Eino Keskitalo

*screams for joy* Actually, I've almost finished listening already. I love the game, the music, I was pretty excited about the project and I'm feeling very happy now it's out! Sounding really good too. --Eino

Thanks for the reply, Kyle, and you're welcome. I need to clarify this - not all the bass notes sound out of tune, just some of them, the lowest ones. That's why I think it's a byproduct of the low freqs. --Eino

Yeah, it's mariovania.. whaaa?! --Eino

Last one! Disc 4, track 10: Apogee For the longest time, the piano intro just didn't agree with me at all. Lately, it mostly clicked for me, I still hear something clashing at 00:14-00:15 - I think this tiny moment in time made the intro not work for me, and I couldn't actually enjoy the track at all. Thankfully I got over that, but it still was my genuine experience of the track for the first few times. But now it sounds really good to me. It's very, very full of ideas, but they do work. Slightly exhausting, but very enjoyable to listen to. There are two especially great moments in the piece, the first being what I'm calling "the bass lift" first at 1:40, the other being the following section first at 1:47-2:16. I like the guitar lead playing in that section, and I love the organ, great sound, compliments the guitar wonderfully in that section. Good variety of instruments in general, well used to hilight the structure and different sections. I think the lead playing in other parts that those moments mentioned could be better. While it's not bad at all, it's a bit stiff, leaden.. it covers the section instead of communicating with it. I'm also thinking that it's ok to use some rests in lead playing too. But not sure if it was necessary for this piece. Other thing, the keyboard string in the intro and outro sounds a bit out of tune. Disc 4, track 11: Dark Corner I like this one very much. As with Antagenesis and This Fate, I get a very story-like feel out of the piece's progression. Also, it's somewhat similar to Battle over the Continent, which is one of my favourite tracks on OCR. Guitar sound processing here is delicious. The jagged rhythms are a treat as well. I like how the drums are de-emphasized, although the toms have ended up sounding powerless pop/splat sounds in some (not all) fills. The lead part starting at 02:23 is really grand, it's been playing in my head every now and then. Disc 4, track 12: Holy Judgement I've had a lot of trouble getting into this track. It's massive, after all. Disc 4 in itself feels quite massive, so I'm usually sort of exhausted by the time I get here. I've since been listening to this track separately, which helps. I still feel to need to tackle this with a bullet point list.. * The intro is wider and louder than the following section, in a way that I find not good for the flow of the piece. Even when all the guitars come in, my impression is that they don't sound as full and loud as the intro did. * The intro itself sounds pretty good. It's atmospheric in a way that I appreciate. * The guitar fill from the first orchestral bit to the guitar bit is really good. * The dialogue snippets work quite well. * There's a lot of different sections and instrumentations. It sounds a bit disparate, the sound changing slightly from section to section, but it holds together. Notably the guitars have a feeling they're not in the same sonic space all the time. Some of this duality works for the track, actually. * My favourite part: 07:35-08:04 - great bass, and the riffs over steady beat. Goosebumps. Sandwhiched between two orchestral/chill bits. Nice. Disc 4, track 13: Summoning of the Spirits Very nice touch starting and ending the album with the same source piece, and so differently. This take is somber and calm. I like the pacing. Great for late night listening. I like how it's long and relatively few instruments are going on at each time. The instruments take turns without competing with each other, if that makes sense. At first I was thinking that the track could have worked without the drums, maybe even better, but now I think I was wrong. The fills for instance are well built and the beat keeps interesting throughout. The use of timpani is great. I also thought using them for only half the track was tasteful, if that makes sense. Drumless COULD work but that would be a different track. The sine bass towards the end sounds slightly out of tune to me. I might be just hearing it like that (on headphones too), since it's so low. (clarified in a further post) "If that makes sense", my new favourite expression. Disc 5, track 1: No Better Time Than Now I really liked Just Go, and this has the same "gliding" feel to it. Delicious. It's a really good song too. The lead vocals have a slight feel of hesitance to them, at times, during verses. The very first two lines gave me the first impression that the singing wasn't going to be very good, because of this. When the support vocals kicked in, it clicked into place. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the singing and I'm glad this piece is a song rather than an instrumental, because a song is what it is. My critique is that the impression I get is that the singer isn't 100% comfortable singing, which makes me uncomfortable too. At the same time I like the vulnerable feel. THAT is great. From my own meager experience from singing and recording songs, it's hard and important to get the very beginning of the singing sound right. Often I only warm up after the first few lines and then the opportunity to make a good first impression is gone already. I try to sort of imagine that the vocal part starts before the singing actually starts, that it doesn't begin from a void, so to speak, that I've already began (and warmed up, settled into the music) before I need to sing the first lines. I don't really mean to give advice here, I don't think I'm in any position to do that, I just think this is an interesting subject. Completely different subject is comfortably singing a vulnerable song out for the whole world to listen to. I have no words on that. I like this song. Disc 5, track 2: Standing Up Very cool instrumentation. There's a strange floating feel, as if there was a lack of a tonal anchor, if that makes sense. I have trouble recognizing what direction the piece is going, some of this works for the track, but it doesn't feel fully realized. Disc 5, track 3: Go the Distance Hard panning, gurrgg. Causes nausea. The intro riff is very powerful, lots of fun. I like the alternation between violin, synth and guitar leads, it gives a lot of variation to the track. The violin sounds quite gorgeous at times. Some of the violin riffing is off rhythmically: 01:02-01:13 and the same part later on. Fun, powerful track, one of my Sixto favourites easily. --- Aand that's it! I want to thank all the remixers on the album, it's been fun listening to it and I like some of the tracks very much. I've also enjoyed writing these comments (even if it all took a while), and I'm grateful to all of you who have let me known you've read and even enjoyed them, and the discussions we've had here. Biggest thanks to Kyle and Aleah for overseeing this huge effort (once again, great album art!). Kyle, a question; there were tracks selected to be posted on the OCR front page with the release. I see you submitted more - did you choose these for a "single release" according to the reception they got after the release? --Eino

Thanks for the reply! I notice that I shouldn't have said it was judged quickly. Some of the stuff lately seem to have been judged the same day they hit the panel, which is cool. --Eino

Shopping cart? Nice. --Eino

The reason Yannibubula got judged so quickly was because BGC could post the track directly into the panel, without having to go through the inbox, right? Just curious about the process. But really I just wanted to give you guys props for picking up the judging pace, and the front-page posting.. there's now, often one or even two new tracks for me when I check the front page. Very nice. --Eino

Yeah, I find commenting on WIPs etc to take a good amount of time, especially if there's something bothering me and I'm trying to figure it out. --Eino

X-COM: UFO Defence alone is worth 54$ :] --Eino

Oops. --Eino

Congrats to OA! Definitely a good pick, great that he is up for this. I can see he is NO'ing stuff already! --Eino

It occurs to me that Darkesword did a Guardia Fair mix that was also in 5/4. Maybe there's something there! --Eino

Thanks for explaining about the process and choices behind the track, it was interesting to read. Especially the Klonoa/Presea link - am I correct you used some musical material from the Klonoa game(s) as well? I'm familiar with neither Klonoa nor Tales so on an "experiential" level it doesn't add to the piece for me, but the idea of making such link sounds very cool. I do think that I "get it", what I'm doing is criticizing the execution. Also, I'm not sure if I can understand the creative process behind it if I don't know about it. Knowing about the resources, restrictions, intentions behind the piece of course changes the appreciation for the piece. Saying that the lead wasn't "a great choice" might sound unfair as it was the best choice you could make in the circumstances. Anyway, I stand behind my opinion. I did listen to it a couple of more times. It's not as bad as I may have made it sound, but I do find it weak. I didn't really mind the change in to a harsher tone now (I agree you did the better choice by reducing the attack), but it does seem to highlight this "unexpressiveness" it suffers from. I note that you did a good amount of tweaking with the dynamics and volume in the writing. I'm not sure, some filters/effects used with similar detail might have helped - I'm really no expert on EQ, but I feel the lead lacks a certain presence, middle frequencies possibly. cheers, --Eino

Quick update, I'd already made some notes for most of these pieces. Disc 4, track 1: Disillusioned Fate The intro starts off grand and sounds really good initially. When the piano comes in, the part starts meandering about. I feel there is too much going on and the result sounds aimless. I like it when the guitar and bass come in, those dissonant chords resolve well into the rock part. The overall sound is somewhat muffled. The rhythm guitar isn't quite in the pocket, drifting a bit. I'm not feeling the point when the leads come in - I don't get a sense of build-up, they just appear. The next section is passable, although I don't feel the strings and piano really mesh with the rock instruments, they seem to be competing rather than supporting each other. I really like the short part at about 01:58-02:05, it's a good change in the feel. I'm really expecting it to be a transition (especially with the momentary change in the drum beat), but it's more of a diversion. Continuing on, I still don't feel a great synergy between strings+piano and the rock band, although 02:21-02:35 works fairly well. The next two bits where the guitar takes a break, and the on with the little added synth lead, are mostly alright as well. The bass seems to return to the tonic of the first chord of the chord progression, while the guitar and strings go to another chord. This gives a stiffled feel, which I don't like. I really like the last part of the song. I again feel there's maybe too much going on when the synth/flute lead and harp enter towards the end, the instruments mesh well but the parts are busy. The marching snare sounds great. Overall some great sounding bits, some bits that are alright, some that don't sound so great - the total lacks cohesion and direction. Disc 4, track 2: Continental Divide One of my favourite tracks. The combination of the plucked strings, harp and the flutes/wind instruments sounds great. Overall the track gives a feeling of space, that is both vast and intimate. Absolutely lovely. Disc 4, track 3: Like a Glint Starts off really well, good drums, bass, good rhythm guitars. But the lead that comes in is a turn-off. The playing isn't 100% tight (it really should be!), the lead sound doesn't mesh as well as it should with the rest of it and it sounds even slightly out of tune. Happily, the lead playing comes together around 00:48. This sounds much better than the previous lead, and for the rest of the track the leads sound better as well. The beginning gives a bad first impression. I really like the eerie stuff at 01:53-02:04. Nice use of stereo there. The break after 03:13 is a nice change of pace, although the clean guitar sounds are somewhat lo-fi and don't quite fit in. The strumming sounds a bit awkward in the beginning as well. The song has a good structure overall, there's plenty of different sections and all but it keeps cohesive. I especially like 02:17-03:13. Disc 4, track 4: Cartesian Warfare Hehe, this sounds a bit like it was recorded in a garage, it makes me smile. Lead playing is somewhat weak, it lacks expression. It could be a bit tighter (the fast bits especially) but it's listenable. Good, working arrangement in my opinion. I wish there was more variation between the lead sounds. Not the most professional sounding track, but cohesive. Disc 4, track 5: Sacred Ashes Segues well from Cartesian Warfare into this. The piano intro is very beautiful. From 00:30-01:30 I have a problem with that static cello line keeping in the same place - good idea, but the writing around it should take it more into consideration (or it itself could bend just a little to accommodate the other writing). I generally feel there's a bit too much going on. About 00:47-01:00 sounds aimless, I can't get a grip on it. 01:01 it recovers, the piano is very nice and carries the momentum forwards. From 1:30 onwards the track really picks up, working well to the end. Still slightly busy to my liking, but passable. The static cello works well here. And the track also segues well into Altar Perception. Disc 4, track 6: Altar Perception One of the favourites and the one I've been listening to the most. Everything sounds quite gorgeous. The basslines deserve a specific mention, the basswork is fantastic and groovy throughout. Cello is just plain gorgeous. I love, love, love the (superbly subtle) vocal break. The beats and the electronics, are wonderfully scattered, lots of little bits and pieces flying around. Don't really have any gripes, kind of wish the cello got a bit busier in the solo towards the end perhaps, but what is here is so good there's no need to complain. Disc 4, track 7: Dream Traveler The piano is good, sounds fine and is well played and arranged. The string lead isn't really as expressive as the piece deserved. When it gets louder, it quickly starts sounding a little harsh. The writing of the lead is, I think, fairly good, but the instrument is not a great choice for carrying it. Disc 4, track 8: My Secret Forest The intro, with the piano and the french horn reminds me of some Tori Amos material, which is a really good thing in my books. The piece is lush and emotional all the way through, and superbly well done. Disc 4, track 9: On the Edge Oh crap, OCR's so gonna get sued by Tim Langdell. Hehe, I love the fake bass. The guitars that come in sound really good. About at 01:02 I'd really wish that the bass would change into something more groovy and less foreground, and the guitar was more in the front. With the unchanging bass in the forefront the whole time, the piece suffers from sameyness throughout, even while the line itself is really likeable. There's a good bunch of intersting stuff (like the tom-toms and electronics at 01:55-02:13) that gets buried under the ever-present bass. In the end we get that great guitar line served to us again, so the overall feel about the track is pretty good. 4+3 to go! --Eino

Okay, here's the rest of the comments for the third disc. I'll be trying to wrap this up before "Echoes.." is out. Thanks to PriZm for that egging post. Disc 3, track 8: Pain Withstanding A rough gem. Judging by what Monobrow wrote, about the pain making this piece was.. I think she won't object if I say I find it not fully the sum of it's parts. I do like the track, even if it's a bit tough to get a handle on. There's just so much stuff going on, it doesn't quite end up 100% cohesive. However, even if I feel the arrangement could have benefitted from pruning and focusing, I'm impressed the feel and mood of the piece. The whole soundscape sounds unique. The intro has a great mood. I like how the piano "shifts up" at 00:24. I also absolutely love the organ. The sound is perfect, the glitchy writing is really fun to listen to. Disc 3, track 9: Determination The basslines are very, very off from the rest of the harmony. It really, really hurts. While as a whole I'm unable to enjoy it, the track has good stuff too: I like the beats, and the instrument choices are good. Combining wind instruments with breakbeats and electric piano is something I've not heard before I think, and it works very well. Disc 3, track 10: Ain't Yo' Fool (Stay Cool) What, even more 70s/disco/funk? Fun times, fun times. This one has a bit of that rougher sound I was wanting for "Desert Nights" (though it's cool as it is), but overall it sounds a little less dynamic than I'd like. The horn section feels overbearing. It constantly has the same velocity, so it sounds somewhat monotonic. The bass is pretty good. It could afford some longer deep, warm notes here and there to really ground the line. But other than that, I like the line, the playing and the sound. I love the drum break too. The guitar is very nice as well. Disc 3, track 11: Antegenesis Can't resist this progly beast. The intro already has me hooked. I really like the overall grainy sound this one has. Organ, guitar, mellotron, bass, drums, all fit together very well. The bluesy lead is a bit wobbly with the bending, which bugs me for the first minute. I like the variety of foreground guitar sounds. It's a bit all over the place. It's sort of a stream of consciousness arrangement. I'm not a huge fan of the bluesy bit, but in the end it all fits - the turn at 3:10 and the next section wouldn't sound as fantastic without the blues before it I guess. Thumbs up from me. Disc 3, track 12: The Fall of Iselia Starts out pretty. Nice turn into minor when the strings and percussion come in. Nice touch with the change of the piano tone around 2:00. 2:30 it starts swirling into even darker territory. At 03:40 a reassuring return to the major from the somber ponderings of the previous section. I like how it has a story-like structure, and it's quite carefully constructed. I felt the last major section was lacking; it's "just a one more refrain in major" (no sense of evolving and story in the part in itself) and the strings are rather dull compared to what went on before. Overall, however, the structure works and the piece is quite enjoyable. This also was a track that didn't stand out on the first listens of the album, but was good to discover later on. --Eino

The text bit isn't pessimistic I feel, it's saying that everyone dies some day and we might want to live our lives accordingly, to appreciate life and those around us. The music isn't some happy-go-lucky song that the quote wouldn't fit to either, it's rather dark really! I think it's a great match and actually listening to the lyrics (and learning where they're from) elevated the piece for me from a good track to a standout one. I hope that my above message helps you see another point of view, how one can appreciate this track in it's whole. --Eino

I liked Nintendogs, so this looks really promising! --Eino

Yeah, it's come a long way. The overall sound sounds much more balanced for most of the track. I still think it's harmonically a mess in lot of places (though maybe improved a bit?). I'm a bit surprised that nobody else seems to be hearing that though, maybe it's just me. The chugging rhythm guitar at 00:57-01:11 is rhythmically off, it's not played tightly enough. It's also slightly off at 01:16-01:30, though less so and it's not as noticeable as it is in the background. The latter is more of a nitpick, the former is pretty audible. --Eino

And He Returned Home is pretty laid back already. But sure, there's still room for solo acoustic take. --Eino

I could do without the final "do your best" vox sample but I'm guessing it's from the game, I can see how you want to have it there. Still, the original lyrics have the "do your best" bit (which I really like - hearing that is much more encouraging to do my best than the sample is!) which is already a reference to that particular sample from the game. Now when I see the name of the track I'm reminded of the sample, instead of the part in the lyrics. I'd much rather be reminded of the latter! Okay, that's a lot of talk about one particular detail. =) I don't think there was anything else rubbing my ear the wrong way here. Continues to be a fun and infectious song. Great job with the improvements! --Eino

Everything except the guitar sounds good to me. I like the percussion heavy approach. Guitar sounds good at 01:20-01:52 where it fills out the sound well. Elsewhere it draws attention but doesn't deliver. I agree with Gario on the sound, it's dull and kind of mushy, unexciting when it's exposed. I'll admit my bias, I've never been a fan of these sort of sustained power chords but I do think it would benefit from spicing up for other ears as well. --Eino

It was fun to read about the process, mr. prophet.. looking forward to hearing the song. --Eino

Sounds damn good already. --Eino

..different genre though.. I have been meaning to check those out. --Eino

Yeah, making f.e. freeware games is unethical. Of course, saying "will work for free" is different from "looking for a freeware project" or something. --Eino