Gario Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 (edited) Contact Information Platonist Jonas Loman platonistmusic.com 16372 Submission Information Chip 'N Dale's Rescue Rangers No Hat For Fat Cat Stage J NES Back to full speed, and (almost) everyone is wearing hats! Some of them are thrown, some of them are relatively stationary. I left mine at home. Edited August 18, 2019 by Rexy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 (edited) The panning's too wide -- very apparent on headphones -- and nothing sounds clear & clean despite having fairly simple textures. Though I appreciate the creativity and style, I'm not a fan of the sound palette; the piece has a driving beat, but the energy inherent in the writing feels like it's not showing up in the music, so maybe this needs a stronger beat. The ending at 2:10 was an abrupt letdown after an otherwise creative arrangement that felt like it had only just started and not fully developed. This definitely felt like there were other places this could/should have went. It's promising, but feels like it's missing some elements or thickness to the beat to drive it forward; not panning this quite as widely would help as well. I think you could get another 30-60 seconds out of this at least, so that potentially, other parts (EDIT 8/1: variations, not parts - thanks, MW!) of the theme could be used, and you'd also have the space to create a more substantial ending. Lots of smaller issues adding up to wanting a revision, but we need some Rescue Rangers on OCR, so please don't drop this. Good base here, Jonas, this is well in the right direction! NO (resubmit) Edited August 1, 2019 by Liontamer corrected word Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 I adore this source (how is there no Rescue Rangers on OCR yet!?!), but I mostly have to agree with LT's assessment. The panning seemed fine to me, even on headphones, and I'm not sure about what Larry meant by using more of the theme, since this uses nearly all of it already. However, but the energy is definitely lacking; it's a bit slower than the original, but more importantly the percussion is plodding and thin. The lead synths are quiet and lack depth and impact, and some of them are overly wet and muddy. And it's over just as it's getting started. It's a good starting point, and I did enjoy the approach, just not the execution. I'd love to see this taken further. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexy Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 (edited) I do feel the panning oddities through my headphones. Usually, it's okay to put textures that compliment each other on opposite sides of the stereo field. But with dry instrumentation like your bass layers and saw synth harmonies, the harsh timbres are way too over-exposed and ended up burying your leads. I feel they can benefit from being panned much closer to each other, and potentially have some EQ cuts in to give some more room to the leads. I don't mind the occasional lead wandering off in one direction though, as long as most of the other leads stay central in the virtual space. It does get achieved throughout most of the track, so credit where credit is due. Arrangement-wise, it's a refreshing foundation and the source is used throughout most of it. But the way it just goes back to the fading bass synth opening feels underwhelming and had an unfinished feel. On top of that, the drumbeat felt as if it was on autopilot up until 1:32. I don't mind the minimalist nature of it, but there's hardly any new changes contributed to the 1:06 variation of the A section because of this static beat. It's a shame because the synth manipulation is engaging and tasteful otherwise, and I can't fault your envelope/modulator work. As of right now, it sounds like a promising base. What stuck out the most was your difficult choice of panning, the leads feeling buried as part of a knock-on effect, and a static soundscape that affected the arrangement's framework. It would also be handy to get more interpretation out of this, but it's a minor irk in comparison to the listed production flubs. I'm with Larry and MW regarding the need for Rescue Rangers rep on OCR, so I'd love it if you get a chance to revisit it. NO (resubmit) Edited August 18, 2019 by Rexy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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