Liontamer Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 # Brian Best # brianbest1982@hotmail.com # http://www.myspace.com/brianbestmusic # Bubble Bobble (NES, Arcade) # Remixed - the main theme Hey, guys. It's the saxophone player again. We just opened up our new production studio in Houston, and I've been playing around with our software and all of the mixing and mastering equipment in it. I'm so excited I could pee. I've missed out on a few days of work because I caught the crap that's been going around in our wind ensemble at school, so I decided that I'd have a little fun... When I'm not gigging or playing my saxophone, I'm typically working on my electric style. I've been inspired by the remixes of Judge Jules and DJ Oscar as of late, who are pretty notorious for using a lot of spontaneous triplet patterns in a lot of their mixes. Judge Jules's music is noisy, full of base, and just downright cool. DJ Oscar's music is hip and very danceable. I wanted to make something that combined the two styles into a game of my choice... Bubble Bobble is so my favorite game of all time that I didn't even need the original song to remind me of its melodic structure (if you can say it had any). By level 40, you were ready to mute the damn TV because the song was soooo repetitive, but hey. We still loved it, and we played it. Cause nobody does it more hardcore than Bub. Where most people generally need illegal substances to have a good time, ...no. Not Bub. He's got bubbles. If someone's giving him crap on the dance floor, all he's gotta do is burp up a bubble and throw it at him. Yeah, it's that easy. ...don't be jealous... .........anyways, it's hard to remix such a cutesy-repetitive melody and make it all trancy/electric/danceable. But, I think that I did it okay. In the short amount of time it took me to produce this, I was able to include a lot of very cool things. One that I'm most proud of is my extreme contrast in the middle where it jumps into a cool, noisy bass line that recapitulates the bass line at the beginning. It's like Bub walked into Club Space or something... which is why I called it that. All kidding aside, this is a total change from what I normally do. However, if you're interested in hearing more of what I've been doing, just let me know. I'm pretty sure that this track won't be up to par with how you guys judge and everything... but at least I gave it one more shot and let you hear how I roll with it up in here. So, here you go. It's mixed, mastered, loud, noisy, fun, trance, Bubble Bobble... yeah, can't ask for much more than that. Brian Best. cloudtigerbb - AIM, Yahoo! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.zophar.net/nsf/bubbob.zip - Track 1 In terms of synth design, this is right up there with the old material, but that's it. The sounds just sound generic like they're merely out of the box, and those flimsy, ultra-generic drumloops and claps get old really fast. You could spend more time making the synths sound more unique and providing more textural depth. The arrangement is decent, and I love the melody on the keyboard, but this doesn't offer a unique enough take on the source. 1:42 is up there on my weird shit-o-meter. It's cool that you're trying to emulate a style, but comparing it even to something like Mr. Oiso's "Flat Beat", the synth wankery here is boring. In tandem with those lifeless beats, I'll be honest that it just feels like wasted time until going solidly back to the theme at 2:41. 2:58 was stronger in terms of bolstering the melody with some synth pads, but everything else was still vanilla. Yeah, vanilla's the overall impression. Sorry, Brian. I much liked your CT mix from a few months ago, and I hate to sound like a hater. The concept is strong, but the execution is flat and doesn't deliver. It doesn't have to be mega-loud/full/crammed with parts, but this is still empty and devoid of any real energy or substance. Hopefully some other judges will have some more practical advice for you. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 That bit at 1:42 is gratuitous and pointless. In no way at all does it even attempt to interpret the source tune. Now, I'm not saying that every single part of a remix should be OMG SOURCE, but still, it's a boring, repetitive, atonal synth "breakdown" that accomplishes nothing but making the song a little longer than four minutes. The actual Bubble Bobble theme here is pretty much the original. And then you've got standard, generic, four-on-the-floor beats underneath. The synths are, as Larry stated, vanilla. That detuned saw lead in particular is way too messy; reminds me of my own meager attempts at synth design (see: twinkle park classic). What you need to do is break the song down into its most basic components: the melody and the chord progression. Then, start writing your parts from there. Think about how you can fill in spaces with a counter melody or a percussive fill, think about writing something more than just a standard octave jumping bassline. It's okay to be inspired by certain artists and to try and emulate their ideas, but don't forget that YOU are arranging the song, and that YOU have to bring something of YOURSELF into it. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jillian Aversa Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 Hey guys, what's this term "vanilla"? Never heard it used before. :B Awww... bouncy Bubble Bobbley beats. They're so cute! This a fun listen, but I have to agree with Larry and Shariq. What's used of the source is pretty much verbatim, and then you've slapped some beats on top. Granted, you did vary up the percussion from time to time. But the grainy, industrial sections contrast too much with the more tonal parts, which have a completely different timbre of drums. Overall, the texture is just way too thin. There isn't much going on yet. Keep working at it! NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted August 9, 2007 Author Share Posted August 9, 2007 Hey guys, what's this term "vanilla"? Never heard it used before. :B Plain, basic, ordinary. Not tasty like the ice cream. :'-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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