[nineko]

I can't believe I never posted this before: http://doulifee.com/prc/PrcSong/prc46/PRCv...ius_flytrap.mp3

It's a remix of Aquatic Ruin Zone by Rexy (from OcRemix, but not only). I think it's the best remix of Aquatic Ruin Zone EVER, and while it wouldn't fit in S2HD "as is", I absolutely love this and if you want I can contact Rexy and ask if she would be interested into making it suitable for S2HD by removing the intro and the variations.

[Canned Karma]

I normally like Rexy's stuff. But that... not so much. The flute (recorder?) is flat out terrible. Just proof that anything that comes out of OCR is heavily subject to personally taste. The background instrumentals and haromy she used have potential though. I certainly wouldn't be against a serious attempt by her more in line with what we're after. Ask away.

[Hamneggs]

Now if we could combine 2:40-2:54 with Kinichie's rendition, and give the entire track the ambience of 3:17 to 3:45 we would have the best track proposed yet.

[MaximusDM]

I'm not fond of most of OCRemixes besides a handful of remixers because for the most part they all sound too synthetic for my tastes. That remix sounds over saturated. I'm not feeling the recorder either, but it stands its own because it sounds authentic.
For some reason it reminds me of the riff from SotN OST, The Tragic Prince. Riff from 0:25.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO34ixsNZaE

And Balrog's (Boxer) Theme:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj9o6Ed4NTc

Using Blanka's Theme instruments:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qCX_rfIjFM

[steveswede]

Having a go at mystic Cave Zone. There still work to be done and some sounds may be subject to change. Let me know what you think so far.

Mystic Cave Zone Rough mix

[Canned Karma]

That's not bad at all for a rough mix. I like most of what I'm hearing.

-push the electric guitar into the background more, it's a tad overemphasized currently
-The crescendo at 0:40 sounds dull, and the descending notes from 0:44 to 0:46 are even worse in that regard. Try putting a wha-wha on them, or if there already is one then increase it a good bit.

[steveswede]

That's not bad at all for a rough mix. I like most of what I'm hearing.

-push the electric guitar into the background more, it's a tad overemphasized currently
-The crescendo at 0:40 sounds dull, and the descending notes from 0:44 to 0:46 are even worse in that regard. Try putting a wha-wha on them, or if there already is one then increase it a good bit.

It's not a guitar. It's just Sytrus. I'll have a go at using a wah wah over it however you use one I just don't know. What's a crescendo? I take it it's the pattern of the bass. What do you mean by it sounds dull? The way I fell about it it sounds raw. But I'm thinking about adding more bounce to it so it's on par with the original. If you could upload a sample with an idea on what you think would be best then please do.

Thanks.

[Retroman]

This might be a good path for Aquatic Ruin Zone, though to be honest the flute and the drums are what really captures my idea of an HD sonic game. The bass needs to be retro bass sounding and the leads needs to be changed to a synth brass or something similar. Claps should be used instead, and yes abit of a mix between maybe what ham&eggs proposed then it would be awesome. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKv8Ytb0AxE...feature=related

If anyone can contact this guy, and possibly give details of what instruments he used to make it would be great!

This post has been edited by Retroman: 13 March 2010 - 08:44 AM

[Canned Karma]

Sytrus eh? I'll remember that, it's a new one to me.

I misspoke, it's not crescendo, which is a gradual increase in volume over a set period; I was referring to the set of ascending notes in that timeframe. Nothing to do with the bass at all. I think that adding the wah-wah will help quite a bit to overcome the dullness I hear in it. The notes on their own have very little character to them, so either my suggestion or another creative outlet of your own would greatly help it out.

[steveswede]

Sytrus eh? I'll remember that, it's a new one to me.

I misspoke, it's not crescendo, which is a gradual increase in volume over a set period; I was referring to the set of ascending notes in that timeframe. Nothing to do with the bass at all. I think that adding the wah-wah will help quite a bit to overcome the dullness I hear in it. The notes on their own have very little character to them, so either my suggestion or another creative outlet of your own would greatly help it out.

Ahhh your on about a more natural flow or character of that Sytrus sound. Yes I completely agree. At that point it's just a rough draft. I need to really fine tweak the MIDI notes as that Sytrus lead uses an LFO pitch. It has sounded very awkward with adding slides as they conflict with the pitch LFO. I will even give it ago with a LP filter and try out a wah-wah.

Oh and that Sytrus is an FM synth if you wanted to know.

[scubaSteve]

The reason that the ascending notes don't sound right is because while the root notes are there, the trilling is missing (download this and check out FM channel 1). Also, I love the fact that your bass instrument sounds very Genesis-like, though I think it could be improved considerably by adding a sharper attack and a little more decay. Right now, the notes all kind of drone and wander aimlessly, and it begins to feel stale very quickly. Try listening to the original track (as a whole, not just the bass track) to see how the bass instrument has a nice twang to it that feels great with the other instruments.

[Kinichie]

Don't want to sound like a pest, anyone got any feedback on my Final Boss and Latest ARZ?

[scubaSteve]

Sorry about that Kinichie. Right now I'd say your instrumentation is very good overall. The only thing that doesn't completely fit for me are the saxes at the beginning of Final Boss - first, you're using a completely different set of notes there. In the original it's Bb to F on one part and A to E on the other, which produces a very nasty-sounding discord (as it should)... this would seem unfitting on saxophones, and personally I think it lends itself better to something like trumpets, which can really blare and emphasize the discordance. From a technical angle, the one thing that you really need to work on is dynamics. Most parts in both songs have little variation in strength or dynamics which is resulting in the songs sounding a little bland. Definitely work on this first, and then maybe tweak the mixing a little - for example, in ARZ the drums are extremely quiet and the pianos are a bit muffled and too loud, and in Final Boss the bass instrument is overpowering everything else.

[steveswede]

The reason that the ascending notes don't sound right is because while the root notes are there, the trilling is missing (download this and check out FM channel 1). Also, I love the fact that your bass instrument sounds very Genesis-like, though I think it could be improved considerably by adding a sharper attack and a little more decay. Right now, the notes all kind of drone and wander aimlessly, and it begins to feel stale very quickly. Try listening to the original track (as a whole, not just the bass track) to see how the bass instrument has a nice twang to it that feels great with the other instruments.

Can I pinch the midi file off you of the lead from MCZ. I'm trying to get the LFO pitch right and it's giving me a bloody headache trying to get it right. Also that bass. There's a problem that the fact I did the bass independently from the rest of MCZ and deleted the file accidentally so doing envelopes is not going to be possible unless I could get something decent sounding out of it through a beat slicer. I'm even thinking about putting the original bass over it to see if that give it a good bounce.

[scubaSteve]

By "the lead" I'm assuming you mean the part I was discussing above? If so (hopefully), here is the link. As for the bass... hm, that is kind of a problem! There aren't really any sure-fire ways to remedy a situation like that short of creating the entire part again. The two things you suggested might work, though if you do try layering any other bass part on top of it be sure to highpass filter one part or the other. Also, if you have them, you could also try an expander or an enveloper. Even a compressor might work with the correct settings.