Super Smash Brothers Brawl - Final Destination [Drum and Bass]

[Kamex]

So I attempted to ReMix Super Smash Brothers Brawl's "Final Destination" theme in a DnB style. Any feedback or tips to help me do better are appreciated! It is a finished song, but I can always go back and change things, so I guess treat it as a WIP.

My ReMix: https://soundcloud.com/kamex97/kamex-final-destination

Specifically, I need guidence with the violins that start at 0:41 and 2:46. They are very hard to mix into the song. Any suggestions on what I should do to blend it in better with the rest of the track? Other than that, if there are any other flaws, please let me know! I would like to give submitting this a try one day!


Source track: 

[PKBowsy]

This sounds absolutely gorgeous and is by far the best remix of this song I've heard so far. I can't find anything to correct, in all honesty.

[LongBoxofChocolate]

I'll check this out after I get off work.

[Kamex]

Bumping this because I could really use some help!

[timaeus222]

Pretty good foundation, actually. Pacing sounds good. Mixing is mostly there. Interpretation is pretty solid. Drums could use more variation to add to the flow of the arrangement. You're definitely on the right track.

 

At 0:46 and 2:46, the violin could use more treble to brighten it up and a bit less low-mids to allow the background strings to come through a bit better. Right now it's too dull/muffled. The lead at 1:02 can really be more expressive; it just sounds like a basic saw wave. Give it some vibrato or filter motion, or some sort of motion to add interest.

 

At 1:25 - 1:44, the piano really isn't that realistic, so maybe replace that with a light arp synth? At 2:04 - 2:46, it's the same deal as at 1:02---could have more expression! It's too plain!

 

You could also add more to the impact at 3:06. Maybe a snare roll up to a downwards white-noise filter sweep or similar? Lastly, the outtro piano could use some delay or something to hide the fakeness; it's actually pretty easy to tell that it's sequenced. Offset/humanize the rhythm slightly so that it's not so quantized.

 

Overall, the major issues for me:

- Violin mixing at 0:46 and 2:46

- More drum variation rather than just glitching every now and then. Core pattern is too autopilot IMO

- Mechanical piano needs humanized timing, and ping-pong delay would help (I could see a replacement sound at 1:25 - 1:44 working, but not super necessary)

- Leads at 1:02 and 2:04 are too simple---needs more expression

 

Other minor stuff but would be great to do:

- Longer impact at 3:06, basically, plus a transition up to that would be good

- Another transition layer at 1:44 perhaps? Not too necessary but would help

- Background strings could use higher low-cut on the reverb to minimize muddiness with the bass

- Bass seems pretty simple in tone, especially noticeable at 0:42

[Phonetic Hero]

Modern dnb drums mixed with amen break drums?  You're cramping my style, man!  But seriously, that's my favorite way to do dnb drums too, good call man

 

Just to add on a bit as far as mixing the violin, I think having it up an octave would be really beneficial.  The other strings are already really mid heavy, and I think pushing it up an octave and brightening up the higher range as Timaeus suggested would really help it cut.

 

Ope, sounds like you already did that at 2:46, and.. man, I might have to take that back.  The sample is just really rough around the edges to begin with.  Solo strings are some of the hardest instruments to sequence, and personally I usually just shy away from them unless it's either a legato line that my limited sample firepower can handle, or if I get someone to record the actual instrument.

 

I do have a suggestion though - first you'd have to get set up with the free Kontakt Player, if you don't already have it (or the full version).  From there, you can download this library from Embertone, which is also free and works with Kontakt Player.  It's primarily an effects library, but it comes with a demo of their Friedlander Violin, which works pretty well.  The demo's a little bare-bones, so I'm not sure if it'll be able to handle your faster lines, but it's worth a shot (it also won't lock you out after 15 minutes like a lot of Kontakt demos)!  There's also a gorgeous legato vocal patch that comes with it, it's definitely worth the download in my opinion.  Doesn't get any cheaper than free

 

Another thing to remember with the synth lead is that EDM leads are typically layered to hell.  One of my good buddies is Kev Villecco (one of the 2 guys from Hyper Potions), and I remember him telling me at one point that he used EIGHT different layers for the main lead in Porta Vista.  That being said, subtlety is everything!  It's really easy to go overboard with synth layering, so be careful and use good judgment!

 

Good luck, hope that helps

[Rozovian]

Summer's probably over now. We're out of excuses. Sorry it's taken so long to mod review your track.

 

Synth lead is a little too loud imo, the violin too muffled. Drums are really intense, you could probably scale that back in some places to let the track rise and fall more in less obvious ways that it currently does. That'll give them some variation, too. Overall track level is a little on the soft side, so there's room to make it a little louder. Just don't overdo it and get yourself a whole bunch of compression problems.

 

I've played a fair amount of Brawl, and this is one of my favorite sources. It's been a while, though. There's enough source for me to recognize it, but it's spread very thin and serves mostly a background role. I might be missing some of the subtler uses of the source hidden in the otherwise original melodies, but it seems to be a mostly original track built on the staccato strings from source with a few melodies taken from there as well. In other words, I don't think the source is dominant, as per ocr's standards.

 

Orchestral elements are lagging slightly behind the beat (as is often the case). They could probably be brighter to stand out a bit more once the drums and bass come in. This applies to the violin lead as well, which could also use more humanization and the illusion of performance. Piano doesn't sound human, either. Humanization; performance; expression. Both in the melodies and the chords at the end.

 

Needs some production tweaks, and source needs to be dominant. Close, but not ocr-ready yet, imo.