Jamphibious Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 So I've been meaning to look back at my remixes from the Sonic Zone Remix Compo and see if I can polish any of them to try and submit. This is the one I feel has the most polish at the moment. Remix: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5510766/Amphibious%20-%20Oxidized.mp3 Sources: Hill Top (Sonic 2): Rusty Ruin (Sonic 3D Blast Genesis): I'm pretty happy with some of the arrangement, the bass hints at Hill Top throughout even when Rusty Ruin is more dominant. I feel there could be some mixing issues, though I've tried my best to polish what I could. I fixed the kick a little since the competition, and did some subtle EQ changes. The arrangement overall is pretty short, and in this style I'm unsure of whether that is a bad thing or not. To me it feels complete even if it is on the short side, but I'd like some opinions on that. With all the projects I'm working on now, I don't have a whole lot of time to devote to this, but I'm hoping to get a clear idea of whether this is worth submitting or not, and I will do some touch-ups if needed. Anyways, yeah! Any feedback is much appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTREEMMAK Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 Not a bad arrangement at all sir . I do kind of feel that the snare hits could come up just a bit more, and that the poppy rhodes like sample is being ducked under the mids too much and can be brought out more. Does it hurt my impression of the track, not at all. Just something I noticed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Williamson Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 Wow. This is really nice. And I am loving that bass. I think my only issue is that I feel more needs to come in. Snare could have more compressor on it to give it a more powerful kick, if you understand what I'm saying. Really nice mix overall. Great transition from Rusty Ruin to Hill Top. I didn't even think that would sound good, but you managed to do it and do it well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonetic Hero Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 I hate it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozovian Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 Dat bass. Obvious source at 0:35. 1:28 micro-break seems a bit superfluous and doesn't gel with the rhythm. It's the kind of thing that usually works later in the mix. There are some weaker instances of this around the 2 min mark, not as annoying, not as dramatic either. I would experiment with this thing and figure out where it's most effective and most useful and use it once or twice like that. It's got loads of groove, but the arrangement is pretty much just alternating between sources. Source A with groove, source B with groove, source A with groove... Structurally and dynamically it doesn't feel like it ever starts. It stays in intro mode until 0:30... but that too feels like it's in intro mode, as does 0:48, 1:02 feels like a chorus, but it's as if we missed out on when the track actually got started, like there's a verse missing. Also, one minute intro to a 3 minute track? The only issues that really stand out are arrangement issues. You've got a strong concept here, the sound design and production as well as the groove. Just make sense of how the track moves and you should be fine. Source usage seems to be somewhat medley-itic, so a little more blending of the source, more overlap and interplay and it should make more sense, source-wise. Then again, I'm no expert on Sonic soundtracks, so I could be wrong about that. In any case, it's a solid concept, just needs a bit more work on the arrangement end of things. If you wanna keep it short, you gotta make the initial build-up faster so the 0:48 part feels like the verse rather than a chorus. Just adding the snare there can do a lot. If you wanna make it longer, insert parts in between to bridge the parts. Groove on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperiorX Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 Yeah I love the groove here! Dat bass!!! I can see what Rozo means about just switching between sources, but I personally don't think it's a big deal. It sounds pretty well integrated when you factor in the background parts. Out of all your SZRC tracks I think I liked "Aqueous Vibe" and "Bone Shark" a tad bit more, but this one is still really solid and enjoyable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneUp Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 I really like this, production wise it's solid. I'm missing some sort of lift though, like a high pitch lead melody or solo somewhere, it's a bit too mellow/laid back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Dat chemistry oxyacids reference. Weird gap at 0:22.055, 0:25.925, and 0:29.274. Song feels like it's minor mixed with major or something in between, bass versus melody, especially at 1:02. Weird gap at 1:26. Breaks with the rhythm possibly, and feels like it's not actually at the end of a set of 16 bars. I don't know why, but I'm counting 12 bars before that happens, and 2 more bars after that before a switch at 1:33. Odd. Bass isn't too mind-blowing, but it's a pretty good acid bass. Textures stay rather static throughout. Structure is pretty repetitive. Shorten it, rearrange things, make it more listenable. It's alright so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamphibious Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 I hate it </3 Dat bass.Obvious source at 0:35. 1:28 micro-break seems a bit superfluous and doesn't gel with the rhythm. It's the kind of thing that usually works later in the mix. There are some weaker instances of this around the 2 min mark, not as annoying, not as dramatic either. I would experiment with this thing and figure out where it's most effective and most useful and use it once or twice like that. It's got loads of groove, but the arrangement is pretty much just alternating between sources. Source A with groove, source B with groove, source A with groove... Structurally and dynamically it doesn't feel like it ever starts. It stays in intro mode until 0:30... but that too feels like it's in intro mode, as does 0:48, 1:02 feels like a chorus, but it's as if we missed out on when the track actually got started, like there's a verse missing. Also, one minute intro to a 3 minute track? The only issues that really stand out are arrangement issues. You've got a strong concept here, the sound design and production as well as the groove. Just make sense of how the track moves and you should be fine. Source usage seems to be somewhat medley-itic, so a little more blending of the source, more overlap and interplay and it should make more sense, source-wise. Then again, I'm no expert on Sonic soundtracks, so I could be wrong about that. In any case, it's a solid concept, just needs a bit more work on the arrangement end of things. If you wanna keep it short, you gotta make the initial build-up faster so the 0:48 part feels like the verse rather than a chorus. Just adding the snare there can do a lot. If you wanna make it longer, insert parts in between to bridge the parts. Groove on. I suppose the arrangement was what I was most concerned about. I suppose the intro is quite long for such a short track, and I bet I could have fit some more in before the Hill Top "chorus"-like section comes in. I'll have to rethink some of the arrangement. Its been a while since I worked on this so maybe with a fresh mind I'll get some good ideas flowing. Thanks for the helpful comments! Yeah I love the groove here! Dat bass!!! I can see what Rozo means about just switching between sources, but I personally don't think it's a big deal. It sounds pretty well integrated when you factor in the background parts. Out of all your SZRC tracks I think I liked "Aqueous Vibe" and "Bone Shark" a tad bit more, but this one is still really solid and enjoyable. Bone Shark is probably my favourite arrangement wise, but the production isn't great and I also want to rerecord some of the lead guitar (maybe even some of the rhythm) because I feel it could be better. I do plan to revisit it some time, though it could take a while since I'm still learning a lot about rock production. Dat chemistry oxyacids reference.Weird gap at 0:22.055, 0:25.925, and 0:29.274. Song feels like it's minor mixed with major or something in between, bass versus melody, especially at 1:02. Weird gap at 1:26. Breaks with the rhythm possibly, and feels like it's not actually at the end of a set of 16 bars. I don't know why, but I'm counting 12 bars before that happens, and 2 more bars after that before a switch at 1:33. Odd. Bass isn't too mind-blowing, but it's a pretty good acid bass. Textures stay rather static throughout. Structure is pretty repetitive. Shorten it, rearrange things, make it more listenable. It's alright so far. I don't quite know what you mean by the weird gaps at the beginning. The bass pattern has some quick cut-off notes and the like but that's about it. It does go between major and minor at times, but the bass during the Hill Top section at 1:02 uses all notes from the major scale. The "weird gap" at 1:26 is not the end of a phrase, just a beat where I cut out the drum track. Regardless, the section from 1:02 - 1:33 is 16 full bars, I just broke up the rhythm intentionally by dropping the beat. It sounded convincing enough to my ear but I'll take a look at it. I will probably rethinks some things a fair bit with this. I'm happy with a lot of the sound design (though I will rethink that as well, maybe to make it less static with some additional instruments coming in during different sections), the arrangement does need some work, and there have been some helpful comments. I may have to put this on the backburner for a bit while I finish other projects but hopefully I'll get it done soon. Thanks for the comments errybody! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garpocalypse Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Sounds great, very clean. My only dig is that the groove kind of autopilots for too long with no builds or releases and it's the same kick and sidechain throughout. Music is a constantly moving art and knowing how to create tension then resolve it is invaluable. Or is that valuable. Same difference isn't it? or is it? Keep up the good work and it was cool meeting you at MAGfest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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