Remix Competition - track now submitted

[Skol303]

Folks,

I've decided to enter a competition to remix a pop song by a US-based artist called NNXT.

It's nothing serious; there are no big prizes involved and most of the entries to date are from amateurs like me. I'm just giving it a go to get some remixing experience and to have a bit of fun!

Anyway, I'm due to submit my entry into the competition [b]tonight (!)[/b] around midnight. The trouble is, I've had to mix the entire track using headphones only - long story - so I currently have no idea how it's going to sound through a set of speakers, be they monitors or otherwise.

So... if any of you have chance, I'd be really grateful if you could give it a quick listen and reply here with any feedback. I'm particularly keen for comments on the mix, but any thoughts on the track itself are very welcome too. And please don't pull any punches here! If you think it's a pile of poop, please say so... I'm not posting here for the sake of vanity and I really do value your input on how I might improve it.

The track itself is a dubstep remix, so it's certainly not to everyone's taste (but it does contain plenty of bass!). You can listen to it here:

[url="http://soundcloud.com/skollob/remix-competition-test-track"]http://soundcloud.co...tion-test-track[/url]

... and you can also hear the original track here:

[url="http://soundcloud.com/nnxt/nnxt-love-superhero"]http://soundcloud.co...-love-superhero[/url]

Thanks in advance!

Edited September 23, 2011 by Skol303

[pantherairsoft]

Awesome remix.

Much better than the original (I do like Dubstep & Grime though). Love it dude. Now if you learn to play it all live like that on your bass I'll like it even more!

[Skol303]

^ Cheers for the positive feedback, really appreciated!

I've been following the dubstep thread under 'Effects' for a while, looking at how some of you guys play this sort of stuff live. Really impressive... I think I need some more outboard gear before I attempt any live gigs, but funnily enough I've just set up a little project with some mates to do just that - so I'll keep you posted (and will probably be pestering you for advice too!).

Thanks again.

[51m0n]

Nice effort!

It is better than the original. Which is too pop dance for my liking by a long way.

However it doesnt really grow much. It seems to be an idea all the way through, and I think you could look for some more light and dark.

I'd smash the hell out of those drums too, think NIN maybe?

But I dont know the genre nearly well enough to be able to tell whether that could kill you chances or not....

[Skol303]

^ Cheers 51m0n, thanks for your comments (as always!).

Gives me some confidence to know that you and 'Airsoft think it's not too shabby...

That's a really good point about varying the mood of the track and making it "grow" - I'll have a go at adding more variation to it tonight. Will also have a play with the drums too - must admit I haven't revisited the drum samples since I loaded them originally (other than some EQ/compression), so I might audition some other sounds and see how they fit.

Just a quick question: did the overall mix sound ok on your system - particularly the sub bass? I'm working with 'phones only at the moment, so it's very much a case of trial and error! (with emphasis on the error...).

Thanks again mate.

[xgsjx]

Really good job you've done.
Did you do it in Reason? When I had Reason 2.5 (many moons ago) I felt that it had it's own sound (you could tell it was done in reason), but your mix sounds really good.

I agree with 51m0n, much better than the original (though I think the music that she's done is a bit lame, nice vocal though).

[51m0n]

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1316695252' post='1381566']
^ Cheers 51m0n, thanks for your comments (as always!).

Gives me some confidence to know that you and 'Airsoft think it's not too shabby...

That's a really good point about varying the mood of the track and making it "grow" - I'll have a go at adding more variation to it tonight. Will also have a play with the drums too - must admit I haven't revisited the drum samples since I loaded them originally (other than some EQ/compression), so I might audition some other sounds and see how they fit.

Just a quick question: did the overall mix sound ok on your system - particularly the sub bass? I'm working with 'phones only at the moment, so it's very much a case of trial and error! (with emphasis on the error...).

Thanks again mate.
[/quote]


I'm at work - sounds fine on sennheiser hd575s but they are cans and therefore not the best thing for measuring sub bass...

[Skol303]

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1316698858' post='1381641']
Really good job you've done.
Did you do it in Reason? When I had Reason 2.5 (many moons ago) I felt that it had it's own sound (you could tell it was done in reason), but your mix sounds really good.
[/quote]

^ Ha ha! Yep, spot on... it's mixed in Reason (well, Record actually, but same difference). Thanks for your positive comment, I'm glad you guys like it

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1316699086' post='1381644']
I'm at work - sounds fine on sennheiser hd575s but they are cans and therefore not the best thing for measuring sub bass...
[/quote]

^ Cheers 51m0n. Good to know it sounds ok on your Sennheisers anyway! There's quite a lot of sub in mix, but I don't want to overdo it in case it just swamps the low end.

[FuNkShUi]

I agree with everyone above. Definitely better than the original.
I could definitely go for harder hitting drums too. I think coming out of a PA, that would make it sound that little bit better.
One suggestion, but by no means more than that as it might not work, is to use two frequencies of bass. Then wobble them at different speeds and resonances. Maybe only on certain parts to lift them up, and to give that part of the track more umph (not technical i know!)

Edited September 22, 2011 by FuNkShUi

[Skol303]

Thanks again for all your input on this - greatly appreciated folks!

I didn't have as much time to work on it last night as I'd hoped (the newly arrived Skol Jnr was kicking up a stink - quite literally!). But I did make some tweaks based on your feedback, which I think has improved the track slightly in the limited time I had available.

With more time I could have gone to town on it... but then I guess a mix is never finished and always abandoned, as they say!

Here's a link to the finished track:

http://soundcloud.com/skollob/love-superhero

And here's a link to the other entries, if anyone's interested:

http://soundcloud.com/groups/nnxt-remixes

Cheers.!

[pantherairsoft]

Yours is my fav'! Bang on.

[Skol303]

[quote name='pantherairsoft' timestamp='1316813754' post='1383403']
Yours is my fav'! Bang on.
[/quote]

^Thanks again. I don't think I'm in with a chance of winning - not 'pop' enough most likely - but that ain't the point. If you guys like it, then I'm happy!