Palpable Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 (edited) Remix Title: Hot Air Penguin Game: Kirby Super Star - http://ocremix.org/game/199/kirby-super-star-snes Project: Heroes vs. Villains - http://hvv.ocremix.org/ WAV: Description: "Given the craze of Kirby lately with Milky Way Wishes finally being released, here's a Kirby track NOT represented in that project for folks to enjoy. Honestly this is one of those tracks that I worked on to the point where by the time I was done, I didn't enjoy it anymore... so I stopped listening to it... and then a while later, I listened to it again fresh, and really liked it again. :)" Description from HvV: "This one went through quite a bit of evolution. My first pass was a Miles Davis-esque jazz thing... which didn't quite work, so then I decided to do a genre I've rarely tackled: jungle jazz. And, it worked! Making it piano-centric was a strong point from the get-go (and I thank Bladiator for his input), and then the introduction of the trombone was something else I hadn't done in a long while. Yes, that's me playing... pretty rusty, I know. That, and the mix by Insert Rupee inspired me to get some 8-bit goodness going on there too, so... all in all it may be a tad bit messy, but still tons of fun in a chaotic way. I'm also a fan of the Kirby games, so the nostalgia there added to the experience." - Mazedude ----------------------------------------------------- Edited January 21, 2014 by Liontamer closed decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 The intro felt really dissonant to me overall, and the kick was buried hard under the bass, but there was a lot working on this track for me. The constant shifts to tones and styles was pretty cool, and worked reasonably well; There was a lot of cool experimental playing and ideas, and while I don't think they all hit, most of them did, and when they did, they did very well. Overall I think it's very close, but dat bass is smothering so much, that it's hard to really lock into the groove for me. The solos were excellent, and the concept is great, but I think some EQ needs to happen in the bass for me to want to pass this. I think a more defined dynaic curve would be helpful as well, but the real issue for me is the bass. No, please resubmit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 The opening piano sounded pretty meh, though it wasn't exposed beyond the intro. Cool voice sample at :03 too; would have enjoyed hearing more stuff like that employed. Anyway, one thing that hit me was that the balance felt off at times, causing some pretty indistinct textures. For example, the lead at :39 was getting buried, while the stuff around it was pretty muddy and caused a lot of clutter. The lead at 1:10 was also cool, but sounded pretty distant, and the bass at 1:37 was indistinct (moreso at 1:49 when things filled out further). The composition/arrangement were excellent to me, and I didn't have any problem with the dynamics here. Obviously Mazedude gets a lot of benefit of the doubt with me creatively, so I'm assuming to some extent this kind of lo-fi mixing approach is purposeful, but it's done to the extent that I think it sounds too lossy. Some of the sections sounding sharper and cleaner would have made the lo-fi wash more effective by making it a point of contrast. Anyway, I'm not influenced by this being by Mazedude, but I thought the arrangement was creative enough to push past this weaker mixing job. If it's rejected on those grounds, I don't have a problem with that, but after comparing it with some cleaner stuff and seeing how this compared, I think the mixing quality squeaks by and shouldn't hold back this excellent arrangement. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I love this, it's so weird and I'm with that! The dissonance really is working for me, it has a jazzy, mellow, yet nightmarish quality. Super duper cool. So many different elements coming and going... brass, chippies, and the piano. What an amazing and unique take on this source. I think because of all the unique elements, the mixing is extra important so things don't get buried. I'd like for example that little chip lead/arp to really hit me in the face when it comes in. Larry is right, some clarity contrast would be really great. Andrew is right about the kick and bass smothering each other, and it gives a slightly muddy effect. I feel like the brass is a little sharply center-panned. There's a lot of hazy wash going on in this track, and I love the effect, but one more pass at the eq on things would really make this dynamite. Can't wait to hear it again asap. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillRock Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Ok, so right off the bat, dissonance. I'm all for intentional dissonance, if I think it works. Here, I think it treads a very fine line. It doesn't make my hairs stand on end at the beginning, it just makes me want to turn it off. Sounds harsh, but I'm not sure how else to convey my thoughts without being harsh like this. I think 1:24 is somewhere it works much much better, it creates a sense of panic and discomfort without me going "eek". The piano for me is probably the biggest offender, its quite shrill and the disonnence sounds much more jarring than on any of the other instruments. The mixing also sounds muddy, and intentionally so. I can dig it as a concept, because I feel like this track is trying to convey a very intentional attitude but its taken slightly overboard imo. it might need just a bit more care taken on the production and some of the dissonance removed for this to get the pass imo. That said, the arrangement is SWELL. Digging the concept, but I don't feel like it jells quite like it should due to overkill. NO (resub) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 (edited) Let's start with the dissonance. I like it when used well, and I tend to like the way Chris uses it. Most of how it was used here worked for me. It amplified a certain off-kilter mood that the jumpy instrumentation already provided. I wouldn't have minded it reined in some though. When the instrumentation is already kind of strange, a seeming chaos with how they are used tends to wear on me. Certain detours also felt unnecessary. I realize this is pretty subjective for the listener. It's not Chris' strongest arrangement for me, but there were several things I liked about it. Production was not as strong as usual though. The piano was a little buried as the lead, and the cheesy synth horns and some of the lower-quality instruments didn't add much by being low-quality. Taken together it's just under a pass for me. I admire what Chris was going for here even though I would prefer something straighter. With a stellar production this probably would be over that line anyway. NO (resubmit) Edited January 21, 2014 by Palpable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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