Another Generic DKC remix

[cronus616]

Work in Progress - forgot to title that...

Using Reason 4.0 - which I'm totally new at. I've been into the whole remixing/producing scene for barely over 3 months by now, and finally got around to trying my hand at this game.

One of my favorite tracks from Donkey Kong Country 2 soundtrack, 'Kannon's Klaim,' always stood out to me as so emotional and vastly epic. Attempting to recreate that is something I hope I could someday do, but right now all I'm hoping is that I don't get hammered too hard and that I didn't destroy the song's beauty quite so much.

Excavate.mp3 [1:26]

Excavate.mp3 [2:58]

can.non.claim.mp3 [3:03]

can.non.claim.mp3 [3:04] Current

If you would, give it a listen?

And if you are kind enough, tell me what I need to fix up. One of those nice checklists would be super cool. It's short, but its got all the elements in it. From there, all I need is to repeat everything a few times. Again, I'm new at this sort of thing...

[Spakku]

I think I'm hearing some issues with timing (hard to tell exactly with so much going on), there's scattered dissonant notes all through (more in the beginning), and your background sounds are too loud.

[Gario]

Ugh, a checklist... I normally don't use these things, but I'll give it a shot.

ARRANGEMENT / INTERPRETATION

[X] Too conservative - sticks too close to the source

PRODUCTION

[X] Mixing is muddy (eg. too many sounds in the same range)

STRUCTURE

[X] Too short

[X] Abrupt ending

Not too shabby, really. A fellow Reason user, eh? This'll be interesting.

There isn't too much dissonance, Spakku. There is a strange low instrument that's producing all sorts of terrible dissonance due to overtones, but if he fixes that instrument up a bit so it's cleaner it'll be alright.

The soundscape is fairly full (in a good way), but the mastering is terrible. It sounds like a pillow is covering my headphones. Mess around with the stereo seperation and EQ in the master combinator (particularly the highs - they're drown by the mids and lows).

I like the variety in texture you use throughout - it's rare for novice arrangers to vary the texture like they should, so kudos to you.

Bring out the drums a bit more - they're quite good, but hard to hear.

This is very conservative (a.k.a. you didn't change anything at all with the source), so OCR will reject this outright. Of course, if you aren't setting OCR as your goal then you don't have a problem there.

If you're planning on repeating anything in this song for the sake of length FORGET ABOUT IT!! If you want to increase the length you'll need to vary the music, possibly make some new parts up and change it from what you've already got. The copy/paste buttons are used to help you, not write the rest of the music.

If that wasn't what you meant then just ignore that.

I agree with Spakku that the background sound is a bit much at times. Mix them more in the background and it'll clean everything else up nicely.

Yeah... actually, this is really good for three months of using Reason. Clean it up - even if it isn't going on OCR I'd still like to hear this polished a little bit, for my own personal library.

[cronus616]

I think I'm hearing some issues with timing (hard to tell exactly with so much going on), there's scattered dissonant notes all through (more in the beginning), and your background sounds are too loud.

I believe the dissonant notes are a steel drum-ish sample I have going for ambience, but I kind of planned on making it toneless. I can work with those. Thanks!.

Ugh, a checklist... I normally don't use these things, but I'll give it a shot.

ARRANGEMENT / INTERPRETATION

[X] Too conservative - sticks too close to the source

PRODUCTION

[X] Mixing is muddy (eg. too many sounds in the same range)

STRUCTURE

[X] Too short

[X] Abrupt ending

Not too shabby, really. A fellow Reason user, eh? This'll be interesting.

There isn't too much dissonance, Spakku. There is a strange low instrument that's producing all sorts of terrible dissonance due to overtones, but if he fixes that instrument up a bit so it's cleaner it'll be alright.

The soundscape is fairly full (in a good way), but the mastering is terrible. It sounds like a pillow is covering my headphones. Mess around with the stereo seperation and EQ in the master combinator (particularly the highs - they're drown by the mids and lows).

I like the variety in texture you use throughout - it's rare for novice arrangers to vary the texture like they should, so kudos to you.

Bring out the drums a bit more - they're quite good, but hard to hear.

This is very conservative (a.k.a. you didn't change anything at all with the source), so OCR will reject this outright. Of course, if you aren't setting OCR as your goal then you don't have a problem there.

If you're planning on repeating anything in this song for the sake of length FORGET ABOUT IT!! If you want to increase the length you'll need to vary the music, possibly make some new parts up and change it from what you've already got. The copy/paste buttons are used to help you, not write the rest of the music.

If that wasn't what you meant then just ignore that.

I agree with Spakku that the background sound is a bit much at times. Mix them more in the background and it'll clean everything else up nicely.

Yeah... actually, this is really good for three months of using Reason. Clean it up - even if it isn't going on OCR I'd still like to hear this polished a little bit, for my own personal library.

Thanks!

I'm working with everything you pointed out.

Except for mastering... I'm not the greatest. I haven't tried on this song yet, though. I'll work on that.

And for the record, I started with Reason this christmas when I got it, but I've been playing drums, piano for 7 years and read up on some music theory.

Thanks again

[Da2dbm]

It's really interesting, I like the synths especially. However, the tempo seems off for some reason.. Some notes tend to sound more fast than others and it doesn't quite seem to mix well with the drums.

I would love to see this mix develop more. This is one of my fav soundtracks as well. Goodluck man!

[Dunther]

Hey, not bad!

[cronus616]

It's really interesting, I like the synths especially. However, the tempo seems off for some reason.. Some notes tend to sound more fast than others and it doesn't quite seem to mix well with the drums.

I would love to see this mix develop more. This is one of my fav soundtracks as well. Goodluck man!

Thanks! Again with the timing... I'm listening for it, and hopefully fixed some things up. It's all synthesized, except for a few recorded samples.

Hey, not bad!

Glad to hear

Thanks a lot for all the feedback. Nice to know as a newcomer to the production field, as well as being nowhere near most of the other composers here, that I can still get nice comments

Here's the most recent version, after fixing a few of the problems noticed and lengthening the track.

Excavate.mp3 [2:58]

[Invader_Quirk]

Shame these guys didn't reply to your update. I never heard your first draft, but I like the new version. This song has been done to death but you manage to bring something new to the table. It has this intense tempo that's like a driving force behind it that keeps you interested. The only big issue I have is those orchestra hits. They sound totally canned. They should be replaced ASAP. I'm not a mixing expert or anything so I hope some of these other guys can comment on that stuff.

[cronus616]

Shame these guys didn't reply to your update. I never heard your first draft, but I like the new version. This song has been done to death but you manage to bring something new to the table. It has this intense tempo that's like a driving force behind it that keeps you interested. The only big issue I have is those orchestra hits. They sound totally canned. They should be replaced ASAP. I'm not a mixing expert or anything so I hope some of these other guys can comment on that stuff.

Ah, I didn't know this song has been done before- other than the 'From Within' guitar arrangement.

And yeah, the orchestra hits are not too great. Previously I had worse ones. Can not find good samples x.x

Thanks!

[Sir_Snooze]

Okay - all in all, this is neat. I like the concept, but I think you're putting too much in the soundscape. It seems cluttered and you're making overtones you don't want to be making (I don't think). Maybe try shedding some parts - for example, do you really need the orchestra hits?

In my opinion, this piece SCREAMS to be ambient/downbeat. This approach gives you two big benefits: 1) you're splitting from the theme, giving you more OCR chances (though you need to do a bit more original work and do some volume work), and 2) you're making less work for yourself when you polish.

This may sound like I'm dictating style - I apologize if that's how it comes off, because that's not how I mean it. In my experience, though, the more you have to work with, the tougher it is to balance. Less can be more, especially in a piece like this. This has serious potential in it - like Gario said, for three months, this is EPIC. Keep working on it - if you wanna keep it as is, just do some volume adjustments and stuff.

Probably the best suggestion I can give you is to go Tubing. Find a pile of electronica artists you've not heard of (Colorpulse, Boards of Canada, Bochum Welt,

µ-Ziq, Bola, Brian Eno - just throwing names to give you a hand), then search 'em up. See if someone really catches you and work with it. Mimicry makes your own style.

Hope that helps! Great work, man!

[darkmaster987]

Interesting one, this...and a real mixed bag.

0:00-0:25 - First thought: "Generic is right, I've heard this a thousand times before". That low-pitched phasing thing in the background just reeks of n00bishness. Get rid of it, replace it, whatever, just do something about it.

0:25-0:42 - Maybe it's not looking so generic after all. Interesting thing you've got going on with the counter-melody here, not often I've heard anything like that in remixes of this track. Just use a nicer synth, please. The little "transition" you have at 0:32 sticks out like a sore thumb currently and needs to be quieter with a less horrible-sounding synth.

0:40 - I'd credit you for that little touch...if it was actually your idea.

0:42-0:58 - Good ideas, horrible samples. Recurring theme, I'm afraid. Again the phasing effect needs to go.

0:59-1:24 - OUCH. That background melody in the first part *might* work if you used a different sound. Seriously WTF possessed you here!? Your choice of sounds is utterly ridiculous - the main tune sounds like it's being played by a swarm of bees. Change it, all of it.

1:25-1:57 - What. The. Hell. You've got a tinny piano in the background hitting seemingly random notes, which just doesn't work, it's completely dissonant. Then for some reason you bring in the counter-melody from 0:25, which again doesn't work since you don't have the background chords - the overall effect is unsettling.

1:58-2:14 - Main melody again, with the same horrible lead synth as last time but different, equally poor choices for all the other parts.

2:15-2:30 - Again, what you've done doesn't work. Same criticism as 1:25, minus the piano.

2:31-2:48 - See 0:25-0:42.

2:49-2:58 - That synth hurts my ears. Honestly you should probably have just ended it at 2:50...I can see how you might thing that's a bit abrupt, but I think it would work here since the part before seems to lead up to it. On the other hand what you've got now doesn't, it sounds like a build-up, which then fades out, which is anticlimactic.

The worst thing is, I think this mix has potential, especially based on what I heard from 0:25-0:58, you just need to completely rethink your sound choices, throw away the parts at 1:25-1:57 and 2:15-2:30, and fix your ending. Perhaps vary the intro a little.

[Invader_Quirk]

I feel the need to say that I like the "bees" and the tiny piano.

[cronus616]

Interesting one, this...and a real mixed bag.

The worst thing is, I think this mix has potential, especially based on what I heard from 0:25-0:58, you just need to completely rethink your sound choices, throw away the parts at 1:25-1:57 and 2:15-2:30, and fix your ending. Perhaps vary the intro a little.

Oh wow. Thanks for all the feedback. Working on all the goodies you pointed out. If not deleting them, then changing and lessening them.

I feel the need to say that I like the "bees" and the tiny piano.

Haha bees is a nice way to describe it.

Anyway, two weeks later I've fixed a few errors and messed around with the mastering. I think I get it? But still a little clueless on how to EQ it properly and such.

Better intro, better synths (some of them), and better, shorter arrangement.

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