OceansAndrew Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Remixer name: Skummel Maske Real name: Thomas Bullock Email address: kordeth@hotmail.com Website: http://skummel.anticode-media.net UserID: 21629 Submission info Submission title: Sephiroth's Deliverance Game: Final Fantasy VII Sources used: (approximated timestamps to help distinguish them, just in case) 00:00 to about 01:10 - Sephiroth's Theme (Those Chosen By The Planet) - This is my main source for this arrangement. 01:20 - 01:35 - J-E-N-O-V-A 01:44 - 02:03 - Battle Theme (Those Who Fight) 02:04 - 02:23 - One-Winged Angel 02:26 - 02:41 - Those Chosen By The Planet 02:41 - 02:55 - The Great Northern Cave/Main Theme (isn't this called a leitmotif?) 02:55 - 03:33 - Birth of a God 04:17 - end - Those Chosen By The Planet Link to the soundtrack: I'm not certain if this is necessary for such a well-known game, or if all the sources are needed, but I'll take my precautions: Those Chosen By The Planet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C77Eaq3CDQ Jenova http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KXiVBA7svc Battle Theme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9LrE6dRHn8 One-Winged Angel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTxhh1Ins5I The Great Northern Cave http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho1vZh1wFYA Birth of a God http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGHkjLhIpU8 Personal comments: I actually started this arrangement with LuIzA's Fire Cross in mind. The general idea was a dark, heavy picture of Final Fantasy VII, focusing on Sephiroth and the tracks related somewhat to him. As I started writing the arrangement, more and more themes came to mind and seemed to fit together perfectly. I submitted this track to Dwelling of Duels for the Magfest 8 competition, confident that this was my best arrangement to date, but due to an overwhelming amount of amazing tracks I didn't really place too well. After Magfest I continued to work on the track, hoping to improve the sound and mixing. I gathered what I could of feedback from peers, and OA especially was a great help. Now, you guys can hear the result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted June 15, 2010 Author Share Posted June 15, 2010 I'm not completely sold on the snare drum sound. Most of the time it sounds fine in the mix, but when it's more exposed it sounds a little small. It isn't exposed often though, so it's not really a big deal. The balance is pretty good, and the kick drum sounds really powerful, which is what really drives the track. The guitars sound brutal, and the little touches of synth are very tasteful. I didn't even hear them the first time through, they were so subtle. This is definitely a medley, but like Fire Cross, I feel it really succeeds, due to the main theme that keeps coming back and anchoring the ideas. The transitions are also really solid, even without being flashy, and help make the track sound cohesive. If I wasn't so familiar with all the source tracks to be able to place them, it'd feel like something off of Master of Puppets, where every song was simply packed full of awesome riffs. Besides the sometimes weak snare, it seemed like some of the drum fills were a little vanilla, but there was a lot of beat variation, and the focus was the melodic content. Otherwise, my only complaint is that I think the ending should have had a held chord rather than the brief one, but it still was pretty satisfying. Nice work on this one, I'd agree that it's one of the best i've heard from you. Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 There's not much that I can add that Andrew hasn't already mentioned. I think where this succeeds as a medley is that it has smooth transitions that do a good job of connecting and merging each source rather than just tacking one on after another. Also, as OA mentioned, each theme feels like it is a part of the overall song rather than a standalone piece. The bass drum really drives the track, which adds a lot of energy that's needed. Again, as Andrew mentioned, the snare doesn't have that power and drive, which is a bit of a set back, though it's not a deal breaker. I also think there were a couple of moments that the bass could have had a little more meat (2:28 comes up first). Overall, though, the balance is pretty good throughout the track. Tastefully done as a melody, very reminiscent of Fire Cross. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted July 15, 2010 Share Posted July 15, 2010 This is one those votes I hate to make, because I can't explain it that well. The arrangement is put together soundly, the production is mostly there, it combines multiple sources in a seamless way - there's a lot of positives about this track. Yet with the snare sounding weak and the lead guitar and synth tones so blended into the background, this has half the energy it should have. Clearly this isn't an opinion that OA and DA share, but to me it was a big deal. I wanted that lead guitar to bite more, to cut through. I wanted that snare to sound powerful. I wanted some distortion on that synth. When I break this down piece by piece, the faults seem minor, but they all hurt in the same way which adds up. Can't sign off on it, sorry Thomas. I still wish you luck in this passing. Who knows, maybe I'm nitpicking, but that's why we have a panel. If this does pass, the ending should fade out completely. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 I think the mix is a bit bright. I don't hate the snare, although it could probably afford a bit more compression to emphasize the decay. my other technical complaint is that the lead guitars are a bit too loud. They don't sit in the mix..they are very much out in front. I think the performance and composition are great. Unfortunately i feel this tune suffers from medlytits. Listen to any individual 20 seconds and it's great. But listening to the whole 5 minutes a couple times, i feel the tune sort of lacks direction. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 It's hard for me to articulate as well, but something about this mix is off to me. Going by the other judges' comments, it's probably the thin sounding snares, the medleyitis (not, as Jesse so eloquently put it, "medlytits"), and the very simplistic part writing. The synth is mostly just doubling the guitar throughout the piece, and there's not much besides some straight arrangement of the source tunes plopped together with some minimal transitions. There doesn't seem to be a lot of consideration given to transitions and creating a holistic piece. Needs more direction. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jillian Aversa Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 medlytits I can't tell whether that was intentional or not? Actually, for me the medleyitis isn't so much of a concern. I think there is decent variation and the transitions sound pretty organic. Could there be more original interpretation still? Yes, and it would definitely help. What nags me the most is the lack of "bite" in the production, as Vinnie put it. It really does suck the life out of the song. I want to feel surrounded, up close, gritty, get that blood pumping...! The synths and lead guitar could definitely cut through more, and I'd love to hear more booming bass. (Plus the snare, which everyone has already pointed out.) This is very close, but I think the track could use just a little more love. NO (but definitely resubmit!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted August 11, 2010 Share Posted August 11, 2010 The guitars here sound great, but right off the bat, the deep drum sounds too low and flabby to me. The acoustic drums are OK, but definitely on the lo-fi end, and the synths are not too great either. They really don't sound like they fit the high-energy mood of the song, and instead sound like more generic electronica sounds. From an arrangement standpoint, there isn't much gluing the different pieces together, and many of the original harmonies, rhythms and progressions have been simplified to just eighth note chugging on a single note with melodies on top. There's a LOT more you can do with the intricate sources found in the FF7 OST, particularly this many of them! The guitars are nice, as is the drum programming (but not the drum tone) and your performances are good, but the arrangement is simply sparse, which in turn makes the interpretation pretty basic. If the production were really amazing, with much more lively synths, this might be a harder vote, but as is there isn't a lot happening on that end. I do encourage you to take another stab at this. If you're intent on keeping the rhythms and harmonies simplified to metal powerchords and chugging, try to do more with the melodies - different rhythms, keychanges, more soloing, more variations on the original material... that kind of stuff. NO, resub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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