11th (Eleventh Experience) This is such an interesting arrangement! Shifting the melody forward by one beat really gives the tune a fresh spin, while the new chords set the mood for an intense level. It's different enough to not be blatantly noticeable, so listening to it and recognizing the original melody is pretty fun. I think the lead guitar could have benefited from some more dynamicity, for example by adding some vibrato and pitch bending. I'm not a huge fan of the hi-hats which are maybe a tad too loud and thin. The crash cymbal is on the other hand a bit too quiet and gets cut off - I think it could have been placed on channel 8, which is empty for the most part. 16/20 - Composition 16/20 - Sound Design / Mixing 13/15 - Creativity 5/5 - Evidence of source material Total 50/60 ---------- Cave One issue I have with this rearrangement is that the vibraphone gets too jarring and repetitive after a while. The ostinato pattern is admittedly quite dissonant even in the original tune, but the original tune uses lower-pitched instruments with a more percussive tone and a slower rhythm overall which make it easier on the ear. That being said, I like the lead synth and the little pitch bends are a nice touch. 11/20 - Composition 13/20 - Sound Design / Mixing 11/15 - Creativity 5/5 - Evidence of source material Total 40/60 ---------- Hills (Athletic Remix) Country is such a perfect fit for this track! The @14 fiddle is a pretty good alternative to @6 and @4, and I really like the little fill at 0:50, it's a refreshing way to loop back to the beginning of the song. One little nitpick I have with the arrangement is that the chords in the banjo arpeggio (0:02-0:04) leave out the thirds (C#) and only play the fifths instead (E). I think that if C# was played instead of E in channel #2, it would make that section a little more colourful. I also think the short section before the fill sounds a bit empty for the lack of upbeat notes, which are present all throughout the song. Other than that, I think this is a very good arrangement. 14/20 - Composition 16/20 - Sound Design / Mixing 12/15 - Creativity 5/5 - Evidence of source material Total 47/60 ---------- mountain2 I love the spirit of this! It really feels like you're climbing a mountain, the steady rhythm reminds me of a group of people marching to the top. I think this is more of an original composition than a rearrangement - I recognize the first notes of the SMW leitmotif, but I can't seem to trace it back to a specific track from the game. I also think it would have been cool if you expanded the tune a bit more, maybe with a section with different chords. 14/20 - Composition 15/20 - Sound Design / Mixing 12/15 - Creativity 4/5 - Evidence of source material Total 45/60 ---------- smw city (Mario's Funkey City) I feel like the arrangement could use some drums and maybe a more varied instrumentation. I like the idea behind it though, it does give me the impression of a buzzing city at night. I can hear the Piano theme from SMW, but the main melody also reminds me of SMB2's overworld theme and I feel like it's more noticeable than the former, not sure if that's intentional. There are a few weirdly timed notes throughout the song and the loop point comes in a bit too early. I'm also not too fond of the piano section at 0:28: there are four channels playing different phrases and it's not clear if they support the melody or act as counterpoints - I think the result is a bit jarring. 11/20 - Composition 13/20 - Sound Design / Mixing 12/15 - Creativity 4/5 - Evidence of source material Total 40/60 ---------- vldc11_smp (forest) I like the swing rhythm and the bassline here! On the other hand I'm not sure about the shift between the overworld and forest theme, which has such a sudden change of mood. The section starting at 0:55 takes different parts of the original tune and swaps them around, but sounds a bit directionless in the end. 12/20 - Composition 14/20 - Sound Design / Mixing 12/15 - Creativity 5/5 - Evidence of source material Total 43/60 ---------- vldc11night (A Moment to Stargaze) Lovely sound design! I really like the sampled @13 chords at the beginning and the wobbly sound effects, it's very relaxing. The @2 arpeggio in channel #4 is pretty cool, even though it clashes a bit with the rest from a harmonical point of view. The Star World section is also a nice touch which fits the mood very well. Nicely done. 14/20 - Composition 17/20 - Sound Design / Mixing 13/15 - Creativity 5/5 - Evidence of source material Total 49/60