Super Metroid - Red Caverns(Tentative Title)

[-{(echo)}-]

All right, I originally made this for a competition going on on a metroid forum, but I think if I bring it up to OCR's oh-so-high standards, it'd be a hot little mix.

If you haven't guessed by the title, it's a mix of the music in the Red Brinstar/Maridia area in Super Metroid(SNES, 1994). Instead of 4/4 time, I changed it to 3/4 time, which makes it sounds a little offbeat at times, but I like it. It's pretty simple, nothing really complex, I didn't change the music that much, just made it fit in 3/4 and changed some notes to give a different feeling to the song.

Download

Comments+Criticism please, about the notes and about the mixing.

Thanks. =3

[hewhoisiam]

Post a link to the source, for those not familiar with it. This should be it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y73Rc7OCCeg&feature=PlayList&p=DD19A4220B8B5B8F&playnext=1&index=19

Overall, the song is very simple. It's hard to make something like this really work. You really have to play with effects, and with volumes and panning. This style needs a lot of work done to the few instruments that it has to make them shine.

If you really want the waltz 3/4 style to stand out, it needs more emphasis, otherwise it's just a lot of work for naught. You can write a song in 3/4 in your program, but still phrase it in 4/4 and not gain anything.

The ambiance minimalist thing at the beginning is pretty neat, but it drags on a bit long for me. It doesn't really develop into anything. Because there are so few sounds we're working with, it needs either more sound or more effects and attention to detail.

Same thing in the second part with the piano, the song just isn't really going anywhere. It's a neat sound, but it gets old quick with all your cards on the table in the first 10 seconds of your idea.

[Rozovian]

Up until around 2:00 it's a decent 3/4 track. The offbeat-ness probably comes from not establishing the rhythm clear enough. If you'd have a bass emphasizing when a bar starts. That and some suitable percussion would make the 3/4 parts better. If you're gonna stick to the minimalist approach, you need to change the velocities to emphasize the rhythm better.

There are a few places where it felt like it dragged on for too long (0:45-0:50, and other iterations with that). Those could be tightened and gotten rid of, or you could use that room to place another melody melodies.

The 6-note rhythm you use as your backing needs more variation. If you'd use it for different chords, you can get a whole new range of emotion from the track. Emotion is important.

The Wingless' has made a few 3/4 tracks, "One Girl in All the World", and the Reserve Tank VARIAtions "Edenal". Have a listen to those. Also check out the Kraid tune from the original Metroid (or one of many of remixes of it). Listen to the feeling that the different parts in those give you, and learn from it. Your remix needs emotion, rhythm, and improved production. Good luck with it.

[-{(echo)}-]

Thanks, I knew it needed work, but i was kinda at a loss of where to go, but I've got an idea now. Percusion might work; I was trying not to have any and just use the instruments, but eh, whatcha gonna do?

Yeah, I was kinda lazy as far as chords, but I kinda liked how it was minimalist, but I guess kinda over did it. ;;

Oh well, anyway, thanks again guys. =3

[Rozovian]

Minimalism can work, but it then needs to make up in performance and sound design what it lacks in instrumentation. If you put enough performance into what you've got and process the tracks right, it can work. With performance, I mean those little human things, velocity first and foremost but also note length and timing.

Some tracks work fine without percussion, others don't. In your case, I suggest you don't use it 'til you've tried making this thing shine without it.

You don't need actual "multiple notes struck simultaneously" chords, you can use the backings rhythm and just use that with different chords. Dunno what key this is in, but it's easy to play in G major on guitar. There, it goes GDGGCF (and sometimes GA#DGCF). Change that into something else, and you've basically got another chord. just make sure the melody goes well with the new chords. Actually, you should probably design the chords around the melody.

So don't give up on minimalism, but know what you need to make it work. And don't be afraid to add stuff if you eventually have to.

[Nase]

has more of a 6/8 feel to it. Overall, I like the reverby mellow vibe.

Not a fan of the arpeggiated contrabass, sounds very mechanical and gets boring fast to me. It might work with another instrument though.

I think the panning/stereo sound during the first part could be adjusted. On headphones it sounds like everything's fairly centered except the reverb trails. I find it's lacking fullness that way.

The e-piano part is beautiful and soothing. The slowdown makes me curious for more to come.

So right now it's an interesting song sketch. Keep working on it.

[-{(echo)}-]

The 6/8 probably come from the fact that the tempo's like 216bpm. XD

But yeah, I see what you mean. The bass IS a little monotonous. I’ll try and play with it, and if I can’t get it right, I’ll try a different instrument.

Oh, and Rozovian, at 2:00 I meant it to switch to a 4/4 time. I went back to the original theme, I just thought it sounded kinda neat.

[hewhoisiam]

You'll wanna kick the habit of writing things in double time if you're not doing it for an effect or something, it's bad practice. To get a 3/4 feel back in double, you have to accent every other measure, you have twice the measures to edit and keep in order, all your notes are unnecessarily short it just makes for a headache when you have to think 'okay, this is 3/4, but feels 6/8, so to change x-y-z, beats 1&2 are in the first measure &3& are in the second measure...

[-{(echo)}-]

I changed it a bit, just click the linke in the first post.

Also, hewhoisiam, I didn't really do it in double time, It's just fast. I supose I could have done it in 6/8, but with he tempo change at the end and swith to 4/4, it would have made things a bit more difficult. Although, I have skrewed myself on a song before just because I'd done it in doubletime.

[hewhoisiam]

I'd say really nail that intro before your leading instrument comes in. Play with very low volumes early on, or other effects. You have like 1 measure of the guitar rhythm before the synth enters. Are you still planing this to have that sort of minimalist feeling?

The 3/4 is very 3/4, which I like.

The end is a neat idea, but you maybe overdid the slowdown. I like a noticable slow, but it gets to a point where it's like crawling and dying. Other then maybe the last 2 or 3 notes, I don't think anything should really ever feel like it's dying.

The whole thing may be a touch on the short side. Consider using something similar to the first introduction idea after the second major idea (back in 3/4)

-H

[-{(echo)}-]

Yeah, I guess I didn't notice it, but it does sound rather deadish. I guess I'll kep the tempo up a little. It slows down like 150BPM, so I can see how that'd be a bit much. ;

I'll try and work out the intro also, it does seem to be lacking.