Liontamer Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Contact info: Mike Dissonant Mike Isel www.myspace.com/mikedissonant Remix Info: Donkey Kong Country Gangplank Galleon The original song is very dramatic(at least it was back in the day), so I wanted to make a "dramatic" sounding mix feeding into the dramatisim. I wanted to keep some of the original qualities while arranging others. You'll find when listening to this mix, there are parts slightly rearranged to fit. But don't fret the parts are easily recognized. The mix is called "The Final Conflict". Enjoy. ------------------------------------------------------------- http://snesmusic.org/v2/download.php?spcNow=dkc - "Gang-Plank Galleon" (dkc-21.spc) Opened up with some decent strings. A bit awkward with the bow movements, but nice on the production side in terms of creating a roomy atmosphere. Didn't sound like anything derived from the source material, but I could be wrong. In any case, with nearly 6 minutes of song, the 1:22-long intro didn't overplay its hand. Switched over into some distorted geetar and confusingly thin drums at 1:23. The drum writing was decent, but IMO didn't fill out the background space enough. You need that main snare to move the track forward; right now the patterns on it aren't driving enough. Guitar here definitely cried out synth; the tone wasn't meaty at all, even though there's an admirable attempt to get it sounding authentic. Why it doesn't play with a heavier tone and more power/volume here, I also don't understand. Solo at 4:01 was so quiet and the licks just sounded awkward. For some reason the strings sound way worse in the background, starting at 1:35, than they ever did in the intro. They're meant to pad out the back, but the bow movements are so rigid that they pull my attention. You need something with more natural sounding movements and more density to adequately pad the track. I'd say more, but the track just exhibits the same core issues the whole way. In short, you need to refine this by fleshing out the sounds. The drums are thin and could use more complexity, the guitar is too quiet and subdued compared to your writing for it, and the string need to sound more natural. The arrangement is in a creative place and is at the interpretation/creativity level we're looking for, IMO. Beef up your sounds and tighten the screws on the production. Cool first sub, Mike. Stick around the community here and learn more at our ReMixing forums. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 The strings sound really artificial in the beginning, mainly because of the attacks. The guitars sound weak for the very same reason. They seem to exist in a state of sustain that has no beginning. (on/off) As for the arrangement, the heavy feel is pretty cool, but everything seems to move too slowly. Each section lingers for too long, and new ideas are introduced too slowly. This could be shorter and it would feel tighter. The soundfield sounds pretty uniform throughout. I'd like to hear some breaks, some change in instrumentation. The sequencing is pretty mechanical, as are the parts. Needs more human. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJT Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 the drums are pretty thin and dry. especially the cymbals and snare. the kick is passable. the snare is waaaaay too dry. doesn't sound integrated into the soundfield at all. also, there are sections where the drums have that "programmed" feel. it would sound good with some more drum-machinish samples, but since it resembles a real kit, it becomes distracting. almost like you can't decide which kind of sound you're going for (i.e. real vs synthetic). your crash samples are terrible. it wouldn't take too much time to search the net and find some better ones for free (e.g. hammersound.net) also agree with the criticism re: length. the arrangement could stand to be trimmed down if you're not gonna bring any more ideas into the mix. listen to Vig's comments on the attack for your string/guitar samples. spot on. this is a great foundation, but you need to upgrade your samples and programming skills to get this over the bar. also, hone that arrangement a bit more. sounds good. NO, RESUBMIT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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