*NO* Earthworm Jim 'Acrophobia'

Contact Info:

ReMixer name: about:blank

Real name: Chris Bouchard

Email address:

ReMix info:

Name of game ReMixed: Earthworm Jim

Name of individual song ReMixed: Butville - The Descent

ReMix title: Acrophobia

This is my first submission to OCR. Initially, I tried to go for an acoustic take on the source material, and ended up recording a small portion of the song live with an acoustic guitar and an electric bass. However, the pickup in my acoustic suddenly ceased to function, causing me to stop working on this for a couple weeks. Fortunately, I soon started working on this again, and ended up with something a bit different than my original intention.

I put about two or three months into the making of this, and, at one point, had to completely start over from scratch.

I've learned a lot in the process of making this, and also had a lot of fun. The WIP and ReMixing forums have been especially helpful, and this ReMix wouldn't be half as good as it is now if it weren't for all the advice that I recieved there.

All in all, I enjoyed making this, and I hope you all find it interesting.

If I'm not mistaken, on the soundtrack this is known as 'Use your head'.

Nice guitar! This is a very original take on the source production wise - the cut up acoustic guitar and low-fi drums (this is how low-fi drums should be done) work well together. The stutter bits are great. This can be somewhat minimalistic, but the instruments used still fill up the soundscape.

YES

http://snesmusic.org/v2/download.php?spcNow=ewj - "Buttville ~ The Descent" (ewj-07.spc)

Ain't that a bitch. Once this started, I could tell which source it was and was already feeling the arrangement creativity. Nice job layering the guitars at :24, before adding some swirly effects to pad the piece out at :34 and switching over to piano from :45-:55. The switchover to the piano came about very abruptly, and the piano sounded very robotically sequenced.

I liked the stuttering percussion, but the beats had no meat on 'em. Hahahahaha, holy shit, that was a cool concept stuttering the guitar like that the first time from 1:17-1:28. Didn't work out quite as smoothly as one could have hoped, but the execution was pretty good. Though I understand how the tone of the beatwork is inspired by the original, the the simplistic beatwork patterns definitely dragged on though. The strings you're using to pad the track out don't fill ot the track nearly enough.

Piano coming back at 2:25 is pretty fake, though decently produced. In tandem with the strings though (2:35), everything sounds too synthetic, and the mechanical sequencing of the piano close was a weak way to end things.

Good arrangement concepts so far, Chris. On that level, you don't seem to have many problems on the creativity side. There's loads of good ideas here, the acoustic guitar and stuttering effects featuring pretty strong execution, but the rest not being executed nearly as well. You gotta refine the sequencing and production on your synthetic elements to get something that both flows more smoothly and also fills out the soundfield; the performance of those parts right now sounds too jerky and inhuman.

Looking forward to a resub of this one, as well as any other future work. Too bad about your guitar pickup, but you showed promise attempting to turn lemons into lemonade.

NO (resubmit)

I like the stuttering effects throughout the song, but I think that it ends up being more of a gimmick to carry the the empty parts of the mix. Not much going on here harmonically either. Needs more.

NO

this is quite good.

the acoustic guitar is very nice. the arrangement is simple and to the point but very creative. the stutters are an issue because they eventually get obnoxious. while i understand the choice to use them, they rely on their ability as a changeup. after stuttering for so long, it becomes too prominent and is jarring. i still don't think that is enough to reject and i won't reject on that basis

the drums just need a little more punch and the bass needs to hit a bit harder and you got yourself a winner backbone.

i still really like this a lot. the way you structure the whole thing is very creative. this is inflicted with the minamilist bug but i don't think it is detrimental to the track.

you got a very creative, weird earthworm jim track.

YES

I think Darkesword hit the nail on the head here. The stuttering effects are great, but I think you're relying on them too much to carry the arrangement where it's lacking. I actually wasn't feeling this one until the percussion came in, and the stuttering works better for that than the guitars, IMO. Still, it is Earthworm Jim, so a little weirdness is never out of order. ^_~

Nice slide into the heavier percussion at 1:26! Seriously, little details like that can go a long way. I felt like the arrangement just sort of died, though. From 2:02 until the end, there's really not much going on. You've got yer chill synths, yer strings, and yer pianer... and then everything just kinda drops away.

Drums could be bassier, but meh. Definitely pushing my limit, but I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt this time around:

Borderline YES

cool take on the theme, i really like it a lot.

I absolutely loooove the stuttering. very creative use of the technique. guitar is beautiful, drums are ok... but kind of shallow.

i'm kind of surprised at all the YES's on this one. This song has absolutely AWESOME AWESOME potential, but Larry's right. There is no meat. I repeat, NO. MEAT. The EQ has almost completely neglected the low end. This, my friend, is a WIP. I just can't get myself to be OK with this as a *completed* track.

In terms of arrangement, 2:11 was kind of an awkward transition, but I liked the ambience thereafter, but I would have really appreciated more development from that point on. Rather than one 3 minute track, this seems more like listening to 2 short, underdeveloped tracks. Branch out on some ideas, fill up some more space, bring the bass and drum parts out. I think there's a great opportunity to throw a great bass riff in there. I wish "Moon Rhapsody" was already posted so I could give you an example of a track with a great bass countermelody and bass support in general.

Keep at it, I'd hate for you to not resubmit this one, Chris.

NO, PLZ RESUBMIT! KTHXZOMGWTFBBQBYE

Well, the stuttering IS excessive, but I think that's valid musically and can work for this style. BT does an awful lot of stuttering just like this, perhaps to an even greater degree. I'm impressed with the sound design and effects usage overall. I don't have any major complaints there. However, the mixing/mastering is on the weak side. Some sections are overly quiet and not bright enough. The low end could use more filling out, and the total loudness level is probably not where it should be. At 1:28 things are sounding really centered, too - go for more stereo width using a stereo enhancing plugin or tweaked reverb/delay. Looking at the other end of things, the arrangement is wonderful. I really don't feel the need to say anything more there - it's very well done.

This is a tough call, but I'm inclined to agree with bgc and Darkesword here. More meat in the form of stronger mixing/mastering and harmony parts. This shouldn't be a really difficult fix since the foundation of the piece is very solid.

Refine & resub!

NO

The stuttering could be more effective, but it seems a bit sloppy. Some of the guitar stutters are offbeat, and it sticks out.

When the track ends, it feels like it could be only half done. It's just begging for some lead to come in and rock you right in half. The expansion is good so far, but it could go lots further. I think the song should be at least 2 minutes longer. barring that, i'd take some of the suggestions from the others about filling out the space in the time you already have.

Good track so far, but something's missing.

NO

I'm with Darke here, I think the stuttering effects are just a sideshow trick to distract from the fact that nothing else is going on. It's just beats, stuttery things and... nothing else!

Fill this one out some more, give it a proper supporting arrangement if you want it posted here. Right now this is just incomplete.

NO