*NO* Donkey Kong Country 2 & Donkey Kong 64 "Bavarian Kackle"

[Rexy]

Games Arranged: Donkey Kong Country 2, Donkey Kong 64

Arrangement Name: Bavarian Kackle

Individual Tracks: Haunted Chase (Super Nintendo, David Wise) Creepy Castle (Nintendo 64, Grant Kirkhope)

Original Tracks:
 

 

Comments: This my first submission to the site so I figure I'd submit my most crazed remix I've ever done. Haunted Chase in the style of a Bavarian polka. Normally these 2 things shouldn't belong together in a sentance...but somehow I made it so.

As to WHY? I have no idea. I made it my mission to arrange my remixes in the polar opposite genre they were originally in. The main motif is David Wise's Haunted chase (played as normal in the beginning), warped to a major key (I cannot begin to tell you how difficult that was...) and polkafied into Oktoberfest oblivion. Because let's face it: We need more Polka.

I also threw in Grant Kirkhope's Creepy Castle in the same way (and WAY easier to put in a Major Key). To top that off, I made a music video using puppets (That I built)...If you wish to see this lunacy feel free to.

 

(Note the mix in the video is NOT the recent mix in terms of quality. The track attached is the HQ file. I also have it in WAV if desired)

 

The final Mix was mastered by Mix Engineer Luis Vasquez:

 

https://twitter.com/luisvasqmusic

 

So credit to him for the mixing/mastering.

 

Arrangement is by me of course. Speaking of, here is my contact info.

 

Remixer Name: General Grunt

Real Name: Chris Addolorato

Email: 

Website: https://www.youtube.com/c/TransfatylvaniaFilms

Forum ID: 16156

 

I look forward to the horrified reactions to a truly unnecessary contribution to humanity...

[Chimpazilla]

Oh... gosh.  Can we argue that there IS in fact enough polka in the world?  Regardless, what an interesting and creative way to approach a remix, it's cute and upbeat.  The arrangement is quite well crafted.  The instruments sound incredibly dry and fake, which considering the silliness of this arrangement, may actually be ok.  The drums are super simple and robotic, which I find distracting.  Source is a problem for me.  This remix might be lousy with source and I'm just not hearing it clearly (other than the obvious five-note patterns and flourishes) due to the change from minor to major.  That change is massive and for me eliminates all connection to the source tune, even if the writing has been preserved almost verbatim (which I'm not sure of).  I'm leaning towards a NO primarily for the overly-dry/fake instrumentation and robotic drums.  I won't judge based on source until I see a couple other Js chime in.

edit 11-2-21:  I'm revisiting this many months later.  I still find this mix incredibly charming and silly.  Reading through the other votes, I agree that the drums are on the loud side, as well as being simple and static as I previously mentioned, but the loudness does not seem like an issue to me.  The simple, static drum groove does in fact go with this style.  This track may not be everyone's cup of tea, as this split vote indicates, but I'm feeling like "it is what it is" and the creativity is winning the day for me.  I didn't expect this to be my ultimate vote, but here it is:

YES

 

Edited November 2, 2021 by Chimpazilla

[prophetik music]

oh my gosh this is hilarious!

this is immediately recognizable as haunted chase, at least to me, and the style is on point. the main representation is the noodle in the clarinet, the ascending chromatic pattern between the organ and clarinet, and the upward-rising flourishes in the clarinet. there's not much more in haunted castle honestly so this kind of motivic development is exactly how you'd have to arrange something like this. creepy castle starts at 0:55 i think, with some alternate rhythmic ideas thrown in. the artist alternates between them from there on out, and has a fairly standard ending.

from an execution standpoint, the instruments sound about what i'd expect. they're not particularly good but especially the clarinet is actually pretty well handled (although it doesn't sound real, that's just a limitation of most clarinet sample sets). the low brass samples aren't great (is it a sousaphone or trombone? i honestly can't tell), but again it's not the worst. the drums are probably too loud, but polka drums are extremely simple - remember that sometimes they're played as part of a one-man suit, so the complexity is minimal at best. what is represented here is on the lower end of the complexity scale for the style but it's not bad at all, although a simple fill here or there wouldn't have been bad.

i think this is great. i can see it failing on instrument quality guidelines but honestly this does a great job handling one theme and bits of another in two minutes in a creative, transformative way without making me hate it. the puppet video is hilarious too.

 

 

YES

[Liontamer]

The DK64 source is referencing 1:12 of the original from :55-1:20 of the arrangement.

The instrumentation's super fakey, yet that's clearly part of the track's charm, I agree. The core drums at :09 are definitely bothering me though; they're way louder than everything else and extremely plodding and static, which might not inherently be a big problem for the genre as prophetik pointed out, but once they arrive they just blare over the top of everything else for the rest of the track on cruise control. Both more humanization/round-robin of the core drums and pulling them back some would help the track sound less static and on auto-pilot.

I see where Chimpa's coming from on the transposing of the sources making the connections difficult to make out, but I felt things were straightforward enough. The track was 2:19-long, so I needed to make out the source for at least 69.5 seconds of the arrangement for the source tunes to be dominant.

:00-:06, :09-:30, :55.5-:1:07.5, 1:14.5-1:20, 1:24-1:46, 2:05.5-2:09 = 70 seconds

There's likely much more I'm not counting, but I'm just timing this out to illustrate that I recognized the source tunes being invoked for more than half of the arrangement's duration. Fun stuff, let's just improve the drum production & mixing.

NO (resubmit)

[Rexy]

When I first heard this in the inbox, I was blown away by your creative writing on display.  It's not easy to transfer source material into a different mode or time signature, but to do both simultaneously shows that you clearly understand the transformative part of OCR submissions to a tee.  The structure I sensed was essentially one run-through of Haunted Chase, the C section of Creepy Castle, then back into Haunted Chase with a key change - mostly simple to follow.   Sacrificing the D sections of Haunted Chase for a more original transition into E (0:31-0:41, 1:46-1:56) did cut recognisability down, but luckily not enough to tamper with source dominance.

Of course, I had been back and forth on this one based on the instrumentation.  Yes, the samples aren't brilliant, but you did make great use of articulations, particularly on your brass and strings, so that helps.  It's also a clean mix, all things considered - though  I noticed in one of my visualizers that there are no EQ cuts in the sub-frequencies.  That's a smart move, as I felt you utilized to bring the best out of your kick drum and tuba.

But talking of the drums, if there's anything that needed re-shaping before this mix goes live, it has to be that.  Brad already touched upon simplicity being a thing for polka grooves, while Larry also brought up its robotic programming and the volume compared to the other instruments.  But I also want to add that the hi-hat is absent for some reason - which is a mistake in writing for an organic setup, as a drum groove groove usually has some kind of pulse on the non-snare hand.

With the core groove being too simplified, it is unfortunately too big a dealbreaker to consider getting it on the site just yet.  I hope you've still got your project file, as it'll be fantastic if you're able to home in and articulate/humanize it.  It's also essential to add more depth to its writing, whether adding in the missing hi-hat, fills, or anything else in the depths of your imagination.  I hope you'll provide us with a newer version - if anyone has the potential to be OCR's version of Weird Al, it is you.

NO (resubmit)

[MindWanderer]

What a delightful, clever idea!  The arrangement is pretty much perfect, with the key and genre change executed exactly the way they should be.  There's no question about source usage, timestamping aside.  Which leaves the issues of realism and percussion.

Like the other judges, I'm generally willing to forgive the realism issue, though I think this would be much, much stronger with live performances or at least the illusion of them.

The drums... they should be pretty static, that's part of the genre.  And given the lack of realism of the other instruments, I don't think they need to be humanized any better.  I did some comps to actual polka music, and it's not uncommon to lack hi-hats, though most often when there are no hats, there's another layer of instrumental accompaniment to compensate.  I do agree that they are too loud.

I don't think the drums are a dealbreaker, and since they're really the only thing here that could be, this earns from me a

YES

[Emunator]

Well, this is... something!  As much as I don't consider myself a polka aficionado, this sort of off-the-wall experimentation is exactly what OCR is about and has always encouraged. The arrangement is a ton of fun, I love the fakeout intro in the proper key before taking it somewhere completely different. 

The samples are serviceable but not going to be winning anyone over in terms of realism. The fast upward runs on the clarinet and strings are noticeably unrealistic, and in my opinion, the biggest gripe I have with this track overall. It sounds like it would have felt right at home in a Nintendo 64 game, but most sample libraries should have some sort of advanced articulation or legato that would smooth those out.

I'm taking Brad's side on the drums - while they might be mixed a bit too far forward, the simplicity absolutely checks out for the genre so I'm not going to ding you for that. 

This may be delving into some subjective territory, but I don't feel like realism is necessarily a primary objective for this arrangement - polka is a naturally silly-sounding genre and the MIDI quality on the sequencing doesn't really have a huge impact on the overall product in this context. The actual mixing and production is competent and well-balanced, so at the end of the day, none of the gripes with sample quality are enough to override your incredibly creative arrangement. I'm willing to give this a pass, good luck with the rest of the vote!

EDIT 11/20/2021 - Upon further reflection, the sequencing issues are more significant than I initially acknowledged, and this really could benefit from a second pass to smooth out the humanization, sequencing on the snare drum, and reduce the dryness of the overall mix. There's so much potential here so if this doesn't end up going your way, let's make sure this one gets back to the panel as a resubmission!

NO (please resubmit!)

 

Edited November 21, 2021 by Emunator

[Gario]

This is definitely a fun interpretation of the sources - out of the criticisms that I have, arrangement and creativity ain't one of them. We don't have enough polka on OCR, and this would be a great addition in that regard. I can't really ignore the instrument quality, though; the samples really feel like samples throughout. It's not only the samples are bones dry with very little to no reverb to add depth, but more importantly everything - everything - sounds like it's playing staccato. I understand a lot of it is stylistic, but the overuse of these staccato hits really pulls the listener out of the experience. Many free samplers (Bigcat and BBC Orchestral Sampler, for example) have options for many different kinds of attacks on the instruments, so take advantage of this.

It's a great idea, but it's not quite up to par for quality. I'd love to hear this again sometime with better sampling and some more reverb, though!

NO

[DarkSim]

DKC2 has one of the most celebrated soundtracks with a rich variety of genres, however I never expected to hear a polka arrangement of Haunted Chase, of all things. Yet, here one is!
I must commend you on your interpretation and arrangement here, which is the track’s biggest strength. Transposing the key into a major one (especially after the brief intro in the original key) and choosing this genre gives the ReMix a completely new feel, whilst also echoing the original game’s fairground theme from which the source is taken. I can just imagine drunken Kremlings scrambling over each other in their lederhosen to grab a bratwurst, while this plays on a fairground organ in the background.
The addition of the DK64 source at 0:55 works really well as a B section, and shows a good knowledge of how to blend music from different composers and games together cohesively.
Unfortunately, the arrangement is being let down by overall sample quality, and lack of humanisation. It’s very noticeable during the intro for the first 6 seconds of the track - those string samples are quite exposed and don’t hold up too well on their own. The rest of the track sounds better, as more instruments are working together at a fast tempo, which serves to mask their individual shortcomings. The snare in particular is very noticeable as it sounds like it’s being played at a constant velocity throughout the track, which is unnatural. Some layering and velocity variation would help here. The clarinet and accordion also sound like their notes are being played at the same velocity, and could do with some more natural implementation. Try thinking of when a musician might take a breath, or which notes may be difficult to play at louder velocities during fast runs. Subtle sidechaining, or adding an element of randomisation to the MIDI inputs can help automate this process.
The bassier instruments such as the kick and brass sound good, and as a whole the mixing isn’t bad, so I think with the tweaks outlined above, this could pass on resub. I hope to hear a revamped version in future!

NO (resub)

[jordi]

Hello there! A first submission is always a special moment and one in which you can feel a sense of pride; hopefully the first of many. This is definitely a fun arrangement, and I think the source material works surprisingly well for Bavarian Polka. I enjoyed the major shifts you made as well, while maintaining the recognisability of the original sources. This is certainly an original take and is giving me “day at the carnival” vibes mixed with some classical elements, especially at 2:09. 

The way you’ve mixed your arrangement is satisfying enough to listen to, although the snare drum is very much in the front of the mix. I would personally lower the volume of it by about 5db, so it doesn’t become too annoying or grating by the end of the track. It may well be the style you’re going for, but I think some humanisation and variation could add to the overall quality of your arrangement. Specifically, little subtle differences in the velocity of the notes, or very slightly laying certain notes in the midi just before or after a beat. Particularly as the genre you’re going for is Bavarian Polka, despite the use of virtual instruments, it would be nice to get a bit more of a “performance” out of this, so to speak! It’s just a little touch, but it can add a whole other dimension to the sophistication of an arrangement. 

On the whole, this was a delightfully creative interpretation of the source track. With that said, I think it’s definitely worth making a few adjustments to it and resubmitting because what you’ve got here is really good! I hope you consider revisiting your submission and then resubmitting, and I look forward to hearing more of your stuff in the future.

NO (resubmit)

[XPRTNovice]

I cannot tell you how much I love this idea. We do need more polka. But the production on this needs a lot of improvement before it can pass OCR’s standards, and the arrangement, though brilliant, could use some expansion. There doesn’t seem to be any volume/velocity variation between any of the notes, which creates a flat mix that’s very much in your face, and lacks nuance. The ears fatigue quickly under that kind of pressure. The samples used don’t seem to have much articulation options, which made it so there isn’t any legato in the clarinet or any other instrument, and the drums are at a constant, loud volume. I empathize that these sorts of arrangements are EXCEEDINGLY difficult to do with samples. You have your work cut out for you here.

The solution for me when I started was to play the instrument, but that's not available for everyone. What IS available is a healthy dose of collaboration; we have a giant community of instrumentalists who are ready and eager to lend their skills to tracks. That's not always convenient or quick, so what I'd recommend is really just doing some google searching and exploring sample libraries, many of which are free, that can supply some insight. It's a question of humanization, which is hard but the resources available in modern day music making is endless and inexpensive.

All that being said – the arrangement is astounding though a touch on the short side, especially when you consider that you have two sources that you can work with. Your instrumentation is spot on, and I think it really does create the character that you want to create with it, but there are more opportunities to incorporate the sources (particularly the Kirkhope piece) into the arrangement and extend it to tell a bit more of a story. That will also help with the in-your- face issue I described before; some variations in the arrangement will give you opportunities to play with more dynamics. If you go listen to a bunch of Polka, you’ll notice that although some is high-intensity like this, it often weaves back and forth. Please, please don’t quit on this – bring this sort of goofy energy to OCR.

 

NO - RESUBMIT