appreciated. I don't take offense easily, so your forwardness is welcomed.

Dafydd, how would you suggest I use compressors? I like a wide sound, and sometimes my mixdown suffers because of that.

What sort of amature mistakes are you guys picking up on? I feel like I've latched onto a good idea, and with a little refining, this piece could be listenable.

[Rozovian]

The biggest newb flaws I'm hearing in this is medley-itis, tho someone who knows the source and/or isn't too lazy to look it up should check it. That's at least what it sounds like to me.

Then there's the lack of a volume mix. There's some nice melodies here, but they're drowning. Too much going on at the same volume. Drop the volume on everything but what's important to that section.

Blend the sections together more organically so you don't have to pause before getting into a new section. Use the instruments to blend sections instead of switching synths all the time. Nothing wrong with switching synths, but it too should be organic.

Those are what I found. Hope it helps.