*NO* Mechwarrior 2 'Marooned'

[djpretzel]

email sub file Mechwarrior_2_Marooned_OC_ReMix.mp3

remix name: Marooned

remixer name: Noah Altman

game: Mechwarrior 2

real name: Noah Altman

email: zhepacajolrecords@yahoo.com

Would have preferred to send a link instead, but I have yet to find a free filehost that allows uploads of over 5mb per file.

I hope this goes through, because honestly, the Mechwarrior 2 soundtrack is great and deserves more ReMixes.

Regards,

Noah Altman

[Harmony]

Not only have you remixed a soundtrack whose awesomeness will echo through the ages, you’ve remixed arguably the best track on the OST. Props for the effort. I’d love to see more MW2 mixes.

Ok, I was not feeling the intro. The strings aren’t terrible but those first few notes when they are left exposed are harsh. The slow intro goes on for way too long in my book. I understand the desire to add depth since you’ve slowed down the fast paced source but the whining lead violin is way too repetitive in this section and there isn’t much of a build to the transition at 1:22. Biggest problem with the intro and much of the rest of the mix is the muddiness. The lows from the strings, the timpani, and the heartbeat (which contributes little and should probably be cut from the intro) join forces with the reverb to create a pretty garbled listening experience. The track in general is also lacking in high frequencies.

The ethnic drum sequencing is really cool. Is that an udu I hear? It reminds me of some particular acoustic Alanis Morissette tracks. Unfortunately I think a lot of the percussion work is lost to the aforementioned mud.

There isn’t nearly enough development here to justify this as a 7+ minute track. However cool the percussion is, it doesn’t vary much , and to quote an analoq phrase, the “wall-of-strings” orchestration gets old and overwhelming after some time. Where’s the rest of the orchestra? I enjoy some of the chromatic lines (2:31,…) but they are some of the only elements that add any variety to the overall sound of the mix

I’m optimistic on this one. If you work on the mastering/EQ, cut a lot of the fat and throw in something besides strings and synths that sound like strings you’ll have a much better MechWarrior mix here. Keep working at it.

NO Please resubmit

[Liontamer]

Thanks to Harmony for the source tune on this one. The opening strings were alright. There was a slow build for the intro, but for a 7+min track it was fine. I heard a heartbeat thumping in the background starting at :48 but the timing didn't synch up with anything. What was up with that?

Ooooooook then, everything abruptly changed over to some string runs at 1:22. So there was no point to that heartbeat? Well, WTF? Some percussion entered in at 1:49, but it sounded REALLY muffled and was dragging down the clarity of the whole piece. The same with the brass at 2:03; very muffled. Things were quickly dragging until another changeup at 2:30.

The xylophone action at 2:30 was always welcome. At this point, there was still a very muffled/smothered atmosphere, so the production needs to be much sharper. The brass sample usage was still poor as well. There was lots of repetitive instrument usage here in order to fashion an ethnic style groove, but it wasn't interesting at all.

Some instruments dropped out at 3:38 for some spooky stuff. There's the heartbeat again at 3:52. That works for the piece thematically, I'd say, but it's kind of awkward here anyway. More xylophone fun at 4:06. 4:22 ditched the ambiance and the abrupt decays of the xylo were exposed.

There was a changeup at 4:40 to some ethnic drums. The string and brass playing the arranged melody returned at 5:08, and I'm just being bombarded with a shitload of different instruments repeating themselves ad nauseum within this very muffled setting. At least there was a decent lead at 5:35 that surfaced. Even that repeated too much, but it changed a little bit at 6:15.

6:30 moved towards the piano-centric close. The arrangement ideas were certainly alright, but trim the fat off this needlessly repetitive groove, and clean up the production. Needs a lot more variation before it even has a shot, IMO.

NO

[The wingless]

Mechwarrior2, the game that taught me no matter how much trouble you are in, just override all shutdown procueedures. If yer gonna get shot'd, it's gonna be on yer feets!

MADCAT4tehwin!

Having said that, I agree with Harm's sentiments on the importance of the track.

I didn't have as much of a problem with the violin as larry, but I most definitely see how it will be a problem for everyone else. I would suggest a gradual fadeout or a more subtle presence. Also, the heartbeat doesn't really serve a purpose, or put another way, it detracts too much to be included.

I really enjoy the atmosphere poured into this piece. There's a depth of emotion you don't normally hear [around here]. It gets the ethnic flavor down, doesn't make any glaring mistakes. But before I give it my AI, I'd like you to:

Fix up that violin

Baleete those heartbeats

Do whatever the other judges say (though you will find them but mere stepping stones to me)

RESUBMIT

And the glory of Clan Wolf shall be yours

[GrayLightning]

Most solo string samples are harsh by nature with out lots of processing. So I don't have much problems in that regard. Nature of the beast I'm afraid.

I do agree with Harmony's assesment of the mud issues. That's why these atmospheric mixes are so hard to do, because they are indeed reliant on lower frequencies, which can introduce a lot of mud. Back down on the reverb slightly as well.

I don't have a problem with the wall of strings, not everything has to have brass or woodwinds. For this type of piece I really wouldn't change much, maybe add some woodwind or reeds. There is a middle eastern motif going on here, consider adding some clarinet unless you have some middle eastern double reed samples? I also would throw in some close sampled jingles/tambourines to help drive the ethnic percussive flaire.

I agree this mix isn't as developed as it could be considering how long it is. I would also trim out at least 3 minutes of the mix. Focus on polishing the concept and fixing the production issues. Neat final minute.

Pretty cool and enjoyable, I'm tempted to throw a wrench in the works and yes this, but some of the cluttered mixing and mud issues sway me to a borderline NO. Resubmit please.