OCR00938 - Star Control II 'Hyperspace Electro Blast'

[djpretzel]

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

[Pkunk]

DAMN, DAMN, DAMN, DAMN IT! I thought I was going to get to be the first person to post a Starcon remix with that intro song I have been working on but and to stupid to figure out how to complete. Oh well, at least I got beat out by an exclent remix.

[Rayza]

Hey man, great stuff here.. I liked the toned down sound of Wizardry a little more but this is really nice.. Excellent mixing and sound use.. Maybe I'll email you again for some more advice soon.. :)

[Paulus Maximus]

Wow, this is some great stuff. It gets really great about a minute and a half into it! The stuff before is great, too!

[neostormx]

NICE. Star Control 2 has some of my favorite music. Good job in bringing this remix to life!

[dzone]

Love the remix. It adds a nice variation to the original while not completely altering it. Great work Mark!

[Gwilym]

found it quite boring actually.

like everyone else who played the game, i loved the original - my problem here is that the style it's been remixed into is very close to that version, just ...worse. less masterful; less special.

i find the arrangement to be quite sterile; they're nothing particularly interesting going on that wasnt in the original piece... and i think there was a lot of room to add new stuff; i kept hoping that the song was gonna break off into, at the very least, the same theme played with different instruments, but instead the song just went on and on, with the only particular variations being some awkward drum fills.

sorry, i just plain don't like this much. seems more like a live (almost impromptu) cover than a full arrangement to me.

but i must give praise for the synth sweeps and warbly things. they're really excellent, and a great extrapolation from the original sounds. very good work there. i just think a bit more time should have been spent on making the arrangement of the actual song more interesting.

but that's just me. there's nothing really bad in the mix; no bum notes or anything. probably a very pleasant listen for anyone who hasn't heard the original. it just seems bland to me, is all.

the end.

[Mark Vera]

Some people love, some don't. I don't mind. Actually this is my second full length song I've made with real sequencer software and softsynths. First was the Wizardry (which used mainly sample based sounds).

This remix was made in one night session, plus sleeping and mastering later (mastering could be better as well - again my early masterings). I've learned a lot since, so I could improve this remix a lot now days.

When I was doing the arragement I wanted to preserve some of the the original structure. Some people expect remix to be total remix, some like it to be "upgraded" version. I would have wanted nice distorted electric guitar solo parts to this remix, but I don't possess the hardware nor skills to play one. Sample based electric guitars usually suck big time.

Other things I'd do now, I would add a bit 80's here and there (mainly Linndrum sample set). Yes, I love 80's sound. And of course some vocoder singing - simple lyrics, maybe some Star Control lines talking about hyperspace.

Maybe I re-remix this some day, but not today..

[Gwilym]

despite my review, i would look forward to this :)

[I_am_Torgo]

I love Star Control II's hyperspace music...

Since I'm still new to this reviewing business, I'm not sure what genre this goes in. I do know that it does under a classification of 'good.' (Man that was cheesy).

Honestly, there's nothing particularly bad that stands out in the Mix. If I had to say anything, it feels a tad on the repetitive side. Some of the sounds feel a tad over used as well. Personally, this might have been better off with thirty seconds or a minute shaved off. Then again, that might have ruined it.

As far as ReArrangement is concerned, I think it does a fairly good job. I agree with Mark that some of the original tune should be kept in place. With the nature and general sound of the song, I think it could easily be lost in elaborate rearrangement. Then again, I might not have any clue what I'm talking about.

Wow, both of my paragraphs for this end with 'then agains.' Not the best way to end it. I just don't want to come off as some high and mighty music critic. I'm not. I'd like to think I have a good ear for arrangement, though. Overall, this is a pretty good piece. Let's hope for more Star Control II mixes in the future.

Score: 7/10

[Zekian]

I'm a newcomer to the world of Star Control II, having just started playing it through the "Ur-Quan Masters" project. However, when I saw SCII on this site, my heart skipped a beat. This mix stays exciting and entertaining the whole way through without deviating from the original track too much. It's hard to make a great mix out of something that repeats itself so much, but you've done it with flying colors.

[nessinka]

I've found this download site:
Star Control 3 download (http://www.old-pc-games.com/adventure/games-sp-sw/star-control-3.html)

[Bongo Bill]

This remix, and the two other by this artist, are in fact being used as part of the optional remixed soundtrack packages for The Ur-Quan Masters. They are part of a soundtrack rather than standalone songs, and should be considered in that light.

[Mark Vera]

I retouched the song a bit some days ago by mixing and mastering it again. My skills have improved a lot since the original was done, not to mention much better monitoring equipment I got now. Otherwise it's the same song.

Download:
Star Control 2: Hyperspace (Mark Vera's Electro Blast 2007 Mix) (www.markvera.net/music/Mark_Vera_-_Star_Control_2_Electro_Blast_2007_Mix.mp3)


Not sure if OC takes retouched mixes.. and I'm too lazy to bother to find out so I let this be just here for download..

[Liontamer]

I retouched the song a bit some days ago by mixing and mastering it again. My skills have improved a lot since the original was done, not to mention much better monitoring equipment I got now. Otherwise it's the same song.

Download:
Star Control 2: Hyperspace (Mark Vera's Electro Blast 2007 Mix) (http://www.markvera.net/music/Mark_Vera_-_Star_Control_2_Electro_Blast_2007_Mix.mp3)


Not sure if OC takes retouched mixes.. and I'm too lazy to bother to find out so I let this be just here for download..
We used to, as in several years ago. We no longer do that nowadays, as explained here (http://www.ocremix.org/info/Submission_Standards_and_Instructions#Can_I_submit _a_revision_of_an_existing.2C_posted_ReMix.3F).

[OA]

A more atmospheric mix, light on the melody. The good news is that it's made pretty interesting by creative synth writing and lots of parts. There is interest going on at all levels of the mix, and even though it takes a more piecemeal approach, it works well as intertwining parts and rhythm shift constantly to create something really cool and unique.
Pretty catchy synths, despite the lack of a strong melody.