Okay, here's the story: I stumbled across MIDI mapping for this song while surfing one day. I happen to have Arturia's MiniLab that I've never really made full use of. This seemed like a perfect excuse to really dig into some analogue synth sounds.
What really cracked open the arrangement was a brass sound from the Mini V (Minimoog). It was releasing certain notes like grace notes on uilleann pipes. That gives the entire piece a mournful, grey quality the original only hints at. The original is very summer, mine is very autumn. Or at least that's my goal with the mix.
I'm not happy with the percussion in general. I don't have proper sleigh bells, so I used bells from Xmas decorations. They don't jingle as well as I'd like. The clip-clop isn't bright enough for my taste either. Any ideas here would be helpful.
I can't seem to get the outro snare hits in proper rhythm either. They hit where they're supposed to, but they still sound robotic.
Anyway, this is only a first mix. Let me know what you think. Be honest!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ozp0h9pscs...ws%20.wav?dl=0