*NO* Human Race "The Human Race (BeeZerk Mix)"

[Emunator]

• Your ReMixer name: BeeZerk
• Your real name: Marek Szyszkowski
• Your email address: 
• Your website: www.soundcloud.com/beezerk
• Your userid: 37531

• Name of game(s) arranged: The Human Race
• Name of arrangement: Rob Hubbard - The Human Race (BeeZerk Remix)
• Name of individual song(s) arranged: Subtune 4
• Additional information about game including composer, system, etc.: Rob Hubbard, C64

 

Edited April 22, 2022 by Liontamer
closed decision

[prophetik music]

i don't know the ost, but i recognized the theme from DHS's remix from 2005 as soon as the melody came in.

trap feel initially. the low synths next to each other are an interesting idea that i initially didn't like but got into after a bit. the plucks at 0:35 have a touch of chorus on them and sound great. the hornet that comes in with the lead at 0:52 is pretty static, really loud compared to everything else, aggressively detuned and frequency-heavy (while everything else sounds like it has a low-pass on it), and has a ton of verb when nothing else really feels like there's any room verb (even the plucks only have a touch). i really didn't care for it at all. with so many sustains, it'd be great to hear some envelope modification or LFO work on it to let it stay interesting through those sustains. when it drops out, there's more balance in the mix, and an interesting distorted arp-like synth that's got some more variation to the tone.

at 2:03 there's a very light plucked glass synth that's nice, and then a dropout around 2:17 with some pretty glassy strings. there's a recap of the plucks from 0:35 (sounds like a copy to me), and then some subtle pad work after that. the plucks come back again (very obvious it's copy-pasta at this point), and then the hornet synth is back. the backing parts drop at 4:00, but the synth stays just as loud and crushes the strings under it. there's some more of the distorted arp and a slowdown. the bass cuts out before the arp so that sounds a little unfinished.

from an arrangement perspective, there's lots of the original here. there is a lot of different synths being used, which is nice to keep it changing, but every time each synth comes in, it plays exactly what it played the last time. i like the subtractive techniques used but there needs to be some more cohesiveness and uniqueness between the sections, and especially some volumization for each time a part comes back. volumes are all over the place. also the end really just sorta dies - there's an abrupt tempo change, and then instruments end at different times in a fashion that doesn't feel intentional. i'd want that to be more cohesive as well. more importantly, this song is three minutes of music stretched out to four and a half. there's a lot of repetition that doesn't feel intentional but rather rote. i think there's a few sections that could definitely be trimmed without removing the overall intentionality of the tempo and beat.

from a technical perspective, i commented a lot already on how all over the place the volumes are. i think there needs to be a bit of a boost in the high-band for all the instruments except the strings and that hornet lead. everything is very dark and mushy, which unfortunately means that some of the really neat synths don't get as much time to shine.

aside from the lead being so loud and difficult to listen to, most of what i'm complaining about are smaller issues. they add up to a track that feels like it needs some more workshopping before it's ready. i really like the idea you've got here - i'd just love to see it realized in a more full fashion, without the extra repeated stuff and with more personalization.

 

 

NO

[MindWanderer]

I was a bit concerned with that opening, primitive bass, but then the rich pads come in, and the high-reverb leads and punctuation fill out the soundscape.

I'm honestly not hearing any of the issues proph complained about.  The "hornet" lead sounds fine to me, and while slightly loud, I can hear all the other parts clearly through it.  Sure, the same lines are being played by the same instruments each time, they appear, but it's always in different combinations.  There aren't any sections repeated without something significant added, removed, or swapped.  No section is long enough that the sounds start to wear out their welcome.  The ending feels deliberate to me.

So yeah, hard disagree from me.  This does a lot with a little, and IMO it's a great illustration of how you don't have to do anything fancy to make a great remix.

YES

[XPRTNovice]

Okay, okay! 

I really dig the feel of this, a lot. It's chill, but hard-hitting. A nice mix of tones, well balanced, well mixed. The arrangement is straight-ahead, but still moves through different parts of a story while keeping things interesting, varied, and tight. I really don't have a whole lot to say about this one, but I will jump on the idea here that Prophetik mentioned about the leads doing some damage to the overall story of the mix.

The lead that comes in at :58 is too wet for me, it muddies the excellent soundscape you have going on, and I think could probably benefit from less reverb to keep the rest of it gelling nicely. I reached for the volume knob pretty fast because it was just too much BUT I LOVE the contrast of how wet it is vs the rest of it. It's just too heavy on the one side of the scale for that brief moment. You can still achieve that wonderful sense of relief when the lead dissipates with less. 

The lead that comes in at about 4:00 needs to be pulled back just slightly in my opinion - it's a very small adjustment, but it was distracting when it came out and I think you're so well tuned-in to the rest of the mix that you want to keep that vibe going ad smoothly as you can. 

I didn't have any issues with the repetition in this one because there were layers to it all, and the source itself is pretty minimalistic. I think this is a great interpretation of it. 

The disintegrating ending was also really great

Nice job! 

YES

[Liontamer]

Opening synths and beats sounded kind of generic, but have a solid sound, with good delay effects to create a nice texture and and density to the soundscape. I liked the soft original countermelodic stuff going on underneath the melody as soon as that started (you finally hear it isolated from 1:44-2:00). The ticks & glitching stuff supplementing the beats was a touch that subtly created complexity around some pretty simple percussion.

Oof, the string articulations and sustains from 2:17-2:51 sounded brutal and beginner-ish; man, why??? :'-( Need some additional or different effects on there to help mask the fakeness of the sound. There's a pretty obvious quality disparity, and one that's harder for me to look past.

With such a texturally thin C64 source, putting some meat onto the instrumentation and adding original composition ideas goes a long way in presenting it in a different way. I agreed with MindWanderer and XPRTNovice about the strengths of this arrangement and how it evolved & didn't feel overlong; props for being able to do that in a pretty low-key and understated way.

I'm going to be the bad guy; I'd love/need to get an updated version with non-shitty string samples. I asked myself, can I live with that part not being addressed if it weren't possible, and my honest, nitpicky-yet-sincere answer is NO, so I'd love to hear a resubmission or adjustment to this so that I could vote YES. Strong stuff otherwise, Marek!

[DarkSim]

Trap beat intro, leading into some saw plucks at 0:35, sets the scene nicely. Percussion balance sounds slightly right-biased, and the fast rolls could do with being cleaner.

The lead at 0:52 is sublime. Sounds like 2 oscillators running a saw and a narrow pulse at the same time, with some layering, reverb, and delicious delay. Great sound design on that. I love the boldness to go for such a dominant lead, although it does overpower some of the percussion.

After the lead melody line, there’s some really nice automation work on the following plucked synth. You’re pushing the resonance until it distorts, then reining it back in, which is a cool trick. I’ll have to try that myself!

1:43-2:00 it’s a break with the trap beat and a new bell pluck, 2:00-2:17 more bell pluck and layered bass, leading into a break which reprises the plucked synth and pattern from the intro. I like that you cut out the trap beat here, as it was starting to get noticeably repetitive. When it comes back in at 2:52, it’s a shame there isn’t more variation, and then 3:25-4:17 is essentially copy-pasted from earlier.

I can see why this has split the vote. The atmosphere and sound design is very good, but what lets it down is the arrangement. You’ve got a fantastic lead sound, with some really nice pitchbending, but the entire section has been copy-pasted, so even the pitchbends are the same (and listening to the source, they are evident there too - second time around, try adding something more original to the lead line). The trap percussion could be mixed better, but I’m willing to overlook some minor flaws there. The repetition though is harder to look past. If you’re going to copy and paste sections, there has to be a point of difference to hold the listener’s interest. You had me rapt for 2 minutes, but then by the end, I felt like it was starting to drag on.

I’m so torn on my own vote here, because there is a lot that I love about this track. The repetition though is ultimately a dealbreaker for me. I’d like to hear more variation in the second half of the piece. I really hope you revisit this one and put more of your own stamp on it - it’s almost there!

NO (resubmit)

[Chimpazilla]

What a cool unique approach to this track!  I love it as a trap beat.  I love the blend of sounds used here, and the bendy lead is excellent.  There's a lot to love about this mix. It's not quite there for me though for a couple of reasons.  The parts used are copy/pasted exactly in the first and second half, although they are not all playing at the same times, they are layered in different ways.  This counts as variation, but just barely, because by the end it feels very repetitive.  The trap beat having no variation throughout the track adds to the repetitiveness, something as simple as adding a shaker loop or changing the trap hat loop to something new as the arrangement moves along would help break it up.  I don't have the problem with the strings that Larry has, I think they sound fine in this palette. 

(personal opinion incoming) I think the entire track would groove so much better if you would sidechain the kick to the various elements, in differing amounts.  Sidechaining isn't always just a pumpy effect, it can be used as a mixing tactic to mesh things together.  For example, I sidechain every element in my tracks, all with a quick attack and release, 2:1 ratio.  Bass gets the heaviest (10-12db of gain reduction), pads get almost that much, backing plucks I give around 6db of gain reduction, and leads and even perc loops I give 1-3db of gain reduction (too subtle to notice, but cleans up the mixing quite a bit).  If you try this, I can almost guarantee the whole thing is going to sound more cohesive.  As it is now, the elements compete for attention when everything is playing and I can barely hear the kick or bass when it's all full, and sometimes I feel like the leads are just riding on top of the soundscape instead of fitting into it.  I would love to hear this again with some better sidechaining done, but even if you don't, it needs some of the copy/pasta writing to be varied between the first and second repetitions.  I do hope to hear this again soon though, it's really not that far from passing and it's an enjoyable listen!

NO (please resubmit)

[Sir_NutS]

Interesting idea, but I don't think it works that well.  The trap beat is an interesting choice but it lacks power and catchiness, I'm just not vibing with it, and it doesn't have that much detailing either.

The arrangement reuses sections and verses a lot, but there's some layering and sometimes modulation to try and keep things varied.  I feel the instruments are pleasing to listen to but also are a bit simplistic and lack details.  The strings machine at 2:17 has a nice sustained texture but man that envelope is really rigid.  A lot of times, the track sits on just a couple elements (beats+bass, or bass + strings i.e.) for too long and the elements not being that complex or interesting, it feels like it's dragging for no good reason.  The balance is a bit off, some leads are a tad loud but honestly IMO the best thing about this song are the leads and how they're utilized, even that sweet filtering modulation towards the very end was pretty cool.

SO I think there are good things here, but many nitpicks.  I have been listening trying to decide if all the nitpicks drag the whole thing down... and I think they do.  I think the track feels a bit uninteresting for longs period of time, there are some issues with balance, and a repetition of the arrangement without much new to offer on the second time around.  This is close, very close, but I'll have to ask for a more refined version.

NO (resubmit)

Edited April 22, 2022 by Sir_NutS