djpretzel Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 Your ReMixer name: Joshua Morse Your real name: Joshua Morse Your email address: dashvibe@gmail.com Your website: http://www.joshuamorse.com Name of game(s) ReMixed: Double Dragon 3 Name of individual song(s) ReMixed: Japan Stage Composer/s: A. Inoue, Hirarin, Kame, T. Nozaki System: NES Original Soundtrack: http://www.zophar.net/nsf/ddragon3.zip beans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted May 5, 2005 Share Posted May 5, 2005 http://www.zophar.net/nsf/ddragon3.zip - Track 5 Yeah, I remember the source tune. When Bladiator couldn't come up with a source tune choice for PRC24, I offered this up as a choice and Karl was down with it. Catchy shit, IMO. Hooked it up with J! Groove a while back on VGF33. The keyboard solo from 2:27-2:54 was about the only thing that wasn't basically a straightforward cover (though it had the occasional odd spots), and then 3:07-3:39 featured some more prominently placed support additions as well to expand things a bit. Really liked the Tecmo Bowl clips I heard in there. HUTT! The percussion was pretty basic and a bit plodding and didn't really sit well in the track to me. I wouldn't lower the volume on them or that would weaken them too much, but at the same time I'd like to hear the percussion sound less pasted on top. I really liked the subtle additions supporting the melody that you wrote in; hell, some of them, like the bassline, the pads underneath the chorus or the acoustic guitar underneath the chorus were almost too subtle to be heard. Bring some stuff up some it can accentuate the melody more and be appreciated. The source melody was generally handled without enough interpretation, IMO. If some of the support instrumentation I mentioned had been brought up, this might have had a chance as a simply expansive arrangement. The conservative take here doesn't stop me from liking the track, but at the same time I can't reconcile it with the standards. That's not to say a track like this is bad for sticking closely to the source, but I thought "Where Destiny Meets" & "Frappe Cafe Vibe" were a lot more interpretive with the source material you chose. With Frappe in particular, you stuck close to the source material most of the way, but played around with the chords, used a lot of nice embellishments with the melody, used the new support instrumentation you wrote much more prominently, and brought in original & heavily rearranged sections earlier on and more frequently. I think the same could be done with this if you wanted to resub it, or simply use more of that type of approach in your next sub. I liked most of the elements in play; you definitely had a nice hybrid of Eastern strings, pizzicato strings and porn groove/wah stuff. Work on this one if you're interested, but even if that's not in the cards, keep em' coming I say! Keep Morse-in' 'em, bro! Frankly, I think my NO severely downplays how much I liked the track. NO EDIT: Oh shit, I voted on the older version already on my computer. Sorry about that. Josh really enhanced this compared to the first version, and there's nothing here holding it back from a YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted May 7, 2005 Share Posted May 7, 2005 better than the other work of JMorse that i have heard. the keys/organ part on the refrain and in the rhythm section is a particularly good touch; the chords chosen are beautiful, but i wish he would have done more with it rythmically. constant half-notes get old, and more active comping would have made it sound more organic and funky.The banjo sample is a bit rough but it's forgivable in my opinion. The piano solo isnt bad, but it isnt great, and it sounds awfully mechanical, sounds very quantized. i also would have considered making it longer. My main suggestions would be to make the banjo, piano and organs a little more organic (sequencing), and take more time to develop the interlude ideas before going back to the verse/refrain. Also, the ending was very lazy. Just sounds like you ran out of ideas so you cut out. i would like to hear more of a dynamic path through the song, something that could perhaps reach a resolution. the structure of the song as it is lacks direction. however, i think this mix has lots of potential, it is catchy as hell, and the instrumentation is quite pleasant. please make the sequencing more organic and develop those ideas. NO I'm changing my vote under no one's pressure but my own. Yes, the sequencing is very synthetic and mechanical sounding, (banjo, piano, elp) but i've decided it adds to the charm of the song, and the song is charming as hell. The arrangement is perhaps repetitive and it doesnt develop as much as i'd like, but it's really quite adequate. there are plenty of dynamic changes to keep things interesting. The ending sucks, there's no excusing that. but aside from that, this song is just too cool to pass up. the production is slick, and the composition is tight, funky and catchy. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted May 7, 2005 Share Posted May 7, 2005 That koto sounds kind of fake. Oh well. This has some sweet chord choices in it, particularly at 1:33 (and when it happens earlier). I love the funky jazz feel with the rhodes (?). Piano solo is a great touch. Very nice. There are some sparse moments, but I think that on a whole, the overall execution is great; very clean, with an excellent concept. YES! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmony Posted May 7, 2005 Share Posted May 7, 2005 Yeah buddy. Really cool funky groove going on here. Somewhat repetitive but not in a way that significantly detracts from the experience. The first thing that strikes right off the bat is the pretty disparate sound quality of the samples. The funky wah guitar, the phat bass, the clean and subdued rhodes and the warm piano are all very nice and mesh well. But then there’s the classical guitar, the pizz strings and the koto that are not below the bar, but are close to it. However, Joshua has done a heck of a job sequencing and layering these dubious elements into a very fun jam-like piece. The chorus sections a la :40 are slick indeed. Some creative processing, such as a phaser or a little wah on the koto during its leads might have taken some of the edge off but as-is, it does a sufficient job of carrying the piece. Personally I think the percussion decent. Simplicity in funk can be a plus if done well and I think that’s what we have here. I would have liked a more present hi-hat and maybe a ride during the piano solo to jazz things along but in most sections the shaker makes up for the timid hi-hat. From 2:14-2:27 the kick is left exposed and it’s very dry. If only for that section, some reverb on it would have been nice. Even if a little loud at spots (which I think is causing some of the pasted on feel that Larry mentioned), I’m loving the dry layered snare. The ride shots at 3:31 and 3:33 cut short for some reason which makes the ending seem weak and rushed along to me. The koto and pizz strings are pretty mechanical throughout but I think it works well in context. The piano solo however, although dynamic and melodically interesting, is over-quantized which takes away from any improv feel that would have been there otherwise. It’s a shame too. That section could be killer with a little more attention to the note timing. Arrangement of the source wasn’t expansive at all; similar sections from the source are played in a similar order. This still represents a creative interpretation of the original in that the transition to an eastern style smooth jazz mix is pulled off pretty well. A joy to listen to Joshua. As always there’s room from improvement but what is here is good stuff. YES. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrayLightning Posted May 7, 2005 Share Posted May 7, 2005 The banjo/koto does indeed sound rough and imo so bone dry. It certainly isn't helped by the rigid sounding pace of it - very robotic on that front. I think this mix could have benefited from more delay or reverb. Everything is in your face and LOUD. This is particularly true of the drums/perc. At times it's overbearing. Those are my gripes. The arrangement is conservative, but there are enough additions here to certainly warrant it as interpretive and passable for me. The writing under the melody is particularly interesting and benefits the arrangement aspect, which I thought was lacking in the source material. The composition as a whole, though repetitive, is also good. The execution as a whole is also well done. Everything just comes together nicely. It also does help that it's quite catchy. Production as a whole is tite, aside from the few gripes I had mentioned earlier. Creative and enjoyable work Josh. Nicely done. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The wingless Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 A little sparse for my tastes, and yet, I have a definite 70's-porn-guitar bias (wahhh-jih-wahhh in the background). Simple in its execution, and because of this, it's very hard to pick apart problems. Usually, glaring errors come across from people trying too hard to heap ideas ontop of ideas (guilty as charged). In the case of this particular song, Joshy took the simple and clean route, and clarity outweighs density any day of the week YES why 6 votes for this? Post it you goddamn pansies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 yeah wtf. i'm locking it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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