[Liontamer]

Heyhey NoppZ here.

Submitting a new remix from Castlevania sotn.

Hope you will enjoy it! take care // NoppZ

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Demon Castle Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight Original Game Soundtrack - (06) "Dracula's Castle"
http://snesmusic.org/v2/download.php?spcNow=scv4 - "Bloody Tears" (scv4-19.spc)

Will contact NoppZ, but for now I'll comment on the arrangement. We've already got a cool dance mix of "Dracula's Castle" by AkumajoBelmont, "The Devil Inside (Italo Disco Mix)", and this is about the same level of interpretation for that section relatively speaking. Keeps things pretty straightforward with a nice Latin & dance-type flavor and a good groove.

Transition at 1:36 was pretty jarring, and after the strings joined in at 1:51, I started wondering what the hell was up with the writing of the lead. It's...odd, but you get adjusted to it more. Subtle, ultra-liberal reference to "Bloody Tears" from 2:05-2:20 hidden in the background. Another instant transition at 2:19, this time referencing the 1:37 section of "Dracula's Castle". I was definitely liking the dynamics of the piece within the development of each respective section, offsetting some criticisms of how abrupt the shifts from section to section were. The end result is unorthodox, but not offsetting as to merit a NO on that level.

Another insta-transition at 2:49 that eventually segued into an interesting arrangement of "Bloody Tears" that arrived at 3:10. I loved the supporting strings there, but they struggled badly to be heard. The synth section at 3:54 picked this one up a lot in terms of offering some new sounds, and helped lend energy to the final section. Absolutely loved it. The ending, however, at 4:38 was way too sudden and didn't resolve the track strongly at all, which was a huge letdown at least from my POV.

On the arrangement side, the direction seems REALLY scattershot on the first listen, but each section develops well in-and-of-itself, and they piece together well as one overarching musical idea. But man, this production hurts. It wasn't a big issue in "Hyrule Party Mix". It was an issue in "Curse Curse Revolution", but not enough to kill it off. Right now though, the treble is so blistering, the mixing so uneven, that I can only go conditional YES. TO felt you should increase the the bass and decrease the treble, and I definitely agreed. Need a remastered version or this shouldn't go up at all.

EDIT (4/18): Philip got back to me with a newly mastered version that got rid of the production concerns I had. The treble's toned down so it isn't so sizzly and the bass is way phatter. Stuff like the strings are way more audible during the fuller parts as well. It's a lot easier to hear how everything works together, and the end result is a lot stronger. Thanks a lot for your patience, NoppZ. It was worth the wait, bro.

[big giant circles]

Pretty fun, toe-tapping stuff per usual. I'd say while perhaps not intimately so, I've played SotN enough to be familiar enough with the source that I didn't really need to put it on loop 20 times before I listened to the remix. Pretty straightforward from start to about 1:35; almost has that kind of "¡Olé!" flavor going on--[tangent]I'd really like to hear someone do this is a mariachi kind of style[/tangent].

Anyway, after 1:35, i'm not really sure which way the track went. Had to refer to Larry's vote to see what the hell was going on :P

I guess after making the comparisons to Bloody Tears, the connections, though tenuous, were enough to keep the song from wandering into the "overly interpretive" realm. Some mix highlights, I liked the organ usage. Thought that was tastefully done. 2:21-2:48, with the slowly bent synth in the background was cool, in an "ack, my ears!" sort of way :). Immediately after, the rhythmic shift and melodic transition until 3:08 was actually pretty cool.

All in all, I think NoppZ clearly displays a solid understanding of what is acceptable in terms of submissions around here, and though "scattershot" is indeed an appropriate description of the arrangement, it is still within the bounds of acceptable and enjoyable.

YES

I'm personally not feeling the "Ouch, fix the EQ!" that Larry and TO mentioned. Anyone else feel there's too much treble? I felt that argument more in "Curse Curse Revolution" than this piece. *shrugs*

[The Orichalcon]

Ok, quick vote since I already pointed out my main issue with Larry.

My bass and treble levels are even right through, and you definitely have the balance tipped in favour of the treble. It's most obvious with each ear-splitting cymbal crash through the mix (and there are lots of them.) I'd recommend dulling the EQ on the cymbals mainly, the rest can probably stay as it is, I'd need to hear it. But the bass definitely needs a small boost just to make it a tad punchier. I Think the problem is mostly context beyond those cymbals. If the bass was up more, the treble levels would make sense in comparison.

Nothing else to say. Great arrangement, good sounds and mixing. Just fix that and it can get in line for the front page.

YES

[zyko]

i heard this some time ago. i loved it the first time i heard it. still do.

it is a fresh treatment of castlevania musik - the transition at 1.37 is sweet. this is funky and dancy. it gets you moving in no time regardless of whether you like castlevania music which, incidentally, i am sick of. but this brings quite a handful of new ideas to the source.

excellent instrumentation. the arrangement is killer. love the rhythm at around 3 minutes. look at where it leads next... precisely what i mean about fresh arrangement. more people need to do more of this sort of thing... do something differently than it has already been done. very nice.

on to the problem: the treble is killing me. this is not mastered very well. i am surprised as i am accustomed to noppz tracks being of very high quality. doesn't detract from the piece as it is fucking awesome but really, that treble needs to be toned down a bit... those crashes like TO pointed out are vicious.

all in all
a big, resounding YES