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

Rather than create a new post, I thought it better to keep the board clutter to a minimum, and simply add the updated information to my existing thread. I truly gave my best effort with my previous remix, but after doing some deep listening, and properly juxtaposing my remix and the source material, I felt there was room for improvement, so I decided to revisit my Twilight remix, and give it a few updates. Changes include: - An 808 kick added to create a deeper bass tone - An entirely new drum beat to give the music more intensity - Additional repetitions of the shakuhachi to be more like the original music - A new tremolo synth as a nod to the arranged mix of Twilight on the Sega Dreamcast version of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike - A faster tempo to give the music more intensity - Revised the main synth progression to match the original music - Revised the bass line to match the original music In sum, these revisions were put forth in order to make my remix sound more like Hideki Okugawa's original composition in the areas where it matters most. Though I still love my first attempt at remixing Twilight, I readily concede that it was perhaps too mellow. Hopefully, this revision remedies that issue. I hope you all enjoy this remix! Song Title: "Street Ninja" (Twilight Remix) Originally Composed By: Hideki Okugawa Arranged and Performed By: The Native Dialect BPM: 124 Style: Hip Hop Hardware: iMac Software: GarageBand, Audacity Street Ninja (Twilight Remix)

I've been having a lot of trouble recently with my bass EQ. I don't have monitors, just a pair of basic Logitech speakers with a subwoofer, and that's made it difficult for me to gauge how things turn out across different sound setups. It's been a problem for me not just with this remix, but with a lot of my recent remixes (-_-) I'll definitely work on fixing the bass mix for this track. Thanks for the feedback!

It's April the 10th! Happy Final Fantasy VII Remake day, fellow gamers!

Sonic the Hedgehog was the last movie I saw in theaters before the pandemic, so I've been on a whole SEGA nostalgia kick with my remixes. Flying Battery Zone is one of those compositions that ably demonstrates what the Sega Genesis sound chip can accomplish in the hands of a master composer, so I welcomed the opportunity to put my own spin (no pun intended) on the piece. The bass line is bananas! I don't feel that I got the violins right, but after five hours of arranging this track, I had to draw a line and upload it, otherwise I'd never be done, and no one would get to hear the music lol. I hope you all enjoy it! Song Title: "Eggman's Flying Fortress" (Flying Battery Zone Remix) Originally Composed By: Tatsuyuki Maeda, Tomonori Sawada, Sachio Ogawa, Masayuki Nagao, and Masanori Hikichi Arranged and Performed By: The Native Dialect BPM: 153 Style: Rock Hardware: iMac, Ibanez Talmon Software: GarageBand, Zebra2, Audacity Eggman's Flying Fortress: Source:

You are one of the most consistent remixers on YouTube, and for that reason I've long appreciated your work. You have an excellent collection of synths, basses, and drum kits, all giving your compositions a very distinct sound that readily makes your work aurally identifiable. One day, I hope to approach your level of production skill so that my own work will be as well polished. Keep it up!

In celebration of the forthcoming release of Final Fantasy VII Remake, I have created a remix of the FFVII Victory Fanfare. My remix is defined by the use of distorted guitar to change the texture of the soundscape. I wanted my version of the fanfare to have a gritty tone, symbolic of the gritty nature of actual combat. Victory never comes easily, so even if you emerge as the winner of a battle, there is a lingering tenseness. It is my hope that my take on the victory fanfare will musically reflect that sensation. I may submit this work to the judges, even though it does not meet the two minute rule. Given the short, looped nature of the original composition, perhaps the judges will make an exception? Remix Title: "The Edge of Battle" (Victory Fanfare Remix) Originally Composed By: Nobuo Uematsu Arranged and Performed By: The Native Dialect BPM: 141.4 Style: Trap/Rock Hardware: iMac, Ibanez Talmon Software: GarageBand, Zebra2, Audacity The Edge of Battle: Source:

1) I agree with your criticism of how the guitar sits in the mix. After having listened to the track a few dozen times without headphones, I realized that I should have either raised the volume on the guitar track, or at least panned it to the left so that it could be isolated from the rest of the mix. At the time, I felt that the guitar was overpowering the horns and violin, which are the parts of the arrangement that I want most to stand out, but that may not have been the most effective choice. Funny enough, I have a Sagat remix that also incorporates horns and violins, but because I wanted the guitar to be prominent, I had no problem with allowing it to drown out the other instruments, and the end result is arguably better from a mixing standpoint. 2) I'm going to take another crack at the project, and see if I can get a better guitar tone, and mix. If not, then I'll happily take up your offer! 3) Your original composition is nice! Reminds me of Chrono Trigger, if its score were a trap album.

Jin's heroic march is clearly an homage to the themes of old Super Robot anime such as Getter Robo, and Mazinger Z, and as such was composed as an orchestral piece rife with horn blasts, and violin swells. However, Marvel vs. Capcom was one of the last games developed for the CPS2 arcade hardware, so the theme was never properly realized given the limitations of the CPS2's audio hardware.. My arrangement was crafted with one goal in mind: modernize as much of the instrumentation as possible so as to realize Yuko Takehara's original vision for Jin's theme. Unfortunately, even my attempt at rendering Takehara's true vision is hampered by the fact that although the MIDI instruments in GarageBand are a noticeable improvement over Capcom's CPS2 soundfont, they still do not sound entirely authentic. Still, I gave my best effort, recording live guitar, using the best suited drum kit in GarageBand, and stacking the horns to achieve as realistic sounding an orchestra as possible without the use of an AU instrument, or sampling. The only element I could not recreate to my satisfaction was the CPS2 orchestra hit, so I used the same hit found in the original composition (sampled directly from the CPS2 soundfont). Constructive feedback is always welcome. Thanks! Song Title: "Heart of the Typhoon" (Jin Saotome Theme Remix) Originally Composed By: Yuko Takehara Arranged and Performed By: The Native Dialect BPM: 238 Style: Symphonic Metal Hardware: iMac, Ibanez Talmon Software: GarageBand, Audacity Heart of the Typhoon Source

1) I concur with your assumption that the judges would likely reject your submission, as it does not have any variance in structure from the source material. Having said that... 2) Your take is still quite enjoyable. Incorporating guitar in place of the original synth pieces gives your arrangement a more aggressive feel that reminds me of the score to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. While this community favors adding new measures to remixes, I share your belief that there are times when it is nice to listen to a cover rather than a remix. Sometimes, new instrumentation is sufficient, and other times, reinterpretation of the musical motifs is beneficial. I see no reason why both approaches to remixing cannot co-exist with equal esteem given to each. 3) At the end of the day, my philosophy when it comes to any creative endeavor is to first and foremost create something that I enjoy. I realize how selfish that sounds, but such is my outlook. If others enjoy what you are creating, then that is of course welcome, but never is it the end goal. It is not so much that we ought not seek to share creative works that can be enjoyed by others, but if we make ourselves beholden to what others expect, then what we are creating is not truly ours. Ultimately, I choose to submit works to OC Remix only when I feel the project just so happens to overlap with the submission criteria, but never do I change something I've made to fit said criteria unless there is something fundamentally wrong with the composition. As such, there are remixes on my YouTube channel that I'll never submit, and there are others that I am patiently waiting to submit (I already have one arrangement being reviewed by the panel). But to each his own. My friend, I wish you well on your creative journey.

My goal in creating this arrangement was to produce something soft in texture, and moderately more upbeat than the source material. I incorporated wah wah guitar, a simpler drum pattern, finger style bass, a koto, and a tremolo synth. The end result is something faithful to the motifs of the original composition, but divergent from its more aggressive aspects (e.g. the sub bass, and layered drum pattern). For those of you that are curious, the song title, "hayai kaze," means "swift wind" in Japanese. When I think of a ninja running through the night, I think of the movement of a swift wind, so it seemed fitting as a title for Ibuki's theme. I'm currently waiting on the judge's panel to make a decision about a Jazzy NYC remix I submitted last year, but once I get word on that mix, I'll be submitting this one next. Feedback is of course welcome. Song Title: "Hayai Kaze" (Twilight Remix) Originally Composed By: Hideki Okugawa Arranged and Performed By: The Native Dialect BPM: 120 Style: Smooth Jazz Hardware: iMac Software: GarageBand, Audacity "Hayai Kaze" (Twilight Remix) Source: