[WIP] Celestial Bodies [Mega Man X + Mega Man X4]

[Troyificus]

This was my submission to Round 4 of the Sigma Fortress Remix Gauntlet 2015. The themes are Sting Chameleon [Mega Man X] and Final Weapon [Mega Man X4]. It got a fairly good response in the voting and I'm quite pleased with it (which is a rarity with a lot of my own work) so I thought I'd post it up in the Workshop for some feedback on how to improve it a bit more.

 

https://soundcloud.com/trism/wilys-rejects-trism-celestial-bodies-sting-chameleon-in-final-weapon

[Impluo]

Very nice vibe; I like it.

I love the transition around the 2 min mark (feels as if another dimension unfolds... umm, if that makes any sense)

Sounds go well together, only the drums seem to stand out a bit (very dry), but I actually don't really mind.

[BONKERS]

LOVE the atmosphere here. Although, it takes over a minute for any source to become recognizable (To me at least), which is too long for my tastes when it comes to remixes.
So personally I would work on that first minute, on just getting something that immediately gives you a point which to identify with as a listener.


The drums are really the low point, so much so I think it would be rejected if you were to submit it based on that alone. They just feel out of place the way they are. I think I get what you were going for, but the sounds just don't quite gel. (As well they are a little bit monotonous).

I Would try using Chiptune percussion instead maybe.

FM, PSG, maybe some DPCM samples, NES Noise channel. Something along those lines with some modulation in them.
(There are quite a few VST out there that emulate various sound chips)

Get creative and unconventional with them.

 

[Troyificus]

Thanks Impluo and BONKERS; I really appreciate the feedback!

 

Drums have always been a bit of an issue for me so I'm not surprised to hear that they're the weakest part of the track. Thanks for the specific suggestions, BONKERS; I'll looks into finding some VST's of those type and see what I come up with

[Eino Keskitalo]

Yup, the atmosphere is really nice.

The bell-y/mallet-y thing coming in at 0:26 is way loud/bright in the mix. I think you could bring it down a couple of notches and it'll still be nice and upfront in the mix.

There's something off with the harmony of the mallet at 0:32-0:45 (maybe the notes at 0:37 & 0:44). When I listen on repeat it starts to make sense, but on a first listen it sounds quite off and I tend to think the first impression is the "correct" one. I like the weirdness of the harmony at 0:46-1:00.

There's nice variation in the more ambient textures, but around 1:13 I feel like the mallet has dominated long enough, kinda wish the lead would change. Writing-wise the change at 1:13-1:27 is great, it pulls the steadiness of what went on before into a new direction.

1:27-1:40 seems unfocused and directionless, the figure coming out at 1:34 seems strange playing on top of the other material.

Overall in the first two minutes the pads seem to have some harmonic components here and there that don't line with the rest of the writing?

1:56 the overall vibe is really cool. The arrangement from there on is actually quite lovely. Some of the bell-ier tones, I guess the mallet & the new steel-drum like stuff, feel too bright & a bit too much on top of the mix. There's something off in the backing notes, I can't tell which instrument because the sounds are a bit strange, which I really like actually.

Overall the structure feels scattered, the ending kind of tapers off, which is a cool effect in itself but overall the structure feels unsatisfying. I don't think it necessarily needs *that* much tweaking; evening out the mixing & dealing with the unfocused 1:27-1:40 would help a lot. Need to also check out what the pads are playing & how it fits with the rest of the tune.

Lots of crits but I really like where this is going, the mood is great and there's a ton of potential.

[Troyificus]

Aaaaaaah so much delicious feedback! Thank you, Ev!