The Orichalcon Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 Original Decision: http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=75823 Source: http://www.mirsoft.info/wogm_download.php?data=YTozOntpOjA7czo0OiIyMzU2IjtpOjE7aToxMTM4MzI1OTA5O2k6MjtpOjM7fQ== - Level01.mid Tried building a climax, but doesn't work for this style of piece. I decided to get rid of the call to "wake up" halfway through the mix and just let it evolve naturally and serenely through the second half of the mix. I kicked up the strings another level about 3 minutes in and boosted the bass since I thought it sounded flat last time. The vocals are a tad louder since some mentioned that they were subdued last time. They're intentionally subdued in the second half of the mix, they're supposed to take a background role there, where-as they're a focal point in the first half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 http://www.mirsoft.info/wogm_download.php?data=YTozOntpOjA7czo0OiIyMzU2IjtpOjE7aToxMTM4MzI1OTA5O2k6MjtpOjM7fQ== - Level01.mid http://www.tzone.org/~llin/psf/packs2/FF7_psf.rar - 318 "You Can Hear the Cry of the Planet" Really glad Lee found a backup of the source files on this one. Basically all this needed was a little more development/evolution/variation to go over the bar, IMO. I found it a little funny that Lee didn't like the additions he made in the piece, "overcomplicating it" in order to make something more acceptable, but that's the nature of not necessarily buying into da groove. If you have a 4 minute track that basically says its piece in 2, then I'm all for providing more substance. Felt like the recording quality on the vocals may have been a little rough, but nice job boosting your vocals to help playing up the ethereal vibe and give them more prominence. I liked the guitar-like synths coming in at 2:15 to provide a nice change of pace, and worked better than that thin piano sample last time around. Loved the breakdown at 2:49-3:05 as well with the subtle strings, which sounded a little fakey but weren't very exposed. Nice work giving them a bit more presence to fill the track out better but keep them as a background player. Lee went for a purposefully murky texture from 3:05 until the end where the pads and his vocals meshed together. Personally, I think it could have been pulled off without the vocals sounding so indistinct/muddy, but it wasn't a huge deal, just something I wasn't hot on. Fadeout at 3:44 for the end also felt too sudden. This really didn't need much work from the first version, but all the revisions here have made things more solid. The overall sound balance is better, and things coast at a very chill pace without the writing going on cruise control. Nice yo. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrayLightning Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 Great stuff. There are some things in the original that I actually preferred over this one, but overall this one is denser and thicker. One thing I can see some judges possibly having a problem here is the lack of dynamics and building, but for these types of genres, constancy is the name of the game, so I don't have any problem on how this was executed. Definitely reminds me of the early electronica/new age composers like enigma or tangerine dream (to a lesser extent). Having had the opportunity to look at TO's project file, I have to say I came off impressed by the creativity he has in using his tools. A lot of the sounds he used are rather unique and in a solo instance don't sound anything too interesting, but combining all these various elements together makes one one outstanding soundscape. For example how TO made the bell synth sound like a chorused electric guitar. The vocals are generally fine, I might have done a little more eqing on it, but the performance and style is wonderful and ethereal. Also I don't agree with larry about the vocals being indistinct, they're supposed to sound haunting like this - listen to any new age - electronica - groove or stuff like enya where the overdubbing/delays/multiple reverb chains give it this kind of effect. Like I said, I would have done some more eqing to clean it up a little more, but even as is, it's something that one can expect in pieces like Enigma. The beats and groove are great! TO really is so influenced by enigma and it shows here. I dub TO the groove king. Ending was a bit weak imo, but overall extremely solid and tasty work. YES. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 Very moody stuff. When the vocals come in they seem a bit dry and forward for me. for their purpose I think they should be a bit further back. WOAH 2:30 a whole bunch of bad notes..ouch. that was quite ugly. Got to decide one chord or the other. cant have both. Not the strongest composition. It's really just groove plus a few ideas repeated once. However the moodiness is enjoyable enough. YES EDIT: Larry has forced me to think about the pooey notes at 2:30 and in doing so has made me grow immensely distateful of that section. So now, gotsta fix it. that in addition to the repetitive structure is enough for a NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 What's causing bad notes around 2:30? Sounds to me like the same groove's been going on for a while, and I never heard anything dramatically change, so I don't know what part you were talking about. The stuff at 2:15? The swirly pads at 3:20 (numbers reversed)? In any case, I really can't say I heard anything bad. Track's getting better and better per the listen. Smooth bias. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 at 2:30 the strings are playing Bb and D, the 1 and 3 of the vii chord of the key of Cmin. This follows the VI chord of the key in the same part, and since it resolves to the i, this progression makes sense. however, the bass goes from the VI (Bb) to the iv (F) and the lead plays the minor 3rd of the iv chord (Bb) which makes sense, as it resolves to i completing the plagal progression. In english, the bass and lead are playing one chord progression (VI, iv, i) at the same time as the strings play a different progression (VI, vii, i) and so they sound pooey together. Hence my comment that he needs to pick one chord or the other, because as of right now he's got two going at once and it sounds awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Orichalcon Posted May 12, 2006 Author Share Posted May 12, 2006 There are no strings at 2:30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 pads. they are sort of in the back so i cant identify the instrument Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Its negligible. I like this. Nice texture. The percussion is a little loud for my own tastes, but it fits nicely in the context of the mix. Vocals are a nice touch; nothing crazy awesome, but solid enough. Relaxing. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJT Posted May 20, 2006 Share Posted May 20, 2006 This feels a lot more coherent to me. As vig said, not the strongest composition we've ever seen, but the groove is there, as is the ethereal, hypnotic vibe. I'm satisfied. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted May 20, 2006 Share Posted May 20, 2006 Even as far as grooves go this seems pretty basic to me. The lo-fi, gritty aspect of it isn't as well-executed as it could be, in my opinion - plenty of remixers have a similar style for their drum work that works better than this. I didn't really feel like that atmosphere was that much to write home about either. It's solid but creating a more evolving or denser pad texture would have made it a lot more enjoyable. Even the additional of more harmony synths could help there. However, by the end, the atmosphere has built up into something that is more layered and (in my opinion) more interesting to listen to. In regards to the bad notes, I did not think they were a big deal at all. I've heard note combinations that have sounded much worse before. In the context I agree with Darke that it is negligible. Basically my complaints here are the simplicity of the groove and the tonal choices for it, and the relatively basic harmony action. I remember "Xenosphere" gave us some similar trouble, but we did end up passing that one, and it had a comparable level of arrangement and simplicity. The difference is the quality of production, in my opinion. That is what the key factor is in my decision here. After giving it some thought, my vote will be a YES It's borderline, and there are things I feel could be improved, but it's strong enough for our bar and we've posted mixes that aren't too different from this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted May 20, 2006 Share Posted May 20, 2006 Cheers. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy this mix quite a bit, just thought that one spot just pushed it over into "too sloppy" territory. I'm glad OCR will get to hear this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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