Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest - Forest Interlude (Forest of Magic and Whatnot)

[JamJars]

Heyo, So this be a mix I'm working on for Forest Interlude(betcha can't guess the game it's from) and for this mix I tried some Ambient Trance like thing that would shift into a full on party mix, the party part is still in production but the ambiance is there for review.

source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0Mp8uMammw

remix: http://tindeck.com/listen/lmvt

[timaeus222]

I think the clap is a bit weak. It's lacking the high end that I would prefer on a mix like this. Try for a semi-short high end "kp".

The bouncy arp is kinda cool. I have a feeling it's from an arpeggiator voice mode in a synth, so that's why it's dissonant sometimes. You should try to fix that with either the UI or some creative sequencing.

There's not much going for you in terms of excitement. It's quite a bare remix, but the sounds aren't bad. You just need more layers in the song, at this particular moment.

[Skrypnyk]

I think the clap is a bit weak. It's lacking the high end that I would prefer on a mix like this. Try for a semi-short high end "kp".

The bouncy arp is kinda cool. I have a feeling it's from an arpeggiator voice mode in a synth, so that's why it's dissonant sometimes. You should try to fix that with either the UI or some creative sequencing.

There's not much going for you in terms of excitement. It's quite a bare remix, but the sounds aren't bad. You just need more layers in the song, at this particular moment.

I dunno. I kinda like the clap. It's a rather different sound then what you normally hear with trance music.

I agree with most of your later assessment though, and shall add that the overall mixing is incredibly poor. The piano has no love, most everything sounds centered, nothing sounds eq'd. It isn't just layers you need, it's personalization and spice.

[timaeus222]

Yeah. At this early stage though, that's all I could really say about it for now.

[JamJars]

I think the clap is a bit weak. It's lacking the high end that I would prefer on a mix like this. Try for a semi-short high end "kp".

The bouncy arp is kinda cool. I have a feeling it's from an arpeggiator voice mode in a synth, so that's why it's dissonant sometimes. You should try to fix that with either the UI or some creative sequencing.

There's not much going for you in terms of excitement. It's quite a bare remix, but the sounds aren't bad. You just need more layers in the song, at this particular moment.

Thank you all for the feedback and advice, I didn't even know about the synth having problems, I guess my speakers couldn't pick it up --'.

I'll do my best to fix these problems and return with an updated/better version.

[timaeus222]

Thank you all for the feedback and advice, I didn't even know about the synth having problems, I guess my speakers couldn't pick it up --'.

Generally, it's good to have headphones too since they pick up some things you don't hear on speakers.

To clarify, I think you had single notes in a synth in an arpeggiator mode where the synth plays specific notes that change in accordance with pitch shifts. For example:

--- Note # --- Pitch Shift

--- 1 --- 0

--- 2 --- 0

--- 3 --- 1

--- 4 --- 5

--- 5 --- 2

--- 6 --- -7

--- 7 --- 8

--- 8 --- -5

--- 9 --- 2

--- 10 --- 3

--- 11 --- 12

--- 12 --- -12

--- 13 --- -10

--- 14 --- 6

--- 15 --- -2

--- 16 --- 7

If you played the note A4, then the following notes would be cycled through:

A4, A4, A#4, D5, B4, D4, F5, E4, B4, C5, A5, A3, B3, D#5, G4, E5.

Those notes would be different for each note you play, and sometimes the notes won't line up with a good harmony note. That's what I'm hearing with that dissonance I mentioned.

[JamJars]

Alright, I added a few things here and there, added some sugar to every track individually, dry humped the piano (see what I did there?), and even added a little solo and some dancing sine waves to compliment to that solo. Tried some panning action, but I think it didn't take (either that or my headphones just refuses to do it) and lastly I added some more layers and bass to liven things up, also a few effects to add some spice.

Updated mix: http://tindeck.com/listen/lkun

[Cash]

The synths are generally too basic and bland, they need some sweetening effects. Reverb/delay, chorus, phasing, etc. This is especially apparent on the sine waves and the lead which has a solo later on in the track. That same synth is detuned a bit much, doesn't match the song. The piano has too much high frequency for my liking, that high ringing sound bothers me. It grates on my ears, especially when its the main focus. The opening arp is descent, but could sound much better with more effects. I really like the arp that starts when the drums come in, it has some depth too it.

The drums need some work. The beat is generic techno, hardly any variety, and not very interesting. The drums definitely need more attention in terms of EQ, processing, and variety. I suggest listening to some songs by more experienced remixers here on the site, for example, bLINd does a lot of trance. Listen to how his drums sound, see if you can try to get yours to sound similar. Plus, there are tons of tutorials out there that can help.

So basically, I think you're biggest problem is mixing at this point. I think the sounds are there, and the structure works, you just need to work on mixing skills. The best way to do that is to just keep making music and getting feedback. It's also a good idea to listen to songs in similar styles by more experienced people, here or elsewhere. I suggest listening to WIPs on this forum and reading the feedback, see where other people need improvement.

I hope I wasn't too harsh, I think what you have here is a good start. I hope my feedback helps! Keep at it!