DragonAvenger Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Remixer name: Rexy (real name: Beverley Wooff) OCRemix user ID: 7528 Remix info:- Remix title: "The Root of All Things" Games covered: Mega Man 2 / Mega Man 6 Songs covered: Wily's Castle Stage 1/2 (MM2), Plant Man's Stage (MM6) --- Okay, fokes. This'll be the last time I'll be shoving Plant Man into the submissions inbox... * Though this was my first entry into the Wily Castle Remix Gauntlet 2011, this however has ended up receiving the ridiculous honor of being my last submission from that contest. With everything I had learnt over the past 4 months, it would be appropriate that the revisions over the past few months would really push it further over the edge than the original contest submission. Anyway, round 2 of the gauntlet had the contestants paired with the infamous Wily Stage 1 from Mega Man 2, and while I saw it as a challenge to go by given the unstable availability of the team roster for the first three rounds (particularly Brandon's Skyrim break, lol), I gave it a go and see what could be done. How I interpreted the first half of the Skull Castle gauntlet in Mega Man 2 is that you're expected a lot of wind, altitude and movement through the air; the climb up to the rooftop, the fight against the dragon at the end of stage 1, turbines in stage 2, the vertical drop leading into that block chamber, and quite a lot of use of the transportation items just to get around. And Plant Man may have been seen as a delicate robot master, but he could take the more natural presences as opposed to the mechanical structures as a way to benefit within his movement. And I guess since the game shares the same pre-Wily-Stage music as Mega Man 9 (the source game for both of my teammates' robot masters), the MM2 castle is seen as significantly greener too, but that's probably another story. I had learnt a fair amount about my sample bank capabilities during the contest and during all the touching up afterwards, and all the people that were on hand to give in some help later on really managed to make the track jump out. OA, SuperiorX, DJ Mystix and WillRock provided a great chunk of initial feedback in regards to additional writing, and I still took Jason Covenant's equalisation tips (acquired in Round to heart as well. I feel that this version is a huge improvement since the initial WCRG entry, and is something that I feel really proud for in spite of all the mishaps that happened along the way. Again, a big thanks for DarkeSword for hosting the gauntlet and the various other Mega Man based competitions! And I happily await all feedback in regards to this, whichever way it will go Peace out, -Rexy- -------------- - Wilyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTwXJ4bQA1U - Plant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted May 26, 2012 Author Share Posted May 26, 2012 Right away I'm noticing that bell sample can be a bit piercing. Toning down that a tad might be a good idea, although it's thankfully very brief, and when it comes in later it's in a lower octave. In terms of the other production aspects, I'm not super fond of one of the lead synths you use, but it gets the job done, so I'll pass it off as personal preference. Your solo area the volume feels like it jumps around a bit, and it is a little distracting. Lastly, the drums feel like they are on autopilot for a lot of the mix. Nitpicks done, I like the overall soundscape you are working with, and I think you worked well with what you have. One thing I find pretty neat is the super fast backing sound wall you have that sets up an interesting texture throughout. I think the arrangement is what really shines here, especially the interplay between the two sources. They are integrated really well with one another, and you do a great job of sprinkling cameos of the other theme when one has the front. Your production is definitely improving, and there's still more you can work on. Based on this track I'd suggest looking into making your drum writing more interesting so that it works with your arrangement more. Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I think some aspects of the soundscape feel a little thin, and a semi-clean rhythm guitar would have really made the song gel, but the arrangement itself was really nice, and I think most of the sound choices were clicking. The panflute was a little too exposed, but I enjoyed the lead synth, and the backing elements were all on point. I recognize that AD drum sound, and I think it works, but was almost too intense and dirty of a sound to match up with the pristine synths. Overall though, I feel the production just barely clears the bar, and the arrangement and combination of the 2 themes is very well done. Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halc Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 not a lot to add to what the others have mentioned, there are definitely some general sample/production issues, vanilla sounds, etc, but the strength of the arrangement, which is great here, carries the piece for me. I'm probably even less sold on the sounds and mixing here than the former J's as my first inclination wasn't so certain, however after sitting on this one for a while, I can really appreciate the work that went into this arrangement. nice job. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 Seems like you all have quite a parade going on here. Unfortunately I'm going to have to rain on it. First off: the song cuts in. The music starts too early and the first note is cut. Add a half second to the bounce before the first note. This is just sloppy and completely inexcusable. Other side thoughts..both the flute and the bells are a bit shrill, and the string part is thin and unnecessary. Why is there a string in a high register playing the tonic in whole notes? If it's for texture you should probably sit it back in the mix a bit, or even consider a pedal tone or ostinato. Create some harmonic texture instead of just playing the tonic, which we really don't need to hear from that part. Where's the kick? Please bring it up in the mix. So here's the meat of the problem: This remix suffers from medlyitis really badly. There is no change in the groove or dynamics, which makes the song feel much much longer than it actually is. But honestly, most of what is going on in this song is different lead instruments taking turns playing different unrelated melodies one at a time. There's absolutely no overall arrangement or cohesive structure. Sometimes the melodies aren't even in the same key as the chords (see 0:55, where the melody of the wily theme switches from the aeolian to dorian mode. The remixer seems to have forgotten to account for this in the harmonic instruments). This simply isn't an arrangement: it's a list of melodies. Sorry if I seem to be coming down hard: it's not that this song is all that bad, but it's got some structural issues that definitely should not be slipping by the panel. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillRock Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 I have to say, i'm a little more on vig's side of things regarding the arrangement, but I do think that the melding of the themes, when I hear it, deserves credit. I fail to hear much plant man passed the intro, but closer listening revealed plenty of plant man in the backing parts. The arrangement is impressive, plenty of solos and variations on the themes, and I liked the ending. There is definitely a lack of dynamic range throughout tho, and it drags as a result. The production is generally ok, its reasonably mixed and there are no glaring issues. I did pick up a few nitpicks however. The first problem I noticed production wise, like DA, was the piercing bell, which is a minor issue in the big picture. The synth lead was a little vanilla, but I felt it fit the soundscape, and was sequenced well. I feel like the drums didn't quite fit. The kick was too quiet overall, but it might have helped the drums to fit better ironically, since the drums more suited for a heavier style of music imo. Alot of nitpicks on my part. I'm not going to give you as much credit as DA, OA or halc, due to the fact I don't feel like the arrangement is quite as good as suggested by the other yes votes. However, I do think that this is pass worthy. I'd say its a borderline call, but it just gets by for me. Good job rexy! YES (borderline) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 The piano timing was pretty stiff, along with the woodwind sequencing. The warbling-style sounds brought in at :23 was a strange fit with the more organic-style instruments. Wasn't a big fan of the drum sound at :23; it just was too loud and crowding out other instruments. The synth line handling the Dr. Wily theme at :47 was a stronger fit. At 1:33, the hand-drumming was interesting, but the mixing was messy, IMO. The piano probably should have been more forward, BUT because the sequencing was so rigid, it would be exposed more; so you're left with a quiet, robotic piano that doesn't fill out the soundscape well and makes the overall timing of everything sound like it doesn't match up. But the main issue I had hearing the drums was that it made the overly rigid timing of the piano and woodwind stand out a lot more since the parts didn't lock together. Same with the airy strings brough in much later around 3:12. Texturally, all of this sounded like an awkward, patchwork kind of setup, and wasn't cohesive enough basically the whole way. The arrangement had merit, but I didn't feel this end result was cohesive enough yet, and it could stand another coat of polish. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Larry was on the nose here. It was a little medley-like but acceptable IMO; the mixing was a bigger problem. There were a lot of background instruments that didn't have much clarity. Bev, you probably need to take more of a look at the low-end of this mix and see if you can cut more of it away, possibly reduce reverb if that helps. Sections of this were fine, but others just sounded muddy. Some instruments like the drums were too loud. Definitely some good stuff going on here, great ending especially. Hope you can clear up some of the problems here and send it back to us. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Weird note choices at :55. Bell is kind of piercing. The soundscape has a really "fakey" feel to it. Those pan-flutes are not a great sample. It works though; good arrangement. Nice energy. I think it's fine. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Close vote, but overall i feel the arrangement is strong enough to pass despite the production issues. I do feel that the overall production is definitely moving in the right direction and I think that with additional work, it'll match the quality of the arrangement. I am tipping this in favor of the mix; Keep working on improving though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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