Liontamer Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 Tetanus is the title of the remix, and this is a project remix. Please hold until project release if accepted, thanks! Contact Information * Your ReMixer name : Hemophiliac * Your userid (number, not name) on our forums : http://www.ocremix.org/forums/member.php?u=4862 Submission Information * Name of game(s) arranged : Donkey Kong Country 2 * Name of individual song(s) arranged : Lockjaw's Saga * Your own comments about the mix: For this remix, I was heavily inspired by a track from the anime Gurren Lagann called "Baf baf! Sonna ni moeru no ga...Suki kai?" I used a similar style and structure to the piece. Orchestral opening building to a break into a gated synth/more percussion driven section. Along with my own flavors added piano and orchestral based percussion rather then electronic based. Getting some of the parts to work right really had me pulling my hair out at times. Enjoy. -------------------------------------------------------------- I'd trim a couple seconds of the silence off at the beginning. http://snesmusic.org/v2/download.php?spcNow=dkq - "Lockjaw's Saga" (dkq-07.spc) The sample quality wasn't bad, but the articulations generally didn't sound realistic. The woodwinds at :26 & 1:09 sounded like they needed the most work out of anything. The piano at 1:30 & 3:23 also sounded very thin & mechanical. No offense, but I'm a little surprised you could be satisfied with execution like that. The military drums at :46 sounded very strong though, and brought lots of power to the picture; those sounded realistic. The strings could have been tweaked a bit, but those sounded good overall as well. Good transitions at 1:28 & 1:58. I was feeling the pacing and dynamics of this one overall, which felt pretty cinematic. On the flip side though, I was caught off-guard by the synth at 2:05, though it has a cool sound to it. At the same time though, I was waiting for other electronic elements to eventually be introduced and we never got any, so the synth ultimately came off as out of place. Am I the only one that expected more electronic elements to become involved after that perceived setup? Smaller issue, the decay of the piano at 3:44 was way too fast and weakened the ending a bit, and again, the piano sounded very unrealistic to begin with. The devil's in the details. I can live with that synth usage, and the arrangement is definitely on point, Chris, so this is really just a case where you need to refine the sample articulations and get those key elements sounding richer and more realistic. NO (refine/resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 This had a lot of strengths to it, starting with a good concept and good writing. The martial drums gave the mix power, and I even liked the seemingly out-of-place synth. Very cinematic, it's got a summer blockbuster sound. I guess the question is whether the arrangement makes up for the shortcomings of the production, all of which Larry noted. I think it does. The piano is the worst offender, but even there, I don't feel like it ruins the piece or anything. If this ends up getting rejected, I'd love to see that fixed up (particularly the end), but this is solid work and I think it's a pass. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 I heard several WIPs of this one and I saw it develop with each one. I think the strength of the mix is really in the second half when things start seriously picking up. That's is partially because it's a lot easier to convey intensity with samples than it is to do anything subtle. I agree that the piano isn't amazing - it could use more sustains. I also agree that some of the articulations are not too realistic (IMO the woodwind legato or lack thereof, was a weak point.) However, I'd say the strength of the writing generally makes up for it. We've passed mixes less realistic than this. With regards to the synth, I had no problem with it. Composers like Hans Zimmer often just integrate one or two synths into a mix without going full-on electronic. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anosou Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 It all boils down to arrangement vs. execution in this one. While I think the arrangement is terrific, I think the samples are weighing this down too much.. My main beef was with the opening section and the outro piano but even in the more busy sections the violins in the left ear had some iffy stuff (like 3:01 and the ending, that sounds unnatural). Chris, this really is an awesome arrangement but I would really like you to fix up the production a little before I can sign off on this. You should be able to program some proper pedal-usage for the piano part in whatever application you're using. The woodwinds could use some work on the legato, the strings could be a LITTLE less panned to the left and the some more attention to the phrasing for the melodic strings (for example violas at 2:14). I don't think this one needs much for me to comfortably pass it but do give it just a little more TLC when it comes to the production details and we'll be all set. Great track! NO(resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Damn, how come no one told me the source was this good? The beginning samples are ok, but the usage was pretty weak; entrances weren't smooth at all, and the articulations were jarring with some instruments. Pretty much anywhere the strings were exposed with the melody was rough, and the bass clarinet wasn't much better. The flute was too close in the soundscape and sortof sounded pasted on. Once the snares came in it really improved, and that was much better. The strings on the left still had some awkward velocity shifts, but the snares covered it up a lot better. Things were completely kickass at 2:00 when the track got going- that synth is awesome and combined with the drums it really works. If the whole track was this strength, we'd be in business. The ending where it was more exposed got weak again. As is, there are too many issues in the track to feel comfortable with this one. It's definitely within your capability to fix this one up and do it justice, because the middle section is awesome, and the arrangement overal is ace. no, please resub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I hear what you guys are saying about the samples. The piano I think is more an issue with somewhat mechanical sequencing than the sample itself, but I think the string attacks are too long for the parts. Also, I think the stereo separation is a bit jarring to say the least, and not particularly natural. Strings are hard panned, as are choirs and synths. I realize if you're working with mono samples this can be difficult to navigate, but the mix could benefit from a more natural stereo field. However I feel like these are really easy issues to fix. So lets hear this again soon, k? NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big giant circles Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 I'm pretty inclined to vote YES on this, but seeing as that would just postpone a long arduous split-vote, I'm going to go against my sympathy and side with the dissenting votes. Besides, none of them (I don't think) have made any claims/requests that should be too tough of a fix. Some specific notes from me: I do wish the strings were panned more center, with perhaps a little stereo enhancing applied. I also wouldn't have minded if you applied a *bit* more reverb wetness to the mix - strings and piano (and probably snare) specifically. Seeing as this is an orchestral mix, it only seems right that it would be performed/recorded in a hall where we'd hear some of that anyway, so it couldn't hurt. I personally didn't mind the quality of the samples. They were decent enough to get the job done (although, toning down that last string note couldn't hurt). I thought the low-profile mix of the synths was actually pretty nice and have no qualms there. Rush this one back, Chris. Perhaps just PM me or one of us when you fix it up. RESUB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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