DKC + 2 - Mining Melancholy/Life in the Mines (Submitted!)

[Sockpuppet]

Games: Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

Sources:

, Life in the Mines, Donkey Kong Rescued

ReMixFINAL UPDATE!:

I'VE SUBMITTED IT!

A ReMix of Mining Melancholy, Life in the Mines and Donkey Kong Rescued (Mostly Mining Melancholy though) made with Reason 4.

The first version is here: http://www.tindeck.com/download/2d45373a26acd48d78d90109628aca9a/hoko/MonkeysInTheMines.mp3

Second version: http://tindeck.com/download/9c334281405d057342df186847ae6682/kjpi/MonkeysInTheMines.mp3

Third version: http://www.tindeck.com/download/8ee1b9f570d8d4c0509bb71e866dfbed/fckd/MonkeysInTheMines.mp3

Fourth version: http://tindeck.com/download/ff37f4d2ba836c55ef0f64fd2a2e40f3/dujt/LifeInTheShaftLane.mp3

Fifth version: http://www.tindeck.com/download/9c334281405d057342df186847ae6682/xypp/LifeInTheShaftLane.mp3

[HoboKa]

Well, this is a pretty nice take, except the industrial beat seems to not mesh well with the track, as I shouldn't say it's off key, because it's just a sound effect, but it doesn't mix well with me. Also, speaking of the mix/EQ, it's pretty muddy, I think the lower frequencies are overwhelming the mix a bit.

By the way, I really love how you incorporate Winky's theme near the end. Why didn't I think of that =p??

So, over all I'd say this is pretty hawt, just needs some tune-ups methinks.

[Sockpuppet]

Thanks for reviewing HoboKa! =D

The percussion thing is really annoying. The original had awesome percussion but it's so damn hard to make a good imitation... At the moment I'm using distorted bongos, with lots of messing with the pitch. Before that I tried distorted snares and maracas, but they were even worse. I suppose if I can't fix them I can sub in something else, but I'd really like to have it in there.

Any suggestions? (anyone?)

About the EQ: I've asked my brother about that a few times (he's a lot better at Reason than I am) and he says Reason sucks at

EQing. I'm not sure if he's right or not, but I'll have a look around the Net for some tutorials and such.

I'm thinking of mixing in a few other themes as well as Winky's. I've noticed the melody is somewhat similar to the ones at the ends of Lockjaw's Saga and Flight of the Zinger. The one in the middle of Fear Factory might fit in as well.

Thanks for the help!

[jabond23]

I like this, its very well done. Do you play the piano/keyboard?

Also, i agree that the (steel?) drum thing is kinda annoying over the top of the drum beat. Its fine in the intro, but it doesn't seem to mesh well anywhere else other than the intro. I think if you just got rid of it and just kept the drum beat for the rest of the song, that would be ok.

Other than that, i don't think the EQ is too off, i think its pretty. I think maybe some of the instruments, especially the piano, could benefit from some higher EQs though.

[LuketheXjesse]

I think this is just fine for OCR standards. Sounds lovely. The steel drum is annoying though. Replace it with another percussion instrument.

[Soul Splint]

That mesh with Winky's Theme at the end was friggin' awesome. Would you be willing to extend it a little bit? That was by far my favorite part, and it might be that way with other listeners too. If you could have more of that kind of "cameo" appearance with other songs like you were talking about earlier this would be the hotness. As far as advice goes, I wouldn't be saying anything different than the other posters. I'll be watching this one:-P

[Geoffrey Taucer]

One of my all-time favorite tracks. I'll take a listen.

Beginning is a bit abrupt; needs some manner of intro. Even something very short (say a one or two second percussion intro) would work.

Right off the bat, it sounds, arrangement-wise, a bit too similar to the original. Percussion is quite dead, especially whatever that is covering the riff played by the cymbals in the game. The sample is annoying, and the percussion as a whole could really afford to be spiced up a bit.

The guitar sample comming in at 0:21 is not bad, but it's played very robotically. Needs to be humanized. Give it some variation in velocity, and if you have any slide notes or fret noise samples or anything else like that, you could add a lot by throwing those in (though use them sparingly).

Piano at 0:42 is excellent. Good sample, very nice little riff there. Percussion is definitely better here, but still not what it could be. That ding, ding, da-ding ding ding on the bell-type instrument is already getting tired and irritating. Same witht he background synth; that needs to be spiced up, either by varying up the riff or by finding other ways to morph and play with the synth's sound. Or both.

And in comes the chorus at 1:03. The samples are pretty nice here, but arrangement wise it's identical to the original. The judges tend to want to see more creative liberties taken in mixes. Vary it up, make it your own. This is just the original with different instruments -- though I will say they're pretty sweet-sounding instruments. The same is true of the following section.

At 1:31, you start bringing in some variance from the original, with a nice original riff on the piano. Like the guitar it sounds a bit robotic, though. A couple of parts don't really seem to fit with the backing riff. What I would do with this section is completely drop the background riff that's beein playing for the whole mix up to this point. Drop that synth entirely, make the transition really slap the listener in the face. A sudden dropoff here could work really well, since there's been a certain sameness of the soundscape up to this point.

After a brief 10 seconds of original content, you go right back to a straight up cover of the original.

The transition at 1:49, though, is excellent! That sound effect leading in which sounds vaguely like a pick slide is perfect, and the addition of a new synth we haven't heard yet is very welcome. I'd bring that synth forward a bit in the mix to make it stand out more; I can hear it, but it seems like it's battling the bass for my attention. Make it stand out more.

The percussion in this part is also considerably more interesting than what you've had in the mix up to this point.

The repeat of the chorus works, but it needs a sharper transition, imo. A complete dropout of everything except the piano and perhaps a synth pad would work quite well here, imo. You've taken some nice creative liberties with the melody here, but I'd love to hear it taken even further. Go nuts on that piano! One thing you might try is dropping to just the piano and a pad at 2:11, and then having everything else come back in again at 2:20. If done properly, that could be very dramatic and effective, methinks.

AHAHAHA! Winky's theme! I love it! Very cool. Expand on it a bit! Simply using this as a cameo at the end doesn't do the idea justice!

Fadeout ending is a bit weak; experiment with that a bit.

Overall you've got some really cool stuff here. I'll be keeping an eye on this one.

[Sockpuppet]

I like this, its very well done. Do you play the piano/keyboard?

Thanks! =) I do play piano/keyboard, but nothing in this ReMix is real. It was all done in Reason.

Also, i agree that the (steel?) drum thing is kinda annoying over the top of the drum beat. Its fine in the intro, but it doesn't seem to mesh well anywhere else other than the intro. I think if you just got rid of it and just kept the drum beat for the rest of the song, that would be ok.

That's a distorted bongo. (I don't know why I used that really...). I don't like it anymore either, so out it goes! =D

Other than that, i don't think the EQ is too off, i think its pretty. I think maybe some of the instruments, especially the piano, could benefit from some higher EQs though.

Yeah, I really need to learn how to EQ. Does anybody know of any Reason specific EQ tutorials?

That mesh with Winky's Theme at the end was friggin' awesome. Would you be willing to extend it a little bit? That was by far my favorite part, and it might be that way with other listeners too. If you could have more of that kind of "cameo" appearance with other songs like you were talking about earlier this would be the hotness. As far as advice goes, I wouldn't be saying anything different than the other posters. I'll be watching this one:-P

People seem to agree with you here. =) O.K, I'll do a double ReMix. And I'll put some other cameos in the middle.

O.K, time for lots of quoting.

Beginning is a bit abrupt; needs some manner of intro. Even something very short (say a one or two second percussion intro) would work.

Right off the bat, it sounds, arrangement-wise, a bit too similar to the original. Percussion is quite dead, especially whatever that is covering the riff played by the cymbals in the game. The sample is annoying, and the percussion as a whole could really afford to be spiced up a bit.

I'll see what I can do about the intro. =)

As for the percussion, I'm thinking of taking off the distortion at the first bit, so they're just regular bongos, and then either removing or replacing them for the rest of the song.

The guitar sample comming in at 0:21 is not bad, but it's played very robotically. Needs to be humanized. Give it some variation in velocity, and if you have any slide notes or fret noise samples or anything else like that, you could add a lot by throwing those in (though use them sparingly).

I'm not sure I can do that, as it's a really simple sample. I'll have a look for some effects, or maybe even find someone who can actually play it. And I'm also considering redoing the little melody there.

And in comes the chorus at 1:03. The samples are pretty nice here, but arrangement wise it's identical to the original. The judges tend to want to see more creative liberties taken in mixes. Vary it up, make it your own. This is just the original with different instruments -- though I will say they're pretty sweet-sounding instruments. The same is true of the following section.

At 1:31, you start bringing in some variance from the original, with a nice original riff on the piano. Like the guitar it sounds a bit robotic, though. A couple of parts don't really seem to fit with the backing riff. What I would do with this section is completely drop the background riff that's beein playing for the whole mix up to this point. Drop that synth entirely, make the transition really slap the listener in the face. A sudden dropoff here could work really well, since there's been a certain sameness of the soundscape up to this point.

I'm thinking of replacing bits here with a mix those cameos I spoke of ^up there^ and some new (and hopefully less robotic) original melodies. Interesting suggestion about the synth, I'll give that a try! =D

The transition at 1:49, though, is excellent! That sound effect leading in which sounds vaguely like a pick slide is perfect, and the addition of a new synth we haven't heard yet is very welcome. I'd bring that synth forward a bit in the mix to make it stand out more; I can hear it, but it seems like it's battling the bass for my attention. Make it stand out more.

The percussion in this part is also considerably more interesting than what you've had in the mix up to this point.

Glad you like the pick slide, I wasn't to sure it belonged there. =)

Oh, and that synth is actually a really dodgy (but still somehow awesome) E. guitar sample.

I'm also thinking I should bring in that Hardcore kit earlier in as a clanky drum substitute (Doing something different to what it already does of course.)

The repeat of the chorus works, but it needs a sharper transition, imo. A complete dropout of everything except the piano and perhaps a synth pad would work quite well here, imo. You've taken some nice creative liberties with the melody here, but I'd love to hear it taken even further. Go nuts on that piano! One thing you might try is dropping to just the piano and a pad at 2:11, and then having everything else come back in again at 2:20. If done properly, that could be very dramatic and effective, methinks.

Sounds good, I'll give it a shot! =D

AHAHAHA! Winky's theme! I love it! Very cool. Expand on it a bit! Simply using this as a cameo at the end doesn't do the idea justice!

Fadeout ending is a bit weak; experiment with that a bit.

Everyone seems to like the inclusion of Winky's theme (actually called Life in the Mines, btw), so I'll do a double ReMix kinda thing with the 2 songs. And hopefully by extending it I'll lead myself into a better ending. =D

Thank you everyone for the great feedback! =D I'll get another version up as soon as possible.

[Fused King]

Smooth like awesomess. That's the phrase I was looking for.

Man, I so love people who are good with music!

[Sockpuppet]

NEW VERSION! =D

Changes:

* Annoying drums removed and replaced with a hardcore beat.

* Chorus/flanger on the synth at certain bits. eg 0:43 - 1:02

* 1st chorus changed to make it different from the original

* 1:20 - 1:30: a brief cameo from Donkey Kong Rescued (the credits theme)

* Piano riff changed a little

* 1:41 Added a guitar in the background that plays the fast harp bit of Lockjaw's Saga

* 2:10 Dropped the drums and bass so it's kind of a 'calm down bit.'

* 2:41 The bass comes back a little earlier

* Extended Life in the Mines.

I've been having a bit of speaker/headphone trouble. My speakers suck crap and my headphones just randomly died. I used some new headphones while making this version and they're a little bass-y. Therefore the bass might be too loud or quiet because I had to estimate a little.

[Soul Splint]

Nice improvement, the absence of the steel drum made it much easier to concentrate on some of the other stuff going on. Those 2 new cameos blended so well I had to go back to your post and check when they were supposed to come in: I didn't pick up on them when it played through, it just sounded like you had expanded some of your own ideas into the original melody. Kinda scary as I was raised on these games. You could make them more "obvious" if you wanted to. They still work very well the way you have them, but the ending is proof that a more solid section for each can work some magic. Life in the Mines at the end is superb. Hopefully some of the veteran remixers here can give you help to kick this up to the next level, 'cause this has MASSIVE potential.

Great Work

[Geoffrey Taucer]

NEW VERSION! =D

Changes:

* Annoying drums removed and replaced with a hardcore beat.

* Chorus/flanger on the synth at certain bits. eg 0:43 - 1:02

* 1st chorus changed to make it different from the original

* 1:20 - 1:30: a brief cameo from Donkey Kong Rescued (the credits theme)

* Piano riff changed a little

* 1:41 Added a guitar in the background that plays the fast harp bit of Lockjaw's Saga

* 2:10 Dropped the drums and bass so it's kind of a 'calm down bit.'

* 2:41 The bass comes back a little earlier

* Extended Life in the Mines.

I've been having a bit of speaker/headphone trouble. My speakers suck crap and my headphones just randomly died. I used some new headphones while making this version and they're a little bass-y. Therefore the bass might be too loud or quiet because I had to estimate a little.

I definitely like the percussion better.

As for the acoustic guitar: you could make it sound better without any fancy samples just by adding some variance in the volume. Rather than having every note play at the same volume, change it around a bit. When a human plays guitar, some notes are louder and more emphasized, some are quiet, some almost get completely lost, etc. Try to emulate this. You'll find a little velocity variation can go a long way. If you want to really go the extra mile, you can try to emulate the way a note will sometimes sustain through the next note (ie the next note is played on a different string) and sometimes a note will be muted just before the next one hits (ie the next note is played on the same string)

Well, you varied the first chorus a bit, but I'm not sure it completely works the way you've done it here; you changed the lead up, but kept the backing the same. I think the reverse might work better; keep the lead very similar to how it is in the game, but spice up the backing. Right now it sounds varied just to be varied, but without a particular purpose, if that makes any sense.

The next section (starting at 1:20) is pretty nice. Same complaints about the guitar, though. I like how you've changed the chord structure and bass pattern here. The piano is also pretty nice, but has the same issue as the guitar. Velocity changes are key!

1:41 is cool, but again, the guitar is robotic. The piano as well. There are no dynamics in the performance. Just because it isn't being played live doesn't mean it can't sound like it is!

Though honestly, my inclination would be to take the part that's currently being played on guitar and instead play it on some manner of synth, preferably one that morphs through the course of the riff. You can accomplish this morphing in many ways; my first inclination would be towards a bandpass filter, but experiment with other things as well. I don't use reason, so I don't know exactly what the program is capable of, but if it's anywhere near as good as people say it is then it's synths should give you many options for something like this.

Haha, so the synth at 1:51 is actually a guitar sample? Well, it certainly doesn't sound like a guitar here, but it sounds GREAT as a synth! The filtering on the percussion here is cool. I'm not wild about the bass; it's too high and too persistant, and still seems to be fighting for attention rather than doing it's job and supporting the low end.

Some fills in the second chorus (particularly around 1:59) could add a lot. A brief fill-in here could work on just about any instrument; another synth, the acoustic guitar, the piano, or anything else. My gut instinct is to go with the acoustic guitar, but experiment and see what sounds good.

Oh, man, that dropoff works great, but I'd bring everthing else back in earlier, say at 2:21. Some percussive lead in, and the heavy stuff comes back in for the second half of the chorus. Worth trying, anyway.

Transition into Winky's theme is seamless. Very nicely done. I'd look for a way to finish off by returning to the DKC2 mineshaft theme again one more time before you finish the song.

The ending is definitely better this time around. Much more "oomph" than that fadeout you had in your other version.

[HoboKa]

Nice that GT took the time to crit your work there. Listen to him well

As for my comments:

I think the crash clips a bit, due to compression and/or volume levels. And removing the steel drums Really really helped this track out. However, still some production issues, which I believe GT covered. BTW, my ears had an orgasm when the guitar played...so...nice o.O

Keep at this work and this work will prob be the best mix of 2009 if u get YES'd

Er...make that 2010 due to the sluggish queue...

[Sockpuppet]

Another edit:

Not as different as the last one was, mostly just minor fixes for now.

* I tried to do what Geoffrey said about the guitar, I'm not sure if I did it right though...

* Added backing synth for the first chorus. Piano is still the same, I may change it later.

* Replaced Lockjaw's Saga guitar with a synth.

* Tried bringing the heavy stuff back earlier for the second chorus bit. Once again, I'm not sure I did it right.

That ending probably isn't final. I saw what you wrote about returning to MM but the only bit really worth coming back to is the chorus, and I'm not sure using it a 4th time is such a good idea... unless I make it really different or something.

Oh, and I should've said this before, but I really REALLY appreciate all your help, Geoffrey! Thanks!

[Soul Splint]

Wow. If you keep up this level of improvement on every update, I think it could be absolutely flawless soon. Better and better, can't wait to hear this finished.

BTW, the reversion back to Kannon's Klaim after Life in the Mines is a good idea, I like it better this way as well.

[Sockpuppet]

Yet another edit:

Extended by about a minute! Now it includes more of Donkey Kong Rescued and then comes back for a Mining Melancholy-ish finish with the guitar. I don't think I changed anything before the extension since last time. Enjoy!

And on a less important note it's got a new, less generic title now.

[Fused King]

Yup, you're good!

Those little pop-ups of other themes in the remix is Brilliant!!!!!

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Lol at the title. I like it.

Guitar is MUCH better this time around. Still not gonna fool anybody into thinking it's a real guitar, but it doesn't leap out and announce it's fakeness, and sounds pretty decent this time around.

And you did an even better job of it at 1:20. You have the emphasis in all the right places.

The lockjaw cameo is cool (I just now recognized it), but I'd use more of a pluck-ish synth. Something with a fast decay after the initial attack.

2:21 is really nice.

The little flourish at the transition at 3:29 is a nice touch.

Haha, DK rescued, nicely done. I'd be wary of trying to fit too many more tunes into this, though; it works as-is, but try to cram in much more, and it's gonna have some real medley-itis.

Final mineshaft chorus is well done.

[Sockpuppet]

Looks like I'm almost finished! I'll see if I can fix that first guitar bit, maybe have a look at the EQ...

The lockjaw cameo is cool (I just now recognized it), but I'd use more of a pluck-ish synth. Something with a fast decay after the initial attack.

...and do this as well.

Haha, DK rescued, nicely done. I'd be wary of trying to fit too many more tunes into this, though; it works as-is, but try to cram in much more, and it's gonna have some real medley-itis.

I think I'm done with the songs/cameos. The arrangement part seems done (adding anymore will probably push it over the 6 mg limit), it's just fixing the production issues. Speaking of which, any of the previously mentioned ones still exist?

Oh yeah, and I have a question: OC doesn't have an age limit for submitting does it? I've checked here and here and didn't see anything.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Looks like I'm almost finished! I'll see if I can fix that first guitar bit, maybe have a look at the EQ...

...and do this as well.

I think I'm done with the songs/cameos. The arrangement part seems done (adding anymore will probably push it over the 6 mg limit), it's just fixing the production issues. Speaking of which, any of the previously mentioned ones still exist?

Oh yeah, and I have a question: OC doesn't have an age limit for submitting does it? I've checked here and here and didn't see anything.

Haha, no age limit. I'm pretty sure blake perdue was 14 when he got his first mix posted.

The production is still not flawless, and while you've spiced up the lead a bit, a lot of the backing is still very similar to the source. Right now I think it would likely get turned down, but even if the judges turn it down, you'll likely be able to get some very good critique from the judges thread.

Might be a good idea to drop in on #ocrwip and see if you can get some pointers there before you submit.

Good luck!

[Soul Splint]

That new last minute is GOLDEN. I'll keeping this anyway, good luck on the submission.

[Sockpuppet]

Haha, no age limit. I'm pretty sure blake perdue was 14 when he got his first mix posted.

The production is still not flawless, and while you've spiced up the lead a bit, a lot of the backing is still very similar to the source. Right now I think it would likely get turned down, but even if the judges turn it down, you'll likely be able to get some very good critique from the judges thread.

Might be a good idea to drop in on #ocrwip and see if you can get some pointers there before you submit.

Good luck!

O.K, maybe not nearly finished... I'll see what I can do with the backing, although that's one of the things I kinda suck at.

And my Internet won't let me on #ocrwip. It says: "Firefox doesn't know how to open this address, because the protocol (irc) isn't associated with any program."

But I've got Java. Explorer doesn't work either.

Thanks Taucer and Soul Splint! =D

[Geoffrey Taucer]

O.K, maybe not nearly finished... I'll see what I can do with the backing, although that's one of the things I kinda suck at.

No worries, it just takes practice. If this is your first shot at remixing, it's seriously impressive; beats the hell out of my first mix. And second. And third.

And my Internet won't let me on #ocrwip. It says: "Firefox doesn't know how to open this address, because the protocol (irc) isn't associated with any program."

But I've got Java. Explorer doesn't work either.

Try downloading an IRC client (I use MIRC) and logging in with that.

Thanks Taucer and Soul Splint! =D

No problem! Happy to be of service.

[Sockpuppet]

Little update:

Bass at the intro is slightly different.

Harp bit added to first chorus.

Fixed transition from chorus to DK Rescued cameo.

Lockjaw guitar/synth is now a harp.

Hopefully fixed the comeback (2:21)

Still trying to come up with some new backing. If I don't come up with anything I may have just submit it as it is and hope for the best.

[Sockpuppet]

No worries, it just takes practice. If this is your first shot at remixing, it's seriously impressive; beats the hell out of my first mix. And second. And third.

Nah, I've been at it for a bit over half a year now. I've only started doing proper ReMixes recently-ish though.

Try downloading an IRC client (I use MIRC) and logging in with that.

O.K, how do I do that? EDIT: nvm found it.

EDIT AGAIN: Uh oh, it's a few kilobytes over the 6 mg limit! Why must the limit be so small!?!