DragonAvenger Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 (edited) Remixer Name: Blue.Nocturne Email Address: User Id: 22091 Submission Information: Remix Title: Xion's Theme -ReMix- (ANGEL WINGS) Name of game arranged: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (Yoko Shimomura is the composer) Name of songs arranged: Xion's Theme, Roxas' Theme (barely there) Link to Original Songs: - Roxas' Theme - Xion's ThemeAdditional Comments: I submitted a remix just before entering Pharmacy school, which unfortunately did not pass (too medley-esque) but I'm giving it another go now. Unfortunately, school is really killer and they expect two years of residency from us now (10 years of schooling post-high school), so even trying to start this remix was difficult. So, this time it is a legitimate remix of a single song (mostly). I've been trying to learn how to master with more of a modern tone, since I feel I'm losing the loudness war front. Fruity Loops's demo songs were really great for learning, and I was glad to see a few of OCRemix's members on it. Hopefully this piece is up to par in terms of quality and volume. If you notice, I have attached 2 songs, one is with voices and without. The voices add dramatic effect, but I feel they are not entirely necessary if you all feel that they draw away from the song. To get a good background of the game, the character Xion is the tragic hero of the story, and Roxas is her good friend. Thanks! Edited February 10, 2014 by Liontamer closed decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Nice bass ideas, and a pretty good collection of synths I think work pretty well together. There are a few things that are initially bugging me though, like the sequencing on the violin solo part is pretty stiff; and some of the mixing is unbalanced. There is a cymbal hit at 1:12 that almost blew me out of my chair, it was so up front and loud. I thought the ensemble strings were feeling really nice though. Some additional humanization on the piano and harpsichord would be nice too. Overall I felt that the mashup was pretty intelligent and the arrangement was nice and flowed well. I think there are enough production issues to warrant some tweaks. I think the harpsichord can come down in a few sections, where the mood called for it (the intro or other exposed parts). Drums were fine; the snare didn't have much presence, but i think it worked out well enough, and the synths and ensemble strings were classy. I don't really think the sequencing or sample of the solo violin is quite up to par; you may want to consider swapping the instrument for something else, or getting some live playing. A sidechain on the bass for the kick would help a bit too. Overall I really enjoyed it, but I think that it needs some additional production touchups. I'd love to hear this polished up a bit more! No, please resubmit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 I think this is a fantastic arrangement. It could just about pass simply on the arrangement and writing, but I'm going to suggest a few fixes too. The backing strings sound terrific. The lead violin does sound a bit sequenced, but it is sequenced and humanized quite well. Having a live violin player would be amazing, but it isn't necessary, because there isn't enough lead violin in the piece to make it problematic, imo. There's a bit too much reverb overall. The piano practically disappears into the track as it also has too much delay. Many instruments have too much delay all at the same time and they conflict. I'd suggest lowering a lot of the reverbs and delays, and doing a bit more to eq the sounds apart. Also, make sure to have a good highpass setting (like no lower than 500Hz) on your reverbs and delays so you don't have reverb/delay mud. Snare could have more snap and less sizzle. Hats are a touch loud and sizzly too. Yeah, that one loud crash, eek! My biggest complaint in this track is the prevalent plucked instrument. It is so stiffly sequenced. That instrument is the type of thing I'd expect to hear played in a very humanized and emotive manner, not plucked at the same velocity and timing each time. I'm not sure that part writing in the track can be humanized, so I wonder how that would sound with something more synthy instead, maybe with the plucked instrument playing a countermelody or some backing arps or fills instead. It just sounds too clunky this way, and the instrument is quite prominent throughout the mix. So you may want to experiment with a few things. I do think this arrangement is pass-worthy and I like it a lot. Please fix it up and resubmit it! NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Great intro. The backing strings, the drums, it's all working beautifully. The first chink in the armor is when the piano enters. I'm not sure what the lead should be at this point; there's a few different instruments at the same volume level. It would have a stronger direction if you bring the piano out more and focus on it as the lead. If you do that, be sure to reduce the delay on it, as you've caked it on. I agree with the other judges that the violin sequencing wasn't quite at the level I would like. It wasn't terrible, but needs a little more realism to sound convincing. The plucked instrument that is used through a lot of the song could be subtler, with more humanized sequencing. It's especially noticeable because it's used so much. Apart from those issues, which were sizable but easily fixable, there wasn't much here to pick on. I love the variety of instrumentation you've used, how things like church bells can suddenly enter but not seem out-of-place. The arrangement ideas are strong and I really want you to give us a resub! NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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