Chimpazilla Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Greetings OCR! I figured I would follow-up my flood of Sonic CD submissions, with some Mega Man compo goodness! This track comes from Darkesword's Wily Castle Remix Gauntlet 2013 and is a remix of Plug Man's theme (Mega Man 9) and the Moliarty Tower stage (Darkwing Dark NES). This mix was a lot of fun to write and was in a style that, to this point, I hadn't been able to quite pull off. I'm a sucker for juicy funk: complete with EP chords, rhythm guitar, and groovy synths. I think a lot of my previous mixes have jazz and funk influences, but I believe this is my most 'complete' entry in the genre for sure. This track placed well in the competition, garnering my team a first place ranking for the round, so I was really proud that I created something that stacked up well against all the other awesome participants in the compo. My teammate Amphibious said this mix sounded like the theme song for an 80's TV crime drama, which wasn't necessarily my intent, but I think it's a spot-on description The mix itself utilizes the Plug Man melodies a bit more than the Moliarty stage theme, focusing on the two main Plug Man melody parts on the plucked synth instrument and the legato synth you hear around 1:05. The Moliarty stage theme is woven in throughout too - primarily in the bass, but the melody shows up as accompaniment parts in some of the background synth instruments. As I mentioned earlier, I love me some funk rhythm guitar, which I just HAD to have in this mix. I don't play myself, but I was able to cut up and use some from a sample pack I own to create the accompaniment guitar parts you hear. I then filled out the arrangement with some various original synth lines and some accompaniment stabs and gated pad parts. Enjoy! Source Usage Breakdown: 0:00 - 0:04 = Intro 0:04 - 0:20 = Plug Man chords on the EP, original funky synth lead 0:20 - 0:35 = Plug Man chords on the EP, Moliarty bass 0:35 - 1:05 = Plug Man chords on the EP, Moliarty bass, Plug Man melody A on the plucked synth lead 1:05 - 1:36 = Plug Man chords on the EP, Moliarty bass, Plug Man melody B on the new legato synth, hybrid of the Plug Man accompaniment B part and Moliarty melody A on the plucked synth 1:36 - 1:51 = Transition break - variation of the Plug Man chords on the EP, Moliarty melody B on the dancey background synth (that enters at 1:43) 1:51 - 2:06 = variation of the Plug Man chords on the EP, Moliarty melody B on the dancey background synth, original funky synth lead 2:06 - 2:22 = variation of the Plug Man chords on the EP, Moliarty bass, continuation of the original funky synth lead 2:22 - 2:37 = variation of the Plug Man chords on the EP, Moliarty bass, Moliarty melody B on the dancey background synth 2:37 - 3:14 = Plug Man chords on the EP & the dancey background synth, Moliarty bass, Plug Man melody A on the plucked synth lead My Contact Info: My ReMixer name: SuperiorX My real name: Matt Keller My userid: 28286 Submission Info: Games arranged: Mega Man 9, Darkwing Duck (NES) ReMix Name: Lights Out Songs arranged: Plug Man Stage, Moliarty Tower Plug Man: Moliarty: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexstyle Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Aww yeah, schmoove groovy stuff from Mr. X. The themes are blended well, I dig the flow of the song, love the sound choices...honestly, I haven't really got anything to criticize here. I feel like this could almost have been a DP, and really shouldn't have any trouble on the panel. please don't make me eat those words, guys Anyways. It's fun, it's well-executed, and I've got no problems giving this a... YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 I felt like Flexy here when checking the mix out initially. I have come back to listen again and don't have any major crits. I think the production quality is very nice and the arrangement is solid. A very funky production. To nitpick, the snare is a little weak (it's almost like a puff of noise), but this isn't a hard electronic mix, so I think it works ok. The leads poke out and the mixing isn't too bad. Some levels could do with some slight adjustments but nothing to make me send this back. I would say the arrangement here could also be more interesting, I'm hearing a few parts reused throughout the mix, but no show stoppers. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted October 29, 2014 Author Share Posted October 29, 2014 I feel like this could almost have been a DP, and really shouldn't have any trouble on the panel. I have to agree with you Flex, who paneled this thing anyway... *ah yes, me* dammit. Well, in my defense, I'm unfamiliar with these themes and wasn't totally getting the source usage initially, so I felt more comfortable paneling it. Production-wise, I'm with Flex and Jive, I have no crits. Very nice blending of these themes, *very* subtle at times (hence my need to really listen to these sources), but smartly executed. Nice arrangement, super funky, a couple of extra surprises could have been fun but if that's the worst thing I have to say, this is a pretty darned good track. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Some of the synthy orch stabs sound really thin and flimsy, but the lower end is pulling the weight well enough. Some of the sequencing is a bit stiff, and I felt there was a bit too much copy-pasta of the various parts, but it passes the bar. For future submissions, I think going the extra mile to really flesh out the arrangement and humanize things further would bring your craft to the next level. Keep at it! Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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