Eino Keskitalo

This IS the right opportunity. I'll do my very best to participate to honour the return of Dj Mokram! =) edit: haha, not my kind of tune at all.. let's see what I can figure out to do with it.. ooh, there's a nice little Chrono Trigger/Castlevania: Symphony of the Night -type bit in it. And come to think of it, this isn't that far off from say Legend of Silpheed music or Zeliard, which I like quite a bit.. (it's not that I didn't *like* this type of tune, just that I don't know what to do with it. ok enough blabbering)

Oooff, looks like I've "slept" through the deadline.. there's some other deadline on 28th, right? Anyway, I should be able to work on the track this week. Sorry..

Great atmosphere from the start and that stays throughout. The harmony of the piece has a nice tension (Picardy third stuff?) & the sounds compliment that feel very much. It's quite optimistic but also excited.. anticipative, if that makes sense! Cool interpretation of the source - I thought the source itself had some iffy writing that didn't quite work but you didn't seem to include those portions. I very much like the gradual introduction of the beat, and the pacing of the piece was pretty good. I thought the bell writing could have been a bit sparser in the beginning to enhance the development of the mood.. it's slightly noodly to my ears. There's a couple of weird harmonic choices at the end (around 2:45-2:49) that stick out and don't make sense, hurting the impression of the track a bit at the end. My favourite bit was the backwards-y synths around 1:40-1:47, very nice also writing-wise. The chords going back and forth to build up around 2:00 was also a nice touch.

Nice initiative! I like that you're going for games with no posted ReMixes yet. It's also nice that people get opportunities like these to bypass the usual waiting time (that's a huge appeal for albums intended to have short development cycles too).

I'm hoping to see that too

I simply loved this song, getting goosebumps. I like how solemn it is and I also was a fan of keeping the vocals dry, center and singular the whole tune - a harmony might have been nice but for me it really delivers as it is, without additional oompah or sugar coating. It sounds more direct and earnest this way (I'm guessing, anyway). (Also, I'm glad there's no thundering drums and stuff, or modulation coming in, that kind of thing ) Can't say I was bothered about the guitar sound either, sounds good enough to me, might be better if it was better sounding but no problem. The swelling string/pad is very nice, the single line bowed string is pretty weak and pushed to the side, but not a huge issue. I can hear the autotuning, it doesn't bother me, though I'd prefer without (tough of course it's nice that it's in tune). I enjoy Dustin's voice quite a lot here. Well done, and that it was made for the occasion is super cool - thanks for sharing!

Pretty interesting stuff from a quick listen here and there. Wishlisted for later..

Thanks k-wix! The Cave Story Remix Project was one of the pre-OCR remix things for me and there's a couple of really good ones in there. I didn't realize you worked on the 3DS/etc version, it's my soundtrack of choice for Cave Story+ actually. Thanks for the detailed feedback & walkthrough, it is really appreciated. I also got other feedback just now and it's clear to me what I'm trying to do with the piece isn't quite happening - I'm just hearing it in there! The staticness is an attempt at a kraut-rock style "monotonic bliss" that keeps things quite reined in and simple (but driving) until building into a cathartic climax/pay-off (usually). Except that the moment the bass finally variates, and the ending, aren't working as I imagine they are.. (one thing that is lacking is the organic band playing from krautrock, where subtle interplay and dynamics are happening all the time despite playing the same thing over and over). And the lead, yeah I can hear now that it needs at least one more pass at reining it in. Very well described in your feedback! I may alternate it with some other sound too some more so it doesn't play all the time. Do you mean it's good that it stays static up to that point? I'd like to think yeah, it works up to that point but after the break it gets repetitive. How do you mean bad? Compositionally? In sound? Structure-wise? I would really like to make this part of the piece to work, though if it won't that's ok, I can drop it. So I was thinking of trying dropping the drums and building the beat up again after the break and at the start of the outro, to make it build up to first the bass change, and then to the final chord. Or in some other ways signal those changes. I might well shorten the piece too if it comes to that. Thanks once again, this does require & deserve a bit more work.. (and a bit of killing darlings)

This is my final round entry from the Final Fantasy Crystal Clash tournament. It's a dreamy major-key affair with a noisy beat. The mixing may be a bit washed-out and cluttered, I kinda like the mass of sound thing but I might just be able to hear everything clearly enough because I know what's in there, that might not be the case for the listener, so feedback on the mixing is especially appreciated! Looking to get this posted. final candidate one (2022-02-19): https://www.dropbox.com/s/opbhtwwoans6c4g/eino_keskitalo_-_sovitus-20220219.mp3?dl=0 --- update: WIP 2015/03/13 I've lessened the clutter a bit in the arrangement, especially purging/varying a little bit of the drumming. Nothing drastic. -- old: I know I'm going to work on the percussion, to vary it up a bit more, give it some breathing space and I recall I wanted to mix something a little more quiet, the snares or something. WIP: 2015-02-17 Here's the source breakdown (outdated). The long intro: 0:00-0:07 no source anywhere 0:07-0:24 The descending pizzicato from Lulu's theme (from the start) is there on the violin to the right, adjusted to major key.. if you'll accept that 0:24-0:41 Pizzicato continues; Lenna's bells from 0:00-0:10 on the chippy synth to the left 0:41-0:50 Pizzicato First "verse" 0:51-1:24 Lenna's bells + melody (on the fake guitar, different rhythm) from 0:06-0:28. Second "verse": 1:25-2:00 Bits of Lenna's bells (1:25-1:27, 1:34-1:36, 1:43-1:44, 1:52-1:53) Bits of Lenna's melody (1:25-1:27 from 0:30-0:31, 1:28-1:38 from 0:30-0:38 (as if a lower harmony), 1:44-1:47 (0:18-0:20), 1:48-1:51 (0:21-0:24), 1:52-1:55 and 1:56-2:00 are derived from 0:24-0:30 but different, I guess. From Lulu, the melloflute melody 0:14-0:25 adjusted to key (& rhythm) at 1:27-1:32 & 1:43-1:49, (0:19-0:25) at 1:37-1:40 and (a further adjusted 0:14-0:19) at 1:56-2:00. These on the organ + chippy synth. I think I need to include that bass thing from Lenna's @ 0:39-0:42! 2:00-2:03 A little break First "chorus": 2:03-2:07 The lead sounds like a hybrid of both bells in Lenna's 0:55-1:01.. I might adjust that to fit the source better. Sounds a bit hyperactive, the source is very pretty and it would give a nice contrast in the piece perhaps? 2:07-2:11 Lulu's melloflute from 0:14-0:19 2:12-2:20 2:12-2:14 and 2:16-2:20 you can hear the higher bell from Lenna's at 0:55-0:58 in the background. 2:21-2:25 The descending pizzicato from Lulu's plays @ 2:21. Third "verse": 2:25-2:59 The Lulu's B-part melody from 1:09-1:34 plays twice I believe. Lenna-bells from 0:06-0:28 on the chippy synth. 3:00-3:01 a little break Second "chorus": 3:02-3:10 The lower bell from Lenna's 0:55-1:06. 3:10-3:36 Variations of the previous bit; the original melody is there in the background. 3:36-3:49 a wind-down.

Well, I liked the guitar idea but it doesn't seem I'm picking up the guitar in a while, so I started with the EQ (and stereo!) fixes, plus a couple of other tweaks.. I think this is better: Final Candidate 3

Aw yeah, I need to go back to this game. The bass sounds a bit even with the repeated notes, like it lacked round-robins. I like the "insistence" of the bass though, the repeating figure is great about midway in the piece. I really agree with the previous comments about the lateness of some guitar strums, and the pad hogging the space in the mix at points. The former sounds needlessly sloppy and the latter is obscuring the leading elements of the arrangement. I like how the arrangement seems to sort of evolve subtly in the feel and intensity. Good work!

If I get my first claim done in time, I'm interested in doing something from Rush Adventure. I'm playing that now with my daughter. (I got it after Darkesword recommended it to Chimpazilla in an OCR Talkback, and it's indeed not bad)

The blend of chipzy stuff and the guitar is a good fit here, the guitar with the velvety sustains and the chips sparkling away. Nice interplay in the arrangement. I can see that a little more oomph and variety in the percussive department could've benefited the piece. I didn't mind, but it could've made the piece a bit more grabbing. Have to say though, the bit less bassy soundscape was quite refreshing to the ears. Very enjoyable!

Strong and evocative arrangement. I wasn't as convinced of the choir as the rest of it; it sounded the most "sample-y" part to me, plus I kind of didn't feel like it was "necessary" to bring the choir in just for the few ahs, felt a bit like autopilot grandeur if that makes sense.. but it didn't matter much in the scope of the whole song. The different parts were interestingly quite separate from each other (especially in the beginning), but since the direction the music was taking (the narrative, I suppose) was consistent, it all fit together really well.

Heh, seeing the final boss beaten is one of those weird early VG memories for me, and this tune plays in the background. Super funky tune too, that bass is quite tasty!

I got this and I've listened to it only once so far, it has some pretty good stuff! I like the variety of moods and the humour, you definitely seem to be enjoying the music yourselves and aren't afraid to stretch out.

I think I'll bite.. I'll go with the Main Theme from the first game!

Oooo, bawwww... now this is a tempting source. It's my introduction to JCRPGs and this is one of the many memorable tunes. Hmh. Maybe I'll try to learn how to midirip. Maybe this time it won't end in tears.

Well I certainly appreciate the anecdotes and thoughts, thanks for sharing them RoeTaKa!

I can definitely recommend these guys to each other! Great collaborators. Let's have great collaborators collaborate!

I'd be interested in the first Fire Emblem, particularly the DS remake.

Excellent & congrats! I'll grab it when I have the chance, it's already been too long since the last game night.

I would think you could improve the current samples a lot with attention to timing, attack of the instruments and EQ (and maybe layering for thicker textures). Not sure if there's a orchestral sample library especially built to be combined with rock anyway. Not that I knew what I was talking about here though, since I haven't tried combining these sorts of instrumentations myself. I'm glad to hear that you checked them out & liked them! I think that music is very good and I'm happy to hear it gets appreciated.

Some reviews for the first two rounds. Round 1 Alpha: Lost in a Dream Ocean Loved the mood, and liked the combination of sounds quite a lot. Been listening to Shovel Knight OST a ton and I really couldn't recognize it before looking at breakdown & comparing with the source. I went to detail because the source usage bothered me a lot and I like to think I'm familiar with the original. I really like the mood set in the first minute. The second part (0:50-1:30ish) feels fairly noodlery/meandering in the synth string writing and hard to grasp and also sparse. The addition of the harp in the background in the next part gives it a lot better form, and I like how the structure goes back to beginning in the end. By listening to the main melody played by the bell instrument in the beginning, shifted down to start at D# from F#. You're using just the first four notes. The notes in the original are F# F# B E, you're using D# D# A# D2#(octave higher) D# D# G# D2# alternately. Additionally the rhythm of the melody is syncopated in the original but even in your rhythm. There are too many changes for me to consider the melody from being from The Lost City. Shifting the melody around is not a problem, just using four notes is fine, changing the rhythm is ok, using A# and G# alternately is all right as well - these do add up though and I think the clinch is the final note being an octave of the starting note instead like it is in the source. (Didn't compare the bell at 0:53-0:58.) 0:22-0:28 from source at 1:02-1:14 is clearly heard. There's a note change in the melody towards the end which is a good adaptation to the different backing and feel. The sequencing is rough since the "swell" of the strings cuts out when the new note is played and it doesn't sound like it's completely in time. Similarly problematic sequencing 1-:17-1:36. I like how you've appropriated the source to the strings genre and feel wise, though in writing it's again altered so much that I'm not sure I'd count it as source usage. Also it doesn't quite mesh with the backing harmony I feel. 1:30-2:00, the source from 0:14-0:18 is B A B C# F# C# and your version is A# G# A# B E D#(octave higher) + a repeat without the D# in the end. Again there are too many changes for it to feel like source usage to me. I didn't look at the bass particularly. Overall, though there's a lot to improve in source usage, sequencing and harmony writing, I really like the structure and mood. I also appreciate the way you've taken parts of the source and used them as components, stretched them out and so. There's a lot of material in the source so it works very well for a simplifying/minimalistic approach. Shantae's (not so) Curs'd Journey Quite enjoyed the hard-hitting chippy grit here. The lush strings towards the beginning really complement the sound well. The strings at 1:46-1:56 didn't sound quite as tightly woven into the mix, probably because the timing was a little off (a bit behind perhaps). 'Vators Gonna Bait Groovy chippy goodness, not unexpectedly. The lead at the beginning immediately reminded me of Shining Force 2 so bonus points for that. The epiano on the left is a little loud in the mix I think. Brevon's World The mix was very quiet yeah, and when I finally turned it up I started to get this piece. I generally like the sombre feel, though somehow the "playing" of the instruments - and perhaps tempo - is not quite "lamenting", but kind of rigid. This strikes a strange middle ground, which isn't bad at all. This actually reminds me of these arrangements of Erik Satie's music (downloads to the left) - they have a cool hybrid synth/mellotron instrumentation, and the same hybrid style is going here. I'm thinking a little bit of humanization (without loosing the strange/rigid feel), maybe some higher quality sample replacements and a more careful mixing would do a lot to this piece. I really like it, if I was voting today I might put it on first place. Round 1 Bravo: Stricken Earth This is a fun & refreshing arrangement, I like the approach. It sounds like the harmony has been somewhat simplified in the arrangement. I think it mostly works quite well. Synths and orchestral instruments sound a bit soft, quiet and behind the beat.. kind of being a little too "polite" for the tempo and energy of the piece. They're also somewhat drowned behind the guitar. There's some funny chords at 1:11 & 1:23. Some of the timing is loose, say around 0:23-0:26. Love the bass! Effective & enjoyable original solo as well, and the proggy bits towards the end I appreciate quite a bit. The Fate of My Crew Big fan of FTL and its music here. Somehow, just the reinstrumentation is exciting to hear. I especially liked the lamenting intro, the transition to synth/guitar trance metal was actually a bit unexpected, but I definitely like how the acoustic feel is reiterated in the break late in the track. Some of the sounds are quite plain (harps and stuff) and the sound overall doesn't have a lot of "wow" or quite the punch it feels like it should. I felt like some creative use of panning could have given a nice sense of space. That said, everything in the mix is clear and balanced very well. Some weird harmony & off time notes 1:57 and 2:08 on the bell and again 2:29. Aventura Inesperada I'm not familiar with the OST and don't have the time to check it out unfortunately, so I can't comment on source usage. The intro is very nice, I think the mood set for the first half is quite chilling. The tune has grown on me during repeated listenings. Some conflicting lead/backing in the first half (0:48, 0:56-0:59). There seemed to be an iffy bit around 3:00 too. The fadeout felt like the track was running out prematurely. The sound/mixing and playing are a bit rough, but I like the style and ideas and energy quite a lot. Having heard a lot of your PRC entries, I think you're progressing a lot. Dig Deep Overall a very nice take on the menu version of the main theme, which is a theme I really like in-game/on the OST. Reminds me of the main theme of Final Fantasy 4 actually. The mix seems slightly shrill in the highs, had to turn it down a couple of notches eventually. 2:40 has an interesting tense harmony to it, though I think at 2:46 it feels off. 3:03 is again like 2:40 and 3:10 works this time. The style was really good for the theme and brought something new to it. I also like how the intro took its time to develop itself. Eastern Mavericks Again, I'm not familiar with the source material and don't have the time to compare, unfortunately. The instrumentation sounds pretty great. It feels a bit like BGM in the sense that it doesn't quite capture my attention, feeling a bit repetitive and loopy. The mix sounds a little dry somehow, like the instruments were isolated - some sort of background atmospherics would contribute a lot I feel.. The loudest percussion seems a bit loud in the mix, and some of the leads seem quite far in the background, although I think that mostly works - nothing seems to quite rise to the very front of the music - percussion is closest, but is not quite written that way. Overall this feels like it's very well done, but leaving me a little cold.

That brings back memories. Not from the game itself, I haven't actually played it. But the first PRC round I participated in was a SMG source.