DragonAvenger Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 (edited) Hello dear Judges! Hope you're all doing great! Contact Information Chernabogue Alexandre Mourey www.fflproduction.fr 20943 Submission Information Final Fantasy VI Rhapsody of Madness "Gogo's Theme" Nobuo Uematsu / SNES YouTube Source This mix was made for the first FF6 contest held by zircon for the B&R album, and I, unfortunately, didn't make it. But I love so much the source that I re-worked with new samples my arrangement. The inspiration behind this mix is the amazing source. I also always considered Gogo as a very strange character with a strange personality, so I tried to give multiple "feelings" to the arrangement (epic, groovy, sad, mad, ominous, etc.) In the end, I love the result and I hope it'll get passed (and if zircon has the opportunity to listen to it, maybe include it in the album lol). LINK TO REMIX: Feel free to ask me if you need anything! All the best, -Alex ------------- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbfz0EHmgDA Edited October 18, 2013 by Liontamer closed decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted October 7, 2013 Author Share Posted October 7, 2013 Definitely a super fun source, I've always loved Gogo's theme. You have some good variations going on in the theme (0:36 in particular stood out), but at the core a lot of it is still really close to the source. That combined with some areas that feel like they aren't contributing to the build of the piece (0:57-1:48 for example) pulls back on the overall picture. I'd look into finding ways to rework those sections or maybe shorten them. Some more dynamic builds will also help in that regard as well as adding more motion to the piece. It's coming down mostly to the samples for me. The strings are the biggest issue, and I'd want those fixed up the most. Low brass is also an issue due to the overall muddiness. Aside from that I'd like to see you work on some velocity changes in the attacks to add more realism overall. You've got a good start here, but I think this has a ways to go. Definitely keep working on it, Alex. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 The issues I think holding this back are specifically tied to the direction it needs to go, but here are some quick thoughts: needs more and stronger dynamic contrast add some crescendos, decrescendos, and more transitional elements it needs better voicing in the low brass to sound clearer, there is a ton of mud in the legato brass sections arrangement focus, and more personalization. right now it feels like one element plays, then another, then a different section, but none of them sound like they are pointed anywhere and overall the excitement of the piece isn't there. It doesn't feel mysterious, or suspenseful, or exciting, or even sad, it sounds somewhat apathetic. Give the song a mood and really make that mood bold! No Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutritious Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Honestly, I don't think this is an issue of samples, but more how they're being utilized. For example, I suspect the brass mudiness is due to the part writing in those specific sections. Also, the sequencing of the brass leads at 1:20 is making for a really choppy sounding section. The woodwinds at 2:15 sound pretty dynamically flat as well. Just guessing here, but it sounds like you may be using EWQLSO. If that's the case, you can help your partwriting a lot by automating the mod wheel for any dxf samples, which will change timbre and volume for better dynamics. Even if it's a different sample library, you can always automate part volume levels to improve dynamics within parts and make a huge difference. Glockenspiel is hitting some loud resonant frequencies at 2:32. I'd pull it back quite a bit, especially because it's normally situated behind the orchestra. A lot of the louder hits, and especially at 3:00 & 3:45(!), there's a ton of distortion from clipping/pushing compressors way too hard. Gotta either scale back the levels and balance it better or look into your compressor settings to figure out why it's being squashed so much. I'd also definitely heed Andrew's advice on working on the piece's overall flow. I know this focused a lot on needed improvements, but you've got a good start here for sure. Don't give up dude NO resubmit, please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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