*NO* Sonic the Hedgehog 3 'Snowboardin' Sonic'

[Liontamer]

Attached is a submission of mine called Snowboardin' Sonic

My ReMixer name is: Willrock07

My real name is William Harby

The game arranged in my remix is: Sonic the hedgehog 3

The individual song arranged is: Ice Cap Zone

Ok, I have done some research into production and arrangement and have been using the WIP forum to improve the quality of my remixes.

This is the subsequent result. I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you for your time.

---------------------------------------------------------------

http://project2612.org/download.php?id=61 - IceCap Zone 1

The synth at :06 was on the generic side, but not a huge deal, as it was gone quickly. :12 brought in the opening part of the melody. The soundscape was murky, but fairly purposeful. While some of the higher-pitched stuff was pretty loud, the overall levels still felt pretty quiet. The source melody at :25 played it straightforward, but then moved into some original stuff from :38-:53 over the arranged backing writing.

1:04 had a good dropoff, followed by more soloing style writing from 1:17-1:30, then a quieter original section until 1:43, followed by more synth soloing style stuff until 2:22 finally went back to the source.

2:23 built up into another iteration of the theme at 2:35 that was a bit more personalized, but basically the same ideas as before for altering the melody and leading back into the original writing on top of the source bassline at 2:47. Got more original writing over the source bassline from 3:01-3:27. I would have made the bassline a little louder so it played a more integral role, but no big deal. Nice ending at 3:27 with some interesting effects.

The overall dynamics were alright, though running with basically 2 drum patterns made the track feel too similar throughout, and the arrangement dragged some despite being only 3 1/2 minutes.

I also think you need to use the IceCap theme more prominently here. The original sections were cool and pieced together well with the IceCap melody, but you focused too much on original stuff over the bassline rhythm from the source, and not enough on creatively arranging the core ideas from the IceCap theme. The parts that used the IceCap melody itself weren't hugely interpretive and were exceptionally brief compared to everything else in the song. Nonetheless, I thought the overall energy and mood managed to be good.

Good base so far. You've already come a pretty good ways. This wasn't borderline-level close to passing, IMO, but as long as you keep working towards improvement, you have the potential to be a consistent contributor based on this. Keep working on it if you'd like to take another stab at it, William.

NO (resubmit)

[Palpable]

Solid effort here. I like the arpeggiated synths, soloing, general mood, and the well-connected original section. The original sections do make up a fair bit of this, but I think the source melodies and chords are still prominent for the majority of the song. Those sections are actually a little conservative, but they have your own spin. I can see where Larry's coming from wanting more creative usage of the source. 2:35-2:48 is a place where I thought you used the source really creatively, modifying the original melodies. A lot of what you added to this song is completely unconnected to the source parts.

I felt the mixing needed some work. The body of this song was always sounding a little empty. A fatter snare that isn't so pushed back might have filled in some of the empty space, as well as using a pad with more mid-range sound and less air to it. Leads could have been more prominent and full too; you might have to play with the volume and EQ ranges to get those sounding right.

To me, the production is a bigger issue than the arrangement, but both could use some tightening up. Hope you tune this one up, it's a good base.

NO (resubmit)

[big giant circles]

Still getting Ice Cap mixes, I love it

There's too much reverb on the drums, and I didn't really care for the opening high hat pattern, but I have to say, the synthwork here, particularly the arpeggios and the lead solos are kicking my rear end here. Arrangement is not an issue for me at all. I was initially concerned that it would be (as is typically the case in most of the Ice Cap subs we get) when I heard the melody drop, but what I didn't expect was the solo that followed suit. Sequencing is terriffic, that's all I can say. Now, I can understand some initial concern about the more liberal sections, like from 1:43 - 2:23 where you essentially have 40 seconds of completely original material that doesn't reference Ice Cap in any way. But that being said, this is the epitome of seamless.

Now I disagree that the arrangement felt like it dragged out, but Larry makes a totally valid point that the drums need more variation, and that in and of itself could have really pushed this one well over the top. As it stands, they don't bother me that much, but only because there's plenty else going to keep me from focusing in and saying "hey, these drums are a bit repetitive".

This is another great example of how a compelling performance can completely offset the severity another mediocre aspect. It's a tough call. I'm feeling like ultimately this one's going to get rejected, (and if it does, it wouldn't take much more to get this one into solid YES territory, so definitely resubmit this one in that case) but I'm honestly torn here, I'm so centered on the line that it's practically giving me a wedgie. (I apologize for any unpleasant mental imagery that just occurred involuntarily.)

If anyone needs further clarification as to what exactly I'm talking about with this whole "compelling" vs. "good" thing, I'm actually thinking of a conversation I once had with Ziwtra, who in my opinion is/was one of the most creative mixers on the site, and the funny thing about his music is that it was all done entirely on either free Linux software, or later on Renoise, which is like a ~$50 tracker program. He never had any professional samples or soundware, but you never seem to notice how "good" they sound or not. That's pretty much exactly the case here. The synthwork is fun, energetic, and exciting. Fantastic solos, and I love the arpeggios just as much. Even the bass synth helps keep the groove hot.

I'd really like to hear some other judges comments on this one, even if they vote NO.

I'm not upset either way this vote goes, but again, I hope to hear a resubmit if it doesn't make it this round, William.

YES (borderline)

[zykO]

there is never an end to the ice cap remixes.

and better yet, there is no end to the electronica ice cap interpretations... has anyone ever tried, say, any other genre with this source? =) something tells me the answer is too obvious for me to have even bothered with the question

still, this does have something a little more unique to it. it has a sort of rolling synth rock feel to it even if there are so many arpeggiated synths and pads. the lead work is so good that it almost singlehandedly makes up for the uber-verbed drums and the predictability of the track. the original sections were a very much needed break from the standard ice cap fanfare.

there is certainly some concerns with the practically nonexistent bassline which is a big no no for this style of music considering how groovy and driving it is. i don't make it a habit to question artistic discretion but the bass really doesn't have much bite or presence at all.

still this track is killer and i will give it a conditional vote on the premise that you dry up some of that reverb on the snare and bring out the bass a bit more. excellent stuff for such an overdone source, friend

YES

[DarkeSword]

Percussion is a little quiet and weak; coulda been meatier. I like the soundscape; very big, very full. Sometimes too much so, but it doesn't linger. Nice embellishments and arpeggios. Sound design is pretty interesting. There's a lot of reverb here.

Not bad, not bad at all. Good take on the source, fun to listen to. Not feeling those drums though. This could use more work I think. Focus on percussion and some sound balance issues.

NO but definitely resub.

[anosou]

ICECAP ZONE!

NO

Okay, joke aside, I actually dig this source except the obvious electro-remix-quality...

This is a pretty cool take on the source. The arpeggios certainly is a great addition and adds some much needed melodic content. In general I agree with Larry that when you used the source melody it was a bit too straight-forward and when you didn't well.. you didn't. Finding a solid balance between this is crucial for a good cohesive arrangement. Still, you have some great ideas. The solos in particular are just awesome coupled with the arpeggios. I'm a sucker for mono synths. Drums could be a bit more interesting though but that's minor.

The production is a more of a problem-area to me. The pad is occupying a lot of the soundscape because it's so wide and quite loud. Pads are more background material so try pulling it back a bit. The drums are a bit weak and flimsy too, and seem panned to the left which kinda hurts the focus. Reverb is all over the place Take away some of it to make room for all the sounds. The drums in particular are very reverb-heavy, I think even the bassdrum is reverbed and that is never a good idea since it takes away presence from it.

Overall this is pretty damn good but it has some problem areas (mainly reverb/balance and source interpretation) that keeps it from being a solid pass imo. I can see where the YES's are coming from but I think this needs a bit more work before it achieves it's fullest potential. But damn man, if you don't resubmit this I will hunt you down and hurt you. Ice Cap is good for OCR.

NO(resubmit)

[Fishy]

This has a really nice old school quality to it. Great solo's and lead sounds in general. Arrangement is easily passable, don't see any problems there at all.

I agree that the drums could use a bit more punch, but they were the only element that had any notable negative effect for me. As someone else brought up, the bass isn't as full as it could be either. The sound on the leads is awesome, especially at 1:32. Don't touch them imo.

Hate to copy paste zyko but: Punchier drums and a groovier bass and this is fine for me. I just spoke to will just now and he sounds enthusiastic about resub'ing. This is fairly strong to begin with and will's more recent stuff is even stronger, so I'm happy to give this a conditional too.

YES Conditional on drums/bass

[Vig]

Oh man, nothing makes a shiver run up my leg like the latest icecap mix. This tune opens really really weak. Those pads are soooo dull and the attack is way too slow. It gets a lot better once I can't hear the pad anymore. The solo programming reminds me of Protricity. The sound design in general is nothing to write home about, and the drum sequencing is pretty repetitive.

This tune has a couple great things going for it: The lead sequencing, and the overall energy. But you really need to keep the energy up with better sound design and overall arrangement.

NO

[Malcos]

We have had loads of Icecap submissions over the years - it is one of the most popular themes to submit to the panel. Because we have excellent Icecap remixes already on the site and the number of subs for this source is so high, to get an Icecap mix posted is really something.

The synth programming here is great and is by far the best element, and the pads give this a ambient cool as well as filling up the soundscape. Arrangement is good, with lots of solos to keep things moving along, although there is a distinct lack of a groove. The drums and bass sound very washed out, the drums in particular having a lot of reverb applied to them. They are also sequenced in a very repetitive way, in stark contrast to the synths.

This is a good sub, needs to be worked on some more

NO (resub)