Hello! This is a review for the NGUAC competition.
I've gone over one or two general categories of issues specific to your song, and one section of things I think also deserve complimenting. I prefer being very direct with my critique, none of it is meant to offend. Thank you for your understanding!
Constructive Criticism:
- Hey, love the original theme! Nice choice to remix. I think it might be worth your time to study why the original track made the choices it did in terms of writing. Just taking the opening for example, the first riff has very SHARP and clear initial impacts to each note, especially the final descent. After that, the melody has a very flowing, legato feel. In both cases, this is achieved firstly by having an articulation that fits the intent (snappy and sharp for the first riff, slower and less sharp for the second, with a stronger sustain) and also by varying the velocity of individual notes. The reason I specify this is that you seem to be going for a remake of the original in tone, character, and function - so applying your instruments appropriately is very important!
- Speaking of instruments, I'd like to also mention instrumentation quality here. It's certainly understandable to use many relatively simple sampled instruments for the theme as an independent producer, but the bell and pluck synth used can definitely be improved on in context. For example, the pluck at 1:08 doesn't blend particularly well with other instruments in the remix and is very thin in this isolated context. The bell and pluck also don't blend in the following section, the pluck in particular at 1:44. For the pluck, I would recommend using something with longer decay and a less sharp sound - a square or even a triangle wave may work quite a bit better as the basis. Flutes or other woodwinds might also work better for the notes this pluck plays. The bell isn't quite as bad, but it does still detract from the sound. Perhaps try an acoustic vibraphone or celeste instead, to fit in with the rest. Regardless of what instruments you use, keep in mind that the original melody and writing needs to be tweaked to better fit the sound you have.
Compliments to the Composer:
- This is actually pretty well-done, regardless of what I mentioned in the criticisms. I don't hear many mixing issues at all aside from small ones and you kept a lot of the feeling intact. In fact, it almost sounds like it could be a midi rendition of the original! The mix is also pretty well-balanced, and pretty much all of your active instruments are audible and noticeable at any given time, which is excellent. As a side note, however, please make sure you are submitting an original work if you make it to the next round, rather than a remix! I couldn't comment on the composition or melodic content very much since the majority sounds almost directly taken from the original.
Final score: 6.8
Fox4567 
