Sonic the Hedgehog 3 'Ice Cap Zone' (Yet Another)

[superjoe30]

I know we've beaten this horse to death, but gosh dang it, I love this song.

http://www.superjoesoftware.com/music/Summer%20is%20Here%20(Melting%20Ice%20Caps).mp3

[Tzelis]

Been listening to this mix on repeat for an hour, I love it! sort of relaxing to start with, then it picks up and seems to fill you with energy, making you want to dance around the room, which i have been doing nicely done!

[Rozovian]

Well, unless I missed something or forgot one, there hasn't been a wip of this source since... last month, Willrock's take on it.

Overall, this is enjoyable, but it got repetitive. The first synth could use some delay or longer release (compensate by dropping sustain and/or decay a little).

Delay on individual drums... well, could work, but the order doesn't quite make sense to me. I'd expect the snare to come in the middle instead of last. The accordion-like synth at 1:08 suffers from the same problem, in fact, most your synths do. Long decay, high sustain. Some have the release ok, some don't. The accordion might even use a drop in volume, it's loud compared to the next section.

The synths also don't sound like they've been separated from each other by EQ. You could do a quick scope run on your stuff, figure out where thelead and the bass are, and drop that area for the rest ('cept drums, of course). Then you could check how they fit together overall, when you've got overlapping backing synths.

The 2:32-3:25 section is long and repetitive. It either needs something interesting, or needs to be cut. Some really nice mellow writing would sit well here, and you could do some cool filter sweeps on the drums. Backwards piano, bringing back the delay-drums, having a pad in the background... something. The synth that comes in about half way through chirps too loud in my ears, you could drop the resonance a bit on that one.

Fade-out is long, and the annoying chirping thing is there throughout. You could rewrite the ending to be more interesting, even if you do use a fade-out. Going back to the chords and the sound of the intro might work.

Overall, a pretty good wip. The writing could use some more original stuff matching the source in feel, completing it. Some synth and EQ tweaks, some minor level fixes... and you should have a track that's submittable, or at least close.

[superjoe30]

Well, unless I missed something or forgot one, there hasn't been a wip of this source since... last month, Willrock's take on it.

And what a swell job he did! In fact, I'm kind of embarrassed at the quality of mine. I've decided to completely re-arrange it, keeping the theme the same. Thanks for the feedback; I agree and I will work on the things you mentioned.

[SoulinEther]

I take it you're trying to go for a more upbeat-summertime-fun-and-hey-maybe-we-could-rave-to-these-beats spin on this song, which, if I'm right, is cool.

Just as far as ... arrangement goes (oh God here I go again giving my uninformed opinion lol), I really like what you have going on at ~3:00 - ... the end of the song. But it goes on for too long and it starts too late. Maybe you should toss it into other sections, or rearrange what you have.. or something. The intro is kinda empty, and kinda long, maybe it would serve nicely as a really-in-the-back and soft melody while the main energy builds? I have no idea.

I don't know jack about the production aspect, but I'm basically agreeing with Rozovian's suggestion on the writing.

Well, unless I missed something or forgot one, there hasn't been a wip of this source since... last month, Willrock's take on it.

Whatever did happen to his? Did he submit it I wonder? I had better ask him more directly, lol.

[Rozovian]

Just to make sure you don't get me wrong, there's lots of good stuff in what you had. Make sure to save this version before you do anything drastic. Always take backups before making big changes. You can go back and copy-paste the good bit, as well as use it for reference.

[SoulinEther]

Yes, especially if taking any advice from me, back up early and often

I don't know, I am a bit biased about this song because I like it to death, and I have heard it and remixes of it very frequently in the past year (like 70% of what I've been listening to) so maybe you shouldn't take my opinion as all that much. (which makes me wonder, why the hell do i even post if I don't think you should take my opinion too seriously, lol)

But this still might end up staying in my collection of ice cap zone remixes

[WillRock]

I'm kind of embarrassed at the quality of mine. I've decided to completely re-arrange it, keeping the theme the same.

I like the idea of your ice cap mix, don't completely rearrange it but if you do, make surre you at least keep a back up copy of the current version.

Rozovian has covered most of the problems here although i will add some thoughts (sorry if it has already been said)

The pad at the intro sounds a little dry - and the release doesn't quite work although i see what you are trying to do. I personally hate release - it often ends up bleeding into the next chord when i use it, which is the problem here. I would bring down the release and experiment with reverb until you get it flowing well.

I would also automate the filter of the pad slightly.

I like the idea of the delay on the drums, but i don't think it works currently. I think the delay time is long, but the idea is good.

I like it from 0.40 - I love build up sections.

My biggest problem at the moment is the samples - they are too low quality to be able to pass the judges panel - trust me i know

Also the arrangement is a little repetitive, I don't think the end needs to be that long.

I suggest experimentation with effects and cut down on the repetition.

I enjoyed this, its a good WIP but exercise caution with the re-haul idea - it doesn't need it in my opinion.