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*NO* Super Mario World "Super Head Bangers for Bowser"


Emunator
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Remixer: masterXAE
Name: Xavier Roberson
Email: 
USER ID:38108
 
Super Mario World
"Super Head Bangers for Bowser"
Super Mario World Bowser Castle Theme
 
I created this using Logic Pro X.  Entries from my Splice account for the Beats and vocal hits.  I played the musical parts using my Keylab 88 Arturia, Arturia sounds for piano and synths, Alchemy synths for wobble, East West for choir, and a couple Cableguy plugins for effects. Then ended with Ozone for the mix.
 
I was inspired because I love video game music, and I am dramatic in music composition.
 
Thanks for all you do, and allowing me to make this submission.
 
Xavier Roberson
 
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The mixing definitely has some messiness to it and there's some awkward chops/glitches throughout, but this is definitely deserving of some good panel feedback - it features a lot of really cool sound design and a more liberal take on the classic Castle theme. Not sure if this really has enough source to even pass the bar, but I think the artist could benefit from some in-depth feedback, since there's a lot of promise here. @Chimpazilla I feel like you would be well-equipped to evaluate this track :)

Edited by Emunator
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Batsignaled... ok I'm here!  Listening.  I LOVE the concept here, omg it's great.  Fun beat. The squelchy bits are awesome.  I really love all the sounds used, and the glitching is cool.  Bassline is solid, I love the pitch drops.  The beat does get repetitive after awhile but there are so many unique things going on that it isn't a problem.  There is a ton of ear candy and creativity all throughout the track.  The arrangement is fairly liberal although I feel like there is plenty of source here, with many variations of the melody line and chord structure.  

But... the mixing is tanking this.  Every element is blasting me at the same volume and in the same frequency.  There are so many awesome elements but none of them ever gets to shine, they are all competing.  I should be hearing a lead stand out at some point, and growls standing out at other points, but as it stands everything is the same volume.  I don't hear any (or enough) sidechaining which is a shame because this arrangement could really be grooving.  A track like this without sidechaining has such an awkward feel.  I want to bob my head but I feel like the instruments aren't bobbing their heads!  The drums should be punching through so hard but most of the time they are buried under the wall of sound. The entire mix also needs EQ treatment, most especially removing lows from anything that isn't kick or bass.  When you try to mix and master a track where everything has low-end content, your compressors are going to be working overtime, especially when the kick hits, which leads to an overcompressed too-loud mix.  This mix hits -5db RMS at its loudest point which is insanely loud.  The mix is fatiguing to listen to.  Also, some of the vocal clips, most notably Mario's "hoo" is painfully dry and sticks out of the soundscape uncomfortably.  Final gripe is fadeout ending.  While not technically an OCR dealbreaker, I am always disappointed by a fadeout when a proper outro to wrap up the ideas and drop the listener off at the curb would be so much better.

So to summarize, the track needs a mixing overhaul.  Start with rebalancing the volumes so things aren't all playing at equal loudness.  Do some EQ work so there are no stray lows playing in any element that doesn't belong down at the bottom.  When you do this, don't cut frequency enough to change the character of the sound, just make sure nothing is playing that doesn't need to be.  Experiment with some sidechaining.  In my mixes I sidechain everything, in varying amounts.  This will make the track groove and breathe.  Finally, you can make those vocal clips fit in better by lowering their volume and giving them a good amount of reverb.  Ping-pong delay is also fun to do with vocal clips for emphasis (just don't do it on every one of them).

That all may sound negative but I really dig this arrangement!  This is the kind of track I personally love to mix.  If you want help with this, I'd be glad to help, just let me know.

NO (please resubmit)

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  • Chimpazilla changed the title to 2022/03/18 - (1N) Super Mario World "Super Head Bangers for Bowser"
  • 1 month later...

I agree with a lot of Kris's opinions, but not all of them.

I don't think the mixing is that bad.  I can hear all the parts, although the lows and highs are underused.  I also don't think sidechaining is necessary by any means---it can be used to emphasize a beat, but having a strong beat isn't mandatory.  And this particular fade-out ending works for me.

I do agree that some parts could stand to be quieter, notably the piano, and the growl could be used more judiciously at times: it's super loud at 0:45-1:10, for instance, and it's off the chain loud in 4:00-5:00.  There's just too much growl going on there.  I also agree that the Mario voice effects are so clean that they really pop out in a bad way.

5:00-5:35 also has some crackling sounds that sound like a rendering artifact.  You're not clipping, but this part sounds like it is.

So I don't think the mixing is "tanking" this per se, but I also don't think it's up to our standards.  It does need some EQ and balancing work to not be so overwhelming.

NO (resubmit)

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  • MindWanderer changed the title to 2022/03/18 - (2N) Super Mario World "Super Head Bangers for Bowser"
  • 2 weeks later...

Wow, where do I start with this epic track! There's a lot to digest here, and some great feedback from Kris already, but as I listened without reading the other J's feedback, I'll give my initial thoughts.

First off, I was really impressed for the first 45 seconds or so. The mood was dark, brooding, loved the sound design and atmosphere, and was excited to see where it would go. As the track progressed, however, it felt more and more like you had built this great foundation, but everything else was tacked on, never really having its moment to shine. There are tons of effects employed, but none of them feel particularly naturally implemented. The transition at 1:45-1:49 with the stuttering is one example of this. Forgive me if this isn't the case, but it feels like you're still learning a lot of the tools you have at your disposal, and your production hasn't caught up with your ambitions just yet. That's not a bad thing! You should always be pushing yourself to learn and improve, and OCR is definitely the right place to do that. I'll bullet point some areas that I think you should definitely focus on for the fastest improvement:

  • Mixing - Kris made some great points earlier. Give elements room to breathe in the mix, and avoid crowding the same frequencies, particularly in the low end
  • Dynamics - Your track is 6 and a half minutes long, but the energy levels are high throughout. Give the listener a break! It does wonders for the flow of a track, and helps you as a producer highlight the areas you want the listener to pay particular attention to.
  • Transitions - Part of a good arrangement is moving between sections smoothly and logically. If you're using stutter or glitching effects, make sure that they're not too jarring, and there's a reason you're using them. Would the transition sound better without them?
  • Drops (for this genre) - Typically these will be the high points of your track. Make sure they're memorable and worth the wait. This links back to dynamics, but you want maximum impact after a drop. Don't reveal all your tricks before these! The final drop at 5:36 is the best of the lot, but it has a Mario sample that sounds like it's been chopped out early, which dampens the impact. There's also the distorted vocal sample beforehand that possibly makes the Mario sample unnecessary. See previous point.
  • Length - Make sure you're not outstaying your welcome with the track length. I know it's tempting to loop another 4 or 8 bars if you're really pleased with how something sounds, but don't worry - that's what the repeat button is for! Try and distil all your best ideas, and be ruthless with things that aren't necessary. I'm sure that even with a couple of minutes trimmed off this, it would still sound awesome, and you wouldn't miss the cut parts.

I can tell you're bursting with ideas for this one, but I think it still needs a lot of work to get where it deserves to be. I'd love to pass this one in some form in future, but for now it's a

NO

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  • DarkSim changed the title to 2022/03/18 - (3N) Super Mario World "Super Head Bangers for Bowser"
  • Liontamer changed the title to *NO* Super Mario World "Super Head Bangers for Bowser"
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