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*NO* Chrono Trigger 'House of Green'


DragonAvenger
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Hey there,

I have a song for you all :)

ReMixer name: Tuned Logic

Real Name: Mike Feinstein

Email: feinstein.mike@gmail.com

Website: http://tunedlogic.com

Forum ID: 19721

Artist ID: 5186

ReMix Title: "House of Green"

Game: Chrono Trigger

Songs: "Secret of the Forest" and "Memories of Green"

Comments:

Yes, I do already have a "Secret of the Forest" mix posted; thanks for asking! I'm honestly kind of obsessed with this source tune, and looking back, I don't feel I did it justice with "Tree Hopper". My ability to make music has improved since then, and I wanted to take another crack at it. This time, though, I included bits of "Memories of Green" for good measure, which is also used in the Chrono Trigger title sequence, as well as about a billion other songs throughout the disappointingly short series of Chrono games.

I decide to stick with that world music style I used for "Tree Hopper", but I made this more of a song and less of an ambient track. You could dance to this.... maybe. Let me know if you try.

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cool, really digging the soundscape, though the left-panned piano feels a little out of place. could've been a little wetter maybe, and the sequencing was mechanical, but it's not a dealbreaker. otherwise, lots of really unique sound choices here. can't say I was blown away by the arrangement, but things are definitely clicking overall. I'm groovin'. :D

YES

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This sounds pretty groove-biased, as the music itself is marginalized under the beat (which is definitely a solid groove) for a bit until the melody is present.

I agree with Drew that the piano chords are too dry, but it's not ruining the track for me. The transition into the breakdown seemed a little awkward to me; it was pretty sudden.

The feel is definitely here, but I think there needs to be more overt source use. The blending of themes works well, and the overall soundscape melds nicely, but I am feeling this needs a little bit of revision to make the track more recognizable early on. Once the vibes come in with the main arpeggio it's obvious, but the part before where it is just hinted at is a little too loose.

I definitely enjoy this track, but a little more work would do it good.

No, please resubmit

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  • 5 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Hey, I dig the feel and sound choices here. Cool, creative approach with your production. Piano definitely stuck out to me, but it didn't kill the mix IMO.

Arrangement-wise, I'm sitting on the fence here. I agree that on the intro, I didn't hear any real overt connections to the source until 1:26. From there, though, there's a strong connection for most of the rest of the track. I was worried it was going to be TOO much on the conservative side for the rest of the track, but there were some nice chord changeups and variations that you brought to the table to allay my fears.

When it comes to the Memories of the Green section, though, we've basically got a straight up cover of that theme and just for one playthough (though the transition into it wasn't bad). I would've liked to hear some arrangement on that theme if you're gonna include it as part of the track.

Honestly, I wasn't really feeling the lead sitar(?), especially when it started getting into more rapid note changes (2:56 for example), but again, it's not a dealbreaker for me.

Transition just before the 4 minute mark was pretty weak. Felt like it should've either wound down gently or had a more stark dropoff - right now it's kind've in the middle, which isn't where you want to be.

So yeah, there are a few production issues. And while the source takes a while to kick in, it is present for the majority of the track. But overall, I don't feel like there's enough that would quite bring me down to a No.

Yes, borderline

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Digging the sounds. Crisp. However, the writing is a little awkward. In the (minute long) intro some of the pads clash with the piano. Just harmonically mushy. The breakdown at 1:15 is really jarring and awkward. Why are those notes there? It's not a melody...they seem completely random. I do dig the groove that follows. The breakdown at 2:40 again is a little weird. Maybe keep the bass in if not the drums?

Overall I start feeling the medleytits. The groove keeps coming back, and i think the track is somewhat lacking in direction.

Definitely not bad though. Maybe make a couple of tweaks and try again.

NO

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This is the sort of groove-based music that I really enjoy. I can see where Tuned Logic has gone with this, and I have to say he seems to really have a knack for this kind of music.

The piano may come across as dry, but it's to give it that crisp staccato-esque sound and keep the groove nice and clean.

Now my problem here are the lead synths (I think there are two, it might just be the one?) it doesn't do the song justice and you can really improve it. The backing can be dry, but in this type of track you need to give the lead a LOT of attention and make sure it's absolutely perfect, since it's the diamond on the pedestal of the soundscape you've made.

Consider lengthening and blending the notes. Play with filtering, pitch wavering on long notes, delay, reverb, etc. Really experiment with that lead and get it sounding as good as you can.

I don't want you to touch anything else in the mix. I know the other judges have their issues, but I think you could potentially ruin it by playing around with it too much. I'm gonna reject it for now, but only because I want to hear that lead synth brought out and made absolutely perfect. I can see this one going on my next chillout compilation CD for my car.

NO for now (Resubmit)

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  • 3 weeks later...
The feel is definitely here, but I think there needs to be more overt source use.

That's flat out wrong. Stopwatch it. :lol: (1:21-3:55 is pretty much all source usage with a couple rests as gaps.)

Cool intro, building similarly to the way some of the music from the Dune: Spice Opera album did until the changeup at :42.

Once things kicked in at :42, the overall soundscape had too muddy and delayed of a feel, IMO. If only the delay effects were toned down just a tad. Not a dealbreaker in the big picture, but definitely something that could stand being tweaked.

For people complaining about source usage, I personally wouldn't count :42-1:13 as being direct enough usage of the source, but that piano writing's clearly based off of the chord progression of "Secret of the Forest" for 40 seconds before the melody kicks in, and some of y'all are usually all over that stuff as kosher. Whatever standards you have, you've got to apply them evenly.

Also, when the source material is introduced doesn't really matter to me as long as the source usage is dominant and the arrangement of it is interpretive and developed. If hypothetically, the first 2 minutes of a 5 minute piece was all original, but the latter 3 minutes used the source, was creatively arranged, and pieced together thematically with the original material before, I'd be fine with that. Otherwise, there can be a bias toward front-loading the usage of the source.

Arrangement-wise, this was a fairly straightforward adaptation of "Secret of the Forest's" structure to this style, but it wasn't something that came off as lacking enough interpretive substance. It sounded pretty personalized to me.

I see where OA's coming from saying the beats here were too loud compared to the melody, but I wasn't bothered by that here. I still though the leads cut through enough to where they weren't obscured, unlike two other tracks I voted on tonight. Tweaking the balance there could be worthwhile, but I can't say anything was messed up.

The notes of the mallet percussion pattern at 4:02 were a bit odd, but not so off that they were a meaningful bother.

Honestly, aside from the filters making this sound on the muddy side, I wasn't seeing any huge problems with anything else, whether it was notes, transitions, production or the substance of the arrangement. While I think there were a lot of good criticisms here, they didn't seem to be blowaway issues that should hold this back at all. This is expansive, interpretive, and capably put together. I see where some people could say the arrangement's too conservative, but while keeping the structure the same, Mike really worked with this one rhythmically and instrumentally to add his own flavor and offer something substantively different. It works for me. Let's rock.

YES

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  • 2 weeks later...

Big variety of opinions here, but I'm feeling closest to Justin's and Lee's. Source usage was fine and pretty clear well through the middle of the song, to the point where I almost thought it was going too conservative. But the rhythm changes and additional instruments were enough to give it a unique spin.

For the most part, I loved the mood built here. Great balance between the bass, pads, and drums. The introduction of the piano was an early falter, it's too cramped and not the best sound, and doesn't complement what's going on as much as it could have. I can picture a nice, full piano sound in my head working perfectly in this soundscape, but this wasn't that. Luckily it drops out and when the Secret of the Forest arpeggios enter, it sounds beautiful. 1:53... this is where you lost me. Not only does the piano come back, but the sitar really can't carry as a lead. Even giving you some leeway on the lack of realism because a similar sitar sound was used in the CT soundtrack, the notes are always the same length, which is really awkward, and the bends sound cheesy. Lee had some great ideas for making the sitar work, but I think I would preferred a simpler synth sound altogether. The outro felt tacked on, but it was ok.

It's close for sure, and I can see why it's so split. There's a lot of good stuff happening, but the lead is the dealbreaker. I'm going to push for another version, this feels just below the line for me.

NO (resubmit)

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