WIP - Chrono Trigger: Frog's Theme (Jazz-Hop)

[Antisheep]

Amphibious (http://antisheep.gnuk.net/songs/Amphibious.mp3)

I'm actually doing this for a fun little experiment I'm part of at another web site, but I'll submit it to OCR if I think it stands a chance.

The bass/rhythm guitar/lead guitar are all recorded by me, and drums and keyboard are sampled/soundfonted. I need to re-record most of it, but what I have down is pretty decent.

I'm going to add an improv solo section for guitar and possibly keys, and then an outro.

Edit: Forgot to ask - is this too far from the original tune to be an OC Remix? The only real similarity is the melody.

[Synth]

This is slick, very slick. But I can only hear very very small parts of melody of frogs theme. Try to incorporate more of the melody, otherwise its more of an orginal than an remix. But what you have here is very very good. Do you have any other tracks? I'd love to hear them. :)

[-RK-]

Basically the only thing the judges here could have a problem with is a slight lack of frog's theme. But in all reality, this song is wayyyy too good to change too much. If it doesnt pass the interpretations standards, then so what.

It would be cool to see this on the site, but not if it compromises the awesomeness that this track is.

[Antisheep]

Those are pretty much my thoughts, RossK. =P Glad someone agrees.

Plus, I've heard remixes on OCR that sound pretty much exactly like the original, so if los judges don't like the originality, who cares, you know?

[Reboneer]

I'm going to have to disagree... I think there's plenty of the original melody in there. Hell, it's more common for a remix to be rejected for not having enough originality than vice versa.

And very nice WIP too. It's one of a very few WIPs I've actually enjoyed enough to keep and relisten to in its incomplete form :)

[Tensei]

DEFINITELY submit this, the arrangement is amazing, and I'm not totally sure about the production since I haven't used my earphones, but it should be all fine if you're playing three of the instruments yourself.
It actually reminds me of Carlos Santana quite a lot, which is a GOOD thing. :lol:

As for the original melody, excellent job transposing it, it takes some attention to recognize it, but it's definitely in there. If you extend it to somewhere like three minutes, this could become one helluva arrangement, and definitely one that merits a place on my mp3 player. :wink: :lol:

[The Vagrance]

O_O

Damn fine remix, I mean, DAMN fine remix. I can definately see the relation between this and Frog's Theme but I can definately see this not being accepted because your average joe may not. If I were you I'd put in the real notes to Frog's Theme somewhere just so people can actually recognize it and go "ooooh, so THATS what this song is" instead of just improving around the structure and chords of it you should be fine. Very nice work.

[Radiowar]

This is pretty damn cool. Reminds of me of po's megaman remix. The snare/clap sound kinda bugs me but that's a tiny nitpick thing.

I think as long as the solos you said you'd add have some references to the source it would be fine.

edit: actually forget that, Neskvartetten have tons of remixes where the solos have no connection to the source. I think this has a perfect amount of the source material right now.

[avaris]

damn that was refreshing, wicked nice, i would say do what you can to get this on the site bc it deserves to be, but don't jeopardize the sound of this just to implement a more noticeable part of frog's theme, obviously it would be awesome if you did put in more of frog's theme and still kept this incredible sound, very well put together keep on experimenting

[Antisheep]

Okay, I've decided that where the demo leaves off, I'm going to have a solo section where the keyboard, bass, and guitar (probably in that order) get to solo. It's going to be hard to have them interact like a real jazz rhythm section would since it's not going to be a live recording, but I'm going to try my best.

:) thanks for the feedback, all. I'll make sure to be true to the sound instead of to what I think will be more "OCR". ^_^

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Holy shit, this is nice!

Wow, I can't get over how awesome this is. Production sounds absolutely professional, arrangement is smooth and sexy beyond description, guitars are great.

My only complaint is the percussion; not wild about either the samples or the arrangement. Definitely needs more dynamics, and I'd back off a little on the treble.

You can bet I'll be keeping a close watch on this WIP, as well as anything you post in the future.

As far as whether it is close enough to frog's theme, I don't think it is anywhere near liberal enough to be a problem; it's recognizeable at first listen, and it's avery creative take on it. It's not too far from the original to be accepted; in fact, I think this is exactly the sort of thing that remixers should aim for.

Again, just for emphasis, this mix is absolutely fucking amazing.

[Wingsinadream]

A great start for a WIP. Everything is clean and crisp sounding, and the guitar is excellently used. One of my only irks are the hand claps, perhaps get a better sounding clap or use multiple dynamics in the mix. At 1:09 the guitar gets a bit too loud and jolts you out of the smooth jazz lull you have going. Tone that down and change the claps and you should be good. If you want to be completely sure the mix gets accepted, as stated above, incorporate a little more of Frog's Theme into the mix. Nothing too much, just a slight alteration to make the original piece come in better. I look foward to seeing your future remixes and good luck. :)

[zircon]

Submit.







That's my first impression. This is amazing. If I had to make some suggestions to improve on it more, here's what I would do. One would be to pan your drums a little more and/or add slight reverb to them. They are somewhat dry and centered right now, which isn't a huge deal, but widening them and adding some verb would certainly make a difference. Another thing would be to write an actual ending rather than use a fadeout. Given how short the mix is, a fade is a bit lame. Lastly, while I can easily pick out the melody, since the mix IS on the short side you might consider doing a little bit more with the theme. Maybe do a more straight-up play of it right before ending, for example; just something to solidify it a bit more.

All that aside, I think if I were asked to vote on this right now I would likely go YES.

[CC Ricers]

Call it "Ambitious Amphibious". It's a better descriptor for Frog, I think.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Submit.

Make it longer first pls.

seriously, I fucking love what you have so far, but it really leaves me wanting more.

Please promise me you'll stick around here and not be one of those one-hit-wonders. This site could definitely do with some more stuff like this.

[OA]

a solo section would totally rock, this is really quality stuff, but I do think it is too short. doing the solos and then the head would be the perfect length.

Super nice work, I love it.

[Antisheep]

Geoffrey Taucer, OA, and Zircon: That's great that you think I should extend it. Maybe next time take note of the big, captial "WIP" in the thread title? =P (And the other posts where I said there would be more)

(Thanks for the feedback though :P)

[avaris]

hey just my opinion but i always think a piano solo given it's use in the mix can provide a real nice ending, but in ur case since this is more jazz, a trumpet solo might sound and be more appropiate, can't wait to hear the update

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Geoffrey Taucer, OA, and Zircon: That's great that you think I should extend it. Maybe next time take note of the big, captial "WIP" in the thread title? =P (And the other posts where I said there would be more)

(Thanks for the feedback though :P)

yeah, I know; I was responding to zircon's comment that you should submit it now.

[zircon]

Geoffrey Taucer, OA, and Zircon: That's great that you think I should extend it. Maybe next time take note of the big, captial "WIP" in the thread title? =P (And the other posts where I said there would be more)

(Thanks for the feedback though :P)

Hey, I think I know what the point of the WIP forum is.. I am a judge, after all ;) It's just that lots of times, people post WIPs with finished arrangements, but they want production advice, or advice before they submit, etc. So it has become a habit for me to simply give my suggestions in all areas of the mix.

[SamuraiFoochs #Reload]

Needs lengthening and a bit of EQ/panning work, but damn, this thing is teh sex.

[DragonAvenger]

Seriously, I can't wait for this one to be done. So very sexy. Heck yes.

[ambient]

Absolutely amazing track. I love this style of jazz music and actually own two albums by Four80East (a jazz band that makes similar kind of music). This almost sounds like a long lost track from the Brink of Time CT album, at least in general style. Production is great as well.

Now, I am not the most competent person around, far from it, but for the life of me I can't hear Frog's Theme anywhere. People here were saying that there was not enough of it, well, I don't even hear hints of it. For example, the Brink of Time soundtrack perfectly translated many CT themes to acid jazz remixes while keeping them completely recognizable. This is a great track, but it is really an original rather than a rearrangement.

If I am wrong, someone please step in and correct me. Cause there is a chance I am going crazy.

[Antisheep]

Geoffrey Taucer/Zircon: I follow ya. =) Thanks for the feedback again.

[polar-]

I like it. 8) We need to see more of these mixes! Smooth sounding, nice bass sound and guitar is also sweet. I did't feel the frog theme too much though, but that aside it's very tasteful. If I had to come with only one complaint (which of course, i must) it would be the percussion and 'claps'. It's a good beat, but i think it could be a little tighter/more groovy. Still i must say it's one of the better wip's i've heard lately! :wink:

[Chickenwarlord]

I don't have any criticisms that everyone else haven't made already.
Damn fine work sir.

[Koelsch1]

Nice sounds, but this is not a remix of frogs theme at all. I cant hear it anywhere in there.

[Minirogue]

Nice sounds, but this is not a remix of frogs theme at all. I cant hear it anywhere in there.
That's what I thought the first time, but then I listened to it again and it is definitely a frogs theme remixed to the sexiest max, very nice.

My only complaint is the beginning, it sounds a little rushed when the sweet bass line starts to come in and it doesn't come in as smoothly as it should (considering how smooth the song is as a whole). but that is just my opinion

[Antisheep]

Minirogue: That's why I'm going to re-record the intro bass. =P

Had to go to a job interview today, hopefully I can use most of the rest of the day to record more parts for this.

[DrumUltimA]

Nice sounds, but this is not a remix of frogs theme at all. I cant hear it anywhere in there.
man i heard it the first time i listened to it D:

btw I think this is great so far and am looking forward to hearing some sort of solo. fuckin smooooth man

[ambient]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/ambient01/rorschach_brwn.gif

Oh hey, do any of you see Glenn/Frog in this picture?

[Fusilliban]

The lead guitar is generally pretty nice. There are a few notes scattered here and there that sound off, almost as though they were misplayed, but on the whole it's got a nice groove to it. I think it might be worthwhile to experiment with bringing the rhythm guitar more to the fore in places.

I don't like the claps. I mean, overall the percussion could use a little polish, but the claps in particular don't sound quite right to my ears. This might be fixed by zircon's suggestion of reverb, but I'm not sure. They sound out of place in this tune - fine in a four-on-the-floor piece twice this speed, but out of place in the relaxed Brink of Time style you've got goin' on.

Frog's theme is definitely in here. It's not as heroic as I'd like, but heroic doesn't seem to be what you're going for. On the other hand, this track can be as long as you like it to be, so if it ends up being double the present length, there's absolutely room for some heroic action.

I'm happy to see this posted in the WIP forum. It's very good now, and I wouldn't blink to see it posted as-is, but it has the potential to be even more awesome, and you seem all about fulfilling that.

[Blue Magic]

8O

Holy crap this is nice!!!!

Short and sweet.

The only thing I have a problem with is the snare sample you used. It sounds like you are using a snare and a clap sample at the same time. I would turn down the clap sample a little bit and turn up the snare.

But other than that, awesome.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Finish this mix.

TAUCER COMMANDS IT!

[Blake]

Holy wow, this is nice.

[Mr. Fox]

Jesus...
Impressive work!
The chord work, the interpretation, the groove, everything is really nice. Reminds me a bit of Crystal Potion.

My only (small really small) gripe is that I would go for a cleaner tone on the rhythm guitar, but it's a personal taste.

Finish this mix. Fox (also)commands it.
please?

[Xenon Odyssey]

Dude, antisheep; when you've got both Red Tail AND Taucer telling you to finish it, you comply to the fullest.

And goddamn! This sent tingles down my spine when I first heard this. Tite and smoooooth!

I've nothing more as I can't stop grooving to it in my chair.

And I also command it. FINISH!

[watkinzez]

Damn, I love people who come out of nowhere and drop a bombshell in the form of kickass music.

Jazz hop definitely fits the song like a glove. Props for the references to Wind Scene as well. VERY much looking forward to the outcome of this one.

[Reboneer]

Props for the references to Wind Scene as well.

Wait, what? I definitely missed that one. Where was that?

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Props for the references to Wind Scene as well.

Wait, what? I definitely missed that one.

As did I

[bladiator]

bladiator gives this his 6'7" hug of approval.

*hug* DON'T LEAVE US!!

[SirRus]

wow. you got that vibe down for sure. more remixes from you would be wonderful

[Antisheep]

Props for the references to Wind Scene as well.

Wait, what? I definitely missed that one.

As did I

As did I. I think he's talking about the melody going in runs of 3rds at times possibly. (Which is what the Wind Scene melody is mainly comprised of.)

Sorry, can't take credit for any subliminal references. ^_^ That's luck.

P.S. I *promise*, I'm trying to find time to finish it. I won't leave you!!!!!!

[watkinzez]

Props for the references to Wind Scene as well.

Wait, what? I definitely missed that one.

As did I

As did I. I think he's talking about the melody going in runs of 3rds at times possibly. (Which is what the Wind Scene melody is mainly comprised of.)

Sorry, can't take credit for any subliminal references. ^_^ That's luck.

The bit I hear as Wind Scene starts at :42 at goes on for about 10 seconds, so yeah, only vague similarity. Still like it though. :)

[Reboneer]

Props for the references to Wind Scene as well.

Wait, what? I definitely missed that one.

As did I

As did I. I think he's talking about the melody going in runs of 3rds at times possibly. (Which is what the Wind Scene melody is mainly comprised of.)

Sorry, can't take credit for any subliminal references. ^_^ That's luck.

The bit I hear as Wind Scene starts at :42 at goes on for about 10 seconds, so yeah, only vague similarity. Still like it though. :)

To me that sounds like this segment (http://media.putfile.com/6-seconds-of-Frogness) of Frog's Theme.

[I_Love_OC_ReMixes]

I don't like this mix, it's too fake and doesn't sound like Frogs theme AT ALL!
















































































HA! Had to brake the continuity. :P Antisheep, do you have more work like this? Anyway I can't wait for the finished product, this sample is amazing to the core.

[Mr. Fox]

Props for the references to Wind Scene as well.

Wait, what? I definitely missed that one.

As did I

As did I. I think he's talking about the melody going in runs of 3rds at times possibly. (Which is what the Wind Scene melody is mainly comprised of.)

Sorry, can't take credit for any subliminal references. ^_^ That's luck.

The bit I hear as Wind Scene starts at :42 at goes on for about 10 seconds, so yeah, only vague similarity. Still like it though. :)

To me that sounds like this segment (http://media.putfile.com/6-seconds-of-Frogness) of Frog's Theme.

Yes. It's also the best part of the song.

[ambient]

This thread reminds me of this story, A LOT:

http://deoxy.org/emperors.htm

[Antisheep]

Ambient, just because you can't hear the melody doesn't mean it's not there. =P

[ambient]

I am just busting your chops man. I'm really digging your style.

[Chickenwarlord]

Bump'd!

[John Revoredo]

Two Things.
1) Kicks ass
2) Where the hell is the frog theme?

[DrumUltimA]

the guitar plays it

[John Revoredo]

the guitar plays it

Dude, your signature rocks!!! :D

[Dhsu]

Okay, so this is pretty much the most incredible Frog's Theme arrangement ever. Friggin' Brink of Time material. And it's not even finished yet...can't wait til you're done with this.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Okay, so this is pretty much the most incredible Frog's Theme arrangement ever. Friggin' Brink of Time material. And it's not even finished yet...can't wait til you're done with this.

You're joking, right? This is far better than anything on Brink of Time.

And no, that was not sarcasm, exaggeration [sic], or any other form of non-truth.

[DrumUltimA]

Okay, so this is pretty much the most incredible Frog's Theme arrangement ever. Friggin' Brink of Time material. And it's not even finished yet...can't wait til you're done with this.

You're joking, right? This is far better than anything on Brink of Time.

And no, that was not sarcasm, exaggeration [sic], or any other form of non-truth.

dude the chrono corridor was such a dissappointment, I was so pissed off by that.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Okay, so this is pretty much the most incredible Frog's Theme arrangement ever. Friggin' Brink of Time material. And it's not even finished yet...can't wait til you're done with this.

You're joking, right? This is far better than anything on Brink of Time.

And no, that was not sarcasm, exaggeration [sic], or any other form of non-truth.

dude all of Brink of Time was such a dissappointment, I was so pissed off by that.

Fixed, and concurred.

[pu_freak]

It's about time somebody made an excellent, original Remix of Frog's theme! And the theme is definently in it, I don't think there's the need to put it more to the foreground. Great work and looking forward to some updates

[Dhsu]

Okay, so this is pretty much the most incredible Frog's Theme arrangement ever. Friggin' Brink of Time material. And it's not even finished yet...can't wait til you're done with this.

You're joking, right? This is far better than anything on Brink of Time.

And no, that was not sarcasm, exaggeration [sic], or any other form of non-truth.

dude all of Brink of Time was such a dissappointment, I was so pissed off by that.

Fixed, and concurred.
Heathens, all of you.

(Okay, maybe Chrono Corridor sucked. But only a little.)

[Fusilliban]

Any progress on this?

Also, when are we gonna see a submit of "A Venture Through Hyrule?"


(Also also: Buncha heathens in this town. Brink of Time is awesome, yo.)

[Splunkle]

ANTISHEEP!

Man, I can't beleive it took me so long to get around to this, especially after you did that awesome job on the Zelda Medly. This stuff is, much like the 4 pages before this one state, HOT. With extra chilli of goodness.

But just because I hate posting in a WIP thread with no advice what so ever, I'm going to go into ultra-picky mode. Also, because I'm a jerk. Anyways, the only problems I have with this mix are the following:

1) Length. But its a WIP, so that will be fixed.

2) The handclaps. With the rythym, I'm thinking finger clicks would be better. But this is NOT A BIGGY IN ANY WAY OR FORM. If you can't eaisily find a finger snap sample that fits the song, don't worry at all, because wrekcing this mix would be... sinful.

3) Compression. A bit too heavy for my tastes - and I get the feeling that being a bit lighter with the gain would give this mix a bit more room to show off its awesomeness. Again, by no means a biggy. I can't hear any distortion, but I think it would benefit from more dynamic range. This could just be me being anal again. Only worth playing around with if you have the time.

So that concludes todays "watch Splunkle try and find problems with an awesome mix" session. I hope it was helpful.

[Antisheep]

Any progress on this?

Also, when are we gonna see a submit of "A Venture Through Hyrule?"

Okay, first of all, the mods said VTH "sounds flat and dull", and Vig referred to the sections of the song as "medleytits". That was enough to make me never want to try to submit it again. OCR's pretty high-bar...plus some of the judges have no problem being disrespectful to others.


...Secondly, here's the story of what's up with Amphibious:

I borrowed a friend's GNX4 (http://www.digitech.com/products/gnx4.htm) to record the guitar-work and he overwrote the effects I'd used. I tried to recreate them, but couldn't get things sounding right. So I'm either going to (1) have to spend a LOT of time re-engineering the effects (I mean a LOT) or (2) Re-record pretty much everything.

So that pretty much killed the creative drive I had for that song for the moment. (even though it's been a 2- or 3-week "moment". =P)

I *did* work on that keys solo like I promised, but I think it's pretty much trash. Here, listen (http://antisheep.gnuk.net/songs/Amphibious%20is%20RUINED.mp3).

[Radiowar]

Yeah that keyboard solo kills the great groove you had going. The issues with the drums stand out a lot more.

But yeah I hope you get everything straightened out with this soon.

[Koelsch1]

Keyboard solo is a bit too much. Too many notes.

[Splunkle]

Quick reply: =(

Long reply: Well, really sucky news about the guitar part. Mega suck. This would have been awesome to see on OCR. As for the keyboard solo, I actually thought it was really good, until it hit this part that was preety dodgy. Then it got back into doing its thing, but lost it again a few times. If you fix up the sucky bits, which I'm sure you can hear, it would be quite the pleasant.

[Fusilliban]

Okay, first of all, the mods said VTH "sounds flat and dull", and Vig referred to the sections of the song as "medleytits". That was enough to make me never want to try to submit it again. OCR's pretty high-bar...plus some of the judges have no problem being disrespectful to others.

I personally think there's room for a reworking of the piece and a resub, but since I'm not a judge my opinion is worth precisely dick, and I can understand not wanting to go through that again.

Hope you regain momentum on Amphibious, it's shaping up to own.

[Antisheep]

...but since I'm not a judge my opinion is worth precisely dick...Not to me =)

I'm going to try to find a way to give Amphibious back its momentum, I promise.

[Dhsu]

Get in contact with Mustin (http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=134) yo. If this works out, I think you have a fair chance of being on the next OneUps album.

[avaris]

bump...listen and u'll know why. Update? Or is it gonna be a lil bit? It'd be a crime if this one didn't get finished or submitted.

[Panz3rWolfe]

I second that. This mix has great potential and a great vibe to it. It would really be a shame for it to never be completed. (As I've seen happen with a ton of promising mixes.)

[Antonio Pizza]

404'D!

I'd love to hear what all of the hubbub is about. Anyone wanna toss me a copy of the "RUINED" version?

[Splunkle]

I'll bite. Uploading now, will edit in with a linky once its done.

Edit: done (http://files.myopera.com/Splunkle/files/Amphibious%20is%20RUINED.mp3).

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Whoah! Where the hell did that keys solo at the end come from? That wasn't in the last version I heard.

This mix continues to be unbelievably awesome, and it would be a crime if it were never finished/submitted.

[Chickenwarlord]

Anti thought the keyboard solo ruined the nice vibe that the first part had going and subsequently is looking for a way to continue the track.
As much as I want this submitted, it's all up the artist. I'm still perfectly content with version 1.0 I have on my Ipod.

[underthesun]

nooes, the links are dead, can someone post it up somewhere for the rest of us to share the awesomeness?

[Splunkle]

Underthesun: Dude, read the entire thread before posting! 3 posts above you I posted the link to the new version. I've uploaded the new one, as well now, so:

New version (http://files.myopera.com/Splunkle/files/Amphibious%20is%20RUINED.mp3), with keys solo.
Old version (http://files.myopera.com/Splunkle/files/Antisheep%20-%20Amphibious.mp3), without keys solo.

[underthesun]

d'oh, stupid me. thanks a lot, and well to be fair it was a long ass thread ;) still no excuse i guess

cheers

[Goten X]

Amazing. Just utterly amazing. THIS is what I want to get my mixes and even original works to sound like. Great work. I know you've heard this before, but my only complaint is that I would love for it to be longer. Other than that, great job, I'm in love with it.

|GX

[Mustin]

So sad.

I really loved this track.

Where are you, Antisheep?!

[Jazzmaster]

Holy crap. This is absolutely necessitous for my playlist. My only complaints are that the volume on the bass seems to jump around a little bit, and of course it needs to be longer.

[Radiowar]

my only complaint is that the remix is dead that is to say it no longer exists

[Mustin]

I'm listening to it right now.

[metaphist]

Tell me this dude still has the mix in mind. He couldn't have forgotten it, it's too good. Or at least, did he finish it up for whatever project it was for? As I remember he said it was for something other than OCR.