OceansAndrew Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 Hello, Here is a submission of mine of an arrangment I have just completed, titled "Dramatic Dark World": ReMixer name: LemonLime Name: Christian Floisand Email: christian@christianfloisand.com userid: 44839 Game: Final Fantasy 6 Song arranged: Dark World Composed by: Nobuo Uematsu Comments: I was inspired to do this arrangement after hearing Jeremy Soule's great orchestration of Terra's Theme from Final Fantasy 6. But in addition, I was also keen on developing my midi orchestration skills in Logic using Vienna Special Edition and this seemed like a good way to do that. After auditioning several tracks from the game, I decided that Dark World presented some good orchestral opportunities that I wanted to explore. Thanks very much for your time! Best regards, Christian Floisand http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UCvWWym74s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 Some of the sequencing felt pretty stiff, but there were several sections that really felt natural and nice as well. The woodwinds were a highlight for me, as i felt they were the most naturally sequenced. The arrangement overall was pretty similar to the source, with a few minor instrument changes. The drama is certainly amped up from the source because of the new samples, and the additions to the piece are incredibly subtle, but effective. It took several listens to even catch there was *any* additions, they were so well integrated, so extra kudos there. A few parts are stiff, and the length is a touch on the short side, but this was well executed, and gave a pretty overlooked source (imo) a very grandiose treatment. I approve. Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutritious Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Gonna agree with Andrew on the arrangement side of this song. It's definitely on the conservative side - at the start I was worried it would be too much so. But you brought some good expansion later on the theme and infused some dramama into it. I was a little less enthusiastic on the production, unfortunately. There seems to be an abundance of mids in the mix, which causes it to sound cluttered in places. It's especially apparently whenever the orch chimes play as they seem to have a lot of resonance in some mid frequencies, and it's getting muddied up with the same frequencies in the brass and woodwinds. String sequencing felt a bit exposed starting at 1:48; and moreso at 1:56 - 2:10. I think this was the weakest part of the mix as it really lost energy here with little support to help out the string parts. Maybe it's a personal taste thing (or I'm just an orchestral snob, which I'm sorry if I am but this section just felt awkward to me. Still, it's a very short part of the song, so it's a minor issue. Watch those levels from 2:50 - 2:54. It got pretty distorted as the piece peaked in volume. Not sure if it's getting squashed by a limiter or just old fashioned clipping. On the positive side, you've got some nice samples here and some very nice subtle counter writing throughout the piece, which I love. The energy for the most part is nice and I really enjoyed the approach. If it was just the distortion/clipping that was a problem, I'd be inclined to go Conditional on this. However, I think the mixing issues may need some more effort to get under control, and push me more towards a resub. No, resubmit please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Not my favorite song of that soundtrack, although it's not my least favorite either. I can say that you've added a lot of really cool subtle new expansions and details that I really like, and as the song culminates it gets better arrangement-wise. I felt like there was a balance issue when the trumpet first came in, and maybe overall the horn/trombone progression could come down a little after it establishes itself. I think the production is pretty good, but it's the little flaws that are adding up to make me think that it could really shine with a little more polish. Hope to see this again! NO (please resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Very nice arrangement. I thought this had a good flair for the dramatic, pouring on the instruments when appropriate. While the production is not bad, I don't think it's at the level we're looking for. I noticed the string sequencing and distortion problems that Nutritious pointed out, as well as some conflicting frequencies early on at 0:13. There were a handful of places where I think it could have been tuned up. Would like to see another version of this. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted September 9, 2011 Author Share Posted September 9, 2011 Rather than keep this as a split vote and have it sit for months, i'll concede to the panel on this. I still think it's very good, but fixing up the issues mentioned only makes this stronger as a whole, and you fixing it up now is much preferable than you fixing it up in several months. I look forward to hearing this again. No, please resubmit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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