OceansAndrew Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Hello people of OCremix. I have been producing trance music for the past decade of my life. I am signed to a russian trance label under alias UGMI. My music is to the caliber that I am featured on beatport. My alias for dreamtrance and VG remix is Flashburn. If the judges at OC remix decide to accept this unique submission please list it as Flashburn - Undine's Magic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghKpsiv-scQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted September 22, 2011 Author Share Posted September 22, 2011 There's a few good elements here, like the soundscape and synths, but the drums seem weak and on autopilot. The ending is also a bit half-hearted. Some of the sequencing seemed pretty rigid as well. I think overall this is a solidly produced track, but it lacks any real personality or strong energy. It may sound like I am hating on the track, but things are at such a high level in some aspects, that it makes the minor flaws that much more apparent. Once the main melody comes out in the gated synth, it felt cooler, but the drums being on autopilot and the little details added up. I would love to hear a revised version of this that tightened things up a bit. No, please resubmit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I'm definitely going to have to agree with OA here. The soundscape is pretty cool, and I love the direction you took this track, but right now the drums are killing the energy, along with the overall slight rigid feel. I think you can do a lot to really make this awesome, and I hope you send it back! NO (resubmit, please) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djpretzel Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 There are some awesome textures here and really great attention to detail in the different synths, which makes the heartbeat kick pulse + cymbals drumline - that does sorta stay on autopilot - feel a little neglected. I think OA/DA are right on the drums; the arrangement is also a little slow to develop, and while I like the idea of keeping it relatively laid back (to evoke the feeling of exploration that the source captured so well), I think the BPM could be increased by 2-5 to give the mix a little more direction. At the moment it feels almost too deliberate, which - combined with drums that basically do the same thing - is an issue. I love the source, and I think this mix has tons of potential to be an amazing arrangement of it, but I too would like to hear more work on having the drums be a little more dynamic/interesting, either through variation or layering, and again I think a slight tempo bump would also help. NO, Resubmit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Great mood, and some excellent original writing. I thought this had some wonderful ideas, but was problematic for the reasons already stated. I don't have a lot to suggest beyond what has been said already, but Dave's suggestion of bumping the BPM is a very good one. This feels just a little too slow for the amount of writing going on. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 The opening sounded pretty solid to start, albeit muddy. Melody overtly came in at :49 and everything was pretty damn loud, with the highs ringing in my ears. It practically sounds like the original got sampled, the way most of the source-based instrumentation sounded the same as the original until 1:42. Sounded extremely muddy at 2:02 and it basically didn't let up until 3:03. The source tune isn't particularly developed, though it was somewhat personalized. There was a softness to the tone of the beats that occasionally was crowded out by other louder parts, and didn't properly drive the track forward. What the hell was that finish at 3:37? That focus on the bare percussion didn't fit the mood of the rest of the track and sounded out of place. In addition to the other criticisms, I'd just use selective EQing to tone down the piercing higher frequencies, and I'd reduce the delay/reverb effects that are cluttering up the soundscape. Bumping up the tempo could help, but the production problems and underdeveloped drums were more significant issues. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 This one's already been closed out, but I touched on this extensively so I wanted to chime in with my comments since I would like to see this resubmitted: First off, excellent choice of source, this is one of my favorites that I can remember from my time playing Secret of Mana. The style of the mix feels very appropriate and offers a very cool stylistic expansion on the original theme, so props there! This mix starts off with some very pleasant ambient textures that set up a very rich, watery mood. The lead instrument choices aren't exactly on the same level of richness or depth, however I can see that you were trying to emulate a few of Hiroki Kikuta's iconic Mana series sounds with them, so I can live with that. There's a few pressing issues with the remix, though, that need to be addressed. The most noticeable is the kick sound, which feels like it's been almost completely gutted except for the lowest bass frequencies. Don't get me wrong, a bass-heavy kick is fine, and actually a very appropriate choice for this genre of chillout electronic. However, it's gotta have a little bit more body than that or else it's just not audible at all on a lot of listening setups. I'd highly recommend an EQ boost in the mid frequencies on your kickdrum sample to give it a more full-bodied sound that should hopefully carry your track a lot better. Another production related note: the rain sfx at the end cuts out very abruptly, you'll definitely want to throw a fadeout on there so it concludes more naturally. The arrangement itself is not a bad start, but it feels incomplete. Because it's much more of an additive, slow-burner electronic track, it's key to ensure that the arrangement has some sort of evolution going on as the track progresses, which this does have to an extent. However, the rather-repetitive patterns and, much more importantly, the unfulfilling buildup that simply cuts off at the end of the track gives the impression that this concept isn't fully developed, and needs to be a little bit longer and/or have a more definitive ending (preferably the former, in my opinon.) What you do with this advice is up to you, but this mix either needs to have a solid ending that doesn't leave you hanging, or utilize that buildup that you've already got to lead into another section that could potentially round off the mix better. There's a lot of un-utilized source material and room for original writing that could give you a chance to personalize the remix even more. I just dropped a lot of feedback, much of which is more of a suggestion than a requirement for passing the panel, per se, but however you approach it the arrangement needs some work, as does the production. Either way, I hope to see this again because this track has a great deal of promise in the soundscape and style it sets up and I'd like to hear it refined! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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