Chimpazilla Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Contact Information ReMixer name: Dasgust Real name: Roope Lindström Website: http://www.youtube.com/Dasgust Userid: 25275 Submission Information Name of game arranged: Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box Name of arrangement: Your Last Hope Name of individual song(s) arranged: Iris Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (レイトン教授と悪魔の箱) Composer: Tomohito Nishiura System: Nintendo DS Developer: Level-5 Genre(s): Puzzle, Adventure Original release date: November 29, 2007 (Japan) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted October 13, 2016 Author Share Posted October 13, 2016 Opening/outro piano is so mechanical. Shaker, hat and especially clap are too loud/dry. Beat is so simple and plain. The melody repeats so many times. This could be a really cool dance track but the melody needs some more interpretation, or a section in between without melody but maybe some other element to break things up. Lead timbres are generic and lack movement or modulation. I can't hear the bass. This track has potential but it needs a mixing overhaul and some more melodic interpretation. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Man, what a great source. Never heard any of the music in that game, but that's a pretty hot track. Sounds absolutely ripe for an amazing arrangement, so I'm glad you're giving us something fresh and remix-able to work with. That being said, there are a few issues with execution that leaves a bit to be desired on this. The 'realistic' instruments need quite a bit of TLC in the humanization department, as right now they sound like... well, sequenced. Obviously they ARE sequenced, but using volume envelopes, adjusting the attack envelop to emulate different articulations, etc., can go a long way in making these instruments sound more realistic. There's quite a lot that can (and should) go into these things in this track to give the instruments a more realistic, human sound. Overall, the production isn't bad; I don't hear too much in limiting or compression issues, and it's nice and loud to boot. However, there are quite a bit of mixing issues that I hear throughout. That clap in the beginning (0:23 - 0:46) just punches through too much in comparison to everything else. When everything is playing at 0:46, the lead is hard to follow, as it's mixed relatively behind other background elements, making the theme harder to follow. At 2:08 there are so many things that are trying to be mixed to the front it becomes tricky to follow what you want the listener to focus on, instead leaving the track sounding muddy. There is a lot to like about this arrangement: the transitions (like at 0:46) roll right into the next portions (loved it), and the change-ups in the soundscape (like at 1:17) really help give the arrangement shape. From 0:00 to 1:17 (and arguably beyond), though, the arrangement focuses on one theme of the source, and drags it out virtually unaltered. It gets rather boring and stale quickly, so it really needs either something else to break up that source in the middle (perhaps during the build-up from 0:00 - 0:46), or the theme needs some real variation. One way or another, the repetition of the melodies of the source is problematic for this arrangement. I see what you're doing, and I think the approach can work. However, attention needs to be paid to the realism of your instruments, the mixing needs to be cleaned up and more focused, and the arrangement needs some more variation of the source so that it doesn't get too stale as the track goes on. I do hope for a resubmission on this one, though. Good luck! NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_NutS Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Yeah, the sequenced sound is inescapable here. It's not a bad arrangement, but the production needs to step up, the instruments need to sound more humanized, and the edm parts need to sound less vanilla. The mixing itself is not bad, although the bass is nowhere to be heard and needs a boost. The different elements can be identified even when the track is busy, but they are stiff and dry. You have a good idea here, well structured too, just needs a bump on the production side of things, I think Kris and Greg offered good advice on this. Your instruments don't need to sound uber realistic but you can do better to make them sound less mechanical, and your synths can be less generic and have some modulation and spice in them. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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