*NO* SaGa Frontier 2 'Wave of Blood in Paradise' *RESUB*

[Chimpazilla]

previous decision

 

Remixer name: Bluelighter; Tuberz McGee; XPRTNovice
ID forum: 21840; 25576; 27705
Real name: Guillaume SAUMANDE; Callum Kennedy; Joe Zieja
Arrangement: Bluelighter
Guitars (rhythm and lead): Tuberz McGee
Flute and clarinet: XPRTNovice
Game & Songs: Saga Frontier 2 & Thema - Missgestalt
Composer: Masashi HAMAUZU
Link:
   Thema: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXzrulChJXs
   Missgestalt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8NFIE30jpA

Hi OCR!

This arrangement was initially thought in rock symphonic metal. Thanks to Callum, this version is nearer than my first vision on this mix, in symphonic metal (without electronic sounds to replace guitar). I’m impressed by its performance, notably on the solo and the quick parts. He really understood what I wanted . 

I thank also Joe for his collaboration. His recordings give a good freshness to this mix.

In response to your precedent feedbacks:
- Drum completely reworked
- Better transition at 1’50, with adding of rhythm guitar
- Piano of intro and outro replaced by a synthe that sounds delicate and sad
- Cello deleted (sound was not clear enough) and replaced by bassoon in part 5 (whose sound is clearer IMO)
- Better sample for choirs
- Adding of choirs at 3b, to get something more homogenous with part 5

Plan:
1. 0’32 : intro
2 .0’32 -> 1’50 : thema
   a. Melody A in flute and clarinet in 2nd voice
   b. Melody B in clarinet and guitar lead
3. 1’50 -> 2’38 : Missgestalt
   a. Melody A in bassoon, a lot dissonance in harmony
   b. Melody B in clarinet and choirs
4. 2’38 -> 3’10 : thema A, in sinister version and different harmony
   a. melody in pizz, accentuatewd by brass accents
   b. restart in higher key, adding guitar solo
5. 3’10 -> 3’38 : thema A in higher key
6. 3’38 -> end: outro - thema B (follows intro): return in first key

Enjoy

 

 

 

Edited August 21, 2015 by Flexstyle
thread closing

[Chimpazilla]

The 30 second intro is just as stiff as before, but it sounds better with the more synthetic timbre.  Still, it is too stiff.  At 0:32, the instrument combination is about the strangest and least cohesive soundset I've ever heard.  Let me see if I can identify it all:  electric guitar, oboe, xylophone, orchestral bass, rock drums, and a very flat flute.  Wow, that doesn't work at all.  At 0:58, the synth timbre added helps a bit, but now the flute sounds utterly awful and so flat.  At 1:25, there is some very dry and plain sounding choir added, and it isn't helping, especially since it stops and starts rather abruptly.  1:50-2:15 just sounds like a mess to me.  At 2:15, I hear a machine gun kick, indicating that this track still wants to be metal but the metal is almost apologetic underneath the orchestral instrumentation.  From 2:39-3:13, what the heck is happening here, I'm so sorry to say but that whole section sounds very messy.  At 3:40, after two seconds of total silence, the soundscape switches back to the stiff opening synth writing.

 

I'm so sorry to say this, but I don't think this concept works well at all!

 

NO

[Liontamer]

The 30 second intro is just as stiff as before, but it sounds better with the more synthetic timbre.  Still, it is too stiff.  At 0:32, the instrument combination is about the strangest and least cohesive soundset I've ever heard.  Let me see if I can identify it all:  electric guitar, oboe, xylophone, orchestral bass, rock drums, and a very flat flute.  Wow, that doesn't work at all.  At 0:58, the synth timbre added helps a bit, but now the flute sounds utterly awful and so flat.  At 1:25, there is some very dry and plain sounding choir added, and it isn't helping, especially since it stops and starts rather abruptly.  1:50-2:15 just sounds like a mess to me.  At 2:15, I hear a machine gun kick, indicating that this track still wants to be metal but the metal is almost apologetic underneath the orchestral instrumentation.  From 2:39-3:13, what the heck is happening here, I'm so sorry to say but that whole section sounds very messy.  At 3:40, after two seconds of total silence, the soundscape switches back to the stiff opening synth writing.

 

I'm so sorry to say this, but I don't think this concept works well at all!

Normally I don't copy-pasta a vote to just crib it, but I unfortunately didn't have anything to add. The instrument combinations don't click, and the mixing was extraordinarily cluttered, e.g. 1:50-2:15. There are so many parts that mud together in the same frequency range.

Minor issue, as it's very soft, but from 1:38-1:43, there's some sort of super-quiet dissonant buzzy line that's almost functions like counteremelody, but sounds like a production error.

I'll disagree on :00 & 3:40's sections; though the sequencing was tight, it made sense there and I didn't feel there was an issue there.

I enjoy symphonic metal, but this isn't balanced in that manner. Like last time, the arrangement creativity is there, but the production/mixing is very unfocused.

NO

[Flexstyle]

I think I get this concept, maybe a little more than Chimpa did, and I suspect that coming into this with fresh ears (I haven't heard the original submission) means I'm a little less critical. The flute doesn't bug me as badly, and that would be a quick fix in a pitch editor anyways--most DAWs include one these days. 

 

I do agree that the mixing and production needs to be much better, though. Guitars would be much better served by being double- or quad-tracked, in order to get a much bigger sound. Drums need to be much punchier and "bigger" sounding in general--you'll want to stop by the workshop in order to get some input there, I think. Synths need to be executed more in line with the energy level you're trying to get. That intro definitely needs to be given some TLC in order to lose the stiffness. 

 

I am, however, digging a lot of your orchestral sequencing. You've got a good feel for dynamics on that side of things, and I think if you were to collaborate with someone who could execute the production and metal sides of things, you might have something super cool. 

 

Essentially, this has some seriously cool arrangement ideas, but the execution just falls down. I'd love to hear this arrangement given new life at some point, but it sounds like you've got a lot of production work to learn before you're able to nail it yourself. Don't get discouraged--that's what the workshop is around for, and it's not like you have to get it absolutely perfect in order to pass the panel. Just gotta kill those big issues off is all.

 

NO