Harmony
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The production on this track is top notch from A to Z. Very cleanly recorded vocals with layered tracks that accent, not overpower, the main flow. DCT’s beat has got a straight northern hip-hop vibe and the relentless lyrical flow takes me back to classic NYC rap groups like Camp Lo and even Digable Planets.
What better to do with an Ice Cap theme than to chill the lead out, providing an excellent backdrop for Just Us’ lyrics. The theme sits oh so nicely under it all with layered bells and piano that come in a just the right times to keep themselves fresh elements each time we hear them. A possible problem with any lyrical remix of an instrumental source is coming up with lyrics that stay true to the vibe of the original. What Just Us has done is given us a positive song about life and music; these are two themes that will always be cohesive with the source. Nice.
I hope Shariq is wrong about the newbies out there because this mix deserves all of the love that OCR can pull together. Great work DCT and Just Us.
Good music bias: YES.
P.S.: I just listened to a few Urbanizm exclusives and for lovers of hip-hop and R&B, this is truly only the tip of the iceberg. Don’t sleep on DCT and the folks over there ya’ll. Hit them up ASAP.
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As has already been said, there’s not enough substance behind the drums, which by themselves are not strong enough to carry this mix. There are some cool breaks but they are simply pasted on top of the same pad chord progression that we get throughout the song. Try chopping some of the melodic elements with the drum breaks or finding some other way for the instruments to interact with the drums, especially during sections like 1:05-1:34. Very cool stuff can happen if you work at it. The transition at 1:03 sounds awkward and almost like we’re going to get a tempo change. I’d work on lining that up a little better, but that one might just be me.
Definitely muffled throughout. A global decrease of the lower frequencies and a bump to the highs would help. If you’re still looking for that drum punch, go for individual low EQ on the kick.
This is enjoyable in many ways but production problems and lack of substance beyond the drums leaves this at NO status for now. Keep working at it Tyler.
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Yeah buddy. Really cool funky groove going on here. Somewhat repetitive but not in a way that significantly detracts from the experience.
The first thing that strikes right off the bat is the pretty disparate sound quality of the samples. The funky wah guitar, the phat bass, the clean and subdued rhodes and the warm piano are all very nice and mesh well. But then there’s the classical guitar, the pizz strings and the koto that are not below the bar, but are close to it. However, Joshua has done a heck of a job sequencing and layering these dubious elements into a very fun jam-like piece. The chorus sections a la :40 are slick indeed. Some creative processing, such as a phaser or a little wah on the koto during its leads might have taken some of the edge off but as-is, it does a sufficient job of carrying the piece.
Personally I think the percussion decent. Simplicity in funk can be a plus if done well and I think that’s what we have here. I would have liked a more present hi-hat and maybe a ride during the piano solo to jazz things along but in most sections the shaker makes up for the timid hi-hat. From 2:14-2:27 the kick is left exposed and it’s very dry. If only for that section, some reverb on it would have been nice. Even if a little loud at spots (which I think is causing some of the pasted on feel that Larry mentioned), I’m loving the dry layered snare. The ride shots at 3:31 and 3:33 cut short for some reason which makes the ending seem weak and rushed along to me.
The koto and pizz strings are pretty mechanical throughout but I think it works well in context. The piano solo however, although dynamic and melodically interesting, is over-quantized which takes away from any improv feel that would have been there otherwise. It’s a shame too. That section could be killer with a little more attention to the note timing.
Arrangement of the source wasn’t expansive at all; similar sections from the source are played in a similar order. This still represents a creative interpretation of the original in that the transition to an eastern style smooth jazz mix is pulled off pretty well. A joy to listen to Joshua. As always there’s room from improvement but what is here is good stuff. YES.
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I like a lot of what’s going on here. The vocal samples themselves really become instruments that I think are used relatively effectively. There are also some lightning fast panned swishes and trick reversed effects that keep things going. Nice.
For such a short mix, even of this genre, repetition is a bit much however. The transition at :27 was your chance to mix it up, but alas 'twas not to be. From 1:26-1:55 my right ear is feeling left out of the musical party. It would have been cool to have the main synth there pan across the soundstage or have some other counterbalance on the right.
Good production in general. Not bad overall and a fun listen, but a little less repetition or a longer and more varied mix would be much appreciated. NO.
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I’m a fan of the source and I commend the effort here for sure.
Main problems here are the levels and the reverb. A lot of elements end up taking a back seat to the overpowering taiko. I strained to hear the string solo and 3:29 for instance. In terms of reverb, I really feel like I’m on the upper terrace of a huge empty symphony hall. A lot of the instrumentation is very nicely done but there are some sections where things bleed together unnecessarily and probably unintentionally as a result. The organ work at organ work at 1:40 is a good example as it tends to get lost amongst the low register, highly reverbed stuff going on there. Gotta admit that it’s really not that bad as the track progresses.
In terms of arrangement I’m not feeling much reinterpretation of “Maybe I’m a Lion” in the first 2 minutes. Sounds like a well done orchestral cover of much of the original, taikos and all. I do like how the taikos are pulled through to the other themes however. To keep them from feeling overused I would have preferred to have them left out of the slower section at 3:18. The arrangement really picks up towards the end with a pretty cool take on The Extreme. The transition could have been much smoother to avoid the medleyitis.
I’m not rock solid on this one, mainly because of the reverb issues but after listening numerous times, the levels work in some ways and the reverb, while apparently dense towards the beginning, works itself to a tolerable level by the end. Borderline YES.
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I love the feel of this track. Its got a nice cohesive drive throughout, accented by some slick vox. Very cool intro that leads into some nice military-style snare work. That abrupt vocal cutoff at 0:24 that Larry mentioned sticks out but otherwise great use of the sample. The strength of this track for me is the first few minutes when we get nicely delayed guitar and a chill groove that really compliments the beautifully vocalized Song of Nephilim.
After 2:18 is when I start to question things. PriZm’s guitar work is amazing per his usual but I think the arrangement starts getting a lot less exciting. The driving guitars are laid under similar vocal arrangement of the source that we had during the first two minutes. Granted that the vocal/guitar harmony is pretty engaging but in the end I felt that the last three minutes could have explored a few more arrangement ideas. The vocal sample at 3:57 seems oddly placed and unnecessary considering that it’s inaudible.
Aside from the few sample and clipping issues that have already been mentioned, this was a cleanly recorded, interestingly arranged track that is very enjoyable. Gotta YES it.
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Great work Jeremy. The transitions worked marvelously with everything being held together by a warm timbre that suits Mario RPG to a tee. The section at 2:22 was brief but it certainly made me smile. This piece is truly alive with excitement. Very clean. Very enjoyable.
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..yes and I had so hoped that it was "your" not "you're." Sounds great either way.
New version is pretty cool. Nice work on both of them!
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jeez Mythril, you've got half a WIP before most of us knew the project existed.
Meh, I was up till early this morning, saw Shael's thread.
A bit bored so I spent a few minutes on a WIP. It isn't too neat (the lead synth sounds terrible and :41 seems a bit off) but it's less than 20 minutes of work.
You in on this, man?
Yeah it sounds cool. Unfortunately my bastard PC is busted but once I get that up and running I'll record an idea or two.
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jeez Mythril, you've got half a WIP before most of us knew the project existed
Project sounds like fun Shael. I believe I'd like to take some of that Chun Li's stage goodness.
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pimp. straight, pimp.
All my Maryland peeps, listen for this one blasting from the factory speakers of a silver Civic.
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oh snap! Remix +1
Thanks for all of the amazing feedback OCR . It's really appreciated. Thanks also to DJP and those judges that gave this mix a direct post!
Coming this summer to a judges panel near you?Now about that rap song...
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Until I physically watch you create a remix I'm not going to believe that you don't have an orchestra sitting in your room.
There are way too many instruments to count here but they all flow together so wonderfully. I don't even know if I can say that there were distinct transitions in this song because by the time you realize that everything has changed you're already sonically enveloped by the new material. The section starting at 3:19 was especially fun! No more Pheonix!? No way man. Complicated, clean, commanding wonderful.
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Man, that harp is nice and the delayed drums are truly slick (rim shot's a little weak but meh). I love the intro. You could've let that go for another minute and I wouldn't have been upset. It's really cool that the feel of the original is still completely intact even though you've never played the game *shakes head*. Great stuff here.
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Sweet. The guitar work takes it and really brings to life what I think we all had playing in our heads while listening to the NES soundtrack. That intro is awesome. Great work.
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ah oui monsieur Nazgul, tres bon! Tres bon.
Gotta dig that industrial percussion and that panning pan-o-rama starting at 2:33 rocks. Very clean mix for how dirty it is
Goos stuff. -
Forget about the beautiful drums and the main synth line that effortlessly glides from octave to octave, what's that crazy time signature!? Alternating 5/8,6/8!? Whatever it is, its nice, and IMO really difficult to get a hold of from a remixing perspective. This has been in the rotation for a while and will stay there. Great work Mazedude.
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Wow. That really rocked. So many different vibes from this song that would each be amazing on their own. That intro is really something to get excited about. I've been waiting for this to get posted for a while and I tried to guess what song it was a remix of. 'On The Day The World Changed', hmm. I thought of the Prophesy flight theme, or the Mana Beast fight theme but when 'I heard Into the Thick of It' as the intro (one of my favorite tunes from the game) I just had to smile. And it just kept rolling! That bass rocks!
I absolutely loved the third section; the remix of 'Mystic Invasion'. A jazz power-ballad to be proud of for sure. Beautiful piano, beautiful guitar. Someone should make an entire mix out of that section. But each section seriously jammed and multitudes of props to Marc-André Gingras for that jaw dropping guitar solo. In fact, props all around!
Thanks for putting yet another Seiken Densetsu title on the front page you all. Three at the same time! Someone needs to get a Secret of Mana project going
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One drum loop is pretty hard to pull off if you ask me but like mDuo13 said, the loop is good. It sits nicely with the other instruments and although it definitely serves its purpose, it does not detract from or carry the mix. The driving repetition of not just the drum loop but the other melodic elements (esp. the simple and effective bass line) really does a good job of underscoring the subtle variations and solos that appear at opportune points in the song to keep everything feeling fresh and engaging.
My favorite element is certainly the violin. Its a nice sample made even more beautiful by the reverb/cross-delay work. The delay timing on the 'flute' sounds a little off in places but that doesn't lose too many cool points.
Overall, really great stuff and yeah, congrats on your first OCRemix.
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Does anyone have or know of a sample of a large crowd, like, an army crowd or a staduim crowd that's just like "AHHHH!"? I'd appreciate it.
Thanks
I have a few crowd samples from a soundfont that I found somewhere that are ok. You'll have to loop them because they are relatively short. I could send the soundfont which alreay has the looping also if that would be better. I would also check findsounds.com. Sometimes they have just what I'm looking for.
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Way too fun. Great piano and just a really fun vibe throughout. Those fun vocal breaks are nice and don't get me started about the oboe deal at 2:24. That synth that we first get introduced to at :37 starts out innocent enough but it really picks up and you have a lot of fun with it ESPECIALLY with the fun solo starting at 3:12. Really fun to jam to. Quality stuff.
fun.
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Birds and Guitar. Can't beat that with a ten foot pole. Very clean and very enjoyable.
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Wow, can't believe I haven't already posted a comment here but this is the remix that first brought me to OCR. I'm hella biased because SoM is my favorite game EVER but this mix really is great. That percussion is something that I aspire to and the songs that were combined to make this mix flow effortlessly together. Whenever I'm feeling uninspired I look to the Flava first and I haven't been let down yet. Thanks McVaffe.
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Thanks Gray, the .mp3 sounds great and should work just fine. For anyone else interested, there are some nice windchimes in the Roland Orchestral Percussion soundfont on the site that Gray posted a while ago: guraydere.com. They sound good but they are already preprocessed with some reverb and panning.
*NO* Final Fantasy 6 'Decisively Metal'
in Judges Decisions
Posted
Well the good news is that I think that there’s sufficient arrangement here to pass. For the genre, the gratuitous guitar shredding intertwined with the source works for me.
Nice “solo” at 0:33. Good use of reverb there, but after that you’ve gotta tone it down. With the reverb flooding the soundstage, the notes of would-be crisp guitar runs get muddled together and ultimately drowned out. This is accentuated by the less than spot-on performance in some places. Also, the rhythm guitars are nicely done for the most part, but they overpower the lead which I’m straining to hear starting from 0:08.
I agree with Jesse. Put the rhythm back in its place and more selectively apply reverb and this would pass. Work on it and resubmit.
NO