[djpretzel]

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

[Top Gun]

I've been a huge fan of the Myst series for more than 10 years now; it's great to finally see it represented on OCR. The translations worked out very well, especially considering that the source material represents the work of three different artists over the lifetime of the franchise. The opening section brought back all kinds of fond memories of wandering around Myst Island, trying to figure out what the hell I should be doing. Very nicely done. :)

(As a side note, the composers list should include Jack Wall for Myst IV and Tim Larkin for Myst V.)

[Platonist]

this is very powerful! it certainly builds up a mood of expectation in the intro ..

transition at 2:10 comes in perfectly, such a sudden change could cause problems but DM takes it all the way ! the piano and strings really work nice together .. .... is that i xylophone?! NICE
EDIT : probably a marimba then .. don't ask me ;)


thumbs up on this track .. though .. if i have to make one complaint, the reverb on those hihats could use some attention.

but overall very good!

[Mazedude]

Hmm... some decent ideas here, but I feel it could've been much better. The marimbas in the beginning seemed a bit week, barely audible amongst the strings, and I felt the first couple minutes could've used some more imagination and variety. Of course, it's hard to do so with the source material being what it is, but still...

I'm happy to see someone else tackle Myst. While I was hoping for more from this mix, it was still cool.

[Shadow Wolf]

Overall, the arrangement of the mix is very well done, you seamlessly took 3 fairly different themes (especially Descent) and worked them together seamlessly.


Really, my only issue here is the string sample. It’s noticeably electronic, has no sound character, and just sounds bad. That’s really unfortunate, since the arrangement was excellent, and that would’ve been the icing on the cake.


The piano sounds great, actually, nice reverb and good tone, and I really like that you put the marimba in there during the Descent sequence, it added a nice character to the sound,and it was also one of Robyn’s favorite instruments for the first 2 games of the series, especially Riven. So I guess marimba just = Myst to me.



Summary: excellent arrangement of the themes and a great first mix, but also continue to work on your production. Good job!

[Liontamer]

Originally Posted by Top Gun

(As a side note, the composers list should include Jack Wall for Myst IV and Tim Larkin for Myst V.)

Yeah, that's currently one of the database limitations: when someone does a mix across several games with different composers, we can only assign one game, which is why you only see Robyn Miller credited.

Definitely agreed with Mazedude and shadowolf on some of the various criticisms here. The second half of the arrangement definitely felt stronger than the first in terms of the execution, but I loved the overall package, as I mentioned in my judging decision.

I think it goes to show what leeway is there on the arrangement side when things are really clicking well on that level, even if the sounds aren't so hot. In other words, the opposite of Compyfox's "Hollywood sounds" theory.

[OA]

I think the high strings need a bit more air to give them some character, but there is some great stuff going on in this mix.
early on, the marimba is a bit too dry, but in the second half when it's a bit busier, it makes more sense for it to be as such stylistically.

The percussive hits at the beginning are hot, and the transitions are pretty smooth throughout the different sections. The only part that really didn't do anything for me was the overly long solo piano part near the end. Nice mix, I enjoyed it.

[DarkMessenger]

Thanks guys for the friendly words .
I learned a great deal more since I posted this one....nearly a year ago , which is no problem though. I understand that times where very busy.

I just got my new system (mac at last) with some Genelecs....so I'm pumped to do more. Hopefully you'll like it better then.

Gr., Niels

[Harmony]

There are only a handful of games that give my love of Secret of Mana a run for its money, and at the top of that list is the Myst Series. I was the guy back in ‘98 walking around with a Myst shirt on, reading all of the novels, and dreaming of one day having enough money to make it to the Mysterium conference. In honor of this mix finally being released on OCR, you may have noticed I’ve even thrown together a quick Riven sig!

Anyway, this is some difficult material and even though I was hoping for the best, I was doubtful that it would turn out to be a good track. I’m happy with the outcome. I think that the mix of instruments sounds a little raw, in that they don’t feel like a cohesive unit at times. For example, the drums, the strings and the piano around the 3:30 feel like they were all recorded in different rooms. The other minor grip I have is with the marimba. I think the sample is fine, good even, but again I think the mixing hurts it. It’s got some stray frequencies that make some of the notes sound off key to me.

I think I enjoyed the first section the most. It absolutely captures the feel of Myst, and I’d like to think that the repetition and sparse nature of the sounds through 2:10 is an intentional tribute to the feel of the game, rather than any failed attempt to pull off some radical feat of remixitude. Overall the arrangement is very enjoyable, as I’m a big fan of layering themes whenever possible, even if only subtly.

Short and sweet transition out of the first theme could use a little more love, but in spite of that and my previous comments, I love the main drums during the second half. The processing makes them sound like they’re right out of some stage production of this or that. Sequencing is top notch, especially 3:37, which is almost too perfect, but still believable IMO.

That is one odd ending, but I won’t complain. I’ll just say that this is a great first OCReMix, and with all of the stuff you said you’ve learned since this one, hopefully you’ll come back with tons more. FYI, I’m also a big fan of Tomb Raider if you’re looking to get some more cool points from me ;)

[Martin Penwald]

I, too, am one of the people who think that the ending is somewhat strange; the piano solo part drags on a little too long IMO.

I really like the marimbas, but I wish the left-right panning you use when they come in the second time (at ~3:39) would be a little more imaginative, i.e. varying things up a bit instead of using the same left-right change