Sonic the Hedgehog CD US - Palmtree Panic '14

[mystaura]

This would be my first remix I've posted here (not my first remix ever, but the first I've posted on OCR's forums). I tend to focus more on original material, personally, but due to writers' block I'm thinking of doing a videogame remix album or EP.

Basically, this is a smooth jazz-borderline-new wave remix of Palmtree Panic from the US version of Sonic CD (the JP soundtrack is still my favourite). I replayed/reprogrammed the original drum loop, and updated the arrangement of the song... It's pretty much finished. I have some mixing things I have to work out still (due to my own personal perfectionism). Enjoy

https://soundcloud.com/vanityangelfixx/palmtree-panic-14

EDIT: Since I'm not planning to mix the song any further at the current moment, trying the mod review... I'm pretty sure it's a familiar tune to a lot of people here, but here is the source:

Edited September 15, 2014 by XPRTNovice
MR Complete

[XPRTNovice]

[ModReview]

I'll give you your MR on this one, but I also like to encourage new folks to comment on other people's tracks. You've got 4 posts to your name total, so maybe some more interaction would have inspired some discussion before you had to use the ModReview card.

- First, err, have you listened to smooth jazz? This is like hyper techno samba! Smooth jazz is like...Kenny G.

- You are seriously missing some low end action to support what's going on in the beginning. I thought it was an intro, and was willing to let it go, but it continued for a long time into the mix. I hear it come in later in the tune, but by the time the beat drops, my tweeters are tired.

- The drum stuff going on at the 1:30 drop is a little on the muddy side, and it almost sounds like you have all of those elements in mono right in the center. You have those great bongo things going

- by 2:04 there's just too much going on and not enough mixing to taper it. I get some relief at 2:14, but between 1:30-2:14 it's messy.

- The concept of the ending is really cool. Something really weird happens in my right ear at 3:19...like something just drops out. Take a listen to that.

You did a nice job of making a relatively repetitive source sound fairly diverse. But you've got some work to do on the mixing end, in my opinion, particularly in that section in the middle. the 80s drums are cool, but they're muddy. I'm not sure you could find something comparable to reference, but try listening to some other stuff in this style and hear how it's all put together.

Good luck!

[/ModReview]

[mystaura]

Thanks so much for the review! I was looking for feedback on it just in general, and I didn't really know how to get it other than a mod review. Sorry 'bout that.

I had no idea what genre it would be. I thought it was more new wave than anything, but a friend of mine convinced me it was smooth jazz, so I went with it, lol.

The intro lasts about a minute and a half until the drum loop comes in... I don't know why I love long, progressive introductions. U2 inspiration, I guess.

I have worked out some mixing issues since I upped it on SoundCloud, and I will continue to fix the mixing based what you've mentioned. I'm still figuring out ProTools right now. I tend to use analog for my stuff...

I'm not even sure what happened with the fade out there. I just noticed that now. Thanks for pointing it out.

I think I went too crazy on the reverb, and I kind of regret it now looking back on it, lol.

[mystaura]

BUMP:

So, I worked out some of the pressing mix issues. I am just learning about mixing currently. This would be something I would take to an engineer, but I'm too broke, lol. Hopefully, it sounds better. Still some work to go probably. I have a lot of problems with the source tracks being recorded too loud. Also compressed a little less, allowing the track to breathe more.

The fade out drop issue is caused by a mechanical error on my part on the original. I couldn't fix it. I cut the drum track too soon, and the vocals are actually phased that way, so they cut in and out of stereo naturally (I didn't mess with that. Thought it sounded unique, so I kept it).

Also, there wasn't much low end recorded in the intro. The low end is pretty much the Linn kick and my bassline, which doesn't come in until 1:27. I took some of the edge off of the high end.

Still a lot of reverb drums in the 1:30 section. Can't really do anything about it. It's that way on the source, so I compressed it and mixed around it (not sure if that was the right move).

Feedback and comments would really be appreciated still.

Palmtree Panic '14 remaster

Edited September 22, 2014 by mystaura