Moonsong (Cave Story) - Synthwave

[Thirdkoopa]

Synthwave!

Track: 

 

Edited June 6, 2023 by Thirdkoopa

[Hemophiliac]

Evaluation:

I'm getting early 2000s trance vibes as well as some semi-synthwave vibes as well.  1:55 the half-time is cool for a brief moment before getting back to the same vibe.  Good way to break up the rhythm.  Countermelodies are good throughout.  Usage of the source is clear and I see how it translates to a synthwave vibe well.

From 0:00 to 0:22 it does feel like a synthwave bass.  After 0:23 when the percussion comes in, it feels more like trance with a sorta analog-fm-esque bass instrument.  Consider using a different bass synth or changing the drum pattern to be more trance-like or more synthwave-like.

Background synth pad could be fuller.  Sounds like a filter automating swells on it, but the frequency of the high pass is very high making it sound paper thin.  Also around 1:49 it's a bit weird to filter automate the melody, you momentarily lose a note here and it feels awkward.

Structurally we are taken on a journey from start to end.  Melodically we are given more continuous flow and very little break in the phrasing at all.  Even trading off the melody to another instrument can help break that up as well.   Production on the bass and percussion needs improvement as well (clarity/compression/eq).  They should work together and not fight each other.  For now, I'm returning this to WIP.  Let me know if you have any questions.

[Hemophiliac]

[This is an automatically generated message]

I've reviewed your remix and have returned it to Work-in-Progress status, indicating that I think there are some things you still need to work on. After you work on your track and feel that it's ready for submission to OCR, please change the prefix back to Ready for Review and someone will review it again. Good luck!

[MatsuHiroshi]

Hey! I don't know if you're still looking for feedback, but I wanted to come on and say I really like this source song and your interpretation brought something new to it that I hadn't heard before, so thank you for that. 

About the only constructive thing I could add to the review above is that I found myself expecting the bass line to be more varied, maybe jumping up an octave in some places or playing a higher note from the chord. But I'm very much a novice myself so I'm not sure how helpful that is. I enjoyed the song either way!

[Thirdkoopa]

https://on.soundcloud.com/LyZm8 updated version @Hemophiliac

[Thirdkoopa]

https://on.soundcloud.com/b8hu7 updated version. Think it's getting close to final

[timaeus222]

Cool source tune, actually. I can see there being 3 distinct sections in the original, very remixable. Not sure if you wanted an official mod review here, but I'll just give my general feedback.

Arrangement

There's a good semblance of structure here. As far as implied dynamics go, it's in a good spot. My main concerns would be in the production aspect.

Production/Mixing

I would focus on addressing the drums throughout. To me they seem like placeholder samples before you put in the actual ones.

- The first moment where the drums are iffy is 1:04 - 1:15; you are using the same drum sounds here as in the main sections, whereas the dynamics here are meant to be lower. I'd swap these drums out for something more distant with a longer reverb tail.

- At 1:15 and in similar spots, I thought there would be a cymbal to mark a major transition. That would do a lot by itself.

- The snare rolls tended to have similar velocities, such as at 1:40, 2:47, and other major transitions. Try varying the velocities so that they sound like rolls (alternating intensities), as opposed to just maximally hitting the snare. It's very apparent at 3:04 where the military-like rhythm doesn't make too much sense unless you actually used an orchestral snare

---

Basically, what I've just said above boils down to:

- treat the drums with more TLC by addressing their mechanical rhythm and intensities

- take the time to choose more drum samples that are more appropriate for the implied dynamics of a given section

- mark your transitions a bit more clearly with cymbals

 

 

Edited June 22, 2023 by timaeus222

[Thirdkoopa]

14 hours ago, timaeus222 said:

Cool source tune, actually. I can see there being 3 distinct sections in the original, very remixable. Not sure if you wanted an official mod review here, but I'll just give my general feedback.

Arrangement

There's a good semblance of structure here. As far as implied dynamics go, it's a good spot. My main concerns would be in the production aspect.

Production/Mixing

I would focus on addressing the drums throughout. To me they seem like placeholder samples before you put in the actual ones.

- The first moment where the drums are iffy is 1:04 - 1:15; you are using the same drum sounds here as in the main sections, whereas the dynamics here are meant to be lower. I'd swap these drums out for something more distant with a longer reverb tail.

- At 1:15 and in similar spots, I thought there would be a cymbal to mark a major transition. That would do a lot by itself.

- The snare rolls tended to have similar velocities, such as at 1:40, 2:47, and other major transitions. Try varying the velocities so that they sound like rolls (alternating intensities), as opposed to just maximally hitting the snare. It's very apparent at 3:04 where the military-like rhythm doesn't make too much sense unless you actually used an orchestral snare

---

Basically, what I've just said above boils down to:

- treat the drums with more TLC by addressing their mechanical rhythm and intensities

- take the time to choose more drum samples that are more appropriate for the implied dynamics of a given section

- mark your transitions a bit more clearly with cymbals

 

 

I really appreciate the feedback! @Hemophiliac knows I've been workshopping this one. I'll work towards having a version ready to review again.