OCR03021 - *YES* Kingdom Hearts 'Trinity'

[Liontamer]

Remixer Name: Tspeiro

Real Name: Tyler Speiran

website: http://tspeiro.bandcamp.com

userid: 49080

Name of Game: Kingdom Hearts

Name of Arrangement: Trinity

Name of individual song arranged: Dearly Beloved

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Edited April 14, 2014 by Liontamer

[Liontamer]

Interesting textures to start. The soundscape's (arguably) a bit thin, but I thought it was fleshed out enough, provided there were good dynamic changes later with a bit more meat. Nice subtle padding from 1:07-1:18 for that warmer sound; beautiful contrast with the thinner opening.

Not really digging the electronic textures from 1:22-2:23. The stuttering lead and saw countermelody were both generic, the kicks & claps were vanilla and their patterns lacked complexity over the long haul (unlike the first section's creative percussion writing), the melody could have been pushed up a bit more, and the textures were on the empty side (aside from the beats). The same issues for me were there from 2:53-3:24, which basically repeated 1:37's portion.

I liked the ideas of the arrangement, EXCEPT 1:22-2:23 & 2:53-3:24's trance parts, which could have been cool but weren't pulled off with as much variation and polish as they should have been. The chorus parts at 1:21, 1:37, 1:52, 2:08, 2:52 & 3:09 are basically the same gating technique over and over without much difference, and that aspect of the arrangement felt too repetitive and unvaried over time. That ultimately was the dealbreaker for me. The sound design was pretty cool with everything else except those sections. It's a great start, and I made just be the grandpa here not feeling the club-style portions are clicking all the way with the lack of variation and plain sound design, but we'll see what the others think.

No matter how this vote goes, Tyler, this is a promising arrangement with some creative treatment of "Dearly Beloved" and I definitely want to hear more from you. If this doesn't make it, it's definitely worth putting some more time into; this could definitely be taken to that next level of complexity and fullness.

NO (resubmit)

[Chimpazilla]

The soundscape seems to be lacking in bass in the intro, and then when the bass hits at 1:07 it sounds a bit muddy and too loud, making quite the contrast, so instead of the bass being a welcome addition it feels overwhelming and out of place. Taking the mud out of the bass somewhere between 250-400Hz will help a lot.

Many of the synths used in the track do sound quite generic. The sequenced lead synth has quite a bit of high-end resonance, as does the backing synth playing countermelody.

During the softer sections the percussion, crashes and 8-bit sfx are a little loud and have too much in the high frequencies and they don't sit as nicely into the soundscape as they could.

Arrangement-wise, the intro is quite nice, but the rest of the track feels quite repetitive and predictable with very similar verses and breakdowns. There is some interpretation on the source melody but somehow it isn't enough since both drop sections are so similar in writing and instrumentation.

NO (resubmit)

[djpretzel]

This mix dares to ask the question: How long can one lead synth sit on the same gated trance-style pattern and switch intervals without any pauses or drops?

I'm not entirely sure whether it answers that question or not, though... at a certain point, the gate pattern ALMOST becomes ironic and/or just fades from consideration due to the level of repetition, which is kinda what trance is all about, but the problem is that this isn't straightforwardly a trance track... it's like a downbeat track with some chip/lofi elements that trips, falls, becomes a trance track, and then regains its senses. That's NOT meant as a diss, just a metaphor - it's clear the artist knows what he's doing, it's just an unusual.... aesthetic.... to have so deliberately shot for.

If this had STAYED a downbeat jam and he'd brought in a really killer lead part, maybe even something acoustic, I think we'd all be pooping ourselves, more or less. Instead, he breaks out into some pseudo-trance and... well, it's NOT bad, it's just kinda there... I almost feel like I'd have to hear more of his work to even contextualize this properly. Thought of as a trance track, plain and simple, it actually has more variety than you often see, and frames things in a unique way in terms of pacing. I just have a hard time thinking of it that way.

I'm a little nonplussed, but there are enough good things going on and the overall package is enjoyably confusing to me that I'm gonna go against the tide on this one and see if anyone joins me.

YES

[Palpable]

I kind of hold the same opinion as Dave, but it didn't confuse me much. I've heard songs before that alternate between high-energy trance sections and ambient or downtempo sections, and as long as it builds appropriately up-and-down, it works fine. Tyler did a fine job here, I wasn't thrown much, nor did I think the synths used were all that generic. The building block sounds may have been, but with some filters, FX, and portamento, they stood out. Apart from the issues with lack of bass in the intro, I liked it and have no problem passing it.

YES

[DragonAvenger]

Had to listen to this one over a few days, actually. Overall agreed that the sounds aren't super unique, and maybe a touch repetitive, but I think that when you listen through a few times you can appreciate the different layers that are being added on. Similarly, even if the 8-bit section is a bit 'generic', I think it suits the song very well and makes for a good change of pace. I could easily see this going either way, but as-is I think it is above the bar and would be a solid addition to the front page.

YES

[Nutritious]

Tough call here. I see valid points on both sides of the coin, so just gonna throw my hat in the ring.

At the outset, the sequencing was super rigid, which had me worried. Fortunately, things even out immediately with the bit crushed beat and lofi samples. Pretty cool feel established here. Reminds me of the cave story soundtrack a bit for some reason.

Trance change up was a bit unexpected, but the transition works. Kick sounds like it's taking up a bit too much room for my tastes. Sounds may be a bit on the basic side, but it's generally well produced with a clear soundscape.

Arrangement connections are clear throughout with plenty of variation on the theme.

Upon repeated listens, I didn't find this to be too repetative. Sure, that gated trance part plays quite a bit, but the track never felt copy-paste to me.

YES

[OceansAndrew]

I'm not blown away but feel it's above the bar. There is a good attention to detail, and I think overall the elements all work together well.

Yes

[Clem]

Dearly Beloved is a classic. Remix is good and clearly a vigorous effort, but I have some suggestions.

Your arrangement works for me. Straight forward re imagining of the original melody as a dance style electronica track. (I always enjoy a more divergent arrangement, but this meets the ocr standards by my ear)

My primary beefs are in the production, and its really just subtle stuff that adds up to general impression of “not quite there but damn close.” The synth patches generally lack low-mid to low frequency warmth, so I'm hearing a gap in that range of the spectrum throughout the track. Sort of like a cold crispness... I would suggest trying to mix the bass patch a little more into this space. The percussion is ok, but the snare is thin and the kick drum is not quite sitting right in the mix (it’s not a great sample). The lo-fi sections are cool, and they almost work here, but they end up sounding a little too brittle. Your transitions are well executed, but they're a tad generic.

I have no intention of discouraging you. A lot of work went into this track and I can understand how it created a split vote. The kick into high gear at 1:23 in particular is a sweet moment! Just a few subtle adjustments to the frequency balance and some remixing on the percussion would get a yes from me.

NO

[Jivemaster]

I quite like this remix. For me the production quality is there. You're missing a little bit of low end but it's not a dealbreaker for me. Very trippy and chill vibe throughout, with some thoughtful and well varied instrumentation there keeping things relatively fresh. I like those bitcrushed drums you have in places. You have done some nice things with the arrangement to keep things interesting, which would have been challenging as the source tune is basically a 14 second piano number.

The main issue I have with this track is the chorus. When the chorus hit initially I was somewhat hooked but then it repeated again and again with not much changing. I know arpeggiator trance and/or club lead lines can be like this, but I think for this song it doesn't quite work. You have lots of variation elsewhere but the chorus feels like it goes on a little too long playing at the same rhythm with the same few notes over and over. To put things into perspective, the chorus almost takes up half the song's duration, and not a lot happens in it during that time. I think the chorus sections would benefit from being shortened or you could play with some things there to try and make it more interesting. You could try adding in a few more notes, playing with the rhythm or even drop a different lead in occasionally to take over. Even changing the background accompaniment over time might do the trick.

Don't get me wrong, I dig how you clubified the source tune in the chorus, but I really think something needs to be done with it to make it more interesting. Do that and we're sweet.

NO (please resub)

Edited September 21, 2014 by Jivemaster

[Beatdrop]

YES

I was really conflicted about this one. Ultimately, my decision boils down to a few specific things:

1.) The source doesn’t have a whole lot to it, and I think the arrangement here takes enough liberties with harmony (and, obviously, style) to keep it interesting despite being nearly four minutes long whereas the original was essentially an 8-measure loop. That takes some effort.

2.) Texturally, although it’s rife with dance music tropes, all the sounds fit together very nicely, and the contrast between the more delicate sections versus the main dancey sections warrants repeated listens. Yes, it's generitrance. But it's generitrance executed really damn well.

3.) Lastly, and most importantly, it’s just damn catchy. While the original is well and good, it's too short and inconsequential to make an impact. This take on it is probably going to be stuck in my head all day, and I’m not going to complain.

[Flexstyle]

So, this track was actually my first time listening to the source tune. For those of you keeping score at home, this is yet another game you can add to the list of "games-that-Flexstyle-hasn't-played-yet-nor-will-likely-ever-play-because-busy-yadda-yadda-etcetera." Whatevers.

The point I noticed, though, was that the source tune was fairly repetitive and short, and it's always interesting to me to see what people do with sources like this.

Like djp, I was intrigued by the genre-mashing action here. The downtempo bits are incredibly reminiscent of old halc material (which is a very good thing), and the actual trance bits are very old-school OCR sorta sounds.

Yes, the arrangement is a bit repetitive, but so is the source and I don't feel that it's inappropriately done. Yes, there are some production tweaks that could happen, especially during the trancey bits, but I didn't think they ever got to the point where I had to reject solely on that basis, and I'm picky. Yes, some of the instruments are a bit mechanical, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing for this particular arrangement.

Honestly, I was entranced (no pun intended) during the entire arrangement, and felt the song flowed pretty darn well. Source usage is obvious to the point of almost being TOO blatant, but the decently-well-executed mashing of styles really makes up for that rather nicely.

I think that, as an overall package, this song has what it takes to get by. It's a very enjoyable ride to me, and hasn't got enough against it in any given area to knock it off the rails.

YES