OCR04796 - *YES* Golden Sun "Circles in the Sand" *PROJECT* *RESUB*

[Emunator]

Previous Decision (please reference for original comments and credits)

Project Mix - this is part of an EP directed by Lucas Guimaraes, don't post until that releases! 

TSori: The rejection of this track came with some really great feedback from the judges. It primarily focused on the electronic elements, which were new territory for me. Reading through their comments, I can see how I had fallen short of my goals with this arrangement. I realize I really didn't know what to listen for before this experience. The judges were also very encouraging of a resubmission and highlighted elements of the ReMix they thought were done well which I really appreciate. So thank you to the judges for the honest feedback and constructive criticism!

The timing of the rejection happened to fall right as I was preparing for a big cross- country move. So I knew I wasn't going to have the time (or know how) to do a resubmission justice. So I put out a call for help and to my surprise got a very fast response from none other than Emunator, who said the track had piqued his interest as it came through the panel. He was more than willing to rework the electronic elements for me. He took my original vision and, through some richly textured soundscape building, arrangement, and production, realized it at a level far surpassing what I had been able to do on the first go around. The core of arrangement and all of the live performances remained unchanged, a testament to the talents of my other collaborators, but all of the improvements on the electronic side of the house are thanks to Emunator. I'm thrilled with the final result and think it is now a far more developed and engaging track. I hope others will agree!

Emunator: I was immediately captivated by the quality and depth of live instruments featured on TSori's original submission, so when the opportunity arose to help with the resubmission, I was eager to help. The original recorded stems were so good that I left them almost entirely untouched, but the supporting percussion and synths needed a bit more life. Keeping in mind TSori's original vision and the Parov Stellar inspiration, I fleshed out the soundscape with various organic and electronic textures, percussion, and sound effects. Then I gave the entire track a mixing and mastering overhaul to help it really shine! It was a tremendously fun exercise to help produce another artist's arrangement for the first time, and it felt like a natural fit because of how close this was to the style of music I normally make anyway. I'm really grateful for the opportunity to participate in this amazing track!

[Chimpazilla]

I didn't hear the first version, but this sounds amazing.  The mixing is clean as a whistle, low end is solid and satisfying, stereo field placement is just right, every element shines in the mix.  Wes's signature percussion fits this to perfection.  I love the backing padding although for my taste on this style of track, the sidechaining is still a drop too heavy/long.  A faster release on the sidechain would be better, I think.  Wes did you sidechain any other elements but pads and bass?  A teeny sidechain (no more than 3ish db GR) on everything in the mix would make it gel just that bit better.  But that's a nitpick really, this sounds damn good.

YES

Edited November 4, 2022 by Chimpazilla

[prophetik music]

my previous vote centered around the boring backing/soundscape and lack of piece dynamics.

even just the mastering changes on this are great. i think the first minute or so with the beat still kind of sit there (although they sound great when they come in) - the drum loop is very consistent, and there's nothing really transitory said by the oud, trumpet, or vin. the break at 2:00 is nice though, and the unmuted trumpet is nice when it comes in. when everything comes back in at 2:46, that's a nice burst of intensity. i noticed the sidechained low pad here more and really liked the texture it brought to the mix.

overall though i'm still not sure about this one. i like the live performances still but do feel they're pushed to the side a bit by the (pretty loud) drum loop. there is tiers of dynamics here but no real direction in each of them - 0:46-1:57 and 2:47-4:18 are neat ideas, but they don't really do anything, nor do they carry significant enough examples of continuous melodic content to keep my ear focused on the actual notes vs. the backing parts and percs. there's some pumping imo at the very end as well that was distracting.

i'm not sure on this one yet.

 

 

?

update 11/28 - others have spoken and aren't as concerned about the volumization or lack of directive dynamics, so i'm guessing that my thoughts are probably overblown. there's a fun track here with interesting live performances, some neat percussive elements, and some great textures throughout. i'll call this a YES.

Edited November 28, 2022 by prophetik music

[DarkSim]

Quote

And here I was expecting Belinda Carlisle.

Very nice, atmospheric intro. Love the natural sounds of the cello, trumpet and especially that oud! ... There's some lovely interplay between the trumpet and oud round the 1:00-1:20 mark, and then the violin is introduced as well - another fine piece to the ensemble.

During the break, the cello and violin do a great job of 'bookending' the frequency spectrum for the trumpet to sit in the middle, doing some great soloing.

My original vote (partially quoted above) was full of praise for the live instruments, and suggested a complete overhaul of the electronic elements and percussion. The suggestions I made were pushing it towards more energy and intensity, and I'm intrigued by Emunator's choice to exercise so much restraint with the backing parts - but also glad he's honoured the original vision for the track. I don't think I would have been able to help myself! The little arp that comes in at 3:34 wasn't in the original, and is perhaps the only noticeable difference for me in terms of 'added extras'. The percussion, for its part, now melts into the background perfectly, allowing the excellent live performances room to shine.

Emunator's done a great job listening to TSori's vision for the track, and allowing that to be the star of the show. I'm really glad TSori took the feedback on board, and was able to not only come back with something that they feel is a better representation of the original idea, but also understand what it is they're looking for in future. My hat goes off to all involved!

YES

[MindWanderer]

My complaints last time were a thin soundscape due to a lack of highs, a lack of textural elements, and static percussion.  The percussion is still a little repetitive, but so was the inspiration for the track.  Everything else was improved tenfold.  This is great stuff now.

YES