*NO* Mega Man 3 & 6 'Smooth Operator' *RESUB*

[DragonAvenger]

Hey Judges!

This one has been a long time comin'... so here's my resubmission of "Smooth Operator" that was originally NO'ed (resub) back on 5/18. The original submission and our contact info is in the email below.

Here's the original judges thread: http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=39283

So a lot of the common critiques from the judges (I got some additional feedback from Wes and Deia afterwards as well) was that the second lead instrument wasn't expressive and/or carrying it's weight enough in the song (the lead at 1:06 and 2:09), so that was the biggest focus for the resub. I first tried re-writing the lead a bit to make a little more interesting, but I couldn't really find an instrument that worked for me. In my frustration I handed it over to Pete (who previously had only done the drums for the song) and asked him to take a stab at it. He took my lead writing, added his own flourishes to it, spiced it up a bit and then topped it off with a silky smooth lead instrument that I think really does wonders for those two specific parts of the song. So this song is now more of a true collab - with Pete still contributing the drums, and now this second lead instrument as well. So yeah mad props to Pete, cause I couldn't have done this without him!

We also addressed some of the other judges comments with the bass and drums in particular. Here's a full list of changes:

Re-vamped the second lead instrument (at the 1:06 and 2:09 sections) - Pete

Cleaned up some of the drum fills, tweaked a few percussion instruments, and varied up a lot of the velocities - Pete

Lowered the bass throughout and in parts where it was too up-front

Had the intro rhythmic synth not enter until 0:08 to try to create a little more diversity in the intro

Edited that same rhythmic synth's patterns and hold-notes in a few spots to try to vary up the soundscape a bit more

Adjusted various volume & mixing levels (too many to remember)

Source usage & breakdown is the same as the old version, but here it is again for clarity:

0:00 - 0:15: original stuff written around Needle Man's F# minor chords.

0:15 - 0:31: original melodies with Needle Man bass

0:32 - 0:50: Needle Man melody A on lead, Needle Man bass

0:51 - 1:06: combo of Needle Man A and Mr. X Fortress theme A melody on lead, Needle Man bass

1:07 - 1:38: Mr. X Fortress A melody, Needle Man bass, Needle Man intro on electric piano at 1:22-1:38

1:38 - 2:09: Needle Man B&C melody liberal solo, Mr. X Fortress bass and electric piano

2:09 - 2:25: Mr. X Fortress melody B lead

2:26 - 2:41: Mr X. Fortress melody C

2:42 - 2:58: Needle Man melody A on lead, Needle Man bass

2:58 - 3:14: combo of Needle Man A and Mr. X Fortress A melody on lead, Needle Man intro on electric piano,

3:15 - end: Fade out with original melodies built around F# minor.

Well, I think that's about it... I hope this enough to push it over the edge this time!! Thanks for listening!

-Matt

[Vig]

Are you mixing with a huge sub? Cause this sounds really thin. The kick has no body, and the the bass has most of its energy in the 200~Hz range. I dig some of the instrumentation; sucker for a wurly. Definitely has moments of serious groove, but it lacks body. Definitely need to address that.

NO

[OceansAndrew]

I gotta agree with Jesse here, it feels like the bass is really scooped out of this. The rhythms are great, and the leads sound really nice. Tracks like this also highlight why taking extra care in the drum programming really helps bring a song to life. The arrangement and overall soundscape i dig, it;s just that lack of bottom end.

Overall I am really feeling the arrangement on this, and really the only issue for me is the lack of bass. It sounds like a rendering error with a filter or something on, so rather than going no, resub, i'll say

yes borderline. would really like to hear that bass fixed up though!

[DarkeSword]

Another great WCRG track.

I don't know if I'm listening to the same track as these other guys, but I don't seem to hear a problem with the bass (?).

Anyway great groove, nice sound choices, solid percussion work. Really awesome arrangement.

YES

[Palpable]

Hard to put my finger on what exactly wasn't working, but the track never gelled for me, despite the individual parts sounding pretty cool. The bass was big in the very low ranges but I agree with Jesse that the rest of the track sounded thin. It would have been nice to fill in more of the midrange. I also thought the drums didn't groove much at all, they felt very choppy and disparate. The track felt a little directionless, but maybe with a stronger mixing I could see that being mitigated. Sorry, I still think this isn't doing the job.

NO (resubmit)

[Liontamer]

Hard to put my finger on what exactly wasn't working, but the track never gelled for me, despite the individual parts sounding pretty cool. The bass was big in the very low ranges but I agree with Jesse that the rest of the track sounded thin. It would have been nice to fill in more of the mid-range. I also thought the drums didn't groove much at all, they felt very choppy and disparate. The track felt a little directionless, but maybe with a stronger mixing I could see that being mitigated. Sorry, I still think this isn't doing the job.

Dayum. Without grandpa-ing too much, I think I'm in Palpable's camp for the most part. While I'm with DarkeSword that there IS bass presence, the Needle Man lead was shrill, both leads were thin, the arrangement seemed to lack direction (though I agree with Palp that better mixing could make the direction of it more clear), and the combination of these electrosynths with flimsy, loose drums and thick, layered claps just didn't click at all to me.

Disregard the crits (mine included) about the arrangement seemingly lacking direction, because I think it's just a matter of choosing better leads and re-balancing your parts. With new leads and better EQing, everything could fit more comfortably together. I didn't hear the original version, but this certainly has potential to make it down the line with some tweaks if it doesn't make it this go-around.

NO (resubmit)

[Nutritious]

Yeah, I agree mixing is a big issue on this track. To be honest, it sounds like during mastering you eq'd down a lot of the mid/mid-low frequencies, making the instruments sound thinner.

As mentioned, drums lack body and, while well-written, didn't feel like they were cohesive with the rest of the track yet. Possibly because they do sound really thin, and perhaps a bit too dry.

I don't really share the same concern about the leads as Larry. I think if things are mixed/eq'd more effectively, they'll be fine.

There's lots to like here, but I don't think it's quite ready. You're close though, don't give up.

NO resub, please

[Emunator]

I hate to say this, but after listening to this again I'm really starting to hear what the other judges are saying about the drums. Pete, I know you can write some sick drum grooves but this time around, I feel like the drums are almost too complex for their own good and never really settle into a groove that jives with the rest of the track. It's a more ambitious approach, and in a bubble they sound really nicely written, but in context of this song they're kind of all over the place :\

Also cosigning with the EQ critiques brought up by Vinnie, there's a distinct lack of mids throughout this mix that causes everything to feel very unnaturally balanced. Unfortunately it's making it hard for me to get into this mix, which is well-arranged and well-adapted but ultimately too thin-sounding and lacking in groove to pass. Sorry if I'm coming across as more critical than in my original vote. This is definitely an improvement from your original submission, but reading some other judges' opinions has brought to light some stuff I didn't consider before.

Good luck if you choose to resub!

NO (resub!)