Donkey Kong Country 2 Music - Hot Head Bop (Moonblaze Remix)

[Moonblazed]

Thanks for the feedback everybody!

[Cytoplazm18]

this is quite possibly the most amazing thing I have ever heard.

[Moonblazed]

@Cytoplazm18 That is quite the compliment, I appreciate very much!

[Henkco]

Wow, sounds amazing, and later on it's so nice as well.

Takes a while to find good remixes but when you find them they were worth the search!

[OfficialRealAmer]

Hot Head Hop!

[McMuffinMasterX]

SEAFRG6tvr

[DrRZ1024]

ocremix lists Wise as the only composer of DKC2, whereas not for the other games, so I think it's safe to say he made it.

Decent remix, but the sounds suffer a bit from being single samples. This can be masked with effects, dynamics and velocity/timing humanization. Also sounds soft. Unless my headphones are failing me, you should up the volume. XP

[Moonblazed]

DrRZ1024, thanks for the feedback. Would it be possible to elaborate a little bit? By the sounds being single samples, you mean every same note sounds the same since the same dynamics are applied? There is this 'human playing' option where I think the timing will have slight imperfections.

[Moonblazed]

As far as volumes, I could have sworn I recorded the whole thing as loud as I could. The drum presence in this song is greatly reduced compared to the other songs. That or I left the sound 'raw' with no equalization what's so ever, thus creating a flat blend. Thanks again!

[DrRZ1024]

They sound the same because they're the same sound. More advanced samplers/sample sets contain round robins, ie multiple samples for the same note/range triggered randomly (lots of samples when you have velocities, note ranges, AND rr's, hence why they're usually not cheap). Making the filter close more on low velocities (and editing velocities) would probably help at least the harp/aco guitar. Some velocity randomization and/or volume-sensitive effects could make the rhythm guitar more organic.

[DrRZ1024]

I know Logic's built-in ES2 synth can be set to randomize any parameter for each note (how much can be set), a similar option in whatever sampler you're using would make the notes less same-y. A "human playing" option would probably help with the sequencing, add to that some subtle effects and if possible. Mod wheel and pitch bend are other tools to humanize with, tho they're mostly useful on leads.

Hard to say if your remix actually is softer, everything I hear sounds soft to me now. Weird. XD

[Moonblazed]

I am using .wav samples and midi. I am actually not using the software the way it was initially intended. It's a software that read tabs but I've been using it for a long time and managed to make it sound decent over the years.

[Moonblazed]

Problem is with programs like Cubase and Fruityloops I haven't been able to find satisfying bass and guitar samples. However when I upgrade my HDD I will be switching to Fruityloops again and work from there.

[Moonblazed]

If you have any knowledge of any decent bass and guitar modules, let me know so I can try them out. The program I work with is somewhat limited.

[DrRZ1024]

If you have wav samples already, you can just import them into whatever sampler you get with the program. I mostly do electronic music of different kinds, so I don't really need convincing guitar and bass for it. Anyway, part of convincing samples is writing and mixing them convincingly, some half-accurate samples through an amp sim does the job a lot better than a single sample imo. CamelCrusher and mda's Combo are a distortion and amp sim, respectively, that I occasionally use.

[Moonblazed]

Thanks for the info, I'll keep that in mind when I get to experiment with new tools!