DragonAvenger Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 (edited) Contact Information > ReMixer name: HeavenWraith > Real name: Antanas Palaitis > E-mail: > Website: http://www.heavenwraithmusic.net > Forum userID: 50325 Submission Information > Game: Mega Man X, Mega Man 2 > ReMix Name: Charge! Towards The Sunset Of Intergalactic Dictatorship > Original Name: Boomer Kuwanger Stage (MMX), Metal Man Stage (MM2) > Original Author: Makoto Tomozawa, Setsuo Yamamoto, Toshihiko Horiyama, Yuki Iwai, Yuko Takehara (MMX); Manami Matsumae, Takashi Tateishi (MM2) > Link to the file: I was debating for some time whether I should resubmit this or NYClub Sweeps first (since I have them both ready at the time of writing), and in the end I figured it'd be easier for the judges to re-evaluate a piece they've evaluated recently. Merry upcoming Christmas! --------------- - Boomer Kuwanger - Metal Man Edited March 26, 2014 by Palpable closed decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Playing is still a touch stiff in the early parts, but the drums sound a lot better, which definitely helps to gel it together. Some of the transitions could have been a bit more pronounced, with some melodic runs to further lead the ear, but there were some decent drum fills to give a little bit of warning between heading to new sections. The mixing is a lot better on this iteration, and the only qualms I have with it now are minor details, like some of the drum sequencing humanization, and some of the guitar timing. The arrangement feels personalized and there is some good interplay between the sources, as well as some cool new harmonies. It's not pristine, but I do think it clears the bar. Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Production-wise, this one's still far enough on the muddy and imbalanced side to me that I can't pass it. Some higher frequencies sounded like they're just lopped off. The light vox seemed to be creating some of the problem, but I'm no expert here, so another J can hopefully clarify the issue further.The pronounced chorus at :40 did cut through better at the lead, but it sounds like this lacks separation between the parts. Otherwise, this was still fairly cluttered, and I was hearing the rhythm guitars more than anything when you didn't have the source melody in play. The leads, the backing guitars and the drums all seem to moosh together in the same frequency range, so things are stepping over each other a lot. The bassline work's there if you listen closely, but it almost might as well not be there. Still a very awkward transition to "Metal Man" at 1:34. 2:17-3:28 sounded like mush the last time around, and it's definitely improved, though it's still fairly swamped to me. The track cut out before the vox finished fading; watch those details. Yes, I typed it again, because the ending cut off the same exact way as last time. The stiff sequencing that was problematic before (e.g. 1:08, 3:29) was smoothed out a bit to where it's no longer a significant problem, IMO. Meanwhile, the soundscape was less muddy than before, but many parts still strained for clarity (or even presence to begin with) and need more separation. It's a good effort towards improvement, but it's unfortunately not there yet. This seemingly would need a good deal of work to re-balance this and clean it up some, and I'm not sure you can necessarily get it there. That said, the arrangement's still promising, and it may be salvageable; however, it still needs further mixing TLC. At least the vox fades properly before it cut off a little early. I'm really not trying to gloss over this piece, but I can't say I heard any major difference this time around compared to last time. This still had cluttered/swampy mixing, the bassline was still DOA. 3:28's last flourish before the finish sounded cleaner than the rest, but that was it. I wish someone with a great ear could take the source files, EQ 'em and toss it back. Unfortunately, still the same problems, still the same vote. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 I have not heard the other versions. On this one, everything is competing for frequency space in the middle. The bass is so muddy and flabby and indistinct it feels melted. The kick could be louder. That's not the best snare I've ever heard, it is very mid-heavy. Funny, it sounds exactly like the snare in the "Boomer" source song, just way too much "thwap." (my personal technical mumbo-jumbo for snare mids) Some of the drum writing is really stiff, especially in the hats and that snare. The arrangement is good, source use is fine, rhythm and lead guitar tones sound good but much of the lead writing is pretty stiff, a little more interpretation would be great. (Andrew mentioned some of the note timings sound off too) The lead writing from 1:34 to 2:01 is particularly uninspired. At 2:18 you have some really cool soloing starting! But the mixing is enough to really drain the energy out of it. You'll want to lower reverbs all around (and high-pass reverbs at around 500Hz), and use eq to give each instrument its own breathing space. The bass needs to have low-mids (250-350ish Hz) lowered a few db and low-lows (below 30Hz) removed, then play around with compressing and/or eqing what's left to bring out the fundamental. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutritious Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Yeah, there's some significant mixing issues here that need to be addressed. In general, the mix sounds both cluttered and largely washed out. There's a lot of competition in the mid range frequencies, causing overcompression/distortion in places like :41, 2:45, & 3:16. It's a shame too, because there's some excellent performances on display here and a very cool arrangement. There's a LOT going on in the mix here, so balancing parts is not an easy task here. I really feel like, in the state that it's in now, that a fresh mixdown from the ground up is the best way to approach this. Take all your faders to zero and bring one part in at a time until it sits at the proper level. A/B this with similiar genre mixes as well and focus on how your individual parts sound different. As Larry alluded to, it wouldn't hurt to explore having someone give you a hand with the mixing/mastering if possible in case you're hitting a wall with this one. Don't give up! NO resubmix please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 Arrangement and performances are killer but I agree with other Js that this track is a trip to Mid Range City. This track could really shine with some closer looks at your EQ all across the board. Let's get this fixed and up on OCR. NO, resub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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