Liontamer Posted September 6, 2008 Share Posted September 6, 2008 This is the mixed version of our "Still Alive" arrangement as performed in our Spring '08 concert. The link to the MP3 and song information are as follows: Remix Name: Live from [sUBJECT HOMETOWN HERE] Remixer Name: Gamer Symphony Orchestra Games Arranged: Portal, PC, 2007 Individual Songs Arranged: Still Alive Email Address: UMDGSO@gmail.com Website: www.umgso.com Comments: GLaDOS, the artificial intelligence who serves as the antagonist of Valve's "Portal", is unique in the depth and complexity of her personality: She is split up among a number of different personality "cores", all of which conspire to create her character. GLaDOS, voiced by opera singer Ellen McLain, is also unusual in that she was called upon to sing "Portal"'s closing song, "Still Alive", written by Popular Science's "Contributing Troubadour" Jonathan Coulton. We decided to explore GLaDOS' manifold personality through our orchestra's own sonic diversity, letting "Still Alive" meander through a variety of different sound worlds, each shedding its own light on the Coulton's infectious melodies and on GLaDOS' elusive nature. This song was recorded live at the Gamer Symphony Orchestra's Spring Concert on May 13th, 2008. For more details, please visit our website at www.umgso.com . Please let us know if we need to set anything else up (remixer profile, etc) before you make your decision. Thanks! -Justin Johnston Advertising/PR Officer University of Maryland Gamer Symphony Orchestra ------------------------------------------------------------ This is only the second Portal submission we've ever received. The first one, it didn't make the panel and you really don't wanna hear it, I assure you. Sucks if that guy eventually reads this somehow. Portal (Game Rip) - "Still Alive" Really cool to have witnessed this live at the University of Maryland. Since Jen Johnston's lead vocals were obscured too much in the live performance, I made sure to tell Chris Apple to just make sure those vocals were loud and clear in the released version and to make sure to send this over! In the post-production, I would've made Jen's vocals a little less dry, but not a huge deal there. The whole thing was a little quiet actually, but was still mixed reasonably well; it was just a lot beefier to hear in person. The lead vocal mic also needed a pop shield, but it didn't majorly hurt the overall product. Everything after 1:15 sealed that this wasn't just going to be a straightforward orchestral cover. A bit rough around the edges, but an overall strong live performance full of good unorthodox ideas befitting a truly unorthodox source tune. Awesome way to cap off the night by the GSO. Thanks so much to Justin and the entire GSO for inviting djp and myself to check this out. Some of the performances were pretty spotty to start the show out, but overall they did a good job and showed off the strength and potential of the Gamer Symphony Orchestra concept, something I'm surprised no one else at the university level has really tried to push, since it's clearly a hell of a lot of fun. Clearly when you want the first Portal mix on the site, you gotta do it big. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 What an arrangement, so many ideas. It seems to switch instrument leads, tempos, and styles every fifteen seconds. But for most part, the styles are played/sung well (sometimes the strings sound a little out-of-tune) and the transitions are handled pretty well too. In particular, I liked the second verse which had a cool marching beat, and the "Summer Nights"-like doo-wop after the first chorus. Recording quality is pretty good for a live performance, and the parts are pretty easy to hear. I think the lead vocals maybe stand out a little too much, but it's a nitpick. I don't see any big reason to say NO, and many to say YES. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anosou Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 Right off the bat the song is a bit too dry but it's minor. Good enough mixing for a live preformance imo. Could probably be a little bit louder but it's not easy to achieve with this kind of recording without destroying the dynamics. Arrangement-wise this is full of interesting ideas and quirks. Most of the transitions were well handled but I felt that 2:10 wasn't handled that well. Some instruments are definitely out of tune at times. This is outweighed by the overall good performance and arrangement though. I especially like the choir, nice work right there. And damn, crowd noise! Gotta love it. So yeah, this adds up to a yes. Portal fans will finally be satisfied (even though the cake is a lie). YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big giant circles Posted September 17, 2008 Share Posted September 17, 2008 Ha, this one turned out to be quite different from what I expected after listening the first 20 seconds or so. Extremely creative (and live performance!) adaptation of what may be the anthem of this generation of gamers. From a *professional* standpoint, this has all the flaws of amateur production--a few performance flubs throughout weak mic setup, mediocre mixing, and a very very dry feel throughout. But I'll be darned if I'm going to let those things keep this from hitting the front page, lol. This is a fantastic example of how sometimes it's more important to provide the listener with something compelling rather than something produced with QLSO Platinum, or otherwise the Boston Pops orchestra. Props all around to all involved in this performance. Wish I'd had the privilege of seeing this one live. HUGE SUCCESS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts