djpretzel Posted May 26, 2005 Share Posted May 26, 2005 Remixer: Majeliss Email Address: majeliss@sector44.com Website: http://sector44.com Game ReMixed: Sonic & Knuckles Paranoia-like-confusion in the empty spaces of your mind A psytrance remix of Flying Battery zone. The title pretty much explains the theme/mood I tried to project. -- Kudos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted May 26, 2005 Share Posted May 26, 2005 http://www.zophar.net/gym/SK+SONIC3.RAR - 19 Flying Battery Zone 2 Oh ho! A theme I really like. Got some "Flying Battery bias" here. Didn't like the strings used at :07. The note-to-note movements sounded pretty fake; felt like each note had the same intensity. Otherwise, the first 40 seconds or so were hot. About 1:00 in and the source wasn't being used overtly enough. I could hear it being used VERY quietly with a xylophone-style instrument from :47-1:20. The source tune references were way, way too subtle/understated here. The chorus was used really quietly at 1:46. Some winds came in at 1:57 and the mixing was a bit poor as the chorus by the wind instrument was really obscured by the vox. At 2:13 a little piece from the intro was used briefly again followed by a retread of the material from :47 with the vox underneath it now. The composition felt a little repetitive and directionless from 2:13-2:53, so change things up a bit compared to the first iteration at :47. The beats dropped out again at 2:54 to focus on the vox and ambiance, but this approach throughout the track basically removed most of the arrangement substance as a focus. Use the arranged source tune more prominently please. You don't have to crank it up, but make it a bit more overtly audible. The only other minor issue I had was that some of the sound choices were a bit weak, like the brush taps/hats/whatever those were at 1:58. More important there were the drums entering at 2:54, which, basically used on their own, I felt was a poor way to close the track. Bring some power/texture to them to fill the space more so they don't hurt your ending. Other Js may have some more specific tips/criticisms in mind to add a little bit more texture to the sounds. Aside from some of the mixing/production issues, this was so, so promising arrangement-wise. But you've just gotta hit me with Flying Battery a bit louder so that trying to hear it in this arrangement doesn't leave too many people scratching their heads. NO (borderline/resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The wingless Posted June 2, 2005 Share Posted June 2, 2005 The first that occurs to me are EQ issues. They don't make a whole lot of sense. The lead is way too subdued in parts, and all the auxillary tracks take the fore. Some of the instrument choices are weird too, lending themselves to very bizarre textures of sound. Even if this is how you meticulously planned it, it's not satisfying to the ear. Leads go in the front, aux's go in the back. It's been this way since before the Bugger Wars (omg, Scott Card reference, lozlzz) NO -Fix up the EQ -figure out a system that's much more satisfying to the ear -then BE CONSISTENT with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analoq Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 nice use of panning. ok, this is an attempt at psychedelic trance yes? you've got the bassline down, percussion is mostly there but some of it has a bad 80s rompler vibe, the additional synth sounds and sfx are good. the leads and choir pads come off as awkward to me, though. you'll find that most video game music does not lend itself to genuine psytrance/goa interpretations, sadly. but that's ok, failing to hit all genre cliches doesn't mean a rejection. however, i'm with larry & wingless... arrangement is about satisfactory. but you need to focus this more on the theme before it can be passed. no kudos on the title, it's quite apt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmony Posted June 6, 2005 Share Posted June 6, 2005 Pretty cool song. Great use of vox and FX to setup the paranoia vibe, interesting and engaging composition ideas and some slick processing choices. The sound quality is generally good but there are a few things that might need to be looked at. That kick at 1:46 would be so much more effective if it blew up the entire sound field. As it is, it comes off rather weak. It also leads into what sounds like a bad note at 1:50. I felt that the entire section from 1:46-2:14 could have been better. The choir steps on its own toes and the notes mush together which isn’t very pleasant at times. The acoustic drums in the final section certainly need some punch. Bring those bad boys up! You might also want to tone the choir down on that same section as it seems to jump out of its place at points. Good song but as a remix, its way too easy to forget what the source is until the familiar intro chimes in from time to time. As has been said, work on that. I hope to see this retuned and resubmitted. NO (Please Resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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