AlmightyArceus Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 Hey guys! I'm coming at ya with a brand new remix from Pokémon Black and White! It's the theme that plays within Celestial Tower and Dragonspiral Tower, named Tower of Heaven by Junichi Masuda and Go Ichinose. It's got some pretty creative stuff in it! Give it a listen and tell me what you think! Remix: http://www.box.net/shared/4gyv5csg4c Source: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 Daaaawwwww... I saw Tower of Heaven and immediately I thought of . *Sigh* Oh well, the track you're arranging is alright, too (even if it DOES sound like Zelda ALTTP light temples), so let's give it a whirl.Very atmospheric sound. I like it overall, though due to the atmosphere I feel that the square lead is out of place. It just pierces through the mix, and the slight left pan really makes it distracting. If you're going to go the chippy route then have some instruments in the texture that compliment it more often, and if you want atmosphere have more moments where other instruments take the lead over. Right now the square doesn't balance well with the rest of the track. The drums sound uninspired. They're groovy, but they get boring really fast. The hats change it up from time to time, but that bass seems to drone on. Don't be afraid to change it up from time to time. Overall it's quite good. The production is pretty tight and the arrangement works well, sticking to the source yet adding a couple solos and such to make it your own. I don't think the soundscape works in harmony with the lead(s) and the drums are weaksauce, but I think you have a great start, here. Alas, it's not the Tower of Heaven that I was thinking about, but it still works for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eilios Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 Daaaawwwww... I saw Tower of Heaven and immediately I thought of . Dude, you too? I agree with pretty much everything else you said, too. The percussion section feels lacking to me, and I do like some of the chipstuff you have going on, but it's a weird blend from the whole atmospheric stuff and the chipstuff. Cool use of pianos in here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmightyArceus Posted May 30, 2011 Author Share Posted May 30, 2011 Daaaawwwww... I saw Tower of Heaven and immediately I thought of . I'll have to look into that one; I love those old chiptunes, so I may give that one a whirl Very atmospheric sound. I like it overall, though due to the atmosphere I feel that the square lead is out of place. It just pierces through the mix, and the slight left pan really makes it distracting.The drums sound uninspired. They're groovy, but they get boring really fast. The hats change it up from time to time, but that bass seems to drone on. Don't be afraid to change it up from time to time. I do rather like the lead, but I agree with you in another listen that the blend is questionable. When I was talking with TheGuitahHeroe about this remix, we were working on making a bit of a wetter sound to make it more atmospheric. While when we were working on it before I didn't quite understand what he was getting at, I understand it quite well now. I will work in making that square lead a bit more ambient. As for drums, that is a common problem for Garageband. Though on this piece I didn't really change around the drums that much, in general, the drum pack that comes with Garageband is overall weaksauce to the max. Are there any drumpacks you would recommend so that I could get a stronger sound out of them? I find myself constrained when working with Garageband's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tables Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Daaaawwwww... I saw Tower of Heaven and immediately I thought of . *Sigh* Make that three people This one is still really tight though, the drums have been mentioned but really everything else is great. Not too liberal or too conservative, you mess with the source and added to it just the right amount, in all the right ways, while still being recognizable, which is something that seems to be a big challenge for Remixers so pro job bro! The ethereal sounds and the chiptune, well that's definitely an odd mix but it actually works well, so no complaints there either! I can't wait for the drums to be tweaked and for this to end up on the main page (I have high hopes ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmightyArceus Posted May 30, 2011 Author Share Posted May 30, 2011 This is an update on my remix; now with much stronger drums (FL drums as opposed to GB drums.) Also, I adjusted the delay on the Square Lead a little so that it wouldn't seem to "cut through" the remix as much. Please, tell me what you think! Link: http://www.box.net/shared/drdtj0zv9j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PROTO·DOME Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Daaaawwwww... I saw Tower of Heaven and immediately I thought of .Forth. Why is it in such an odd format to, .m4a? Not bad stuff, some of the lead work is pretty good, especially when it comes to the arps 'n whatnot. On all other fronts, I agree with Gario. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmightyArceus Posted May 30, 2011 Author Share Posted May 30, 2011 Forth. Why is it in such an odd format to, .m4a? Not bad stuff, some of the lead work is pretty good, especially when it comes to the arps 'n whatnot. On all other fronts, I agree with Gario. Apparently that is the format of iTunes songs.....and you listened to the updated version with the new drums? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 The reverb helped, but it still is quite piercing. Some modulation on the very long stretches (as well as some periodic silent 'spaces' to break the phrases apart) would help quite a bit. Lowering the volume would also help a lot - there are some sections that are lower already and they work great. I think the drumset works better than before, but the pattern is pretty bland, still (and that can't be fixed by changing the program, unfortunately). I suspect they need a complete makeover, here. And yeah, the format is pretty inconvenient. Change it to an Mp3 and Box.net will automatically play the track in the browser, which is a lot more convenient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmightyArceus Posted May 30, 2011 Author Share Posted May 30, 2011 The reverb helped, but it still is quite piercing. Some modulation on the very long stretches (as well as some periodic silent 'spaces' to break the phrases apart) would help quite a bit. Lowering the volume would also help a lot - there are some sections that are lower already and they work great. I see what you're saying there; I was working with the volume a bit but wasn't entirely sure if I should bring it down as I didn't want the other instruments entirely overshadowing it. The volume's an easy fix; as for the sharpness, I will add some space to the part to make it less of a constant sound streamI think the drumset works better than before, but the pattern is pretty bland, still (and that can't be fixed by changing the program, unfortunately). I suspect they need a complete makeover, here. Alright, will revamp the drums, though I will probably keep the FL sound. The whole thing was pretty much for the sound of the drums, not so much the pattern, but I will definitely work on that. And yeah, the format is pretty inconvenient. Change it to an Mp3 and Box.net will automatically play the track in the browser, which is a lot more convenient. Oh, so sorry about that! Odd.....before it was working perfectly with M4A....I'll see what I can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eilios Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Also, in the next version, that snare doesn't have nearly enough punch for my tastes. I would look into that while you're revamping the patterns, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmightyArceus Posted May 31, 2011 Author Share Posted May 31, 2011 Alrighty, version 3. Now, I wanted to keep the basic beat, because honestly, I like the way it felt; slow and easy. At the same time, I made sure to add lots of intensity, to make the drum more exciting, esp. the snare. As for the lead, I improved the blend and melding with the others; definitely not as sharply cutting through the mix as before. It melds a lot better with the rest of the sounds. I amped up the wetness and reverb a bit. FILE NOW IN MP3 FORMAT http://www.box.net/shared/qx1qfp0ovu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ectogemia Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Daaaawwwww... I saw Tower of Heaven and immediately I thought of . *Sigh* Oh well, the track you're arranging is alright, too (even if it DOES sound like Zelda ALTTP light temples), so let's give it a whirl. Oh my god, I had never heard of that... I'm so glad I ran into that link that's easily some of the best music I've ever heard. ... aaand since I posted in the thread, I'll give my thoughts on the mix, but it'll have to be tomorrow. I don't have proper listening gear set up since I'm halfway through a big move and everything is packed. Sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGH Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Although the reverb definitely helped (it definitely sounds a lot better with the rest of the soundscape) I think you should still try to find a way make the longer notes of the lead less 'opaque;" meaning they stay at the same velocity and pitch for a long time....if there is some way in Garageband to utilize LFO, which is great for fixing that type of thing, I would definitely try it. A good example of when this happens is :56. Things still get too loud at 2:58. I think right how they are at 2:55 is perfect, and shouldn't get any louder than that. The square might be a LITTLE loud at :50. It IS too loud at 3:07, 3:22, and 3:52. I know you like those parts but the lead will be just as pronounced if it were a little softer. An instrument like that really grates easily if it's too loud. Actually, pretty much the entire second half of the mix has the square lead too loud. On another note, I think this REALLY has potential. Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmightyArceus Posted June 4, 2011 Author Share Posted June 4, 2011 Okay, so based on previous suggestions, I have created a new refined version. The drums are stronger and more intense; the square lead does not cut through the remix--reverb and delay were added; "opaqueness" as described by TGH has been changed; volume has been modulated to better levels; overall EQ is better! Please check it out! http://www.box.net/shared/kjesolhcfi Also, I have changed the title to "Mod Review." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eilios Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Okay, so based on previous suggestions, I have created a new refined version. The drums are stronger and more intense; the square lead does not cut through the remix--reverb and delay were added; "opaqueness" as described by TGH has been changed; volume has been modulated to better levels; overall EQ is better! Please check it out!http://www.box.net/shared/kjesolhcfi Also, is there a chance that this thread could be moved up to "Mod Review?" Bro, you can do it yourself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Yeeaaaaahhhh, this source ROCKS. Always wanted to remix it myself. Wow, there's some really cool soloing going on in here! I dig it Unfortunately, as far as OCRemix is concerned, this is mostly just soloing based off of the original song without a ton of overt source connections going on. I really did enjoy listening to this one, it's definitely got a lot of improvements on all fronts compared to your older mixes. Production is not too bad once this kicks in, though I feel like the gradual fade-in at the start didn't work well. It felt like you've got two separate buildups starting off the song that are ultimately clashing. Your drum samples don't feel like they're cutting the mustard either, they feel very dry and low-quality, nothing packs much of a punch on the percussion front, although your writing is pretty decent. You can try throwing some compression/EQ/light distortion on your drums to give them a bit more strength, but ultimately you'll probably have a hard time working in the confines of the low-quality samples you've got My best suggestion would be to track down some better samples or try using a kit with a bit more personality, to feed some uniqueness into your mix. I'm not convinced this one could really be OCR ready without a significant arrangement overhaul to include some more overt source usage (though I will say that you kept the soloing in the same spirit as the source, which definitely helps your case here) but even as a non-submission track I think there's ways you could improve the quality. Either way, it was a nice listen on a source I was really hoping would get tackled sooner or later! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmightyArceus Posted June 15, 2011 Author Share Posted June 15, 2011 So here's a newer version, with updated drums and esp. EQ. I worked on getting the bass up on the drums as well as the EQ on them. I worked to make them sound more intense. I am satisfied with the amount of source I have in the song; anymore would be repetitive. I use the chords of the source and the source itself for most of the remix, so.....yeah. I'm going to keep it; I'm not going to change that aspect of it. Here is the updated version: http://www.box.net/shared/pexbiol1f2zp7yn1txvx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGH Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I don't like the change you made with the drums, personally. They used to sound full, now it sounds like they are covering less frequencies somehow (that clap isn't as pronounced). I don't think there was anything wrong with the drums before. At times now also they sound too quiet. The other EQ changes you made seem to have worked though, things sound clearer than before to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Level 99 Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I have to agree with Emunator that, while this sounds great, this is still a bit short on overt source usage. Using the basic chords is fine for some of the song, but if it is just an excuse for wankery and improvisation, it doesn't fly for as much as you have it. It isn't as bad as all that though, because you could include another 20-30 seconds of melody usage and I think you'd be good to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmightyArceus Posted July 3, 2011 Author Share Posted July 3, 2011 So I added just a bit more source. He's the prob; I wasn't entirely sure how to add more melody because I myself was rather content with the form of the song. So this may still not be enough. I didn't want to mess with the form since most other parts are pretty much solid, but it was difficult to find a place to fit it in. Please, tell me what you think Link: http://www.box.net/shared/0f7nyn15l6ygofvqng6u Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 Still hearing a lot of the same issues from earlier here :\ The drums are weak and not carrying the track at all. Some of the synths are pretty generic, although compliments to your lead writing and the piano, which is sounding very Pokemon-esque and interesting to me as a listener. Kudos there There's some low-end frequencies like the low piano notes that are causing a fair bit of mud when they show up, too. Scale back on the reverb or make some EQ cuts to those instruments to make sure your soundscape doesn't get too muddy. Still well below the bar, but I can hear this improving and taking on a more personalized sound compared to older versions. It's up to you how far you want to take this, it's got quite a bit of promise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmightyArceus Posted July 5, 2011 Author Share Posted July 5, 2011 So now I have worked out a solid place for more source: I added in another verse at the end, with bits of variation thrown in. I am a jazz musician, so that's just what I do I have adjusted the piano EQ to have a more full sound but also adjusted the bass EQ so that it was less muddy. I also found another source of mud which was a distorted piano in the background and I adjusted that. As for drums, working on better samples (of course I am never really the one to feature my drums). I still do personally like the drums for being simplistic. I did turn them up a little bit as to give them a little more kick and drive, and EQd them a bit more. Tell me what you think guys! http://www.box.net/shared/t5johjkjlto4klp6fusx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmightyArceus Posted July 6, 2011 Author Share Posted July 6, 2011 So I perfected some of the newly added melody parts by changing some of the partials to make them more appealing. I also added 2% more delay to the lead which made a surprisingly big difference depth-wise. I adjusted the drums a little bit again, but not by much really. Just a few volume things. I made the piano velocities a bit more dramatic where they were lacking before, so now the piano sits just a bit stronger in the overall remix. Feedback is appreciated; getting closer and closer to the final product! http://www.box.net/shared/zuf3viir89ol73516xk7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleJoeSeven Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 This sounds better and better every time I listen to it. I think your the amount of source used is perfect, and your improv is at the right level as well. The depth, as you noted, is different. I can tell that you put a lot of effort getting it to this level. Keep on truckin' AA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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