*NO* Metroid 'Kraid-Metalic-Zero'

[Liontamer]

Metroid Kraid-Metalic-Zero OC ReMix

Artist : BLiÑÐChRiS

Composer : Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka

Orig. Artist: NES

Copyright : Nintendo.

URL : http://athenis.c.la

[zircon]

Sounds like the original was pretty much direct sampled here for the intro, which is definitely a no-no. If you're going to directly use the source tune in your ReMix, you should do so VERY sparingly. Here, it's used as the foundation for the whole introduction. I would try to rewrite the intro w/o doing that.

There are production problems all over, from parts that are too muddy (excessive reverb/bad EQ) to sections that are just overly loud and cause clipping. The choice of sounds at times contributes to the muddiness, such as the lead at 1:30. The drums are pretty bland in both their sound and sequencing, and don't fit at all IMO. The electric guitar part that came in is also not bright enough and soaked in too much reverb. Why only cameo it for a brief passage, rather than use it to play the whole melody? The playing seemed to be fine, and it made the texture of the mix more interesting.

At 2:46, the transition is very awkward - the notes clash and there is clipping. The (original) section that follows is very sparse, and doesn't add a whole lot, before you get to 3:28 and pick up the arrangement again. I have NO idea why you used a synth rhythm guitar here when you had access to a real one, presumably. It sounds very fake and mechanical, especially when the real guitar comes in over it. They don't mesh at all. You close things out with the same original section that was used in the middle, which is sort of a cop out. The last few seconds that actually end the piece are flat-out ugly and way too abrupt.

On the positive end, I appreciate how the texture gradually gets denser over the course of the piece, and there is at least some original material. However, you're going to need a lot more arrangement of the theme here to meet our bar, and you have a lot of production things you need to address too. Hit up our ReMixing and Works in Progress forums for advice from fellow mixers so you can polish your stuff more before sending it in. Better luck next time.

NO

[Liontamer]

http://www.zophar.net/nsf/metroid.zip - Track 5 ("Kraid")

Intro was weak, with just the direct sampled original plus some flimsy, mechanical drumwork on top, but you at least segued out of it with your own version of the source tune from :38-1:04. Vox used in there also sounded pretty cheap.

Well, the original's direct sampled, sure, but there's at least more material developed without the direct sampling to not harp on it completely. Unfortunately though, the arrangement was pretty limited in how it worked with the theme. The supporting writing was different from the original, but didn't fill out the track well anyway, and stuff like 2:47 was empty and simplistic with both the writing and production.

The defaulty FL Slayer-style guitar sample at 3:27 was definitely a weaker instrumentation idea. The arrangement basically dragged on until the end, just altering the instrumentation every verse but not fleshing the soundfield out or developing the arrangement/writing any further, going into very repetitive territory. Definitely could cut out 2 or more minutes of this and still deliver the same message.

NO

[Vig]

intro is nsf drowned in reverb and with cheap percussion. growling pads at :40 are pretty cool, but you continue to use the the original with minimal addition. The changes you've made to the original are largely changes in the instrumentation. there's minimal arrangement, although what's here, such as the idea at 2:50, is interesting but underdeveloped.

NO