ReMix:Mega Man 3 "Large Hard Man Collider" 3:50

Wonderful to have big PsyNES energy back in the mix with his psytrance version of "Hard Man Stage" in an augmented chiptune style not totally unlike something DDRKirby(ISQ) or halc could come up with, albeit more of a club-friendly flavor. The first version of this Mega Man 3 mix didn't even make it to our panel when then-judge Palpable took a listen way back when, so PsyNES took another crack at it years later, trimmed some time, added more textural variations, and majorly cleaned up the mixing without needing to overhaul the structure:

"Here is a resubmit of this old remix. This is made with Renoise as well as my all remixes and my own tracks, Renoise 4ever! :D

"Fun fact": the name of the remix is a pun of "The Large Hadron Collider". I don't know if anyone has catched that, should probably just change it. :P

The arrangement hasn't changed that much from the previous version, but I hope it still passes. I think mixing stuff has improved a lot or either I am really bad at mixing and deaf. :')"

Having since heard that original version, I would have paneled it due to the arrangement creativity, but I also get why it never got there, because the panning was too wide while the soundscape was VERY distant & muddy; Psy's mixing improvements really did do the lion's share of realizing this arrangement's potential. Mixing & mastering maven Chimpazilla thought PsyNES earned some judges' scrilla:

"Resub from 2015, wow. I don't know what was wrong with the original submission, but this one sounds amazing. Kicks are supposed to be loud, it's psytrance! It's a super busy soundscape, but I hear everything clearly, the bass and all synths are audible. I have no problem with the balances. Lovely deep sidechaining. Some of the sounds are definitely on the sharp side, nearly abrasive, especially at the fullest sections, but I can move past it just as Larry can.

I love the detail in this mix, lots of ear candy, unique writing and fun transitions. Love it."

The fade-in opening awash with electronic sounds was a strong opening hook, especially cleaned up compared to the old version. Once the beats arrived at :32, you know the build's getting there and that it's about to be on, but even then PsyNES exercised restraint by bucking expectations & extending the build before the main melody finally arrived at 1:19. Cool dropoff at 1:59 with a change in the sound of the leads and some different filtering effects & sweeping sounds to color things. 2:29 had different types of supporting instrumentation bouncing around underneath the melody to keep that presentation fresh, and we had a solid reprise of the "Hard Man" melody for the final section at 3:25. Like Chimpazilla, fellow Arizona-based judge Emunator embraced PsyNES's chiptune-plus aesthetic & sound design, which even had him hearkening back to not-quite ye olden days:

"This title had me cracking up. I actually didn't find this to be too cluttered, abrasive, or poorly mixed - the balance felt appropriate for the genre and all of that wonderful ear candy you put into the arrangement is clearly audible. Transitions are snappy, the synth design is totally cohesive, bypassing the limitations of chiptune while fully embodying the spirit of the style. This reminds me of some classic 2010's-era OC ReMixes from artists like Ben Briggs, Tepid, or Rayza in an incredibly nostalgic way.

Easy pass from me, good stuff!"

When you've got Hard Man's theme on tap, you just can't hit 'em with that weak stuff; it's go big or go home. After an initial try where PsyNES got told to go home (POLITELY, c'mon now, HEY!), he kept those project files handy for when his production chops were ready to meet the moment with his forceful arrangement. Making music is hard, man. ;-) Nice work revisiting this, PsyNES, and for having a don't-give-up attitude; it's paid off nicely with this one! :-)