Liontamer Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 (edited) Artist Name: Laser Lip Name: Tyler Piersall Email: userID #: 53011 Game: Batman NES Title: Gotham in Neon Link to track: (download link located on player.) ------------------------------------------------------------- Edited November 16, 2014 by Liontamer closed decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted November 9, 2014 Author Share Posted November 9, 2014 Interesting approach reminiscent of Stephen Kennedy's "Music of Funk" from 2000. One could argue it doesn't stand apart enough from that version, but your mileage may vary; it's nagging on me some, but enough different ideas were here. Synth design at 1:03 when the melody came in was somewhat generic, even moreso during the chorus at 1:33. I also thought the mixing was noticeably muddy, which really detracted from the listen. Cool stuttering of the woman screaming at 2:01, with a cool fadeout of it at 2:13. Another iteration of the theme at 2:14, though not particularly different from 1:03's take, just minor differences in the lead. The chorus was different, however, in that there was no beatdrop & rebuild. 3:00 dropped some of the padding, and changed the lead, before 3:11 went back to the same ideas as 2:03 with some cut-and-paste action, before bookeneding with the same police SFX & wind/bell SFX from the intro for the finish. That said this was fairly personalized in the adaptation to EDM. This is really promising, but the muddiness of the mixing is the main issue holding me back. I may be grandpa-ing the mixing job, but I don't necessarily like I'll be flipping my vote on this. Though the tempo and pacing ended up plodding some, the energy level was good. I would have liked to have heard more melodic interpretation, especially when the opportunity was there at 2:14. Good luck with the rest of the vote, Tyler; I think this has a good enough chance to pass, I would just need some more clarity in the mixing, and maybe less sameyness in some of the sounds over time. It dragged some for that reason, at least for me. NO (refine/resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 There are some really great ideas here, the sfx and ambiance leading up to the drop are really done well. That sequenced synth that starts at 0:48, then the second one at 0:52, that part is great. But when that first lead comes in at 1:03, the crisp soundscape is completely smothered by a very generic-sounding and reverb-drenched square lead. It feels placed in the background instead of up front where a lead should be, giving a washed-out effect. The next lead that comes in at 1:33 is also a fairly generic saw, and it competes with the upper end of the buzzy bass and you also have several other timbres going at the same time, all competing with each other until 1:59, it is just too busy from 1:33 to 1:59, frequency-wise. That gated scream is awesome. The "joker" vocal, gunshot, etc. are likewise awesome. (you could have some fun with stereo-widening those sfx or auto-panning them or filtering/phasering them! no need for all that awesomeness to only occur in the middle of the soundscape) But then at 2:14, another verbatim playthrough of the source... I agree with Larry, this would have been an opportunity to introduce some new melodic ideas or new timbres, or both. I think this is a REALLY solid start here, and has potential to be excellent. I think the leads are your biggest problem, they are taking up too much space sonically, have too much reverb, and compete against backing elements. I think you can find more interesting leads, I often like to layer sounds together to get really cool evolving/sparkly/interesting timbres. For the kind of writing you are doing (especially the faster-paced soloing), I'd recommend something thinner than you're using. Also, gotta do some eq surgery, or replace some of the timbres that are all playing in the same frequency range during the busiest parts. I think you'd do well to introduce new leads in the second half, or alter the writing just a little bit or do a unique solo, or BOTH... just so the first and second halves of the track are more distinct, sonically and writing-wise. Blow us away with something really wicked cool in the second half. Looking forward to hearing this again. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 (edited) I like your intro, nice work. You have a big audible kick, which is essential to the genre. After the intro we're hit with a bit of arpeggiator action. The synths used here are quite basic, although I took it as you going for a chip vibe. The voice samples are nicely woven in, used differently in each appearance. I wasn't actually a huge fan of the snare - I think it has too much hiss, but it grew on me a bit after a couple listens. Problems 1. My main problem is that the low end of your track needs some work. Your kick always stays out in front which is perfect, but your other instruments need to be separated more, as the majority are sharing the same frequency space. Your leads in particular when they come in, everything feels a bit crowded. I think it's an easy fix - I would taper off some of the low end on your lead synths with a high-pass filter. Some EQ notching here and there could help too, but I reckon a high-pass filter will almost get it there alone. 2. I think your synth lead lines could benefit from some filter modulation to make them more interesting. Some portamento so things glide between notes would work great too. When your track was playing I actually thought a synth like an acid 303 line would fit your main lead better. 3. The second half of the mix is quite similar to the first. This didn't bother me as much here, but I think the track would benefit from some more exploration in the second half, perhaps even a breakdown. I really enjoy this track and I hope you consider our points to strengthen this mix. It's nearly there. NO (please resub) Edited November 16, 2014 by Jivemaster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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