OceansAndrew Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 ReMixer name: Guifrog Real Name: Guilherme Arcoverde Country: Brazil ---- Game arranged: Sonic 3D Blast (PC/Saturn, 1996) Ribbit! Y'know, Brazil's a very miscigenated country. In my family, rumors have it that my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather was a portuguese pirate; also, there's indian people among my mother's genealogy, and I'd say there's also arab influences from her - just because arab music and culture fascinates her (and me) a lot ;P. So, this time, I decided to create a mix that comes into arab territory. I'm not the kind of person that talks much about serious, polemic subjects. I comprehend that there's moments in which I'll need to have an opinion on them. But, even though I prefer to talk about nonsense (like uh, I wish the ocean was green) and/or less heavy things, I decided that I'd make a song that could pass emotions like peace, love and happiness on such a disturbed context. There's people who interpret "jihad" as a battle against those who don't 'share the same faith, when it could be seen as a battle against the obstacles that we create ourselves when we live. In this case, I'd say the lack of respect to the differences is one of these obstacles, as it can generate a war in which our life is involved. I may not understand everything that happens on the Middle East, but wouldn't it be better if there were no weapons in the middle of the development of a solution to our problems? There's where the title from my ReMix comes from: "Peace (be) upon your heart", in english-lettered arabic. Enough with this and on with the breakdown: 0:08-1:08, 1:28-2:28, 3:51-end => Chord progression's the same as the source chorus's, while flute plays source melody, as does bouzouki (greek instrument that sounds sitar-ish). You'll notice that I tried to give the very low-profile melody line from the original a few more things ;P 1:12-1:24, 2:32-2:44, 3:36-3:48 => Chord progression's from the middle part of the source (as is the piano playing, apart from the variations from the 2nd time it comes). 2:48-3:35 => Everything's original. So, world elements are represented by the arab percussion, flute and bouzouki; the song's chords and synths have more of a western vibe, and besides all that I tried to keep a Sonic the Hedgehog feel during the mix. Not sure if I succeeded, but I hope you like it anyway. Ma'a salama! Song arranged: Title Screen (source links: 1. , 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvg_zTUCSI0) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 This song is very joyful to listen to, and that's heightened by knowing the backstory and thought you put into arranging it. I like the different blends of instruments and synths, and overall the soundscape is nice and full. Arrangement-wise I think there are some sections that aren't as clearly noticeable to the source as you made it seem from your breakdown, but there is a sufficient amount regardless to me. The biggest drawback I'm hearing when listening is that some of the elements, like the bouzouki and some of the piano runs, sound fairly mechanical compared to the flute. It has an odd disparity between the two, and I would have liked to have a touch more humanization on those elements. There are also a couple of sections where the lead feels just a tad crowded out with some of the backing elements. Overall, I think this is a solid arrangement like I am used to hearing from you, and the samples are quite nice. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted November 24, 2010 Author Share Posted November 24, 2010 This is a really nice upbeat arrangement with a good synth foundation. I really like the flow and overall feel of the mix, and though the electronic instruments are stronger sounding than the organic sampled ones, the blend was pretty effective, and as per Guifrog's usual standard, the arrangement is great. Some of the sequencing is a bit mechanical, but overall I think this is over the bar. Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 I can probably just copy and paste my vote from Guilherme's last sub and it would work here: great arrangement, production could be better. I really liked the emotion in this piece, especially the original section in the middle, and the unusual mix of instruments was quite coherent when it could easily have been awkward. The biggest problem with the mix is the piano, which is not only mechanical, but also has a dull honky sound to it. If it was only a background instrument, I could see overlooking it, but it gets a few moments out in front that are super weak. The bouzouki is not far behind in terms of lacking realism. I also thought the mixing was a little weak, the wrong parts of instruments get emphasized. It's why the piano sounds so honky. The bass and synths are sometimes battling the lead instruments. Kind of a toss-up. When I listen to the last thirty seconds of this song, everything is clicking and it makes me inclined to give you the nod. But the rest of the song needs a little push in order to reach the same level, and I can't give you the YES here. Get that piano sounding better and make the lead instruments more clear, and this is a pass. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHz Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Fun arrangement. A bit loose at times, as DA mentioned, but overall it's connected enough. Definitely lots of mechanical sequencing. The flute is pretty good, but the piano, bouzouki, and strings aren't that great. I agree that the piano tone is a bit dull. It doesn't help that it's sitting in the back in the mix, even when it's the lead. There's some crowding in the busier sections with the flute, synth, and bouzouki all competing for space. There's a lot of potential here, but the production isn't quite up to snuff yet. Try to clean this one up a bit and send it back. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Wow that piano is crushed. Love the percussion. not crazy about the string lead (dulcimer?) it's too forward and dry. It sticks out a bit much. The arrangement is pretty cool, if straightforward. The pads are nicely used, but man that plucked lead is so far forward. Some harmonic weirdness around 2:40. The melody isn't supported well enough to really establish the chord changes in the listener's head. The strings after the 3 minute mark are kind of bare and awkward. I find myself asking why the strings are playing that melody. Pretty cool track, has some great elements, but needs a few tweaks. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halc Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 This is a delightful arrangement, the melody in the first section of the source was pretty heavily modified, and took me a few listens to fully appreciate, but Gui's provided breakdown checks out. dunno if it was the sample or the processing, but I wasn't digging the piano.. honky was a pretty good term for it. overall, the samples were a mixed bag, certainly listenable, but there were some weak points, like that (sitar?)-ish sound at 2:16. the electronic drums seemed to stick out to me at first, but it gelled more as the song progressed and more synthetic elements joined the mix. this is borderline for me; fix up some of those samples and this should be looking good. NO (resub) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Opened up pretty hot with the hand drums, so I was wondering where and when this song would start going wrong. Unfortunately, I anticipated something, because the one big flaw in your work so far is that the production is completely inconsistent. Then, right at :07, the piano sounded completely mechanical, lo-fi and distant. It's just ugly and completely disparate from the rest of the sound quality. The flute sequencing was also fake-sounding, but serviceable. The bowed strings at 2:48 were just as fake, it's just a shame. The other judges went into way more detail on what else was wrong, so there's no point repeating that. This would have easily gotten the job done 9 years ago, but the community as a whole is way past this now, which is why this mix is not strong enough anymore for a YES. You really need to work on your sample articulations, because your arrangements never have the grace and expression you're hoping to convey in the writing. I hate to sound too negative, but having judged a few of your subs in rapid succession, the same silly production issues killing your execution becomes legitimately frustrating. That said, Guilherme, you wouldn't be the first ReMixer to have some big issues they need to get past before they're putting out consistent work, and that includes several of the judges in their early days in the community. Keep at it and you'll get there. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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