Gario Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Remixer name: tymime Remix title: sleepy baby weasel dook Game: Mickey Saves the Day: 3D Adventure (http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/disneys-mickey-saves-the-day-3d-adventure) Source track: Rock-a-bye Weasel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMaF1TIY9mI) Link: Comments: I'm a big fan of the often-overlooked Disney weasels, so when I found there was a song dedicated to them, I knew I had to do something with it. There are a number of instruments that I picked to suit the mood I was going for, but the most important is the Celtic harp lead. When I was little, my mom used to play a tape of Celtic harp music to me and my brother to help put us to sleep, so I felt that this was essential to the arrangement. Also included is the music box soundfont from Yoshi's Island (more nostalgia), and at the very end, the actual sound of baby weasels playing. I don't imagine that whoever wrote the source expected anyone to take it at all seriously, but even if you picture a Disney weasel sleeping, the music to go with it has to be cute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted March 15, 2017 Author Share Posted March 15, 2017 This is such a strange source to draw inspiration from, but damn do you pull it off. There's a lot of extra material in there, but from my calculation (source at 0:30 - 1:10, 1:32 - 1:49, 2:15 - 2:33) it clocks in at about 60% source, which is plenty. The harmonization really push this source to somewhere the original could never dream (ha, pun), and changing the harmony under the source (1:32) is a GREAT way to continue to get mileage out of it without having it go stale, so kudos to that. The plucking of the harp is a little too punchy for my taste when it carries the themes, and the violin sounds a little mechanical (the attacks use a little too much detache and nothing else), but otherwise the instrumentation is pleasant. It's something that could've easily been a part of Esther's Dreams, and frankly it's unexpectedly good from what you pulled it from. Great work! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Hm... "Rock-a-bye Weasel" is very close to "Rock-a-bye Baby." I think it's probably different enough that it counts as a unique composition per our criteria, but I do think we should get the opinion of senior staff before giving it the OK. I'm really not a fan of the pad-like synth that plays throughout almost the whole arrangement (from 0:10-2:08). It sounds like it's supposed to be strings, but it's clearly fake and sounds completely out of place with the harp and lead violin. It's especially problematic at 1:51-2:07, where it's supposed to be playing under the music box, but instead swallows it up, and neither instrument sounds good there. I agree that the lead violin is not great, but I think it's more than adequate. For me, the question is whether those backing "strings" are a dealbreaker, since I don't hear any other substantial issues. The arrangement is otherwise pleasant and extremely creative. For now I'm just leaning on the side of saying it's OK, but it does bother me more the more I listen to this. If anyone else has any concerns about it, I'll listen to it again with fresh ears and could maybe flip my vote. YES (borderline) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I didn't have any problem with the source being derived somewhat from "Rock-a-bye Baby." I hear the connection, but that theme here has a different character to it and wasn't melodically similar enough. The track was 2:41-long, so I needed at least 80.5 seconds' worth of source usage for the VGM to dominate the arrangement. 30.25-37.75, 38.75-48, 50.25-57.75, 59.25-1:08.5, 1:10.25-1:28, 1:30.75-1:37.75, 1:39.5-1:50, 2:04.5-2:17, 2:18.75-2:21.75, 2:23.75-2:32 = 92 seconds or 57.14% overt source usage The Celtic harp lead at :30 & 1:30 felt mechanical, but sat reasonably enough in the soundscape due to the padding behind it. The string accompaniment added at :50 was well-done and added some good original writing to fill things out. The light percussion at 1:10 was also a nice, subtle touch. I didn't have any other issues with the instrumentation, jyst following up on MindWanderer's reaction. On the arrangement side, props for not repeating anything too much in such a short piece, and adding in good original writing ideas to compliment the source tune. You avoided some common pitfalls for a lot of submissions under 3 minutes, and really added a lot of depth to a very short and sparse original theme. Nice work! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_NutS Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 wow... are you kidding me? after listening to that source... and then this remix... man, some people get inspiration from the weirdest of places. First thanks Larry for doing the heavy lifting with source checking. That such a short melody line could get expanded like this is commendable to say the least, but it's good to make sure the reference wasn't just fleeting. I think this piece would've been perfect for the Esther's Dreams album we released a while ago. The lullaby theme is executed pretty well, and overall the arrangement is pretty cute. I didn't have any issues with the mix, and the instrumentation fits the bill and is fairly well sequenced. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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