Gario Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 Contact Information Your ReMixer name: Archangel Your real name: Jaka Čibej Your email address: Your website: http://www.reverbnation.com/jakacibejarchangel Your userid: 23355 (http://ocremix.org/forums/member.php?u=23355) Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged: Paladin's Quest Name of individual song(s) arranged: Godom Lullaby Additional information about game including composer, system, etc.: Kōhei Tanaka; SNES; Link to the original soundtrack (if it is not one of the sound archives already available on the site): Godom Lullaby Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc.: Greetings, almighty primarchs!Submission no. 13! This is another arrangement I made years ago, back in 2011, and never submitted until now for some reason. I don't know why I keep hoarding music and storing it for years on end. It's tremendously annoying, but as a perfectionist, I guess I have a hard time just letting go. I remember making this when I went to Sweden to study there for a year. My first month there was kind of bumpy because I didn't really know anyone, and I'm not really the outgoing type. I missed my family and was kind of worried that my nephew, who was a year old at the time, would completely forget me. I knew it wouldn't have really made a difference if he had - I'd come back, we'd play with his toys for an hour or two and everything would be back to the way it was before I left. But there was still that uneasy feeling I couldn't get rid of, and that got me thinking how horrible it must be to lose a child. To be forced to live with that terrifying feeling that something important is missing from your life and there's no way to fill that gaping void. That's when I remembered Smash, the desperate miner from Paladin's Quest who lost his son. You meet him in a bar to ask for his help, but he only finds the courage to help you if you convince the pianist to play Godom Lullaby, which was Smash's son's favorite song. When he finally hears it, Smash says: "It's as if my son's telling me: 'You have to hang in there, dad!'" Pretty heart-breaking. The fact that Godom Lullaby is incredibly melancholic doesn't really help either. All this rumination inspired me to make this arrangement that's part lullaby, part elven lament and part Native American spirit dance. For anyone out there dealing with loss - I hope this inspires you to go on. It's hard, but it's an inherent part of being human. Here's the link to the mp3: Enjoy the track and take care, J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 Man, that title is considerably darker in light of the explanation.... Beautiful arrangement. I definitely think you achieved what you set out to do. I only have a handful of minor critiques. First, it's very quiet--I see over 2.3 dB of headroom on it, and I had to turn up my volume almost to maximum to hear it well. As a melancholy lullaby, it doesn't have to be super loud, but it should be louder than this. It's much quieter than anything on Esther's Dreams, for instance. Second, there's a backing flute-like instrument from 2:03-2:17 with a vibrato on it that sounds very strong, fast, and mechanical, which doesn't sound very good. During the climax at 2:34-3:10, it gets just a little bit muddy in the highs. There's a tiny bit of distortion, really negligible but it's there. Finally, the end is just a little abrupt. It's not terrible, it's just very quick, simple, and cliche. All of those except the volume are really minor, though, and that's an easy fix. Otherwise, this is lovely and evocative. YES-CONDITIONAL (on increased volume) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted April 24, 2017 Author Share Posted April 24, 2017 Archangel doing what he does best, as usual. It's calming, but it's definitely got some dark undertones (especially after reading what this is about - such a sad track!). I agree with MindWanderer on the levels - there's no need for that much headroom - but I don't think it's something I'd hold this back for. If this passes I'll ask if the levels could be raised a decibel or two, though, as that would indeed be a quick fix. The overall EQ balance on this is lacking in the upper range, which makes the piece sound a little muffled. It's not enough to sink the piece, but if you've got a lowpass on this I'd suggest lightening up on it in the future, even if it's supposed to be a melancholy piece. Other than that, I've got nothing but good things to say about the track. The orchestration is great, the humanization is right where it needs to be (the flute vibrato is alright - the pan flute does do that quick vibrato from time to time). Yeah, I like it, let's send it off to the front page. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Love the mood here, definitely a great expansion on the original. I also agree that you holding onto these tracks is not something you should do! Get them out there for us (and others!) to see! Always love that you take the time to really massage a lot of life out of your samples. Even if things don't sound perfectly realistic, everything sounds humanized and has a great feel to it. Aside from this being a bit quiet overall (a quick fix) I'm good for this one to go! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_NutS Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 This is a pretty emotive arrangement, which exudes a very nostalgic and melancholic feeling, with touches of sadness. The samples aren't the best, but they're used in the best way possible, with attention to detail in the performances which makes their quality almost irrelevant. I do think the mix is too quiet, and we should ask for a new version that raises the overall volume a few dbs, but this should b on the front page. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 I wouldn't mind a volume raise, but didn't mind the level, so I'm not condition on that. The arrangement was straightforward and well over 50% of the piece, so I didn't need to timestamp anything. The opening piano sample was exposed with a thin/fake tone, so watch the detail work on that when there's nothing else in play; it was just a few seconds, but was the opening, so start strong as far as the production. The pacing and mood were pretty deliberate, arguably droning, but some good instrumentation and subtle textural changeups over time kept this from feeling repetitive within this narrower dynamic curve. Nice additional of the female solo & choir vox 2:32 for that added level of activity in the final section. Not my cup of tea personally, but Jaka nails the mood here very nicely. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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