[Liontamer]

Too liberal from Sebastian...again? Have voted, but will contact the mixer - LT

ReMixer name: AeroZ
Real name: Sebastian Freij
Email: sebastian_freij@hotmail.com
Website: myspace.com/freijman

Name of game(s) ReMixed: Final Fantasy V
Name of individual song(s) ReMixed: Cursed Earths
Name of the ReMix: Wicked n' Floating

Own Comments:

Well, I have not much to say more than Final Fantasy V is a real goldmine.
Nobuo has made really good melodies for this game, and I will fight to get them as popular they deserve to be. "Cursed Earths" is a fantastic example I think. Simple but genius.

Best Wishes
/ Sebastian

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

Bah, let's go for the breakdown again. Sebastian, remind me to kill you the next time I have to do this for one of your submissions. :-P

http://snesmusic.org/v2/download.php?spcNow=ff5 - "Cursed Earths" (ff5-1-14.spc)

I initially went NO and decided to throw a copy to Song of the Week's CHz, because it's a great track regardless. His observations below:

Originally Posted by CHz

The melody of Cursed Earth (LT: :07-:38 of the source) is used from what I can tell at 0:14-0:42 and 2:56-3:25 (LT: and 4:41-4:48). It's basically the melody with a whole lot of extra notes.

0:43-0:57 and 3:25-3:47 is riffing off the six note string accompaniment in the right channel of the source (LT: :07-:38 of the source).

0:57-1:11 is a little more with the melody. 1:11-2:13 sounds mostly original with a few snips of the melody and that accompaniment thrown in.

2:13-2:40 is probably the least liberal part of the mix. Easy connection with the single note followed by three rising quadruplets. Same in both the original (LT: :38-:49 of the source) and the mix.

There's a WHOLE lot more shit going around it in the mix, but the melody's still there.

Part of the problem is the "shit going on around it". To a degree, one can reasonably argue that it marginalizes the arrangement of the source material. You could argue that the source, even when it's in play, is not enough of a focus. We've had other mixes structured like that though, so it's not as disconcerting to me. Still, couple that with almost half of the arrangement (1:11-2:13, 3:47-4:41) being either wholly original or so liberal that no meaningful/overt connection is there, and you're left with a potentially debateable case for the panel.

There's tons of connections to the original, but they're not readily observable without a really focused listen and breakdown. At the end of the day, there's source usage/arrangement for over 50% of the duration of the arrangement, so you win with me.

It's tough to go for a liberal approach where the focus is not overtly on the melody. For Sonic the Hedgehog "Green Lane Avenue" you straddled the line but pulled it off. For this one, more of the same.

Thanks a lot to CHz for his insights. Despite not hearing anything significantly new based on the timestamps he gave, 'Ili articulated the extent of the connections well, and that's what turned me around. In short, he saved your ass.

Shnabubula-level crazy, only less overtly connected, and that's saying something. Very catchy track though. One that won't endear critics that cry we allow too liberal pieces on, but thems the breaks. You don't waste time catering to the unwashed masses. Good luck with the rest of the vote.

YES

[zircon]

I hear most of the connections to the original pretty easily... thanks to CHz for pointing the harder ones out. This is a really tough call, though, since there IS a ton of original material. Many of the rhythms and chords have been totally changed, thus even if ONE part of the source is playing, nothing else from it is. There's no question that the arrangement is really liberal.

Production-wise, the mix is a little dry. Many of the sounds are high-frequency heavy and I felt like in general more processing would have been nice to spruce things up. However, as the track progressed I got used to it, and I don't think anything in the realm of production is particularly problematic.

This is a very tough call for me but I think it's a pass. We have passed songs that were this liberal before, and the source is certainly apparently.

YES

[DarkeSword]

Wow, this is really solid. I agree that it's liberal, but I don't think it's overly so. I can definitely hear the melody in here, albeit heavily riffed on; it does manage to retain its core though. This is a great example of how to really explore a simple melody. I love all the rolls in the square lead, and everything integrates rather nicely. Nice percussion + bassline interaction too.

YES

PS: I'd love to see what you could do with the soundtrack to Riviera: The Promised Land, a GBA RPG.

[Vig]

Solid stuff. Overproduced, tons of texture and density. I'm never one to complain about liberal arrangement, and this has undeniable merit. Full spectrum, and lots of ideas presented. Very little to complain about.

YES