OCR04326 - *YES* Donkey Kong Country 2 & Donkey Kong 64 "Bavarian Kackle" *RESUB*

[Emunator]

Previous Decision

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: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA-uoTWmY4U

                        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pBqgeBvO44

 

Comments: Even though it was rejected on the first pass, the overwhelming support from the Judges to resubmit was very encouraging. The arrangement is 90% the same with a few minor tweaks, and a complete drum overhaul thanks to the awesome Ridley Snipes! We collaborated to give new life into this polka performed by dead Kremlings.

 

Here's what he had to say:

 

Trevor (Ridley Snipes): Howdy! I'm glad Chris went to recruit some help from the discord server because this sure was fun to work on. I could tell the arrangement had good bones but just needed some finessing on the production side. Props to him for cohesively transposing these dark themes into major! I was originally going to just help out with drums, but that quickly steamrolled into the rest of the track. We both agreed early on to keep as many of the original instruments as possible, to preserve the goofy midi-carnival aesthetic. So outside of the kit drums and a few supplemental parts, there really isn't that much "new" content compared to the original. All the rest of the work just went into sculpting the existing midi performances and dropping them into a new clean mix!

 

Overall I hope you find this mix to be a big improvement over the previous version. See you next Kroctoberfest!

 

Remixers:

 

Main Remixer Name: General Grunt

Real Name: Chris Addolorato

Email: 

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

Forum ID: 16156

 

Additional Remixer Name: Ridley Snipes

Real Name: Trevor Burch

Forum ID: 17937

 

Thank you and fingers crossed!

 

~Chris

 

[Emunator]

I am SO glad this made its way back to us! I was on the fence about being willing to pass this in its initial form, but hearing this new version in comparison, I'm glad the vote went the way that it did. The drums are so much more nuanced and full of life here, the mixing is much cleaner and less harsh on the ears, and you did it all without sacrificing any of the whimsy and General MIDI magic that made the original version so fun in the first place. Y'all did some fine work here!

My only complaint is that the new master is comparatively quiet - it sounds like this was mastered for streaming, so I find myself having to crank the volume up to get it to sound comparable to the first submission. It'd be awesome to have a version that's specifically mastered for CD levels to match the bulk of the OCR catalog, but that's just a "nice-to-have" ? 

YES

Edited March 27, 2022 by Emunator

[Liontamer]

Negatives first: I feel the drumming doesn't always have synergy with the other instrumentation and should also be pulled back. The opening with the dull-to-sharp transition from :07-:09 didn't work as intended; it seemed too fast/sudden. Regardless, the overall lift here is impossible to deny. More dynamic and more cohesive for sure. Nice work, gents!

YES

[MindWanderer]

I was a borderline YES on this the first time around, so it's an easy vote for me.  I don't totally care for the mushy lo-fi intro, but otherwise this is a rubber stamp.

YES

[DarkSim]

What a difference another pass can make! I have a lot of respect for artists who wait for a long time and receive a NO (resub) vote, but then take the comments on board, learn from the experience, and come back stronger. Pretty much every criticism I had the first time round has been addressed, and there are some superb flourishes that have been added. The percussion is much more alive now, and there's a cool triplet section at 1:25 that wasn't in the original. Production is clean and cohesive, if a little quiet, but it's simply a joy to listen to. Awesome job, both of you!

I'm not sold on the intro, as it feels a little out of place with the rest of the track, but it gives me great pleasure to say

YES