djpretzel Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 Seems quite impressive to me - djp Hey DJP, I'm a new mixer, this is my first time doing anything like this. I have always loved this song from FF8, and thought it deserved more time in the spotlight: My Info: Hungry Joe is my mixer name Nate Jasensky is my real name The Game the mix is from is Final Fantasy 8, the Breezy theme to the second town in the game. Some people have mixed feelings on the different parts of this mix, and how they work together, but I think I've worked them out to be fairly flowing, and I like to think of this song as a kind of medley of one theme in varied styles. I hope you enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 right off the bat the recording strikes me as quite sub-par. however the performance is pretty good. at 1:15 it's quite clear that it's a new recording. nice percussion, the solo guitar is decent. lots of bad rhythms, but not terrible playing. unfortunately the rhythm section isn't there at all. can barely hear the bass and rhythm guitar, and what i hear is awkward. 2:55 and another jump in the recording. these transitions sound really really awkward pretty rockin synth solo, but then at 3:55 there's a really awkward and poorly played guitar solo that just kills the momentum. The arrangement is epic and enjoyable, and those synth solos rock, but this mix is kept back by silly things like guitar recording quality, performance slips, and awkward transitions. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 This is much more of a review than a simple decision. As the non-musician, I feel I've gotta justify my decision with more detail when the product is this promising on the surface. It's kind of non sequitur, but I for the record, I really hated the FF8 soundtrack. Most of the tracks weren't doing it for me. "Breezy" however was one of the solid ones. When you listen to this mix, it's obviously done an exceptional job playing around with the source material and dabbling in different styles. After covering the theme for the first minute (beautiful stuff, even if the mastering's muddy), I liked the essence of the Strokes-like guitar playing that began at 1:12 though the playing was really rough and I got a couple of odd notes/chords. I generally liked the percussion support here, and I point that out because I ended up not liking it throughout most of the rest of the mix. 1:48 featured a transition into some more laid-back guitar work that featured some really sloppy drums and bass that didn't accentuate the lead, but rather clashed with it until 2:25, at which point it seemed to get a lot more coherent and supportive. I really liked the ukulele (if that was indeed what the supporting string instrument was for this area), and while the playing on it was nice, it needed to be brought up in volume. The huge volume change that accompanied the next energetic transition at 2:52 was a little jarring, but the energy was wonderful, and it really picked up nicely here. A lot of the supporting instruments at this area was mastered criminally low, especially because they worked very well to accentuate the flow (except those consistently annoying cymbal crashes, i.e. 3:11). 3:30 moved into a more synth-rock area that was alright. Nothing I personally liked as this was the most noticeable period where you got weird notes galore, but there was at least a lot of energy and 4:11 to 4:31 was exactly the sound and rhythm I was looking for with something like this. When things became more melodic at 4:31 there was a lot of potential, but the piano run from 4:40-4:48 didn't flow correctly. That brief aforementioned section moved into 4:52, where everything abruptly dropped out for a minimal electric guitar finish that I could honestly get used to, even if it wasn't the gradual closure people are used to hearing. This remix is the epitome of raw. The recording was definitely good enough for me, but there were other factors like the number of off-notes and the fact that much of the guitar work needs to be tightened up to help the song have rhythm. Often enough, the freestyle bits at the forefront of this mix seem completely randomized, as if there wasn't much theoretical forethought given as to how a particular sequence of notes would sound out. I wouldn't harp so much on the guitar-playing needing to be tightened up on timing and notes, but, comparing the rearrangement here to the introduction that covered the beginning of Breezy, you can hear that the intro was really well-played and had the notation of the original down pat, so I was a little surprised with how a lot of the mix didn't have a cohesive sound. This is an energetic, kick-ass effort, especially for a game arrangement done with some live instruments, and, while rough around the edges, it's something I wouldn't even think twice about as being worthy of being played on my radio show. But the execution here is just too unrefined, IMO, to make it here. I hate to sound like a prick and go "Oh hey, just spend another week brainstorming how to make this flow better, then get all your equipment and record everything again," but honestly that's what this mix would require for me to pass it. This is some very commendable work, and I really recommend that you submit it to VGMix.com to get this praiseworthy track out to more people and receive more feedback. This could be one of those rejections that casual fans will hate us for, but I'm afraid I've gotta say NO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digital Coma Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 I"M GOING BLIND Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 Anything else, Tolstoy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 Christ, Larry. What the hell? Anyway, this song has timing issues in SPADES (yes, SPADES!). Mostly in the first half. I actually kind of like the low-q recording in the beginning; makes it feel a bit old-time and organic. However the timing issues can't be overlooked; it feels like you played the guitar part without any kind of accompniment, and then added percussion et al afterwards. There's a difference between sounding organic and just being off. Things just don't match up. The section at 2:52 however simply rocks my socks. Very nice ending too. I'm going to give this mix a borderline NO. I really feel that this piece can really shine if you sit down with a metronome or something and redo those parts with the questionable timing. I really hope you take the feedback to heart and try for a resubmit. I enjoyed your concept, and I want to see the execution done as best as it can be done. GO FOR THE GOLD! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 I"M GOING BLIND Anything else, Tolstoy? Christ, Larry. What the hell? Oh, well I'm SO GLAD I amuse you! Hmmpf. [/haughtiness] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Protricity Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 I like the original. Intro offers nothing. Yea! It got into jazz. Percussion is so poorly mastered. Accompany is way too quiet. Soloing is decent. Nothing too special. Drums continue to be poorly mastered in the wake of the 3rd minute. Cool, rock. Or attempted rock at least. Basically the whole thing needs a mastering overhaul. Synth solo wasn't too well done at all. Just a lot of rythmic, mastering, sequencing, and mastering messups from that point on. Did I mention mastering isn't that great? Guitarist is good, but not good enough to make these kinds of progressions work. And then theres the mastering... Very very cool stuff. I just wish the recording/mastering/drum sequencing was up to par with the creativity. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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