Chimpazilla Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 (edited) Remixer Name: DJ Galvanization Real Name: Oscar A. Galvan Email: Website: https://soundcloud.com/djgalvanization UserID: 53449 Games: Bioware's "Mass Effect 2" and "Mass Effect 3" Title: Save the Earth, Save the Galaxy Source songs: ME3's "Leaving Earth" and ME2's "Suicide Mission" Source Composers: Clint Mansell and Jack Wall, respectively I came up with the idea for this mix after finishing the entire Mass Effect trilogy for the 2nd time. I had such a hard time saying goodbye to the characters when it ended that I had to find a way to keep them going a bit longer. A remix combining two of my favorite songs in the trilogy was the answer for me. I have recently started trying to get orchestral elements to cooperate with electronic ones and this is my take on it. The first source track is Leaving Earth and the second is Suicide Mission. I chose these not just because they are among my favorites, but because the titles made sense as well, even when played in that order. The main character had to leave Earth to save it and the rest of galaxy and embark on a suicide mission of galactic proportions. And by leaving Earth to then return and save it, he also saves the galaxy, regardless of the ending you chose. I leave enough of the source material (Leaving Earth) in the first half to make it quickly identifiable and then start making some subtle changes to its tempo (slowly from 80 to 134) and start introducing electronic elements and my own spin on it. I had to sample and use the Reaper Horn though because that had such an impact on me when I first played the game. I also use it as a break and a riser with my attempt at clever looping and pitch bending. The 2nd half (Suicide Mission) is actually in 7/8 time and not the traditional 4/4. I tried my best to make this transition seamless and imperceptible and gave it my own instrumental spin. The changes occur soon after the song undergoes a time signature change from 7/8 to 6/8 (or 3/4). Then it leads to original melodies (back to 4/4), but I had to pay significant homage to the original, as it is an excellent song. I cut and slightly rearranged a good portion of the original though to keep a healthy song length. Finally, the song ends with a key change for one last hurrah and instrument dimming. I don't know if it is perfect, but either way, I am looking forward to the feedback on the track so I know what to improve on or what to change for the future. This is my very first submission so I'm not expecting much, but hopefully it's good enough to catch an ear or two. I was told by several friends to submit it here on OCRemix so here I am. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ME3 Leaving Earth: ME2 Suicide Mission: Edited April 21, 2015 by Liontamer closed decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 (edited) I'm going to have to come back to this one. It's LONG, and I don't know these sources so I'm struggling with that. Still, some interesting ideas here. Lots of different aspects to comment on. edit 4-20-15: Listening again. I agree with Emu that the loud horn blasts in the intro are overused, and they are too stark with nothing in the low range playing at that time, so they sound jarring and not in a good way. I also have to agree that the orchestral portions of the track are the best produced. The dancey portions are the weak link, unfortunately. Larry said they are "unsophisticated and sound shoehorned in" and that describes it quite well. The beat is really generic as are the drum samples used. The sidechained synth is very plain and predictable. I think if the beats were more varied and interesting, with more emotive/fitting samples, and with those sections introduced better (ease into those sections), it might work. The beats as they are sound pasted on top of the mix instead of sitting nicely within it. It is a very bold concept to combined these styles, so the transitions have to make sense, and they don't quite yet imo, but I think the transitions will sound smoother once the beats and drum samples are addressed. I agree with Wes that this is worth working on, but some further creative ideas are needed to make this unique idea fully click. I'm pulling for ya, and I can't wait to hear this again! NO (resubmit) Edited April 21, 2015 by Chimpazilla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Once things picked up into the more electronic style around 1:00, I thought the synth design was generic, but the production was decent. 1:37 moved over into a generic dance adaptation until 2:34; the groove was too simplistic and basic-sounding; it quickly plodded and things weren't very interesting so the dropoff was welcome. From 2:34-on, it shifted to a more epic, cinematic style on "Suicide Mission" until 5:05. There's legitimate interpretion there for sure, though I would have enjoyed some melodic variations or other arrangement methods along with the genre adaptation. The beats added in from 5:09-5:37 were super generic again, and I didn't feel they clicked with the cinematic strings. Really didn't need those kicks coming back from 5:52-6:20 with a key change, though the transition before it was pretty creative. Overall, the mixing was cluttered, but nothing that was a dealbreaker. I like the idea of the dance groove adding and subtracting in theory, Oscar, but the way it's applied lacks sophistication; the pattern's so bland and sounds like its shoehorned in, when I know that's not your intention. I may be the outlier here, but the creativity of the electronic/EDM components was lacking, IMO, and that was enough to drag this down. It's a solid arrangement though, and the orchestration's OK, so we'll see how the others feel about the overall cohesiveness and flow. Reservations aside, this is promising stuff and well in the right direction. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Very cool, ambitious arrangement ideas here. I love the idea of producing dance tracks with more of an orchestral spin and a progressive structure like this. As a whole, I thought your orchestration and samples were pretty solid, and I was impressed with your use of the various cinematic risers/transitions throughout the track. The reaper horn sample is really cool but I also found it a bit hamfisted in the intro when it was used so many times in quick succession. Maybe cut back to just one or two of the horn hits in the intro? Larry nailed the big problem with this track; the electronic sections lack sophistication to match the orchestral components. The beats are too simplistic, the synth design does not complement the orchestral instruments, and in general those section feel underdeveloped. For starters, you really need a bassline in those parts to help fill out the soundscape. I think part of the reason that those sections sound so out of place is because of that omission. In general I would suggest trying to flesh out those dance portions with additional synths, textures, and sounds so that they don't sound so hollow by comparison. I think this is a really ambitious concept and, while it might take a couple of attempts to nail it, you've got some very strong elements present already and I don't think it's outside your reach to get the electronic sections where they need to be. Ultimately I think this is a song worth taking the time to revisit. Good luck! NO (resubmit!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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