Souperion

Just a bump.

It certainly feels a fair bit more alive and less stock-like. I'm noticing some jarring notes here and there, especially during the first minute and a half. I'd suggest looking over where you are putting the emphasis (extra velocity) and balance it out ever so slightly. I'm still an amateur at the craft myself, and there are a LOT of subtle nuances to figuring out how to make a piece like this feel living. But I think you are on the right track. Try making the emphasis variation a bit more subtle to avoid those blaring parts (EX: right at 38, the high note, right at 44, right at 49.) If it still feels like the particular part needs some emphatic statement, try making it a chord or some other ornamentation. Study some piano solos for ideas. I'd suggest a few: JJT's The Flood Plain, Jormungand's Dark Star Scherzo, and jdaster64's Cocoa 'n' Cookies. You're getting somewhere with this, keep at.

The emotional dynamics are breathtaking. In a mere two minutes, you've accomplished a transcendent sonic progression that leaves the listener sated, yet wanting more. Well done, and thank you.

Through the dark grit and sullen rage, one thought pervades the whole: melancholy isolation. I love the progression of this dark wrath from the muted longing of the beginning, only to return a little more than halfway through. A musical accomplishment of emotion and style. Well done!

Never thought I'd find a cover of this song, especially such an energetic one! I can make out the source very clearly, and the synth(s) used for the melodies are captivating. The piece is crisp and spritely, with plenty to say in 2 short minutes. I wish it was longer, but it does feel finished at its length. Very nice work!

I like the sources, and agree that they could make a sweet piano solo. I'd suggest focus on amping the emotional force of this piece with dynamics, with varying velocity on the individual notes to make it more alive. As a an amateur pianist, I would feel a little bored with the performance of this, though a conservative arrangement isn't bad in and of itself. Might I suggest a couple piano mixes from the site for study? kLuTz's 600 A.D. in Piano and Pyro Paper Plane's Lone Star. It's hard to make a programmed piano sound alive like these, but studying them could really help. Good luck with this piece!

It's a little tough to gauge an idea's viability with just a midi-esque demo, but I think that the stylistic concept alone merits an attempt. Give it a shot, you've got an interesting idea here!

Ah, the less famous brother source to the Norfair: Ancient Ruins area. It's simple, but the atmosphere is there and it gets the mood across fairly nicely. As a recreation of the source, this is a pretty good ambient piece.

Update Patch #3! This is my attempt at humanizing the track, including both note velocity and placement. There's some more arrangement work too, including the harp's introduction and some more contrast in volume. And I've started conservative efforts with panning. Right now, the concerns are thus: am I on the right track for humanizing this thing (is it making a difference, sounding better); is the vibraphone working (is it's delay satisfying, is it's timbre itself cohesive with the piece); what the heck genre would this even be; and what else am I missing? Thanks for listening!

My, this lovely. All of it. Nostalgic almost seems too soft a word to describe it. How about... transcendent? Ephemeral? A journey between delicate intensity and bold grandeur, all the while kept vital by a pulsing progression. If this is submitted, I look dearly forward to it appearing in the ranks. Excellent work!

Haven't heard something like this in a while! I might have to check out Celeste some more. More importantly, this is impressive. I hardly noticed that it lasted 7 minutes, it's very good at dominating one's attention. I'm no authority on rave style, but I am loving the inexorable arpeggios and piano-like synth. The little sound bits that vaguely resemble an alien infant babbling (sfx from the game?) were a bit strange at first, but more or less add to the sparkling, yet dark, mood of the piece. Even without memories to the game, it tugs at something in the mind. Nice work!

Happy to help! I would suggest either making the drums start out a little more quiet to let the woodwinds be more audible before 2:36ish, where the choir joins in, or bolstering the woodwinds to match the percussion a bit better. See what solution sounds best to you!

I wouldn't have figured out that this was sourced from the Megaman X series for a while if I didn't find the piece here. The delicate instrumentation creates an ethereal atmosphere wherein an evocative piece breathes. The crispness of the harp, tuned percussion, and other light timbres gives an uplifting buoyancy that is nicely accentuated by the 45 seconds or so of darker intensity. This is gem that anyone could enjoy.

Ah, this is nice. As an amateur who is experimenting with orchestral software, this is inspiring. And as a Metroid fanatic, my bias is triggered. Anyways. Each of the sources is well represented in the suite, and are faithful to their standard atmospheres/moods: A lovely, delicate introduction; that riveting 1:00 mark with high vibrato low strings to replicate that ominous intro of old; a percussion heavy Kraid's lair that might as well have "abandon all hope ye who enter here" on the wall; and an energetic march for Brinstar that leads it to nice close. The whole thing runs pretty smoothly and cohesively. I was a bit thrown off by Kraid's lair, though, with the drums dominating the first dozen seconds or so. But at the same time, it's kind of catchy. There's plenty of variation throughout the sources in the piece, so it's not at risk of getting stale. Excellent work!

This is a really cool take on the source. And I am really digging the bass. Anyways. I think you've got a real nice progression through the piece, like light scintillating off some titular precious mineral slowly rotating with a spotlight on it. Even without radical changes to the melody and such, it's thoroughly captivating in a relaxing way. Nice work!

Well done to you and the Materia Collective. Always felt that this piece needed more love. Your additions fit in smoothly and keep your stated intent. The arrangement is comfortingly similar to the original, which only magnifies the alterations and innovations. Nice work!

Rosenthorne has a gentle intensity that lends a vital quality to it. The Scarlet Halls of Night offers a twinkling grandeur that illuminates without blinding. It is delicate yet forceful in its evocative progression that rings with the beloved source as it proudly displays artistic innovation. It's a privilege to have this track in one's music library.

My first impression is that this is smooth. It just ripples without end or interruption. It's gentle enough to get lost in, but at the same time you don't want to miss a thing. I don't have much experience with jazz, but your mix is decidedly pleasant and relaxing. Nice work!

I'd have to pick the word ephemeral to describe this piece. The follow-ups are ambitious and interpretive. The source is simplistic, sweet, and short. Rellik produced from that shell a deep, transcending journey that befits it's title. It invites the imagination to step beyond the present and into something familiar yet new. I can hear Flash of Memory at times, but what we remember isn't always what was or is. This is an evocative and passionate piece, an early OCR memory for me, and a pleasure to have in the music library.

Stunning. Just stunning. The original underwater theme always had a waltz vibe to it, but to hear it brought out so fully and artistically is a real treat. The introduction, every single transition and ornamentation, all while clearly tied to the source, it's brilliant. I'm awed by how organically it flows, continually changing but true to it's form. Excellent, most excellent.

I find the opening sfx to be one of the most defining elements to this gem. The quiet yet consistent cadence of snow under foot matches the titular theme, as if one's heart is being crushed with the gentle drone of the piano washing over tender emotions. Even with the intensity of the second movement of the piece, the gentle sorrow that slows one's breath endures. It's not everyday that you find a song that so evocatively tells the story it is named for, a progression from sorrow, to deep grief, only to flash a flicker of light before being consigned to the cold. I must thank AmIEvil for this mix and it's emotional clout, still felt today.

I'm happy that this piece is pleasing and progressing! For those of us who love Golden Sun, here's some good news: Tsori is leading an official OCR tribute album, the news of which inspired me to try making this remix. The album might make it out by the end of this year, so join me in restrained shouts of joy. Light_of_Aether: thank you very much! This does indeed use EWQLSO Gold. I'll be taking a look at 3:30 to see about a gentle low range inclusion there. So far, this is the only Golden Sun piece I'm working on, but I hope to try Garoh or Kalt after Deep Winter is complete. You flatter me by asking, though. Eladar: Thanks again for spurring so many of these updates! I'll be looking at the harp intros, smooth that out some more. I hope to get this evaluated again, so in-depth work will be in order. Thanks for the feedback, I hope to make this arrangement worthy of the love Golden Sun deserves.

+2 Paragon! And can we just appreciate that this was made using reaper? Okay, jokes aside. I enjoyed the somewhat gentle intensity of your cover. It isn't as open and spacious as the original, but I appreciate the condensed atmosphere. And I'm a sucker for choirs. The guitar (lead?) threw me off a bit, though, I'm not quite sure if it blends well with the rest of the piece. Throwing in such a lead for the part seems like a good idea, so keep working with the concept. All in all, I enjoyed the piece, good work!

A revised version of Deep Winter is ready for critique: I included a double bass ensemble, widely interspersed through the piece to enhance the lower frequency aspect of the arrangement, as well as treated the deep synth pad with increased velocity/volume and more parts. The synthetic music box was replaced with harp samples, which I think deals with the shrillness and dissonance of the former (about which I had doubts from the beginning, actually.) And I replaced synthetic wind sfx with real free samples. In the effort to variate the piece more, I made some some arrangement alterations: The original 1:47-1:54 was replaced with a slightly longer section featuring lower tones and a variation of the 2:04-2:20 segment; the original 2:45-3:00 backing part was replaced with a faster, higher part that persists until 3:14 (this was an attempt to reduce the population of the ostinato that was prevalent in the last two minutes of the song, since I like the motif but want to keep it from dominating the piece as it has); and the extra echoes on the backing violins were removed from 3:32 onward, hopefully treating the decay issue in the end. Gentle attempts were made to treat homogeneity of intensity and volume, as well trying to add more humanization of note velocities. As an amateur at the task, though, I’m opting to wait for in-depth efforts against mechanical playing until I’m confident in the arrangement. I hope you enjoy this new version!

Is it possible for the internet to have too many Aquatic Ambiance remixes? I propose that it cannot. More importantly: wow. Smooth like polished brass, it breathes easy, and flows freely. The general feel of your piece is consistent, but it's ever changing with with that flute and sax just doing their thing. Very nice, all around.