*NO* Chrono Cross 'Where Force Stood Still'

[djpretzel]

Email sub file force-submission.mp3

CONTACT INFO:

ReMixer name: Rexy
Real name: Bev Wooff
Email: bev.wooff@gmail.com
OCRemix user ID: 7528

REMIX INFO:

Remix title: "Where Force Stood Still"
Game covered: Chrono Cross
Individual song covered: Frozen Flame
Song link:
(If the link doesn't work I've also put the file forward as an email attachment)

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Hi again. ^_^ As fate came by I managed to put together another submission. First of all, I want to tell you about a little competition at RPGamer.com that was referenced to as "Sonic Revolution", where contestants were expected to perform songs from RPGs in order to win either Electronics Boutique vouchers or a copy of The Black Mages II (with zircon being the overall winner with "Shadows Among the Ruins"). I was one of the three judges that cooperated in looking into the mixes, and I can say it was all good clean fun.

So within the contest's aftermath I wanted to repay the favor by submitting something to that site myself – a project that was in the works within the two months prior to release. Being a lazy bitch I'll just transfer the RPGamer description here. :P

'What I've done is a piano arrangement of "Frozen Flame"; it was originally meant to be a Radical Dreamers mix given the inclusion of "Dreams of the Shore Near Another World", but I feel it'll work better if aimed for the masses. This was performed in F Minor - one of my favorite scales when it comes to playing music - and the structures throughout its five minute duration are filled to the brim with a wide variety of emotions.'

Obviously this is a higher quality version in comparison to the RPGamer submission, for reasons on wanting to reflect on the purity of the piano itself. Again I found this mix to be a blast to play through – tricky in parts but still very worthwhile. I hope you enjoy what I've layered down, aye.

Peace out,
-Rexy-

[DarkeSword]

The left handed parts feel too simple; I felt the the arrangement could have sounded fuller, and more expansive. I don't think the simplicity work here; it's a kind of thin, empty sound. Add to that timing issues that seem to be intended as expressiveness, but come off as clumsy, and I think that this song still needs a lot of work. Keep at it.

NO

[Liontamer]

http://www.tzone.org/~llin/psf/packs2/Chrono_Cross_psf.rar - 310 "Frozen Flame"

Been expecting this one for a bit, since I ran this one back on VGF49 (http://oc.ormgas.com/forum_viewtopic.php?18.10444). Gotta go the glib route and agree with Shariq as well. Much of the left-hand activity sounded a bit too simplistic, even for someone as relatively undemanding on those sorts of things.

The resolution provided by the ending was very underwhelming and seemingly came out of nowhere, as the track sounded as if it had basically run out of gas. Fixy fixy!

Still the same types of issues here as were present in Tomorrow's Wake v1, only this actually sounds a bit less polished. Nothing wrong with the sample itself, though the atmosphere is kind of thin. But the main issues remain: the sample usage and lack of attention to velocites hurts any realism and potential expressiveness the track has. The timing issues on the performance made things sound hesistant and unsure. Same exact issues.

Honestly, and this is not to crap on your talents as is, but as long as you have time available and keep up your progress, you'll look back on tracks like this and realize that this needs a bunch of improvement. Again, the arrangement sounds good from what I can gather, yet the performance and production lack very badly. Work on it for the resubmission if you'd like to Bev, but that would be a more involved effort than Tomorrow's Wake v2, I can tell you that.

NO (resubmit)

[GrayLightning]

I love the concept and ideas here. The arrangement's really there and enamoring for me. Main problem for me is the performance is very jerky and robotic, at times hesitant, at times it just drags on. You don't need to be chopin or rachmaninov to get on OCR with concert level piano skills, but this just isn't there yet. Given your previous mixes, I know and am confident you can do better in this regard.

As far as the piano, it is a bit on the bright side. Lower the velocities to smoothen out the tone. I think this could do with reverb also. A nice warm, hall or room. You could also work on EQ'ing and rolling a bit off the mid to high/high range.

Another consideration is to add some soft string pads in the background to help fill out some of the void issues in here.

Good arrangement brought down by some performance and execution issues. Very neat stuff regardless though, but a borderline NO nontheless. I'm looking forward to your Sixty Feet Under.

[Vig]

the piano sounds a bit thin, and it really stands out in a solo piano piece.

as the others have said, the performance is a bit clunky. the rhythms and velocities are somewhat inconsistent. i also think the control pedal isnt used enough, causing some of the ritards to sound choppy, along with some sections that i think could use some added sustain.

generally needs to be smoothed out.

NO