pixelseph   Judges ⚖️

This is one of the most interesting Zelda remixes I've ever had the pleasure to delve into! This remix opens with a fake-out, though the context of the fake-out intro isn’t clear until :25. :34 counts off the real intro. Fake-out intro and the real intro both use ALttP’s Dark World Dungeon theme, as described in the write-up with the celli and viola, though the real intro at :36 takes a unique approach with the interpretation. The quartet introduces each member of the ensemble from lowest to highest, moving together into :53. The piece is quite tense, allowing very brief releases at 1:00 and 1:11. Everything is nicely separated in the soundscape, making it easy to pick out what any particular instrument is doing at any point. The piece is definitely some kind of tonal! :-) Moments like 1:35, 1:43, and 1:48 effectively use extended voicings and rhythm to keep the tension ratcheting up. There’s a breath at 2:01, picking back up at 2:02 with the NES Dungeon motif. 2:31 brings in a more sombre, melancholy feel that doesn’t totally displace the tension, moving back to that more anxious feel at 3:03. 3:13 keeps the tempo but has the viola layer the ostinato with a dotted rhythm over the quarter-time cello, creating a neat syncopation. I’m having trouble placing the Sanctuary Dungeon motif in the piece, likely because it’s been reinterpreted to flow with the other two motifs. Dynamically, the piece pushes and pulls throughout, which helps contextualize the tense motifs. The pauses (2:01, 3:10) help keep things from going into too much harmonic dissonance. The only nitpick I have is that the ending feels like a bit of a letdown - a quick, dramatic rest before bringing the ensemble in for the final two chords would have been nicer to have. The composition and arrangement allowed for ease of separating out the instruments, and the panning also helped give more depth. The panning violin phrases like at 2:48 and 3:28 that move across the stereo field are great examples. Frequencies are nicely balanced - not a lot of sub-bass but there’s still plenty of warmth without having mud. While I would have preferred a stronger resolution, this piece has more strengths than weaknesses. The mix is solid, the writing maintains a tense feel without going overboard, and it executes its vision overall. And while my ear couldn’t make out the Sanctuary Dungeon motif in the 3rd act, the other sections have enough source material to carry the piece. Welcome to the front page! YES

Hello hello! What a cool introduction to Remember Me - love that glitchy electro-orchestra vibe! Thank you for breaking down the source usage for us! I've included my timestamp sections from the source below for ease of reference. The remix seems to reorder the source sections as ACBCDEB. Source sections: :00 - :20 (A1) :20 - :52 (B) 1:13 - 1:53 (C) 2:16 - 2:36 (A2) 3:02 - 3:12 (D1) 3:55 - 4:30 (D2) 5:12 - 5:32 (E) Arrangement-wise, this is good stuff! Every section feels distinct from the rest, even when revisiting earlier ideas. The transitions between sections are well-handled with cues from brass (:26, 1:57) and cymbals (:49, 1:19). The dissonance from the winds at 2:31 adds great tension to the piece right before the climax. I didn't recognize the odd-time signatures on my first few listens because they are cleverly done! However, the production side of the piece has some issues. The attack on the quick brass and string runs (1:58, 2:01 - 2:42) as called out by the other judges needs to be addressed. I'm aligned with LT and Rexy on the humanization not being there yet - moments like :00 - :25, 1:20 - 1:28, and 3:06 - 3:17 feel like missed opportunities for more dynamic emphasis and expression, such as hairpinning the chordal voices with crescendos/decrescendos. Given the goal is epic and stressful, these sections aren't contributing to that goal. I found it easy to discern what voice was meant to be the lead in every section of the piece, though I hear what Emunator is saying around 2:31 - 2:42. The brass has the focus earlier in the section (2:01 - 2:31), but it's less clear as a listener if the focus is on the winds or the brass for the rest of the section. I would love to see this one posted to the site! However, for me to sign off on this one, I would need to hear the attack timings corrected, and more dynamic expression inside the sections outlined (:00 - :25, 1:20 - 1:28, and 3:06 - 3:17). NO (resubmit)

Coming in fresh on this one as well! This track uses all the meat on the bone and then some between both source tracks. Durandal has a lot of repeated parts for its 3-minute runtime, and the Infinity theme is a quick A-B in under a minute. Intro uses a creative interpretation of the Durandal B section string backing; A section builds with the Durandal A section and some pauses. 2:42 finally introduces the Infinity B section, which leads to the outro at 3:45 with Infinity’s A section. I’m enjoying the attention paid to the dynamics of the track - ambience in the right places (:00 - 1:07, 2:42 - 3:45), synth bass stabs as builds (:56 - 1:17), four-on-the-floor kick drum in the “choruses” (1:25 - 1:41, 2:11 - 2:41, 3:45 - 4:28). There’s a story being told by the piece to guide the flow, and for the most part, everything is in service to that premise. There’s more room for variation within each section, as there are some sections that are copy pasta (1:41 - 1:56 and 2:11 - 2:26 are identical in the waveform). Even something as small as changing the drum fills in one of the sections makes a huge difference. The build-ups and downs are great, on the other hand! The way the space is treated at :56 is especially good when it uses the ambience to make space after introducing the phrase. For me, the instrument choice and implementation need more attention. I think the strings are serviceable for their role in the piece (no crazy fast articulations here, just swells and padding) but the guitar programming is not. While the parts at 1:40 - 2:00, 2:10 - 2:27, and 3:44 - end are hitting harmonically sound pitches, they lack realistic expression and articulations. Except for the bends, all of the notes are articulated the same way (down-pluck, no round-robin (sample swaps to create variation on the same note), no slides or hammer-ons/pull-offs (legato)). Look for ways to embellish these articulations on the guitar's phrasing, and I can sign off on this one! NO (please resubmit!)

This remix is a fairly conservative, semi-chiptune take that would've been right at home in the late ‘00s OCR. No question about source usage here. Source has an intro-ABC, where the intro is reused as a tag in the C section to loop back to A. Timestamps for the remix using the source A section (:00 - :40, 1:01 - 1:21, 2:02 - 3:02), source B section (:41 - 1:00, 1:21 - 1:41), and source C section (1:42 - 2:01). Sections have been swapped around from the usual ABC loop, with filter builds and breakbeats. The drops at 1:41 and 2:02 are stylistically appropriate, as is the resonance sweep on the reese bass at 1:01. The breakbeats are handled well, though each distinctive breakbeat loop (sounds like there are 2 total, and a third drum loop for the chip refrain at 2:02) seems to be only about 4 bars long. There aren’t enough variations in the loops throughout to make each section feel distinct from a percussion perspective; this can be achieved by doing unique chops of the snares at the end of every loop, or adding different fills. The overall structure is solid, and the arrangement has enough variation compared to the source so I'm satisfied on that front. I agree with my fellow Js that the mixdown and additional variation on the leads and drums are the biggest things to focus on to get this one over the bar. Add some more snare chops and fills for variety, balance out the mids to bring the lows and highs back, and address the phasing on the pan. There is plenty of room to add more stereo ear candy as well, after addressing the previous points. NO (resubmit)

First-time listener here as well! There’s no question that all 3 sources are represented in this remix. Opening (:00-:1:32~) arp is from Ghost Castle over the bass movement from Aquaduct, melody is from Title Screen. Dominant melody seems to change hands when the sections change (1:33, 2:08, 2:41, 3:12, 3:41) which helps keep all three sources tied together rather than getting into medley-itis. Outro blends the Aquaduct arp under the Ghost Castle melody; percs hint at the Ghost Castle ambient chip noises. Melodically, Knight ‘N’ Grail feels more dominant than Ninja Gaiden here, though structurally the arrangement and style are more Ninja Gaiden. I’m leaning more KnG here as far as dominant track, specifically Ghost Castle as its arp and melodic sequence feature most prominently across the runtime. The remix opens with the synth arp which has the focus for the first 30 seconds until the plucked synth comes in with the melody. Starts in 6/8 until around :14, when everything swaps to 7/4. 7/4 can be a tough meter to grok with a perceived lack of backbeat - the clap on 2 and 6 helps alleviate this, giving it a 2+3+2 feel. Title Screen melody over the top of the 7/4 around :30 was done by displacing the pick-up in the melody by a beat; love the ostinato line at the end, though the delay masks the playing more than it enhances. This also is where the panned-lead issue the other Js brought up begins. Counterpanning the delay from the pluck to the left channel is one way to address this, though centering the pluck and ping-ponging the delay right-to-left also works. Aqueduct shines through around 1:16; plucked synth takes the Aquaduct arp and a pad takes the two-note lead line movement. The percussion brings us to a 4/4 feel, building the claps to move to syncopated hits and a backbeat snare after 1:41. Energy picks up here thanks to the percussion and bass at 1:50. Section at 2:08 drops the bass for a round before coming back in around 2:23 an octave up. Filter synth has the Ghost Castle melody, the pluck enters with the bass for a countermelody. We get a fake-out drop at 2:38, swapping back to 7/4 but with a 2+2+3 feel this time. New warbly piano seems to have the melody here while the pluck takes a deserved breather. Bass maintains its upper octave work throughout. 3:12 seems to be the climax of the piece, pluck returns with the filter synth halfway through. When the outro arrives at 3:41, percussion and bass settle down to land the plane. This is a clever arrangement and a lot of attention has been paid to balancing out the sources. I am in the same boat with Hemo, Chimpa, and Proph, however - the panning on the leads is not helping this piece. Having a melodic phrase front and center gives the audience something to focus on, and especially when you've got a tricky odd-time rhythm underneath, it's all the more important. Bringing whichever instrument you want the audience to focus on back to the center while keeping the counter-melodic voices and FX to the sides gets this over the bar for me. NO (resubmit)

Thrilled to hear this available on the site! Working with @ZackParrish was a treat - enough leeway in the composition to add small embellishments in the second half of the piece but enough structure to stay focused. Is there more Parrish & Pixels content to come? Who knows!!

Hi Banana! That lead in the source is cursed. Detuned and awkward for sure - the tracks has a vibe, nonetheless! You've built a great intro and A section, though I'm wondering if there's a B section you could come up with for some variety. The vibe is right for what you've got built, it just structurally says everything it needs to say in the first minute and then loops for another 30 seconds with nothing different. The sub-bass information on the bass instrument also has some mud happening on some of the lower information. A different oscillator might be the right call for the lowest notes, but that's also a taste thing - if you are digging it, no reason to change it! Keep making cool stuff man! Have a wonderful holiday!

I'm all in on this concept! Some of my favorite tunes are the credits themes and I don't see enough representation for them (SotN's ending theme, "I Am the Wind", or Metal Gear Solid 2's "Can't Say Goodbye to Yesterday" are great examples).

Awesome!! Looking forward to it :)

This was a lovely piece to put together in under a month (arranging took a couple of days, recording another couple of days, and then Connor mixed it all in maybe 10 days or so?) Each and every collaborator was awesome to work with, and I’d collab with them again in a heartbeat!!

Guitar: Cute Emily SG Shreddage 3 Stratus Unreal Instruments Metal-GTX (requires Plogue Sforzando) Bass: Shreddage 3 Precision MODO Bass 2 Amp Sims: Ignite Amps SHB-1 (SHB-1 is a boutique tube amp sim for bass guitar; comes with it's own cab IR built in) Ignite Amps Emissary and NadIR (Emissary is their boutique tube amplifier sim, NadIR is a cabinet IR sim that can be used with ANY other amp sim) Guitar Rig 7 Shattered Glass Audio ACE IK Multimedia Amplitube 5 Pedal VSTs: TSE Audio 808 TSE Audio R47 Plugin Boutique Face Bender

I highly recommend against ASIO4All in general, though if it does solve your problem, it’s worth it!

Hi Audiomancer! If your mix is sounding drastically different between project and bounce, there’s an issue with the codec being used by the DAW. You’re using FL Studio correct? What format are you mixing down to - 44.1k/128 bitrate I assume?

I love this! Can't tell if it's samba or bossa nova vibes but it definitely nails the island vibe even without steel pan.

Hi Virtual! Great start on this mix so far - it's got a vibe reminiscent of Final Fantasy 8's Balamb Garden. I do have some suggestions to get it to the next level: The percussion feels static and locked to the grid, and not just because it's the same loop being played in the A section. I like the it drops for the B sections, but adding more percussive elements (tambourine, shaker, tabla, etc) would help add more interesting movements into the piece. I would also recommend shifting elements away from the grid, like the hats and snare. The plucky guitar patch, similarly, runs arpeggios for the entire piece. While it does change between the A and B sections, you could introduce more constrast by switching from arpeggios to strummed chords (whole-note chords for the B sections, for instance). This would allow your B sections to open up and breathe more, which in turn will make your A sections feel more like "home" A reverb bus for all your instruments would help glue the entire piece together. I'm not sure if there is reverb in it - perhaps just on the synth parts - but adding a bus and sending some of each instrument to it, along with some EQ to shape it afterward, makes the entire piece feel like it's in the same space. You're off to a great start with this one! Looking forward to seeing where you take it next. :)

Hi Ruku! This is a total banger!! Very tasteful glitching, really enjoyed the drum swap from that '90s hyper-compressed vibe to something more chilled out. The instrument trade between the guitars and synths/keys was great as well. 10/10, no notes. Keep doing what you do 'cause it kicks ass!

Hi Ruku! Definitely understand taking this one in a phonk direction. I actually want to disagree with Mokram and say that this has a ton of the source in it. I was hoping to hear more personalization besides the genre flip in here as well as a more definitive ending. The vibe is exactly what I was looking for, though, and the mixing is excellent! Looking forward to more!

Hi Heel! Really dug the way the track builds. Good use of dynamics to keep the interest across such a long track length. I would have loved to hear more timbral variety in the last couple minutes, as it started feeling stale before the resolution. Shaving down the last round of the A section before the out is another solution, though I would rather hear the former over the latter. I did notice when I brought the export into SPAN that there are a LOT of instances of clipping between +0.1dB and +0.9dB. No artefacts thankfully, just wanted to mention that if you plan to submit this to the panel, you're better served bouncing out a mix that caps at 0.0dB max. Great stuff duder! Looking forward to hearing more from you!

I'm in! August is definitely doable

Hi noTuX! There's a real chill vibe going on here. Since your goal is to get this ready to sub to OCR, there are some adjustments I recommend: The percussion hits are not tuned to the piece. Especially when you have harmonic content that is shifting chords, the percussion not moving with the harmony gets sour in spots. The foundational ostinato pattern wears out its welcome after the first minute or so. Is there another element that can replace it for a passage and then come back? Or perhaps just dropping it out for a while to come back later? Feels underdeveloped currently. While there are sections we're progressing through in the listen, it's not clear to me where in the piece we're in and there's a sense of meandering through it. Part of that is because the ostinato repeating throughout, and part of it is there are not really any dynamic shifts other than adding more layers. Would love to give this another listen after you get some more cooking time in on this one. It's got a lot of potential!

Sorry to take so long to come back to this one! The detuning on the EP (or is it a marimba? sounds like a hammered instrument) at the beginning is a bit too heavy, and when the whistling comes in to double it, it gets sour. I recommend either not doubling with the whistle, or reducing the pitch shifting on the EP to match the whistles. The tremolo picking on the guitar isn't working for me - because of how tight the rhythm section is, it must be together with it or it sticks out uncomfortably. Tonally, the guitar is right where it needs to be; the (programmed) performance is not there yet. Overall, though, this is a great remix! Love the swap from bossa nova to waltz feel - wouldn't mind hearing the drums shift either to half-time or double-time for a section to give some difference in kind to add more spice.

Hi Seth! This sounds great! Not having anything come to mind as far as critique, so is there anything you're looking for specifically as far as feedback?