Reviews by LaLa |
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Displaying Reviews 121 - 150 out of 630 |
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Giana Sisters - Turkish Native Instruments - arranged by OxxReview by LaLa, 17/05/2022 Unique mix of synth sounds and Turkish instruments, giving it a folksy feel. I kinda like the idea! It doesn't feel quite polished, though, because the sampled parts and the SID parts alternate and don't really overlap. For example, if the Giana Sisters melody was played on the oud instead, that would get much higher marks from me. The vocoded stuff: personally, I have nothing against vocoders, but here it feels rather gimmicky, like a radio DJ doing an unnecessary voiceover. Despite all this, please, do keep experimenting! I really like it when the music of different cultures are mashed together, and this is a promising idea that's worth exploring further. |
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RoboCop 3 (Everything you want) - arranged by Eivind SommerstenReview by LaLa, 07/05/2022 Clever use of various vocal and other samples, the arrangement is very well done. Sounds like a pretty good mix to my ears, too. |
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Bubble Bobble (Alhoa Honu) - arranged by 0supereg0Review by LaLa, 02/05/2022 Nice Hawaiian theme! I think the ocarina (?) lead is a bit too low-pitched, so it doesn't sound quite realistic to my ears. OTOH, good use of the Hawaiian lap steel guitar. I think a lot of the (PS: I think it should be spelled |
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R-Type (Ishizaki vs Vaca medley 2022) - arranged by NecroPoloReview by LaLa, 01/05/2022 SID-metal turned to 11. Do not attempt at home. Professional musician on closed course here. (Actually, do attempt! Free experimentation is what SID remixing is all about.) |
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Nemesis-Gradius (Re-Chill Factor 9) - arranged by 0supereg0Review by LaLa, 01/05/2022 This is clearly a better mix than your previous upload, as evidenced by the increased number of orange smilies. So, good job on the improvements! Yet again, let me stress that musically, your remix is really good: the arrangement is very nice and I really admire your guitar work. You brought the volume down on that lead instrument - good. But. π But now the volume of your entire mix needs to be brought back up. Either a simple volume boost, and/or a gentle compression setting would help. The mix also sounds a bit muddy, so something needs to be done about the clash of all those low frequencies. Mixing is a never-ending quest, so don't despair about my comments. I am capable of finding faults even in paradise. π |
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Test Drive 2 - The Duel (Remix by Oxx) - arranged by OxxReview by LaLa, 15/04/2022 Very unique in style, let's call this electropop. It's quirky, it's robotic, it's - great! To my ears the mix is missing some final touches (little reverb, little delay), but that's just me nitpicking. Hugely enjoyable even after multiple listens. |
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Human Race Tune 4 Live Performance - arranged by Tony Fluke73 WirenReview by LaLa, 10/04/2022 Wow, I see that Tony is one of those rare people in the world who can use their third hand when playing live on a keyboard! π (See video insert.) A decent remix of this oft-remixed tune. Nothing to be overly excited about here, but it's a solid arrangement with a decent choice of instrumentation. |
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Ace II Title Screen - arranged by OxxReview by LaLa, 10/04/2022 Welcome to the remix community, Oxx! I have to admit, I had to do a double-take on your remixer status after I listened to this remix - this is by a newcomer? It's really good! I like the minimalist electro-drums, the vocal style chord hits, all the ornaments of the lead - all sounds great! The arrangement might be on the simple side, but it's done very well. The final mix sounds a bit too dry to my ears, but considering the genre, even that seems appropriate. I hope to hear more remixes from you in the future, whether in this style or in another! |
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Nemesis-Gradius (Chill Factor 9) - arranged by 0supereg0Review by LaLa, 09/04/2022 The lead instrument in the first half is way too dominating, the rest of the instruments are barely audible. The balance is much better when the guitar takes over, in fact, those parts sound very promising. Overall, an interesting idea, nice arrangement, but the mixing needs to be improved upon. |
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The Great Giana Sisters - arranged by Johan AnderssonReview by LaLa, 07/04/2022 The mixing sounds way too 'hot' in this one to me. Especially in the high-ends I am hearing some distortion. I had to bring the volume down to 1/3d of what I usually listen to in order to make this sound better in my headphones. The mixing is bad enough that it brought down my final vote a notch. Stylistically, not what I expected from Johan - which is great, I like surprises! But I wish the noodling on the lead guitar towards the end was present in earlier sections of the remix, too, because that's a real highlight in this piece. I like your use of piano in the arrangement, too. And all the ear-candy you snuck into it here and there. Overall, a great remix ruined by so-so mixing. |
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Robocop Theme Extended Remix (C64+Gameboy) - arranged by Gabriel WestReview by LaLa, 26/03/2022 Welcome to the remixing community! First, the positive about your remix: lots of variations on the main theme, which is really nice to hear, you didn't just cover the original 1:1, but went the extra mile with your arrangement - I really respect that. Where you remix is lacking is in the sound department. The drums sound especially All in all, a good first effort, your arranging skills show lots of promise, just need to work on your individual instruments and the overall mixing. Hope to hear more from you in the future! |
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Rambo III - arranged by Dr FutureReview by LaLa, 25/03/2022 As usual from Dr Future, pretty good instrumentation and arrangement. Plus points for the guitar improv at the end. However, minus points for borrowing several of the original's arpeggios - you converted some to chords, but others you did not. I am not against including SID arps in remixes per se, but to me it sounds out of place here. Also slight minus points for the slightly muddy mix (esp. at the low end), which is very uncharacteristic of you. |
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Enlightenment Druid II (Take me away) - arranged by Eivind SommerstenReview by LaLa, 22/03/2022 A modern production of several vocal (and possibly instrumental) hooks that I suspect come from sample libraries (in fact, I know exactly where the vocals come from π ). Nothing wrong with that, I think you did a fabulous job of putting it all together and presenting a clean, crisp, contemporary piece with them and weaving the SID melody into it all. |
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Bubble Bobble (Live!) - arranged by Hampshire Regional High SchoolReview by LaLa, 08/03/2022 So, here I am, 22 years later in 2022, now with a daughter who is in a high school band in the United States. Therefore I have a newfound appreciation for this piece. Think about it: somebody went through the trouble of arranging this piece (even allowing for short solos here and there!), printing the score in umpteen copies for each of the band member kids, then probably went through several hours of practice with the kids - all just to have it performed to parents who probably know nothing about the origins of this piece of music. So - respect! According to an old MP3 download of mine, that somebody was a person with the name of Tim Winsky. I wish he continued adapting other C64 tunes for his high school band, too, but alas, this is the only one of his works we know of. Mr. Winsky, if you are out there - please, let us know how this all came about! Yes, the recording is not so good, but I think that's what gives this tune real character - it's very obviously played and recorded live. Considering it's a high school band, the kids are actually playing fairly well. Yeah, they are off here and there, but I think most high school bands could only wish they played this tight. Bravo, Mr. Winsky, bravo! I only wish Mr. Winsky made the score of his arrangement available to others, too, as I would surely ask my daughter's high school to add this to their repertoire, too⦠|
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Way of the Exploding Fist (Metal Mix) - arranged by Pan's DelightReview by LaLa, 20/02/2022 Welcome to the Commodore remix community! While an interesting idea, the strange juxtaposition of plinky-plinky synths and hard rock doesn't really work for me, I'm afraid. Most of the instruments also sound too dry, and while it could've used some mixing, too, unfortunately, my basic problem with the arrangement juts cannot be solved easily. |
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DashN's take on Ocean loader 4 Reload - arranged by DashN offlineReview by LaLa, 18/02/2022 Ah, so you've attempted this remix again in the same style! That underlying groove from Jan Hammer'sCrockett's Theme- still a great idea and it's easily recognizable in this one, too. That lead, though - ouch. I suspect it was played, not sequenced, but along with the dissonant notes and the bad timing, it just ruins this remix. Also, yet again, just like in your previous remix, you didn't do the Hammer-style pitch-bends which he is known for. Soundwise the lead is better, but execution-wise it leaves a lot to be desired. |
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Ghosts 'n Goblins (RockMetal Cover) - arranged by Vaggelis PapadopoulosReview by LaLa, 16/02/2022 I saw Vaggelis' name pop up and I was already excited. Then I listened to his remix and I was ecstatic. ROC=K ON! π€ What skills on the guitar! Also, nice touch with the additional choir. And that surprise outro at the end in Greek folk music style - I almost fell out of my chair when I first heard it. π What a great idea! ππ Now I am wishing for an entire remix in that style!!! |
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Panther (Storm in teacup remix) - arranged by ElroReview by LaLa, 15/02/2022 Welcome to the Commodore remix community! This is a really good introduction for a first remix! I quite like the intro, and I like how it transitions to the main beat and theme. I like how you tried to retain the feel of the original with the lead sound. The entire arrangement has a cohesion that is rarely heard from newcomers. Very well done, hope to hear more remixes from you soon! |
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'Clever Music' Medley - arranged by TomskReview by LaLa, 13/02/2022 Pardon my pun, but this is not just a Clever medley, but it's also a very clever medley. The way the individual themes are weaved together it's so seamless, it sounds so effortless, it's jaw-dropping. (Although I know it must've required a ton of work to put it together like this. It's always hard work to make something sound so easy. π) On top of it, the instrument selection is spotless, too. The piano, the guitar, the sax, the vocal backing, the drums - all top-notch, and they all play together or alternate in a very natural way, depending on what a given section dictates. And I can't really complain about the mixing, either. At times this remix is poignant, at times it's uplifting, and it's pure nostalgia all over. One thing is sure: this piece will touch you one way or another. Well done, Tomsk, I really enjoy it! |
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Ghosts 'n Goblins - arranged by Emanuele Siward PallozziReview by LaLa, 13/02/2022 Whoa, quite an entry for a newcomer! It's so good, I wish it was longer. Smashing! |
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Crazy Comets (Komet Non Stop 2022 re-remix) - arranged by MakkeReview by LaLa, 13/02/2022 20 years later and even better than the original remix. Makke changed what needed to be changed to make it sound more modern (the instruments sound better, the mix is cleaner, the vocals stand out more), but left alone that was already very good to begin with (the overall song structure, the electro rhythm, the lyrics). As a Kraftwerk fan, I really liked what Makke has done with this SID tune in 2002 - and this latest version sounds even better. (just listen to them side-by-side and you'll hear the big step up in production value.) |
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Sanxion (Don't Fall Asleep) - arranged by WobblerReview by LaLa, 13/02/2022 I love it! And despite its subtitle, I think I will fall asleep to this, it's the perfect tune for that! A bunch of wonderful spacey pads, a subtle violin, a beautiful, gentle arrangement at 72 bpm - everything is here, ready for chilling on a Saturday night! |
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JT 42 (We Got the Fire) - arranged by Eivind SommerstenReview by LaLa, 12/02/2022 Clever use of vocals, I really like it when you And now for the negatives: the ending is a bit too abrupt for my taste. I wish there was some more variation in the rhythm section (other than the breaks) - it's certainly fine as is, it's a great groove by itself, but my ears get a bit tired of it by the end of the song. At times I wish the vocal was fattened up a bit more with (pitch-shifted) layering, especially when it's singing the Despite my complaints it's a really good track, but I think with a bit more work it could've been outstanding. |
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Steel Ranger End Credits - arranged by Markus SchneiderReview by LaLa, 05/02/2022 There's no substitute for talent. Never in a million years I would've thought that the original SID could be turned into such an epic piece - but here it is, thanks to Markus. Sounds absolutely fantastic! My only gripe is about its length: it could've been twice as long and I would've still complained about it being short. Oh, well, that's what theloopbutton is for. π |
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Missing you - arranged by JLDReview by LaLa, 05/02/2022 I am ashamed to admit that this is another SID I wasn't familiar with before. It has a really catchy melody in its chorus and thankfully, JLD retained it in full with all its nuances. Really like the electric guitars in this remix, I think they turned out quite well (despite being plugin-based). Great job overall, I really enjoy it! |
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Mutants (The Mantra) [Cinematic64] - arranged by SlaygonReview by LaLa, 28/01/2022 It's gritty, highly textural, with lots of distortion and industrial sounds - just be careful with that volume button so it doesn't blow out your sub-woofer. This is still one of my favorite tracks fromCinematic 64. |
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Fourth Protocol - arranged by TomskReview by LaLa, 27/01/2022 This track provides a perfect closure to the Encore64 album: a melancholic, almost elegic rendition ofFouth Protocolwith a symphonic instrumentation that harkens back to the era of romanticism. The real power of this piece is undoubtedly the choir, which lends evocative emotional undertones to this track. What a lovely piece this is to finish off the album! The echoes of this track will stay with you long after the final note fades away. |
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Stationary Ark - arranged by Peter ClarkeReview by LaLa, 27/01/2022 This should be familiar to a lot of Remix64 listeners, as it was the winner of the Remix64 20th Anniversary compo. Here it's presented with an extra 30 seconds at the end, but is largely the same arrangement. And it's still sounds just as amazing as it did in the compo: layers and layers of soothing sequences of guitar licks highlight the catchy melody, done in a style that many progressive albums of the 1970s would've been proud to include. |
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Ocean Loader III - arranged by Peter ClarkeReview by LaLa, 27/01/2022 This is not the first time Peter tried to take a crack at his own tune that was more or less the result of his one-upmanship with Mr. Galway when they both worked at Ocean. This remix sits solidly in thesymphonic prog-rockstyle with the original's arrangement reworked very cleverly to fit into this genre. Luckily, it retains the original's uptempo backbone, enhanced with guitars no doubt all played by Peter himself, resulting in a wonderful track that really brings back memories: ah, back when we didn't mind the several minute long load times because we got music like this in return!β¦ |
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Bubble Bobble - arranged by Peter ClarkeReview by LaLa, 27/01/2022 Hold onto your cowboy hats, folks, we are entering brand new stylistic territory here! I absolutely loves this! π€ π It totally fits in with the fun nature of the original SID. Fiddles π», banjos πͺ, and pedal-steels πΈ all make an appearance within this carefully assembled arrangement by Peter. Even if you are not a fan of this style, you must admit that it's been put together superbly. Y'all, this is one helluva remix, yee-haw! πππ |
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