djpretzel Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 You have a submission from a new ReMixer! --- ReMixer name: Rexy Real name: Bev Wooff Email: baroness_praxis@yahoo.co.uk OCRemix user ID: 7528 --- REMIX INFO: Remix title: "A Weekend Down Under" Game covered: Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped Individual song covered: Main Theme ADDITIONAL INFO ON GAME: Original soundtrack composer: Mark Mothersbaugh Companies involved: Sony/Naughty Dog Platform: PlayStation Year of release: 1998 --- Ever since this is my first submission here, I might as well tell a bit about myself. By the time you're judging this, I'll be progressing through my first University semester, studying Music and IT. I live in Great Britain, and - if Destiny isn't enough for you - I'm a female. For the past six years I've been looking into the fundamentals of studio-based music production via my leisure time, and have seen into a wide range of techniques and software involved during that space of time. In terms of instruments, I've been playing the piano for ten years and have studied the drums for the past 24 months or so. And as fate decided, I have a ReMix to submit to you. What I did was put together a more laid-back variation on Crash 3's main theme. The game series itself managed to bring back a lot of strong youthful memories as well as holding some of the most prized games in my PSOne collection. And the remix itself has got a mixture of pop music and more haunting instrumentation, as well as some varying drum progressions, a piano solo and probably the first use of a didgeridoo in a remix, EVER. I understand that you wanted me to fill out the ID3v2 tags onto the ReMix itself, however because of VGMix's tag system I couldn't do that, and I have no other web space of my own. So can you please not penalize me for that? ; And there we have it. Whether you judges want to bring the track onto the play list or totally reject it, I am still happy with how the arrangement managed to come out. I also want to say that you are doing a great job doing what you do, and I'll be happy to see OCRemix continue like this in the future. Peace out, -Rexy- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted November 11, 2004 Share Posted November 11, 2004 Not a bad intro with the synth steel-string geetar to open things up along with some swirly pad stuffz and a phasing organ-type synth at :09. The percussion & bass guitar synth coming in at :17 sounded really flat and detracted from the groove here. I can tell the style's supposed to be laid back, but the percussion and bass plod along and drag things down. The note patterns on the bass during the melody aren't bad, but try to go for some more variation on the percussion; the cymbals and kick drum can be spiced up while still remaining laid back. Correspondingly, do what you can to give more fullness to the sound of such important support elements; they're an important part of the foundation of the track, but hindered a lot of it from getting off the ground fully. Hopefully the other judges can recommend some other things. The lead synth for the melody was also very flat, especially during the chorus from 1:10-1:27. The bass guitar and drums also sounded very dry, and I heard some subtle sixteenth note hats in the back that nonetheless sounded exposed and belied timing issues with the percussion & bass. I'd recommend just scrapping the hats for that section, as I don't feel they help fill the space well enough. To your credit though, they did work better when they were less prominent around 2:02 during your fuller-sounding piano solo. There was better sounding stuff from 1:27-1:44, though the sequencing sounded too mechanical on the steel string guitar handling the melody as well as the bongo patterns. I liked the subtle elements you had in there though; some VERY light chime, didgeridoo and xylophone-style work functioned very well to accentuate things until 2:02. That stuff could be brought up a touch. I really liked the energy there and it briefly brought some unique flavor to the picture. The piano solo starting at 2:02 was alright, and I liked that the bass guitar had some more creative activity. Again, the bass could sound a bit richer, but it had the right energy. Perhaps bring the piano levels up a bit as well. I liked the touch of reverb I heard on the last few piano notes at 2:30. Very swanky transition from 2:31-2:36 into the final iteration of your melody as well. The piano was the most natural sounding instrument within the mix, and this was probably your best overall section of the track if I had to pick one. Definitely the closest realization of the groove you were going for. Going into the last iteration of the melody, you could certainly afford to take some further rearrangement opportunities with the melody to help make the mix's climax stronger. Or do so earlier on to provide some further dynamic contrast and development. Also, the way you switched into the chorus at 2:53 from the melody, everything sounded a lot emptier as several support elements dropped out in the back. Try to prevent that kind of abrupt contrast from happening. All things considered though, I felt the actual arrangement was pretty strong. Admittedly, I'm not really down with the sound effects thrown in there around 3:10, but Israfel thought the goofy voice cracked him up, so some people like it. The resolution here was certainly ok, but I would have preferred the synth fading down alongside the strings rather than cutting out first; just a small nitpick there. Even just going for a laid-back style like with the piano solo section, most of the sounds need a bit more fullness to make the most of the intent. Just listening to the source tune, one hears a lot more effective, fuller-sounding delivery there. Definitely consult whatever help you can such as the ReMixing forum here or the VGMix Conservatory for advice on maximizing the strength of your samples, because I like most of the foundations in place. Aside from that, look at humanizing some of the more mechanical-sounding elements, as well as providing some further creativity on the bass guitar & perc sequencing during their less prominent areas. People don't pay as much attention to those things as casual listeners, but they still affect the overall presentation. This was strong stuff so far that needs a bit more fleshing out in the delivery. I liked your FF7 mix "Chinatown's Future" morseso that this, Bev, but see a lot of potential here. Keep at it, sister. NO (refine & resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Israfel Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 I have to say that I really enjoyed this one, and didn't hear many of the problems that Larry described. But hey, nothing wrong with differing opinions. Actually, the only thing that kinda bothered me was the piano figure from about 2:11 to 2:14 and then again at 2:24. The rhythms seem to be a tad too jerky at those points. I know that you're playing syncopations, but nonetheless it just seems a little off to me. But that's a minor problem (and it might just be me hearing things...wouldn't be the first time)- otherwise I thought this was a fun little mix that's pretty darn well-done. I love the slightly off-kilter instrumentation and the way that the mood alternates between laid-back and just a bit quirky. Good stuff. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 I like this. There's a nice quirky texture going on with all of the different sounds; percussive elements really work will alongside the synth stuff. Piano solo is fun stuff too. Nicely done. Arrangement side of things gets the job done. No real dead spots, and there's a logical progression. Nice variation. Don't see any issues here. Nice work. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 hmm..this isnt bad...but it has some stylistic issues. the percussion is good, but the harmony instruments leave something to be desired. the acoustic guitar patch is hurting hurting hurthing me. it's not so bad in the intro, but in later sections it sticks out. the ending is very good. i think the problem with this mix is it has a good groove, but rather than escalating as it should, it patters off then repeats. There's no tension in this remix, but the verses are dying for it to grow into some snarling funk jam. i think it's fine to have some breaks, which are thrown in with just gutiar and drums or whatever, but it's anticlimactic that it never builds. i would have the first verse you have, then make it get MORE busy and more heavy, get heavier and heavier, THEN drop everything out have that guitar interlude. the dynamic curve of this remix doesnt look like a mountain, it looks like a flat road with occasional potholes, and the mix doesnt work on the ambient or background-music level. NO. Oh yeah, and the piano solo was kinda akward sounding. tighten it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zykO Posted November 14, 2004 Share Posted November 14, 2004 its the acoustic guitar that brings this down - i may not like the lead but that is a stylistic issue rather than a practically critical one but really. that guitar. like vigilante, i am tortured. two things work for me in this arrangement - it features some pretty impressive percussion... i have to say, bev, way to go on studying your drums all in all the groove is nice (this has a lot to do with the bassline, as well as it helps drive the track forward). the other thing that works for me are the spacey phaser sounds that go in an out of channels... very nice. the piano work is also excellent. i want to hear you do more piano work in future works because that solo was pretty awesome, i loved it. as for what does not work. like vigilante said, no tension. the track remains relatively the same dynamic throughout and i think that's the only place this is lacking. i wouldn't put too much emphasis on the guitar because i've heard much worse in terms of realism through the community so i don't think its anything to knock this on... but the lack of dynamic is. i mean, the track has this potential to move forward but instead it just "jogs" and this ought to at least "run" it's funky, weird and bold but just not energetic enough. i don't feel comfortable giving it a yes even though i do enjoy parts of it but it lacks some dynamic and i think you can do a lot better, bev. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digital Coma Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 Not too bad of an arrangement, even if it's only the original progression and melody supported by breaks. As soon as the mix begins, I hear mixing problems, and they continue until the end. The samples chosen, though not great, could have been used MUCH more effectively for their intended purpose. The acoustic guitar and buzz synth lead are especially unconvincing - not in a sense of realism, but more in a sense of attraction. I'm unable to suspend my disbelief when I notice every instrument mixed together so cut and dry. Other than the mixing, the arrangement is pretty much a plateau as Jesse and Weed said. Iteration of melody, percussive break, iteration, fidgety piano solo, iteration, end. It's not bad, but there's more that can be done compositionally. You're getting there, just keep practicing. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrayLightning Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 Enter stage left after the vote - GrayLightning. I can see why this split the panel. I too was a bit split on this. On one hand I felt as the other judges did. I think this is particularly strongly felt in the first half of the mix where it tended to drag on and the dynamic range and tension was already fully realized before it got anywhere. I thought the second half was much more strongly executed. I think you could focus on this part of the mix, if you decide to rework on it. I felt this was the meat of the mix. Drumwork throughout is really well done, particularly in the last half. I also thought you handled subtlety and volume mixing in a much more sophisticated manner than is expected of a first time submitter. For example the windchimes/belltrees. Very subtle but present at the same time. I think some some EQ work, particularly attention paid in the treble section would have helped spice up the mix. A little more reverb here or short delays would have worked too. Perhaps a small spaced/short tailed reverb. Further effects processing would have been also nice with say the guitar. The ending sections itself, I felt was the highlight. Everything came together for me at this point. Great stuff there. I also enjoyed the bass and piano work throughout. Clearly there are some issues here, there's a lot to like too though. I hope you take the judgements for what they are and decide to resubmit soon. Hope to hear more from you in the future. I strongly suggest resubmission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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