Zelda: Wind Waker 'Cresting the Wave' (Ocean Suite Mix - Minor Update 7/22)

[progressive]

I won't say too much, except that everything is still a go for this song, and I think you all will like the changes I've made. I was always worried that I wouldn't know which parts to give to piano and which to keep 8 bit, but with this version I think it becomes clear. I've also humanized the piano a bit, with phrasing more in line with how I envision playing. Right now we're in the process of getting the sheet music together so we can start recording. Let me know what you think!

http://tindeck.com/image/ajqc/stats.png (http://tindeck.com/listen/ajqc)

Or listen to v3.0 here. (http://tindeck.com/listen/ajqc)

-------------Older Posts-------------

Guess this is a good week for updates, huh? My friends and I have not quite begun recording on this one, because I, being cursed with perfectionism (not kidding about that), couldn't leave well enough alone and had to change the song again. I'm hoping, though, that you all will find the additions refreshing. I've been playing around with more mature chord structures and a few sound effects and here is the result. New or changed stuff is at: 0:00, 0:32, 1:58, 2:31, 3:00, 4:30, 5:11, and 5:29. Or maybe you should just listen to the whole song. ;)

And yes those are new source tunes at the beginning and 0:32. Any guesses?

Listen to v2.0 here (http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?gmnemvmjqme) and hit me with some feedback.


Looks like there are problems with Tindeck right now, so here's another link to the song. Any opinions on the direction we'll soon be taking this?

Listen to v1.6 here. (http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=63996f5975d4ff5cd6baebe61b361f7ce04e75f6 e8ebb871)

-------------------------------------------

Here's a small update and a "status of the song" report. I had a friend generously offer to play acoustic guitar for the song after I let him listen to it. Then he let another friend listen, and now we've got some instruments on board, including acoustic, electric, and bass guitars, piano, trumpet, and drums. I will be working on the chiptune parts (including some 8-bit drums), which most of you said you liked, and they will be incorporated into the final version. To say this is getting out of hand is an understatement, but I'm really excited about it.

As far as this update goes, I haven't had a chance to rework any of the 8-bit yet, so hold your complaints about that, Roz (http://www.ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=20223) ;) I did change some minor things to improve the flow and continuity of the song:

- some fun 8b parts in the beginning and throughout
- some bass I "borrowed" from the source and fit to my chords
- the drums quiet down during Zelda's lullaby now (show some respect!)
- a new counter-melody at 3:50 to intensify that section since some of you found the return to that part a bit repetitive
- more bombastic timpanis

As for picking out the themes, the award goes to Hylian Lemon (http://www.ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=16399) for getting the closest.

Here they are in order:

The Great Sea and Aryll's Theme (Wind Waker)
Overworld Theme (Legend of Zelda)
Title Screen (Adventure of Link)
Flute Boy (A Link to the Past)
Ballad of the Wind Fish (Link's Awakening)
Zelda's Lullaby (Ocarina of Time)
Oath to Order (Majora's Mask)/Serenade of Water (Ocarina of Time)
Aryll's Theme (Wind Waker)

At 4:30 all of these repeat in shorter versions until the end when Zelda's Lullaby, Aryll's Theme, the Overworld Theme, and The Great Sea play together.

Thank you for all your great comments so far. Going live for this will be a ton of work, but wish us luck!

prog

-------------------------------------------

Well, this is my Christmas present to all the Zelda fanatics out there. It's still very, very rough, though, so I guess this is your IOU. I really fell in love with Wind Waker's soundtrack when I played through it, and even more so when I heard Mario and Zelda Big Band Live. So here is some love to the track that tied that game together, the Ocean Theme.

The credits roll of Wind Waker demonstrates the brilliance of the game's soundtrack, as it ties together just about every theme in the game without becoming a medley. So I took that idea and decided the forward motion you feel with the Ocean Theme would be a great vehicle for a tribute to the Zelda series. I don't want to spoil the surprises but I'm sure most of you will be able to identify the themes. In fact, we could make a game of it. Who can correctly identify the melodies, in order, and the games they helped make famous? (There is even an extra, hidden one.)

I wrote the entire thing in 8-bit in about three days, then decided some of the lower notes were getting lost so I went back and layered some generic piano over most of the existing channels. I don't know if I will keep the 8-bit, but the result is mainly a demo of what the finished song will sound like musically. Hope you like it.

Listen to v1.0 here. (http://www.tindeck.com/audio/my/ygom/progressive---Cresting-the-Wave-WIP-v1.0)

[Dash Myoku]

Well, I'm fairly impressed. You say this is a rough mix? I think it sounds fine. I kinda like the 8-bit sound to it along with the piano. I dunno why, but it just fits.

And I'm not gonna name the other tracks in this. That takes too much effort for me to have to go through and pick out every one.

Anyways, awesome track, my friend. :D

[PROTO·DOME]

I actually really like the mix itself, and I freakin love 8-bit. (Yeah, I'm not going through all the melodies you've used ¬___¬) Oh and the cadence at 3:25 is the best bit ^^
I know it's only rough but are you planning on varying it a lil' more? Like building it up more? It's all overly a lil' similar. Also I thought the timps were a bit out of place soundwise- does that even make sense- you catch my drift?

Please update this, the Great Sea is my favorite evar Zelda theme.

[Fused King]

I'm not quite fond of it, I guess 8-bit is not my style. But I can say that I really enjoyed the windwaker too, and its music was extraordinary.

Remixes of its themes shouldn't be 8-bit in my opinion, but you can;t blame a guy for trying.
:<just sta a fan of Toon Link:<

[Dependent_Arising]

Fantastic. Sounds very professional, almost a little too pro sounding (i.e., sounds like it should be in the actual game). Despite that, it's good. Can't wait to hear the final version. Will buy from again.

[Cipher]

Submit it. My god, submit it. This is fantastic. Never been a fan of 8-bit before but this has changed my mind completely.

And just so you know, I went through the whole fricking Lost Password procedure JUST to post this, so you'd better submit it. :razz:

[Rozovian]

This sounds great, man. The mix of 8-bit and higher-quality audio isn't as pleasant as it could be. The noisy square ain't pretty. Using simple synths might work, but you need some change to their sound as they decay, plus you need to get rid of the noise. There's noise in the 8-bit parts, annoying artifacts and low-rate sample defects, you should probably clean it up on those. Won't be true 8-bit, but with the piano and stuff, it won't be anyway. Note that the 8-bit percussion is fine with me, it's the sustained 8-bit notes that aren't.

Source use and interpretation, no complaints. lol, you even used the flute melody from alttp. :D

Man, I wanted to be the first to get a ww ocean remix posted here. I won't mind if this gets posted first, tho. But you bet I'll be posting my wip here some time soon. Protodome is gonna go nuts. :P

[Hylian Lemon]

Cameos as far as I can tell...

Adventure of Link title screen
A Link to the Past flute song
Link's Awakening Ballad of the Windfish
Majora's Mask Oath to Order (nice!)
Ocarina of Time Serenade of Water

I couldn't pick out anything else. It took me a couple listens to notice the ballad of the windfish. XD

In terms of critique, I can't really offer much besides agreeing with Rozovian. Of course, if you decide not to keep the 8-bit, it won't really matter. However, I think it works pretty well. I enjoyed it.

[MrSneak]

I really did enjoy this. I am curious to see how it would sound without any 8-bit, though I am generally a fan of 8-bit.

[Xauriel]

Rough my ass! ...Okay, didn't think that one through.

THIS SOUNDS AWESOME! Seriously, if this is the rough draft, I really wanna listen to the final!

Oh, don't you dare change the 8-bit. Screw the naysayers.

SUBMIT PLEEZ.

[PROTO·DOME]

Protodome is gonna go nuts. :P

Oh heck yeah...

[Dunther]

Uhm, I really like it.

[Invader_Quirk]

Don't change ANYTHING. This song is perfect. Submit already.

[Berty200]

Yeah, I recognized a WHOLE bunch of the themes. Nice job adding them in.

I especially like how the ballad of the Windfish mixed in. I think I also heard Aryll's theme in there somewhere if i'm not mistaken.

When the Oath to Order plays, it makes it perfect. The balance is awesome.

Edit: Yes, Aryll's theme is definitely in there. It's very small, but I HEARD IT!

[StormSkuggan]

I really like what I'm hearing here.

Everything seems to be flowing perfectly between each part of the remix. Good job. I also won't have any problems if you intend keep it 8 bit as i kinda dig this rather unorthodox blend of nes sounds and real instruments.

One thing you could try to improve this mix even more would be increasing the pace somewhere in the middle, maybe put some drums there to make it more dynamic. That would be interesting to hear.

[Audiophile]

Where's the link to v1.6?

[progressive]

Looks like there are problems with Tindeck right now, so here's another link to the song. I'll copy what I wrote on 1/16 here since linking to my OP was a bit confusing. Any opinions on the direction we'll soon be taking this?

Listen to v1.6 here. (http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=63996f5975d4ff5cd6baebe61b361f7ce04e75f6 e8ebb871)

------------------------

1/16/09:

Here's a small update and a "status of the song" report. I had a friend generously offer to play acoustic guitar for the song after I let him listen to it. Then he let another friend listen, and now we've got some instruments on board, including acoustic, electric, and bass guitars, piano, trumpet, and drums. I will be working on the chiptune parts (including some 8-bit drums), which most of you said you liked, and they will be incorporated into the final version. To say this is getting out of hand is an understatement, but I'm really excited about it.

As far as this update goes, I haven't had a chance to rework any of the 8-bit yet, so hold your complaints about that, Roz ;) I did change some minor things to improve the flow and continuity of the song:

- some fun 8b parts in the beginning and throughout
- some bass I "borrowed" from the source and fit to my chords
- the drums quiet down during Zelda's lullaby now (show some respect!)
- a new counter-melody at 3:50 to intensify that section since some of you found the return to that part a bit repetitive
- more bombastic timpanis

As for picking out the themes, the award goes to Hylian Lemon for getting the closest.

Here they are in order:

The Great Sea and Aryll's Theme (Wind Waker)
Overworld Theme (Legend of Zelda)
Title Screen (Adventure of Link)
Flute Boy (A Link to the Past)
Ballad of the Wind Fish (Link's Awakening)
Zelda's Lullaby (Ocarina of Time)
Oath to Order (Majora's Mask)/Serenade of Water (Ocarina of Time)
Aryll's Theme (Wind Waker)

At 4:30 all of these repeat in shorter versions until the end when Zelda's Lullaby, Aryll's Theme, the Overworld Theme, and The Great Sea play together.

Thank you for all your great comments so far. Going live for this will be a ton of work, but wish us luck!

prog

[Audiophile]

It's excellent! This is what I'm talking about. A medley sounds best when another melody accompanies the primary melody by modifying the chord progression (I don't see too many of this in other medleys). The medley is not too long nor is it too short, which is a good thing.

A medley should keep people on their toes by surprising them with various short themes. It keeps them guessing and excited what will come next, nothing is too predictable. I hate medleys that are too predictable like I already know how it will sound in the next 1 min without any accompanying melody to keep me surprised (I tend to fast forward after 30 sec onto the next theme). Of course this is just me.

Now the song... I love the piano + 8bit synth. It's very tranquil and relaxing. Thumbs up :smile:

[Invader_Quirk]

Ok, before, I said that the song was perfect. NOW it's perfect. Heh. I'm not sold on using more real instruments, but if I don't like it, I'll always have this version. Good luck!

[glasfen]

Wah ha ha! This is wonderful.

It's like all the Zelda games rolled into one. I particularly enjoy the Zelda 3 nod.

Well-deserved representation for Wind Waker. (the Molgera mix was great too, btw)

While I truly like the chippy version, I can't wait to hear what you have in store. Good luck and good mixing!

[progressive]

Guess this is a good week for updates, huh? My friends and I have not quite begun recording on this one, because I, being cursed with perfectionism (not kidding about that), couldn't leave well enough alone and had to change the song again. I'm hoping, though, that you all will find the additions refreshing. I've been playing around with more mature chord structures and a few sound effects and here is the result. New or changed stuff is at: 0:00, 0:32, 1:58, 2:31, 3:00, 4:30, 5:11, and 5:29. Or maybe you should just listen to the whole song. ;)

And yes those are new source tunes at the beginning and 0:32. Any guesses?

Listen to v2.0 here (http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?gmnemvmjqme) and hit me with some feedback.

[SSB]

The harmonies are fantastic. I really like this.

[Spakku]

I like this a shitload, but my opinion is biased. Any remix which includes the aLttP duck song has won me over beyond criticism by default.

[Brian]

Ooh guessing game. I love guessing games. Aw you gave it away in your other post, but there's new content in this new version still. I hope you didn't add your own compositional melody in there because that will definitely throw me off as I'll spend hours just trying to find it.

Hmm...


Primary Main Theme throughout this song is Ocean Theme from Windwaker
The arpeggiated square wave chords are adapted from the Title screen of Zelda II
0:00-0:16 My Grandma / Epilogue
0:32-0:48 Aryll's Theme and Outset Island
1:22-1:54 Flute Boy repeated 3 times
1:38-2:11 Ballad of the Windfish from Link's Awakening
2:31-2:44 ?
3:00-3:24 Oath to Order
3:33-3:41 Serenade of Water
3:58-3:13 Aryll's Theme and ?
4:30-4:47 Outset Island and Aryll's Theme (at 4:49)
4:47-4:55 Flute Boy
4:55-5:03 Ballad of the Windfish
5:03 Zelda's Lullaby
5:12-5:19 Oath to Order
5:29 ?



Ok so that's 3 ? marks. I'll need to listen to the OST again.
Coincidently I was going to use the game demo (which is similar to the ocean theme), aryll's theme, and outset island overlap in my medley, but I don't know if that's a good idea anymore since you beat me to it first before I did. Might as well ask, permission to use the aforementioned themes in my medley?

[progressive]

Hey Brian, great job guessing. The three question marks you've got are:

2:31 Original Transition
3:58 Original Composition
5:29 Ocean Theme, Zelda's Lullaby, Aryll's Theme, and Epilogue (will probably declutter this eventually)

What surprised me is that you missed Zelda's Lullaby at 2:11. Must have been a fluke because you even got the arpeggios from Adventure of Link.

And hey, no permission needed to do your own. I'd like to hear it. I almost used the Game Demo track, that one is great.

[Cipher]

Oh. Em. Gee. You added in the giants from Majora's Mask. That made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end, it was so amazing.

This piece is the definition of perfection, it really is.

[Brian]

I thought 2:11 was just harmonization because of its tempo. No wonder I couldn't recognize it. Plus the title screen sorta blended it together.

At 5:29 even if you gave me the answer, I still couldn't recognize Aryll's theme, zelda's lullaby, and epilogue :? I only heard ocean theme and title screen (zelda II). Maybe it should be decluttered as you mentioned.

Guess my guessing game turned out to be a feedback afterall lol.

[progressive]

OK I just ninja-updated the ending.

[glasfen]

Very cohesive, with all the parts complimenting each other. I don't know how you crammed all of this Zelda goodness into six minutes, but it works beautifully. Nice work!

[Strife89]

The jump from version 1.6 to version 2.0 presents one short bit that irks me -- the beginning. I prefer version 1.6's opening, which has only one melody playing; by contrast, version 2.0's opening feels like a bit of a musical overload to me. In this sense, version 1.6 eases the listener in, while 2.0 drops the listener into the piece like a hot potato.

After that nit, however, it's beautiful and amazing. :razz: I keep and listen to all three released versions (1.0, 1.6, 2.0).

[Xauriel]

Y'know, I'll admit that's it's probably because I've been falling asleep to version 1.6 ever since I had the marvelous fortune to e-stumble across it, but... I prefer to 1.6 to most of the changes made. Particularly the whole stretch from 3:00 to about 3:33. After knowing and loving 1.6 for so long, that bit was like finding a raisin in a perfectly good cookie. :cry:

Here's the thing, though... and I know I'm being a evil, fickle, bastard jerk-face... but I love the opening to version 2.0. I like the opening to version 1.6 more for this song, but I after having just listened to version 2.0, I find myself wanting to hear the whole closing 'setting sail' tune again... Just not at the beginning. Sorry! I'd offer viable suggestions if I could, but my area of expertise lies in people-noise. :banghead:

First Edit: Jesus H. tap-dancin' Christ on a pogo-stick! Put them together! Like the first 15 seconds from 1.6, then the 2.0 opening!!

...Shutting up.

Second Edit: So I kinda mulled it over a bit; I like the second half of the Outset Island theme addition, and I really love the Journey beginning. Maybe work Journey into the end...? Something I forgot to mention earlier as well, I DO love the addition of Zelda's Lullaby to the end, that felt like a completely natural ending to the song. Speaking of the ending, one tiny little thing that's irritated me from the beginning-- the piano chord at the end doesn't resolve. And it's just.... gah. >,<

[progressive]

Hey Xauriel, thanks for the comments. Sorry so late in replying, I didn't even know you had posted until tonight when I updated the song. I actually think I addressed most of your concerns with this version, so that's lucky. Anyway, have a listen.

http://tindeck.com/image/ajqc/stats.png (http://tindeck.com/listen/ajqc)

[glasfen]

Nice touches on the update, progressive. I like the complex flavor of this version, with tidbits of dissonance an already solid mix. How long 'til you sub it?

[Orpheon]

Brilliant, yet my ears so desperately yearn for that 'Departure' sequence which was present at the intro for v2.0. It set up the atmosphere perfectly for what was to come.

[Strife89]

@Orpheon: For this reason, I've been keeping EVERY version that has been released (4 so far: 1.0, 1.6, 2.0, and 3.0).

[linkspast]

Hey, I really like the wips you are putting out.
But I want to know if you are ever going to submit this?
This is to awesome to not share with everyone.

[Adinseed]

I agree. This is awesome. I do agree with Orpeon with that departure bit in the beginning though.

[Lynx]

Hey, I've had v.2.0 for quite some time, I would like to hear 3.0 but I'm unable to download it from the sources given. Would you be able to re-upload it somewhere?

[Swann]

Lynx - I've hosted v3.0 here for the time being:
http://sites.google.com/site/taylorswannmusic/progressive-CrestingtheWaveWIPv3.0.mp3
If this needs to be taken down, let me know.

[Lynx]

Thanks Swann. Great improvement progressive, just being picky but I prefer the 3rd quarter to end of 2.0 but overall very impressive.