Mega Man: The Wily Castle Remix Gauntlet 2011

[Chernabogue]

Sent mine. It is short but cool. I'm happy with how it sounds.

[AMT]

It's looking like this week is going to be full of guitar mixes. I'm really looking forward to hearing what everyone did, I have a feeling it'll be another close round.

[SuperiorX]

I just subbed my entry as well! I'm excited to announce my song this week features my teammate, Phonetic Hero, on drum sequencing! My original drum arrangement was okay and fit my song, but Pete's drums add a whole new level of depth and intrigue to my mix. I think you guys will enjoy it!

I also just wanted to say how much I've really enjoyed participating in this compo. I have learned so much more about remixing, particularly in areas like production and sound design that I was rather lacking in. I think my progress will show in this week's mix, as I believe it is easily my best song yet. So I'm really excited to hear what everyone thinks! As always, I appreciate any and all feedback you have!

[DarkeSword]

I download all the mixes at the very end, so ninja updates are fine. But just in case, always post that you update in the thread.

[Benjamin Briggs]

I just voted for the last round, and I'm rendering my entry right now

[Zerothemaster]

Just submitted to Darke

Wheeeeeeeee

Oh BTW Rozo

it has a voice clip

Deal with it

[Sir_NutS]

The rock playlist I'm making out of the remixes from this competition sounds awesome so far. I say KEEP'EM COMING!

[Xarnax42]

I also just wanted to say how much I've really enjoyed participating in this compo. I have learned so much more about remixing, particularly in areas like production and sound design that I was rather lacking in. I think my progress will show in this week's mix, as I believe it is easily my best song yet. So I'm really excited to hear what everyone thinks! As always, I appreciate any and all feedback you have!

All of this a million times over.

Finished back to back weeks by the skin of my teeth. But if you thought I was rolling over after this week's votes and crits came in, ummmm.....no.

With more time I probably would have done a bit more with the arrangement, and my ear for production lacks experience, but this is BY FAR the most complete piece I've ever created. Very stoked. Hope you like.

[DarkeSword]

Hey guys. Remixes for round 4 are up and available for download. Some file names had some minor errors that I had to fix so make sure you guys are checking the rules whenever you submit.

Voting for round 4 is live. I will do round 3 tallies and scores later today or tomorrow, as I am going furniture shopping today.

Round 5's Wily Theme is also up. This week we'll be fighting through

.

[orlouge82]

Hey guys. Remixes for round 4 are up and available for download. Some file names had some minor errors that I had to fix so make sure you guys are checking the rules whenever you submit.

Voting for round 4 is live. I will do round 3 tallies and scores later today or tomorrow, as I am going furniture shopping today.

Round 5's Wily Theme is also up. This week we'll be fighting through

.

Only through about half of the new mixes, but they are all fantastic so far.

Sir_NutS - Sounds like you went 90's this week instead of 80's? I like.

[Zerothemaster]

Awww I missed out on MM8 Wily themes. I love MM8's wily themes ;_;

[Sir_NutS]

Sir_NutS - Sounds like you went 90's this week instead of 80's? I like.

Yeah that was the intent to go a decade ahead, heh. At least I succeeded in that regard, it seems.

[orlouge82]

Yeah that was the intent to go a decade ahead, heh. At least I succeeded in that regard, it seems.

Success there, and success in the song quality overall. I was filled with 90's nostalgia when I listened to it, and it was definitely one of your better (if not best) remixes to date).

Also, Zerothemaster, a HUGE improvement over your last submission! Excellent work!

[Zerothemaster]

Just so everyone's aware, as I said before, I had masses of production issues this week, so Amphibious was able to come alongside and do a lot of the production work for me :3

It was basically that I did the arranging and a little bit of production and he did the production and a little bit of arranging. So you don't all think I'm an amazing producer... cuz I'm not.

Enjoyin these mixes :3

[Nabeel Ansari]

I will be representing The Beat Busters with a remix loosely inspired by synth-based jazz fusion OCReMix "Ragol Weather" by Zircon.

[AMT]

Listening now, will update with feedback as I go!

Liquid Metal - I absolutely love this. It's corny as hell and rocks. The instrumentation is solid and I actually really want to know if you got your whole team in on vox- I recognize Brandon of course, but I think I hear other voices too. Awesome job and props for taking a risk Makes me wish I actually went with the Nirvana style vocals I had in mind for mine.

Satch Man - What would you get if Megaman made a trip to Dreamland? I think this is a pretty accurate rendition of what that would sound like, and it's sweet. I've always loved your Kirby-inspired stuff the most, halc, and this is no exception. I'm grooving to this way more than Don't Make Me Cut You- it feels a lot more natural to me. You're on ground you know well and it shows. Willrock's solo is awesome as usual- even moreso than usual, actually. I seriously have no idea how you sequence this stuff- do you play it on a midi controller or do it by hand? It rocks either way.

Cold Dreams - The Sir Nuts Time Travel Train continues, and once again you nail the genre on the head. This kind of music is what got me into production in the first place, and I haven't heard it done this well around these parts since I first heard bLiNd. Excellent stuff- I can already tell this round is going to be incredibly hard to vote for, because I could see any of these tracks taking my number 1 so far.

I didn't have time to make this song The Song - Solid arps draw me into this soundscape right off the bat. By your own admission you may not have had a lot of time, but you did a damn good job regardless. It reminds me a little of Metroid Prime's Phendrana Drifts, which is never a bad thing. The icy sounds and solid rhythms are just getting started when this stops- a shame, because I loved what I heard so far.

Passing of the Knight - Another real bass! That already makes me happy. Solid lead guitar playing, a good sounding kit, and some creative synth work make this a solid entry in Rockman Rock (that should have been a team name, guys). This almost sounds like it could be a live recording, which gives it a really neat, raw dynamic. Some timing issues here and there, but they don't detract much from the song.

Electrostatic - Glitchy and interesting, this almost reminds me of something you'd hear in a Mother game. You've crafted a really unique sound here and that makes it stand out to me. Not quite ambient, not quite glitchcore, I like the idea you're going for. It could use a little more polishing / changes in dynamics, but I really like the concept. The song was at pretty much the same volume the whole time and a lot of things seemed to fight for attention. Some separation would do this one a lot of good.

The Death of Mr. X - Hey, it's mine! Not gonna say much here, just that I went for the polar opposite of 90's here than Sir Nuts. I had a feeling we were going to get a lot of guitar mixes this time, so I tried to do something other than my usual heavy synth rock. All live instruments here except the drums, and I wanted to play those too but I didn't have the time / resources to do it. Also considered doing vocals for this at one point, and I may revisit it still to do so.

Dayquil, Nyquil - This one reminds me a lot of Dream an Eastern Peace, except a lot dreamier (the Nyquil, perhaps?). A very nice, icy soundscape builds into an excellent climax and drives the song into some strong beats. This one definitely feels epic, and that's not a word I like to throw around. The production is a bit spotty, but given your condition I'm amazed you got anything together at all! Awesome work Jason and feel better D:

I Dreamt of a Man With Two Heads - Ok, I thought Electrostatic reminded me of Mother, but you hit that style on the head here. I'm honestly surprised how good this is after round one- this is night and day. This reminds me a LOT of Battle With a Weird Opponent from Earthbound (and some of Pokey's Theme too), and given that it's one of my favorite tracks in the game, that's a really good thing. Just when it needs a changeup you bring in a nice, echoy piano that gives the piece a really chill atmosphere (lots of icy sounds this round!). Excellent work, and if you keep improving at this rate you're going to be making postable mixes in no time. While it's not technically perfect, it didn't stop me from just plain enjoying this one, which makes it a really solid contender for this round.

Copperhead Drumstep - Funnily enough, this is the first mix that really sounds to me like it came from a Megaman game. The execution on this is really impressive- it's one of the best glitchy chiptune driven mixes I've heard. You stay true to the sources but still manage to expand on them. The spot around 2:10 is my favorite part by far, and it makes the whole mix for me. halc's got some serious competition here!

Smooth Operator - I seriously have no idea what genre I'd even put this in, but it's funky for sure. I'm really grooving to this for the first half, but it seems to lose its direction a little ways into the song. Thankfully it doesn't lose its grove, but it feels like it wanders aimlessly a little too much.

ZERO to ROBO - Lots of good ideas here, but the execution could stand to be stronger. I didn't hear a lot of Wily, mostly just Crash Man, but these sources are a really tough pair. Some dissonance in the Crash Man parts made a few sections not too pleasant. Still a good effort, but I think more time would have helped this.

Awesome stuff, you guys all rock!

[Rexy]

Yeah, Brandon brought me in to contribute to the vocals. We TRIED to get Hylian Lemon but between Thanksgiving and his 'shitty mic', he didn't make an appearance. Was fun working with him on it though!

[Lemonectric]

Yeah...I would've allowed them to drag me into it if I'd had a house to myself at any point over Thanksgiving break. But two people were enough for the purpose of the track, so it's all good.

I'm doing this round, right? I think that's what we decided.

[Rexy]

Yes, that was the plan Ben. Go for it! And well done this round too, you made us proud to be bad

[Brandon Strader]

Funny story, the 'spoken' part (gimpy little fins) was me but with a Infomercial preset in Izotope Nectar... so that made it adequately silly.

Here's the lyrics cause why not:

MegaMan: Beneath the ocean lies a special dame. She'll introduce you to a world of pain.

MegaMan & Splash Woman: This little mermaid's not afraid of war. Your broken body will soon drift ashore.

MegaMan & Splash Woman: Her power over fish is without doubt. She'll slap you around a bit with the largest trout.

Mr X: But I bet you can't play guitar like THIS with those gimpy little fins! Yeah! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Splash Woman: I'm here to set things straight, I'm a fish I bet you wish you'd ate. You'll be the one that smells like sushi when I shove my trident up your caboosey.

MegaMan: I could go for a fish buffet, or I could trap you in my bidet. I've got an aquarium full of fear - I'll lock you in there and I'll fill it with beer.

All: One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish

[OceansAndrew]

"You'll be the one that smells like sushi when I shove my trident up your caboosey."

this is the best lyric in this entire contest.

[Bahamut]

And here are my round 4 reviews!

Brandon Strader feat. Rexy - Liquid Metal

Whoa, this was unexpected. The vocals are mixed a little too far in front of everything else I feel. The song could use some more changing up in its pacing to make it something even more special. The ending sucks.

halc feat. WillRock - Satch Man

And here we have something that I expect more of when I hear something from halc. This starts out with a nice R&B flair, making use of those chiptunes to near perfection. I can't really complain about this track much, if at all.

Sir NutS - Cold Dreams

Is that intentional dissonance I hear there? This song sort of cruises along. For a cold dream, the song moves along at a steady pace. The song does a pretty good job at maintaining its atmosphere.

Main Finger - I didn't have enough time to make this song The Song

The title sort of says it all - the song is much too short . It's interesting how similar it is to Sir NutS's song, although this uses some different devices to achieve a similar effect.

Lidawg - Passing of the Knight

The guitar recording isn't as crisp as it could be - it sounds too muted. The guitar playing is a bit rough in areas too. For how the arrangement is framed, this song is too short.

Xarnax42 - Electrostatic

The song starts out on the thin side, and it continues being thin throughout. It needs more instrumentation to help fill out the frequency spectrum. The arrangement doesn't really hold my interest well - it needs to do more than rely on some of the gimmicky sounds.

AMT - The Death of Mr. X

Well this time AMT and Lidawg both decide to do something different from each other at least . This more mellow take is pretty solid, although I wish the arrangement does something that's more ear catching. Several areas of the song felt weird to me, like around 1:15. The bass sits strangely overall somehow - I think that has to do with the arrangement. The song manages to intrigue me for the second half though.

Jason Covenant - Dayquil, Nyquil

The song is on the loud side - it makes the mid-lows sound weird for my crappy laptop speakers when I leave it at the normal volume level. The song itself is pretty solid though, I like how the arrangement goes for the most part.

Zerothemaster feat. Amphibious - I Dreamt of a Man With Two Heads

Lot of people taking the dreamy/spacey approach in this round. The mixing is off here - that one effect is way louder than the rest of the song. The song seems to have some strange notes with the arrangement. This is notably better than the previous entry. I think it could be condensed some to stronger effect, although what's there isn't bad. That ambient synth/instrument needs to be out more in front though, it needs to be closer to the action to really bring out the dreamy quality it has. Definitely dig this.

Benjamin Briggs - Copperhead Drumstep

And here's the chip complement to halc - chth trying to outdo halc's previous effort? This has a more happy chip sound mixing in with the wubs...I don't feel it though, it doesn't seem to go well together IMO.

SuperiorX feat. Phonetic Hero - Smooth Operator

I don't really like the jazzy complement to the lead synth in the background - it doesn't mesh too well here. There's a synth that's not quite the lead that is put in the front of everything else - not too fond of how it is used in the song, at least around the 2:00 to 2:30 mark.

Chernabogue - ZERO to ROBO

What an...intriguing arrangement. The song seems too short as it is though. That lead synth sounds too far out in front to me.

Thanks to all who've participated in this round! Now time to figure out my votes...

[AkumajoBelmont]

I'll be mixing for The Concrete Men this week. Ha-Har...

[Magellanic]

Just thought I'd give a quick review of the tracks. I didn't do one for the previous round but if you'd really like some feedback, then just drop me a PM.

Liquid Metal: Amazing sprinkled with some hilarity. Complete contrast to you previous entry but just as expertly executed.

Satch Man: Nice and chilled. Its just so easy and great to listen to. Fantastic soundscape featuring another enjoyable solo from Will. You rock that midi controller like no other (and I have a hunch you use a Midi guitar/pickup?).

Cold Dreams: Loved this. Fantastic vibe. You manage to capture the feel and ambience of the era in your music perfectly.

I didn't have time to make this song: You may not of had time but what you did manage to complete was really good. I want more!!!!!

Passing of the Knight: I started off with hating this mix.....its grown on me....a little bit. I poured my soul into it to try and improve what I had but I'm still a bit disappointed with the outcome.

Electrostatic: Great ambience set with some great sounds. Kind of want some more stuff going on. Feels as though there could be a little more complexity to add more interest.

The Death of Mr. X: Certainly a different approach this week. Really like the gentle rock feel. Really good job on the playing here. Very tight.

Dayquil, Nyquil: Seriously good job. Just know, that you did yourself proud regardless of not feeling well. The orchestral/asian/electronic style is really impressive well done.

I dreamt of a man with two heads: As AMT said, there is a great improvement here. There's a lot more flow to the arrangement and there is more interest. Having said that, keep on. More development and movement between ideas would be great.

Copperhead Drumstep: Really impressive chiptune here. I can't really add anything other than I really enjoyed it. Can see this potentially being at the top of everyone's voting lists.

Smooth Operator: Some great ideas and an interesting vibe. Really good soloing but sometimes felt like the arrangement needed more direction.

ZERO to ROBO: Another interesting arrangement. Lots going on with some really cool funky bass. Like your previous entry, I do want to hear more. Seems like you could expand on this

[halc]

Satch Man: Nice and chilled. Its just so easy and great to listen to. Fantastic soundscape featuring another enjoyable solo from Will. You rock that midi controller like no other (and I have a hunch you use a Midi guitar/pickup?).

haha, I don't mean to speak for Will, but his solo's are definitely 100% sequenced with a mouse. in about 30 minutes or so. at most.