DarkeSword Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 I don't know if Shael's already used two fallthroughs or not; perhaps we should keep a running list. Anyway, here: Hello, Darkesword. I've come to the conclusion that you're one of the most attentive judges, often commenting first or second on the judges forum, so I'm asking you specifically to fallthrough a piece I sent in way back in early March that I am afraid has "slipped through the cracks." It's my Castlevania: Symphony of the Night attempt. I call it The Tragic Prince - Street Influence. and it is downloadable at this adress. Thank you for your time. -Shael I'm going to go with a NO here. The beat's not bad, but that lead has GOT to go. It's got a really lo-fi sound that just carries throughout the mix. I was waiting for something cleaner and clearer to bust in and break down the melody with some interpretation. As it stands though, there's not much going for this song aside from the beats. Not a lost cause at all, but I think it really needs more work. Sorry man. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The wingless Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 Before I judge, isn't there some company policy on games with gratuitous sound-clips? I seem to recall some legal-woes with something along these lines, but I can't quite place it. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 As far as I know, I don't think there's any legal problem with gratuitous sound-clip usage. If we can have "Haunted Hell" and "Fear (Arrakis: Giga)" here, this one can be here as well. I feel pretty solid on this mix, but I'd still like to hear the source material here so I can vote on it. Can anyone hook me up? Edit: OH SNAP I GOTZ IT - http://dl.fileplanet.com/dl/dl.asp?classicgaming/castlevania/mp3/dx-025.mp3 http://www.vgmusic.com/music/console/sony/ps1/tragic.mid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted July 22, 2004 Author Share Posted July 22, 2004 Before I judge, isn't there some company policy on games with gratuitous sound-clips? I seem to recall some legal-woes with something along these lines, but I can't quite place it. Any thoughts? I don't think it's an issue in this mix. Go ahead and impart us with your gems of wisdom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danny B Posted July 23, 2004 Share Posted July 23, 2004 Interesting use of samples to make Dracula rap, but this mix is not much more than a pretty annoying lead playing a cover of a kickin' metal/rock tune. The attempt at retro sound is not doing it for me, and the mix seems to depend on the novelty of the sound clips. Also, its basically using the same instrumentation throughout, with very little variation to break up the lo fidelity monotony. 1:37 - bad note on that downward melodic statement. Bring it one half step down. I think it's off every time that part of the melody plays. And I liked Technomancy so much..... This just sounds sloppy and unfinished. Sry d00d. NO Maybe this would work as a lead-in, but as it stands, there are too many iffy chords and nothing to really make it stand out to me as above the bar. -D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted July 24, 2004 Share Posted July 24, 2004 I loved this mix and all the sounds used within it. I remember back when Shael was polling the WIP forums on whether or not he should replace the synth guitar with a real one, and I voted no. The synth guitar and retro effects here definitely weren't annoying to me at all, and the track has tons of character here thanks to the sound choices involved. The "bad note" at 1:37, I don't agree on. None of the notes hit me the wrong way and I thought the flow was good, not low-fi monotony. Having heard this track many times since April, I never had to get used to any type of "oddities" in the melodic progression when I first heard it. With that said, more could be done to make this feel different compared to the source tune. Like Dan said this is essentially a cover; the tempo change is nice, but the structure is so close to "The Tragic Prince" in both the melody and portions of the countermelody. Also, with the lead instrumentation so close to the original, the guitar dynamics here are noticeably not as realistic as the source tune's, which could possibly mean that some MIDI shortcomings weren't addressed. I wouldn't know for sure. Yet I really thought a lot of decent instrumental samples together in an effective way to give this track a genuinely different feel as an arrangement (not rearrangement), and that's totally notwithstanding the voice samples (which, frankly, weren't even used a lot and didn't come off as a crutch to me). I'm actually a little pissed that my choice wasn't easy for this, because before I heard the source tune I was ready to give this an easy YES. I don't like it at all, because either vote has some merit with me. Like I said though, I liked how all the sounds came together, and I'm sure I'm in the minority with this crowd when it comes to that, as this is pretty minimalistic. If this made it though, I believe it would have a genuine place here as a more straightforward style arrangement. YES (dancing with the borderline) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Protricity Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 So, many many issues here. The lead is just bad. No mastering, no verb. High frequency clip static on guitar. Sequencing is completely amateur. Original song is majestic and bright. This is ridiculously dumbed down, monophonic and looping. Then theres all the vocal samples, overused drumloop, issues with off notes. bunch of other problems I wont get into cause it really doesn't even matter. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrayLightning Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 At first this mix was really odd and completely unexpected. I have to say this one really grows on you the more you listen to it. It's very creative and as far as style goes somewhat typical of shael's other works. The usage of fx and samples is interesting. Beyond this, I have to agree with the other comments made. The production and sound quality is too low to pass. It's indeed lofi sounding. The lead isn't very attractive to listen too either and is my biggest issue with this piece. Sounds like your average GM guitar sample. There's some questionable notation as well, particularly obvious in the ending sections like at 4:29. I do like the drumwork, though it's repetitive you make nice nice change ups here and there. Not a bad mix by any means, but not passable either. At this point it does sound like a WIP. Though it is very creative work, it's not executed or arranged as well as it could be. I really hope you decide to revisit this as I know you can do better and more memorable work. Hope to hear more from you soon. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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