MOTHER/EarthBound Zero - Magicant Remix

[Uffe von Lauterbach]

After seeing the new Magicant stage in Super Smash Bros. 3DS, as well as hearing the new arrangement for that stage, I became inspired to remix the Magicant theme. The original is in 3/4 time, I believe, and so I had to reconfigure the notes to fit 4/4 time. I like what I've come up with, but I have a few issues with how they transition and just the sound overall towards the end. Any suggestions? Does the way it sound as far as structure goes sound fine? I fear that if something doesn't sound right, structurally, that I won't know how to fix the issues.

Update 1:

ID WIP

Original Source:

Aiko Ohmori and Ritsuo Kamimura

Remix:

MOTHER - Magicant WIP

Edited October 16, 2014 by Uffe von Lauterbach

[timaeus222]

So far, it doesn't seem to have a structure; it just plows through with a simple beat, and it sounds like "okay, let's use the source here" (unless this is a snippet.) It seems it's a short WIP at the moment.

So the one thing I can say needs the most work is the development. Right now, it just starts "cold". i.e. the action is gotten to right away without anything to say "alright, the song has started. There's gonna be action, just wait a sec. Okay, here it comes! Wait for it... Here it is!" Where do you want to go with it? Do you want to start out with few textures, then build up to a high energy main section? Where do you want to go after that? A breakdown section when you feel your ears get tired of hearing the main section? And after that? A buildup back to a variation on the main section? Then what? An outtro resembling the breakdown section?

That's a basic structure. [A, B, C, B', C'] or [A', B, C, B', A'] depending on how you end it. The second one is called "book-ending". The first one reminds me of pop music but is a little different. Pop music is [A, B, C, B', C], D, C, C, E.

A = intro

B = verse

C = chorus

D = breakdown section or something low energy

E = outtro

, for example, follows a structure close to that, if not exactly like that.

Other than that, the harmonies develop a little weirdly too. 0:27 has a melody that seems to go into a different key, but it just popped on over there without a transition, and without enough time within the remix to get there. It sounds like it's out of key in comparison to the whole (i.e. incoherent), but if you listen to the section in isolation, it sounds fine. It's like you're going from A to C instead of from A to B to C. Basically, jumping straight to a new key just like that is like skipping a step in the arrangement.

Edited September 24, 2014 by timaeus222

[Uffe von Lauterbach]

So far, it doesn't seem to have a structure; it just plows through with a simple beat, and it sounds like "okay, let's use the source here" (unless this is a snippet.) It seems it's a short WIP at the moment.

So the one thing I can say needs the most work is the development. Right now, it just starts "cold". i.e. the action is gotten to right away without anything to say "alright, the song has started. There's gonna be action, just wait a sec. Okay, here it comes! Wait for it... Here it is!" Where do you want to go with it? Do you want to start out with few textures, then build up to a high energy main section? Where do you want to go after that? A breakdown section when you feel your ears get tired of hearing the main section? And after that? A buildup back to a variation on the main section? Then what? An outtro resembling the breakdown section?

That's a basic structure. [A, B, C, B', C'] or [A', B, C, B', A'] depending on how you end it. The second one is called "book-ending". The first one reminds me of pop music but is a little different. Pop music is [A, B, C, B', C], D, C, C, E.

A = intro

B = verse

C = chorus

D = breakdown section or something low energy

E = outtro

, for example, follows a structure close to that, if not exactly like that.

Other than that, the harmonies develop a little weirdly too. 0:27 has a melody that seems to go into a different key, but it just popped on over there without a transition, and without enough time within the remix to get there. It sounds like it's out of key in comparison to the whole (i.e. incoherent), but if you listen to the section in isolation, it sounds fine. It's like you're going from A to C instead of from A to B to C. Basically, jumping straight to a new key just like that is like skipping a step in the arrangement.

It is a short WIP at the moment, that's for sure. I wanted to gather everything from the original into what I have now, with the time being 4/4 and different sounds applied on top. That's why everything starts out with the action from the get-go. I am going to break it down, possibly applying an intro of my own within the same key. I totally understand what you mean when it comes to the 0:27 mark. To me, it kind of sounds like a medley because of that jump into a different key. But is that bad, in terms of going from one key into the next? Does it transition fine, is what I'm asking? Probably not.

My main focus is at the 0:43 mark to be honest. I feel like it sounds awkward. The whole idea for me is to use different instruments without sticking to the same ones throughout the whole track. Previously, when I was starting to make trance or whatever, I generally stuck to the same synths, and looking back, it kind of bores me because it lacks the variety of different sounds. Anyway, thank you for your input. Hopefully I can figure out how to fix this.

[Uffe von Lauterbach]

Kind of wondering if the first transition has been smoothed out. I won't share when it transitions, that way you, the listener, can figure out when the transition is made and whether or not it sounds natural or not. I feel that if you look at the time, it'll influence you to think differently than you probably would have, because you would have already expected it. Update is in the OP.

[timaeus222]

Is it at 1:18? I can imagine that working now, and I think it's really close. It's just one of those situations where you accidentally did something cool, but made it about halfway through the coolness. I would be expecting another "key change" at 1:24.

I'm thinking of something like

.

[Uffe von Lauterbach]

Is it at 1:18? I can imagine that working now, and I think it's really close. It's just one of those situations where you accidentally did something cool, but made it about halfway through the coolness. I would be expecting another "key change" at 1:24.

I'm thinking of something like

.

Yeah, it's at 1:18. I'm thinking that when it comes to the final thing, I'll have some arps or FXs in the background, that way it doesn't feel too repetitive, maybe even a familiar chime or something, as well as change the drum pattern. I need to give Smash a rest and continue this, though. As for the third key change, did you mean 1:34? And is the link what you're suggesting I do for the third key change, that I go about doing something similar to Zircon's Spatial Recognition? If you are, I'll give it a go.

[timaeus222]

Yeah, it's at 1:18. I'm thinking that when it comes to the final thing, I'll have some arps or FXs in the background, that way it doesn't feel too repetitive, maybe even a familiar chime or something, as well as change the drum pattern. I need to give Smash a rest and continue this, though. As for the third key change, did you mean 1:34? And is the link what you're suggesting I do for the third key change, that I go about doing something similar to Zircon's Spatial Recognition? If you are, I'll give it a go.

Nah, I mean 1:24 (though it seems the key change at 1:31 was awkward too; I didn't look at that earlier, and it seems you went up a half step overall).

[Uffe von Lauterbach]

Nah, I mean 1:24 (though it seems the key change at 1:31 was awkward too; I didn't look at that earlier, and it seems you went up a half step overall).

I don't know what to say about 1:24. I personally hear nothing wrong with it. The other parts I could hear in an instant the first time around, knowing I had to make changes, but the 1:24 mark doesn't strike me as odd. I was trying to copy the original source to the best of my ability while altering it to 4/4. Oh well. :S

[timaeus222]

I don't know what to say about 1:24. I personally hear nothing wrong with it. The other parts I could hear in an instant the first time around, knowing I had to make changes, but the 1:24 mark doesn't strike me as odd. I was trying to copy the original source to the best of my ability while altering it to 4/4. Oh well. :S

Yeah, it's hard to notice it. When you change key abruptly, the 'jazz' mentality is to change again, and then eventually return back to the original key or stay in the new key.