DragonAvenger Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Name: Arceace Real name: Ben Clifton Email address: Game: Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Arrangement name: “Aerial Carousel” Original track: Balloon Park Link: Comments: I didn’t even know that I wanted to remix this song until I heard it in my media player a few months ago. I suddenly realized how catchy it was and how much I enjoyed the music as a kid. Needless to say, I began experimenting with this song right as soon as I heard it and the arrangement took off from there. I have always had a soft spot for Sonic games, and this one is especially nostalgic for me because it was the first one that I have ever played. While nearing the end of the arrangement, I realized that it had a really cluttered sound to it. I noticed that the drum samples that I was using were the cause of this problem. It was at this point that I couldn’t find a way to go on. However, OA managed to help share some valuable insight to help me make the mix sound better. Not only did he show me what good drum samples sound like, but he also provided valuable feedback for my whole remix. After making the changes that he had recommended, it started to sound better again. So I would like to thank OA for helping me make the remix what it is now. Please enjoy! Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted March 4, 2012 Author Share Posted March 4, 2012 This mix is pretty solid all around. The arrangement is catchy, albeit a little repetitive, but not to a point of being anywhere close to a dealbreaker. The soundscape itself is pretty well done, with the sound effects being tastefully used. I'm cool with this, especially since it's a Sonic source I haven't heard before, so kudos to you for going for something different! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 The plinky lead is a bit annoying and needs some modulation, but the good news is that there are a lot of different leads that trade off, keeping it interesting. The sequencing is mechanical throughout, and the ending is a bland fadeout, but there are a lot of cool ideas presented, and the soundscape is pretty nice, with a bit of old-school charm. I do think the lack of humanization makes this really difficult for me to pass, but otherwise it is super fun. You've already received a yes, so maybe it'll go your way, but it needs some more humanization and modulation to get my vote. Keep at it, it's almost there! No, please resubmit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 NO, resub I like the arrangement but a lot of these leads are really vanilla. The portamento'd lead somehow doesn't seem to sit in the mix properly. Feels really dry and exposed. They heavy syncopation of the melody doesn't really lend itself well to the portamento. Sequencing is really mechanical. I realize that you're not trying to imitate live instruments, but there are sections like 1:50-ish where there's practically no change in velocities throughout the entire melodic line. Needs some work I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Haha every other Sonic sub we get uses the SFX. But there's a reason: they fit so well. God bless the Genesis soundchip. This felt unfinished to me, though the basic concept is fine. The same ideas kept getting used and there wasn't a lot of care put into making the leads sound humanized. The overall volume was low and the sounds used were on the bland side too. Aspects of it are certainly enjoyable and I don't think this is that far from the level of stuff we take, but I'd like to see something a little more engaging. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishy Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Good start but it's a bit basic as my colleagues have mentioned. The leads especially are a bit too simple to rely on. The square lead in particular is super loud compared to everything else and gets a little annoying. Try and get a few different sounds in for different sections to really distinguish between them and give the overall structure a bit more shape as it tends to just plod on a bit overall. I do love this source track, and it's not far at all off the bar so I definitely want to hear a resub! NO, resub plz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Not really a fan of the opening synth, which is kind of obnoxious, but we'll move past it. Oh wait, it turned out nearly everyone else didn't like it either. Yeah, you probably want to refine that, and/or change it up for a different lead later on to give it later areas of the song a different feel; otherwise it feels like it's repeating a lot with that same lead with the same melodic treatment. Pretty liberal opening for the first 36 seconds. Playing around with the rhythms of the source from 1:05-1:21 before getting a bit more straightforward. I was thinking this would get aimless, but the source was used pretty straightfoward from 1:46-2:48. The energy level's on the static side until 3:19 had a good brief dropoff until 3:25 to create some much needed contrast. The beat patterns were nice and varied, BUT overall groove felt a bit underwhelming and could have used more energy and dynamic range. Right now, the dynamic curve was fairly flat. I'd say this is around 80% of the way there with a great base to build upon. The arrangement and interpretation were definitely there, even during the more conservative sections as far as creating a different mood. Along with the other criticisms, I'm actually probably closest among these NOs to actually YESing it. There aren't any single dealbreaker flaws, but a lot of smaller issues preventing this from sound cohesive and as varied as it should for the 4+ minutes. I wouldn't drastically alter this arrangement, but tweak some sound choices and mixing, and see how you can add more dynamic range to the piece. Cool stuff so far, Ben. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillRock Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Opening piano is a little bit too drowned in reverb, and there is some piercing high mid content in that opening piano. There are other numerous production issues which become apparent past the intro. The kick is too loud, and compression is making leads and pads duck under the kick, which is affecting the mixing further. I didn't think the bass was prominent enough, I would have put something with a little more presence with the bass you have already, because it was inaudible in busier sections. The samples are ok, but nothing amazing, you could probably pass with these samples if the mixing was better. The arrangement had an interesting feel to it, I liked the style adaption, but the structure came off as a bit too consistent texturally and thus seemed repetitive. Some of the variation parts sounded forced as well, but there was some nice change ups to theme theme that ticked boxes for me. The ending was very lazy imo, ending on that sole piano note like that. Arrangement seemed decent, but production issues means I can't sign off on it. Keep working at it! NO (resub) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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