djpretzel Posted February 19, 2005 Share Posted February 19, 2005 Game: Final Fantasy 6 Remix Title: The Haunted Train Disco Original: Phantom Train (or something like that) Remix URL: Original Midi: Hey, it's TO I made this for PRC22 a while back. I thought I'd submit it here as well. Hope you like. Take Care, ~TO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Is it just me or does this sound like Magus's Theme? Anyway, its a no brainer here. Nice beats with a really chill, spooky soundscape. This piece has a great flow; the sections weave together really nicely. Good transitions. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 http://www.snesmusic.org/spcsets/ff6.rsn - "The Phantom Train" (ff6-116.spc) God, the original is annoying as hell. The theme's so unmemorable. Lee's managed to do some good work arranging the theme and providing it with a ghostly vibe. Wouldn't have minded hearing some train-related sound effects in there, considering the name of the remix here. The beatwork could have afforded to go in some different directions as well; heard the pattern change up at 1:53, but it was still too similar throughout. I felt things could have been more engaging just listening to it casually, but it may just not be my cup of tea since I thought the source tune was meh. Objectively speaking, this was solid enough arrangement and execution for the YES, though the mix feels kind of "safe", as I can't think of a better word. Nothing against Lee of course, as I'm a big fan of his work and his style, but I've enjoyed his other material moreso than this. Too bad we didn't have this for this past Halloween. Spoooooky! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Israfel Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Creepy little mix. This is one of those mixes that, while it doesn't do much for me, is nonetheless above average and will likely be enjoyed by the community at large. Parts of it are perhaps a bit sparse and overly simplistic (and Larry's designation of "safe" may be accurate) but still, this is certainly passable. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digital Coma Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 I don't like delaying decisions for no reason, but I really don't think this mix should pass. I agree with the previous complaints everyone made while giving this a pass anyway; the arrangement is not just simplistic and safe - it's overly so. Loopy drums, ambience, and the original notes are all that is this mix. Development is zilch, expansion is limited to a repeating breakbeat. Maybe this would have worked if this was a minimalism piece with appreciable subtlety, but there's just nothing of substance here. I only see this as a gimmick mix of the original. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrayLightning Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 We asked TO to do more work on the mix. Larry was paying attention to the conversation the most, perhaps he can explain what the deal is with this. I think a replacement will be sent in shortly? Since all of us were pretty eh about this, even though it's still a yes, it was still a bit vanilla. Reminds me of the McNoods mix situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 Yep, new version is all set. Much hotter. Cool having AP do the new voice work cameo this time around. Very nice touch. The stereo-panned drums livened up the soundfield and I liked the train track SFX during the intro as well as the new bassline activity. All the additions made enhanced the atmosphere and beefed up the piece. Thanks very much to Lee for being open to tweaking the track. Because his computer was an iffy bastard, it was harder than it looked for him to put together the new version, so I have to thank him for gutting through it to make the revisions and pushing the quality way up. My YES is solidly reaffirmed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digital Coma Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 The small mixing changes made have no impact on the arrangement, so my vote stays the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 I'd say this has a pretty interesting arrangement, considering the original isn't all that complex to begin with in terms of melody and progression. I also feel that the structure is well-constructed, even though several elements remain somewhat static. Production sounds great to me, with lots of subtle stuff going on to make the whole mix sound more.. (ahem) atmospheric? I'm not a big fan of the vocals, but because they're so short, it's really not much of a problem. I see this mix as a fun interpretation that manages to sound fresh even while it doesn't take the source in a wildly new direction. I can't think of many reasons not to say.. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 I agree with binnie. The mix is pretty shallow. It's short, loopy, doesnt really develop much. The groove is cool, but the groove is really all there is, and it isnt enough. the vocals, the sfx, all cool, but liek....where's teh beef? I just dont think there's enough here to pass. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danny B Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 There's a pretty cool drumloop in this, but there's not much in the vein of variety. I'm pretty sure it's the same drumloop the whole way through. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but in this case it doesnt really help alleviate the repetition problem. This is pretty cool from a stylistic point of view, but i'm having a hard time hearing any appreciable amount of actual rearrangement. There are a few breakdowns and additions, but they're so minor they really don't make an impact. The strings also are a bit too delayed. These really should have been put ahead of the beat a little. Strings should have a slower attack than most other instruments, but the peak of said attack really should be solid on the beat. The abrasive synth that iterates the main melody in the intro and at 2:21 is very "stuttery" and doesn't flow like it feels it should. You've got this smooth, easy-going bed and a jittery lead. Melody alteration sounds nice though. The vocals come off as cheesy to me. They don't really add much to the track. They're not a big issue though. Some interesting instrumentation and timbre here, but I agree with the NO votes. This is almost there, but the production needs to be cleaned up a bit, and there needs to be a more solid effort on rearrangement additions/modifications. Til then... NO -D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zykO Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 ok come on. i can't believe we're having this much of a debate over this... this is as groovy as it needs to be. there is no meat to this piece at all and that irks me but i love how frail it sounds and i think it embodies the "whole package" very well. very ghostly, spooky, hollow and groovy as all shit. it isn't particularly epic or impressive but its solid and somethin i'd love losing minutes to YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The wingless Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 Ahh... my first "Being-torn" moment in a long, long time. Since I'm not terribly familiar with the source material... The song does suffer from repetitiveness, thinness, and that certain-something that feels somehow lacking. Like there is another idea or two that could, perhaps should have been implimented but never was, making the whole piece sound hollow. Nevertheless, these bad points must be paired up against their good points. Good atmosphere. A nice groove... But when all is said and done, I'm just not *Feeling* this piece, and I think it all stems from the lack of variety in the song, either in the form of variable dynamics, texture, or... well, anything. This song simply needs more to sustain it other than atmosphere and a groove. It needs, for lack of a more constructive word, more. NO, RESUB with "variety" and "variable" as your mantra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcos Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 This is obviously a groove based piece. I like the texture of the chorused drums, low bassline and weird singing synth. Arrangement is fine, production is good. For a groove based piece to work, it has to be effective; the concept of groove is extremely subjective, but I was feeling this. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danny B Posted March 3, 2005 Share Posted March 3, 2005 If I'm not mistaken, i see 6 Y and 4 N. There's still possibility of a tie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrayLightning Posted March 4, 2005 Share Posted March 4, 2005 This is a borderline mix. I think the overall result is pretty good and sounds pretty. But the more I listen to it, the more I think the arrangement and compositional aspects doesn't offer much complexity, substance or creativity we've come to expect from TO. The loopy nature of the drums/percussion make me looking for more originality/actual brute work done somewhere, either in arrangement, synth design or doing the percussion/drums by hand. At the end I can't find the level that we have seen from TO in the past or what the bar would dictate of others. The one thing this resubmitted version tells me is TO can improve the mix in a short time period. With more work I think this would really shine. I suggest working more with the harmony, extending the work, adding more sophistication or creativity in some aspect. Nice concept that needs more polish and cool production overall, but I think some of the processing techniques could be spiced up a bit. This is a close one. Borderline NO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted March 4, 2005 Share Posted March 4, 2005 Confirmed with Pretz that a tiebreaker will end up in favor of passing, so we'll lock it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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