*NO* Sqoon 'Future Flash Back'

[Liontamer]

* Name of game(s) arranged
* Name of individual song(s) arranged
* Additional information about game including composer, system, etc. (if it has not yet been added to the site)
* Link to the original soundtrack (if it is not one of the sound archives already available on the site)
* Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc.

ReMixer: No Te La
Name: Quincy Darius
E-mail: Detoxsan@aol.com
website: www.myspace.com/detoinae
User ID: 23634

Name of Game: Sqoon
Name of song: Pause Screen theme
system: Nes
published by: Irem 1986

I love this game, as a child i would always sit and play it... but as i grew up i noticed that nobody knew about this game. So i decided to make a remix of the soundtrack ( because it was impossible to find ones created by someone else online, i even tried VGmusic.com). I have always wanted to be a part of this website, even when i was young! now i can submit my music :-)

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http://akumunsf.good-evil.net/S/Sqoon.nsf - Track 11

Cool on the sampling of in-game action to open things up for that nostalgia hit. The computer voice intro at :27 was sounding cheesy. :-D The synth design and beats all seemed vanilla to start.

The theme finally kicked in at 1:14 with a fairly conservative take. Right from the get-go there, the whole track sounded muddy and lossy-sounding. Seemed like some of the higher frequencies were cut. The addition of the breakbeats at 2:02 didn't really have any synergy with the rest of the music.

As soon as it changed into some thicker beats and more effects on the lead at 2:26, the whole track became cluttered. Seemed like there was some distortion going on as well until 3:02. Arrangement-wise, the source melody was treated conservatively, but I wasn't feeling the supporting writing at all, which felt very basic.

Summing it up, this was basically a case of an arrangement that felt too straightforward and simplistic, along with bland sound choices and textures, and poorly done production.

And I'm gonna sound like a stickler, but I thought using the exact same in-game sampling from the beginning for the ending was on the lazy side. I'd rather two different clips were used.

Stick around, Quincy, and use the resources here to help improve your game. I liked the potential of arranging the Sqoon soundtrack, and what you have here is a decent base that needs more polish.

NO

[Palpable]

Song concept is pretty amusing. With a sound upgrade like yours, I'd imagine people would be pausing this game more often back in 1986.

The arrangement had a lot of energy but the writing was too simplistic. The melody is kept intact and practically the only additions were an octave bassline, some pads, and relentless drums. I felt it needed more interpretation (e.g. countermelodies or new chords) and more attention to detail. The stutters at 1:57 were a cool detail and some subtler variation in beatwork like that throughout the song would go a long way. I think adding a few more melodic instruments would also help fill out the texture. On a minor note, I thought the original game music intro and outro were both longer than they needed to be.

Some good sound choices here. I really like the lead synth and the effects you put on it, but the pad tended to drown it out. Use some EQ to take down the clashing frequency ranges on the pad. Larry described some parts of the song that were cluttered; EQ might help there as well. When that doesn't work, it usually means that two of your instruments are covering the same ranges and you might have to switch up one of them. The section that lays the breakbeats over the main beat could be a situation like that.

I like the general concept and layout of this song, but I think there's a lot of room for improvement, and a lot more you can add to it. I hope you don't get discouraged, Quincy, and that you keep working on music.

NO

[DarkeSword]

The SFX in the beginning and end lasted too long. The rest of the sound design was pretty bland and the drums were really repetitive. Things got way too crowded at 2:27 with the unison synths. Far too buzzy a texture.

A good effort, but it's just too straightforwards and your sounds are really bland. Try not to rely on the effects like phasing and flange too much and concentrate more on part-writing.

NO