ectogemia Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 No Ecto, it's not Earthbound I beg to differ. It is Earthbound verbatim. Same rhythm. .If you did that unintentionally, you just rewrote one of the best melodies of all time, so conglaturation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexy Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Well I do see the uncanny resemblance to "Pollyanna", but I honestly swear I didn't reference that. On a slightly related note, music video for those who like that sort of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xarnax42 Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Hi, everybody! Happy to report safe (if excessively delayed) travels, and we're finally settled in on base in Afghanistan. Just got my internet activated a few hours ago. It's slower than dirt, but at least it's enough to browse. And, as far as I can tell, I should be equipped to contribute whatever's asked of me in our mystery round. I have managed to get a hold of all the mixes (with the latest batch ready in the next few hours), and I never fail to be impressed. I'll post more in depth impressions when I get a chance. Merry Christmas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orlouge82 Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Synthesize This! – Definitely a departure from your normal style, but I’m definitely likin’ it! Plant Man’s theme works well in this style, too. I was a little worried near the beginning of the song that it wasn’t going to blend the two themes together very well, but from 0:50 proved that wrong. Nice fadeout, too. This one’s in the “top three contender” category right now. Cruise Control – Pretty epic rock remix. Really diggin’ it. Nice melding of the two themes, too. Also, nice integration of the WillRock solo. I almost didn’t notice it (and not because it wasn’t great, but because it wasn’t used for the rest of the song to take a vacation, it was fluidly added in). Not much more to say about it, I guess. Very solid piece. Drag me Up (to Heaven) – Chiptune goodness from Gario. I like the change of pace you used in this song. It seems to work well with Magnet Man’s theme, and the Wily theme was inserted so well that you almost don’t notice the transition. Great stuff. You guys aren’t making it easy for me to pick a top 3. Tomahawk's Final Chapter – Pretty much echo Ecto here. A little jarring with the voiceovers, but I do love the weirdness of it. Solid arrangement with some small production issues. Towering Shade – Definitely not like your normal arrangements, but I do like it. Like Ecto said, it’s a bit dry and conservative. Filling it out a little bit would do wonders for it, and I would love to hear it after it’s been through the WIP forums. Subarctic Nightfall – This reminds me quite a bit of a song from the first Armored Core game (good thing). Great chillout stuff, and just a great improvement overall since the start the compo. A big reason why I love these things (aside from all of the great music). Keep it up! Top This – Probably liking this one the most of your three entries. Nice dance arrangement with all of the craziness. Adding it to the pile of songs that may make it into my top three. Gotta stew on them all for a bit. Ivory Tower – Nice piano arrangement! Not that much to say about this one except that I am very impressed that you were able to arrange the two themes on the piano so expertly. Adding it to the pile… Current Events – Yeah, Ecto, I can tell you like weird sounding stuff. But I really dig this, so I guess I like weird sounding stuff, too. Nice job on making those sound effects sound random, but still have them actually arranged. Adding to the pile of “possible top three”, but I have to admit that it’s nearer to the top. Nice work! Electropuncture – Man, SuperiorX, you’ve come a long way since the start of this compo. Very nice blending of the two themes. The first transition is seamless. Just so many great sounds going on in here, and they are all well-integrated. Great use of chiptunes and Mega Man SFX. Adding it to the “top three” pile! The Return of Gangsta Man – I really like this one. This is actually probably my favorite of yours from the compo so far. Can’t really explain why. I guess it seemed a little less jarring than some of your earlier ones. Great style choice. Now we just need someone to create a 8-bit picture of Gangsta Man to go along with the song. Well, I can’t decide right now. I have some inkings on my top songs, but I have to listen some more to be able to make a concrete decision. Great mixes this round!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Main Finger Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 It's Nekofrog's turn for Cold Steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyril the Wolf Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 @Ecto and Orlouge I am a huge fan of dry/hollow soundscapes in my trance... so it'll probably still be pretty dry if I ever get around to finishing it... however, you are correct, it is rather conservative, and SHORT. That last part could go on a for a bit longer with an arrange lead or ARP and be cool, and that one break could go for longer with some adjustments and an arranged lead or something going over top of it. Though, once again, other than the climactic parts, I am a rather huge fan of dry soundscapes in my trance/house. Thanks for the feedback though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffio Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Thanks for the quick reviews about my track here a few notes about it: The plot: Tomahawk having been rescued from Wily's control has a unique perspective on the evil Wily is capable of. He chooses to go against Dr Wright's wishes and overpowers him, taking his time machine back to Mega Man 1 to end Dr Wily. The section from 0:57-1:22 is the Time machine ride and crash. at 1:23-2:00 Tomahawk looks up and is at the foot of Wily's Tower and proceeds to get his bearings and head inside but falls into Wily's Labyrinth of Mechanical Madness at 2:02 he spends the next 24 seconds overcoming obstacles and cryptic mechanical riddles. At 2:27 he see's a door and assumes he's home free, but at 2:40 the door opens and the original master robots pop out and battle him in a death waltz. At 3:07 he over comes the initial wave and proceeds through Wily's final chamber, at 3:30 he proceeds to battle Wily who has taken refuge on the shoulders of a giant robotic dinosaur in the final death waltz. At 3:56 the main theme The Lament of Vigilante Justice and Wily is brought to justice. I hope this explains the piece. HAHAHAHAHA. I had a lot of fun with this one. This competition has been great as well. I've learned a lot. I did this remix in basically two sittings because old friends from out of town kept visiting since its the holiday season. I'm really happy that I managed to get something submitted. Its really fun having such a time crunch and seeing what can happen. There are obvious production flaws and a few sections I had in mind that I had to leave out. I might revisit this, and post it somewhere. And special thanks to Main Finger and my roomate Ocean for providing extra voices. Cast: Me: Tomahawk Man Ocean: Dr Wright Main Finger: Dr Wily And yes it is a joke. So feel free to laugh a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutritious Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 Cruise Control – Pretty epic rock remix. Really diggin’ it. Nice melding of the two themes, too. Also, nice integration of the WillRock solo. I almost didn’t notice it (and not because it wasn’t great, but because it wasn’t used for the rest of the song to take a vacation, it was fluidly added in). Not much more to say about it, I guess. Very solid piece. Thanks, dude. Assuming you're talking about the synth from 1:08 - 1:30, that was a Nutritious solo. WillRock did the guitars for this mix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexy Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 Aha, the more we know. I almost suspected that in the beginning but remembered the rhythm guitars in "Real American Hero" and soon thought Will contributed elsewhere. Nice insight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_NutS Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 Merry Xmas Mega Mixers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orlouge82 Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 Thanks, dude. Assuming you're talking about the synth from 1:08 - 1:30, that was a Nutritious solo. WillRock did the guitars for this mix Wow, nice work! The mix has grown on me even more since the first listen, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilvernixSP Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 I just finish to listen to the tracks of this weeks and I really want to say this right now, The Return of Gangsta Man remind me a lot of Banjo-Kazooie, don't know if its intentional but EDIT: Great music by the way, I really like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chernabogue Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 I just finish to listen to the tracks of this weeks and I really want to say this right now, The Return of Gangsta Man remind me a lot of Banjo-Kazooie, don't know if its intentional but EDIT: Great music by the way, I really like it. Never played or listened to any Banjo-Kazooie game, but yeah, it has some cool similarities with my track! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkumajoBelmont Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 What a killer source! I'm gonna have fun with this! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helios42 Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 Alright, I know this review is way late, but I'm gonna shoot it out anyways. This is for Round 7. I was busier than I thought I would be on saturday (I literally voted at 12:00PM eastern time), and sunday was christmas. I haven't listened to round 8 yet, but I hope to do that soon. But for now, my impressions on Round 7! A Swarm of Voxels Ah, I love your mix of chip goodness and highly polished production. This one was really catchy. I thought the start was interesting, and really worked out well from 0:17 - 0:50. There was some great mixing in the middle, esp 1:16 - 1:29, which was very stylish. The creativity from 1:38 - 1:53 was done really well. And the conclusion was stellar. Easily one that I voted for, and the fact that this didn't grab my number 1 is a testiment to the awesomeness going on in this round. Totally Tubular Fortress All around, a solid entry that plays it pretty safe. Very Sir_Nuts style, which I like. 0:26 - 0:40 fit the style of the source really well. The blizzard source doesn't hit as hard here as it has in the past two entries, but it's still interesting. 1:21 - 1:30 was too slow of a tempo, and that part didn't sound so hot to me. In the end, I think the production was fine and the parts seemed to work well. I loved the style, but it felt slightly repetitive this time around. WHICH ONE DO I SHOOT?! I loved the start, set a really great mood for the piece. Loved the violin styled Wily 7, that worked out really well. 1:11 - 1:34 was a spectacular cover of Gemini Man, just what I've been waiting for. Very creative. 1:35 - 1:48 captured a great duality of style, perfect for the source (which is perfect for its robot master). The ending worked out really well too. I was sad that I didn't quite have a vote for this one. I thought 'A Swarm of Voxels' had the edge on this one. But, that is not to say that I found this one dissatisfying. On the contrary, this was a really great piece. I think it could be improved with a little more time, but as it stands, it is pretty darn spectacular. Megaman Awesome Slow start on this one, isn't quite the catchiness that attracted me to Smooth Heat. However, 0:30 - 1:00 proved to have some really good mixing. The Wily 7 source enters well, but eventually suffers from a lack of creativity with it. It keeps going from 0:40 - 1:45. I think adding some form of heat man, and maybe exploring the source more, would really improve that segment of the song, which is what I think could use improvement the most. The feel for most of the piece was good, if very conservative. I liked the drums that came in towards the end, but I would have liked to see a lot more done with them. Call the Fire Department Loved the soundscape in this one. Great creativity with source, and it made a really great tone. 0:15 - 0:29 was catchy. 0:37 - 0:44 was very dramatic and well done, and followed up with some awesome Wily 7. And then, I'm sorry to say, 0:59 hits. It sort of just stops, which I'm guessing came from time constraints. I'd love to see this guy completed, because it has a really awesome first minute! Wily's Ruin Aptly named, and the tone of the piece reflects this, and works in tandem with the lyrics. I especially liked the mixing we see in the the chorus, though the lyrics could use a little more precision/fluidity, there were a couple spots that didn't seem to flow well. Wily 7 came out really well in the verses. The bridge was wonderfully done - and this coming from someone who usually doesn't like the lyrics to follow the main melody. That is to say, I like the lyrics that make their own melody, instead of just following the source. The chorus here does a great job on this. But the bridge is a great example of when it actually works really well to follow that melody. It just flows so well, and ends with a really distinctive flair. Nicely done, though I would consider reworking the flow of the lyrics in verse 1, it seems to have some akward/difficult pauses in it. Just didn't sound very natural to me, which is fine if that's what you're going for. When the Moon Cries There was a lovely buildup at the start, I thought it worked really well. I loved the whistley flute styled Wily 7-4, right at 1:55 - 2:31. Overall, there's some good production on the musical front, but the lyrics felt a little unpolished to me towards the beginning. And they followed the source melody too closely without a lot of variety from it. Still, a very great, cohesive piece. -------------------------------------------------------------- Aside: I guess that it might be a personal taste, but I really do feel that, on the vg music front, lyrics work best when the instruments tackle the source melody, and then the lyrics are tied to but not exactly the same as that melody. Sort of derived off of the melody and working in tandem to it. That really fleshes out the lyrics while allowing the instrumentation to also shine brightly. Really, what it comes down to is that the lyrics should not be forced into the source melody, which almost always sounds forced. We see bits of that in Wily's Ruin, specifically the verses (which follow Wily 7 source) and in places throughout When the Moon Cries. If it flows well (Bridge in Wily's Ruin for example) it can be really cool. But it can also make the lyrics sound forced. I've seen some really prime examples of lyrical melody creativity in both AkumajoBelmont's and The Megas' lyrics; they make their own natural sounding flow which is catchy as I'll get out and really adds something amazingly new and deep to the overall song. Long tangent is long, but I think that is part of the reason why a lot of people have a distaste of vgm + lyrics. A lot of times the lyrics sound forced so they can follow the melody, and it just doesn't sound as cool. I'd like to point out though, that our two lyrical pieces in this past round (Round 7) were still very well done and were NOT terrible offenders of the above; I'm simply highlighting this because I think it's something that might potentially improve those pieces. ---------------------------------------------------------- Black Alleycat Perfect use for shadow man source; I love shadow man done in jazz/lounge, really highlights the tune. Additionally, it proves to work wonders with Wily 7-4, too, which was neat. Great transition at 0:52 - 0:56. 1:06 - 1:24 was pretty darn stylish. Loved the atmosphere. Not really a whole lot I think would need to be improved, it's a very self sustaining and complete piece! Float Interesting work! It has some great building up parts. There's great mixing in those buildup parts, which works well. However, I wish there was something a little more that was built up to. Could have used a stronger climax somewhere in the middle, I think. Good piece, but I do feel like it's missing something to stand out. Halite Great collab; it brought out the talents of your group (which I find I really like ) Piano start was amazing, especially 0:16 - 0:28. Then it moves to an awesome beat that really builds up the piece and shows off some great style and creativity with the Wily source. The transition at 1:48 - 1:52 REALLY fit crystal man's style, so worked amazingly well. 2:58 - 3:15 really built up the crystal man source well and in a very unique way. Overall, the last minute of the song really culminated the piece, had some of both source with some excellent mixing. Ended up being my number one pick, because it brought together a lot of things I really like, and it nailed the balance between creative source cover and mixing! And the variety of instrumentation while maintaining cohesiveness of style was great! Skull Shield Great covers, though the mixing wasn't really there at all. The transitions could use a little work, but what's also needed is integration of the sources together, rather than a simple A -> B x 2. In order for a piece like that to be competitive, it has to do some really awesome and unique stuff, and somehow manage to tie the two sources together into one cohesive song. But, the guitar work is face melting, and the last transition (1:24 - 1:26) actually works really well. I hope it's not overstretching my rights to cut off this song at 2:18. I just don't feel like having to explain such an ending whenever I play this. I can see how some would find it funny though. Alright, I just wanted to still post my thoughts on round 7, even though we're on round 8 now. Well, now that I'm caught up to where I should have been Saturday, I will try to listen to and write a review for this week's mixes soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexstyle Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Curse you, Rexy! You took my "<reference to robot master> This" naming scheme AND you have an incredible mix to boot. This sort of tomfoolery shall not be tolerated! Also: C7, your piano mix was absolutely breathtaking. I haven't enjoyed a solo piano mix like that in quite a while. Stellar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexy Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Curse you, Rexy! You took my "<reference to robot master> This" naming scheme AND you have an incredible mix to boot. This sort of tomfoolery shall not be tolerated! More like the other way round. My Plant Barrier can't do much other than be my line of defense, while you and your Top Spin has the potential to see everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkumajoBelmont Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Curse you, Rexy! You took my... BLAH BLAH BLAH... AND you have an incredible mix to boot. I concur on the incredible mix. Truly my favourite this week. Amazing stuff - it could possibly be my favourite mix of yours ever. EDIT: My mix for this round is coming along nicely. Since it's my last mix on my own, I'm throwing in some nods to the previous mixes in the comp, all with some Eiffel 65-ish vocal processing and a more more down-tempo, contemporary sound. Not a LinnDrum in sight, but it's still melodic as ever. I'm really excited about this round... REALLY EXCITED!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C7 Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 C7, your piano mix was absolutely breathtaking. I haven't enjoyed a solo piano mix like that in quite a while. Stellar. Thank you so so very much! I'm extremely happy with how it turned out--especially since I haven't really done solo piano before (just accompaniment and a few short things in college). Piano is a ton of fun to write for, and making sure its completely playable and fits well with fingerings and such is sort of a fun challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucavi00 Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 OH god yes. The source is so amazing. I can't wait to hear what people churn out this week. I love We're the robots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperiorX Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I was just able to download this week's songs this evening and I just wanted to say WOW there are some REALLY great songs by everyone this week. It's going to take me awhile to vote! I'll post some more detailed write-ups later this week. Great job everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Main Finger Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I'm really curious how the last round went. Any ETA on when the tallies will be done? I know there was talk of some of the votes being past the cutoff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zach72 Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Gotta agree with everyone else, this week's source is very cool ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helios42 Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Round 8 was pretty darn great. I have a clear 4 that I've narrowed it down to for my vote, but figuring out their order is going to take some time. Really great work, everybody. Way to stay strong after a LOT of mixing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexy Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Synthesize This! – ...This one’s in the “top three contender” category right now. *notices that her track wasn't in orlounge's top 3 and is currently struggling in the votes overall* Thank you so much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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