OCR01611 - *YES* Super Mario 64 'Devastation's Doorway'

[Liontamer]

Hi, here's a mix that doesn't incorporate the bond theme, so maybe I'll have a bit more of a chance with this one. It was loosely inspired by zircon's recent Monstrous Turtles track and my intent to create a rock based mix.

Mixer name: Miszou

Real name: Greg Michalec

E-mail: greg@silverlinestudios.net

Website: www.silverlinestudios.net, www.soundclick.com/silverlineproductions

Game: Super Mario 64

Themes used: Road to Bowser, Bowser's Theme

Thanks,

greg

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http://www.zophar.net/usf/sm64usf.rar - 29 "Koopa's Road" & 30 "Koopa's Theme"

Cool opening. Picked up at :09 with some interesting sounds although it already sounded a bit on the loud side during the buildup, making me anticipate something way too loud once everything kicked in. And indeed at :34, everything's way too loud.

Arrangement was fairly conservative to start, but I definitely see some of the "Monstrous Turtles!" influence in your approach. Very personalized. Going back to criticism, the first thing I noticed aside from the volume was that the electric guitar work was muddying up the soundfield and making all the other sounds around it very indistinct. I like your textures on the whole, you just need better separation of the parts so everything sounds cleaner.

The drum work could be more interesting as well during the verses. The snappy snare dominates everything too much, but aside from some cymbal crashes as well I can't hear much else going on with the perc writing due to the crowding out effect from other sounds.

Nice changeup at 1:26 once that beautiful stuff came in at 1:33. My reaction in #judges...

<Liontamer> ooh

<Liontamer> this is promising

<Liontamer> this guy's gonna get posted eventually, this is very promising

<Liontamer> might not be with this one, but he's got a good grasp of the fundamentals

Some of the writing is awkward (bowed string from 1:42-1:56 possibly doesn't quite resolve right), but you've got some good attention to dynamics, as well as creative concepts on how to integrate original writing within the arrangement.

2:32 going back into the meat of the arrangement, just the same issues about overall volume as well as needing better separation. Minor crit: the ending at 3:24 was really cheesy and didn't seem to even fit the mood of the rest of the song, particularly the bell and vox 3:32. Too seemingly uplifting and trite, it really sounds out of place.

You got a lot of the core concepts we're looking for down, Greg. You've just gotta tighten the bolts in this bitch. Get the rest of the crits from the panel, then refine the production, bro. Looking forward to seeing this one again.

NO (refine/resubmit)

[JJT]

this is very enjoyable. the more i listen to it, the more i like it. there's enough originality on the arrangement end to keep this interesting, and lots of tasty production twists (filters, etc) that add color to overall presentation of the mix.

things get really, really cluttered in the mid frequencies, though. the synths really need a lot more room to breathe, so to speak. there are also some sections (1:15) where the mids are screaming but the low-end is a bit neglected.

with all this taken into account, i'm gonna place this sub on the sunny side of the bar. alliteration for the win.

BORDERLINE YES

[Jillian Aversa]

Very nice arrangement! I agree that the mid frequencies sound cluttered... and the percussion could use some more boom in the bass, too. But as much as I would like to hear a version with some more polished production, I think this is already easily passable. Similar to DrumUltimA's 'Moon Rhapsody', for example, the quality of the reinterpretation here really carries the mix. I can hear everything I need to hear - just not at the kind of level I'd expect from a professional. Then again, this is an amateur music community.

I look forward to your future submissions. Don't be afraid to ask for production tips along the way.

YES

[zircon]

Influenced by Monstrous Turtles!? Cool... well, I won't let that bias me. Hopefully.

I really like the sound overall. From the badass rhythms, to the orchestral bits (pizzicato strings, YES), guitar, etc... everything fits well. 2:14 was REALLY cool rhythmically. Damn. Better than anything I had in Monstrous Turtles, anyway.

The main production problem is the EQ work. Too much mid-high stuff, which crowds that range and makes it grating. That's a little ununsual, actually, since most people have muddy lows. In fact, I think you could even BOOST the low end more overall with some pad drones or a louder bass instrument. Either way, definitely cut down and filter some of those high instruments so it's not cluttered in the high ranges.

Arrangement is great. I love the interpretation and structure. No problems whatsoever there.

ASIDE from the EQ issue, I think this is a fairly easy pass. Yeah, there are a couple awkward harmonies here and there but nothing that would change my vote significantly. However, the grating high end is such that I don't think it's passable right now. I am going to vote conditional YES - just redo the mixing/EQ to correct the frequency balance and this is ready to go.

YES (CONDITIONAL)

[Malcos]

I like the arrangement and particularly the energy level here. The drums are particularly good. However, as the other judges have already said, the high mid frequencies are over emphasised. Perhaps the remixer wanted to make things sound as loud as possible - however, here it detracts from the overall impact somewhat, and the low end could do with a boost. It doesn't have to be this loud, you can sacrifice some volume for a more balanced sound. I'm with most of the panel in that I say this is a conditional pass, provided we get a better eq'ed version.

YES(Conditional)

[Liontamer]

After mailing Greg about the production criticism, Greg hooked it up with a new version that sounds sleeker, like ze majestic puma. Thanks for taking another look at this, Greg.

Hello, I addressed the concerns noted in the email I received from the panel, and here is my resubmitted track.

Remixer name: Audix (note the change from Miszou)

Real name: Greg Michalec

Email: greg@silverlinestudios.net

Website: www.silverlinestudios.net

Game remixed: Super Mario 64

Songs remixed: Road to Bowser, Bowser's theme

To reiterate my previous post, this track was loosely inspired by Zircon's Monstrous Turtles track and my intent to create an "epic" rockout orchestral/electronic track.

Link:

Thanks,

Greg