OCR04070 - *YES* Mario Kart: Double Dash!! & Super Smash Bros. "Vacation in the Mushroom Kingdom"

[Rexy]

 

Contact Information
Juke
Luke Williams

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCykxIXZVlPjV_dR4dhvpN3g  
-or-
https://soundcloud.com/jukeremix
User ID - 35090 
-or-
http://ocremix.org/community/profile/35090-juke/

Submission Information
Game: Mario Kart: Double Dash
Arrangement Name: Vacation in the Mushroom Kingdom
SoundCloud Link:
Song arranged: Peach Beach / Daisy Cruiser
Themes Also Used From - 
Sherbet Land
Double Dash Title Theme
Rainbow Road
Yoshi's Island 

Original:

 

 

Comments: Mario Kart: Double Dash is the best Mario Kart game.  

This song has been posted on the vg thread and recommended for submission: https://ocremix.org/community/topic/47146-mario-kart-double-dash-beach-remix/  

Please let me know if you need anything else, and thank you for your time and consideration!

[MindWanderer]

I see that LionTamer recommended this for a direct post in the workshop, but I'm not in agreement with him there.

It's a nice, mellow atmosphere, with some extra layers and SFX to add depth.  The cellos are a nice touch; not very "beach-y" but they add some needed bass to the space.

However, for an arrangement less than 3 minutes long, it feels pretty repetitive.  The guitar backing never lets up, and the bongos sound like they're basically on autopilot the entire time.  Add that to the ocean waves and there's a lot about the arrangement that's static.  I find it grating even after 2 minutes, let alone listening to it multiple times.

It's also very quiet.  Something like this shouldn't be overly loud, but there's over 5dB of headroom here, and I definitely had to turn up my volume to hear it properly.

The melody and harmonies here are superb, a real joy to listen to. It definitely can't be more than a Conditional due to the levels.  Given that most people won't be listening to the piece over and over again, I think the short length makes it enough to forgive the repetition.

YES (Conditional on levels) (borderline)

Update 3/26/2020: The revision definitely fixes the headroom issue, and repetition is indeed an improvement, though a modest one.  The changes to the underwater section are more subtle than Juke things, and the strums are a bit slow, with the attack falling a smidge after the beat.  But it's a wash at worst, good enough.

YES

Edited March 26, 2020 by MindWanderer

[prophetik music]

hey, there's a lot of nuance here. i really appreciate the attention paid to the blurbs that come in and out (the slide guitar, wind chimes, etc), and to the marimba lead's variance of rolls. the countermelodies are nice and there is a ton of little things that come together to make this nice. i didn't mind the background being pretty static considering that it's short. i wouldn't have minded a bit less seabirds but that's more personal than anything.

i agree that it can't be posted in this state - it's really more than 5db headroom, that's exclusively due to the bump at 2:30 due to resonance, it really should be more like 7 or 8db boost. the ending's fadeout in the lead is weird as well. boost it and maybe adjust the ending and we're there.

 

 

YES (conditional)

edit 3/26/2020: these fixes are good by me. updating my vote to YES.

Edited March 26, 2020 by prophetik music

[Rexy]

Arrangement-wise, it's short and straight-forward but beautifully laid-back and subtle.  There's two distinct halves here - one with a focus on a run-through with the melody, and a second with cameos moving along one after the other while going back into the primary source.  Despite the autopilot nature, there' a lot of attention to articulations, realism and subtractive arranging underneath it all.  And for some reason, I felt stunned to hear more of a focus on the theme from Yoshi's Story (not Yoshi's Island, as stated) throughout the break - a pleasing easter egg from a completely separate Mario spinoff, and I'm always happy to hear surprises.

The mixdown is lovely and clean, I can identify the parts, and the palette is gorgeous for the tropical direction.  I don't mind the beach ambiance, to be honest - a listener's mileage may vary when it comes to that.  But here's the big kicker that both MW and prophetik touched upon - the considerable jump in headroom.    There's five and a half dB between the peak and the shelf,  and it'll be more beneficial for the genre adaptation to bring the volume up to scratch before making it ready for primetime.

Other than the volume issue, I consider this track good to go.  If Juke can take action with making the track louder, then it'll easily be front-page material.

EDIT 2020/03/26: Juke has gotten back in touch with us with a new revision.  Not only did he raise the volume, but he also changed up the guitar patterns at 1:22-2:00 to a calmer pattern in anticipation for the melody's return.  It's a subtle improvement to autopilot, which to me wasn't a dealbreaker to begin with - and on top of the volume boost, I feel this is absolutely ready for the front page.  I'm so glad he got in touch with us!

YES

Edited March 26, 2020 by Rexy

[Liontamer]

I was right. I don't mind Luke Juke adding a little more spice to the picture now, of course. 

YES