Commodore Remix

Hey there,

Now I’m free from the 5 minute compo limit, I thought instead if uploading my M.A.C.H remix, I’d extend it to be more true to the original.

What hampered progress was a purchase of Cubasis for my iPad and the process of migrating the song from Kong Gadget and AUM has taken ages, it’s been fun though. Exporting the midi files track by track and rebuilding it from scratch using lots of different synth apps.

It’s not complete, the choirs are too loud at the start for example and the wind down before the end section needs some love, but, and the reason for posting this, is that I may have spent a bit too much time going off script at the end. I’m sure I can cram some more stuff into the mix ...

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/UhGZ7nRMDux6z5Lu7

I like it when remixers go off-script and take a tune into a totally new direction! What you've added here sounds very emotional, and rather cinematic. Just great stuff. To be honest, I probably could've listened to it for another 3-4 minutes easy. I really like it.

My humble ears would prefer a little less vibrato in the one-note-rythm lead pattern in the first 30 seconds and maybe a little less portamento in the lead during the following three minutes. But otherwise I really like the remix, especially the last two minutes.

>> I like it when remixers go off-script and take a tune into a totally new direction!

Thanks Lala, my conscience was asking, is this ending really necessary? Seems a bit self indulgent, but the rest of me was egging me on saying this sounds really cool.

>> My humble ears would prefer a little less vibrato in the one-note-rythm lead pattern in the first 30 seconds and maybe a little less portamento in the lead during the following three minutes

Cheers for pointing that out, it needed correcting - having listened to my track too many times, it became the new normal. Wow, taking a step back that portamento really dives down too fast, and too late.

The vibrato on the lead repeater was a tough one.

I remember it drove me mad trying to reproduce it using an LFO (as you usually would with vibrato) - I couldn't get the fine grain control over an LFO for such a short split second, a reminder that for the 64, controlling everything from a CPU gives you insane amount of microcontrol over your sounds that you just can't get with synthesizers.

I did it with a pitch bend in the end.

Hey Tim.. You've been kind enough to comment thoughtfully on my work so....

This is a journey, in the true sense of just where a composer should take a SID,(not just a 1:1 remake or cover). There are some subtle JMJ type structures & progressions here. I love the pedal-point bass sticking rigidly to the root note while the rest goes walkabout, (it's a trick I use myself and it really works). Weirdly, the tune pulls me to the land of JMJ and then the pitch-bends in the lead instrument pull me straight back to SID territory. Lots of emotion in those straight, non-bent notes in the melody and the pull-ups & stops in the rhythm only add to that. I'm normally critical of drum-tracks in EDM & electronica that just loop & loop with no variation or fills, but here it just adds to the intensity of atmosphere, allowing the chord progressions to create the journey. This is a really nice track, (and coming from someone who is definitely NOT a fan of dance, untz or electronica remixes generally, you can take it as high-praise).Well Done!! Superb arrangement & a Great Track!

Thanks for the thoughtful words, I’m so happy the idea of making this a journey (which I’m a big fan of this style of music writing, I tried this with Yie Ar Kung fu) came across here.

when I heard that bass patch (it’s from Zeeon), everything clicked, funny how a single sound can propel you in a certain direction. The only remit I had before making this, was no snare drums! Suddenly, I realised the punch of the mids of the new bass sound acted like a snare and a marching beat. Serendipity indeed.

Yeah, I didn’t want to create a dance track and tried really hard to keep it from sounding like generic techno. Wanted it to be darker.

I’ll make no excuses for the end, my original remix was more world in action, but now, this is completely inspired by JMJ Revolutions.

Talking of kind words, I had to have a word with myself this morning. I left a review late last night for DJ Space’s excellent storm lord remix, something like “the cardinal sin of pitch bending a synth string guitar”. I thought I was being breezy and fun, woke up this morning, read it and thought, oh my, that sounds a bit preachy. I edited my review, sorry DJ Space, your mix is great!