paradiddlesjosh

Howdy, Audiomancer! I’m another new judge, so like jnWake, I’m giving this one a first listen. The other Js have brought up a number of arrangement and mix issues previously, so I’m more or less co-signing on those here. Drums are a specialty of mine, so I do have some notes to add. One additional thing I’d like to note about the organ in the intro is that it sounds like its stereo image was artificially widened. It sounds okay in headphones, but strange in speakers and studio monitors. If you’ve modified the stereo width on the organ, I recommend backing that off about 25-30% – too much artificial width can create issues with mono compatibility through comb filtering and phase cancellation. The closed hi-hat that plays on the beat for the drum groove starting at 0:11 is too loud relative to the rest of the kit; lower velocities on these hi-hat hits plus bus compression on your drums will create a sense that your drums are making up one combined instrument instead of disparate parts or samples. We get the B-section melody at 0:43 on the electric piano. The countermelody synth is too shrill here. Recap of the A section at 0:57 on the organ, it seems to fit better in the mix here. Break down to drums and bass at 1:08; the new drum pattern is a nice touch here – if the hi-hat pattern were to change as well, this would sell the shift even better. The ascending arp at 1:15 is nice; not sure why the drums switched back to the first pattern here, though, because they continue with the new pattern at 1:23 with another recap of the A-section melody. Committing to the bit would greatly benefit this new section. Also, Chimpazilla’s on the money about the relationship between the kick and the bass in this section; this is a prime opportunity to add some sidechain compression if you haven’t already done so, or get more aggressive with it if you have. Drums exit at 1:47 for a B-section recap. As before, the countermelody synth here is harsh at the top end. We get an 808-like drop and slowdown at 2:01 into a false ending; organ and pads come back at 2:10 to recap the A section one more time for a bookend finish. It sounds like a synth plays an extraneous note at 2:21, and then it’s done. The extra A section at the very end feels like copy-paste. I’m going to sound like a curmudgeon here: the nine drum fills you’ve used (at 0:11, 0:25, 0:40, 0:55, 1:06, 1:14, 1:21, 1:32, and 1:45) all sound nearly identical. They’re all built on a similar foundational rhythm and they all take up a bar of time each. It’s a great fill idea but, overused as it is, it compromises the melodic and harmonic changes you’ve orchestrated for the different sections. They also highlight how static the drum writing is overall, with two grooves over the runtime. I’m also hearing mix issues in the lows and low-mids. The bass seems to dominate between 100-350 Hz, which buries the fundamental of the snare. Additionally, the bass and kick sound out of tune with each other, muddying the overall sound. For how short the source material is, you’ve managed to get some good mileage out of it here! At this stage, the lack of drum fill variety and the mix issues are significant enough setbacks that I would like to see them corrected before this one’s ready for the front page. If you haven’t already, I’d recommend taking this one over to the #workshop channel on the OCR Discord server for some ideas if you get stuck. I’d love to hear this one again when it’s ready! NO (resubmit)

Howdy, cosmoptera! Glad to see another newcomer for the TimeShift album. Source usage is straightforward: the intro is a reduction of the source A section, full A section at 1:01, B section at 1:22, C section at 1:40, and A section from 2:02 to the finish. Interesting arpeggio pattern on the intro, something like an inverted double-tresillo. Strings and pad begin to fill out some harmony around 0:10 in – like Chimpazilla pointed out, the rhythm-gated pad’s very wide and phase-canceling, so it just disappears in mono. It’s also quite loud for being a side element. The fuzzy lead synth carrying the melody is shrill at 1:01 – worth addressing with a lowpass filter before mastering the track because this will get abrasive at higher volumes. Missed the opportunity to chop the breakbeat in this segment – the loop isn’t interesting enough to push along to 1:42 with only filter automation at 1:22-1:32 as a noteworthy change. The orchestral hits at 2:01 are a nice touch. So is the full collapse to mono for the chiptune A section before the side channel fade-in at 2:12. This full band recap afterward sounds copy-pasted from 1:01-1:22 – this is an opportunity for a cool countermelody or some other variation to make it stand out from the first presentation of the theme. The drums at 2:43 seem to filter away too quickly in my opinion – having them disappear just before the woosh at 2:54 seems like a stronger finish to me, but this is a nitpick. I agree with the other Js that level and mix adjustments are needed. The drums aren’t loud enough for the genre and the mix is mids-heavy, especially during the full band A-section segments. Your piece has many great aspects – the intro arp pattern, the chiptune segments, the orchestra hits – and the arrangement structure is rock solid. These are outweighed by overly repetitious drum looping, the lack of variety in the return to the A section, the stereo image, and the level balance. Unfortunately, this one’s not ready for the front page without addressing the issues. NO (resubmit)

Howdy, Zane! As a new judge, I’m coming in blind to this track too. Thank you for including a source breakdown and introducing me to some VGM I haven’t heard before! Source usage is crystal clear, even without the breakdown in your notes. We get the B section of “Durandal” from the intro to about 0:56, a double-dose of the A section of the same track from 0:56 to 2:39, the “Infinity” theme from 2:39 to 3:42, and a guitar treatment of “Infinity” from 3:42 to the finish. Nice pad and string usage in the intro with the sampled in-game audio. The string glitch-out at 0:53 makes for a great transition here into the bass blasts of the “Durandal” melody at 0:56. I can see where the other Js are coming from about the drums at 1:26. The patterns here are generally good – the driving 4-on-the-floor kick is good for the style and the general palette makes sense, but the drums need some production attention here, for sure. More subtle variations in the patterns are needed; and so is grit (compression, saturation), because these grooves need more flair and impact for the mood you're evoking. Other Js also noted the guitar lacking depth and realism at 1:41-2:39 and when it returns from 3:42 to the end. Seph has specific call-outs as to what isn’t working with your current programming, but suffice it to say the part isn’t expressive enough in execution to sell it. The use of tempo automation and filter sweeping on the transitions into and out of the “Infinity” segment is on point. I’m not as bothered by the string programming in the transition at 2:39-2:45 as Larry is, given the style you’re going for with this piece, but more realism is always nice to have. I think I can make out some shakers way in the back on the guitar-driven “Infinity” segment at 3:42 – these can come up in volume some, and an extra layer like this is sorely needed earlier during some of the “Durandal” A segments. Solid ending, fading back into the game SFX. Overall, your arrangement is great – well-handled transitions, clear sections, and no unintended dissonance. But you’ve got production elements holding this one back, the biggest opportunities for improvement being the guitar programming, the drum mixing, and the drum patterns themselves. NO (resubmit)

Short, sweet, a fun listen! I would have liked to hear the trumpet step aside for a moment and allow the violin or the flute to take the melody, but this is a minor nitpick.

Just to clarify: you’d remix material from both series. One team will select the source tracks from one series (one track per game, three games) and the other team will do the same for the other series, and then the sources will be paired up. Each team will produce three mashup mixes, one for each of the three pairs of sources. In the previous two GSMs, teams have taken different approaches to getting tracks put together with regard to whom does what. You might be on a team with three or four performers and a couple of mixers, maybe one team member is good at mastering, and three arrangers; or your team might be five arrangers and someone who plays guitar or something. As long as your team gets their three mashups done by deadline, it doesn’t matter how you do it. :)

Cool stuff! I'll echo Seveneyes's comments as to wanting some of that G-Funk in your remix, at least more flourishes or hints of it. Mixwise, it feels too bass-heavy. I noticed the bassline is feeding into a ping-pong delay, which is a cool effect; if you don't shave off the lows from the delay, though, you'll end up with some unwanted mud and dissonance. Additionally, if you're not already running some sidechain compression, go for it -- you can't go wrong with some rhythmic pumping with this style. There's also an opportunity for some filter automation, which would mix it up a bit for listener interest. Some additional pads or textural fill-ins (sidechain them, too!) are great finishing touches too. Keep up the good work!

Howdy, Audiomancer! The mix is pretty damn good! It sounds like you've been paying attention to the production-related feedback from the judges. With that being said, I feel disappointed by the arrangement. Your drum writing is solid, particularly on the fills and transitions. The drop into a softer segment around the 1:00 mark is a smart choice and communicates a build into something interesting... But the filter sweep into the plucky B section melody without any beat to drive it forward costs your track all the momentum built up from the drop. It sort of meanders its way back to a recap of the A section material -- with some new approaches to the A section material, to be sure -- but there's a huge missed opportunity in the B section. If you like your approach with that bit of material, you could repurpose it into a new intro segment to your arrangement -- optionally, keep this B section segment in its current place as well, but incorporate a beat in half-time feel underneath it with those shuffled hats from the build. Or, you could cut this segment entirely and build right back to the A section recap. The point is your track loses a lot of steam around 1:25 and the recap at 2:04 suffers for it. You've made some great progress with this one; keep it up!

Oh, this is a fun one! Interesting use of the panning/mid-side on the walking bassline segments. The vocal samples are a nice touch, too -- this track has big Mario the Hedgehog vibes.

Howdy, Ruku! I'm going to ditto Seph above -- it's a lovely take on the source. I thought substituting the chord vamp in the keys for the guitar motif was a nice touch. Looking forward to the next R-mix!

Howdy, VQ! Also gonna reiterate live review notes for posterity: The judges honed in on the fuzziness happening from 3:25-4:09. It's highly likely to be too much saturation on something. This can be tamed with a high shelf cut around 6-8kHz or by pulling the saturation back about 10%. The modulation/key change into the same section was a great idea that needs the proper preparation for the listeners to stick with it. I think we determined you're going from Ab Major to E Major. Major third modulations are pretty easy to handle as modulations go -- I mentioned going to a shared chord between the keys but you don't have many between these two keys. However, Hemo suggested some tritone substitution action. In this case, do an Ab7 (Ab-C-Eb-Gb) chord into (in this case) a B7 (B-D#-F#-A) chord leading into the change into the E Major (E-G#-B). You can omit the 5ths on the 7 chords (Eb and F#, respectively) if you don't have enough voices to cover the chords -- but keep the 7th intervals spread out to minimize the potential dissonance.

City pop is so fun! I'll write down and expand my comments from the Office Hours voice chat: Outside of altering your basic arrangement framework or the key, the drums plod by the end of the second chorus. The groove is interesting and complex but needs more variation to maintain listener interest subtly. Consider simplifying the beat during a verse or two -- hew the kick to the bass, maybe save the snare and clap for beat 4, roll back the complexity of the hi-hat pattern or drop the hats entirely. During the choruses -- perhaps especially the choruses framing the guitar solo -- use some anticipatory kick drum placements (the 'a' of 3 or 4, and/or the 'and' of 4) for some bars. These extra 16th note spots from the kick create anticipation for the downbeat, ramping the energy up a notch and propelling the beat forward. If it still feels plodding, consider dropping the drums out entirely for a verse and going to just the claps for a couple of bars. Without changing the basic beat pattern, you can also vary the hi-hat pattern by incorporating some open hi-hat spots (beat 4 or the 'and' of 4 are good spots on alternate bars, or go for the disco approach and open the hats on the upbeats). If you keep the 16th note flourishes in the closed hi-hats, try opening the 'a' 16th note between the closed hi-hats.

Howdy, Seth! What a fun source. Gonna attach the source for other folks to check out as well; always good to include it with a WIP so we can be familiar with it. Since you mentioned volume leveling, sound design, and other edits, I'll frame my feedback with those aspects in mind. I generally like your instrument choices for this arrangement, particularly the trumpet and the marimba, and as my name would indicate, I'm gonna zero in on those drums. Volume leveling: once that 16th note double kick and bass pattern comes in (:23, 1:06, etc), the lows from the bass and kick are eating up the soundstage. A dynamic EQ targeting the sub-bass frequencies or a multiband compressor for those segments would help keep the lows under control. Sound design: if you want to hew closely to the sound of the Genesis, consider the sound channel limitations of the system. The drums (kick, snare, toms) will most likely be sample playback from the PCM channel while the cymbals are coming from the noise channel and the PCM isn't super hi-fi. Consider rolling off the super lows (20-40Hz) and the highs (10-12kHz, maybe as low as about 8kHz). Other edits: I think I'm hearing some artifacting in the render, some light crackling in the side channel. You'll most likely be cleaning this up by the end, but it's worth pointing out. Keep cookin'! We're looking forward to hearing more from you. :)

I'm not super familiar with either series and I've got a few events happening in July, but I'm happy to fill in for either team. Let's get mashin'!

Howdy Que! Echoing Seph's and luna's comments, your remix sounds impressive! You managed to get a lot of mileage out of the syncopated bassline of the source's intro. While the pacing of the arrangement is generally good, I think the shortness of the transitions causes the remix to suffer somewhat; you're keeping the adrenaline pumping, sure, but the listener doesn't have a moment to digest the segments. That being said, we're looking forward to hearing more from you. Keep it up!