Liontamer Posted September 12, 2010 Share Posted September 12, 2010 Original Decision: http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=20556 Definitely Koopa Evahn Evan P aterriblebeast@gmail.com myspace.com/epuchalla 4791 Super Mario 64 Koopa's Theme Koji Kondo source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWF9mDIw8NI I originally submitted this almost a year and a half ago. I didn't really intend on submitting it again because I was working on a different new mix, but I'm taking a break from that one so I figured I'd send this one in. It ... can't really even be compared to the old version. heh. The old version had a lame drum loop. This new one alternates between two sets of live drums. The big epic ones were played by my friend Paul. We recorded those in a small theater at my school. The other drums I played, recorded in a small room. There's a cool little reggae-ish section, for the guitar solo. I also added some mouth percussion (clicks and breaths and shit) during the bass effect battle. The synths don't suck in this version, either ... Today, just before submitting, I had an idea. Put the song on tape, then bring it back to digital. I don't know if it really made a big difference, but I think it sounds pretty bitchin', so I might even do it for the whole album. It's not quite as loud as the straight-digital mix, but I didn't limit it as much when I sent it to analog, so this version actually has a little more breath to it than the album version. And I added some tape flange to the intro while I was at it. Just for giggles, here's a link to the old submission (); I found it on one of my demo CDs. Yeah ... I can't believe I sent that in either. Sorry guys ... Anyway, hope you guys like this. Oh yeah, here's the album this track comes from. It's free, yo. Love, Evan --------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWF9mDIw8NI - "Koopa's Theme" The overall soundscape sounded lo-fi and distant when things picked up at :09; I'm not sure anything was gained production-wise, putting the song to tape. The timing of the lead at :13 and :26 was slightly off, which prevents one from totally getting into the piece. Sudden changeup to more laid back stuff at :43. The guitar performance at :51 also had some very brief, minor timing issues at the very beginning. Back to rock at 1:19, with the lead again sounding slightly behind at the start of the transition. There was the aforementioned voice stuff at 1:27 while handling the source theme chorus in the background, then it went back to the rock at 1:45. Can't say the transitions had enough flow to them, not that they're terrible. There seems to be something missing that I'm not able to articulate, so I'll wait for more points of view and listen some more to this. EDIT (9/30): Gotta co-sign with the other 3 Js on this, who did a great job of articulating the various issues. I like your style Evahn, so don't be discouraged on submitting more music, bro. I loved you Mario 3 mix, and I know you can get some more stuff passed as long as everything's clicking. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 I like the idea you have for this song, but I think right now it's not being executed as well as it could be. I feel like the overall mix doesn't really have a flow or a real direction that it wants to go in. The different sections you have, like the chilled out part or the mouth effects part, are almost separate from one another and tacked together. I think improving the transitions between sections will help, but also take a look at the song and how you want it to evolve. The beginning, as well as some parts in the middle definitely sound pretty lo-fi and pretty distant sounding. Overall the soundscape feels pretty empty whenever the bass isn't playing. I think at times that can work well, but it's a little too often for my tastes. I'm going to have to give this one a NO, but I'd like to see you keep working on it. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 The off-timing was pretty noticeable, but we've definitely accepted stuff with sloppier timing (for good or for ill). The synth sounds didn't really seem like they were gelling that well, and the shift between drum sounds was really abrupt, in a way that messed with my head a little. I mean, there was a cool effect in the guitar glissando that made the space sound like it was kind of contracting, which was disorienting at first, but on repeat listens i dug it. I think that's fine. The issue i'm having with most of it though, is the synths sounding pasted on for the most part. THey need to fit into the soundscape better and not be as forward. A lot of creative ideas, but the production isn't quite balanced. It's definitely got it's own flair though, so i'd love to see this one revisitied one last time. No, please resubmit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishy Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 I pretty much agree with the above. The timing of the performance wasn't great throughout. The synths don't particularly match the guitar and bass parts. The guitar sound is really thin and weird. Like the other guys said, the individual sections feel like parts from two separate songs and don't transition well. The problem with the lo-fi synths is that they just sound too forward and dry, and this sticks out loads and becomes quite jarring. The drums on the other hand clearly have something resembling natural reverb and sound like they're in a real space. The synths don't, so they don't fit together well. Some good ideas but the production needs work to execute them properly. NO, resub plz PS Going to tape and back again is a bit eh. Go straight to tape if you want the real analogue sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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