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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