[zyko]

zyko
Keep Out the Veldt
Final Fantasy III

gau? zyko?
waleed?

[Liontamer]

http://snesmusic.org/v2/download.php?spcNow=ff6 - "Wild West" (ff6-117.spc)

Seemed rough initially, but as I relistened, I realized the timing on everything was fine. Some songs are like that.

The instrumentation was thin. It was decent, but (aside from the bass) it was too quiet and didn't adequately fill out the background, IMO.

Loved the guitar work from 2:59-4:17; ultra-polished, ultra-sexy delivery. People will hate on the vocals with a passion and I'll laugh. I didn't realize the word "motherfucker" was even in this until JiggyJon pointed it out, but some people will have a colonic over it. Not sure why the light shakers at 4:17 cut off at 4:28. That was a really good yet subtle idea to fill out the space.

Yeah, to me this needs some rebalancing. The instrumentation needs to be louder compared to the vocals and could use some thickening up/fleshing out as well.

I'd go YES-conditional, but in the event that weed doesn't wanna touch this, I wouldn't let it slide as is, so that's the only reason I'm formally going NO. Refine it and it'd be good to go. Don't call it a comeback.

[JJT]

hmmmm, been listening to this a lot.

i thought the source was adapted well into a hip-hop setting, with lots of additions to the beat that were tasty (love that harp in the upper register). the new melody in the chorus fits well with the original.

I thought the kick could've been a bit phatter, and the bass more of a presence, but those aren't deal breakers. in that line of thought, i didn't like how the bass lays out in the first transition to the chorus...thought it should have at least announced the chord change, as opposed to coming in a few beats later, but whatever.

that synth with the delay on is sexy.

i thought the lyrics were well crafted. as larry mentioned, some people will probably flip a lid over the MF bombs, etc, but whatever.

i think the hook at the end is some of the best zykomizaka i've heard ("you wonder why, everybody says to keep out the veldt").

anyway, this is some sparse, funky, west coast hip-hop. like you'd expect from a zyko arrangement, the production is unconventional. this is too infectious for me not to pass, though.

YES

ps - am i the only one who hears it cut off at the end? is this intentional?

[Liontamer]

Originally Posted by JJT

ps - am i the only one who hears it cut off at the end? is this intentional?

weed noted at VGMix that the cutoff is intentional.

[Vig]

I can hear some of the issues cited, but I'm not hearing them as anything close to deal-breaking. Weed demonstrates again his lyrical talent, and as usual, there's a good deal of creativity and emotion on the musical end. The understated guitar is effective.

sure, some of the balance and samples are a little rough, but the track accomplishes what it goes for.

I enjohy it..

YES

[zircon]

I like the lyrics and delivery... as usual, top notch from zyko. I didn't even really have a problem with the instrumental balance. However I definitely think there are timing issues particularly with the brass at several parts (:31, 1:23 for example)... they really stand out to me as being considerably off tempo. Compare to a mix like the recent TJ&E one we got, where we nailed them on timing issues that were in soem cases less severe than the ones here.

There's not a lot of actual melodic or harmonic rearrangement for the first part of the piece. The instrumental backing is basically the same as the original, if not somewhat simplified in terms of texture. 2:34 has some new material but it's really sparse and minimal. The solos don't really fit in to the atmosphere of the rest of the piece IMO, nor do they seem to connect with the Veldt source material musically. They are quite enjoyable, but considering how long the section goes on for with seemingly little direction, I really think they have to gel more with the rest of the track.

4:18 brings in some variation in the form of the sinewave synth complimenting the source's harmonies. I would have liked to hear something like this earlier, and to me it's too little, too late.
I gotta say the new brass at 4:39 is very general MIDI.. not to be a stickler for samples but it's really very fake sounding. I also can't say I like the abrupt ending even though I know it's intentional.

Overall I think the production is OK, aside from the brass towards the end, but other aspects of implementation need work.. a denser texture, even in the form of more rhythmic layers, would really help flesh things out over the course of the 5+ minutes. Additionally the brass timing issues are noticeable and unpleasant. From an arrangement standpoint, the vocals are wonderful, but they can't carry the track when the instrumental has such little variation except towards the very end.

NO

[pixietricks]

Hmmm... I'm conflicted. On the one hand, the lyrics and delivery are excellent. But there are a few things that are holding me back:

- Timing of the brass. It's definitely a significant distraction.

- Balance of parts. I don't think the instrumentation was particularly sparse for a hip hop track at all, but it kind of felt that way because of the way things were mixed. The beats could use a little more bass and reverb. They sound really dry. And the parts that are doubled or filled with strings and sinewaves seem too soft.

- The section from 2:35-4:18 lost a lot of energy, I think. Although I like the guitar and sinewave solos, they felt a little aimless after a while. I'd propose either consolidating them, or layering in a few more things for this instrumental. It's such a significant portion of the track: approximately 1/3.

- The cutoff at the end seems unintentional, like the download cut off. Maybe you could add in some FX like a record scratch or something, just so people aren't confused?

I think all these are pretty easy fixes, so I can almost guarantee my YES on an update. Very nice work overall.

NO PLEASE RESUBMIT

[Malcos]

Very good vocals and rapping! There are some specific issues here that if resolved will definitely get me to vote yes. Although the instrumentation is quite sparse, I think it works (it is hip-hop after all!) up to the point where the vocal parts cut out around the 2.50 mark. The lead parts could have been made much more engaging. At 4.20 the kick volume decreases, presumably to make way for the ending. However, the ending just cuts off. Perhaps a delay would have sounded better so that the sound tailed off or something, rather than just abruptly cutting it off, I don't think it worked in this case. I think this is really good, just needs a little more tweaking.

NO(Please resub)

[big giant circles]

gonna have to agree with vig. i'm not really hearing any of the aforementioned gripes as being enough to withhold this from being posted. i dunno. seems pretty slick to me. i don't listen to much hip hop, but the staggered brass seems to fit pretty well.

zyko's rapping has also progressed--this is pretty well done all across the board. again, while i can partially agree with the hangups, i don't think it's enough to keep this one from a thumb's up.

*EDIT* (see other post) I do have a gripe with the balance, that I'd like fixed first.

YES (conditional)

[zyko]

hey good lookin on the comments

i just barely got my computer back after nearly a month out of commission and i've been intending on fixing the track up and resubmitting (contrary to my common practice of doin no such thing). honestly, this is the first time i've made my own traditional hip hop beat so a lot of things were new territory for me

i'll be working out the kinks and getting back to y'all so hold off on the judgement for a second until i can resubmit. thanks for the feedback. i probably won't be able to access the internet from home for a little while longer but i'll be back.

thanks!