Emunator Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 (edited) Hi, Long time no see! Been fairly busy since my first post 2+ years ago and haven't spent much time on remixes since then. However, last July I did find time to remix the title track from Sean Hogan's Anodyne soundtrack. It was done for a remix album he was putting together for the game - I had no intention of ever submitting it to OCR - but I just relistened to it after including it on my original album and thought, "Hey, I actually enjoy this. It probably won't get accepted, but why not give it a shot?" So... here you go. I love the original track - it's short (under a minute long), with not much going on, but it has this wonderfully dreamy and nostalgic sound that instantly transports me to the game world (like most of the rest of the soundtrack). I wanted to keep the dreamy feel, and ended up turning it into a chillout remix, my first attempt at that genre. Hope you enjoy! -Josh Contact Information Your ReMixer name: Drakken Your real name: Josh Freund Your website: drakken.bandcamp.com or soundcloud.com/drakken Your userid: 26449 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged: Anodyne Name of arrangement: Dreamscapes Name of individual song(s) arranged: Anodyne Composer: Sean Hogan Game was released for PC in 2013 Link to the original soundtrack:https://seagaia.bandcamp.com/album/anodyne Source: Edited March 3, 2015 by Clem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 This is one of those super-simple and sparse sources that are tricky to remix. I think generally you've handled it pretty well, weaving that core pattern into several distinct sections while keeping it cohesive. It is definitely a nice chill listen! I have a few gripes. The primary gripe is your sub bass. Often times with a bass patch, one note will play much louder than the others, typically it is an F or G. In your case it is your G. It hits WAY too loud at precisely 100Hz. You'll need to notch the sub bass narrowly at 100ish Hz and tame that loud note. That's the best way to do it I think, prior to any compression. Another gripe is I think the synth you're using for the main source pattern has just a touch too much in the low end, it comes close to being muddy with the bass. I'd suggest a slight eq cleanup on that timbre. In addition, I wonder if the track overall is overcompressed. There are sections like at 1:42 where the whole track goes lossy. You may want to dial back the master compression a bit. No need for a chillout track to hit -8db RMS. With these issues addressed, this track is a yes from me. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 (edited) Wow dude, nice to see you around these parts again! I was a fan of your previously posted mix, and this one is speaking to me even more. I really love how you built the majority of your remix around some very simple piano/bass loops, but everything else around it is constantly evolving. You do a great job keeping things interesting without losing sight of the source tune, which really doesn't give you much to work with from the outset. Excellent sound pallet overall. My gripes with this should be pretty easy fixes, but your mixing needs to get a second look before this is ready to post. The overall track is very loud and way too compressed for the genre, I think laying off your compressor would make this sound a LOT better. Kristina also accurately pointed out that the bass is pushed just a little bit too hard. Maybe fixing the compression issue would resolve it, but once you do that, double-check your bass mix to see if it's still sounding overblown. Nitpick - your 808 snare sticks out as a weak spot... it's drenched in reverb and just doesn't seem mixed very well. The thicker snare that comes in when you switch to more of a breakbeat rhythm is much better, but I think that first snare could stand to be sharper and cut through the mix more. Other than that, you've got a very enthusiastic YES vote coming your way if you can make those mixing tweaks I really love this track and hope you send it back soon if this doesn't pass! EDIT: 3/7/15 - No need to hold this one up any longer! I've revisited this track and realized that my gripes are actually pretty small in the grand scheme, and while I would love to hear some improvements this should be good to go as-is. YES Edited March 7, 2015 by Emunator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I had no intention of ever submitting it to OCR - but I just relistened to it after including it on my original album and thought, "Hey, I actually enjoy this. It probably won't get accepted, but why not give it a shot?" So... here you go. I'm glad we at least got to the point where Josh, in fact, decided to submit this. It always sucks when talented artists, and even less experienced arrangers get intimidated by the submissions process or how they perceive the standards. Even if you're not sure something will pass or believe it's not what we're looking for or allow, SEND IT IN ANYWAY. A lot of people misinterpret or misunderstand the submission standards, so some artists needlessly psych themselves out as a result. Definitely have a beer or two, get that courage meter up, and send in your arrangements! Onto the track itself, the change to the organic drums at 2:26 seemed rather arbitrary on first blush, but OK. While sound design-wise, some of the synths & beats were on the vanilla side, the arrangement's cohesive, developed, and charmingly exploratory. I didn't think the production issues Chimpa and Emu cited were dealbreakers, just things that would be good to tweak if possible. There were brief spots where things were too buzzy (e.g. 3:23), and this could have been sharper/clearer, but I think the overall production quality as is was a pass, and don't want to make the perfect the enemy of the good. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutritious Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Very cool chillout arrangement here. I agree the acoustic change-up was a bit non-sequitur, but it does work to drive the arrangement forward. I'm very much on the fence on the production issues here. On one hand, these are pretty routine fixes with some EQ tweaks and mastering compression. One the other hand, however, the arrangement is fantastic and there wasn't any point where I really felt like the levels and heavy bass contributed a serious detriment to the track. Overall, the balance of this one shifts over the bar for me. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clem Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 I agree that there are production issues on this one, but to my ear they are subtle. The bass sounds a little crammed and slightly distorted at times. “don't want to make the perfect the enemy of the good,” I echo Larry’s sentiment. My main criticism is the first drum kit you bring in. It’s pretty thin and distant, but it’s not a deal-breaker for me. I get that you're going for a retro feel there. The arrangement is well done. Overall, I enjoy the dreamy vibe you've created. Nice. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 I'm surprised this is the first chillout song you've made, because this was very well done. Not perfect, to be sure, but well thought-out and a very expansive take on the simple source tune. You did a lot with the material. The sound palette you use is pretty unique, even for this genre, but I was especially transfixed by the sections that were just piano and live drums. It takes a lot of confidence and skill to transition to a long, more stripped down section and have it work. The 808 percussion could probably have been a little stronger and there is some EQ cleanup you could do to improve things, but what's here deserves to be heard. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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