Liontamer Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 (edited) Hello, this is Audiomancer, and this is my attempt to remix one of the tunes from Top Gear for the NES. As far as I can tell, I don't see an official name for the original tune, but my remix is titled "Speed Demon". I created it on FL studio mobile. Thanks for the consideration ahead of time! Remix Link Original Top Gear - Track 1 (Super Nintendo) Edited July 14, 2023 by Liontamer closed decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted June 7, 2023 Share Posted June 7, 2023 Cool arrangement of an awesome track I've never heard before. Thanks for that. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if it's a limitation of FL Mobile or what, but production here needs a fair bit of work. The bass and kicks are super loud, to the point where the kicks are pumping, and the distorting way, not the nice sidechaining way. The entire soundscape is muddy and mid-heavy, very light in the highs. The synths are also pretty vanilla, making the whole thing sound like a remix from 15-20 years ago. Again, not sure how much you can do with FL Mobile, but I don't think it's working for you here. There's some sort of percussive synth that starts at 0:49 that sounds like Link from Zelda 1 taking damage, which I find hilariously out of place. This is fun to listen to, but you may need to port the project or MIDI over to a desktop DAW to do the finishing touches. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted July 3, 2023 Share Posted July 3, 2023 this is a great original! what a fun track. started off bland and got fun quick. this is mastered hot right off the bat. when the lead comes in, i can't really hear anything. there's a lot needed in the mastering department - there is desperate need for EQing in the fundamentals right when at 0:14. there's so much content so loud right in the 60-100hz range that it sounds like total mud.to be clear - i like the stuttering bass, i think the wall pads sound good, and i like the beefy kick, there just is too much all in the same place. a clear example of what this should be more like is at 0:35 when the leads are higher up and suddenly the mix has room to breathe. layering in a lower lead alongside a bass synth and a fat kick with a lot of treble content is a recipe for mud, and that's what that first section sounds like. many of the synths sound like drop-in options - that is, there's little manipulation to the envelope or to what they're playing to make them sound like your synths, vs. just default sounds. i think there's definitely room for a lot more attention to what your leads are playing as well as how they're playing it. adding in movement to the sounds over time, being more active with when notes end vs. just when they begin, and being more attentive to dynamics from note to note will help a lot with emphasizing what you're hoping for. there's a neat little break and build at 1:31, but starting at 2:05 to the end, there's too much going on and it's hard to hear again. there's some neat ideas here for sure! i think this needs more attention to detail. the mastering elements need more focus and the synth work needs more intentionality. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted July 14, 2023 Author Share Posted July 14, 2023 OK, grabbed my attention with an original intro that wasn't connected to the source; since the source has such a signature opening, I was expecting it, so just noting it was a pleasent surprise. Warbling synth sounded generic, but the overall opening texture had power, even if it was missing clarity/sharpness, and it was a solid groove to start. Nice touch of original writing at :12 before bringing in the source melody. Arranged melody arrived at :15 with some basic but effective tweaks to the notes, buuuut the soundscape's muddy and lacks clarity/higher frequencies. There's a background synth that functions kind of like a pad, but I could barely hear it; would it be impossible to allow that to come through more? That main snap to the beat right at the start that plays at every measure, you've gotta vary the timing of that sound, because it's making the core of this sound plodding and basic. It's fine for the intro, but once you move into the meat of the track, even just altering that snap on the 3rd and/or 4th beat, or 1st and 3rd beat, would lend some variety. Right now, it undercuts the groove you're aiming to establish with the rest of the writing. The synth starting the chorus from :29-:35 was bland and could be changed to have more contrast with the tone of the lead part before it. I did enjoy the changes in the lead at :35 and :39; cool tradeoff idea. IMO, the beats have basic writing with a solid sound, but they're too loud compared to everything else. Another different lead at :49 that I didn't like, paired with some bass wobbles. Better lead choices at 1:03 and 1:17. There's a bassline/countermelody that was pulled back from 1:17-1:30, which was too much and made the track feel empty. The groove from 1:03-1:30, including the bass writing, feels longer and more plodding than it should; because the timing feels very locked to grid, the writing needs to be more varied and sophisticated to retain interest, otherwise, the loop quickly gets bland and tiring. Nice dropoff at 1:30. Damn, same groove back again at 1:37, but then some niiiiiiiiiiiice synth soloing from 1:44-1:58. Man... where was this kind of stuff ANYWHERE else? THAT was fresh as hell, and had a live/played-in feel instead of feeling locked to grid. Yet it didn't even last 15 seconds. If you can get your sequencing to sound more organic and flowing like that, you'd be absolutely killing it. It'll sound like I'm saying you're not capable of meeting today's standard. Having been a fan here since 2002, this track, as is, would have been accepted here in 2000-2002 when the bar was lower, and it would have been looked at very fondly. When I say that, there's transformation and creativity behind the arrangement, and the production isn't the best, but it's also not bad; despite my criticisms about parts plodding or feeling rigid/locked to grid, it does have a lot of character to it, so you're moving well in the right direction. That said, sometimes prophetik drops lines that are just so quoteable and so on point: "many of the synths sound like drop-in options - that is, there's little manipulation to the envelope or to what they're playing to make them sound like your synths, vs. just default sounds." Bingo. Personalize the production of the default-y sounds however you can, spice up the core beat pattern, restore the missing higher freqs, and get some more organic sounding timing involved as well. Really promising stuff, Eric. I'm unsure if you can spruce up this specific piece past the bar, but as long as you continue your journey and stay curious as you make more music, you'll get to where you want to be in time. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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