Chimpazilla Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Remixer Name: Rexy (real name: Beverley Wooff) OCRemix user ID: 7528 Remix info:- Remix title: "Chips Out of Water" Game covered: Sonic CD Individual songs covered: Tidal Tempest (JP, all four versions!) --- After nearly a year of not submitting anything, I have returned to the judges' inbox. This track was done for OC Remix's Sonic CD project Temporal Duality, which I honestly swear is going to be AMAZING when it comes out. While Tidal Tempest (JP) wasn't exactly my first choice of track to mix when SuperiorX sent it around those that initially took interest, it did however present me with sweet ideas to work with on a sound design level. Knowing for sure that the JP soundtrack (my most preferred of the two) was ahead of its time, I felt the best approach would be to do something in a more contemporary style as of 2013 - 9-bit elements. In other words, "Rexy attempts to wear halc's shoes". Instrument-wise it's more stripped down than what I'd usually do - piano lead, 6-part Genesis soundfont work, bass, drums/percussion, strings and square lead. But to me, that's what Tidal Tempest feels like in comparison to the busier levels in the rest of the game - a water level so tranquil even the dreaded 'drowning' motif doesn't pop up. It still doesn't mean life is a breeze - one just needs to break out of the water that's binding them and find those directions to make a difference to the world. ...Yes, I know you can use the submerged springs in Act 1 to travel through time, but that's beside the point... Either way, I'm glad I got through the track - was a lot of fun to make. I would've liked to have spent more time listening to album WIPs and offering feedback, but considering that one of my biggest obstacles during this process was my physical health at the time - can't disclose what specifically but it did hinder my productivity during a fair chunk of 2013 - I feel really grateful I've been able to pull this off. But still, you got to give me credit for instigating interest in the Recruit & Collaborate sub-forum, right? Either way, thank you all for your time and hopefully it won't be ANOTHER year before I send something else your way. Peace out, -Rexy- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutritious Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 I like the diverse instrument choices with the Genesis sounds, synth bass, and piano lead. Piano sounds a bit stiffly sequenced, especially on the faster note runs. Some better velocity management (lower volumes on quicker notes leading into a louder finishing or downbeat note) would help this at the very least. Tone could use a little more body I think as it's a bit top-heavy. Production is quite clean with good separation of parts. I will say that the various instruments didn't quite fit cohesively in the soundfield. Some of the drier instruments stood a bit in contrast with the reverbed piano, so a touch of verb on these parts would likely help. Arrangement-wise, lots of personalization (is this a word? judge-only word?) and expansion without ever losing site of the original. Lots of detail on the piano part-writing over top of the bass anchoring the source motif. Rexy always seems to excel at this side of things and this is no exception. Good stuff overall. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted September 20, 2014 Author Share Posted September 20, 2014 *tries to picture Rexy in halc's shoes* haha! Justin is right about the piano, both about the velocity of the short notes and about the top-heavy tone. But wow, the writing is terrific! Justin is also right about the reverb, it isn't cohesive. Some elements are quite dry, others too wet. The drums in particular could stand to have more reverb glue, possibly using one reverb send and sending the drum elements to it in different amounts. The drum/percussion writing is quite good and varied, especially from 2:53-3:16. Open hat is a touch too loud. The crash sample isn't my favorite. No Justin, "personalization" isn't a judge-only word! But Rexy certainly accomplished some very nice personalization while keeping the source present throughout. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 (edited) Some very funky stuff here. I am actually a fan of the piano tone, very house like, mimicking the original source sound. There is some brilliant riffing here making it your own. Percussion elements have nicely varied velocities and are complementary to the mix. Arrangement is nice and varied with lots of changes. Representation of source is clear. My main crit is there is a little too much compression across the track. This is most apparent in the more built up sections, where you can hear a tiny bit of pump. This isn't a dealbreaker for me though - there is still plenty of clarity. Overall good track, no complaints. YES Edited September 27, 2014 by Jivemaster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Once the track picked up at :37, I wished the bassline wasn't quite so similar to the original "Present" track, but the overall arrangement was unquestionably personalized substantially, so it wasn't a big deal. Not that I'm looking the other way, but it's understandably difficult not to just roll with that bassline fully intact, since it's so swank. Nice chiptune and piano spices, as well as extended freestyle-ish sections. The Genesis-style chippy intro and outro were huge ear candy, nostalgia-inducing highlights. On the minus sides, the piano timing was stilted in places, but nothing beyond a passing comment rather than a big hit against it. Agreed as well re: the compression being a bit much; you SHOULD have eased it back some, but at the same time it didn't bother me at all personally. Nothing but strength on this one overall, and an awesome component of Temporal Duality. In 2012, I said Bev was showcasing more well-rounded execution with Mega Man 6 'Synthesize This!'; even with the flaws in that one, the potential was clear. Lately, there's nary a meaningful seam to be found. Her stride. She has it. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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