Emunator Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 (edited) Hey there, Remixer name: Jorito Real Name: Jorrith Schaap Email: Website: http://www.jorito.net/ Userid: 3917 Drums performed by Erik Vreven Submission information: Name of Game(s) Remixed: Vampire Killer Additional Game information: System: MSX2 Developer: Konami Genre: Platforming Released: 1986 Composer: Kinuyo Yamashita, Satoe Terashima (Please note that though there are a lot of resemblances to the NES game Castlevania, this is actually a different game) Name of Arrangement: Wicked Chip Names of song arranged: Wicked Child (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rp19k4-Qlg) Comments about the mix: My drummer friend Erik wanted to create a Drum 'n Bass-ish groove for Vampire Killer's Wicked Child song by using the original game song and adding live drums and some sub bass to it. I thought we could do better and started remixing the song from scratch. As always things got out of hand and it turned into a groovy chiptune DnB combo with live drums and vocoded voices. This track took a looooong time to finish; we started it in July 2014 and it was finished only in March 2015. I guess that’s what happens when real life catches up with you and puts you out of composing business for 6 months. Still, the track benefited a lot from this seasoning and the helpful feedback in the workshop forums and for a first try at something chiptuney I’m rather proud of it. Cheers, Jorrith Source (first song in video): Edited December 4, 2015 by Liontamer closed decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted November 24, 2015 Author Share Posted November 24, 2015 Really cool arrangement here, Jorrith. I always love your creative arrangements and how willing you are to branch out into unique styles. The production on this track, unfortunately, is falling short for me. The synth that comes in at :12 is extremely loud and dry. I could forgive the lo-fi sound for an intro, but at :26 I was hoping this would really blow wide open, and the drums/bass just didn't carry the energy that I was hoping for as a listener. I love the spastic, choppy drum writing, it's got a very original flavor that doesn't feel "typical D&B" at all. However, the drum production isn't doing it for me in this track - the kick is not giving your mix enough of a foundation and so the song structure doesn't flow naturally like it ought to. The break at 2:44 leaves me expecting the drums to come back in full force but they never do. The more I listen and write about this, the more I think that it may literally just be an issue with the kick drum in this track - perhaps if that had more body, it would be able to carry the track without needing any other substantial changes to the production. What does everyone else think? I feel like the core arrangement and writing of this track is solid but something feels VERY off about how the drums are mixed and I'm finding myself very confused. NO (resubmit???) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Emu has articulated the issues very well. The chippy sounds are cool but aren't balanced well. Leads are much too loud compared to the bass so the track sounds bass-light. The drums are so soft and quiet that they are almost an afterthought, and it's a shame because the writing is really good. You need some serious beef in that kick, snap in that snare, and the hats are barely there, they need some more volume and meat to them and some delay on them. There is a lot going for this track, the writing and arrangement are great, but the production needs a big overhaul methinks. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 I think the arrangement is awesome, but I agree that the production aspects are holding it back. The drums have a lot of missing energy due to a lot of lossy frequencies; some EQ would help clean it up, and then some additional volume would help them feel like the anchor of the track. The synths also are feeling pretty dry and need to be moved throughout the soundscape to be blended better as a sonic space. I really like the ideas, I just think the execution needs to be polished. No, please resubmit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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