djpretzel Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris McGee Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Typical GrayLighning = Awesome. Great orchestration, great arrangement and dynamics, great instrumentation. Excellent job, guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRedBob Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 w00t! I love the military theming...and yeah...so many mixes...when will the madness cease? Will it cease? Nice percussive work, good cultural stuff going...really liking this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnappleMan Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Well, let's see here. I like the overall theme, takes in a bunch of different ethnic influences and actually makes them work together. The mix itself was very enjoyable to me, and it got even better when I heard those blazing Tablas! Oh man! Whoever played/sequenced those is a genius! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neminem Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Nice. I'm about halfway through listening, and I was about to complain about how similar it was to the original. The first half, certainly, makes me think that one orchestral arrangement of Halo's title is enough for forever, seeing as how it's not adding much onto the original source, which is already pretty genius. But then the rest of the instrumentation comes in, making this far different from the original. Great take on a great song! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iced Earth Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 GrayLighning makes another amazing song.I love it can't wait to hear some more of GrayLighning's songs. This one gets a perfect 5/5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Maniac Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Did I mention that these Halo remixes just never get old? Again, this one utilizes a great and driving military-like strings setup, with a unique (to me, slightly oriental-style) percussion (forgive me if I can't type right--it's like 2 am here...yikes) and flute section. I know the idea is that it should probably sound like something you'd hear in the Colonial Revolution, but to me it just comes off as downright Chinese-folk to me, and I love it all the better for it. Absolutely great--you gotta hear it to know what I'm getting at. 6 outta 5 for yet another imaginative Halo theme remix...and a stylish and original one to boot. Excellent work, and let the quality remixes roll on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zekian Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Now this is Halo! An excellent spin on the original, even if it does take quite a few risks here and there. When I listen to this, I can just see Master Chief running into a room full of grunts, assault rifle blaring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrayLightning Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Since I never actually emailed DJP with a write up about this, I will take this opportunity to write it here. Freemind did this mix last year in a celtic, new age style and I loved it. It should not be lost, that a lot of the actual composition and arrangement work of this was done by Freemind. He deserves a lot of credit for the mix. He sent me the reason/midi file for this and I decided to recreate it with a style, new orchestration and vision by giving it a more cinematic orchestral and ethnic style. I then added some new celtic parts played by celtic pipes and flute, and also changed a guitar part to indian sections with the sitar and the humanized and inspired tabla playing of Digital Coma. I then completely redid the drums and percussion which now uses military, orchestral and ethnic sets. After my own additional orchestrations I then did the mixing and mastering on this one. I'm glad a lot of you, especially Halo fans are enjoying this. Halo's soundtrack is great and it was great to work on this mix with Freemind and Digital Coma. Finally, to pimp my upcoming mixes, I have 3 new orchestral solo mixes from Final Fantasy IV, Donkey Kong Country, and Shining Force coming to OCR soon. Thanks for the comments and support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Emp Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Nice composition and sound quality, interesting "military" style with ethnic elements. Great work, both of you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tacitus Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Imagine if you will a scene from The Patriot, where on a sunny field a British and an American army are marching towards each other. Now substitute in place of the redcoats units of Scotsmen bearing plaid man-skirts and Claymores, while removing the Americans and replacing them with turbaned Indian infantry complete with war elephants. Now have these two armies, who have nothing to do with each other and no reason to be in colonial America, fight to the death. That is how good this remix is. Recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ella guro Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 This is a cool idea, but it ends up pretty rough in execution. The arrangement is good - but the mixing and instrument selection are both kind of strange. This is probably the first time I've said this for awhile, but I think the lead flute is actually too dry and could use A LITTLE reverb. The snare is both too loud and mechanical - for a military sound, it really needs to have more believable rolls. As the mix progresses, it adds a tabla which is pretty cool but a bit sloppy, and a sitar that doesn't really fit very well. Some parts tend to get ahead and slightly out of sync, and mainly the mix just drones on. I understand that the idea is supposed to be like a constant march and it's a cool idea, but in the end, the execution is kind of sloppy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILLiterate Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Ah heres an idea, make a Civil War-ish marching song for a shooting game about a huge war. It has been made great and has a nice little sound but some parts come in and make me just go "ahhhh damnit just messed up a great part." Other than that its nice & im liking all the instruments that they use. Final Score:7/10 Final Comment:A marching song for a game about war...you'll eather like it or not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUZE Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 another excellent song. unbeleivable. good job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garde Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Ah, Freemind and GrayLightning once again team up for an excellent remix of the Halo title theme.... I heard a version of Freemind's older version of this song, which was much more new-agish, and I don't think "cinematic" in the least, but I still loved it. This version is almost uncomparable to what I just mentioned though, and it really impresses me to see how much this song has evolved. You could go as far as saying this is a remix of a remix... Anyways, onto my review. This song starts out great. The horn in the beginning plays that one long note, then the drum beat comes in and things start picking up. Again, it seems as though GrayLightning is the master of building up in songs, and this song is no exception. With the main theme playing in the background on the strings, it really adds a lot to the song. The instruments used are impecable and go together well, but as Adhesive_Boy said, I actually thought the reverb was a little dry, but people always tell me that there's too much reverb in my WIPs, so I wasn't sure. I actually think the whole song sounds a little bit dry, not just the flute, but again, I always seem to have too much reverb in songs that I work on, so going by what I say on this topic isn't usually the best thing to do. Hmm... I just noticed that some drums seem to really stand out, like at 2:33. I've been listening to the song non-stop for a while, though this just got my attention while I am typing this up. I don't know if it's a good thing, but I think that it momentarily detracts from the focus on the melody. If that was what Gray and Freemind were aiming for, they succeeded, but I personally think that if that particular drum section were a little bit farther back, it would've sounded better. Stopping with the nitpicking, I think that this song is pretty darn good. There are a few things that draw my attention, but I still think that the overall execution of the mix is pretty darn good. The instrumentation is excellent, and really fits the mood that this song sets. The songs builds very nicely, a quality that I think has been magnified over the older version (possibly by the hands of GrayLightning). One thing that GrayLightning really seems to have a talent for is mixing instruments from different cultures together to make a unique sound that works really well. This song is no exception, and I have no doubt that GrayLightning had a pretty good influence on what the final instrumentation was going to be. Now, I know I haven't been talking much about Freemind, all I've been saying is "Gray this and Gray that." Well, it's your turn Freemind . I know that without you, this remix would never be. You set down the framework months ago, and although this song sounds very different, the song still sounds very much like your older new-age version. The harmonic and melodic ideas are yours, and that really is what makes this mix good. The instrumentation definitely accents your melodic and harmonic interpretation, but before Gray had a hand in this song, you came up with the material that is the cornerstone to making this mix as good as it is. I personally love what you've done with this mix, and I still listen to your older version, Reflections of Ireland, quite frequently . Both Freemind and GrayLightning have done an excellent job on this mix. I'm glad to get the chance to right this review up for you guys . This really is quite an impressive remix, and I hope you guys do some more collaborations in the future, since I like the end results of what you guys have worked on together (not to mention what you guys do seperately as well ). To everyone else, this is a recommended download if you're into Celtic sounding, or Indian (as in India) sounding music. Even if you're not biased towards either, you'll still probably enjoy this mix a lot because of the calibur that this was produced at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freemind Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 I would like to say that we don't have to forget Digital Coma who added the tablas parts!The sound of this ethnic percussive adds a more "india" mood to the remix.Thank you very much DC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerd_Fen Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 Great remix...it's got some awkward parts, but on the whole it's really good To me, the underlining beat seems very Celtic, which I like. When I listen to this, I can just see Master Chief running into a room full of grunts, assault rifle blaring. ...when I listen to this, I can just see Master Chief riverdancing...although that's kinda hard to imagine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallace Guyford Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 dude, when I listen to this it really reminds me of Kashmir by Led Zepplin for some reason. anyone think so? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toon psycho Posted October 9, 2004 Share Posted October 9, 2004 There is so much Celtic influence in this. It is a very good mix of different styles, they work well together. Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salmonman78 Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 good job is just the overall quality of it all. make me think I could take on 4 hunters with nothing but my basic pistol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Pili Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 This takes me to India. I picture elephants, young handsome guys with white clothing, and young beautiful girls wearing saris and a bindi in their foreheads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninja-san Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 Im a nintendo fangirl so i try avoiding halo but i couldnt resist keeping this song. Another great remix by graylightning and freemind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icebeast Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 This song is really unique, and it really surprises me that the source material is from Halo. It has a really nice flow to it, always moving and changing. Deffinatly a song I am going to be listening to a bunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregfrost Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 One of the things I really enjoy about this mix is that retains the martial tone of the original, while at the same time infusing it with a new (and difficult to pin down) feeling. I can imagine Master Chief, half his face painted blue, raising a Claymore high to bring up his division of Sikh space marines. It's surreal and nonsensical, yet intriguing. What an interesting piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kongsmoelf Posted March 22, 2008 Share Posted March 22, 2008 I made a comment to this remix before I had played Halo or even heard the soundtrack. Well now I have played the game AND heard the track and I must say that this is a masterpiece. Many of the versions of the halo theme you hear (Guitar hero, bands etc.) does a incredible job at playing the Original Halo Theme. But you guys haven't just taken your synth and then played the actual theme. You have so many new plays in it and the tempo and the way you tacle the track is awesome. Also that, I don't know, asian kinda instruments you use gives it its own spirit. Actually you don't have that much from the original song. I would say a little actually, but that sort of plays behind all the other things in the baggrund and takes the pieces in some places which does that this is in fact a Halo theme. Fx. through the song you have the >>Tabs: 1-3-5-5/3/1 halo thing which does that we reconise the halo theme elements, and it sort of plays the bass while the guitar plays the riffs? Just like gregfrost say, you have the tone of the original theme and then all the things you added yourself:-P So. Amazingly Great work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.