Liontamer Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 (edited) CLICK HERE to download mp3 of Rainbow Tour Bus Contact Information Forrest Fire Forrest Shamlian www.J1studios.com (Company Website) 49563 Submission Information Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64) Rainbow Tour Bus Rainbow Road Original Composer: Kenta Nagata Youtube: Mario Kart 64 - Rainbow Road Mario Kart 64 holds memories of childhood holidays with cousins, group recreation in college, and a drinking game among friends. Rainbow Road, as difficult as it may be, had the most memorable music. It's upbeat, encouraging, a little cartoon-ey, and simply a staple piece of music that represents good times with good friends. My thought for Rainbow Tour Bus was, "Hey, what if you could actually visit rainbow road with your buddies and take a leisurely tour bus ride through the colorful course in outer space? Would that not be the most magical and psychedelic experience of your life?". This song is what I imagine you might hear on that bus ride. -------------------------------- Edited July 4, 2014 by Liontamer closed decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted July 3, 2014 Author Share Posted July 3, 2014 The opening clap beat was pretty vanilla and tame. It really needs some more meat on the bones instead of sounding so dry and upfront. The pattern's also too repetitive. Even with the rhythmic change-up at :59, it's a very static sound that doesn't lend any movement or energy to the piece. The dynamics of the piece feel really flat, like the track never gets out of first gear. On the plus side, I loved the sitar part brought in at :59 and later again at 1:44. It didn't stand out as much as a background when it first arrived, but when it was alone at 2:14, I loved the different sound it gave to the piece compared to the other leads before. The source tune's there in spades, but the core groove needs more variation in not just the rhythm, but the sound. I'm all for subtle dynamic contrast as well, and this piece does have that to some degree, but core beats sounds so samey over the long haul that it undermines the other changes in instrumentation during the mix. Hopefully another J can offer some better, more targeted and articulate feedback, because Forrest is a good arranger. I think he can get it where it needs to be with some more TLC if he's willing to take another stab at this. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutritious Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Have to say, I'm not really feeling some of the synth work here. Main detuned woodwindy-sounding lead really sticks out since it's pretty dry and doesn't have much character. The bass synth sounds a bit on the basic side as well, but I think it can work. Definitely feeling Larry on the drum crits, so no need to rehash that. Things do start sounding nicer with the reverbed sitars almost acting as pads behind things. No real ending to speak of here. Maybe the mixer ran out of ideas? No reason to be lazy, though, give your track a proper ending. Something that resolves things a bit more nicely Good arrangement ideas, but needs the production lovin NO resubmit, please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 I really like the idea of putting this melody over such a different chord structure and groove! But yeah the production needs some more development here. That drum groove is way too simple, claps are super dry, kick is weak, and the shaker is much too loud. The sitar is indeed a highlight. I'd love to hear some extra synth detail (arps, sequences, etc.) and/or sfx to keep things interesting, especially given how simple and repetitive the bassline is and how the underlying chord structure never varies (this can totally work if there is SUPER interesting stuff going on on top). I agree with Justin that the main synth is a bit underwhelming, but again, with some additional fun details and/or modulation, it could be perfect. (the glitching at 0:51 and the reverb automation at 0:58 are wonderful) I always think it's a great idea to use a different lead here and there to keep it fresh. Bass could have more presence and more lows. The Mario "let's go" is too loud. This arrangement has great promise! Let's hear it again with more attention to detail. And yes, some kind of ending please! NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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