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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/29/2017 in all areas

  1. Hey guys - we're getting close, and I'm still waiting for updates from quite a few people. If you need a little extra time to get an update in place, this is fine, just let me know - I don't mind waiting a bit at this point in the project. There are lots of folks willing to help if you're feeling stuck or unsure of what to do next. We have a new blue WIP! Cornerian Hall of Fame by @TheChargingRhino, @classic_gamer_76, and @Pichu's Dad is sounding pretty fantastic - check it out on the WIP spreadsheet! I have a goal to have a WIP in place for Bad Weather by the end of this weekend and a new SCRAMBLE WIP is on the way! Keep up the great work, everyone!
    2 points
  2. Sorry... I have to do this: The "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" ones were pretty clever too and definitely made sense regarding how the story was told to us (no videos for these ones... sorry T.T).
    1 point
  3. Off the top of my head I would say Resident Evil had a great game over approach. Nothing like trying to get through an area deep in deep in the red, having a zombie sneeze on you, then everything fading to white. In second place would probably be FFT's haunting game over that stays with you long after you return to the title screen.
    1 point
  4. I have music knowledge! So I guess I have to talk about one of my fave Sega soundtracks now... um... Oh! Jet Set Radio! I actually have the OSTs to both JSR games on my iPhone... and wish to have the entire works of Hideki Naganuma on there one day... so I guess I have no other choice. So... 1. Why does it fit? Well, first off, the "protagonists" are gangs who listen to a pirate radio station. A pirate radio station usually plays music that isn't considered "mainstream". Back in the early 00s (when JSR came out) that was big beat and indie rock. So what does Naganuma do? He puts his own spin on the Fatboy Slim ethos, brings in little-known band Guitar Vader, and even brings in Rob Zombie for the US soundtrack. This goes even further in JSRF, where the soundtrack has artists like Cibo Matto and Scapegoat Wax that no one has even heard of. 2. What does it accomplish? Let's take a look at the title screen of JSR for an example. You boot up the game and you're greeted with the game's logo (as well as Professor K shouting it out) and a Rudie is skating around Shibuya Terminal. But most important of all, Hideki Naganuma's funky-as-hell "Let Mom Sleep" is blaring in the background. This music makes a statement, and that statement is Hey! You're playing something fresh and funky, yo, and you're about to have a BLAST! Elsewhere, let's say Final Groove, "Grace and Glory" fits the creepy, demonic atmosphere that the so-called Devil's Contract is supposed be infused with, and in the Kogane residential area mission where "'Bout the City" is playing, it creates a feeling of rocking out and tearing up the establishment - which the Rudies are definitely all about. In JSRF, "Funky Dealer" is the song that kicks off your graffiti streak, and there's only one thing this song could possibly be saying - WELCOME TO DA CLUB, BIYATCH! 3. What techniques did Hideki Naganuma use that made this piece so effective in this section of the game? "Let Mom Sleep" has various elements that blend together to make it the bar-setting funkfest that it is. The use of the brass samples at the beginning of the song has to be commended, as they add a funky 'kick' to the end of the first two bars. The organ sample from "Opposites Attract" helps to launch the song, too. Pretty much everything from the drums to the samples of 'Mom' complaining about the radio is used to maintain that all-important, rebellious, Rudie funk. Going back to "Grace and Glory", the chanting and organ at the start perfectly reinforce what the Devil's Contract is rumoured to do, and the mystical, evil feeling doesn't stop there. Naganuma-san uses samples of people screaming in pain, for crying out loud! The funk's still there, though, in the form of the bassline - though it has just the right soundfont to make you feel spooked out. That more along the lines of what you wanted, Darke?
    1 point
  5. HoboKa

    MnP 70: Halo 2 - Impend

    APZX's BONUS: "Egalic" Nice use of Obeirman synths there. That pitch bendy synth reminds me so much of Axiom Verge - and your percussion work is probably the most MNP of all 3 of us - very Halo-ish sounding, which is good. Lots of nice reverb/delay effects on it and it is VERY robust. That bass is nice too. Cool reverb kick too.
    1 point
  6. HoboKa

    MnP 70: Halo 2 - Impend

    Thanks for providing feedback for both of us APZX. EDIT Oh! Forgot to comment on your BONUS thar. Gotta re-listen to it...
    1 point
  7. APZX

    MnP 70: Halo 2 - Impend

    My thoughts . . ., I guess. HoboKa - Impendz--Adult Ambient Diapers Solid intro strings. Bright and a touch sombering. Lovely. Then you just straight up go dark and I love it! Wonderful atmosphere. The percussion just sells it. That broken, I dunno, glass-ish sound? Pure class. The vocal is creepy as all get out and that riser around 1:20? Mmmmm. Big heavy kick jumps in too. Then you've got this uplifting bit that comes in with the strings. Just wonderfully creepy. Chalis - Step Into The Future Beyond the article being capitalized lets see. Nice little bright arp. I mean you really decided to take this away from being too dark and made it a bit lighter. The interpretation with that plucked lead is also awesome. Good sub bass too, and you kept the kick out of its way. Smart choice. Personally, not a big fan of the hats. Just kind of like a fusion of older electronic and more modern sensibilities in writing. Interesting.
    1 point
  8. HoboKa

    MnP 70: Halo 2 - Impend

    Chalis has 1 more day to submit me a source tune, otherwise it's MY pick. Muahahaha!!
    1 point
  9. HoboKa

    MnP 70: Halo 2 - Impend

    Whew sorry for the delay. I'm gonna hand the round to Chalis. Feedback: "Step into the Future" is well, it's very liberal, but I'll grant that the MIDI was quite limited AND it's difficult to emulate an expensive pitch bending vocal sample. The percussion also felt off the mark when stacked against the source tune - BUT that being said, I thought the sound design was an interesting idea - something befitting an original chill-out oldschool electro-pop jive. Thanks for participating Chalis! Chalis, please PM me for round 71.
    1 point
  10. Beautiful. Top notch orchestration here. As mentioned, some stops, but they seem to fit the arrangement. A few Grave sections that felt a bit meandering, but when the Watchman's Ease melody hits at 4:00 I was brought right back home. The humanization overall was very natural-sounding, loved it. On the production side of things I have no qualms either, everything is clear and I didn't hear any issues. Overall this is as solid as it gets. On my first listen I thought the track was meandering a bit too much, but on the second I could get a grip of the pace you were going for and I observed many details that I had missed, making the experience much more enjoyable. Great work here. YES
    1 point
  11. Gario pretty much nailed it, I think. The connection to "Through the Valleys" is iffy, but it's a minuscule amount of the arrangement. Everything else plays out exactly as Gario said, including the sections of the main theme that appear in Skyrim but not Oblivion. The melodies chosen are clear throughout, which doesn't always happen when working when either the source or the arrangement contains this much other stuff going on. Even being borderline on the 50% stopwatch test, it's very clearly based on at least one of at least 3 sources throughout. And the return to the main theme at the end was a beautiful, effective touch. Strings are a tiny bit mechanical for a few brief moments, with some odd swells especially in the Watchman's Ease section, but it's barely worth mentioning. Otherwise this pretty much nails the production. Great arrangement with some powerful inspiration behind it. I love it. YES
    1 point
  12. HyperDuck Soundworks, yay! Love your work, in general, so it's a real treat to be hearing more from you. The orchestration seems to be very well put together in this. Great humanization utilized throughout, and there's a great sense of space throughout the track. It takes its time with the sources, often opting to go for a slower, more atmospheric sound, though I can still hear some of the sources in the backing material. It's going to take some time to parse the source from this in detail, though - the track is seven minutes long, and there are four sources, to boot. While this will pass on orchestration, humanization and overall production quality, it's going to take some time to parse the sources, unless the arranger is willing to help us a little, on that front. EDIT: Alright, so this is what I've got from this. It's a bit tricky, as there are parts where there's quite a few sources meshed together as a wash of sound, and they're broken up into many pieces. I list a few moments in this source check, but... well, you'll know the parts when you hear them. Arrangement || Source (Reign of the Septims / 0:51 - 1:06 || 0:16 - 0:26 Dragonborne Theme) 1:06 - 1:19 || 0:16 - 0:26 1:46 - 1:58 || 0:16 - 0:26 2:07 - 2:21 || Elder Scrolls 5 Theme 2:21 - 2:37 || Elder Scrolls 5 Theme 3:02 - 3:32 || (Chords are 0:16 - 0:26 source) 6:37 - 7:14 || 0:16 - 0:26, Elder Scrolls 5 Theme Through the Valleys 0:20 - 0:38 || 0:00 - 0:06 1:36 - 1:39 || 0:00 - 0:06 Watchman's Ease 3:45 - 4:36 || 0:00 - 0:47 4:43 - 5:08 || 0:48 - 1:12 Auriel's Ascention 5:14 - 5:16 || 0:30 - 0:33 5:27 - 5:29 || 0:35 - 0:37 6:00 - 6:25 || 1:43 - 1:50 6:25 - 6:35 || 0:30 - 0:38 ~248s Source ~447s Length = ~55% Source usage This is a very strict interpretation - only listing parts where I can directly hear the source. Again, there are a lot of moments that sound like there's source in it that I can't identify due to my lack of familiarity, and due to how it's integrated into the background texture. It LOOKS like a close case, but I think it has more than enough source, overall. One thing that I have to point out is that the "Reign of the Spetims" source portions that are used sound quite close to the Skyrim version of the song - some of the portions only appearing in the Skyrim version. While it's pretty neat to see that Skyrim was borrowing it's themes from prior installments (I never played any game in the series), I think it is much more accurate to list the Skyrim version as the source instead. Yeah, the source is used sufficiently, and it's used cleverly throughout. Great work, Chris! I always look forward to the music you produce and arrange. YES
    1 point
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