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*NO* Sonic & Knuckles 'Everything Is Glowing (Radio Edit)'


DragonAvenger
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Remixer Name: KingTiger

Real Name: R. Corey Oltman

Website: http://kingtigermusic.com

UserID: 13997

Name of Game Arranged: Sonic & Knuckles

Name of Arrangement: Everything Is Glowing (Radio Edit)

Name of Song Arranged: Glowing Spheres Bonus Stage

Link to Original Song: a chiptune version isn't available on OCR, so here is a YouTube version

Comments:

I've been learning a lot lately about the importance of accepting feedback from others, in all parts of my life... that being said, this marks the first time I have sought and followed significant feedback from the Workshop/WiP forums. In that vein, I want to give credit where credit is due... so, thanks SuperiorX, PixelPanic, and Rozovian for helping me make this track what it is today.

Now, for my comments on the actual track... This is a progressive-trance inspired remix, made (read: attempted to be made) in the style of Armin van Buuren and Paul van Dyk. I really, really like how those songs "meander" (to use the words of SuperiorX), slowly building and adding different rhythmic and harmonic elements, and then slowly breaking them down. However, that style doesn't seem to gel too well with the majority of listeners :/ so after I cut my 5:55 long track down to 4:39, I realized that it really is more accessible that way.

The whole thing started when I realized that the staccato 7th-based note rhythm that runs underneath (almost) the entirety of the original song would work very well as a percussive rhythm for a dance-type song, and then my love of trance did the rest. It didn't help that I was impatiently waiting for the Sonic Zone Remix Competition to start, and I desperately wanted to remix Sonic songs.

(If you haven't noticed, I love to meander with my writing, not just my music.)

BTW, I did keep the full version of the song for fans of the aforementioned "meandering" style, and it can still be found on my SoundCloud page.

Thanks,

KingTiger a.k.a. R. Corey Oltman

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sounds were pretty smooth from the start, but then the drums came in and I felt pretty underwhelmed by the samples used. On my first listen, my impression of this track is that you've got some great sound choices and a lot of fantastic variation on the source, as Shariq pointed out, but ultimately the weak quality of the samples (drums, piano, the buzzy synth chords) is turning me off from this.

The bass and the kick occupy too much of the same space, so the low frequencies end up sounding too muddy and cramped. The kick also sounds pretty awkward when it hits multiple times in quick succession, I think you need to tweak the velocities a bit on those sections to make the patterns sound more natural.

I'm really a fan of your arrangement and it grows on me with repeat listens, but I think there's a bit more production work that needs to be done here, personally. Good luck with the vote.

NO (resub)

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  • 2 weeks later...

:49-1:20, 1:27-1:59, 2:29-3:00, 3:07-3:23 = 110 seconds

:11-:34, 4:09-4:32 (minor 8-note supporting pattern, mostly buried from :11-:34 - used in other sections as well, but even more buried) = 46 seconds

Source usage checks out for me.

Cool intro. The beep-style notes taken from :03-:06 of the source sounded off-key when paired with the e-piano chord at :11. Already disliked the mixing of this once it picked up at :19; just messy and muddy, IMO, burying the only connection to the source until :34. That 8-note background pattern was meant to provide a constant connection to the source during the original sections, but was usually very obscured. You probably should change the sound of that pattern so that it stands out more as a connection to the source.

The synth at 1:28 was pretty generic, and the backing instrumentation was bland. The soundscape was still cluttered while feeling pretty barren as far as the texture, with the same issues at 3:23. The piano at :49 & 2:29 was pretty exposed as mechanically sequenced, which doesn't work well for an organic instrument like it does for a synth.

I hear the variations on the theme, and that's certainly in the right direction as far as the arrangement, but many of the instrument choices were vanilla, the textural building was pretty sparse, and some of the mixing turned out muddy.

Emu's already given an overview of what should be looked at on the production side. It's a good start, Corey, but the energy here was bland, and the instrument quality needs to be improved before this has a legit shot.

NO

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I'm going to have to agree with the other judges. I think the sounds used themselves are fine, but there is a lot of bleeding in between sections that needs to be addressed, so the parts are more distinct. I'd prefer a bit more crack in the snare are well. It seems like it isn't really driving anything at the moment.

Arrangement is interesting, but the production is what needs the polish.

No, please resubmit

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Man this is really close to a pass for me, but a couple of problems really hold it back. The weak piano sound and sequencing, and the constant distortion in the low-end caused by the bass and kick occupying the same space are both must-fix issues. Apart from that, I liked a lot of the ideas, balance was good, even the vanilla instruments had some cool processing to spice them up. For me, it just comes down to the two issues I mentioned.

NO (resubmit)

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