*NO* Sonic the Hedgehog 3 'Lakeside Racing'

[Chimpazilla]

 

ReMixer Name: Glubglubz

 

Real Name: Anthony Amorose

 

 

Game: Sonic 3

 

Arrangement: Lakeside Racing

 

Song: Azure Lake Zone

 

I always thought this song was a bit under-appreciated. My favorite aspect of the original is the upbeat melody mixed with the driving rhythms underneath. I wanted to further push that contrast by adding chunky guitars and punchy drums, while keeping the melody feeling very synthesized. 

 

As much as I like the original, there were some elements that I knew had to be changed. First and foremost was the chord progression (or lack thereof). It had become apparent early on that, no matter the length of the song, it was going to feel very static unless I departed quite heavily from the source material. The other element I needed to change was how simple the structure was in the original. I used that as an opportunity to have fun changing the intensity from section to section. 

 

Thank you for you time and consideration,

 

Anthony Amorose

[Chimpazilla]

I really like the concept for this remix, the idea of adding additional/different chord progressions, it gives the source a totally different feel.  The arrangement is cool, source is evident, the rhythm guitars and drums fit nicely.  The track has an 80s flavor to it with the synths and guitars combined.

My big issue with this track is that it sounds so overcompressed to me.  I don't hear distortion but the dynamics are very flat.  At 1:28 for example, every instrument sounds the same volume and the drums sound so distant and tame when I think they should be loud and proud.  The synth leads throughout the mix are the only element that I hear occasionally mixed toward the front, rising up from the background here and there.  The intro piano is mixed very much upfront, so I was actually surprised when the soundscape flattened out completely at 0:33 when the drums started up.

Cool ideas and arrangement, you'll get my YES after another pass at the mixing/balancing/mastering.

NO (resubmit, please)

[Gario]

Mmm, the racing mode from Sonic 3. The arrangement is really good - metal with synths,with a peppy style that kind of reminds me of Rush. It holds the energy of the source while introducing plenty of interpretation on the leads. It's a solid arrangement.

I think Chimp hits this one pretty solidly - the track is very overcompressed. The balance of the instruments is also pretty inconsistent. The lead is very often too loud when there isn't as much going on (such as at 0:40 - that synth is a big culprit, in general), but in other parts (such as 1:28) nothing stands out at all, so it ends up sounding cluttered and disorganized. The balance of the mix will need a lot of attention, in order to bring out the important portions appropriately without those parts sticking out like a sore thumb.

The performances are solid in this, and the arrangement is great. The balance of the mix needs some attention, though, and the overcompression only compounds that issue. Re-balance the mix, adjust the compression so it doesn't smash everything into the same volume range and this should pass pretty easily.

NO

[Sir_NutS]

I'm in complete agreement with my peers here, the compression is just too harsh, the drums are basically reduced to transients, and the dynamics on the overall mix are going a bit crazy, you usually want dynamics that flow with the song but when you overcompress like this the rhythm simply disappears.  Sections like 03:30 just become a wall of sound and lose musicality.  

The arrangement on the other hand was good, and I'm sad that it's being brought down by the production.  As the Js above pointed out, the mix needs to be rebalanced and the mastering needs to be toned down a lot, until we get a clear mix.

NO (resubmit)