Slimy

Yeah, I'm feeling pretty enriched after listening to that. The piano is very fun to listen to, and the chips add a ton of energy to the song.

Aw man. I started remixing that exact song, but this one's way better!

That's a fantastic idea... in fact, I went and made an ambient remix after reading your post. https://soundcloud.com/slimy-4/respite-from-vengeance-undertale-quiet-water-remix

Oh, I forgot about this thread. I finished a remix of Once Upon a Time and submitted it. https://soundcloud.com/slimy-4/two-races-long-ago

I disagree. I think "art-games" are only frequently mentioned because it's easier than trying to explain/debate why game mechanics can be art too, how they can tie into the narrative, make a player feel a certain way, etc. I certainly don't believe that only "art-games" are art, and I think most people who argue that videogames are art would agree with me.

As someone who wrote music using only midi and low-quality sounds for several years, and then used EWQLSO Silver, (which lacks many sounds more expensive versions have,) I can attest that this is true.

You remind me of how much I appreciate movie critics that are capable of understanding the strengths and goals of different types of movies, as well as the quality of their execution. Not just dismissing one as "action-schlock," or the other as "boring."

If game mechanics weren't creative, there would only be 1 videogame genre. You are assuming that the mechanics of a game cannot be artistic because they are "required" to be balanced. Why? (Ignoring the fact that not all games are balanced the same.) Can't designing a fun yet balanced mechanic or system in a game be artistic? I could be "creative," and arrange music made entirely out of white noise. Is that more artistic that arranging something most people would find pleasing to listen to?

I agree that it seems to lack body. I think this is because everything except the melody and drums are mixed so quietly. Like the guitars doing a rhythm under the melody - I didn't even really notice them at first. The song feels a bit empty throughout because of this, and lacks the energy I think it was supposed to have. The drums, (especially the drums,) and the solo violin feel like they're in completely different rooms than everything else, because they're mixed so differently, and the disconnect is jarring. Something you should also conciser - trumpet players need to breathe! 0:21 sounds very midi because of how samey each note is played, with no breaks at all in between.

Oh no, everyone's ID changed? That means I've submitted remixes with the wrong ID in the email.

http://redlettermedia.com/plinkett/star-wars/star-wars-episode-1-the-phantom-menace/ http://redlettermedia.com/plinkett/star-wars/star-wars-episode-ii-attack-of-the-clones/ http://redlettermedia.com/plinkett/star-wars/star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-the-sith/

*Projectile vomits* Anyways, I just saw The Force Awakens, and: I think the galaxy is supposed to be in anarchy now, and the First Order are like space terrorists. I really like how the movie really tries to convey that the lightsabers are dangerous weapons. The lighting was dim so that the glow of the lightsaber would be apparent, the sound effects used seemed harsh and loud, and the way the actors handled them indicated that they were dangerous. In the prequels, the lightsabers are constantly being drawn, with a flat angle, and swung around like harmless toys. The lightsabers in The Force Awakens are pretty intimidating by comparison.

Your sustained chords sound like an organ with everything except ~1400Hz cut out. I guess there's a full range of notes in these chords? But it all seems squeezed out. It sound very thin and unappealing. I think you should use a full range of sound, and only EQ it out occasionally for effect, like at the end of the song when it's fading out. I understand that you were going for an "inhuman" effect, but I don't think this is a very good way to do it. Perhaps you could use "inhuman" sounds on top of a "full" sound? The chior sounds very quiet overall. As with the organ, I think you should use it to it's full effect. Bass can be powerful in an ambient song. Since this is supposed to be atmospheric, maybe you should try adding various textures to make it sound more interesting. For example: A bass note that slides down in pitch before a chord change. Tubular bells, the sound of wind, or a harpsichord in the distance? The drum seems way to dry compared to everything else. But instead of reverb-ing it out of existence, maybe you could add more percussion, like tubular bells or timpani, so that it doesn't stand out and sound awkward. I like the piano though.

Final Version? https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/77sgqopwknitov6/A%20Long%20Time%20Ago%20Final.mp3?dl=0 Although the structure of the original song is mostly intact in this remix, I wanted to completely change some of the chord progression and give it a bit of a different mood. So that it could it fit the same role as the source song, but have a different feeling, if that makes sense. The dark sound is a deliberate choice, but I think I might have overdone it a bit. I have given subtle, high EQ boosts to a few instruments. And I gave the volume a boost. Any more critique?

It sounds very midi, the percussion being the biggest example. Especially at 0:35 - it's just the same hi-hat sound playing over and over again with computer efficiency. I also don't like the sound of your drums in general - they lack a punch. Right now, producerschoice is selling several of their most popular drum packs for $1, maybe you'll have a use for it? You can also get some Yamaha drums for a decent price. I am not a fan of the high Cutoff frequency/resonance your bass seems to have. Aside from personally disliking the sound, it makes the bass just sound messy, when the bass is one of the best things about the original. If you want to have a guitar in your music, I highly suggest you collaborate with a guitar player, to get the best quality possible, especially if it's carrying the melody. There is one sound I like though, I like how metallic your stabs sound, at 0:24 and elsewhere.

I think your string tremolos at 0:28 are too loud - it's harder to play tremolo on a string instrument, and the bow won't pull the string as much. Past 0:38, all the string chords have the exact same, slow attack, meaning there's a huge gap of silence in-between notes. It sound very artificial; a real orchestra would probably blend it's chords together a bit. To fix this, you could try overlapping the notes in your DAW, using samples with a shorter attack, changing your envelops if possible, or a combination. Try not to rely on the note envelops for all of your expression, because every note will very obviously sound the same, (as it does now.) Instead, try to use DXF (dynamic cross-fade) samples, if you have any. If not, you could try having several different note envelopes for your strings to play. (Of course, you could have less of an obvious attack, and use note velocities for your dynamics, but this is a song with long, drawn out chords. DXF samples will sound much more real.) I think you should make some of the dynamics more apparent. At 0:59, for example, the song could get much softer. In a song like this, (that builds up chords, relies on pretty sustained notes, etc,) I think the texture can play a big role in how good it sounds. Perhaps you should consider adding woodwinds and brass? At 1:19 when the song builds up, you could emphasize it with a cymbal swell. And maybe have a soft gong at 1:24.

The lead synth at the beginning that has the melody for awhile - I think you should give it more expression, and have it swell with the song more. You could squeeze some more subtle emotion into it. And although I like it's sound, I think should should change it to a slightly different instrument at 0:58 for variety's sake. Or perhaps change the instruments earlier than that, and switch back to the original sound at 0:58. The bass could definitely use some variation, after you hear it the first time. I don't think making it gradually more complicated will have a negative impact on the song. I love all the new textures you added at 3:23. At 4:36, you have a string-like instrument playing a quick chord every beat, (again.) I think the song's climax might sound more interesting and differentiated if you emphasized it with a reverby piano or something. Just for that last part. You could also try having the choir swell every other measure.

The threads in the ReMix Comments/Reviews section no longer link to the remixes they are about.

Yes, it's displaying correctly now.

I'm using Firefox 42.0 on a Windows 7, and the pop-up menu are still displaying underneath the navigation tabs.

Ooh, an Ultima remix! The quality of this is generally pretty good The flute at 1:11 doesn't really feel real to me, because it's a bit too legato, and doesn't have too much expression. I also feel that it would sound better if it had a brighter sound, perhaps "popping" out of the mix more without being louder. Same with the flute at 3:55. I also think the harps could be more humanized. Overall, I think this song is too repetitive, but this can be improved. I liked the percussion at the beginning, but toward the end, it could have used some variation. You could add in more drums as the song progresses - woodblocks, a triangle, a big bass drum for accents, or something. Toward the middle/end, I think there should be a bigger "build-up" to keep the song interesting. You could try adding brass or moving the melody an octave higher. Or add some light woodwind ornaments to accent and "color" it. Some cymbal swells at the beginning at sections might sound nice too. You could also have everything but the melody play much quieter at the beginning, (with the harp subtly mixed in,) and crescendo to it's current volume at the middle. A fade out ending? It could be better. Perhaps by slowing the song down and ending on a sustained string chord? With a big bass drum to finish it off?

Great atmosphere. The parts of the song with a choir reminds me of the ruined world music in Chrono Trigger - and I always though that music fit the eerie landscape perfectly.

I don't like the synth sound you have as your lead throughout most of the song, starting at ~0:30. I think it's too bright for my taste, and that delay/vibrato filter makes it sound slightly annoying to me. However I really like the bass and percussion throughout this. And I liked all of the quieter parts in this song.

Thanks for the feedback! The links in the first post have been updated. - I think the egregious lack of emotion was coming from my clarinet and horn samples, I replaced them with something that will hopefully sound more expressive. - Did a pass of humanization on several instruments/adjusted some timings. - Made the middle section more complicated. - I tried to make the theme re-statement thicker without ruining the mood. More brass, thicker string chords, emphasized the melody with a piano, added timpani rolls, cymbal swells, gong, and a bass drum. I didn't have any patches with the kind of long-stacatto I wanted, but I tried to improve it anyways.

Whoah, your covers tend to be pretty good, but the EWI sounds amazing when in the context of a somber/mellow song. If you ever want to do a full remix, I think you should definitely try doing a song like this.