DragonAvenger Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Original Decision ReMixer Name: Fallen Seraph Real Name: Wina A. Kamlongera Userid: 10661 Personally, the "Still Alive/Shine" motif is a melody that feels so fragile and human. Placed within the context of the world of 'Mirror's Edge', it stands as something so contradictory to the synthetic glass cage that surrounds the player...in essence, an element of freedom and humanity. I did not have a proper plan when approaching the arrangement, I sort of started with the Shine melody and the piece evolved from there - concepts forming as I worked from the intro to the final seconds. Early on during the arranging process, the idea formed of taking the melody and using it as an anchor for the player/listener whilst taking them through a glass/mechanical world took form. The Shine motif consists of two parts - the first half, the straight-played melody; and the second, a line of descending notes. Whilst the first half remains largely consistent throughout the track, the appergio is modified slightly each time it is played to offer the listener a sense of movement (or, moments when they are, in essence, freerunning and enjoying the peace of it - the choice of piano made to push the fragility of the idea). Surrounding these "anchors" are intervals where the mechanical elements take hold of the piece. I feel that there is a certain purpose to each part of the song: for example, the drums act as a heart beat of sort, dropping out whenever Faith's, or the player/listener's, heart would stop (either at moments of making large leaps or of simply taking in the cityscape whilst running). I would break it down for you like I did last time...but I think I change a lot of stuff around. Eh... The title's nothing spectacular, I admit...it was pushed for after having largely failed at coming up with anything clever. The final part of the arrangement follows the concept that the player has made a leap, holding his/her breath whilst hoping they make it to the other side. As corny as it sounds, such jumps (whether within a game or in their average day-to-day real-life equivalents) are made largely with faith. Interesting trivia? Last time I subbed it, it was draft #14...this is...let's see...#54 Have I gone on for too long? Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy! ----------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Drums feel oddly dry and exposed, especially that snare sound. Actually seems a lot louder than everything else going on in the piece. Lead that comes in at :39 feels really weak. Kind of a buzzy, weak, phased thing that sits in the background. Leads should lead, not sit in the background of the soundscape. Drums actually feel on auto-pilot the more I listen to this. Sometimes things change intensity but those drums are still chugging away, all loud and stuff. :\ There's kind of a punchiness that pervades the track too. Everything besides the weak buzzy synth lead sounds like it's being plucked or played extra hard; your synth stabs, pizz strings, and piano. Arrangement is alright but overall the percussion really makes this piece feel like it's plodding along. Needs some more work I think. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Sorry Wina, this needs work production-wise. The drums are very dry, the live instruments are a little unrealistically sequenced. The buzzy synth lead also didn't seem like the best fit. The track has kind of an odd mix of sounds to it and it doesn't really work for me - hard to describe why exactly. I did like some of your arrangement ideas but the song needs more focus and polish. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 There's kind of a punchiness that pervades the track too. Everything besides the weak buzzy synth lead sounds like it's being plucked or played extra hard; your synth stabs, pizz strings, and piano. Wow, I never would have picked up on that, but you're exactly right. Overall, I think Shariq completely hit the mark on this and I have pretty much nothing to do here but cosign his opinion. None of the leads really grab my attention, and the lack of dynamics in your percussion makes the arrangement drag. I think the strength in this track lies in the way you've adapted the original sources... you've got some promising ideas, but the production is messy and there's definitely a lack of direction throughout the mix. I don't mean to come off as discouraging, but I think you need to develop your production/sound design skills more before resubmitting again... with the proper polish this track could definitely shine, but as it is, it feels a long way off. Good luck NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts