OCR03361 - *YES* Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mark 'Battle the Terrible Fate'

[djpretzel]

Seems legit...

-djp

 

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Good afternoon!

Just thought I'd send another submission to go with the "Then the Healing Came" remix I did for OCRemix.

Contact Information:

ReMixer Name: George R. Powell
Real Name: George R. Powell
Email address: 
Website: http://www.georgerpowell.com
UserID: 52273

Submission Information:

Game: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Name of Arrangement: "Battle the Terrible Fate"
Songs Arranged: Last Day, Majora's Incarnate Battle
Misc Info:

After hearing the music to Majora's Mask, I could not help but note how haunting "Last Day" was. It was the one piece out of the entire game that left me with chills running down my spine. Not only did I have to compose a rendition of this piece, but I really wanted to see if I could use it to capture the moment of Child Link standing on the precipice of destruction to face his foe, only to find his foe rising in intimidation, the danger becoming more and more real, followed by the battle that our hero has now been thrust into.

 

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Final Hours - 

Majora Final Battle Themes - 

[Chimpazilla]

The articulations on the opening strings and pad are awkward, the attacks on the notes stop the phrases from flowing like they should.  I can't totally tell if it's just the pad or if it is also the strings, but I'm getting a choppy feel out of it, maybe that was intentional?  It does give an eerie feel.  The intro lasts for nearly half of this short song.  At 1:06 that metallic scrape is ouch, and then the clanking is REALLY loud and jarring.  Again, intentional?  The song shifts into high gear after this, and it's pretty exciting, until 1:41 when there's an abrupt breakdown (I hear the mallet pattern from the incarnate battle).  At 1:57, the track shifts back into high gear, sounds like it is leading up to something really big... and then... there is... resolution and an outro.  

 

Neato ideas here but this arrangement feels very disjointed.  It feels like half of a very epic song, but it doesn't feel like a good standalone arrangement.

 

NO

[DragonAvenger]

I don't think the themes are actually that disjointed so much as building up the tension over the course of the song. The progression between the themes fits the original in terms of tension building and anxiety. The opening final hours has a great sense of foreboding, and the instrument choices, while similar to the original, are handled well. Similarly the mallet and slower section of your battle themes works well.

 

I'm not really getting the source connections from 1:25-1:40 and from 1:57-2:14. Maybe someone can point those out to me. That being said, I have a little issue with the horn articulations throughout the second half of the song; they hit their fullness later than other articulations, making them seem about a half of a beat late comparatively. Not the worst thing, but to me it is pretty noticeable.

 

I think this one is close overall based on the above good and not good moments, but I think this one can squeak by. I might be revising this later, curious to see what the other judges vote.

 

YES (borderline)

[OceansAndrew]

I generally agree with Chimpazilla here on the arrangement, it felt like there was something more that was going to happen that never did. Ha;f of the running time being a lead up to what I would define as the main section was a bit odd to me as well, as if we were missing a few more minutes of material. 

 

I think the sequencing was passable, though some of the piccolo mixing is a bit hot compared to how it'd be sitting in an orchestra; i'm not saying it's wrong as-is, but it's definitely not how i'm used to an orchestra balancing, which gets me a little bit out of the mood of the track. 

 

Overall there's a lot of good being done in this track, but Between the running time and development of the song itself and the nitpicks pointed out by other judges, I think this would benefit from a little bit more work. Promising start, however!

 

No, please resubmit

[Jivemaster]

First off, I like your production here, things sound quite polished. I'm by no means an orchestral expert, but your instrumentation sounded believable to me. Source usage is clear and you have made some good choices in your writing to make the original far more adventurous.

 

Your arrangement starts off quite similar to the original, although I enjoy your version a lot more. Some nice errie thuds, and then we begin to venture into a mix of cinematic proportions (at least for a few moments). Your build up is incredible, but feels like an introduction to something.

 

I can't help but want your ideas explored further, as this does feel like an extended intro to me. Pretty much everything else fits, if there could be some additional meat in the middle of this mix, it'd be a green light.

 

NO

[Palpable]

I liked the arrangement more than the other judges I think. It could have used a stronger ending I think, but I liked the build and didn't mind that the first half was so low-energy. This piece goes through a lot of variations and almost everything is executed well and flows naturally. A couple points that I think could have been stronger: at 0:31, piano could be louder; transition at 1:41 is slightly abrupt and the solo string that follows is not sequenced that well; at 2:29, add some instruments playing at a higher octave to really sell the ending of the song and get the full orchestra. These are things to be improved, but I thought this was solid enough to be a pass.

 

YES

[Emunator]

I’m finding myself aligning most with Vinnie on this vote. I’m not exactly blown away and ultimately feel like there’s a lot of untapped potential here, but it functions well enough as a standalone arrangement. The first minute of the track is a fairly  straightforward treatment of Final Hours, but it sets the stage nicely for where the arrangement goes next. The treatment of the Majora Incarnate battle brought a lot of your own character to the mix. Some of those sections felt more liberal (I’d love to hear a source breakdown from someone who is really familiar with Majora Incarnate) but that actually worked in your favor in my book since the overall source usage seems to check out. Overall, this is right on the line but I think the creative interpretation introduced in the second half, as well as the excellent use of dramatic buildup and tension puts it on the right side of the fence.

Nitpick time – the sfx at 1:07 was shrill and could be brought down just a tad, and the strings at 1:46 – 1:53 have some unnatural attack/decay issues. Neither of these are a huge issue in my book. 

YES (borderline)

[Clem]

Mix is on the flat side to start, and then piercing hi freqs and abrupt percussion don’t quite blend. You can probably bring levels up on harmony elements. Use compression/faders/distortion to saturate the mix a bit more. Orchestral samples are well used but pretty obvious. @ 1:25 things get better. Percussion hits mesh and the fast string part is cool. Kind of a 1-2 punch approach to source arrangement. There are lengthily sections without source but I’m pretty sure it’s a decisive 50%+ with source thx to the long intro featuring Final Hours. I get a film score vibe. Imagining a brief but critical confrontation...

 

 

 

YES (borderline)

 

[Sir_NutS]

This is a though call.  on one hand there are a couple flaws that stick out to me with this mix.  The big hits starting at 1:09 are, as Chimpazilla puts it, "ouch".  But damn are they ominous.  The usage of samples wasn't that impressive but it was good enough to work.  I find the piano a bit on the quiet side but its not a dealbreaker.  I liked the high-pitched synth at the start, it gives a sense of uneasiness which fits the overall production which is filled with frills and tremolo strings that enhance the feel of dread.  

The arrangement was good, not too interpretative but it hits the right cues and expand on both themes sufficiently.  Buildups work well and energy is managed adequately, the transition between the themes wasn't jarring to me, and the ending, albeit sudden, did give a proper sense of finality.  

Overall, there are definitely some flaws that are pretty evident and easy to notice (and also easy to fix), but that are also not so harmful as to destroy the whole experience, and on closer examination there's also a solid offering that feels right in the middle of our bar, but edging towards the positive.  If the artist could be contacted to fix the issues that'd be a plus, but if not, this still would be a:

YES (Borderline)

[DaMonz]

First of all, quick source breakdown since it was mentioned:

0:00-1:05 - Final Hours
1:41-1:58 - Mask
1:58-2:14 - Wrath
2:14-2:29 - Final Hours

113 seconds out of 167, which means 67.7% source usage. Check!

I really enjoy the arrangement overall. I like the transitions, the tension, the build up, the instrumentation. Although, the arrangement feels incomplete to me. More than half of the piece feels like a preparation of some sort for something bigger, and I really feel like there should be more following up to it. Also, I didn't like how the solo cello was handled around 1:50, it sounded very particularly fake to me. I also agree about the "ouch" SFX at 1:07.

So, like I said, I think most of what was done here is great, and source checks out, so this puts it just above the bar for me, even considering my issues with the arrangement. I'd really like to hear a longer arrangement eventually, or maybe a sequel? A second movement? Just a thought.

YES (borderline)