[The Orichalcon]

OK, since there were some problems with the mix and we were requested by Larry to go back and retry the ending, we did just that but went a lot further by adding some more stuff, changing some things and bringing in the lovely pixietricks to add some backing vocals to the mix. It's different enough now that I think it needs a revote.


We've changed the name to "Via" to give it a bit more uniqueness. We've added Jill's vocals, a fade-out ending, EQ'd the guitar and entire mix a bit better. Tweaked the drumwork a little more so it sounds more fluent and made the transition between the first half and second half of the song more fluent.

Originally Posted by Archived Previous Vote (4Y/2N)

Source: http://www.zophar.net/psf/FF10_psf.rar - Path of Repentance
URL:
Posting on behalf of Tepid. He did the arrangement and composition, I did the drumworks for him. Phil's happy enough with the guitar composition to submit it how it is, since he'll be leaving his workstation shortly for a couple of months.

Phil: I've always been a fan of Hamauzu's work, especially his part in FFX. After listening to his Piano Collections on Via Purifico (and learning most of it from the sheet music), I was compelled to pick up my acoustic and play along with it.
As I started recording, the piece shaped into something more Mitsuda, so I added a fretless bass and later brought in some slide guitar for the sake of it.
This may be my last piece for the summer because on the 21st June I'm heading to the States for 2 months and abandoning my equipment, so I hope it's a nice farewell piece for now. On the plus side I'm taking my acoustic and my relatives have a nice keyboard waiting over the pond, so I should be a better musician when I return.
Enjoy the summer!

[zircon]

Ah, Tepid! I've heard this song in the various WIP stages but didn't hear the final version until now. I liked it originally so lemme see where it went...

One thing I really like is the soundscape. The bass, guitar, and piano are just beautiful. They work well together. The drums are a mixed bag though. The patterns seem a little too "busy" for the most part.. I think that simpler patterns would have worked more, and more acoustic sounds rather than electronic ones. As is the drums just don't really mesh with the rest of the texture to me, or at least, they don't mesh as well as they should. I do like how the song progresses over time in terms of the instruments, though I think even MORE layers could probably be added (additional pads perhaps) to fill it out after the middle section. The strings that come in towards the very end are exactly what I'm talking about.

Arrangement-wise, it's good - I like what you did with the original. No complaints except.. WTF at the ending. Come ON!!!! I know you can do better than that, man! That's a total copout, and right after the most dense section! You gotta fix that.

This is a close call for me but I really think additional tweaking of the drums is needed as well as a more resolved ending, and perhaps a little more addition to the soundfield after the middle section to give it a sense of change.

NO

[Malcos]

This just sounds beautiful. The texture and the instruments fit together beautifully. I do think that the transpose wasn't needed, and the ending was disappointing! Oh man, why did you guys do the ending like that?

Even though the ending has dampened my enthusiasm for this mix somewhat, listening to it again I can't say no. But please do a better ending next time, you know what I mean guys.

YES

[Vig]

I agree to some extent with all of zircon's complaints, however I ultimately feel they are stylistic choices and don't count very strongly against the mix.

The drums don't really fit in with the more organic sound of the track, but at the same time, the drums do sound good, and they are far from overbearing.

More strings makes anything sound fuller, but this track gets plenty busy without. As it is, there's a well developed dynamic curve.

Guitarism is adequate not great...all that you really need is that particular tone, which is certainly supplied.

The ending could benefit from a metaphorical penis-pumping to make it longer, however it could certainly be more atrocious.

The ass, so to speak, is the only thing dragging down what is on the whole a well-concieved and highly enjoyable track.

YES

still well above the bar despite fairly weak ending.

[Liontamer]

Cool piano-based intro. Percussion coming in at :10 sounded a bit too loud. The way the beats combined with the piano, they sounded a bit pasted on top, rather than "in the same room/area" as the piano. I think the combination sounded a lot more seamless in "Tears of Contention".

The beats dropping out at :41 merely to come right back in at :43 felt awkward. The progression :54-1:01 also felt slightly off. The somewhat exposed bass synth at :59-1:01 didn't sound particularly strong either.

Would have preferred the guitar from 1:22-1:42 to be more promiment, rather than at similar levels to the beats and piano. Same at 2:04 when Phil broke out some grungier stuff, so perhaps revisit the sound balance for something less distinct.

The guitar just cuts out abruptly at 2:23, with an awkward pause/transition that I felt didn't quite work. Y'all could have streched out the pause longer with a pad fading up or the last guitar note hanging on its own for a while.

Decent ideas for the finish at 2:26 (and I was glad to hear the guitar placed more in the forefront for once, if only for 20 seconds), though I felt like this section didn't posess any direction or bring the arrangement to any sort of resolution. The ending faded out too suddenly at 2:50, I think everyone else who voted agrees on the track simply petering out. Either fashion an ending or go for the gradual fadeout, but do one or the other. The last section was the kicker that helped me decide which way to call this.

As is, everything here is creative and promising but can and should be more cohesively put together. Very close here, but it honestly doesn't quite feel up there with the most recently passed material.

NO (refine/resubmit)

[GrayLightning]

I agree with the complaints about this mix. Especially at times when the soundfield is a bit sparse, the drums' transient energy really cuts through this mix. I wish the drums were more subtle in this case, and like zircon said, less busy. But indeed Vig pointed out they do sound good. TO is so good at this sort of stuff, even though I disagree with the choices he made, I appreciate the talent and skill he does with these sorts of grooves.

The piano and guitar work is nicely done, nothing flashy but nice. I like the string additions, but I wish there were supplemental pads going on in the background to thicken up the supporting material, as well as to soften the strength of the drums.

I agree the ending is wtf level. Sorry, but this is one of the most unresolved endings I've heard in a while on the panel. Note, unresolved endings can work, depending on the context, but here it just sounds cheap.

Still, this is a nicely arranged and executed mix. While I have reservations, the combination of tepid and TO's work does sound good. Borderline YES

[DarkeSword]

Ending sucks.

The rest of it is fine; I'm in agreement with Malcos. Everything fits together; not too separated, not too sparse.

Nice guitar work and the piano is pretty flowy. Good percussion too.

Good job.

YES

[Liontamer]

Y'all mind fashioning a real ending? It would be for everyone's benefit, frankly.

[The Orichalcon]

Phil is happy with the ending as it is. He's on holiday for the next few months, so he'd be unable to fashion a new ending if he wanted to until he got back anyway.

[Liontamer]

Originally Posted by The Orichalcon

Phil is happy with the ending as it is. He's on holiday for the next few months, so he'd be unable to fashion a new ending if he wanted to until he got back anyway.

Boo-urns, fo' sho. But in all honesty, I'd rather have the fix, even if it takes a while to wait for one. I'm a patient man.