DragonAvenger Posted September 25, 2010 Share Posted September 25, 2010 remixer name: jmr remix title: Late Snows of Winter game: Hero's Quest: So You Want To Be A Hero (re-released as Quest For Glory: So You Want To Be A Hero) song: The Magic Meadow (track 17 on the Sierra Soundtrack Collection: http://vgmdb.net/album/2241) 1989 version source link (youtube): 1994 re-release version source link: http://www.markseibert.com/Sierra%20-%20The%20Magic%20Medow.mp3 Like my last submission, this remix has it's origins in a compo; in this case FBRC2008 (which makes it just about a year older than my SMG remix). I intended to revise and submit this track for quite some time, and did a bit a work on it in early 2009. It ended up being back-burnered for some time until the point where I forgot about it and, uh, 'misplaced' the project file... d'oh! Fast forward a full year... I was digging through some old backup discs not long ago and was pleasantly surprised to find a fairly recent revision of the song, sans the live guitar elements (which was not a huge loss; my original takes were pretty horrible). Long story short: I re-recorded the required parts and overhauled the majority of the sequenced parts, resulting in this (much-improved) version. Did I mention that I've never even played the game? Enjoy! -Jeff -------------------------- I love how personal the guitar sounds in this, combined with the intimate source. I was really feeling the arrangement throughout. Arrangement-wise the only thing I wasn't feeling was the entrance of the xylophone, which was a bit sudden. Once it settled in I started to get a Lufia-vibe, which was a little weird, but also cool. The strings and snare sounded a little fake to me, and the bass drum seems muffled. Both of the issues are a little bit detracting, but I don't think it's a deal-breaker at all in this. I think that the arrangement makes up for the production issues and makes this a nice listen overall. YES EDIT: I listened again closely, and I am going to have to change my vote based on Jill's analysis. I think this is definitely a great candidate for a resubmission though, and I hope you get those fixes in! NO (resubmit please!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jillian Aversa Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 This is a lovely arrangement! The way you altered the rhythm of the arpeggios at the beginning felt very tasteful and appropriate, the selection of instruments gels nicely, and your new ideas flow well with a good sense of shape. The mixing is pretty well balanced overall, too. My biggest concern, however, is that there seem to be quite a few cases of sour or clashing notes. Here's what I have down: - 1:06-1:07 - 1:19 - 1:28 - 1:50 - 2:54 - 3:16 Most of those seem to be occurring on the same f-minor chord in the guitar progression, so I'm wondering if there is something else going on in the background that is creating a dissonance. In the original source tune, the progression always starts with: c-minor, Bb-Major, F-Major, and f-minor. However, it sounds like you are skipping the F-Major chord and going for f-minor twice in a row instead. Maybe that's what is throwing it off? Aside from that, I have just a few other notes to make: The string sample isn't terrific, as Deia pointed out. If this submission doesn't pass initially and you feel like replacing it, great, but it's not really a big deal. You might also try pushing the dynamic contrast a bit. From about 1:26-1:45, I'm noticing the rhythmic strumming mixed quietly in the background seems to be a little out of sync with everything else. The way things cut out at 2:45 felt a bit awkward to me. Maybe it was the way the strings hung over a little longer? Similarly, the cellos hang over longer at the end, and that felt a little odd to me. The percussion could be stronger (both the sample and the actual sequencing, which could use some more variation). Anyway, I really hope I haven't overwhelmed you here. It looks like a lot, but the reality is that these are all pretty easy fixes. You've done a great job with the song! I'm primarily concerned with the clashing notes, and even those should be pretty easily touched up. NO (Please resubmit!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 I think my position in this is somewhere between Jill and Deia. I really like the arrangement, but there are several minor issues that are adding up to give me pause. The bell entrance was a little awkward due to the room sound on them not suite matching, and the general prominence. Once the part was done a few seconds later, it seemed way too empty. It wasn't in reality, but those bells were just pushing way too hard. I agree with Jill in that I think the double minor chord is causing some minor dissonance. I think adjusting the chord would naturally fix it all up. The strings aren't awesome, but they do the job alright for what is being asked of them, and same with the drums, though improving the samples and adding more variation would certainly be welcome. Pretty much, it's a great arrangement that just barely misses because of some issues. Please fix this up, I really like it. No, please resubmit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Fantastic start to this, and overall, a very solidly put-together song. I can't fault anyone for passing this, because the arrangement is excellent and the weaknesses move past quickly, but those clashing notes... yeah, I don't think this I can say YES until they're cleaned up. The bells weren't that well integrated, sounding more pasted-on, and if you're gonna take another look at this, I think you should fix that too. Hopefully these are easy fixes to make, I think once they are fixed this will be a well-liked song. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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