Harmony
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Posts posted by Harmony
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Yeah, the Shatterhand soundtrack is one of my top 10 favorite NES soundtracks. I’m surprised OCR hasn’t seen more remixes from it.
I certainly think that the intro could have been handled better. I like the intro as a separate entity but slow-to-fast works best when there’s some connection between the parts and I’m not feeling that here. Anyway, once things get going the rhythm and the lead guitars are solid with loads of punch. The solo at 2:12 is very cool and makes me feel like loading my Shatterhand rom and punching the life out of everything on screen. Great job. The drum work is complex and avoids the rock cliché of the overused double bass or some monotonous eighth note kick-snare-kick-snare pattern.
There’s a good mix of original material, rearranged and cover sections to keep things moving along and I have very few problems in the arrangement department. Of course it’s not the most expansive take on the theme but there is a lot of creativity and skill packed into a relatively short mix. Nice work from all those involved.
YES
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"F the people"
You've gotta be more specific there Larry. Free the people? Fondle the people? What?
Man this is the finger-snappin’ toe-tappin’ jam. Production of instruments and vocals is very clean and does a great job of capturing the genre. I especially like the backup vocal harmony which offsets the interesting and unique male lead.
Arrangement is there in the form of cool lyrics (even though Makke’s never played the game before, he just likes the music) and great reinterpretation of the original instruments. Great stuff Marcus.
YES
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hot, hot, hot. It’s pretty difficult to do something interesting with :34 seconds of source material but what’s here is amazingly engaging and packed full of 4:20 of groove. I’ll echo Gray by saying that the synth processing is top frickin’ notch. Would have liked to go out on a more upbeat note but the intro makes up for it with its no non-nonsense thrust into action. The solo synth guitar section from :44 and it’s integration with the rest of the elements is very slick. Great stuff all around.
done and done…
YES
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The key for me is that the sections that are close to covers are just that: sections. My vote would be an easy NO if house had tried to pass an extended version of material like the first 1:33, but what we have here is far more expansive. The other material in this six minute mix shows good amounts of creative expansion on the theme and is well executed (1:34-2:50, 4:50-5:15). The reinterpretation, although conservative, primarily comes in the form of creative supporting instrumentation as Larry mentioned, and tons of dynamics created in part by the wonderful transitions (3:40, 4:28,…) that just aren’t there in the originals. What's here is enough to make it in my book.
plus I like the rain intro/outro.
YES
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Man I am so close to a YES on this. Samples weren’t great but were used well. The radio tuner intro/outro are slick and the percussion is tight. Great overall feel however I have to stick to my guns about using your time wisely in short mixes and not pass this. As has been said, the cool percussion doesn’t vary and the arrangement is somewhat conservative. Sparse sections like 1:00-1:24 are nice but more needs to be done with them in order to give this mix more impact. Really nice work that I’d love to see resubmitted, chocked full of 3:13 of even more interpretation and creativity.
NO Please Resubmit
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Yeah, there are some production problems here that need to be resolved. The levels on everything are super quiet. The guitar would fit in a lot better if there was a really fat bass behind it. As it is, the live bass gets swallowed by the guitar distortion and only makes an appearance when the bass player hits a string too hard. I would make the bass more present and compress it so that the performance is more consistent. The drums need some punch as well. Low EQ on the kick and some highs on the snare would be nice (not to mention a little more creative drum sequencing). Not much more to say. Good guitar work. Keep working at it.
NO
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I think you need to work on making every second interesting. There are entire minutes of this piece that are either repeats of other sections or are simply not engaging (0:00-1:10, 2:23-3:19). Make sure you pay just as much attention to the melodic elements as the percussive elements. There are a few parts where the melody is quiet and dead center while the drums are panned and flying all over the place. Pretty groovy stuff here but take some of the advice given above and in the WIP and Remixing forums and beef up your style. Then come on back with another submission
NO
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I am enjoying the pervasive phatness of all of the sounds here. I’m surprised that things aren’t muddy with so many low elements in the mix. That being said, some highs added to the some of the percussion or leads synths wouldn’t hurt. Overall a good clean sound.
I really want to disagree with Larry because this is a fun a groovy track but what’s already been said is dead on. The synths are repetitive and bland and the overall track dynamics aren’t exciting until 2:03. I enjoy and even prefer short tracks as long as the time is used well. Here unfortunately there are many places with only a kick and synth, or beat and bass, etc. The drums were pretty cool throughout though and I actually liked the drum solo-to-Ribbit ending.
All-in-all, some spicier synth processing and a few more elements to jazz things up in the more sparse sections would do gobs of good. Enjoyable track though.
NO.
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This is pretty cool indeed. Nice groove, heavy percussion, clean synths and a smooth thick bass. The FX at 0:59-1:25 were nicely done as was the break beat stuff at 1:54. The cut at 1:25 was sloppy to me. The sound didn’t completely cut out and the break came at low momentum point in the song where it seemed kinda pointless.
Listening to the source, this is a little too repetitive to pass as is. The original sections and some of the source sections were really nicely arranged but we get a few too many repeats of FX and supporting melodic elements as Gray mentioned. It’s a good length so I would only think about replacing some of the repeated sections with more of the creativity that fills the rest of the track
NO. Please Resubmit
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Can’t remember where I first heard this (WIP board maybe?) but yeah it took me a couple of listens to find the overworld reference too Larry. It comes in at around 2:02 and sounds kinda off to me. Interesting reference though.
This mix is pretty repetitive owing much of that to the source but then again, only half of the already short source was used. I think Tab does a good job of arranging to keep the theme present and also keep things interesting, however two minutes less would have been great. I didn’t think that we needed the repeat of the intro at 3:33 but sections like 0:58-1:20 are interesting and serve to keep things moving (they also remind me of some of the really cool Nine Inch Nails stuff).
Sample quality was ok. The synths were pretty default sounding but they weren’t bad. Some of those snare shots sound like they hit a little late which is somewhat irritating at times when the snare is the most present element.
This is a tough one for me. The mix plods along bordering on too much repetition but it is still a cool mix with a good amount of creativity, and decent execution.
Borderline YES
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The intro had me a little worried. The claps and the strings just didn’t sit well with me but when that first PHAT warm bass note fills my headphones at :14, everything comes to life. This has a wonderful smooth latin jazz feel to it created by a triangle, congas, claves, and a guiro clicking away behind the simple but beautifully played classical guitar. The samples aren't amazing but they are all used quite effectively. This all fuses seamlessly with the synth elements. Props for 2:12-2:33 man and great use of the game samples at :56, :58…
Rearrangement is right on. Not a significant departure from the vibe of the source but this is certainly nothing less than a show of even more of the chthonic creativity that brought us Fleeting Ecstasy.
Very enjoyable. Is it this simple to make a cool mix or does chthonic just make it look like it is?
YES
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Hey, no bad-mouthing the Casio. With a little care and a lot of processing, I’ve used a few of the ‘cheap’ sounds from mine with some levels of success. As far as I know, FL 3 doesn’t come with a soundfont player but your Cakewalk program might be able to use them. Grab some cool samples or soundfonts and you won’t have to rely on the Casio’s built in sounds. On to the mix…
Despite some problems, I thought the intro showed a lot of potential. Not a bad bass, but it’s sounds too much like noise until 0:20. The lead guitar at 0:21 is panned hard right which is pretty grating to listen to more than a few times. The guitars that are mid-right and mid-left feel much more balanced.
By 1:08 repetition is setting in. We’ve gone for more than a minute with the same three or four minimally present elements repeating the theme. I like the distorted drums followed by the clean set that finally come in to mix things up, but they don’t mix things up enough. 1:18-2:07 is essentially the same intro section that we hear for the first minute, now with a simple beat. Again, watch the hard panning on the guitars in the mid section. The power chords at 2:46 fail to deliver the energy that you were after simply because they are played over the same background elements that have been repeating from the start of the mix. It’s ok to build a song using the addition and subtraction of repeated elements, but you can’t be lazy about it. There aren’t enough changes of anything to keep me excited about this mix.
The arrangement in general could use some work. This mix has the same key/tempo/genre/structure as the original with very few personal touches added beyond the guitar work. I hear whispers of creativity every now and then, such as the layered drums at 3:16, but not nearly enough.
Are the same melodic lines and harmonies often repeated? Is the percussion engaging? Does this mix sound a lot like the source? Honestly answer questions like these about your songs and you’ll turn out much better remixes. Keep working at it Philip.
NO
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Man I swear the time signatures in this song are instruments unto themselves. I'm in awe of the skill with which they were stiched together. To pull off a piece like this requires a great deal of foresight, creativty and heaps of control over your musical visions for the final product. This one has earned it's spot as one of my favorite remixes out there. Amazing work Samuel.
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In my earlier remixing days I used to make Lemmings mixes ‘till the cows came home. Why? Because the soundtrack was so awesome that all you had to do was play back the song and lay some drums under it and BAM!, instant head-bopping hit. That’s what we have here unfortunately. Check out the Submission Guidelines before you submit next time. The OCR community wants to hear your creativity but with little more than an additional beat over the original, that’s not shining through here at all. Welcome to the remixing scene Dale. Have fun and keep working at it.
NO
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Very cool adaptation of the source, clean production, great ending.
I really wish the short strings that Larry mentioned weren't there. They stick out like a jacked-up thumb and I think the chromatic elements that play the same theme (0:41,0:47,...) are much more fitting for the vibe here. I see analoq's point that the chromatic melodies don't work as well in this mix's musical context, but the results aren’t overwhelmingly offensive.
YES
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This has certainly got that jam feel to it…yep, that spur of the moment, improvisational, really fun to record, not as fun to listen to on playback feel.
I’m all for live instrument remixes but the problem comes in the difficulty of getting everything perfect, or at least acceptable. Drum timing is off in many places, rhythm guitar is sketchy, lead guitar unintentionally mutes some notes, and vocals are dry, in need of compression and not well integrated with the other elements.
It sounds like very little attention was paid to production. There is an audible hiss throughout, and everything sounds pretty far away. I actually like the recording and mixing of the drums however. With the right other elements they would sound really cool and 70s retro.
Hey, all of that being said, this is a short fun mix to listen to. Tighten up the production, work on drum timing, get better takes on the guitar and you should be cool Alfonzos.
NO
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Man I wish I could churn mixes out in a few hours.
This mix is really fun to listen to and a nice creative reinterpretation of the original. This is an example of repetition that works. The samples aren’t the best but that’s really not a problem here as they are arranged well.
What is a problem is the production. As has been said, the track is muffled and lacking in high frequencies. A bigger problem for me are the mixing levels. From 0:04-0:27 the lead instruments are buried behind the drums and bass. Similar issue with the piano at 0:55-1:22. Go through the track and make sure that your instruments compliment, not overpower each other.
Everything is also pretty much dead center. Don’t forget to use panning as a creative tool.
Fortunately, production and not arrangement is the problem here. Spend a few more hours making this track sparkle and resubmit.
NO
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Lesson of the day: Lufia 2 has a great soundtrack.
The warbly opening strings are too exposed for their quality. If I’m not mistaken, they are the Cadenza Violin soundfont. If you’re sticking to Cadenza, I think the Viola samples are a lot better, but in general there are better free strings packages than Cadenza. Ask around. The supporting elements that come in at 0:15 are pretty nice though. Good phat drums and nice thick distortion on the guitar.
The slower section starting at 0:46 had its highs and lows. It's personal preference but a flute harmonizing with itself (e.g. 1:38 ) always sounds strange to me. One flute, one note my mother always told me. I enjoyed the string/flute harmonies however and the guitar was very cleanly done with a reasonable amount of fancy finger work thrown in. I’m not a fan of the hollow reverbed kick/snare line starting at 1:28. It’s not interesting, repetitive and it covers up some of that good harmony.
The major problem with this mix is repetition. From 0:58-2:25 we get the theme played over and over with an instrument added every 4 or 8 bars. When the heavy section comes in, it is still the same theme that we’ve heard repeated from 0:58. 3:24 would have been a good time to either significantly change things or to start looking for an ending. The theme that started at 0:58 repeats until the end. With the epic vibe that you’ve got here, I think shifting keys from C to say C# at some point might be cool and would eliminate some of that repetitive feel.
Good guitar work and decent use of the drums on the intro and exit. I really like this one but I think if you work on being a little more creative with the theme you’ll end up with a much more engaging mix.
NO
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Has anyone been able to get this? The link doesn't seem to be working for me.
Works for me. I can host it here until it's judged.
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Hey Shael and everyone else, I'm gonna have to sit this one out. Things are getting too busy around here for me to finish my Chun Li WIP in any good amount of time. I like what I've heard so far. Hope the rest of the project goes well
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FL Demo huh? Thought you couldn’t output with that…
There is very strange panning throughout. First, without some counterbalance, I would try to avoid “strong” elements panned far to one side or the other, such as the intro synths (at :03, :07…). The cymbals that jump from far left to far right (1:12, 1:26…) feel very disjointed and awkward. If that’s the effect that you want you would be better off panning the same cymbal across the soundstage rather than using two separate cymbals. The sporadic panning of the synth starting at 2:10, although there is a pattern to it, doesn’t work for me. In fact, it adds to the growing confusion of instruments that just get unwieldy by 2:45. I think that the intensity that you’re after in section 2:45-3:29 can be accomplished with far fewer instruments and far less harmonic clutter.
Sample quality is pretty basic as well. Some of the synths are cool but you certainly need to upgrade your drums and guitar. The drums are lacking punch. The snare is bone dry; reverb would greatly help. The distorted guitar sounded very fake.
It’s not until 2:09 that any rearrangement comes in. That section is pretty fun for a while. However, beforehand all we have is the original with a beat. After the confusion of 2:45-3:29 we get a repeat of the theme with the beat behind it and a lackluster all-synth end.
I’m glad you had fun mixing it but next time spend a little more time pumping your sounds up, making your melodies distinct from one another and bringing more creativity to the source.
NO
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I feel like I’m in the intro for an 80’s TV show
. Interesting vibe here.I enjoy most of the sax work but there’s little to back it up. Drum sequencing is pretty uninspired and the potential of the Ken Ardency soundfont isn’t realized at all. It really sounds like you EQ’d out the lows on the kick and toms. Bass sequencing could be a little more interesting, even for the feel you were going for. The piano sequencing is somewhat mechanical, but it wouldn't stand out as much if the other elements were done better.
This type of jam song is cool for a fade out imo, but the fade out can’t be as short as you have it here. e x t e n d i t.
Were the quality a lot better this would be a pretty cool interpretation of a great song. Not bad as-is but man I wish that sax player had a better band behind him. Work on the sequencing/mastering of the other instruments.
NO
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tight. very tight.
rap mix +1
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The high frequencies have been chopped by your encoder. Might want to either encode at a higher bitrate or get a better encoder (LAME works best).
Firstly, I think the attack on the lead strings is too slow for some of the sections. As a result, some sections sound off tempo (1:16, 4:07…). The other lead instruments are ok however.
This is a very simplistic arrangement which I think is riding on the greatness of the original a little too much. I hear harmony in the supporting string/brass sections but it is very basic and it repeats which isn’t good since the strings never let up. The stings are pretty lifeless in general.
It was good to throw in the middle section to avoid overdoing the main theme, but the middle section (1:36-3:22) lacks dynamic variety. It’s a bare wall that I think you can do a lot more with. There’s just way too much time when the background strings are going at it solo or with only one note from another instrument backing them up. It really drags until about 3:44. I like the intensity swells at 0:47, 4:05, but they are far too few.
After the really cool intense lead-out to the ending, the ending itself was way too abrupt. Certainly some potential here. Keep working at it.
NO
OCR01358 - *YES* Final Fantasy 6 'Little Painter Girl' *RESUB*
in Judges Decisions
Posted
The supporting instrument samples are really great for this piece. The snare work is reserved but as Larry says it’s “cute” and very enjoyable. The periodic low toms add touches of an epic vibe that is accented by the bubbly reverb poured over all. The piano sample is really nice but the sequencing is slightly mechanical in some sections (0:25-:040, 2:06-2:18, 2:26-2:40). For a piece that highlights the piano, some more attention could have been paid to that area.
The piano chord at 1:32 followed by the kick and snare shot is a favorite part of mine and introduces a really fun section. You know, I’m going to give Adam the benefit of the doubt and say that the strange resolution of the harp’s melodic line at 1:38 is intentional. After listening a couple of times it’s quite interesting and I’ve never felt that it was bad, just different considering the other pretty straightforward melodies.
Pretty cool expansion on the original with loads of additional emotion and intrigue. I haven’t heard the original version but I think it would have been a mistake to drop the drums. Without them, a lot of the mood in this remix would mirror the original. The rhythm does stay pretty constant as Jesse mentioned but with this short mix I don’t think that it’s too much of a problem.
FF6 has produced some of my favorite OCR mixes and I think that this would be a great addition to the FF6 heap-o-remixes. Nice work Adam.
YES