Liontamer Posted October 3, 2013 Share Posted October 3, 2013 (edited) Contact Information Remixer Name: Mario Speedwagon Real Name/s: Submitter; Ivan N. Potocnik. Bandmates; Jonathan Romero, Johnathan Colonna, Tyler Palmatier. Websites: https://www.facebook.com/MarioSpeedwagonMusic http://www.reverbnation.com/msw http://www.twitter.com/mswmusic http://www.youtube.com/user/mariospeedwagonmusic https://soundcloud.com/mario-speedwagon Submission Information Name Of Game: Street Fighter II Name Of Arrangement: Legend of the Masters Name Of Tune Arranged: Ken Masters' Theme Link To Original Soundtrack: Additional Comments Mario Speedwagon is a band I play with. We are a VGM group out of Oneonta, New York that takes your favorite tunes from video games throughout the years, and puts them into a medium through which they can be played live and enjoyed in the classic ensemble of Guitar, Bass Guitar, Kit Drums, and Synth (actually, keytar. ^.^). We've been playing live for a while, now, but this is the first song we've ever recorded, and this is our second submission to OverClocked ReMix. We try to stay relatively true to the original form of the music, but associate our own unique style with it, as well as that powerful feel of live instrumentation. Hope you Enjoy! = D -Ivan N. Potocnik (Bassists for Mario Speedwagon) Also, here is a YouTube link in case (for whatever odd reason) the link/attachment doesn't work. Edited December 14, 2013 by Palpable closed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted October 3, 2013 Author Share Posted October 3, 2013 The arrangement was melodically straightforward and was honestly a bit plain in the treatment there considering what we're looking for. It was personalized, but ultimately too repetitive in the big picture. Right down to the supporting writing, :12-1:12's section was basically 1:12-2:12's section with no meaningful variation from verse to verse. I really wasn't feeling the mixing of the sequenced string padding here and thought the soundscape was somewhat murky-sounding overall. The drumwork also felt plodding after a while. Something about the energy isn't really coming through all the way due to the way this was mixed. 2:12-2:56's soloing was OK, but wasn't tight until 2:33. The drums were a weak link, not by being poorly performed, but not being creative enough with the patterns during the verses and soloing. I'd say this barely gets by due to the personalized performance of the source and some good solo integrations, but there was definitely a lot of unrealized potential. I wish there had been some more arrangement substance with the source treatment and more creativity behind the drums to really complement the other good ideas and energetic performances here. But what's here was solid, IMO, and gets more right than wrong as far as fitting our guidelines. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted October 8, 2013 Share Posted October 8, 2013 On the production end, those strings have some low mids that are bleeding really bad and making the low end sound really weak. You have the right idea panning them left a bit, but you'll want to scoop out the overlapping frequencies a touch. Arrangement-wise, this is literally a cover plus some solos, and while the solos are pretty well done, which is borderline for the submission standards. I do think you need to let your drummer have a little more fun, because as-is, the part is really basic, with no really exciting fills or changeups. I think the string pad would be more interested as a rhythmic pattern rather than a bunch of whole notes as well; the chord doesn't have to change, but add in some staccato syncopated rhythm to make it more exciting. What needs to happen arrangement-wise to make it onto OCR is you'll need to add more harmony and excitement. You have a crew of talented musicians, so I am sure you can make it work, and overall the recording sounds pretty good. No, please resubmit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Oh my, how can any rock arrangement of this song ever beat "Ken Song?" Your drum sequencing is pretty interesting. The guitar performance is fine, but the tone is pretty dull and dry. Not a lot of life. The strings are too loud. In a metal/rock mix like this, strings help support the midrange, but you really don't want them sticking out so much. You should bring the rhythm guitars up and the strings down. I really liked some of the phrasing in the solo, particularly before you decided you were getting paid by the note and went a little over the top. The solo is by far the best part of the song. Great work. Some fantastic guitar playing over a pretty generic rock remix. I wish I could pass it. Look forward to hearing more guitar from you in the future. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutritious Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Man, I'm way on the fence on this. Arrangement spends a lot of time in cover territory until the soloing comes in. On this count, I think there's just enough personization to justify passing on arrangement criteria. The rhythm guitars are really getting buried in the mix, while the strings are taking more than their fair share of sonic space. Pull them back and maybe roll down some of their low-mids. Drums didn't bother me quite as much as the others, I think, but I'd agree the core pattern does get repetative after a while. Loving the solos. Great ending as well. I can hear how this one could go either way for sure. There's room for improvement in both arrangement and production, but what's here is also quite good. Which is why I'm going: YES (borderline) Good luck with the rest of the vote. In the event it doesn't pass, here's hoping you guys can tighten it up and send it back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 OA and Vig are on the money. Those strings are way too loud and have practically no definition. You need something more interesting happening in the accompaniment. Guitar playing is great and solos are killer. Resub this ASAP NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 Yeah, I'm in agreement with OA and Vig on this as well. I think there should be a little more variation and interpreatation to the mix. Just a little more in terms of change-ups would make the first half a lot more interesting. More drum fills! I also agree on the strings being a bit too loud, and being a little bleedy down low. This is coming down to little things, but they are adding up. Definitely want to hear this again! NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 (edited) AWESOME band name. Now that that's out of the way... This is the kind of arrangement I could see getting carried by the energy of a live band in a club, but this is lacking hard in a couple areas in the recorded version. The arrangement doesn't take a whole lot of risks with the source until the solo section in the middle, at which point it gets more creative. But even beyond usage of the source, the parts that the backing instruments play are very static. Drums are decently varied, but the strings tend to stick to whole chords, or a rhythm that can't be heard because the instrument has such a long release. The rhythm guitars also stick to a very standard rhythm. I don't think any of these things on its own is a problem, but over the course of a 5 minute song there's not enough movement overall. The lead instrument is the only really dynamic part. In addition, the strings are taking up too much of the soundscape. They need a drop in volume and have their bass cut, and the rhythm guitars need to be raised to fill that gap. Even that switch alone will add a lot more energy to this. Drums and lead instruments sounded pretty solid, but I heard some timing issues here and there, like the drums cutting in early. The timing is somewhat minor but noticeable. Sorry guys, it has potential but I'm not feeling it yet. With more interesting backing parts and fixed production, this would probably pass though. NO (resubmit) Edited December 14, 2013 by Palpable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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