*NO* Super Mario 64, Mario Kart: Double Dash & Super Mario Odyssey "A Very Mario Christmas"

[Gario]

Contact Information
ReMixer name : Reuben6
Real Name : Reuben Spiers
E-mail: 

Submission Information
Games: Super Mario World 64, Mario Kart: Double Dash, Super Mario Odyssey
Name of Arrangement: A Very Mario Christmas
Name of Original Songs: Snow Mountain, Sherbet Land, Shiveria: Town (Snow Kingdom)

Edited July 24, 2019 by Liontamer
closed decision

[DarkeSword]

Performance is a little loose, but not in a bad way. A pretty straightforward folksy medley of snowy Mario songs. I think that transitions are missing though. Going from source to source is a pretty sudden shift each time. Tambourine really cuts through the soundscape. Hard to pin this one down. I'll come back to it after other Js vote.

[Chimpazilla]

The transitions are indeed a bit sudden, but not jarring.  It sounds like a cohesive piece.  I agree the performances are loose but not in a bad way.  The tambourine gets on my nerves because it isn't the greatest tambourine sound ever, it does cut through too much, and the sequencing is rigid.  Still, I think this is an enjoyable piece, very sweet and relaxing.

YES

[MindWanderer]

It's full of little things that are off, like that tambourine; the accordion is too dominating as well, especially over the flute and some of the guitar.  Some of the transitions could be smoother, but some are fine, and we've passed things that were medley-er.  I think this is above the bar.

YES

[prophetik music]

this is a fun, folksy arrangement that does a nice job calling out the different sources. i don't have a problem with the transitions based on the limited instrumentation. i like the organic, earthy feel, and don't think the timing issues were prevalent enough to be a problem. i think the performances were enjoyable.

i do have a problem with the mix as a whole - the opening guitar sounds really compressed and noisy, and the accordion is so dominant overall that it totally crushes the soundscape once it comes in, and it dominates the guitar once the guitar moves to a rhythm part. the tambourine is also really painfully loud (and fake), and stands out as a result. i like what it's saying, it's just not anywhere near as important as the location it's occupying in the mix.

these are mostly easy fixes, i think. spending some time doing a pass on levels for the guitar and accordion, balancing them for each section based on whether they're the lead or background, would do wonders here. so would cutting the tambourine's volume significantly. a less noisy guitar recording would be the cherry on top of a revitalized track

 

NO (resub!)

[Rexy]

This arrangement sounds so cute and festive - and it makes sense as it's effectively a medley of wintery Mario songs.  Each source interpretation has a more stripped-down chord sequence, the passing around of the lead between accordion, acoustic guitar and woodwinds makes it feel even more joyful, and the performances feel human without feeling too loose.  Some of those source transitions can indeed be smoother especially when going in and out of the Shiveria Town section (1:21-1:53) and its sudden change to a 3/4 time signature, but the tempo remained consistent in this case, so it's no big deal.

With only six instruments playing at any one time, it makes sense for them to be identifiable in the big picture.  And they are for the most part - recording quality is clean for all recorded live parts, and they're all well balanced and appropriately positioned across the soundscape.  There are some issues, however, and I'll address them one by one:

• I also agree that the tambourine is piercing through, but then again it's the only percussion instrument in the entire track so balancing it sounded like a challenge in the first place.  If you have a spectrum analyzer, it'll be useful to figure out which frequencies are problematic on specific instruments (in the tambourine's case, 8000-8500k Hz) - and once discovered you could calm them down with a small notch EQ.
• The guitar and accordion do have some frequency overlap, especially when one of them plays the main melody and the other is the designated rhythm part.  It's more prevalent in the Shiveria Town segment when both of them are rhythm parts to the woodwinds, and the guitar particularly sounded too far pushed into the background.  By making a low-mid cut onto the accordion, the guitar can be much more present.
• And going back to the tambourine again, one way to make it feel less exposed is to apply some gentle reverb.  My instinct is that it'll fit in more naturally when it's not as dry as a bone.

It's a charming arrangement, and I wish I could accept it on that alone, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt the mixing flaws weighed it down.  Please address them and send it back - it's an adorable concept, and I'd love for others to hear it!

NO (resubmit)

Edited July 11, 2019 by Rexy

[Gario]

It's a very interesting, folksy track. On the one hand, there's a lot going on in this track throughout - so many different textures, and sometimes they're quite subtle. On the other hand, there are timing issues with a few instruments (like the acoustic guitar, for example), which is distracting, once you tune into it. This becomes less of an issue as the piece comes together after the 1:00 mark, though.

The mixing, while I could nitpick it (the accordion part at times, like at 1:22, does overtake the more interesting parts from time to time), isn't unbearable, and the production is pretty clean for what it is. I can see some having these little items add up, but I think the whole track is better than the sum of it's parts. If this gets sent back I would appreciate some post-production on the accordion so it doesn't overpower your more animated instruments at times, and I'd appreciate the guitar part to be more precisely in time with the other instruments.

Again, though, I think this is quite a good arrangement (good enough for the front page), so I'll give it my stamp of approval.

YES

[DarkeSword]

I think this track needs a second pass on the mixing. Tambourine is cutting through, and the accordion is dominating. Coming back and listening again, I have less of a problem with the transitions (or lack thereof). It'll take a little work but I don't think anything needs to be resequenced or rerecorded. Just really take a look at the levels and EQ.

I'm with the youngbloods on this. NO (pls resub)

[Sir_NutS]

Alright time to chime in on this one.  I've put this off for a while, giving this one occasional listens and while I don't think this is a clear and cut case here, I believe I'm at the point where listening more won't do much for me.

First, two sticking points that seem to bother a lot of people here are the tambourines and accordion.  While I believe they are a bit overpowering, I don't think they drown the mix, and I don't think the tambourine is piercing or resonant to my ears.  They could be toned down to achieve a better mix, but they don't detract from my enjoyment of the track OR from me being able to hear the different elements throughout.  There's a good use of panning to keep the space open and to make the instruments easily identifiable. I don't think there's any drowning of instruments in the mix here.

Some aspects in here are lovely, I'm a big fan of the guitar performance, and the call-and-response arrangement choices done to expand on the source.  I'm not a fan of the flute when it's used to play short notes but it's a minor nitpick.  The transitions aren't what one would call smooth but they aren't jarring either.  A lot of the heavy load of the interpretation is done in the harmonies and backing lines here, it's worth singling those out while listening to enjoy the little details.

This is a remix that has an imperfect mix, but boast a pretty good arrangement and adaptation.  Since I don't find any of the production issues detracting or super offensive, I'm ok with this going up, though I'll admit it's pretty close.

YES (borderline)

 

Edited July 18, 2019 by Sir_NutS

[Liontamer]

Stilted's the first word coming to mind with this. I thought the theme change at :49 was abrupt, but we'll see how other changes go. I can't help but feeling like the relatively stilted timing undermines a lot of the personality of the performances. 1:30 had another abrupt change, then again at 1:52. I like the concept and the overall performances are capable, but there's a very flat quality to the accordion performances that pull this down. And 2:57 with a sudden change as well; I really felt this needed at least some brief but notable transitions, which this didn't have.

I didn't have any significant issues with the mixing; I do hear the tambourines cutting through, but they weren't a big deal, nor did I feel they sounded bone dry, as there's clearly light effects on them. I want to be clear that I'm not saying that the track needs to sound more high-energy with toe-tapping pacing, but the timing when the accordion's in the foreground feels very mechanical; 1:29-1:52 felt a lot more natural-sounding in comparison, for example.

IMO, the two biggest issues holding this back were the stiff accordion performance and the abrupt transitions. Address those, and I think the overall execution would be cohesive enough to roll with. Good base here so far, and the vote ain't over till it's over.

NO (resubmit)

[Liontamer]

YO I don't know how to delete a post so I'll post a cute picture of a Abby the Furret instead.

~Deia

Edited July 24, 2019 by DragonAvenger

[Jivemaster]

Good instrumentation and initial impressions, with interesting changes in pacing throughout the arrangement. Changes between sections occur quite often, which helps to maintain interest for a minimal ensemble. Some transitions felt ok (1:20, 1:30) while others felt more abrupt (like that at 1:53) due to the change in rhythm or timing. I feel more could have been done with these to make things more cohesive. As the mix progresses, the initial novelty of approach begins to taper off, as the mix maintains the same overall feel throughout. It left me feeling that more could have been done with this ensemble (changes in articulation, some licks/nuances in performance would have gone a long way here). Production wise, things are mostly clear as you'd expect from a mix with a fixed set of instruments, bass was perhaps a touch strong. Overall an enjoyable rendition and amalgamation of a number of classic tracks that feels more like a demo than finished piece.

NO (please resub)

[Nutritious]

Interesting concept going with different winter themes from multiple mario games.

Going to echo concerns on the transitions.  :08 off the bat felt a bit jarring to me.  Maybe the timing is slightly rushed or the way everything comes in suddenly.  :48 on the other hand was more just weaker writing connections between the two themes, but wasn't as jarring.  Ditto for 1:30.  1:52 is a full stop and restart with something else.  Can't help feeling like themes could be blended better together overall.

I liked the flute lead and overall organic feel to it.  The exception, perhaps, being the accordion sequencing - but I can tell there was effort put into trying to humanize it.  Connections are very clear, but personalized nicely with counter play and other added notes/changes.

Balance-wise, I agree the tambourine was a bit hot, but not excessively so. Overall, I can hear all of the various instruments pretty clearly.

I can see both sides on this one for sure.  While it has its flaws, I feel like it's bringing enough to the table interpretively and technically to just push it over.

YES (borderline)

Edited July 23, 2019 by Nutritious

[DragonAvenger]

I can see what pretty much everyone is saying here, but in the end I think the issues don't add up enough to have to revisit. That being said, I think there's a lot of really good advice to look at for future mixes.

YES (borderline)

[djpretzel]

20 hours ago, Nutritious said:

Going to echo concerns on the transitions.  :08 off the bat felt a bit jarring to me.  Maybe the timing is slightly rushed or the way everything comes in suddenly.  :48 on the other hand was more just weaker writing connections between the two themes, but wasn't as jarring.  Ditto for 1:30.  1:52 is a full stop and restart with something else.  Can't help feeling like themes could be blended better together overall.

Agreed.

20 hours ago, Nutritious said:

Balance-wise, I agree the tambourine was a bit hot, but not excessively so.

It's not just that it sticks out, but it's also the sole percussive element, and it's a pretty static part, and it feels quantized & flat in its dynamics. It's a production problem AND an arranging problem, to me.

I wouldn't reject the mix solely on the tambourine, but since I also agree with the above comment on transitions, I feel like those are substantive "dings" that combine for me to vote:

NO (resubmit)

I tend to err on the side of approval when splitting ties or weighing in on divisive evaluations, but there's not really a compelling point of policy here - this is just a question of whether you feel like the abrupt transitions AND the stale tambourine add up to warrant rejection, which I do.

I think the tempo here could be bumped 2-3 bpm, the tambourine part rewritten for variety/dynamics, and a couple of the more jarring transitions eased into (one way or another), and it'd be fantastic.