Palpable Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 (edited) TFA Music Jon Siejka tfamusic.com 50898 Zelda II: The Adventure of Link A Real Adventure Title Theme download link - I was always mesmerized by the intro to this game...the rising melody, the twinkling stars and the sheer epic-ness of it. But I always wished the theme was a bit more melodic! I decided to take the song in an 80s "synthwave" (ex: the Drive soundtrack, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, Hotline Miami, etc) direction and really play to that kind of sound. In the course of this I ended up changing the melodies and arrangement a bit to better suit that style. ------------------------------ Edited January 14, 2015 by Liontamer closed decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted December 17, 2014 Author Share Posted December 17, 2014 (edited) Man, you really hit that synthwave sound. I'm a huge fan of that era and you did it justice. I also liked the additions you made to the song to make it more melodic. The only critique I really have is that the arrangement uses some of the same patterns too much. There were some good change-ups and subtle automation like melodies getting louder and softer, even some drum fills, but I think the song could have used more. A big thing that would have really sold this song to me was if the lead instruments had more character and performed feel to them, rather than each note sounding the same. Backing instruments can get away with this, but lead instruments need more attention. This is close and I hope you can give us another version. NO (resubmit) Edited December 17, 2014 by Palpable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Wow that 80s feel! Am I watching "The Breakfast Club?" Nice. The soundscape you've set up is really cool. That lead that comes in at 0:34 though, is a let-down. It sounds thin and distant and not very interesting, it doesn't do anything, doesn't grab my attention. The lead at 1:44 is much better but I think it could be mixed better, it is very dead-center panned, it could have more sparkle if it is a little wider. At 2:35 the original lead returns, this could instead be a third lead, something even more interesting. The patterns do tend to repeat also (backing and drums primarily), making the track feel longer than it actually is. Some slight changes in timbres or writing would overcome the feeling of repetition. Really nice track though, great ideas, please give it that extra effort and let's hear this one back! NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Haha, your influences are , you did an excellent job emulating and expanding upon this style. I've been going back and forth on this a lot... the other judges make a very valid point regarding your sequencing and overall repetition. I expect this will likely get kicked back for a resubmission, but I'm going to go against the grain here because I think it's fully enjoyable in its current form. I know that a lot of synthwave artists utilize rigid synths with little to no articulation, which makes me feel that the way this was written was a deliberate stylistic choice, and not a oversight. On the one hand, I can imagine how amazing this would sound if the synth guitar was replaced with a more emotive, live guitar performance. However, I actually feel like the leads are genre-appropriate and have a very pleasant tone that doesn't detract from the rock-solid foundation you've built beneath it. I've listened to this about a dozen times now, and I only find myself enjoying it more and more with each listen. I gotta go with my gut here. If this does ultimately get rejected, PLEASE RESUBMIT! This is a really, really good arrangement. Best of luck either way! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I'm going to side with the resubber camp here, and also agree that this is really nice and enjoyable, but just needs a final sheen of polish. That main early synth could be made more interesting, and I think widening the leads a bit with some stereo delay will keep them in the same spot but give them a little more zazz. I do think adding some vibrato to the leads held tones would make the song overall feel even better, and mixing up the drums a bit more to not feel as repetitive would be good. Semi-nitpicky at this point, but this is close. No, please resubmit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutritious Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Yup, just hearing the established backing track really sold me on the style you were going for. Nice work there. However, I've gotta agree on the lead criticisms - specifically on the sequenced guitar lead. Even for the 80's synth style you've got going here, the overlapping and awkward note transitions, along with a really flat tone, aren't carrying the melody well. The second synth lead, however, actually sounded quite a bit better and more to the style you're trying for. I think it could cut a bit better through the soundfield though, perhaps with a bit more emphasis on high end eq. Arrangement connections were solid with the melodies and it was a nice touch to use the OST intro pattern as part of the background foundation throughout. I do agree that there could be a bit more variation in the backing patterns, however, given the genre this really isn't a big deal to me. I think it's really close TBH, and I'd personally be able to yes a resub with just the lead guitar synth being fixed up and/or replaced and a bit of polish on the other lead. NO resubmit, please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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