Chimpazilla Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Hello, Contact Information ReMixer Name Megalixir Real Name Sam Barugh Website https://www.facebook.com/megalixirmusic?ref=hl http://megalixir1.bandcamp.com UserID sambarugh Submission Information Game Arranged Demon’s Crest Name of Arrangement Metropolis Pt. 3: Scenes from a Demon Realm Themes Arranged Metropolis of Ruin & Beyond the Colosseum Additional Info None Comments Attached is our mp3 submission. It is an original composition based on the game Demon’s Crest; released for the SNES in 1994. Our piece contains two themes from the game as well as some original sections. Our band Megalixir records a variety of video game compositions for a retro iTunes podcast of which this was used on a recent episode. It was recorded and mixed in Pro Tools. I have Cc’d all the members of the band. Joe Khan and I are based in Buffalo, Joey Killam is in Houston and Mads Aasvik is in Norway - we are an international collective We hope you enjoy the submission. Regards, Megalixir Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 This track is quite the mixed bag of sounds! I like the soundscape although the synth sequencing is quite stiff compared to the excellent guitar work. The drums sound great with the guitars, but the kit doesn't work as well with the synth stuff by itself. The synth solo at 1:30 is excellent, reminds me of early Genesis or Dream Theater. The piano that follows at 1:55 is very stiff, bringing the energy of the track quickly down. I like this track a lot, it is very creative and the source is well represented and interpreted. The arrangement, creativity and great guitar performances make up for the production issues I hear. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Opens up like a MIDI rip, it sounds so similar to the first source, with some drumwork coming in at :09. The drumwork and later synth at :21 do add some personalization, though not much yet. The dropoff at :33 was a nice textural change. It was firstly at :33 when I noticed the bassline should have had more body to it; it's very thin right now and doesn't add enough depth to the soundscape. From :47-:57, the textures also sounded very thin; honestly, I'm not too impressed with the sequenced instrumentation; it lacks richness. :57 switches to the electric guitar lead. It's not a bad cover, and there are some minor variations to the melody, but I was still waiting for the approach to feel personalized when 1:30's changeup finally gave me something more substantial in terms of combining new writing with a different mood to the instrumentation. After that, there weren't any issues with the level of interpretation/personalization, so I put my NO back in the holster. The transition to the second source at 1:54 came out of nowhere; where's the transition? Pretty mechanical-sounding sequenced piano from 1:54-2:23 & 4:03-4:24; that really needed humanization badly. Much better, more cohesive personalization of the arrangement with the wah'ed up guitar from 2:58-3:27 though. The second half ended up doing more substantive, creative things compared to the first half, which sounded solid but just lacked more substantive interpretation until 1:30. There are criticisms I'd love to see addressed, and I'm sure Sam would hear some of the flaws since the time he's submitted this. All that said, it's a spirited rock arrangement with great energy, strong live instrument aspects, and overall solid execution that brings the overall package over the line. It's not without issues, so it's not my strongest YES, but I'm not borderline and I think this has enough things in place that are working compared to what doesn't. Good luck with the rest of the vote, and if this doesn't make it as is, you absolutely could get this to a passable state by just tightening up a few things. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Larry's experience listening to this song was similar to mine. The intro was not promising. The glassy sequenced lead is too thin to carry the soundscape for too long, and was super conservative too. When the drums and bass enter, the texture is still a little thin, though getting better. 0:33 - Ack, now the drums are gone and the lead gets even thinner? The pad that gets used there is also pretty weak. Thankfully, 0:58 marks a good change and from there on, you guys had me. The glassy lead works much better as a supporting instrument and the synth solo was sweet. Agreed with Larry that the piano could have used better sequencing, but it did the job ok. 2:23 was probably my favorite section: great drumwork, cool arrangement of the theme with new supporting guitar work. Some nice harmonies towards the end too. I was nearly ready to give this the NO, but 3/4 of this song is really good, exactly the kind of thing we are looking for. I think as a package it meets the bar, but just barely. YES (borderline) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 No need to spend a lot of time rehashing what was said above - the lady and gentlemen gave some really great, detailed feedback that really rings true for me. I will recap - the arrangement is sweet, the parts that are more drum/guitar focused are REALLY clicking for me. I'll echo the Dream Theater comparison, it works great for the chosen sources Sequenced and sampled instruments/synths are where this one falls a little bit short, but the issues pale in comparison to what you got RIGHT here. No qualms about passing this at all, see you on the front page! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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