Grand Prix Circuit (DOS, 1988) - need prod. advice

[Dafydd]

So yeah. This song was made entirely using Reason's subtractor synths (and effectors), except the guy speaking at the beginning. What a terrible actor he is, too... and for whatever reason it sounds like his echo is "gay", not "game". Hmph. I think by the song's length it's obvious I plan to develop it more, so I'd really appreciate comments on production and mixing more than anything else (though if you have anything to say about anything at all, I'd appreciate that too). Also, I'm aware that there are some dissonant transitions and the likes - it's the same in the original source tune. I'm not sure whether to keep it like that or to change it into something more pleasing to the ears.

Teh mix.

For anyone who wants to try this game, it's like 300-400 kB and... well, it's out there. There's also a

of it in case you just want to take a look at it and hear the original source tune. I used to play this a lot as a kid on my 286 with an amazing 20+10MB of hard drive and 512kB RAM.

Screenshots:

[Eino Keskitalo]

Hey yeah! I played this game soooo much. Ahh, the sound of the tires squealing and the engine revving.. the sweet, monophonic sound of the PC beeper. I've downloaded a GPC remix or two before, but apparently they're made from the C64 version, which apparently has a lead melody over the arpeggio, which I didn't really care for. Also, they don't cover the second tune, maybe it's not in the C64 version?

I've toyed with an idea of making a remix from the both pieces in the PC version, and I'm quite happy you've thought about it too! I dig the chord changes in the later part. They do please my ears. Alternating the parts between the intro and the menu makes an intresting tension in my opinion. I wouldn't change them, myself, but go ahead and do what ever that makes it work for you.

--Eino

[Dafydd]

The chord changes in the end are the same as in the original song, only that one lets you wait for them a lot longer. You need to keep going around in the menu constantly to get the music to play for that long (or else it will enter demo mode before the interesting stuff begins. You could sit and look at the victory screen, too, I think. since it has the same music and will stay until you push a button). Unfortunately, you can't do that with the intro theme, since both pressing any button and waiting will get you to the main menu. I'm sure it's longer in the game than what you get to hear. Shame.

I, too, thought about alternating the intro and the menu themes, but I still don't really know how I should all do it. All I know is I'm going to move that speaking part to after the intro theme, so that the "game" echoes into the beginning of the main menu theme. What to put in between I don't really know, but if it's ever going to be a real song, it needs a breakdown somewhere and then a new buildup of some kind.

So, you're Finnish, huh? Death Rally has some really sweet (but hard to remix) tunes. That's like the only Finnish game I know of (except the Max Payne series, which was made by the same guys).