Reviews by LaLa |
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Displaying Reviews 181 - 210 out of 610 |
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Turbo Outrun (Track 2) - arranged by SoundLogicReview by LaLa, 15/05/2021 Pretty danceable, I like the groove you developed for the remix. But I think it falls short in the mixing department: the overall sound is too 'airy', too 'light', rather than 'edgy' and 'punchy', which is what I would've expected based on the arrangement. Too bad, because you have some really creative ideas sprinkled throughout the remix (like the vocal-based bass starting at 3:08). |
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The Last Ninja (The Inner Sanctum Loader) - arranged by SoundLogicReview by LaLa, 15/05/2021 Very nice guitar licks in the intro. The complete lack of legato in the singer's voice is rather off-putting, though. Then comes a pretty good beat overlaid with some okay-ish instrumentation. Overall, not bad, some neat ideas in it here and there - but not very exciting for me, either. |
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Commando Glissando - arranged by The St. Albans Rob Hubbard Fan Club offlineReview by LaLa, 06/05/2021 I was fortunate enough to be able to listen to this remix as soon as it was uploaded to the Remix64 20th Anniversary Compo. I listened to it at least 10 times in a row right away. And I still keep listening to it - I just love it! The arrangement is simply amazing, especially considering how differently the original SID was arranged by Rob. The instrumentation is also spot on, and I just can't stop bobbing my head to this tune! It's a wonderful mix of disco, 80's orchestral pop and modern-day synthwave. I'm sure this remix has its flaws, but I'll let other people find those this time - I'll just keep enjoying this remix day after day! |
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Noisy Pillars (Italian Infection) - arranged by WobblerReview by LaLa, 06/05/2021 Italo Disco style - me like. All the sounds - me like. Except one: the cough. OK, I get it, that's a rip, too, and a signature sound of this style, but along with the subtitleItalian Infection, personally, I find it distasteful in this age of the pandemic and not funny at all. Remove that, and you get a red smilie. PS: I had a little chat with Wobbler which made me realize that I apparently misunderstood the message he tried to convey with this remix. It wasn't meant to make fun of the Covid pandemic at all. I'm writing this here in the hopes that nobody else will think of this remix that way, either. I wish your wife a speedy and full recovery, Wobbler! |
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Stationary Ark - arranged by TomskReview by LaLa, 06/05/2021 This remix reminds me of a finely woven tapestry where each strand, each color, each motif was made with the utmost care to ensure that when you step back and look at the entire piece, it remains a beautiful piece of art. All the nuances, all the articulations must've taken Tomsk a long time to get just right in this mostly orchestral remix, from the guitar to the strings, from the piano to the flute. I think the choice of the waltz-like, but 4/4 based rhythm was a fine one, too. I really like what I am hearing here! |
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Afterburner (High Energy Prog Mix) - arranged by Peter ClarkeReview by LaLa, 06/05/2021 High energy, indeed! This remix starts strong and it never lets up. It really captures the high-octane tempo of the original (both Jeroen's and Hiroshi Miyauchi's). The instrumentation is prog-rock, and the arrangement is really befitting that genre.I am also glad Pete had the compo version's mixing reworked by Danko for this RKO release, it sounds so much better now! |
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Thanatos (when the panic sets in) - arranged by Tim ForsythReview by LaLa, 04/05/2021 Perfect soundtrack to the sad movie of the Covid-19 pandemic. The lo-fi piano, the subtle strings, the long intro with the twisted ambient samples… This is a piece that was definitely created by the heart, not by the mind. |
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Warhawk Of The Worlds - arranged by The St. Albans Rob Hubbard Fan Club offlineReview by LaLa, 28/04/2021 The more I listen to this, the more I like it. It's highly cinematic in style, and I really like itsslow breathing, up-and-down tempo throughout. The arrangement may be on the simple side, but it's effective. The instrumentation is very nice, and I think the entire piece is just put together rather well. |
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Afterburner (High Energy Prog Mix) - arranged by Peter Clarke offlineReview by LaLa, 21/04/2021 While the arrangement and the instrumentation is the high-quality we've come to expect from Mr. Clarke, something is off with the mixing of this track. Namely, the guitars in the left and right channels sound like they were recorded with mics that were placed far away from the guitars. Or maybe it's some weird phasing issue between them. Bottom line is, they just don't sound as natural as the guitars in your other remixes, their sound has a certain metallic tincan quality to them. |
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Broken Circuit part1 - arranged by NecroPoloReview by LaLa, 18/04/2021 Classic Necro, solid stuff. It's baffling to me why it didn't score higher on the R64 20th Anniversary remix compo. How you manage to mix SID sounds and heavy guitars with all that distortion and still getting a clean mix out of it all is beyond me. And your work on those guitars - just damn. |
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Deactivators - arranged by Glyn R BrownReview by LaLa, 17/04/2021 Our first RKO entry from the Remix64 20th Anniversary Compo! I am not ashamed to admit that I cried when I saw that Glyn has submitted an entry to the compo, and I was moved even more when I heard what he has submitted. It was truly an honor to have you enter the compo, Glyn! This may be a short remix, but it's ever more impactful. Amazing arrangement featuring a male and a female choir, and even a children's choir. All backed by a superbly arranged orchestral bed. Simply brilliant. |
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TASK III ++ - arranged by Tim ForsythReview by LaLa, 31/03/2021 I am so glad, Tim, that you decided to keep working at your Task III remix! This++version is what I now consider THE ultimateTask III remix! It's an absolutely brilliant piece that follows the original very closely. The arrangement is spot on, the instrument selection is superb. And I am glad my little feedback helped you make the final mix sound even better. I just can't get enough of this remix, I keep listening to it over and over again, because it always puts a huge smile on my face. I have always been a fan of the original SID, but I have become an even bigger fan of this remix of it. Just brilliant! |
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Rubicon Title Music - arranged by Magical Sound Shower 64Review by LaLa, 21/03/2021 Funky groove! Nicely done. I am not entirely sold on the vocoded vocals, though: it's a bit too hard to understand the lyrics. Maybe dial the modulator down a bit to let more of the original vocal through? Definitely plus points for originality, though! And I totally dig the guitar improv towards the end. |
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Commando High-score (bullboy command mix) - arranged by BullboyReview by LaLa, 21/03/2021 The flute in the intro is nice. The vocoded voice is hard to understand. The synth parts are okay-ish. The mix gets washed out due to the hi-freq pads. And the ending is abruptly cut off - at least let the reverb ring out. |
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Delta (Trouble in Tribble Town) - arranged by 0supereg0Review by LaLa, 12/03/2021 Nice and slow laid-back version with prog-rock ambience (guitar and electric organ). I am hearing some dissonant chords starting at around the 1:55 mark - tsk-tsk. Other than that, rather pleasant and relaxing. |
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TASK III - arranged by Tim ForsythReview by LaLa, 08/03/2021 This is a hard SID to crack because it's so intricate and so complex, and it's also high-paced. If you listen carefully, this remix is a really good effort, with lots of the subtleties of the original present in this remix. The somewhat chaotic nature of the original also comes through very well. I find it hard not to compare it to Ocean's excellent version from 2002, which I think absolutely nailed the instrumentation and the arrangement, too. Listening to Tim's version and Ocean's version back-to-back also reveals that Tim's version lacks a lot of punch, which I think can be fixed in the mixing department. All in all, my hats off to Tim for taking a crack at this SID and because he obviously poured a lot of effort into his remix, and the result is a pretty darn good piece. |
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IK+ Club Mix - arranged by PhrygianReview by LaLa, 08/03/2021 I don't think you amped up the clubby beat on this high enough! Great concept, so-so execution. I think I like the 5:34-6:04 section the best. The part starting at 6:04 was supposed to be crescendo of the entire tune, and your lead here sounds really whimpy, plus it misses all the portamentos badly, too (you did not pay attention to that after your SID2MIDI conversion, did you?). |
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Delta (lost in space mix) - arranged by 0supereg0Review by LaLa, 08/03/2021 Really smooth bass kicks ass on this remix. That whiny sound, though - ouch, not to my liking. Love your guitar jamming on top of the beat. This remix falls apart badly at 1:30 - you should've stopped the guitar licks at that point. That section sounds too dissonant to my ears, anyway. At 2:16 we are back to our regularly scheduled Delta, still, that thin hi-freq whiny sound just doesn't seem to fit. 3:05 - silky smooth jamming again, tickles my ears. That provides a strong finish to this remix. Overall, I think you fell too much in love with your own jamming on this remix, you should've paused it, especially after 1:30. |
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Cybernoid 2 (Late Night Drive Mix) - arranged by 0supereg0Review by LaLa, 08/03/2021 This one sounds really excellent until about the 1 min mark when that synth lead comes in. Does not compute! Then you redeem yourself with a much better guitar lead after the 2 min mark, only to switch back to the synth lead again. I mean, the lead sound would be fine by itself, it just does not fit this track at all, IMHO. At around 3:50 it all gets chaotic to my ears, and then it fades into a jam session. This tracks shows a lot more promise than what it actually delivers. |
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Parallax Loader (Dozen Delightful Mix) - arranged by 0supereg0Review by LaLa, 08/03/2021 I love this! It's like a jam session over a Parallax beat. Sounds very impromptu, towards the end ever more improvised. You've done something new, something fresh with Parallax in a prog-rock style. Great job! |
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Glider Rider - arranged by MakkeReview by LaLa, 05/03/2021 Another Makke classic from days of yore, yet, it sounds as good today as it did 15+ years ago. (Funny how these bits and bytes don't fade with age like my cassette tapes do…) And that vocoder voice totally became Makke's signature. 😊 All coupled with lyrics that is spot on. |
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Hades Nebula - arranged by ColmarrReview by LaLa, 21/02/2021 The essence of the original is there, but it's presented somewhat flatly - I wish there was more emotion, more dynamics in it. I also think the male vocal shouts do not fit here, they jolted me out of the otherwise ethereal soundscape. The arrangement is fine, I even like the instrument selection, but the mix could've benefited from some additional tune-up to add some 'unpredictability' to it. |
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Commando Highlife (Christmas Carols in St. Albans) - arranged by The St. Albans Rob Hubbard Fan Club offlineReview by LaLa, 10/02/2021 This sounds much better than your previous choral remix (Human Race). I love the arrangement, and the performance is full of emotion, it's rather moving actually, I quite like it! However, I am going to be nitpicky about the choirs yet again: I really wish they sounded a bit more natural, a bit more convincing. You have mixed the male, female and children choirs masterfully in this remix, all singing their own lines - what a great idea! But they sound just a tad too robotic to me. I think yet again it's down to the lack of legatos between their phrases. But that piano ending with the soft tones - OMG, that is just brilliant! All in all an excellent piece - and to be honest, I think you made your choir sample libraries sound as good as you could, with proper dynamics and everything. I just wish you pushed them a bit more. I can only imagine how this would sound with a real choir… Really impressive job, thanks for sharing! |
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Way of the Exploding Fist (In Game music) - arranged by JB XplodingfistReview by LaLa, 25/01/2021 Starts out with a simple intro - but unfortunately it also continues the same 'simple' theme for the rest of the tune. There's nothing wrong with simple, but you should've injected more dynamics, more 'emotion' into the individual instruments. Shows promise, though, so I'd encourage you to keep trying with more remixes! |
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Knucklebusters (Cinematic 64) - arranged by SlaygonReview by LaLa, 23/01/2021 One of my favorites from the album! Knucklebusters the way only Slaygon could cover it. Add the phenomenal guitar-shredding of Vaggelis to mix and you've got a total mind-bender. Sixteen minutes of frenzy compressed to five minutes. TOP-NOTCH! |
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Human Race (Welcome To Goldrunner) - arranged by The St. Albans Rob Hubbard Fan Club offlineReview by LaLa, 22/01/2021 I like the concept a lot, but unfortunately, the choirs sound a bit too artificial - due to lack of legatos, mostly. The arrangement is phenomenal, it's a good idea, but more time should've been spent to make the choirs sound more natural, especially since they are the focal point of this remix. PS: What a FANTASTIC story about your experience with Mr. Hubbard! Thanks for sharing! |
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Parallax (title screen tune) - arranged by Steve CollinsReview by LaLa, 03/01/2021 While I totally respect that this remix covers the entire ~11 min of the original SID, I find the overall timbre of this remix a bit too harsh for my ears. Whether that's down to the choice of instruments or to the final mix, I do not know, but I think this remix would've benefited from a low-pass filter. |
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Cauldron 2 - arranged by MakkeReview by LaLa, 02/01/2021 A fantastic track from Makke's 2005 album 'It's Binary, Baby! ' As expected from a professional album, a professional track. Innovative mix of Kraftwerk (from 'Radioactivity') and Richard Joseph's classic SID.PS: Now that I've listened to Karl Bartos' I'm The Messageagain, the resemblance is pretty obvious. Well done, Makke! |
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Tomcat - arranged by Falco Paul offlineReview by LaLa, 01/01/2021 A rather lifeless arrangement, I'm afraid. The instrument selection is eclectic at best, mixing is almost non-existent, the samples (fighter pilot comm, plane flyby) are passable. |
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Monty on the Run (high score revisited) - arranged by Johan AnderssonReview by LaLa, 23/12/2020 If this doesn't get you up and dancing, nothing will! Really good idea to match the melody with a classic rock'n'roll groove. |
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