Archangel

Ooo, a fellow soundtrack ReMixer! =D Remixing Lara Croft, no less! Cool! This is sounding promising. I like the oriental flavor of the piece and the adventurous atmosphere later on. I have a few suggestions on how to improve this, though. 1) First of all, the dizi (I think it's a dizi) at the beginning is playing every note with the same velocity setting. That makes it sound quite mechanical, which is a real shame since the samples you're using have so much more potential. 2) Again, the first part with the dizi--it's a little rushed, or rather, a little too rhythmically regular for an epic, meditative introduction. I'm not sure which sequencer you're using, but try automating the tempo and making the melody line a little more free and less rigid. If you change the tempo and edit the velocity settings, it should sound a lot better. Take your time with the introduction and try picturing yourself being completely at peace and playing the flute somewhere high in the mountains. Feel the melody and then force your software to sound like the music you hear in your head. =D 3) Another thing about the introduction: start with the wind effect first and fade it in, and THEN let the woodwind take the lead. Don't start directly with the lead woodwind. 3) In my opinion, you're not using enough reverb, so the instruments are somewhat raw and don't really create that spacious epic atmosphere you're going for. 4) The drums are OK, but again, don't use the same velocity setting for every note. It sounds exaggerated and mechanical. 5) The transition at 0:22 is a little too sudden for my taste. If I were you, I'd let the flute play that final note until the end and then transition into the adventurous part with some sort of percussive effect, like the one you have at 0:53. 6) The strings would sound better if you used some non-spiccato articulations as well. Also, some spiccato cellos would be nice. Don't just write octaves, though. Try some chords, at least a third here or there. 7) If I were you, I'd use a gong hit instead of the cymbals at 1:04. They sound a little too sharp and don't fit into the soundscape at that particular moment. It's just my opinion, though. I might have some other comments later on, but this should give you something to work with. =) I hope it helps! Do your best to polish this as best you can. I think it really has a lot of potential! If you need any more help, you can drop me a line. I usually write orchestral music, so I know a trick or two about how to manage the samples you're using. =)

I like the way you think! I'm a translator, so I know that everything depends on the context. =D Congratulations to all three of you! I've already got a bunch of advice from Rozo and Gario, and I know Flexstyle from the Double the Trouble project. Thanks in advance for your effort! I for one greatly appreciate it.

Thank you so much! No wonder I couldn't find it. The track's title is Godom Lullaby, not Godom Library. Thanks for the nice comment as well. =) Edit: The choir and vocal samples are all from Eastwest Quantum Leap Symphonic Choirs. They're pretty good, but if you're looking for even better solo vocal samples, try Spectrasonics Symphony of Voices. That's something else!

Really nice atmosphere, Wes! It feels like the song is breathing. I like that very much, my songs never do that. =D I have a couple of suggestions, though. 1) The crackling frog sound is really nice, but if I were you I'd use the equalizer to push it a little more to the background. It gets just a little overwhelming at times (0:35-0:37, for example). 2) The vibraphone/celesta/whatever that's playing the arpeggio at 0:45 sounds more like something you'd have in the background of the soundscape, so I'd use some equalizer here as well, and maybe even some creative panning to spice things up. 3) The backwards cymbal at 0:58 sounds a little too sharp for my taste. It's a cool effect, but a little too upfront. Try lowering the volume or equalizing it to make it blend into the otherwise very smooth and gentle soundscape. 4) When the piano gets a little more exposed at 1:16 or so, you can clearly hear the key hits along with the tones. I usually remove those by messing around with--you guessed it--equalizer settings. XD 5) I agree with the others that the drums are a little too agressive. The kicks are OK (I'd make them a little softer, though), but the cymbal's too distracting. I'd use some bit-crunched percussion instead of it. It sounds softer. I really like this, even if I'm not familiar with source. It reminds me a little bit of Gapra Whitewood from Final Fantasy XIII, probably because of the piano. =)

Thanks! I'll do that as soon as I've polished it enough. There are still a couple of things that are bugging me. Hm, I'm not sure what this elusive 'shine' is, but I think I get your point. =D However, I don't think I can solve this just by adjusting the equalizer settings. I might have to add some more instruments. Not sure what, though. I'd like to keep it as minimalistic as possible. I came across that change in the submission rules by coincidence, actually! I was checking to see if there was a possibility of submitting a track that's bigger than 8 MB (I have a 8-minute track on the SD3 album) and I saw the minimal bitrate had been changed. Thanks a lot for the heads-up, though! I can't find anything better on Youtube, unfortunately. I was planning on putting the source tune and my arrangement in a .zip file and send it to the panel. That should be OK, right? Thanks again for the comments, you two. I appreciate it!

Yup, I added the piano in the middle to make it a little more interesting. Without it, it would be extremely boring since I've decided to slow down the tempo of the piece to allow some of the strings to be more expressive. I definitely agree with making the piano melody a little more prominent. That was actually something that didn't quite sit with me, but I couldn't really put my finger on it until you mentioned it. Thanks a lot! I've made the change in this new WIP, and I've also added the introduction and most of the final part. It should be done pretty soon. Then I can submit it and spread the PCReMix vibe among the judges as well. =D Here's the link: WIP 3 Enjoy!

I don't think anyone thinks that, but someone might lose their motivation to participate in the project. I hope no one does, though! Final Fantasy VI is a great game with magical music that, come to think of it, deserves at least two projects to be at least remotely covered. =)

I got the joke. =P Thanks for being so enthusiastic, Eino! If there's ever a credits list for this initiative, you'll get special thanks. XD

I agree with Eino, this piece has a really nice vibe to it. It sounds fresh and spacious. The source track was much more stuffy and laid-back. I have to say I had some difficulties hearing the source tune in the mix, so I'd also suggest to use some of the bass lines as the lead in some parts. I can hear the harmonies are the same, but I'd make the source very explicit at the beginning so there's more room for variation later on. The cymbal/snare (or whatever it's called) is a little too repetitive for my taste, but it may just be the fact that it's somewhat conspicuous compared to the other instruments. I'm not an expert on electronic music, but if I were mixing this song I'd make the kick just a little less loud or maybe use some equalizer to push it more to the background of the soundscape. I can't wait to hear the finished version. You've done a terrific job with such a minimalistic source track!

Thanks a lot, you two! I'm glad you like it! Yes yes YES! =D More threads, more threads! I don't think there was a PC-speaker version of the intro. Too bad you didn't have a soundcard, I was always so impressed by this music!I've worked on the track a bit more, so enjoy the second WIP: WIP 2

Or maybe people just misread other people's comments. =P I said that the hierarchy thing was not true. It was just the impression I got as a complete newbie. I've never been to an OCR meetup, though. I live in Europe, so it's not exactly a short trip to the US for me.

As far as solo albums are concerned, I think it's up to the artist whether they want to disclose their album or not. However, they should keep in mind that if they decide to keep their projects secret, they shouldn't blame the staff or the other project's directors if there's a misunderstanding. But then again, why would anyone want to keep their work completely to themselves? Is it really that awful if the community and people in general know that someone somewhere is doing some sort of musical tribute to a specific game in some undisclosed genre? I don't think that ruins the surprise. It adds mystery to it, and that's usually a good thing, isn't it?

I agree that the staff aren't to blame, but in all fairness, someone could have foreseen this, especially with Final Fantasy VI. Everyone's been begging for this project for a long time. There have even been plans for a Final Fantasy VI project about a year ago and I was secretly invited to participate in it. You can imagine I was a little surprised when I saw this thread, but because I hadn't received any new information about the secret project, I just assumed it was dropped. I've never been a fan of secret elite projects. I think they alienate a lot of people because they give an impression that this is a tightly sealed community with a strict hierarchy that doesn't allow newcomers to participate in project albums. That's not true, of course, but it even took me a couple of years to become an active member of the community because I was intimidated and somewhat unsure about whether I'd get accepted--not just by the judges, but by the community in general. I'm glad things are (more or less) out in the open now. It's a very good decision and I support it. I hope the artists on this project don't get too discouraged by this. I'm certain you're capable of making wonderful music and it would be a real shame to drop the project just because of this misunderstanding.

I've finally polished the mix a little more, so I'm bumping this in case someone else wants to comment on it. Here's the link to the updated version. Thanks for listening!

I'm sorry to say I agree with Eino on this one. First of all, I don't think I'm competent enough to be a project director, and even if I were, I'm not comfortable judging other people's work since I'm a real nitpicker. If someone wants to start a PC-related album, they're welcome to do so (and I'll probably contribute a track to it), but for now I'll just be keeping this initiative as it is. If it works, it'll be a lot more rewarding than just a stuffy project album that stays hidden for years on end. I'm sure we'll get more support and coverage if we stick to the plan. Maybe we can even get out of this Remix Requests hellhole. =D Speaking of remixes, I've started working on my Eye of the Beholder II track, and Draconiator has started a thread for his Jill of the Jungle mix. You can find the links to our threads in the first post. (Draconiator, add PCReMix to your thread title if you want us to find you sooner. =D )

(This ReMix is part of The PCReMix Initiative.) Greetings, you lovely people! I've taken a break from arranging my project tracks and started working on an orchestral arrangement of the from Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon, a classic DOS dungeon-crawler game.Here's WIP 1. Update: WIP 2. Another update: WIP 3. Near-final version (still needs a little tweaking): WIP 4 Download the final version here: Archangel - The Myth of Darkmoon (Eye of the Beholder II Cover) The introduction scene to The Legend of Darkmoon has always reminded me of some sort of opening scene for a fantasy film, so I tried to make my track sound like something the film-makers could use in the film's opening. I'll be following the source's structure, but I think the added instrumentation will be enough for this to pass the panel. Most of you probably aren't familiar with the game, but I hope you enjoy this track anyway. I'd also appreciate any kind of feedback. Thanks for listening!

Great job, Chris! I've always admired your violin playing. I hope to hear a lot more from you, so keep it up! As for the song, I liked the quiet, intimate chamber atmosphere it's got. The Elder Scrolls theme at the beginning sounds a little bit like something musicians play at a wedding as the bride approaches the altar (like Pachelbel's Canon in D or Mendelssohn's Wedding March). =D I also liked the way you panned all the different instrument tracks. It makes the entire arrangement sound very clear. You said the arrangement was quite conservative as far as the melodies are concerned. I disagree, but then again I too tend to stay true to the original melodies in my arrangements. Anyway, I definitely wouldn't say this is conservative. Really cool, thanks for sharing!

Thank you so much, Doulifée! I'll put these in the first post and give you credit. =D I love the first one, that .bat really sends me on a nostalgia trip! That's a good one! Thanks for the suggestion. =) I agree with Doulifée, though. Echo on sounds better to me.

All in good time, my friend! =) I'm looking forward to finishing it as well! I've made some progress with my Sea Theme lyrics. I have a really nice vocalist in mind for the track and will probably be contacting her soon. Keep your fingers crossed! Also, I've made this retro DOS signature badge: It's just something I stitched together in MS Paint. I'll try to make some specific game-related ones later on, but for now, this should do. =)

I was already impressed by the first video you posted, but this is something else! You've got a really wonderful voice. I'm reminded of a quote from George Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire: "Like honey poured over thunder." =D I hope we get to hear some OC ReMix stuff from you soon! I for one can't wait to collaborate with you!

Both evktalo and Draconiator have already started working on their ReMixes, which is commendable! I'm planning on making my Heroes of Might and Magic II claim into a vocal track, so I'm writing the lyrics as we speak. That counts too, I guess. =) Great source! I've put you on the list, so whenever you're ready. =D Thanks! It's good to know we have supporters.

I wonder why this thread doesn't grow as fast as that rant from yesterday. That's just wrong. I'd also like to put my thanks in writing. It's been a good year for me. I became a posted ReMixer, a bunch of my tracks got accepted by the Judges Panel (one even got marked as an automatic post just before Christmas!), and my first project album, ARMed and DANGerous, was released. I've grown a lot as a musician thanks to OC ReMix. I'd like to thank all the ReMixers for their wonderfully diverse music, and of course the staff/judges, who are basically running a music university AND a record company, all completely free of charge. Thanks, everyone! Here's to many more great years!

Thanks for the support, Melbu! You can still help out by spreading the word and/or putting one of the initiative's badges in your signature. Once I make them, that is. =D

Diablo 2 was released in 2000, but that's okay. =D It's almost 12 years old and I still think of the 90s when someone says 10 years ago. =D Rogue Encampment also has some Tristram leitmotifs in it. You probably already know that, but just in case. Cool, I've never even heard of that game! I'll put everyone on the list and add their specific tracks later on.

Dank u wel, meneer van Os! Ik ben akkoord! =D Yes, yes, release the hounds! Or maybe we could make a public list and humiliate them. =D