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OCR01975 - Sonic the Hedgehog (XB360) "Absolution Comes in Dreams"


djpretzel
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Yes! I've been waiting for this one to hit the front page for a long time. The original was actually probably a highlight of the game it came from. I never even knew the OCR connection between the original singer, either, so that was pretty cool :-) That was likely the longest writeup I've ever seen.

As for the song itself, it feels very emotional and personal, which offers a nice foil to the original, especially since the lyrics remain unchanged. Very interesting to listen to the original alongside this remix, as both are very good.

I can see this mix becoming very popular, it's got all the right ingredients to make it the sort of thing you can listen to on repeat and never get tired of. Bravo, both of you! :-D

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I was just reading the desc and thought it was kinda funny LeeBro said,

"Matthew’s vocals are warm, relaxed and despite having a few filters on

still have a rich quality[...]" while the original song that..he sang? [right?]...

is auto-tuned up the wazoo LOL. I am a bit biased tho, I really hate

overused autotune...so the original song I didn't so much care for.

This cover is sooo nice, though. So much better than the original =)

I just had it on in the BG on YouTube, and was enjoying it when I realized

M-One was singing LOL. [i used to stalk him on an art site, so this reminded

me I need to check his stuff!]

/end ramble

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This is reminding me a bit of Fireflies (one of the few pop songs I've actually enjoyed quite a bit) in terms of the effects on the vocals, and the general feel of the song itself. I agree with everyone that this has a nice warm feel to it which is really nice to listen to. Very relaxing, and a nice collab between the two artists.

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Funny, Palp just introduced me to this source a few days ago. Really digging this new arrangement! Lots of great elements in here, like the acoustic guitar and awesome vocals.

I'm still learning as a producer myself, but to me the production sounds good overall. At around 2 minutes in, I think the vocals get swallowed a little by all the other elements that come in then. Love the quiet part at 3 minutes, very sparse but is still compelling and a nice build up to the next chorus -- and then I looove that moment when the beat comes in. After that, the timing feels a little off in some of the percussive elements, I don't know whether this is due to the playing or it could be excess reverb/delay in the high end. Or maybe just my headphones ^_^; Great vocal stylings at the end.

Overall very enjoyable mix, will definitely be repeat listening to this one!

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I love this mix a lot. I'm a huge fan of the original, enough of one to follow Lee into his alter ego stage and watch him continue to grow as an artist (though I just couldn't believe the part that he was actually LeeBro... I actually thought it was someone else that happened to be using his name, but really cool that it IS actually him).

But back to the mix. I liked how you both utilized your talents well and yet didn't feel the need to go into utterly over-the-top showing off. Matt... holy crap, your voice fit this song like I thought no one else's would. Good job! And Connor, great job on your guitar playing! Despite the loose playing and such, it gave it a kind of easygoing feel that made me relax and enjoy it more.

Finally, of course, congrats on both of you for becoming OC ReMixers! W00T W00T! :-P

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Wow, this is a really solid arrangement. The chord structures mostly maintain themselves and keep things in perfect motion. The at break 3:03 to 3:17 leading to the strings and drum beat's entrance is a refreshing touch. Usually a drum track makes it's debut in less that 2 minutes in a mix, but it pops in later, making this thing a beast. Despite simple words, the lyrics are also extremely well written compared to alot of mainstream rock music I've been hearing these days.

However:

And now we just wait for some kneejerk vocal haters to inevitably show up...

Although, I do not have anything negative to say about the actual vocals in general, I also read the judges panel on the vocal mastering and I still have to agree on some level that the mastering is still incomplete. Part of the problem too lies in the auto-tune/vocoder effect that was added. Lots and lots and LOTS of producers use vocoder effects and many of the harmonic frequencies are still drowned out on the low end. Some of the words seem like they're "missing" in the song too if you listen closely. I also find that the vocalist can sing, so why bother throwing a auto-tune effect on when he'll sound just as good with pure and raw aside from compression and EQ? Is it really necessary just to add something for the sake of smoke and lights to get more DLs or because everyone else is doing it? Sorry. It's just an opinion, but vocoding to me is highly over-rated.

9/10

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so why bother throwing a auto-tune effect on when he'll sound just as good with pure and raw aside from compression and EQ? Is it really necessary just to add something for the sake of smoke and lights to get more DLs or because everyone else is doing it? Sorry. It's just an opinion, but vocoding to me is highly over-rated.

Hey A-RoN,

As the vocalist in this remix, I can safely say that no vocoders were used. What you're hearing is vocal harmonies, even then, there's only pitch correction on the higher vocals (and the high pass effect sections.. for effect, and not for smoke and lights) as I was having to sing in falsetto (due to having a naturally deep voice).

I hope this clears some things up.

Also, thank you very much everyone for your comments, I really appreciate everything you've said and are saying about this remix. They certainly bring a smile to my face, especially that surprise comment from Lee Brotherton himself. Thanks Lee!

:3

- M-One

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I haven't heard the source I'll have to check it out later, but all I know is that this remix is amazing guys! My only complaint is that the chorus part( the part comin in at around 1:47) seemed cluttered because I was havin a hard time understanding the vocals maybe it's just me and my hearing but from first impression it sounded cluttered same goes with other hook part comin in at 3:32 and actually I felt the song could have done without the extra elements like the snare and the tambourine because up until that point the song did without it so beautifully, but I guess that was too keep the mix from bein stagnant it doesn't make the song any worse it was just unexpected. But yeah like I said great job guys I'm glad school started back up and I can get on the internet because I don't think I could have gone without this song on my ipod lol xD.

On a side note:

My first pseudo in-depth review. I'm gettin better at this maybe lol?

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Nice factoids in Dave's write-up. I'm not familiar with LeeBro's work in OCR, but good for him that he's in the industry...working on a series he apparently loves no less.

Wasn't familiar with the source tune before this remix...though I really dug Sonic 2006's main theme, "His World" (can someone tackle that for OCR, please?). Upon listening to Dreams of Absolution on YouTube, I found it to be just as solid. Sonic music always never disappoints, even if the recent games themselves aren't as awesome as the classics.

As for this remix, truly excellent stuff. I would totally believe it if someone told me this is a bonus track of the game's actual OST. Love the alternate "unplugged-style" of the track compared to the original's techno. Professional production values indeed. The acoustic guitars are so well-played. Loving the bass. Absolutely loving the "warmth" of the vocals that everyone has been praising. Vocal harmonies are not bad as well...some of the lyrics do indeed sound a bit muffled, but it's still catchy. While I enjoyed the minimalistic feel of the track, it's great that you guys evolved the sound in minute 3 with some nice orchestral ambiance and full-fledged drums...really made the track sound unique and lessened the repetition. This can really suit the game's end credits or something.

Great work, guys! Hoping for more collabs from you!

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I really do like this, but a couple of the lyrics are a little messed up. Like in the second verse for example. I do believe it should be "mend a faux pas, with one last chance", not "there's a furball, with one last chance". But besides that, this mix is truly beautiful.

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yay! connor is an official mixer finally! congratz buddy! :D

i really like this song and what you guys did - the chorus really soars and the hook feels awesome

the old version was still a little more special for me, with the blend and maybe cause it just blew me away first, but I can understand the gripes.

and i just need to say that the vocalist in this track is amazing - i really like your voice dude - the processing is very tasteful and I really don't appreciate over-processed vox

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Hey, nice song! I was wondering when a jam style like this that I've heard people do at MAGFest with the likes of Taucer and Harmony would make it onto here.

So I think I hear some pops in the song from the filter as LeeBro mentioned in the writeup. Other than that, the song is pretty solid - it does what it sets out to do in a tasteful fashion. Great job on the debut mix!

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It took some time, but this song really grew on me. I love the vocal performance and the panning on them. I love the entire acoustic nature of the track. So open and energetic. Impressive arrangement altogether. Vocals seemed slightly buried at 3:44 but not enough to detract from enjoying them. Man, the whole last minute or so is really addictive to listen to, such a fun jam. I love it when a new vocal remix comes along and this one totally delivers. Great stuff, guys!

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  • Liontamer changed the title to OCR01975 - Sonic the Hedgehog (XB360) "Absolution Comes in Dreams"

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