Palpable Posted June 13, 2010 Posted June 13, 2010 Brandon Strader Brandon Strader oinkness@gmail.com http://brandon.rainwound.com/ 3123 NiGHTS Into Dreams Gate of your Dreams LINK TO REMIX BELOW I have never played a NiGHTS game before, but was asked to create this song by an acquaintance. The original song is very short, and only has the one key change in it. Not a lot going on in it. As a result of this, I went a little overboard with the arrangement while still staying true to the original. I added a lot of extra "flair", especially in the percussion. I recorded live bongos, tambourine, wedding bells, maracas, and I even went as far as using a coffee can as a percussive instrument. I don't usually write in this style, but I thought the contrast between real instruments (percussive and guitar, bass) against the electronic ones (everything else) was an interesting conflict, to say the least. Also, the auto-tuned whistling at the beginning was pretty fun, and a nod towards the hybridization of real and electronic. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Another chord-y mix - this uses the chords of the original, which get slightly modified in the second half of the song. I can't say I really thought this was a remix of the source - I actually thought I might have been listening to the wrong source before that little cameo of the melody at the end. Don't get me wrong, this is a beautiful track, I love the ambience, the beat, the guitar solo. Apart from some slight mixing issues when the guitar comes in, the song is perfect. Well, except for that one big thing. I feel bad that I can't pass this, but maybe the other judges will see it differently. NO
OceansAndrew Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 I thought the percussion high end was overhyped, but all the recorded percussion was cool, and the feel of the track was really nice. The arrangement itself is pretty meandering with a lot of elements that work as backing melodies, but I don't feel really drove the track anywhere. It was really beautiful, but it was background for a main melody that never appeared. I pretty much agree with Vinnie that though the chords are pretty grounded, there isn't near enough connection to the source. Either rework this one, or please do a different song in this style, because I really think it works. Sorry man, No
Liontamer Posted June 17, 2010 Posted June 17, 2010 Well, the chords use the rhythms of the original's chords, just not the notes. And when you're dealing with such a simplified part, you really have to keep the notes sounding similar so the connection is overt. In this case, I see what you did there, but the two note backing pattern sounds too different compared to the original. The rising and falling synth notes starting at :25 were too liberal to be connected to the source at all. The 4-note melody first used at 1:03 was inspired by the first 4 notes from the classic source melody, but the kicker again is that only the rhythm's the same while the notes are completely different. The original guitar work at 1:42 was pretty solid, though mixed somewhat roughly. It should be cleaned up a bit, but production-wise it wasn't a dealbreaker. If the goal was to retain the overall mood while evading copyright, then mission accomplished. So you don't venture too far away from the theme, work with it 1-for-1, then see what melodic or rhythmic variations you can build from there; just do what you can so that you don't change the melodies/notes too drastically. ROFL, finally THERE'S the recognizable theme at 3:24. The concept here is cool, Brandon. Just use the theme in a more recognizable way, and this concept and sonic pallette is already strong enough to get a pass. Definitely want to see this resubbed. NO (resubmit)
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