DragonAvenger Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 ReMixer name: Guifrog Real Name: Guilherme Arcoverde Country: Brazil Birthplace: Recife, PE ---- Game arranged: Phantasy Star 4 (Sega Genesis, 1993) Song arranged: Her Last Breath (source link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61IAHniwWWw) Ribbit! It's time for Japan, and I was thinking about flowers. In fact, I decided to come back to the way I produced Shiva Nataraja and create an arrangement that intends to give the listener a 'view' of the track. That being said, the combination of various synths and pads was made in order to make you see cherry blossoms around. There's the scene where you walk around Japan's beautiful yards, feel the sensation of loneliness, begin to think how ephemeral everything is, just like a flower of sakura. I don't really like to think that way, but still, I find these things very beautiful. ;P Also, I think you'll notice how bLiNd's works inspired me on this track. So, it's upbeat, very electronica-oriented, full of effects, etc. Yet there's more focus on the melody, and, besides the melancholic scene I've just described, you might also feel like an angry (yet graceful) rain of flowers is dancing around you. That's my expectations anyway... Breakdown? 0:00-0:55 -> Original stuff, buildup. Based on source intro (o_O); 0:56-1:48; 2:01-2:52; 3:49-3:58; 4:07-4:23 -> 1st melody line from the source; 2:55-3:20; 4:26-4:52 -> 2nd melody line from the source. I have to go now, it's time for my delicious cockroach juice. See ya! (did that break the candid atmosphere from this email? ;P) ---------------------------- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61IAHniwWWw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted December 8, 2010 Author Share Posted December 8, 2010 I have to say, I was not expecting a submission in this style from you, despite your penchant for not staying in the same style for any of your past submissions. I was pleasantly surprised on this one. Overall the actual arrangement of the source is a lot more conservative, as you said, but I think you made the backing and overall style change pretty fluid. I do have to say that a lot of things here feel mechanical, although I honestly am not sure if I find it a drawback or not. Once the background stuff gets going, though, it kinda hits autopilot at times, I wish you'd added a little more variety in here and there. Overall, I think this one passes the bar, although it's a little close. Good luck with the rest of the votes! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 Really cool feel on this one; i think the bass seemed a little hard in the mid area and not enough in the low end, but there was some cool filtering applied to it throughout. The sequencing was slightly stiff in some part, but the flow was pretty natural, and there was an expansive soundscape throughout with a lot of depth, and a pretty nice dynamic curve. Arrangement-wise, I was really digging the varied soundscape and extensive percussion, and the new mood really takes the sortof melancholy melody and brings it somewhere new. Overall, there is a lot of passion in this remix, and while the exceution isn't flawless (i'd have preferred more bass and a little more fluidity in the sequencing), it's definitely strong. Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 The sequencing and realism issues that I usually find with Guifrog's otherwise great arrangements were downplayed here. In an electronic song, the rigidity is barely an issue and there's not much realism to speak of. The Japanese instrumentation section sounded just fine (apart from some strange notes on the chord transitions). The biggest issue I had here was the mixing. For the most part, it sounds good, but the lead fights with the backing at times - it should have been higher in the mix. The bass regions also get a little crowded and you can hear the drums get cramped down in the busier sections. Arrangement is really cool though, lots of energy and melody. I'm still ok with passing this, but it's a close call. YES (borderline) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Nice energy at the start..but the breakdown is kind of clunky at 1:00. 1:06 is the wrong chord; clashes with the flute entrance at 1:08. More harmonic weirdness at 1:15. Why does that dulcimer have such strange delay/rhythm? It might be effective if used sparingly, but it just gets grating. In general, the mix is a bit mushy. Could use more clarity. Everything's so wet. Honestly I think the arrangement isn't terribly cohesive, and there are lots of little awkward bits mentioned above that really lead me to think this needs more polish. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHz Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 A bunch of different arrangement ideas here, but yeah, the arrangement overall is a bit jumpy. Sequencing isn't really a big deal here, but the mixing for sure could be cleaned up a little bit. Nothing ever gets really indistinct, but there's some definite crowding. The piano in particular is also pretty far in the back for sections like 2:01 when it's the lead. You've got a nice start with this one, but it's not quite clicking together yet. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 For 192kbps, this sounded awfully muddy. That warbling effect was kind of annoying and sounded too much like an FL preset effect that was abused. If the production weren't so cluttered, this would really have a much better shot, as I thought the arrangement was fine. But you have overly compressed-sounding sections like 2:27-3:20 & 4:26-4:53 that are just too cluttered and indistinct, which I felt more strongly about than CHz. The ending at 5:38 didn't fully fade out, so we need a copy that properly captures that final fade. Not sure why the arrangement was considered jumpy by CHz, as I thought the dynamics and flow were decent enough. IMO, clean the production of this track up before we can post it. If the quality were more bordeline, I could go conditional, but such extended periods of muddiness, I've got to formally go NO and ask for a resubmission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halc Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 I've gotta echo Larry, the production on this is really muddy. all the reverb is too wet and it sounds as if you could be cutting a lot more unused frequencies from your individual instruments. I thought the arrangement flowed well and the soundscape was always evolving, though some of the background synths were a little plain imo. loved the bouncy filtered bassline at 3:21, though. the asian instrumentation was nice too; I didn't have any issues with the sequencing. overall, I dig the track, but it's not quite there. if the mixing was clearer, I'd pass it. NO (resub) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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