Native Dialect

Marvel Super Heroes isn't quite as well remembered as it's predecessor, X-Men: Children of the Atom, or successor, the Marvel vs. Capcom games, but I think it is the standout title in Capcom's series, not only in terms of gameplay and roster, but musically as well Among my favorite themes is Psylocke's stage theme. It's stylistically similar to Psylocke's previous theme from XMCOTA, but has a more upbeat chord progression. As such, I thought it'd be super fun to turn Psylocke's theme into a Deep House track (I love dancing!!). Yuki Iwai, the original theme's composer, did such a great job giving Psylocke's theme such a danceable rhythm, reminiscent of the Streets of Rage 2 soundtrack. As always, I had fun creating this remix. I hope you all have even more fun listening to it! Song Title: "From Atop a Moonlit Train" (Psylocke Theme Remix) Originally Composed By: Yuki Iwai Arranged and Performed By: The Native Dialect BPM: 144 Style: Deep House Hardware: M1 MacBook Air Software: GarageBand, Audacity From Atop a Moonlit Train Source

My love of Chun-Li cannot be understated. She is the first character I played as in Street Fighter II, one of my favorite video game characters of all time, and most importantly, a character that to this day makes me feel seen as a woman in a hobby that I deeply enjoy (video games). So it should come as no surprise that this remix marks my third time arranging Chun-Li's classic theme, and my second time revisiting the Street Fighter Alpha version of her theme specifically. My two previous remixes were a cinematic composition, and a jazz fusion inspired piece. This time around I went for something very different and crafted a trip hop track that combines a downtempo Rhodes progression, synth leads, and a hip hop drum break in an effort to capture Chun-Li's power and grace in musical form. I approached this remix with a focus on the most recognizable motifs from the original composition, but otherwise deviated in composition. I didn't want to create another remix that followed the existing pieces song structure, so this piece is more of a true remix rather than an arrangement. And if you are curious as to why I titled this arrangement "Spinning Bird Chick Pt. 2," it's because I made a remix of Chun-Li's Street Fighter Alpha theme back in 2019 which I also titled "Spinning Bird Chick." If I get enough positive feedback here, I will pitch this to the judges panel, which will be the first time I've made a submission in three years. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy my music (^_^) Song Title: "Spinning Bird Chick Pt. 2" (Chun-Li Theme Trip Hop Remix) Originally Composed By: Yoko Shimomura (SFII) and Naoshi Mizuta (SFA) Arranged and Performed By: The Native Dialect BPM: 107 Style: Trip Hop Hardware: M1 MacBook Air Software: GarageBand, Audacity Spinning Bird Chick Pt. 2 Source

Feedback (constructive criticism) is welcome

When the Sega Genesis port of Fatal Fury 2 was released by Takara in 1994, I got a copy as quickly as I could, and spent many hours (too many lol) playing the game, honing my skills with Mai But the Sega Genesis port of Fatal Fury 2 was good for more than allowing me time at home to practice before going to the arcade. the Sega Genesis port of Fatal Fury 2 not only features some of the best music arrangements on the Genesis hardware, but arguably features a better soundtrack than it's SNES counterpart, especially when it comes to Mai Shiranui's stage theme, "Enryuujin" aka "Flame Dragon God" While the SNES version is to be appreciated for offering a funky bass groove, and instrumentation that closely matches the Neo Geo MVS version of the theme, the Sega Genesis take on Mai's theme has a fat, driving bass line, a punchy snare drum, and SO MANY shamisen arpeggios!! The polyphony of the Sega Genesis version of "Enryuujin" is so impressive that I feel it rivals Yuzo Koshiro's work on Streets of Rage 2, which is no small feat My arrangement draws many cues from the Sega Genesis version of Mai's theme, chiefly the bass line and use of arpeggios for polyphony, but differs in how the arpeggios are played, the inclusion of an entirely new drum pattern, and the addition of wood block percussion and a taiko drum. Also of note about my arrangement is the rhodes piano harmony I played over the bass line. Oh, and for those curious about the title of my remix, "Kagerōnomai" is a Japanese phrase that roughly translates to "Dance of Heat Haze," and comes from one of Mai's most famous super moves. I had a lot of fun creating this remix, so I hope you all have even more fun listening to it Kagerōnomai Source

I crafted my remix based around the idea of "what if I were asked to score Samus Returns," and the answer to that question is "less sci-fi inspired dark wave, and more Saturday morning cartoon superhero music." To that end, although I have listed my remix as being for Samus Returns, I arranged it based on the original version of the theme from the Metroid II, rather than the iteration heard in Samus Returns. I believe that Daisuke Matsuoka (the composer for Samus Returns) did a magnificent job of interpreting Yoshitomi's original composition. Sadly, Matsuoka's version does not speak to my nostalgia Samus Aran is an important character for me not only because she is the first female video game character I ever played as, but because I was a closeted trans girl when the original Metroid and Metroid II were released. I found solace in playing as a character perceived of as masculine or a man, despite actually being a woman. So consider this remix to be a little bit of a celebration for Pride Month too I kept the structure of the verse identical to the original piece (save for the all new rock percussion), but created an entirely new bridge in the style of a Riot Grrrl punk riff (maybe a little more grunge?). Anyway, I had fun creating this remix, and hope you all have even more fun listening to it! Song Title: "Fearless Hunter" (Surface of SR388 Remix) Originally Composed By: Ryoji Yoshitomi Arranged and Performed By: The Native Dialect BPM: 115 Style: Synth Wave/Riot Grrrl/Grunge Hardware: iMac, Ibanzez Talman Software: GarageBand, Zebra2, Audacity "Fearless Hunter" Source: "Surface of SR388"

2021 marks the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, and like other Nintendo fans, I'm super excited to celebrate this beloved video game franchise with my own fan art, which in this case, is musical!! (^_^) Koji Kondo is arguably the most brilliant musician in the video game industry for having composed all of the iconic theme music for the Super Mario, and Legend of Zelda games. The various themes from those two franchises are among the most recognizable compositions in popular culture, and as such it was a pleasure to pay homage to Kondo's work and create an arrangement of yet another tune that is like a lullaby to my generation. I based my remix on the title screen music from the original Legend of Zelda game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), with an emphasis primarily on stringed instruments including the piano, harp, guitar, and violin. I did my best to differentiate my arrangement from the excellent orchestral rendition found on the Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary soundtrack, and hope that for the listener, my efforts were successful. I had fun crafting this remix, so I hope you all have even more fun listening! Song Title: "The Hero of Hyrule" (The Legend of Zelda Theme Remix) Originally Composed By: Koji Kondo Arranged and Performed By: The Native Dialect BPM: 85 Style: Orchestral Hardware: Casio CTK-2300, iMac, Ibanzez Talman Software: GarageBand, Audacity "The Hero of Hyrule" Source: The Legend of Zelda Main Theme

When I created my first remix of Ryu's theme ("Fūrinkazan"), I told myself I would not revisit the theme again because there are literally hundreds of remixes of Ryu's theme Street Fighter II theme, and I felt that I had nothing more to add to that musical conversation. Then I started replaying the Street Fighter Alpha series thanks to my recent purchase of the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection for the Nintendo Switch Playing the older games got me in the mood to listen to the remixes, and to my surprise, very few people have done remixes of Ryu's theme from the first two Street Fighter Alpha games. Although Ryu's Alpha theme incorporates the motifs established in Yoko Shimomura's original composition from Street Fighter II, the genre change by Setsuo Yamamoto (who arranged the theme for Street Fighter Alpha and Alpha 2) took the theme in a different enough direction to where I didn't feel like it would be redundant for me to try my hand a remix Rather than introduce new measures to the song, or change the genre, I stuck with creating something largely faithful, but with as much live instrumentation as possible, and better samples than what were available for the CPS2 hardware the game originally ran on. The only significant change I made was to the staccato notes accompanying the melody starting around 0:34. That part of the composition was originally written for electric guitar, but I reinterpreted it for koto as a nod to Ryu's Japanese heritage. Otherwise, my remix was about imagining what the theme would have sounded like had Yamamoto been able to use live instruments when he made the arrangement Song Title: "Take Flight! Rising Dragon!" (Ryu Theme Remix) Originally Composed By: Setsuo Yamamoto Arranged and Performed By: The Native Dialect BPM: 135 Style: Rock Hardware: iMac, Ibanez Talmon Software: GarageBand, Audacity "Take Flight! Rising Dragon!" Source

I like this take! I made a house version of Zangief's theme, so I'm all about making EDM cuts of Street Fighter II music lol.

When I was a kid, Thunder Force IV was one of my favorite games to play on the Sega Genesis!! Like most who have had the joy of playing the game, I adored the soundtrack immediately. I know most folks are partial to the heavy metal themes from the game, but Space Walk is the music most memorable to me, so I opted to cover it instead of popular pieces such as Lightning Strikes Again or Evil Destroyer (plus I'm terrible at gallop picking lol). I sequenced this in GarageBand, but only the drums, bass, and piano are stock software instruments. I used Zebra2 for all the other synths because the stock synths in GarageBand weren't up to the job, and I was too lazy to try and configure my own patches lol. If only Apple would open up all of Alchemy for GarageBand, and not just Logic X (>_<) This piece is a little intimidating to arrange, not only because of the odd time signatures, but because the Technosoft sound team pulled off some tech wizardry when creating the tones they used to arrange this piece. I wasn't entirely sure I could produce something that sounded comparable, let alone "better," but I think the end result of my efforts is a solid modernization if I do say so myself (^_^) I won't be submitting my arrangement, because I realize it has too little variation compared to the original, but I thought I'd still share this with the rest of you! Song Title: "Superluminal" (Space Walk Remix) Originally Composed By: Toshiharu Yamanishi and Takeshi Yoshida Arranged and Performed By: The Native Dialect BPM: 110 Style: Synthwave/Progressive Jazz Time Signature: 7/8 - 4/4 (bridge) Hardware: iMac Software: GarageBand, Audacity, Zebra2 Superliminal Source

I'm glad that you enjoyed it! The piano is a stock software instrument in GarageBand, and unfortunately there are only two acoustic pianos available, and both sound similar (a grand, and a steinway grand). I suppose I could always see if there is a good AU piano available that has better quality? GarageBand uses live drum samples for its drum kits, and the guitar is me playing my Ibanez Talmon through an iRig, so perhaps the mix of live instrumentation and software instrumentation creates a subtle but notable difference in resonance? Well, either way, I appreciate you listening and commenting.

I originally created a shorter version (about a minute long) of this piece for the purposes of a Twitter meme, but I liked the end result so much that I reworked it into a full composition. My goal can best be summed up as "what if Nightwish made Pokémon music?" I haven't made a submission in over a year, but I think this piece may be solid enough to present to the judges. Song Title: "Like No One Ever Was" (Trainer Battle Theme Remix) Originally Composed By: Junichi Masuda Arranged and Performed By: The Native Dialect BPM: 171 Style: Symphonic Metal Hardware: iMac, Ibanez Talmon Software: GarageBand, Audacity "Like No One Ever Was" Source

I am a huge fan of the music Capcom's sound team produced during the CPS era. My theory is that older games have better music because the composers had such crude tools. In order for the music to be listenable in the past, the composer had to focus on creating a strong melody. Now, everything sounds like incidental music because real instruments are available. That all said, thank you for listening to my arrangement. The most common suggestion I receive on these forums is to work on my mixing when it comes to my guitars. I may have to start listening to my final mixes on more audio set ups in order to improve in that area. My first symphonic rock track was of Jin's theme from Marvel vs. Capcom, and I didn't do too well with keeping the guitar prominent in the mix. I was so worried about the violins and horns being drowned out that tried to keep the guitar pretty low. This time around I tried to keep the guitar at the front of the mix because the guitar is the lead instrument, but I was having trouble keeping the rhodes audible. I think it's time I started looking at tutorials on mixing.

The Savage Land theme has always been one of my favorite video game music compositions, most likely because of its passing similarities to Isao Abe's better known Sagat theme from Street Fighter II. I tried my hand at reinterpreting the song with a bit of a grunge flavor by way of an aggressive drum sequence reminiscent of something Dave Grohl would have played for a Nirvana song. Though it softens the grit of the song, I retained the orchestral elements from the original composition because I believe it gives the piece an almost cinematic quality. Song Title: "Berserker Rage" (Wolverine Theme Remix) Originally Composed By: Isao Abe Arranged and Performed By: The Native Dialect BPM: 149 Time Signature: 4/4 Style: Grunge/Acid Jazz Hardware: iMac, Ibanez Talmon Software: GarageBand, Audacity Berserker Rage Source

1) Thank you for takin the time to listen to my remix! I appreciate it. 2) Believe it or not, the bass is actually a saw wave, at least primarily. I have a soft saw doing the panning, while a fat saw is centered specifically because I was trying to avoid having the sound being aurally overwhelming. I guess I failed on that end lol. I also incorporated a tuba played at a lower register so that I could get a more distinct "wub wub" sound similar to the one in Follin's original composition. 3) I agree with you on the synths, but none of GarageBand's stock pads can effectively play staccato chords: they are all too soft, or only reach forte if you play a note or chord legato. In fact, I had to use a pad from an AU instrument I have called Zebra2 just to fill out the panning synths. The quality of the pads in GarageBand makes me miss arranging music in Reason, which had a number of shortcomings as a DAW, but excelled when it came to synths. I don't often use more than one DAW to produce tracks, but I could always try using NanoStudio. It's a real basic DAW, but it has some really great synths and pads. I could always recreate the pad track in NanoStudio, and import it as a WAV file in GarageBand and see how that turns out. What do you think? 4) I am actually eager to switch over to Logic Pro X. It has the same interface as GarageBand, but more features, better sounding samples, and more software instruments. Still, I try to make due with what I have. I think the actual limitation here is my own skill with the DAW in question when it comes to certain styles of production, and certain genres of music. Some of my remixes turn out only okay because I still have much to learn about how to mix multiple synths so that they don't come off as dissonant in the final mix. But whenever I record something more traditional, I think I'm able to get the best out of GarageBand. It leaves me hopeful that I will get better with the DAW over time so that I don't allow it to be an excuse for any area of production where I simply need to grow my skill set. Here's a remix I did a year ago of Sagat's theme from Street Fighter II, and to date, I believe it to be my best work in GarageBand. Everything is a stock software instrument with the exception of the guitar, which I played myself through an iRig. One day, I hope for all of my remixes to sound as competent, and authentic, regardless of genre.

This is my second remix from the soundtrack to Spider-Man and the X-Men: Arcade's Revenge, and while every piece of music composed for that game is absolutely brilliant, there is no question that Gambit's stage theme is the most popular of all the tracks. My approach to this remix can be summed up with a single word: "big." I wanted the sound to be big, and the arrangement to feel big, so the drums and synths are fat, the guitars distorted, and the organ blazing. This is the second iteration of my remix, as I was ultimately unsatisfied with my first take. The changes were minimal, but important enough to me that I had to make them. - The guitar riff at 1:22 was originally recorded in Drop D. I rerecorded it in Drop C - Added a new guitar solo starting at 2:07 - Remastered the mix to increase both the treble and the bass - Sped up the tempo by 1% Song Title: "The Cajun Connection" (Gambit Theme Remix) Originally Composed By: Tim Follin and Geoff Follin Arranged and Performed By: The Native Dialect BPM: 128 Style: Funk Hardware: Ibanez Talmon, iMac Software: GarageBand, Zebra2, Audacity The Cajun Connection Source: Gambit's Stage