The Vodoú Queen

Welp, that's mine in, in a few minutes. @Souperion & @HoboKaThank you, so much, for the opportunity to remix this song. It truly is beautiful. Never noticed it when I did play Secret of Mana. I'm glad I got to notice it now. ♥

@APZX Congrats getting yours in.

Meanwhile I'm still trying to figure out what to do for 2 different songs due basically back to back, this and one for a songwriter contest. Feels so intimidating, again, lol. (In a good way--gotta step up the game.)

Well, here's three hearts: ♥♥♥, to along with those cookies, for VG, Soup and Hobo. Anyone else can have some hearts too, IDM. @HoboKaIt's all cool. :3 @SouperionDon't worry about it. But thank you for understanding the sentiment. Nothing like a good paradigm shattering to get one's butt into gear, though. Look where it's got you now! It's not at all conceited. Like I said before, everyone deserves what they got and everyone deserves a big round of applause for some excellent stuff. ...Now I am just itching to start on the new MnP. >.> You picked a good one, even if sadly I never finished Secret of Mana, haha.

Hey. No, you didn't insult me. I took a step back and re-analyzed what you said. I am soaking in everything, trust me. It just sounds like I'm a bit hot and annoyed, but am seeking to learn and listen, and sometimes I sound rough and angry at that person giving the commentary due to it. If anything, I'm being tough and annoyed at myself, not you. *Big hugs* It's cool, we're all awkward af. It's why we be here congregating and all. I understand where you're coming from and listening. I take all of this in good faith. Thanks again taking the time out to clarify to the max like you did. ♥ I very much appreciate your 2 cents. It's more like a dollar-fifty for me. xD

I understand. I figured it was mainly about the length, and I agree. I had some reservation about its length in making it, but figured I'd try and see where it went. But thank you for your kind words. I'll see what I can do next time to curb the enthusiasm on the length, (so far a lot of what I've made is too long, for what it's worth.) But understandable. Thanks for clarifying.

Whoa, OK, I think one of us got off on the wrong foot. I am unsure what you're trying to say here. I had nothing against his stylistic choice, and--for that matter--love Mick Gordon's work with Doom (which is obviously where the inspiration came from). We all came from some stylistic choice that requries some form of discipline or know-how to achieve, so trying to say "only real musicians and music aficionados will probably understand" is a bit of an umbrella misnomer that is sounding, sorry...a bit borderline pretentious? As someone coming from art and writing, that's almost equivalent of trying to defend, let's say, a piece of abstract art and saying "only we of [insert field here] would truly understand," and that's a bit much when all I said was it came out muddy. And I am unsure how you're trying to direct that towards me or anyone else coming into this. I am not taking this as a personal attack, I was seeking guidance and further clarification to some of the comments. That's all. I don't know you either, but it's a bit much to come at that angle. I asked what was the difference, I neither said Nick did not deserve it nor did I categorise it as "unwanted background noise." And I don't know who you're referring to as the 'random general consumer' in this, on a thread, in a forum, dedicated, as you said, for "video game nerds and music nerds to come together," but now it is sounding like something it probably shouldn't. :/ I hope I am not misreading you. OK I misread you a little bit, and for that I apologize.

BTW I didn't rip the midi. I literally had to input each note and adjust its length manually, with a mouse, and no keyboard. I looked at a piano reel on YT to get the 3-4 track basis of the song, and doubled it for more instrumentation. I struggled like hell to get the midi to function with everyone else but people heard the slight drag (with the sax especially), regardless. I tried to take that weakness and turn it into a strength to make it feel like an almost realistic jazzy sax playing over the rest of the song but...I guess not. Oh well I tried. xD Also I am unsure what was meant by the percussion / beat overshadowing anything. I did not get that sense of it, but it might just be me.

Hm... Maybe it's a good time to ask the question, since part of my perplexity since yesterday followed some of the comments I received on my work. ...Where exactly did I go wrong? Sorry, I am not trying to offend in saying this, but I see most peeps praising Nick's work for near the exact reason why mine was downplayed and frowned on some. The "it's way out there and wack", "non-conservative" approach, but mine fell short by comparison and I am at odds in trying to rake my brain and track to see why. I agree with Hobo's assessment about the discordant sound from 5:00, but am unsure how or why mine was somehow so out there that people did not even recognize the song until much later than expected (the opening bass for Red Soil Brinstar starts about 1:00-1:30). Like no offense to Nick's work, I found it muddy coming out of my speakers too, and I almost did not recognize his source either. Perhaps it's a difference in tastes at this point. ^^; And to answer someone who asked the question, no, the song wasn't a full medley. Yes, it was a full (albeit, I suppose, sorry), lengthy song, and the only bit of it that people seemed to deem it as something different entirely is the mid-section, where I took a dive into the Green Brinstar chords in trying to add a bit of spice to the track. ...Seemed that failed, however, seeing as half the people hated the vocal chops and there's an air that somehow I did and didn't go full-monty with the lo-fi sound (which also confuses me). ...I'd just like a bit of clarification as to how what Nick and I essentially did panned out for one but not the other, so I know where I went wrong and how to improve. ...Where people returned to his and enjoyed it more but seemingly, frankly, just got tired / exhausted with mine. I hope this didn't come off and sound offensive or angry. I'm disappointed, but neither of those, lol.

Omg can you imagine? ...I'd been frustrated as hell in my younger days, haha.

This is fantastic and love the remixed SNES-style songs (wish there were a few for Zoda's Revenge as well)! Really wish the game had more love than it had gotten and went on to have successful sequels from there on out. (Would've been fun to maybe control Micha or to be able to switch characters in a Secret of Mana / Illusion of Gaia-style, or something in later installments!) Brings back great childhood memories. Thanks for the share! I'll keep it in mind next time I peruse BandCamp for sure.

A big GJ to those who won; congrats to everyone who participated. Still open for more in-depth critique if anyone wants it. Sorry for the late / small response. A bit in the perplexed range today, lol.

My votes are in. I did comment on my choices from 1st to 3rd in a generalized, overall way, but if further, deeper analysis / critique is needed or wanted by the artist, I can post them here after a re-listen or two. ♥

I am unsure what to say other than thank you, for the words of confidence and motivation. ♥ If nothing else, at least I'm in good company. But I hear ya'll, and will take your words to heart. ^^ And try to keep them all in mind for future reference when I'm low and the cards are down. Yay, soon it'll be vote time. :0

Ah, sorry, I can redact or edit my post if necessary. I wasn't really meaning to say any one person's song is better than anyone else's before voting time--it's just me being a party pooper on my own party. xD ...In the respect that, simply, if I had more skill I'd I guess be more adventurous. Apologies. Wasn't trying to cause a bias against my own or for favor of other's work, other than to say everything up there so far, even the non-voter ones are good and am glad the turn out is, uh...damn what's a good word. Formidable? And creative. Sorry, too, cause I was under the impression other people were voting outside of who entered, not we ourselves who've entered. Again wasn't meaning it to somehow sabotage my damned self, even though I frequent that in all my ventures. xD

Yikes... The competition is fierce from the looks of things... Guess I've got my work cut out for me. Makes me feel like I should withdraw or work on it more, but at the same time feels like I can't do much more with it. ...Really jealous of Soup's now. :/ If I had more skill I would've done Phendandra Drifts or Chozo Ruins in a similar tribal motif... >_<

Man...this is the kind of shit I'd listen to if I was playing Subnautica, frankly. The simultaneous vibe of wonder and awe of the depths of an ocean, clashing against the sheer mystery and fear of being in it is well-encapsulated here. I really love the background 'bubbling' and 'swirling' sfx lying behind the melody. The piano and harp are beautiful, and I'm not saying that facetiously. Honestly can't tell what's a midi and what's a possible loop here, but it's all melding pretty well so far. However, here are my quibbles, as I call 'em: 1) Jesus Christ, did I want more choir, damnit, lol. As much as I think the song does benefit with brief pauses of silence from the vocals, I think some areas could benefit with a continuation of the chorus (e.g. 2:23 to, say, 2:55). 2) That said, I think also some places could do with moments of just the background sfx (e.g. 1:05), albeit extremely brief, like maybe 4 beats or something. Just something of a pause, like, the bathosphere stopping its decent that brief moment, before you cross the threshold of going into the Mariana Trench (and it kicks up to the main bridge of the melody.) Some people would disagree, but I like some pauses, rests and transitions I guess. I feel they round out a song better, but it might not work here. 3) The very reedy, dry flute (@ 3:00) suits the song. I do agree with Soup, but I think more reed instruments could either be included, swapped out between or layered somehow. I feel for contrast, a wet-sounding clarinet or oboe would work well juxtaposing the flute at some point in the song. Or, perhaps, a violin. But I'd stick to woodwind instrumentation. Maybe instead of the flute continuing @ 3:52, try the oboe. 4) The harp (when it's in tangent with the flute) is a bit fuzzy to hear, yes. I think what it might need is a means of 'letting the strings settle' (reverb), I think that's how they call it when accentuating with string instruments. Let certain notes flow a bit rather than constantly being plucked, because unfortunately the plucking sounds like the flute when each note is tongued, and it's stablizing to the point they sound alike, or too layered. Just have a play around with it, see what works. 5) The triangle 'dink' with the flute and at the end is cute. Sorry had to say it. That's all I can think of. To be fair I can't really fault this piece much, as the original is extremely beautiful even in chiptune, and this as a more ambient orchestrial piece is as well. If this isn't the final draft, I do look forward to when it's finished. :3 Please prod me when it is. ♥

Oh damn... A lower Maridia song. ♥ I'll have a listen to it a few times today, see what I can comment on. I'm not wholly well-versed in music production / compo lingo, at the moment, but I'll try my best to shine some insight on it based on experience listening to the original song and whatever this remix's genre is.

Hey Souperion, Thank you so, so much for your input. ♥ Ah yeah, I just had a listen to the places you've described and their associated issues. 1:50 (and it's similar transitions) were kind of inspired by '90s R&B, where they started mixing a bit of lo-fi / rap / hip-hop-style vinyl scratches and skips to separate segments of the song, especially when the tempo or beat had a change-up (e.g. groups like Toni, Tony, Tone and singers like Kool Moe Dee and Tone Loc used to do that in some of their songs. It's a very hip-hop thing to do, by comparison to the jazz / funk melody.) It can be jarring, especially if people aren't used to the genre, and it might warrant another look at it--either to remove it completely, or rework it somehow, if it doesn't fit. Loss of energy in the groove is a problem. Would have to mesh the bass line with it to keep that 'pumping' sensation going. Yeah I do see what you mean about the vocal chops being a bit loud by comparison to the twins singing. Volume modulation... I'll keep that in mind if I am able to have another go at this piece, dependent on what the judges say about it, if it makes it to that point of the submission process. Yeah the transitions to lone vocals in 3:25 & 5:00 were done purposefully, but I can sense--between what you've said and some comments I've had from others outside of OCR--that people want a continuation of 'grooviness', with no stops or silences. Unsure why, exactly (moreso cause I'm curious, not because I am doubting the critique.) I tried to envision a cymbal crash or tambourine mix-up for a full count before the vocals, and it seemed off. Might need to play with it as you say. Maybe something more subtle would work with it, rather than something loud and rambunctious (and I only say that because, in jazz, there's a lot of [sometimes very quick and short] high and low periods throughout a song. Sometimes there's silence except for the upright bass or some piano plucks. Sometimes a whole measure is quiet before the sax or trumpet builds up again.) Am trying to give the song 'breathing room' with highs and lows and pauses. It's a quandry... I need to revisit those sections. Once again, thank you very much for your comments. I do look forward to more discourse, see what might need fixing, and how I can improve. I'll try my hand at commenting and helping others, I just get a bit nervous about it because I don't want to seem mean or virulent in doing so. ^^;

Yeah I can try. TY. This is the full song (afaik): And this is what I took from it, which is simply the acapella / mixdown version of the Devola and Popola lyrics to it: I can no longer find the non-instrumental version of the song, but it's really complicated. People who played NieR would understand it better than I, but Song of the Ancients has about 3 different versions, and 3 different voices entwined, with Devola and Popola being the main ones, but they sing different lyrics. Fate and Atonement are the major instrumental versions of the song, unsure about the Hollow Dreams, but yeah... I used primarily the guitar beat and their singing as the basis of my remix. I had submitted it a few weeks ago already, but any comments or criticisms would be helpful. I am always kind of working in a vacuum with any work I do, so only advice I have is primarily my own to work with, and I just started "producing music" around the beginning of September...so I know very little and am always trying to learn.

TY!!! I made it myself. :3 ♥ Ooo, yeah, big Square-E fan here too. It's been literal years since I played a Parasite Eve game, but my god, was the soundtrack good. ^^ But then again Square rarely lets you down with their music, even if their plots and stories are sometimes waffley and weird. Already started on the MnP for Metroid song here, but man, are midis an assache to play around with.

Ooooooooooo... METROID, yassss. My favorite game franchise ever (next to Castlevania and Mega Man). I can't wait to dig my heels into this! Just sad it's only 1 submission per person. :/ Will be my first time trying to work with a midi, and so far, it's terrible, aggrivating, and difficult. xD But, Imma try. Anything for Metroid, bay-beh!

Man, two things I absolutely love to always have a sit down and listen to: FF music and orchestral renditions of video game songs, and this one does both! As soon as I heard the opening bars leading into the FF Prelude / Opening Theme, I got that spine-tingling feeling again as I did when I was a kid sat down playing SNES FF IV (the first of the series I played) on my own, stereo up high on the TV. Unfortunately, busyness pulled me away from hearing the rest, but tonight I am going to take a sit down to read the text thoroughly and listen to the whole thing! You've got another subscriber here, and it's always wonderful to see a full band group performing stuff from movies, TV, and games, and not just the normal, traditional minutes and sernades. That said, I did get to read some of the text and your story of how the group got together so quick and on the cuff before Magfest, with so little time to coordinate and practice, and did this suite--it's astounding. Will and must hear more, and will comment more when I do!

O.o Hm... That's weird. Is it normal to have so many page views but no comments? ^^; Hope the link / song is working.

This isn't the first remix from a game I've completed, however it is one I am more confident with: https://www.bandlab.com/vodouqueenxiii/groove-of-the-ancients-jazz-funk-dance-mix I decided I might as well throw myself into the deep-end (hope I'm doing it right), but yeah. Any advice, pointers, or criticisms (good or bad) would be great. Hoping to get something into submission at some point... I realize Cakewalk / BandLab is not on the usual list of DAWs to work with, by the way, but it's all I have to work with at the moment. I am extremely new to composing, arranging, mixing and mastering music on my own, (with nothing but me learning from YouTube vids, what bit of information I still have on music theory from years ago in band, and other tidbits on the internet). I'm practically a tadpole in a pond. Don't want anyone to go easy on me despite all this, please. Look forward to the comments. o/ Cheers!