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OCR01160 - Sonic Adventure "LightSpeed"


djpretzel
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Awesome job on your second OC Remix S|r Nuts! (although it's been more than a year since the last one) Like DJ P mentioned, this song goes far beyond cookie-cutter trance and really stands by itself as a very creative and well produced piece of music.

The song starts out with some original percussion and a strong bassline (very unlike most trance songs, which usually start with just a kick and some simple percussion). S|r Nuts gradually introduces more percussion, then starts bringing the bassline out a bit more with some filtering. A short, light, snare roll (different from the usually 16th/32nd snare trance builds though) transitions to the next section at :25.

S|r Nuts then introduces some even fuller percussion and some breathy, building pads. During this section is also introduced some other arpeggio-style synths; S|r Nuts really knows how to balance his melodic rhythm section with contrasting timbres and relatively bright sounds. This section continues to build to a break at 1:18, with a smooth transition that includes a very interesting pitch-bended synth effect.

Although most of the rhythm cuts out, the song continues to be very interesting during this section. "Sonic" is spoken in a kind of ethereal tone by Mae, followed by "Lightspeed" (in a slightly more assertive tone) a few measures later. The break continues at 1:31, with another pitch-bend transition (and single, delayed kick drum), with the remaining percussion cut out. All that remains playing for the next few seconds are S|r Nuts' very rich atmospheric pads (you can't really appreciate them until this point of the song).

At 1:44 (transitioned by a very rich, balanced reverse-cymbol sound effect), the pads give way a little to let some melodic percussion back in, but also a filtered introduction of a very strong lead playing a different melody (yet complimenting all the melodies/themes up to this point). The song continues to build to a new transition (the same pitch-bend effect, yet shifting up and longer then the previous ones; this time, however, the pitch-effect plays by itself, in addition to a for a few cymbol crashes, so the song creates a lot of anticipation and energy to lead into the next part).

The next section at 2:13 of the song takes off the with new lead melody backed up by loads of percussion and melodic/arpeggiated backing. A snare roll leads into a new section at 2:39 where the melody cuts out to allow emphasis on the bass and percussion. Some subtle dirty wind effects are used during this part to keep the atmosphere of the song moving along. At 2:45 begins a transition consisting of 16th high hats (followed by snare drum) that leads into yet another, unique section.

At 2:52, some pads and bass are carrying an entirely new chord progression (that still goes with the original song, however). In addition, he introduces a strong, distorted, arpeggiated, TB-303 line that creates an intense mood. At 3:05, his thick, heavy lead gradually filters back in, playing a new submelody (kind of a variation of one of the song's melodies, a weaker sort of melody that starts to break the song down). The 303 line cuts out around 3:32 (following a very subtle snare roll transition). At 3:38, some percussion cuts out to a transition to a further breakdown of the song at 3:44 (along with a new pitch-bend effect for the transition). A new 303-ish melody filters in at this point, with even more of the percussion dropping out, the melody filtering back out; this section involves some creatively placed cymbol crashes also, leading into a kick build/roll that finishes the song (ending with a delayed kick).

This review may seem very long; however, I put a lot of emphasis on the little parts of a song that determine whether I think it is good. Transitions are VERY important to me, as they are what for the most part keeps a song running smoothly. Many of the transitions used by S|r Nuts are far more than the cliche snare roll used by most trance songs. He impliments many other types of percussions during his transitions, although they sometimes include rolling snare drums (however; his snares aren't incredibly loud, and he also manages to sequence them creatively, as well as use them as part of the main-ryhthm section so they balance with the entire song).

It should be obvious that S|r Nuts spends LOADS of time mixing and mastering his percussion. I think that the ideas he uses (and carries throughout an entire song) are normally very creative, especially compared to other songs in this genre. I believe that what really sets him apart is the LACK of repetition. Just about every section of the song I mentioned offered something unique, yet complimented the song as a whole. For most people, this is something that isn't easy to do. A song will usually be either overtly repetitive or so random that it doesn't seem to flow together. This song used many contrasting ideas; yet all the ideas were implemented and pieced together very smoothly.

The synth work in this song was very impressive. I'm sure he used a few VST's that didn't come with Fruity Loops when he made this. The pads were very rich, the bass sounded thick, yet balanced with the other synths; his arpeggios contrasted each other and had nice tone/timbre; the lead could have been slightly better, but it was still very thick and good enough to stand on its own. The individual pieces of this song may not seem that great or awesome compared to other stuff on this site, but on the whole, this song is amazing.

I am amazed at how far S|r Nuts has gone since that day (I think it was over a year ago) I spent about 2 hours teaching him the basics of music theory. His ear seemed undeveloped, and he had very little idea about how to put different notes together. Today, I am impressed about the skill he has creating contrasting, complimenting melodies and harmonies and putting them together. It is obvious that he spends a lot of dedicated time listening to professional trance artists and creating stuff on his own that maybe will one day contribute to the growth of the genre.

S|r Nuts, you get mad props for this song. Stuff of Legends man (9.5/10)

:nicework:

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This is good stuff. I recognized the original right off the bat, but it still mixes things up really well. I love the bit at around 1:45 when the main melody comes in really muted and quiet and builds up to 2:14, where it really starts to kick ass and you get bowled over by a solid wall of yummy trance. Suddenly all I could think off was Sonic speedin' down the racetrack in that spiffy little flying car thing, grabbing rings and knocking all of the enemy cars off the track and into the starry oblivion. Man, Twinkle Cart is the coolest amusement park ride EVER. *cough* Anyway, this is a very cool, very fun mix, and it makes me wanna play my favorite stage in Sonic Adventure again. :D

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At one point sir nuts and I were pretty close in skill level, but songs liek this make it obvious that he is and will always be someone I look up to as a mixer and musician. He has reached a level far beyond where I am at in my music at this point.

I really feel that sir nuts is going to be a name as recognizable as Ghetto Lee Lewis, Beatdrop, Disco Dan etc etc etc.

You will defniately be one of the greats of OCR one day, keep up the good work and keep producing masterpieces as this one.

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Wow....it's odd hearing a different play on the song that you've been listining to as Darkesworde's ears heard it. (Props to him btw!) This is a very interesting remake of it. It's pretty sweet too. I know have like to different versions of the song and it's neat cuz this ones like the european trance music that i love. Pretty interesting!

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Pretty good job.

I like:

Percussion is great!

303 synth is noice!

Mastering pretty clean.

Good structure.

Don't like:

The original song. I already didn't like the original, and I don't think this song translates well into trance. It sounds goofy to me. It's trying to sound hardcore/mysterious/trancy with a really happy-yay melody. The section around 3:15 is a real big example of that for me. I don't think this is any fault of the remixer or anything (other than iffy song selection ;)). Sir Nuts did well with what he had. This mix sounds more like a game remix trance song than just a sweet trance song. If that floats your boat, that's cool, but it doesn't mine.

Good stuff.

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Yay... a supersaw-string trance.... where's the supersquare-choir trance? haha

joking of course.

There is that pizzicatto synth in there that sounds a wee bit out of place... too upfront causing it to sound imbalanced. Possibly making the peak nout so loud would fix that.

Other than that I can see no qualms about this piece.

Other than it being a bit cliched with the genre.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Incidentally, the contributor is right about the tune's origin. The same tune is used in the opening storyline screens and-- as DarkAura points out-- the Panic Puppet Zone, in the Megadrive/Genesis version of Flickies' Island, a.k.a. Sonic 3D Blast. That version had a completely different soundtrack to the Saturn and PC versions, as has been covered on OCRemix under the appropriate title; personally, I prefer the 16-bit version's soundtrack...

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  • 2 months later...
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  • 4 months later...
  • 5 weeks later...

This is great. Absolutely amazing mastering and sound quality, how do these guys do it! This trance piece has a nice rythm and synths and takes the original Sonic 3D MD/Sonic Adventure song to a more commercial level, and it sounds great.

The only Niggle I have with this is that it could use a louder beat. Such quiet beats in trance create the smell of cheese, and when turning the songs up to the desired volume, the synths drown out the beat and burn your ears.

Very nice otherwise though, and great to see someone make a great pro-trance statement on OC ReMix and, in turn, convince me it's still possible that I and other Dance oriented musicians may someday make it in too.

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  • 4 months later...
  • 9 months later...

Now this is pure unrefined trance! It builds up power, releases it and then restarts the cycle again, but with new sample equipment for every round. I'm not really that kind of person that knows much of this genre, but you can hear that it's trance since it contains those special echoing synths that gradually increase and decrease their volumes, working together with the beats and basses, making this into a Super Duper Mega Sega Woofer Turbo remix with a tempo that kicks both ass and eardrums.

Great and awesome sir Nuts. Truly.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Wow, just WOW. This song puts my Fruity skills to shame. Excellent build-ups, flawless breakdowns, catchy beat that slowly progresses into one giant drum monster machine (that's the only way I can describe it). I can truly say, that I am jealous, sir. I must learn your ways and become one with the oscillator, just like you.

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  • 2 years later...

Distinctly driving right out of the gate, and some excellent synths layer to create a pretty deep soundscape. The source itself is really simplistic, but there is so much energy here that I don't think a more interesting melody is really required; it runs of adrenaline alone.

This is another example of me loving a 303. I think I know what kind of gear to get next. :-D

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  • 3 months later...

This song is simply flawless. If anything, you made it better than the original song. It blew me away. And the best part is that this is one of those songs that you can listen to, even if you've never played the game. 100/5

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  • 4 months later...

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