Remix or Arrangement?

[Brian]

I've been pondering over this question ever since I got into arranging for piano. Can someone explain to me what's the difference between a remix and an arrangement? If I created a song based on some composer, would I label myself as an arranger or remixer?

[K.B.]

That's a loaded question in a site titled Overclocked ReMix, where the "M" is of import.

Vets please correct me if I'm wrong. In absolute terms, you're re-mixing if you retain the vast majority of the original arrangement but change the mixing. And you're arranging (or re-arranging, as the case would be) if you interpret/alter the source.

Now, if you're seeking to give your own take to a video game music source, and you creatively build upon/alter the source and mix it well, then you have a potential Overclocked ReMix.

[Rozovian]

Pretty much what KB says. Or in my words:

A remix, usually, keeps the arrangement intact but might make a longer intro and stuff. By remix ppl outside the vgm remix community tend to mean either an improved (also called remaster) version with better mixing, or a dancefloor-prepared track.

An arrangement is something more creative. It can take the melody of the source and put it to a completely new backing, it can take parts of the source and put them in a new order, it can take the background of the source and bring it up more. Outside of vgm remixing, an arrangement is basically the same song but with new chords, new order of the different parts, maybe a different style or genre.

btw, a cover is something in between, keeping the arrangement but making a completely new audio of it. Where a cover becomes an arrangement is hard to say exactly, but you can make a cover in a different genre and still keep it a cover, and you can arrange it differently in the original genre.

OCR is about arrangements more than about remixes. Remix is just easier to say.

[Bleck]

OCR is about arrangements more than about remixes.

much to my dismay

[Murmeli Walan]

much to my dismay

gb2 vgmusic

[Liontamer]

Remixing is based on sampling the original audio tracks, whether that's slicing/manipulating the original instrumental and/or vocal track, or creating a brand new instrumental track while retaining the original vocal track.

Arrangement is transposing/adapting a composition into other instrumentation.

ReMixing (capital R, capital M) = rearrangement. Rearrangement, I treat as a level beyond arrangement with a greater level of interpretation (section 4 of the Standards).

There are traditional remixes that use a lot of the same interpretive techniques as OC ReMixes, but the main difference is that remixes sample with the original audio and OC ReMixes (in a supermajority of cases) don't. When you hear melodies and other things from video game music in OC ReMixes, those are usually sequenced by the ReMixer rather than taken from the original audio.

That's just how I've come to view those terms; other folks may have different perspectives and definitions.

[Gario]

Very tight description, LT. I will use it in the future, since I never seem to be able to explain that properly to people (never distinguished between Remixing and ReMixing, like that).

[suzumebachi]

Remixing is done with: mixers and turntables.

Arrangement is done with: pen and paper.

ReMixing is done with: warezed Fruity Loops 3.

I made another funny!!~

[Bleck]

tee hee hee hee

[Rozovian]

Remixing is done with: mixers and turntables.

Arrangement is done with: pen and paper.

ReMixing is done with: warezed Fruity Loops 3.

1 - yeah. 2 - nah. 3 - way too often.

[The Vagrance]

The way I've always seen it is remixing is a reinterpretation of the song using the same samples, whereas an arrangement is just a reinterpretation of the song but usually with different samples/style. Hence why all (or about 99.99%) remixes of tracks that you hear of electronic music will use some of the same sounds, for example:

(Original)

(Remix)

Different tracks, similar sounds. What you hear on OCR are more rearrangements than remixes.

[Brian]

Thanks for the help!

Remixing is based on sampling the original audio tracks, whether that's slicing/manipulating the original instrumental and/or vocal track, or creating a brand new instrumental track while retaining the original vocal track.

going by the latter definition, if I retained the original vocal (through phase inversion) and added a whole new instrumental background track with a different style/genre (ie. electronic music); that is a remix?

[Vig]

Arrangement is transposing/adapting a composition into other instrumentation.

Also structure, key, genre, etc.. Arrangement is much more than just instrumentation, though that is a part of it.