DragonAvenger Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 OCRemix Song Submission: Links: Song name: Acque Luccicanti Contact Information: Your ReMixer name – Level 99 Your real name - Stevo Bortz Your email address – level99remixteam@gmail.com Your website – http://level99.thestuffoflegends.net/ Your userid – 13318 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged – Super Mario 64 Name of individual song(s) arranged – Dire Dire Docks Composer: Koji Kondo (Game is already in site database) Comments on the song: Note: If passing, do not post anytime before September 2011. This is part of the Songs for the Cure 2011 album and, if it isn't posted in any initial OCR flood for the album's release, must wait six months after the release to be posted. Pull up a chair right over there and let me tell you a story. It's a story many years old, as old as time itself (or at least as old as 2005). In the two years prior to its demise, I was a regular contributor to VGMix 2.0. It was the first site I had a mix posted to, and helped me get to know a number of people who I still today call close friends (such as Luiza, Mr. Taucer, Brad Burr, and Jredd). I made an acoustic/electric arrangement of Dire Dire Docks called Just Keep Swimming, which was put on that site shortly before the site went down for the count. Last year, I wanted to challenge my musical growth from when I created that track by attempting to re-write it from scratch and get it up to par as an OC ReMix. While I was in the process of doing it, Josh Whelchel approached me and asked if I could join on to his Songs for the Cure 2011 charity. I happily agreed, and pulled the public WIPs of the song so that I could use it on the album. This song is, again, a mesh of acoustic and electric elements. There's a set of orchestral strings, particularly in the low end, and numerous choirs. There's also selective synths and pads. The song flows from a simple set of acoustic guitars through various transitions, adding drums, supporting instruments, and eventually switching feet to focus on electric guitars. At the end, the remaining instruments are "dragged underwater". If you'll pardon me for waxing poetic, I really wanted to convey the feeling of exploring underwater: the sheer amazement at a gorgeous, shimmering, underwater expanse that tickles one's curiosity while also looking alien compared to the world above ground. The farther one listens into the song, the deeper underwater they go, revealing more and more what is hidden beneath the glittering surface. Something-something-water-reference. Also, definitely check out the Songs for the Cure album! ~Stevo ----------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted May 16, 2011 Author Share Posted May 16, 2011 Listened to this one for a while. I don't think you're breaking new ground on arrangement here, overall it does remain very conservative. However, you've certainly added your own touch, and it's produced very well. You definitely achieve that sense of wonder and exploration, and it's a fun listen. It's close on arrangement, but YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halc Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 really nice, crisp production. the arrangement was plenty personalized, imo, and the orchestral stuff and chippy drums were unexpected, but added a great, subtle touch to the instrumentation. I thought the mix was really lacking any kind of low end, which worked well enough for the floaty first half, but started to hurt the mix a bit once the lead guitars finally came in. by the last climax the track can get a little grating at high volumes because of how focused it is in the upper-mids. other than the lack of bass, this is an emotive, well-produced piece. nice work! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Hmm...There's something about the lead acoustic that isn't cutting it. Maybe it needs more compression? I think it's because the tone is a little dark compared to the rhythm guitars that are panned hard. I'd probably try compressing it and bringing it up. Might not sound natural, but it might sit better. The lead electrics sound good, but they could have more reverb, and they are a bit too loud in the mix. The other problem, which is a big one, is that you don't have an ending. What's here is great so far, but you aren't done. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Overall i'm feeling this, but I agree with Jesse that there are some rough edges that could be smoothed out. The lead acoustic needs to be brought up slightly, and the electric lead down. I think the water effect for the ending is good, but it happens for about 6 seconds, and then it abruptly fades out. I really like the strings and snare rolls, and I think the concept overall is strong, but something tells me you ran into the cd deadline here, because, yeah, it's not quite done. A long and slow fade would have been fine, or a dreamy flourish, but not the hard and fast face that is here. I suggest re balancing slightly, fix the ending, and resub it. No, please resubmit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutritious Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Cool mix here Stevo. Pretty unique combination with acoustic, electric, chip, orchestra, which works surprisingly well. Lead acoustic sounded fine to me at the beginning of the song, but as things progressed, it seemed to get more and more marginalized in the soundfield - orchestra covers it a bit when it comes in, but it especially gets lost when the electric guitar joins. Might want to brighten it up to let it cut through better. Some notes at 2:06 sounded a bit off-key to me in either the acoustic or electric. Doesn't seem like anyone else has mentioned it, but you still may want to check them both. Agreed on the minor fixes to the electric lead Vig mentioned. The bridge at 3:05 was a very cool section - really loved the voices brought in and the increased energy. But yeah, definitely needs an ending here. It was just a quick fadeout. Even extending the choir lines and water fadeout could help, but right now it's just to sudden. Close here man, tweak this one and get it back to us! No, resubmit please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishy Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Strong start, but that thin sound never really gets filled out as it goes which is a shame. Doesn't feel like it ever drops in fully. There was a big old snare fill at 1:45 for example that gives the impression its about to get very big, and then it's disappointing when nothing really happens. Great start but this can be refined a lot on the production side to really bring it to life. At the moment it only feels half there. Likewise the ending has already been mentioned by the many. This could be a pretty epic mix but at the moment it's not been realised. NO, plz resub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 The opening seemed fine to me, despite being unconnected to the source. Though she went YES, I didn't agree with Deia on the arrangement being almost too conservative. There were a lot of embellishments and interpretive flourishes even in just peforming that verses that I thought showed off creativity basically the whole way. The chiptune-ish percussion brought in at :52 didn't seem like a great fit with the other instrumentation. From 1:19-1:45, the mixing/production was off and the piece really feels very cluttered. And it pretty much stayed like that no matter what was in play from that point on. Really strange, I wish I could articulate the issues better here (the others covered it thoroughly), but really the balance and/or EQing needs to be addressed. I felt like too many parts were stepping on each other. Oh DAYUM, what an abrupt fadeout around 3:36. Definitely poorly done, it faded down way too fast and just came across like you had to just end the song because you ran out of time to work on it further and flesh it out. Even just doing an extended fade would have sounded so much smoother. I thought the arrangement was fine aside from the ending not really being written or properly resolved. Fixing that up along with tweaking the production would easily put this over the top. No shame in a NO here, but a NO it is for now. Hopefully, it's a pretty easy resubmission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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