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Chrono Cross - Scars of Time (update 5/13/10)


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Ah, this is awsome!

You arranged it so well! The bass is smexy!

Sad thing is, I was planning to do a mix simular to this with the same song but with a guitar :S I think I'll have to choose something else now cause this mix is so intimidating haha.

My only suggestion is, change the lead, it goes right through me. But as I always say, I'm not a massive synth fan so thats just me. the piano could be a little brighter as well. Oh and make the second half longer. That melody needs more attention! ^_^

One of my faves!

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I don't think the piano could be brighter... Just more organic... More full.

Get something more organic, realistic... The writing is awesome.

Digging the updated version, the bass and the rhodes solo is awesome.

The flute towards the end of the WIP... I'd like if the tremelo were... less apparent, or there was more attack on it.

That section is really nicely written too...

Honestly Doug, my only qualm at all is the mixing... You're gonna have to really work at bringing everything out nicely. EQ EQ, give the song some space and breathing room... Reverb is your friend if you treat it nicely... Your drum samples could have more punch to them... The bass is awesome though.

Try to really make choices of where the instruments sit in the mix, EQ out what's not needed, and search for sweet spots to bring out in each instrument... Gonna take some choices!

Anyway good luck Doug!

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Monobrow pretty much hit the same issues that I think are dragging down your awesomely-arranged WIP. Piano is a little overcompressed and not-very-organic - something more along the lines of the sound you used for your solo piano improvs from Super Metroid and Mario Galaxy would suit this well IMO.

The mixing is kind of dull too, though I think it improves slightly as the mix goes along, especially with regards to the flute, which seemed almost too unassuming when it first came in. Like Katie said, just EQ the hell out of this until you get things where they need to be, emphasis-wise :-)

Sorry for the vague feedback but I'm sure you've got the chops to take care of this. Amazing arrangement so far, keep at it man :-D

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I third the "piano is not organic enough" crit (only for the solo in the beginning), and if you want a specific explanation of how to redo the dynamics I can definitely post one.

The flute suffers from lack of articulation, so there are many times where it sounds weak and quiet when it should be more pronounced. It sounds like you need a flute sample with a variety of articulations instead of only one.

In comparison to the other instruments, the synth has a somewhat thin timbral texture, and many of the drum sounds could be amp-ed.

As for the arrangement, I have a few suggestions: first is that you ought to try resolving the suspension when the upbeat bass riff in the piano starts at 0:49, then switch back to the suspended chord like normal at 0:56. The music comes to somewhat of a standstill just before 0:49, and it will sound more natural if the suspension resolves, i.e. one bar before like this:

(transposed)

G+C+F(8th) - Bb(8th) - C(8th) - F(8th) - A+C+F(Xth(sustained, at least as a half note))

Second, the solos in general have a lot of room for improvement. The synth solo gets hung up on a sustained note at 1:46, and there is rhythmic and melodic stagnancy at 1:48-1:51, 1:56, and when the same lick as at 1:50 is repeated again at the end of its second half at 2:01. 1:56 can be easily remedied by changing the notes from triplets to 16ths. The electric piano solo suffers from the same problem as 1:48-1:51, with 2:24-2:36 repeating the same lick too many times.

Finally, a couple things about the ending: I really like the surge at 2:50, but the strict rhythm of the piano leading up to it sounds bad given all the syncopation prior. The bass note at 2:55 should enter slightly earlier, just after the final note in the piano's rise at 2:54. Also, the ending is abrupt and sounds strange using a motif which occurs in the middle of a phrase in the original. It would be better for the synth to just sustain on the high note, but perhaps there is a better revision.

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