Liontamer Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 Original Decision: http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=18521 1st RESUB: http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22622 Contact Information ReMixer name: Suitmonster Real name: John J. Brandon Email address: jjbrandon@gmail.com Website: None at present. Userid: 24383 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged - Chrono Trigger Name of individual song(s) arranged - "Secret of the Forest", and a leg from the "Chrono Trigger" main theme. A link to the file: Additional information about game including composer, system, etc. (if it has not yet been added to the site) I'm sure sufficient information exists at OCReMix.org, but the original composer is Yasunori Mitsuda. Link to the original soundtrack (if it is not one of the sound archives already available on the site) - Available through OCReMix.org, if by some chance there are Philistines who are not already intimately, nigh-sexually familiar with it. Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc.- I've always enjoy the source song, but I did not set out with intent to ReMix anything. This work started by writing an original piece, and while fiddling on the ivories I found that "Secret of the Forest" fit nicely, so I adapted, pushed and shoved until I got a terrible, horrible, stinky remix, and then asked for advice from the WiP forums. After months of reworking it and many emails from supportive ReMixers and judges who reviewed the previous versions, I managed to come up with something vastly superior to my original shameful effort. The version I now submit addresses many of the concerns originally voiced by the judges, and I hope it is found satisfactory. If not, I'd be happy to go back to the drawing board once again. ---------------------------------------------------------------- http://snesmusic.org/v2/download.php?spcNow=ct - "Secret of the Forest" (ct-111.spc) & "Chrono Trigger" (ct-102a.spc) I believe Mustin was seeing potential this one, IIRC from the WIP boards, so I'm interested in hearing the latest cut. I still thought the mixing of the drums was a negative, and the overall mixing lacked polish. The drums just never sounded like they were in the same soundscape as the other instrumentation. There were moments where the sparse textures seemed way empty, but that wasn't a huge deal. The treble also sounded too hot, but I'd like a second opinion on that. Honestly, I'm cool with the arrangement, and I'm feeling the ideas there overall. It's a solid enough jazz-style take with pretty good dynamic, although again, some portions felt barren. The production just sounds too lo-fi for me to fully get behind it. It's slightly better than the first resubmission, but not too much. It's still lo-fi, and now there were some annoyances in the high end as well. I'll go YES (conditional) on some cleaning up of the production, but we'll see how this fares. It's definitely not something I want to NO, and I'd like to see this posted in some form. EDIT (1/16): I've relistened, and I'll go ahead and change my vote to NO (resubmit). I do think Jimmy's crit on the default FL drumloop is valid, but I've heard guys like Quinn Fox integrate presets well, so it's not an automatic DQ. It seemed to work fairly well. As far as the arrangement being weak, I thought the overall treatment of the source was still creative and thought Jimmy sold it short. I could see how someone wouldn't like the lead portasynth, but had 0 issue with it at all, and don't see what was wrong with using it. The melodic interpretation and countermelodic part-writing was pretty solid and definitely interpretive. I think the main issues are still the mixing/mastering being weak, and then the textures being empty for some sections (worst offender: 2:07-2:32). But Jimmy's ultimately made me see that this needs more than simple production clean-up for the pass. It's probably time to move on from this piece, but if you do give it one more go and really address the production and textural issues here, you could have a fair shot at a pass. Do keep at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big giant circles Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 Gotta be honest, I'm really not feeling this at all. IRC convo: [11:07] Jimmy: CT mix seems pretty amateurish so far[11:09] Larry|Work: the resub? [11:09] Larry|Work: or wait, which [11:09] Jimmy: yeah man, not feeling it at all [11:09] Larry|Work: there are 2 resubs [11:09] Jimmy: Forensique [11:09] Larry|Work: ah [11:09] Jimmy: gotta throw you the wtf here man [11:09] Jimmy: on your yes [11:09] Larry|Work: I think the writing's alright, the prod's just so whacked [11:10] Larry|Work: I just want it balanced [11:10] Jimmy: sloppy production, poopy mixing, boring instrumentation [11:10] Jimmy: and opens with a default FL drum loop [11:10] Larry|Work: hahaha [11:10] Jimmy: all of which I'm citing here in my vote [11:10] Larry|Work: alright, I'll take that into account, the defaultz [11:10] Jimmy: wtf is up with the reverb on the drums [11:10] Larry|Work: exactly [11:10] Larry|Work: it's totally wrong [11:10] Jimmy: foreal [11:11] Larry|Work: doesn't make any sense in terms of positioning either [11:11] Jimmy: surprised mustin was feeling this. his production is way better [11:11] Jimmy: maybe he was just feeling the general vibe [11:11] Jimmy: which I could understand [11:11] Larry|Work: he was like "fix it up", but he liked the arrangement [11:11] Jimmy: fair enough [11:11] Jimmy: still feels flimsy though [11:11] Larry|Work: he offered to help him, but the guy clearly didn't take him up on it [11:11] Larry|Work: it is [11:12] Jimmy: like, I don't mind minimal instumentation, as long as the song doesn't feel hollow or incomplete, which this one does So anyway, hope my directness isn't mistaken for unnecessary harshness, but this mix is definitely not where it ought to be. There's no need for the reverb on the acoustic kit, it sounds awkward and clutters up an otherwise fairly sparse mix. The crashes are too overbearing. The lead portasynth texture just didn't really rub me the right way either. The piano is really rigid. And the default FL loop just didn't really sound like it fit very well. I guess the arrangement is alright from a sketch perspective, but honestly, this doesn't really sound like a finished product to me. And the ending was extremely sudden and weak, IMO. There would need to be quite a lot done to this to get it above the bar, honestly, so much so I just don't even know what to get into specifically as far as making suggestions. The mix is most lacking in clarity and crispness from a mixing standpoint, and the choice of instrumentation and plugins/textures leaves quite a bit to be desired. Chalk it up to learning, honestly. I've never heard the prior versions, not to sound pessimistic, but quite honestly, instead of trying to salvage, it may be time to just move on here. Definitely confused by your vote, Larry. You've NO'd subs that were way more solid than this one. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Hmm, I don't remember hearing this one before. Either it changed a lot or my memory is going. Well, my memory is probably going no matter what. I didn't like what was done to fill this soundscape out. The piano and lead should be taking up more room rather than the hi-hats and shakers. Treble is definitely too hot, and those crashes get annoying to hear. There's a real problem with the drums sounding of a different quality than the rest of the instruments, it doesn't mesh. Larry pretty much called this stuff in his vote. I also wasn't that hot on the arrangement, a little unfocused and jumpy, but it's good enough. General vibe is very cool. Sorry John, not much to say except keep working on your production. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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