OCR02323 - *YES* Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 'Dovahkiin'

Brandon Strader

www.bstrader.net

3123

Game: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Title: Dovahkiin

Sources: Sons of Skyrim

Composer: Jeremy Soule

System: PC, PS3, Xbox360 (as for which one you can list this as, I'll probably buy it on the ps3, but ultimately it's your choice -- maybe go with the PC version)

Sources:

Non-writeup notes: Skyrim comes out on November 11th. If you could post this on that day or near that day, I would really appreciate it! Buut it's ok if you can't. ;_;

Jeremy Soule, who composed the soundtrack to Morrowind and Oblivion, returns to compose Skyrim's soundtrack. "Sons Of Skyrim" is Skyrim's theme, and was recorded with a choir of over thirty people, singing in the world’s language of Draconic. (thanks wikipedia!)

If you are having trouble considering the source (and whether it's legitimate etc) I can almost guarantee you that the Skyrim riff will be in the main theme. As for the other, iconic and definitive melodies we've heard in Morrowind and Oblivion, there's probably about half the song based purely around the Oblivion melodies so hopefully there's enough source usage for you to consider this mix either way.

Writeup-Notes:

Hi. I was inspired to make this mix because I loved Oblivion so much. I think I played it for 90 hours, which really is not a long time considering all that the game has to offer... but I did go through all the side-quests, traveled the lands and discovered as many places as possible. I didn't explore the underwater realm which is regrettable, but I chose to be a Wood Elf instead of an Argonian. A stupid choice, I know. During one of the quests that required you to go underwater, I actually died a couple times because I ran out of breath. Then I realized I had a couple breath extending potions, and it was still barely enough. Anyway, I combined the epicness of Skyrim with the epicness of Pirates of the Carribean and some gratuitous metal... A bit like folk metal, with nice brass and lush strings. I've made a lot of small adjustments to this mix since it was 4th place in the Dwelling of Duels (July 2011 Free Month). I don't think I could be happier with the mix than I am right now, in my eyes it is perfect. YEA!

I really love how it turned out and I look forward to making more songs like this in the future. My last 2 subs have been metal, and also DoD entries. My next few will probably NOT be metal. Not that I'm justifying this by saying there'll be softer stuff. I know you guys can handle all different kinds of music and genres. And I enjoy experimenting with those diverse genres from time to time. So keep an eye out for that in the future!

I've never played Skyrim yet, it won't be out for a few months... but I already feel an emotional attachment to it! Because it's very much like an extension of Oblivion, a world that I lived in for quite a while. Heck, I can remember when I first started and made it to the Waterfront of the Imperial City. There were some pirates parked there, and a couple cops in the area. I mocked and bothered the pirates until they started attacking me, then I stood behind a cop so that the pirate would accidentally stab the cop. Then I watched and laughed as the cop made waste of the pirates. As soon as the cop started fighting a pirate, the other pirates ran to his aid, and even more cops got involved, and it was simply amazing. My one regret with Oblivion is not choosing to be an Argonian. The added benefit of being an Argonian includes underwater breathing. So if you were an Argonian, you could explore the entire land AND the entire sea!

That's the one thing I'm planning to do come November 11th. I'm going to be an Argonian, and try my best to make him look as decent as possible. That's the one negative side of being an Argonian (their horrible ugliness) and is the reason I chose to be a Wood Elf when I played Oblivion. As someone who is fairly attractive, I can't really relate to the Argonian, but there's a sad, ridiculed child in me who totally does. The one from elementary school who got bullied all the time and didn't fit in. Sadly, Skyrim is a MAN's game -- there's no room for children, or even repressed memories. Imagine a scaly Argonian, hated by the normal, beautiful people of the world of Skyrim... He is battle worn and his clothes are stained with blood. Suddenly, a dragon descends and initiates combat, and sets fire to the town. Despite their hatred for him, the Argonian lunges at the dragon, climbs its back, and plunges his sword into its skull.

Lizard on dragon combat. I'd want to play that, then watch an instant replay from multiple camera angles. I can relate to the Argonian's plight; he is judged merely on his rugged exterior while inside, he's got a heart of pure gold. All he ever wanted to do was go off on epic adventures, fight dragons, and court hot wenches. He has no eye for race; he'll go after humans, argonians, elves, heck -- even khajits. Oh yeah, lizard on tiger. He's a total ladies lizard, and you'll enjoy hanging with him if you can look past the scales and snake tongue.

When you listen to this song, I hope you will imagine the guitars being played by Argonians, and the guitars are melted out of pure gold, and the strings are finely rolled silver with a diamond core that shines when plucked. The drums are made of dragon bones, the skins of which are skinned and tanned from the toughest dragons of the land. The horns were crafted from the dried and preserved organs of the dragon; the heart and its many valves served as good trumpet. There was a singer, but he got eaten by the dragon, but his essence lives on within the heart-trumpet.

In conclusion, it's a smart idea to be an Argonian. You may turn people off with your rugged and masculine looks, but you'll make some good friends and go on some excellent adventures. There's probably a lot more to say but I wanted to keep this write-up fairly brief. If you don't see me for a while it's because I'm fighting dragons.

san dimas high school football rules

Nice opening, and a good source choice! The mix of electric, acoustic, and orchestral instruments worked very well, and the melody was suitably heroic. The guitar playing was tight, and everything gelled really well. The arrangement had a lot of small nuances that kept it interesting, and the subtle use of SFX was classy.

One of my favorites you've done, dude. Nice work!

Yes

I mostly panelled this one due to the possible source usage thing. Aside from that, the arrangement is solid, and the playing as well. Nice work.

YES

The snare drum sounded flimsy and the background felt too sparse much of the time. The brass was also flat. The guitar performance, as usually for most of Brandon's stuff is solid enough, like the GoW piece from Heroes vs. Villains, but still lacks the expressiveness I've heard from tighter, more polished performers.

HOWEVER, the arrangement though was solid, with a lot of energetic writing and solid enough dynamics with the performance. The bowed string articulations were solid and mixed well so that any lack of realism in the sound wasn't greatly exposed.

Cool ideas bookending it with the organic/nature sounds opening and the acoustic close, both of which were small details but pulled off nicely.

I'm still waiting for that blowaway electric guitar performance, but the improvement should hopefully come with more practice, so I'm looking forward to hearing that potential be realized. That said, keep it up!

YES

Sounds good to me. Rocks out sufficiently, great take on the source. I like it.

YES