Palpable Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 (edited) Hello everyone, hope you're all doing well! Contact Information Chernabogue Alexandre Mourey fflproduction.fr / soundcloud.com/chernabogue 20943 Submission Information Sonic the Hedgehog 2 & Sonic Heroes High Adventure Wing Fortress Zone (StH2) & Bingo Highway (SH) This mix was done in a few hours for the 2014 SZRC, held by Superior X. My theme was "Wing Fortress Zone" from Sonic 2, an under-appreciated tune. My first (and only) opponent was Arcaece, with "Bingo Highway", a track composed by a man under the influence of some drugs, or maybe a nuclear holocaust victim who survived through cockroach DNA. Back to the track, I decided to go for epic action orchestra, after being really proud of my first orchestra original, "The Dragon Returns". Finding a good way to arrange "Bingo Highway" as a nightmare, but in the end, the heavy electro stuff mixed well with orchestra. "Wing Fortress" as meant to be covered by an orchestra, so it was easier to take care of that track, and to add original material. Big thanks to Timaeus for his feedback, and to everyone who supported me. Cheers! Wing Fortress Bingo Highway Edited December 21, 2014 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 Sorry Alex, but this doesn't have near the realism needed to carry an orchestral piece like this. Right from the beginning, the repeated notes just don't sound right on those low strings. The mixing doesn't seem quite right on some instruments, and the synth bass is a really unusual choice that sticks out plainly when the orchestra isn't playing as much. There are times when it's obvious patterns are being repeated too. The violin solo near the end is perhaps the most egregious offender - it sounds totally fake and is also strangely written. Even if the arrangement were fantastic (I thought yours was unexciting but solid), the production would sink this. You need to spend a lot more time getting it right. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 I have to agree with Vinnie on all points. 100% orchestral midi arrangements are soooo hard to pull off right, it takes a tremendous amount of articulation layering and automating of CC11 expression, or at least volume, to make the lines flow in any kind of realistic way. In this track, everything is rigidly timed and quantized, and the writing is unexpressive. The brass melody lines are really simple and all one volume. The violin solo near the end lacks any kind of melodic contour and just ends up sounding random. Sorry to come down so hard on this, I know how rewarding it can be to write an all-orchestral piece, but honestly I've been shying away from it because it takes SO much work to get it sounding right. Vinnie is right, the synth bass really doesn't feel like a fit... but it makes me wonder what this arrangement might sound like reinterpreted in all (or mostly) synth timbres instead. Just an idea to explore. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 In your submission letter, you mention that this was created in the span of a few hours, and unfortunately it shows here. There's a solid arrangement underneath this, but there doesn't appear to be much effort put into making your instruments sound like they're actually played by human performers, which is critical for an orchestral arrangement. Not to put you down, but I really think you need to devote more time to polishing and fine tuning your orchestral arrangements in the future, because this sounds very rushed and underwhelming to me. I know I've heard more expressive, refined arrangements from you in the past, so keep at it! This one's not doing it for me, though. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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