Mega Man 3 - Spark Man Remix

[Cidfox]

Hey Everyone,

First time ever posting a remix. I feel like there's something that's really lacking and wanted some feedback. I'm going to a studio to mix and master on saturday so I'm trying to finish it up before then. Any feedback good or bad is appreciated. I know the mix is kind of sub par and I threw a master on it, but I'm looking more for arrangement comments. Maybe there's some atmosphere that can fill the gap that I'm missing.

Source -

Remix - https://soundcloud.com/cidfox/sparkman-bj-master

Edited September 2, 2014 by XPRTNovice
MR Complete.

[Cidfox]

I'm about to get off work and wanted to go home and hit it hard tonight. Anyone have any suggestions? I'm going to make the second drop different, but wanted to know of any other help you guys could give me! thanks in advance

[Uffe von Lauterbach]

I personally feel you could put a fat bass at 0:56. The little build-up before it had me excited and I was expecting some driven oomph from the bass. Could be cool if you had another instrument at 1:10 as a support to the lead. See what a rolling snare into a crash sounds like just before the main lead comes back in at 1:24. At 1:51, have the repeating section fade out and then the the normal volume come back in at 1:58. I actually had an idea. Then again, you put a crash in at 1:58. I was going to suggest the kick come in a bit before the 1:58 mark. Here is the example since I'm so bad at explaining things. Don't mind the bass, though that's kind of what I was talking about earlier. Perhaps you can just layer it.

[Cidfox]

I personally feel you could put a fat bass at 0:56. The little build-up before it had me excited and I was expecting some driven oomph from the bass. Could be cool if you had another instrument at 1:10 as a support to the lead. See what a rolling snare into a crash sounds like just before the main lead comes back in at 1:24. At 1:51, have the repeating section fade out and then the the normal volume come back in at 1:58. I actually had an idea. Then again, you put a crash in at 1:58. I was going to suggest the kick come in a bit before the 1:58 mark. Here is the example since I'm so bad at explaining things. Don't mind the bass, though that's kind of what I was talking about earlier. Perhaps you can just layer it.

thank you for that sample. I knew my build was boring and repetitive. delay can add wonders. I added an rbass to my bass in attempt to fatten it up a bit. I'm going to see what I can do about your other comments. thanks for the reply.

[Uffe von Lauterbach]

thank you for that sample. I knew my build was boring and repetitive. delay can add wonders. I added an rbass to my bass in attempt to fatten it up a bit. I'm going to see what I can do about your other comments. thanks for the reply.

I actually did forget to mention the dry lead. The one I used was created in NI Massive, so I didn't actually have to apply anything since it was already there, though I prefer to mute those sounds and put my own in in a mixer channel. The bass could be fattened up in the earlier parts, but I really thought nothing of it as far as changes go. It was just at the 0:56 that I was expecting a fat bass. If you can't get any results for that, then again, as I've suggested earlier, you could just layer another bass behind it.

[baboom]

Nice one, but it does get a little repetitive. You've got plenty of drum, bass and melody, so I think what's missing is some background rhythm/harmony, e.g. arpeggios. You could also change the lead instrument at some point in the track, maybe with some little melody variations, or in a higher octave. Just keep playing with it.

[Cidfox]

Nice one, but it does get a little repetitive. You've got plenty of drum, bass and melody, so I think what's missing is some background rhythm/harmony, e.g. arpeggios. You could also change the lead instrument at some point in the track, maybe with some little melody variations, or in a higher octave. Just keep playing with it.

I changed up the second drop quite a bit. It was a copy and paste drop when I posted it. I am trying to make my leads change slightly to keep it sounding fresh. I will hopefully post up the finished copy on monday.

thanks for your input

[Cidfox]

So this is pretty much the finished product, may tweak it a bit more as I feel like the sub is just a bit too loud. How do I get the thread changes from WIP - MR? Also here is the new link. Tell me what you all think!

https://soundcloud.com/cidfox/mega-man-3-spark-man-cid-fox-remix

[Uffe von Lauterbach]

Quite an improvement, I think, compared to the first one you posted. If I were you, I'd put a quick snare roll at 0:45 and 0:49. I like the little wobbles. I think you could alter the speed of the LFO with them, though, or apply a different synth with wobbles to change it up. Maybe it's just me, but the transition at 3:13 kind of strikes me odd. Maybe put a boom sound and space the section by four counts after 3:13 as if coming back into the intro theme, thus creating the outro. I like the variation with the drums. Especially the dubstep part of it. Speaking of which, if you have some heavy kicks, maybe put them in the dubstep part while keeping the original kicks throughout the rest of the track. Nice supporting melody at 1:59. It really gave a housey feeling.

[Cidfox]

Quite an improvement, I think, compared to the first one you posted. If I were you, I'd put a quick snare roll at 0:45 and 0:49. I like the little wobbles. I think you could alter the speed of the LFO with them, though, or apply a different synth with wobbles to change it up. Maybe it's just me, but the transition at 3:13 kind of strikes me odd. Maybe put a boom sound and space the section by four counts after 3:13 as if coming back into the intro theme, thus creating the outro. I like the variation with the drums. Especially the dubstep part of it. Speaking of which, if you have some heavy kicks, maybe put them in the dubstep part while keeping the original kicks throughout the rest of the track. Nice supporting melody at 1:59. It really gave a housey feeling.

I was actually going to put pitch bended notes at 45 and 49, but I ended up liking the pause better. I know the end transition is weird, but I kind of like it for whatever reason. Also, it's trap, not dubstep. I might change up the kit to have a hip hot kit, but I honestly felt like it didn't sound bad. I still might change it. not sure. As always, thanks for your input. Your idea really brought that second build to another level.

[XPRTNovice]

[MODREVIEW]

- The opening is cool stylistically, but I might recommend going a liiiitle easier on the high Hz there. It was uncomfortable there.

- the side chain compression that starts at 37 is way too much IMO; it's jarring and makes it tough to listen

- It's better at 1:00, but you're sidechain compressing your melody line, which gives the pieces a very disjointed feeling. I don't recommend doing that, or at least dramatically reducing

- The arrangement in general feels very empty, like there's something missing in the middle. I hear a melody line, I hear drums, and I hear bass, but I don't hear anything supporting the melody. This problem goes away a little bit at 2:00 when you have those supporting chords come in.

- 2:20 wubbing is nice. I still think there's way, way, way too much SC compression going on. It ruins your melody line and makes it almost sound like there's something wrong with my speakers.

Ultimately I think this arrangement could use some filling out. Maybe it's a stylistic thing, but the SC compression is a major barrier to me enjoying the song, and it pervades the entire track. You've got some nice grooves going on, but it smacks of repetition; I get the impression that everything is kind of on autopilot, which some other commenters have noticed as well. You have some room to cut the track down a bit at 3:45, but I might try something different rather than simply removing sections.

Best of luck!

[/MODREVIEW]

[timaeus222]

I have to say, I agree with Joe on the emptiness of the textures. You need some filler material, like pads, arps, or harmonies, earlier on than 2:00. The emptiness makes it more plodding because I keep thinking you'll add to the soundscape. That could have helped the progression a little, but it never happened for the first two minutes.

I partially agree that the sidechaining is too heavy. I don't think it hurts the entire track, per se, but a hefty chunk of it, sure. At 0:29 - 0:36, I would say that it is because there's a silent kick. At 0:42 - 0:56 and onwards, it's more ok, but at 0:36 - 0:42, I would reduce the Ratio by maybe 20%. Also, I know it's stylistic preference, but I just don't like 0:42 - 0:56. Buildups don't have to have the same note playing on repeat almost the whole time (hey, at least it's not rising in pitch ). I end up focusing on that note and forgetting it's even a buildup. I would use an actual part of the source tune in there, maybe in an arpeggiated modification, and have some wobble-esque risers perhaps. For example, you could have used that hook you keep using from 0:56 - 0:57 with more velocity variation, faster sequencing, and automated the velocity response up, creating the illusion that some notes are disappearing in the middle of the melody. Those toms were great though.

After 0:56 it sounds sorta ok, but like mentioned earlier, yeah, needs more body to the soundscape. If you end up getting overcompression by adding more harmonies, then try steeply high passing the kick drum at 35Hz. Saves some headroom. If that isn't enough, lower the volume of everything individually (not with the Master fader) until you don't hear it anymore. I'd go until the peak dB is about -0.5~-0.2. I wouldn't say to use the Master fader because it doesn't really fix overcompression that could be caused by the instruments themselves being too loud before reaching the Master channel---it just makes the overcompression quieter.

I think 1:51 could have lasted longer. I don't see any breakdown section to give a break from the main electro house sections, which are pretty high energy, other than that 7 second one.

Also, this gets repetitive due to the similarities in the melodic usage throughout, and this is the biggest issue here. It's like you're using a hook a lot. Okay, try this: count how many times you use the melody at 0:56 - 0:57. I counted 22. What is this I don't even--- So... try syncopating the second of each repetition differently. Maybe glitching each subsequent second instance. I dunno, differentiate them each time, and it'll feel less repetitive. Additionally, 1:10 - 1:17 was copy-pasted at 1:17 - 1:24, 1:37 - 1:44, 1:44 - 1:51, 2:32 - 2:39, 2:39 - 2:46, 2:59 - 3:06, and 3:06 - 3:13. Literally, every single time you used it, it was exactly the same melody. Change it up each time. Do something more than just changing the drums and bass notes (which are sub, btw, so it's not extremely accessible in terms of who can hear it). It's over half of the source usage. This could be rejected for these copy-paste reasons alone; no joke.

Overall, I would focus on fixing the repetition. You could do two-in-one and address the soundscape emptiness too. Yeah, sure, why not. This might help as a reference, or maybe this.

Edited August 25, 2014 by timaeus222

[Cidfox]

whew, a lot to take in. Thanks for all the notes though. Time to get back to work! I will work on some textures and diversity. I really enjoyed those tracks you linked Timaeus222. Complextro is always awesome to hear.

As far as the repetitiveness goes though....... I just enjoy that damn melody so much. haha. I've seriously jammed this while I'm working multiple times

So my apologies, I'm just going to have to do my best to make it my own. I'm determined to get this one released! Hopefully I can get something chalked up in the next day or so.

[timaeus222]

whew, a lot to take in. Thanks for all the notes though. Time to get back to work! I will work on some textures and diversity. I really enjoyed those tracks you linked Timaeus222. Complextro is always awesome to hear.

As far as the repetitiveness goes though....... I just enjoy that damn melody so much. haha. I've seriously jammed this while I'm working multiple times

So my apologies, I'm just going to have to do my best to make it my own. I'm determined to get this one released! Hopefully I can get something chalked up in the next day or so.

Haha, yeah, I just wanted to be as clear as possible, so sometimes I elaborate a lot. =P

[Cidfox]

Ok, so I made changes and here is my 2nd revision. Let me know what you think. I still kept the first half of the first drop plain, and then I build on it. so let me know if that still bugs you. After that part though I use a lot of stuff to fill the gaps.

hopefully the next revision will be the last. Let me know what you all think.

https://soundcloud.com/cidfox/sparkman-bj-master

[timaeus222]

There are a good amount of changes here since last time. I'm ok with it up to 1:24 - 1:51. For some reason, at that timestamp the accompanying arp seems dissonant with the lead that's going on (many of the intervals clash as 2nds, augmented 4ths, etc.). It's nice that you're deviating from the source tune there with the lead as well, but it feels a little awkward to me, in terms of the melodic contour. It's hard to explain, but if the melodic flow makes sense, then it "has direction", and that's what I think it's missing. It almost feels like an original section as well, based on how much it is deviated from Spark Man's theme, so I think you should constantly count up an approximate number of seconds that you (clearly) used the Spark Man theme and check to see if you aren't dipping below 50% of the entire remix length. If you are below the 50% guideline, then it's generally considered an original track with source tune influences.

The breakdown section is a bit sparse, but you brought a sidechained pad later on, so I think it's alright. I'm glad you made that longer, as it did quite a lot for the dynamic curve, and the judges love a nice and dynamic remix.

Overall, this was a pretty great update, and a nice and big step up from last version. Still a couple sparse parts such as 0:56 - 1:24 (maybe you can put in some more overt harmonies), 1:51 - 2:05 (perhaps thicker timbres or a wetter reverb can help, as what's there can work), and 3:00 - 3:13 (it's more the off-balance of the filler textures you do have with the bass that's creating a little sparseness here, not really the lack of complementary textures), and occasionally weird melodic reinterpretations, but much better so far. So basically, it can use some more filler textures and more natural melodic interpretation.

Edited August 31, 2014 by timaeus222

[Cidfox]

There are a good amount of changes here since last time. I'm ok with it up to 1:24 - 1:51. For some reason, at that timestamp the accompanying arp seems dissonant with the lead that's going on (many of the intervals clash as 2nds, augmented 4ths, etc.). It's nice that you're deviating from the source tune there with the lead as well, but it feels a little awkward to me, in terms of the melodic contour. It's hard to explain, but if the melodic flow makes sense, then it "has direction", and that's what I think it's missing. It almost feels like an original section as well, based on how much it is deviated from Spark Man's theme, so I think you should constantly count up an approximate number of seconds that you (clearly) used the Spark Man theme and check to see if you aren't dipping below 50% of the entire remix length. If you are below the 50% guideline, then it's generally considered an original track with source tune influences.

The breakdown section is a bit sparse, but you brought a sidechained pad later on, so I think it's alright. I'm glad you made that longer, as it did quite a lot for the dynamic curve, and the judges love a nice and dynamic remix.

Overall, this was a pretty great update, and a nice and big step up from last version. Still a couple sparse parts such as 0:56 - 1:24 (maybe you can put in some more overt harmonies), 1:51 - 2:05 (perhaps thicker timbres or a wetter reverb can help, as what's there can work), and 3:00 - 3:13 (it's more the off-balance of the filler textures you do have with the bass that's creating a little sparseness here, not really the lack of complementary textures), and occasionally weird melodic reinterpretations, but much better so far. So basically, it can use some more filler textures and more natural melodic interpretation.

I found the sour notes and believed I remedied them. I guess I went a little too original this time? I guess I'll cut the difference and see what I can do to keep it 50/50. Going to work right now to see what I can come up with. Going to be one of those late nights