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Which Games Don't You Make Remixes For?


WillRock
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I am are teh contribyoot 8)

With any luck, I'll be changing this from the inside in a few years. My ultimate goal is to write for video games, and I guarantee I'd do my best to make sure none of this forgettable junk would be coming from me. We need more memorable themes. Newer technology doesn't mean melody has to die...

:mrgreen:

I'm sure we can swing a Nobel prize in your direction somehow. I mean, if Obama got one...

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I tend to stay away from games that are superly overly happy in their soundtracks. I also tend to stay away from OSTs that have really good music that is pretty up to date with technology today.

Personally, I think that tackling really good "CD quality" sources can be a good exercise in your arrangement skills because you can't really do an "updated version" of the source like you can with 8-bit or 16-bit music, thus inspiring more creativity :)

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There are, I believe, some game OSTs in which nothing can be added to the songs if you remix them.

Like God Hand. The soundtrack is perfect, so why meddle with perfection?

When i remix (or try to lol not a posted mixer), preserving the original spirit of the track is important. Kraid's theme doesn't need to be a sappy teen-love ballad with a 19-year-old vocalist struggling to belt out the lyrics. It doesn't need that.

Some tracks, however, are so perfect in their construction that I can't conceive ANYONE doing ANYTHING to them without the new product being markedly inferior. Take, say, ADAM or Kimera II from G-Darius.

You can't do anything with those songs because OGR did everything to them- they're perfect VGM, and within the game's context, they culminate an incredible audio experience. I think it'd be kind of taking away from his work if you tried to make some half-ass cover and pawn it off as a 'reinterpretation'. Like remixes of classical composers. 99.9% of the time, i just want to hear the originals.

While I believe that by their nature remixes can't be "better" than the tracks they're based on, that doesn't mean you can't make a rockin' CT remix (Firecross, there's one. Or is it Cross of Fire?)- if it preserves the feel and energy of the original while giving it a new spin. This is a definition that I haven't really reasoned out completely yet but I am sure that none of you care anyhow ;o

But back on topic: I don't ever want to remix anything that's been done a bajillion times before, or is just old hat. When I read djpretzel's call to remix unremixed tracks at the beginning of 2011, I thought that was a wonderful statement/call-to-arms - there's a lot of VGM that deserves more recognition and exposure (which OCR naturally gives).

so in short

-tracks that are all ready perfect

-tracks that can not be added to in any way by remixing

-stuff that has been covered and interpreted sufficiently so as to discourage my added meddling

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Final Fantasy. Ironic, since I've already done two or three of them. Why? Because I don't really like Nobuo and I've already done the only songs I really liked from the series that haven't already been remixed to death.

You realize you just said that you don't like Nobuo Uematsu on a website dedicated to the appreciation of video game music, right? Hope you're wearing your flame resistant suit. :smile:

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Interesting thread. I've often pondered whether I'd remix something from a game I haven't played, and as of yet I haven't. I just don't feel the need to, especially since I have such a wealth of gaming experience and I've played so many games that don't even have 1 remix on the site to their name.

In fact, the 3 tracks I've had accepted are all from previously unremixed sources, so it's a source of extra pride for me if I manage to get a new game into OCR's spotlight. Saying that, though, the soundtracks for more popular games such as the DKC series have always been special to me, so I'll be attempting remixes from those.

In response to Will's original question, I think the answer is I don't remix music from games I haven't played because there's no 'nostalgia factor' there. I think this would only change if I heard a particularly inspiring source and had an idea for a unique remix, or perhaps if I was asked to contribute to a project. Even then though, project mixes can be hell if you're not emotionally invested in the game.

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I will never touch the music of FFVII or Sonic 2 because i've managed to relate some pretty good memories to those games and I wouldn't want one of my busted ass remixes changing my concept of the music.

I'm sure that most people, when remixing a piece, have a far different feel of the music they remixed after they have torn it apart and listened to it over 500 times.

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Ignoring a game series because it's particularly well done and beautiful makes no sense. Would you do the same to a woman with similar adjectives? Nerds!

I wouldn't avoid a series just because the music was so good that everyone liked it. That would be more reason for me to cover the music, because the music is GOOD, and people like it. I like it. It means something to me. :-D

I may avoid working with sources or games (or people) that have a negative emotional attachment to them.

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I may avoid working with sources or games (or people) that have a negative emotional attachment to them.

That doesn't really make sense. Many people may like a game while others can't stand it. No matter what, somewhere, someone won't enjoy X and there's an infinite list of possible reasons. Remixing to please the majority is kind of being like an attention whore.

-----

I'd say people shouldn't refuse to remix X or Y game because it's popular. Trying to focus on hidden gems once in a while instead is a good idea though. In terms of popular games not getting much recognition, the Pokemon serie is a good example, as is the side-serie FF games (FFT, FFCC, etc.) and Chrono Cross/Radical Dreamer (vs CT).

While I personnally am saddened when I heard this, not remixing certain games because you never played them (no emotional attachement) can be a valid answer to me. It just might not make you feel involved as much in your remix and that just ends up being more frustrating than enjoyable.

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I may avoid working with sources or games (or people) that have a negative emotional attachment to them.
That doesn't really make sense. Many people may like a game while others can't stand it. No matter what, somewhere, someone won't enjoy X and there's an infinite list of possible reasons. Remixing to please the majority is kind of being like an attention whore.

-----

I'd say people shouldn't refuse to remix X or Y game because it's popular. Trying to focus on hidden gems once in a while instead is a good idea though. In terms of popular games not getting much recognition, the Pokemon serie is a good example, as is the side-serie FF games (FFT, FFCC, etc.) and Chrono Cross/Radical Dreamer (vs CT).

While I personnally am saddened when I heard this, not remixing certain games because you never played them (no emotional attachement) can be a valid answer to me. It just might not make you feel involved as much in your remix and that just ends up being more frustrating than enjoyable.

I meant a negative personal emotional reaction to a song. I don't choose songs to remix based on how it'd make other people feel.

And I often remix from games I've never played.. if I'm able to play them I do though, with roms or whatnot.

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if someone works with a song that annoys them in some way, the song will not be good.

/sarcasm

Then how did

beauty come out of this monstrosity?

/end sarcasm

Oh yeah, I haven't posted in this yet I don't think.

There's not really a particular game or series out there I won't remix. Ultimately, it all comes down to the song rather than the game I'm mixing for. I've realized a lot of mixes I make actually come from games I've never played before which is kind of funny. I even attempted to mix a song from some random hentai game that somehow found on youtube. It didn't turn out that well, but I'm not really biased.

I've even thought about mixing a game I hate (Metroid: Other M) a few months ago.

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It's not a question of soulful music... if someone works with a song that annoys them in some way, the song will not be good. It has nothing to do with attention whoring, emotional performances, or anything of that nature. x_x

I work with music that annoys me more often than not, mostly to challenge myself. I'm pretty happy with the results when I do this, too, so... yeah, people can make good remixes of tracks that they find annoying, if they really want to.

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I work with music that annoys me more often than not, mostly to challenge myself. I'm pretty happy with the results when I do this, too, so... yeah, people can make good remixes of tracks that they find annoying, if they really want to.

Obviously I'm only speaking for myself and not everyone. ;-) And technically I DID do Ethnic Rush, which I probably wouldn't have done if it weren't for the challenge they put out. But in the end I really liked that song. So it would be more accurate for me to say I'm less likely to do them than that I never would. Basically in a nutshell I am saying I am more attracted to highly melodic music, preferably with a catchy chorus or b-section.

i'm really not good at working with less melodic stuff :3

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  • 4 months later...

Just a mild curiosity among all those posts out there that say "remix this game!" and "remix that game!"

What games will you never want to touch the music of? Some reasons could be:

You enjoyed the game too much to take the music outside of it's original context

You dislike the game

The music is unremixable or too good to do it remix justice

The music has been remixed too often

This is what I probably will not touch during my time here at OCR,

1. Anything related to Sonic 2 (especially not Casino Night Zone!)

2. All of the music from Final Fantasy VII

3. Music from Resident Evil

4. Music from Motoi Sakuraba (Dance rendition of On The Cutting Edge Of Notion anyone? didnt think so...)

5. Any game that has or has had "Nintendo" on the cover. :)

And thanks to OCR, I have probably lost any interest I had in

6. Sonic 3's Icecap Zone (willrock's=best version ever, now it's time to move on)

7. Any mobile or social games, I always wanted old school gaming to return but...not like this!

Note that this is NOT a hate thread.

-gar

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