Gario Posted June 7, 2017 Share Posted June 7, 2017 Contact InformationReMixer name : Reuben6Real name: Reuben SpiersE-mail: Submission information Game: Donkey Kong Country Name of arrangement: Mining for a Living Name of original song: Life in the Mines Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted June 7, 2017 Author Share Posted June 7, 2017 Hmm, this is a tricky one. Honestly, this sounds like a first place Meat'n'Potatos arrangement with how conservative the track is, but I definitely have to credit this track for having a really rich atmosphere. The tone manages to evoke even more of a 1930's depression era mining town than the source ever could, especially with the rustic vocals and acoustic guitar throughout. The vocals are not perfectly in tune with themselves, but that's part of why they work in this. I could see people swinging either way on on the conservative nature of the arrangement, but I think there's enough personality and minor additions to the arrangement that makes this stand out. The biggest gripe that I have with this is how long it takes to get to the meat of the arrangement. It's a great start to the track, but by the 0:32 mark the opening was really starting to wear on me. Past that point there isn't too much that's added - it really feels like filler. I'm really on the fence for this one, because that opening isn't bad, it just lasts to long without change. The real guts of the arrangement is awesome, if a bit conservative. Cut the music from 0:32 - 0:56 and this would be good enough for me to give my thumbs up on. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted June 7, 2017 Share Posted June 7, 2017 I'm in complete agreement with Gario about the excessively long intro, but it's not the only issue I have. The lead guitar in 1:44-2:15 is far too quiet, getting muffled by the vocals, rhythm guitar, and percussion especially. It's better in 2:15-2:47 but still muddy. The outtro is also on the long side. It's also pretty quiet overall. Not egregiously so, but it could definitely stand to be at least increased to peak closer to 0dB, and I personally think a little bit of limiting or compression to get it just a little louder than that would be welcome. There are some neat conceptual elements here, and I also agree that the atmosphere is excellent and definitely interpretive enough for our standards. But I think the balance needs quite a bit of work in the meatiest part of the arrangement in addition to the intro being shortened. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 Just also want to add that the percussion sounds way up front VS. the vocals and other elements that feel like they are put further back. It makes for a bit of a weird room sound to me. Might be a bit of a nitpick but the other judges have some great critiques so I don't have much to add here. Really enjoyed the overall soundscape and I think that there's a lot of potential here! Hope to see this again! NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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