DragonAvenger Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 OCRemix judges, Attached is my band's submission to OCRemix -- iFreedom. We're not normally a video game cover band, but I'm a big fan of the site, and thought our one video game cover might be eligible. I hope you enjoy it and that it meets the necessary requirements. Contact Information Your ReMixer name: Lesser S Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged: Mega Man 3 Name of arrangement: iFreedom Name of individual song(s) arranged: Hard Man Stage, Top Man Stage, Get a Weapon Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc.: We're actually a pop-rock band that doesn't normally perform or record video game arrangements, but over the last several weeks, we've taken the Jonathan Coultonesque approach of attempting to write, record, and mix a new song every week. A few weeks ago, we fell behind schedule, so one member of the band put together this arrangement from Mega Man 3, which was then recorded in the span of a few hours. Most of our fans have never even heard of Mega Man 3, and Hard Man's theme appears to be one of the most obscure in the game, so we wouldn't be surprised if most of the people who have heard it have no idea it's an arrangement at all. As far as the arrangement itself, it's primarily built around Hard Man's theme, and is meant to be from Hard Man's perspective, in the same vein as most arrangements by a band I adore, The Megas. In the canon of this song, Hard Man is actually afraid of his own level, and is, in a sense, trapped in the boss room, hoping the Mega Man will be killed by the level before they ever encounter each other. By the end of the song, he accepts his fate, and a somber trumpet outro plays while Mega Man extracts his weapon. Thanks, Adam Kalachman Lesser S --------------- - Hardman - Topman - Get a weapon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted December 18, 2011 Author Share Posted December 18, 2011 I had to think on this one quite a bit. Personally I love the arrangement, and there's a lot of really good things going for it. It's definitely in the vein of The Megas, a sort of tribute to them, especially the spoken section near the end. Some of the issues I'm hearing that are making me uncomfortable with passing this are the timing issues all around. Most of it is slight but noticeable, and it's pretty often. I'd just love things to be tighter overall. I'm also feeling like the vocals are a little pasted on top, and could be integrated a little better into the soundscape. The last thing that bugs me is the last note drops pitch right at the end. It almost sounds like it could be intentional, but as a trumpet player it's bugging me personally. It's a really close call, and honestly I could go either way with it. I'm curious what the other judges think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 The timing on everything's pretty stiff and awkward, especially during the choruses. The drum timing sounded the most robotic, with the looser timing of other instruments like the guitar and organ sounding weird in combination with the drums. The vocals were pretty sprited, albeit too dry and exposed for being that upfront. I agree with DA that the way they're mixed sounds more stapled on top than meshing with the instrumentation. There's nothing horribly off-pitch, but the vocal control's definitely weak, and it's not mitigated or masked in any way via some effects. The style of the verses ended up sounding pretty repetitive, with exactly the same vocal melody, instrumentation, tempo and energy at 1:41 as at :31 with no build or dynamic changes for the second iteration. Obviously, not every song needs those differences, but the soundscape during the verses was pretty skimpy, so 1:41 was an opportunity to add to or modify the picture some and develop the arrangement further. Smaller note, but the bassline, while cool, was pretty far in the background and needed to be louder. Really cool guitar soloing at 2:57, but the drums were still robotic. Though the style change was a bit awkward, I liked the concept of the "Get a Weapon" stuff on brass for the finish, though the samples were thin and needed to be beefed up some via effects. The bell that closed this was also a pretty flimsy sample; not sure why, but there are better bell sounds out there. The arrangement's definitely creative and interpretive, but the sequencing, performances and production aren't tight at all. You have to tighten the screws up on everything to have a shot at getting this passed. No hate, but I'm not sure y'all have the chops to get this where it needs to be without redoing it. I could certainly be wrong, but I'd love to hear y'all give it a shot to see how far you could improve it. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted December 30, 2011 Author Share Posted December 30, 2011 Looking at Larry's crits, I have to unfortunately agree with what he said. I love the arrangement personally, and the lyrics, but overall this is just a little too rough around the edges. Really hope you fix this up and resub it, though, I want to see this on the front page! NO (resubmit, please) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 The drums were pretty weak in what was otherwise a fun arrangement. Especially when the song got faster, the FL Studio default-ish drums just weren't keeping up with the power, and the timing was way off too. I really think if the drums were fuller and the timing was fixed, that would go a long way. There's a lot of other little things that Larry pointed out that would also help improve this. Hope you guys stick around and don't make this your only submission. I see a lot of promise. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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