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Orchestral Remix of Metroid's Title Theme


Slimy
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Remix: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/zd91uqw4abrty6s/Footprints%20on%20Zebes.mp3?dl=0

 

(Old: https://soundcloud.com/slimy-4/footprints-on-zebes-update

https://soundcloud.com/slimy-4/footprints-on-zebes)

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Since "Adventure Through Lavender Town" went on for over 7 minutes, I decided to make this one 7 minutes exactly. :P

6:33 now

At 1:22, I tried to capture the mood of the original, which I love and don't think is done by many remixes. (including the Metroid Zero Mission one, which bombards you with loud, unsubtle chords)

I also used the item room theme in this remix, and bits of the opening theme from Super Metroid.

Feedback would be appreciated!

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Really enjoyed this! It's now one of my favorite Metroid orchestrations.

My favorite section was around 5:00-6:00 with the cool harmonies and string parts, and I loved the ending. Samples sound great and so does the mix. My one piece of feedback would be that I think there are too many twinkle things.. (windchimes, glock, even some of the gongs, etc.)

The name is great; it nicely coincides with the 45th anniversary of the moon landing. :D

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Really good orchestration and arranging. I don't think the seven minute runtime is a problem at all, because you have enough development over the course of it to keep things interesting. My comments here mainly have to do with production and sample use, because those areas aren't as strong as the arrangement itself.

It sounds like you're mostly relying on velocity to set dynamic level rather than expression control (CC11, or whichever CC your library(ies) uses). As a result, there are a lot of places where sustains feel lifeless and where phrasing doesn't hang together so well. The brass line starting at 1:38 is a good example of this. Am I correct in thinking that you're using EWQL Symphonic Orchestra? If so, you may want to experiment with the DXF (dynamic crossfade) patches, which crossfade between velocity layers in response to CC1, unlike the standard patches which have a static velocity layer set by the note velocity. Regardless of which type of patch you use, though, you can probably be more liberal with CC11 -- I think it will help to breathe some life into the performance.

There are some places in the brass where the midrange is boomy -- particularly with the horns from 1:22 to 1:38. This should be pretty easy to fix by EQing the offending frequencies.

Spatialization and reverb are not bad, although I think there are some details that could be improved. I find that EWQL SO (again, I'm assuming that this is what you're using) tends to have note connections that sound a little too clean in the context of a full orchestra, which is kind of what I'm hearing here. You might try adding a short reverb on everything to smear notes together. It'll be a subtle effect, but it may help the ensemble gel a little better.

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For me, 0:24 was a substantial jump in volume. Maybe a riser or reverse that covers a larger dynamic range could connect this part a little less jarringly. The volume in either part is fine, and I think it's just the connection that's the issue here.

I agree with Moseph on the brass being boomy at 1:22, but it's just slight on my side. Other than that, at least for me, although I agree with Moseph on the reverb, stereo field, and MIDI CC, I feel like it's not a very big deal. Still sounds quite good to me.

Try listening to this as an example of a very polished orchestral piece. Maybe it'll help. :)

Edited by timaeus222
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  • 3 months later...
  • 6 months later...

https://soundcloud.com/slimy-4/footprints-on-zebes-update

 

After months of getting sidetracked, I've finally made all the revisions. I EQ'd everything to be a bit darker, and I cut out the section that was at 4:26 because I didn't really like it, and changed the section that was after it to sound cooler. And some more minor tweaks.

 

Alright, any feedback now?

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This one is going up with little to no contest I imagine.  Really enjoy the minimalist piano creeping over the theme and your woodwind work is exceptional.  The orchestral percussions... I'm always on the fence about because I think they are the hardest to engineer (one of those things that just sounds incredible when recorded live), but you know, they don't detract here.  Awesome.

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