Villainelle
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Posts posted by Villainelle
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Hi Reuben. First, I'm a major fan--your "I Am Ultimecia" gives me chills every time.
That said, I'm in agreement with some of the comments above. Most prominent thing that sticks out is the guitar sequencing. It sounds very sequenced. Needs more humanizing all around, slides, held notes, some tasteful off-beat notes, improv riffs, etc. etc. The usual. You're trying to imitate a live player so the guitars need a lot more character and less looped-sequence feel to it. This applies somewhat to the bass as well, at least during the sections when it's more exposed.
The other thing that jarred me is the drum looping, for example the loop that plays around 2:20 (may be earlier as well, that was just the part that stuck out)--again, sounds very loopy. I'd suggest either keeping the pattern but playing it occasionally with a different kit, or just doing some more drum sequencing by hand (I did appreciate the hand-sequenced accents during this section, but the underlying loop got tedious). I think also during this or the other similar break would be a nice time for a brief guitar solo to distract from the fact that this section gets repeated almost (?) identically.
By the way, one of your drum loops (first heard at about 0:23) has some clipping. My speakers aren't the greatest and I didn't analyze the waveform but there's pretty noticeable distortion and flatting in the high frequencies during that loop. Dunno if you caught this or not.
Anyway! All that aside, I love this conceptually. Your backing instrumentation is excellent, and this whole track is ripe with flavor and ideas. The funk breaks are kickass. Honestly, the complaints above are not major--structurally this is quite sound, it just needs some tweaking. Humanizing the guitars and varying up the drums shouldn't be too difficult for someone of your obvious aptitude.
Can't wait to hear this polished up.
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Sounds like you want downtempo/trip-hoppy stuff. In that vein I'd suggest (group names, not songs) Lemon Jelly, Air, Morcheeba, Beth Orton, Björk, Zero 7, Thievery Corporation, Nightmares on Wax, Lamb, etc., along with the already mentioned Röyksopp and Portishead.
BTW, if you really want to turn some girl on with music, find out what she likes, not what you think ideal "lovemaking songs" are.
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If that thing is capable of playing Super Famicom cartridges, Seiken Densetsu 3. Or buy the cart but play the English fan-translation ROM.
And for emphasis, Terranigma is one of the finest final-generation SNES titles. It was never released in NA, though, so who knows if that thing can play it. If you like Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma, the "original" in that unofficial series is Soulblazer, which is a decent little action/adventure-RPG.
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This is ace. Just a couple suggestions to tighten it up that last little notch...
The hi-hat someone mentioned, comes in at about 1:05 and plays occasionally throughout the song (again at 1:27, 1:54, and so on). It's way too loud and dry and doesn't sit in the mix well. Would be fine if it was a little wetter and had some velocity dynamics.
The drums throughout, and the song overall is also on the dry side. Don't know if this is stylistically intentional, is it? I would suggest just a little more reverb and some warming effects applied throughout the whole piece, just to make it smoother and more addictive to listen to than it already is, which is the point of trance after all.
The ending is dicey. It just doesn't seem to gel with the rest of the song. You could always do the cliché crescendo-to-fadeout trance ending, or something closer to the intro, winding down parts/instruments until it just ends with the beating heart. Whatever, you'll come up with something.
Aside from that, this is 100% pure distilled kickass. This will definitely get a lot of play for me. Kudos in advance for what will undoubtedly be on the front page soon, bud.
"techno robot trees olol" gets my vote too. If not that, then "Effervescence" or some variation seems most fitting.
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Fantastic. Arrangement adheres closely to the original, but the incredible palette of sounds used is stunning. The intro, breaks and transitions are masterful. Dirty noise mixes haven't sounded this good in a while. Kudos!
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The detuned guitar is fine--it's the sloppy, grating pan flute that bothered me most. So many small yet constant timing issues amongst almost all elements. And the detuned instrumentation sometimes works, but sometimes just sounds...purposefully out of tune and exasperating.
It's one thing to deliberately aim for a lo-fi, off-the-cuff, detuned sound, but this mix almost seems to wander into dissonance and timing flubs obliviously. Sometimes it feels like you're in control, sometimes not. I can't tell if I'm listening to crafted awkwardness, or just error...and thinking too much about it dampens the enjoyment of the mix, which I think was meant to be visceral and raw.
There's a lot of potential in this one, I'm just surprised it wasn't tightened up before being accepted. Would love to hear a revision with at least the timing errors and transitions fixed. And please soften that poor choking flute. :S
My 2c.
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Ideas for some Final Fantasy XII remixes:
1) Esper battle theme (played while fighting any Esper) - this is probably my favorite track in the game; epic and suspenseful, it has powerful melodic phrases and some haunting harmonies/denouement. Any treatment that retains its ominous, looming feeling would be wonderful. I see a lot of potential for a dark electronic mix, in the style of Zircon or MP.
2) Gilgamesh theme - this track is recycled from Final Fantasy V ("Clash at the Bridge") and is remixed already for the game. It's also been included in shortened form in at least one Final Fantasy orchestral medley that I remember. This is old-school Uematsu, catchy, racing, exhilirating. The source music is so solid and good that virtually any style should work well. This theme is beloved by old- and new-school fans alike and is one of the game's stand-out tracks.
3) Salikawood & Feywood tracks - these are somewhat similar in style, while the mood between them varies widely. Jazzy and meandering, with flutes and hand percussion, the potential for a New Age-style or similar treatment is enormous. Salikawood is on the mysterious, playful side, while Feywood is on the haunting, suspenseful side. I was vaguely reminded of the Forest Temple theme from Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which made me giddy at the prospect of a pixietricks-style ambient vocal remix. Or a Dan Baranowsky-like take with elements of R&B and ambient. A blending of the two wood themes is another potential avenue.
4) Rabanastre theme - a joyful, springy town theme for the game's main city, it almost hearkens to Mitsuda's town themes in the Chrono series and Xenogears. Would translate wonderfully to a live band, and equally well to upbeat electronic style in the vein of Ziwtra.
Thanks for your consideration. I look forward to any FFXII remixes, and hope these suggestions strike a chord somewhere.
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Haven't been here in a loooong time, but have been on WoW most of the past 2 years. Just wanted to post my character name here in case any of you old-timers might see this. (Hi Gray.
)Server: Lightbringer
OCR Name: Leah
Char Name: Villainelle
Race: Human
Class: Rogue
In an endgame guild doing AQ40 (Twin Emps atm). Come say hi sometime if you remember me.
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Emperor has to be one of the most liberal and creative mixers I've heard since Michael Dover (Israfel), which is at once both refreshing and a liiiiittle bit frustrating.
I adore this mix, which takes wild license with the main Morrowind theme and turns out something you definitely can't accuse of being a MIDI rip. While Emperor's tendency to roam far afield from a source tune is quite evident here, I really appreciate the breadth of originality in this mix. I'd caution those who expect any kind of faithfulness to the instantly recognizable Morrowind theme to keep an open mind, though--as Dekkon said, you probably won't be able to tell this is Morrowind till snippets of the original theme surface about a minute in.Emperor has given the tune a sprightly, martial flair, with Eastern European ethnic sounds and conventions that we rarely (if ever?) hear around here--think "Morrowind does Moscow."
(Or should that be "Moscow does Morrowind?" Anyway.) While this mix didn't kindle up any Morrowind nostalgia for me, I found it highly enjoyable in its own right. Fantastic work, Emperor, and congratulations on the first of what I suspect will be many published OCRemixes. 
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The first thing I though when I heard this Remix is, "Wow, it's FFVI meets Morrowind."
My thoughts exactly. This remix is very much in the vein of Mr. Soule's NWN/Morrowind/KotOR work, densely epic and thematic.
I too did a double-take after seeing the name "Jeremy Soule" in the credits for this mix. Seeing djp's "Oh. My. God." just split my face into a huge grin and I knew it was true - one of my favorite game composers remixed one of my other favorite game composer's best-known and most stirring tracks. This is just heaven. I've been replaying Morrowind lately, whistling that damn theme song constantly, and dropped by OCR on a lark during a break from playing. Lo and behold, what a gift was waiting. Thank you so much, Mr. Soule - not only for this beautiful piece of music, but as others mentioned, for actually taking time out of your busy life to rearrange a song many here hold dear and submit it to OCR. I'm just...wow. Wow. Thank you.
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I don't remember MM's music at all, but I easily got into this mix. Very retro, 80s dance sound. Tight!
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First, what is the definition of VST and SoundFiles?
"SoundFiles" could mean anything, that's not a recognized term for anything specific that I know of. If you mean soundfont, a soundfont is a package of samples. You need a sampler capable of playing soundfonts to use them. FL has one, but it's only a demo in certain versions of the program.
VST is a technology developed by Steinberg, used for building synthesizers, effects boxes, etc. FL has some native VSTs, i.e. the 3 Osc, Wasp, etc. Basically, a VST is a program that can either be run on its own or used as a plug-in, and is capable of generating sound or applying dynamic effects to sound. This is in contrast to a soundfont or other kinds of samples, which are simply recorded sounds--that is, you're not creating them in real time like synthesizers or effects boxes.
Second, how can I even load soundfiles into fruity loops to get them to output more than silence?You mean soundfonts? If you don't have it, you'll need the full version of FL's soundfont player, which costs extra.
Also, for the basic instruments that FL has, everyone says they suck and need to be replaced, would one look for .wav samples to use?If you mean FL's samples, yeah, they're not spectacular overall, so it wouldn't hurt to start building your own library of samples, soundfonts, and what have you. But keep in mind that it's how you use them--if you use them intelligently and apply effects in such a way that they don't scream "OMG I'M A FRUITY DEFAULT SAMPLE HATE ME," they're serviceable. People are just sick of hearing the same generic FL samples and synth presets used in beginner songs--spend some time tweaking and personalizing.
But FL's synth instruments are a different story. It has some pretty good stuff. The 3 Osc, for example, is an excellent softsynth. Of course, if you want to use them effectively, you're going to have to learn how to program synths--we've all heard the gamut of FL synth presets ad nauseam.
HTH.
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I found a working Pentium II in an alley a couple months ago.
There's not much you can do with that processor, Dj ZeR(). If you have the patience, you could work on one track at a time, render it as a WAV, start a new project, and drop in that WAV as a sample so FL isn't eating up your resources to calculate stuff for that specific track anymore. Also, don't go hog wild dropping in effects on everything right off the bat--do your arranging first with minimal FX, then add them in later, possibly rendering each track as you finish it. This completely takes away the flexibility in being able to tweak stuff on the fly, though.
If you're not already maxed out, it would certainly help if you add as much RAM as your motherboard can fit. I believe Fruity loads just about everything into RAM, whether it's being used or not.
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Edit: nevermind, got a used copy of Logic 5.5 for Windows, happy as a clam now.
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The (almost 3-minute!) intro/beginning section is lovely even though the rain sample is kind of hokey after a while...but I've found that the beginning drags in anticipation of the trance section on repeated listens. It's definitely not something you could get away with playing in a club, and while I applaud GLL's risk-taking and innovation here, I ultimately wish for a more curtailed intro/orchestral part at around 1 minute. As it stands the mix feels too half-and-half--and a bit lopsided.
Also, this mix does indeed have a muddy, washed-out, "muffled" sound during the trance part, as Xelebes noted. That's a shame, since it pointedly detracts from some of the punch the trance section might have had. What happened? I hope GLL releases a remaster, because the arrangement is fantastic, just has oddly dull production.
But hey, this is still good stuff anyhow. I'm keeping this one because it's certainly something different, and the source tune is just damn beautiful. Not bad.
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The voice over would've worked better at the start, I think
Agreed--or maybe at the very end, over silence, so I could edit the MP3, snip it off, and keep the rest of the awesome instrumentation.
I've taken a liking to Rayagon's style since first hearing him over at VGMix, and this one is more of that similarly-styled goodness. Great hybrid of slow orchestral elements, energetic piano, and trippy electronic percussion. Rayagon loves his reverb, and it sounds good with a song of this style.
One thing--I believe I noticed a bit of clipping around 1:17, possibly slightly before and after too--my speakers, or is it real?
Anyway, good stuff.
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The lyrics don't sound like much of an improvement on "Toroian Love Song." They're the usual cliché rock verses about loneliness, despair, sunsets, etc. At least this time they're a bit more appropriate to the actual game, unlike TLS, but it still comes off like someone's bad poetry slapped on top a video game song. I also thought the singing sounded strained in many parts--trying to blurt out words fast enough to fit inside the melody. As has already been pointed out, the attempt at harmony at the end is...rather unpleasant.
I feel the same as several other listeners: great instrumentation, bad singing. Too bad there's no non-vocal version.
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Under what circumstances would I want to switch FROM fl?
Once they iron the bugs out, you won't need to "switch from" FL at all...when FL supports Rewire properly, you'll be able to simply load Reason into it like a VST. Best of both worlds.
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You probably don't even need headphones to hear the glitches...there were several, right from the intro up to almost the end, which I heard through speakers.
As for the arrangement itself...hm. I have mixed feelings on this one. A lot of parts sounded like simply layering two songs on top each other, toss in a drum loop and some modulated arpeggios, lather rinse repeat. Then again, in some parts the juxtaposition of melodies created an interesting mood or harmony not heard in the originals.
Dunno, still on the fence here after several listens...
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Amazing reinterpretation of the original. There's not a single mix by Ziwtra that I don't like, and this is no exception, even though it's such a departure from his usual style.
I have just one question...why "Rain in Chicago?"
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Yep, savin' the big review for VGMix, but for now...this is just ethereally warm and beautiful. I found the original in-game version of the song forgettable, but Gray Lightning changes that. I strongly agree with freemind--there's obviously a lot of imagination in this mix, and GL's stuff tends to have the effect of triggering your own imagination, sending you soaring across luscious landscapes...great work as usual. Kudos, GL!
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I can program a synth to make the sound I want, but can't figure out how to modulate it properly to give it a fluctuating, trancey gated sound... Automated volume...been trying that, it sounds close to the sound I'm trying to get.
So, if you were remixing a game song into trance, would you completely rewrite the notation of your leads to get that trance sound, or would you stay close to the original notation and use automation to accomplish the trance sound?
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Okay, I'm trying for a trance sound right now, and it's just not happening. Gating a synth is giving me the most trouble. I've read a bunch of tutorials and tried things like plugging a Redrum into a synth and then using drum patterns to dice the sound up, but I can't quite get the sound I want. Could anyone else share their techniques for getting that gated, rhythmic trance sound out of Reason's synths? Thanks.
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The distorted piano reminds me of a music box whose batteries are running low (er...or one that needs to be wound up again), but luckily it gets somewhat absorbed by the other instruments. I also didn't care for the sort of uninspired drums...it would have been nice to hear something more exotic, because they were such an integral part of the original. Otherwise, the arrangement is very pleasant and interesting, and a refreshing take on a familiar theme.
So I Got This Program...
in Music Composition & Production
Posted
This may help you.
VSTi
Soundfont