djpretzel Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 (edited) Very odd; gets better as it goes along, then the beat drops halfway through and never comes back. Interesting. -djp --- Remixer Name: APZX Real Name: Austin Simons E-mail Address: User ID: 30429 Game Arranged: Final Fantasy VIII Name of Arrangement: Serene Pastures (link to download & listen) Song Arranged: Blue Fields Additional Game Information: Out Run's original composer was Nobuo Uematsu. A quick link to the original in case anyone is not familiar with the original track, Blue Fields. So, Final Fantasy VIII was actually the first Final Fantasy game I ever beat. Then one day as I was reminiscing over bygone days, I decided to give a listen to the OST and then I heard the overworld music. I cannot even count the amount of hours I had probably listened to it originally, but I thought to myself, "Hmmm, this could be interesting if sped up and given a more driving beat." The initial version was kind of lackluster and some issues with the low end. However, after some clever but heavy revisions it turned out into this track that starts of with a ton of energy and then transitions off into what I wanted to be an angelic bit. But then I completely screwed that last part up and instead it becomes more grand in overall presentation. Overall a fun remix that I feel is both faithful and quite different at the same time. -------------------------- Edited March 3, 2016 by Liontamer closed decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 Pretty neat take on this source. I like the funk that you added to it with the bass. I feel like the bass might be a bit too loud and overpowers some of the parts at time, so a little adjustment there would be great. The rhythmic and melodic changes you made to the source melody really fit well into the style you are going for, I particularly liked the 1:51 section, even if it is a bit noodly. I think the kick could probably be a little stronger at times, and there are a few sections where the soundscape sounds a little cluttered due to the backing strings and reverb settings. The transition at 2:42 is a little strange and abrupt, I'd like there to be a smoother entry back into the main theme. Similarly for the transition at 3:03. The boomy drums are a little strange as well, especially since they only appear in this one section. The mix has a pretty fun groove at the beginning up through your breakdown, then the percussion never comes back. I know you said in your writeup that you went for a more majestic section, but I feel like the energy gets lost without the beat coming back, and the track feels aimless because of it. The interjection of the melody at 3:48 is also a bit out of place. I really like what you're going for here, but I think that not returning back to the opening feel loses too much of the direction you had going. There's some production issues that need some adjustment as well that I'd like you to tighten up. Good luck and I hope to hear this again! NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 I hear enough source, and this is an interesting interpretation of it. The mixing here is ok but I think the mixing could use some cleaning up as I hear all the timbres competing for frequency space and lots of overlapping reverb. I think the bass sounds pretty good. There's a super loud hat in the intro that is distracting. In the second half there are some long backing notes that could stand to have some movement or interest added to them (not a dealbreaker but would be nice). The arrangement is somewhat odd though, it feels like a bunch of different time signatures although I think it's mostly all 4/4. The lead writing lacks contour, as the melody jumps up and down and it's really hard to follow throughout much of this mix but especially in the second half (doesn't leave me with a memorable lead line or hook in my head after the song ends). Perhaps this is the effect of trying to superimpose the 3/4 source writing onto a 4/4 reinterpretation. This has to be done carefully to maintain the melody in a new groove pattern, but in this mix the melody sounds really random and hectic to me. Maybe also that is what is causing the mix to sound very strange time-signature-wise. I know you can make this awesome with a few more tweaks. I'd love you to take another pass at the mixing and fix the issues brought up, and perhaps give it a try to make the melody parts make more sense. This might be tricky because you've got all your backing stuff written around this melody you've got here, but I hope you'll give it a try. NO (resubmit please) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_NutS Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 I had to mull on this one for a couple days. First, regarding the production, I don't have many qualms about it but I do have a couple of things I would like to point out. First, the naked 909 open hat at the start is, well, naked. It stands out too much and I think should be eased in better into the rest of the song. The rest of the drums, while simple, are effective. The kick could have more punch, as DA noted. The sound design is serviceable, however I would have liked to hear you change the lead at some point; not that the sync lead is bad, I think its pretty good and you even added some articulations to it, but it was a bit overused. Now regarding arrangement and structure, where the majority of this remix's faults lie, the structure is quite odd and not in a good way. The way you translated the original melodies into a different time signature don't quite work, and it feels like the beat is in 4/4 yet the backing arpeggios and lead melody are following its own signature. Note that, polyrhythms can work but it feels as if no effort was made to blend the different elements together, and it ends up lacking cohesion and direction. Different measures end and start without sense of continuity, and by the time we reach the mid-song breakdown I couldn't help but feel slightly confused about the whole thing. I also need to remark that some of the variations on the lead felt aimless (example at 1:54), as if they were there for variation's sake. Don't feel the need to modify the original melody just to justify interpretation. Try to find more natural ways to reinterpret your source. Then, we have the second half of the song. We get a pretty decent buildup to this breakdown, but the second half feels pointless. It builds up several times but no climax ever dawns(2:45, 3:06, 3:36 all build up to more buildup, and even the resolution at 4:00 feels like a buildup to something). I don't have a problem with the actual breakdown, it feels great, majestic, adventurous, but sadly it doesn't resolve into anything of importance. The sparse bass notes at around 2:50 are very out of place. There are some lovely elements here. My favorite being 3:36. It's sad that the structure is holding this back. I really would've liked you to trim down the breakdown (keeping the strongest sections) and evolve it into another energetic second half. Or, if you really want to keep this idea, trim down the long-winded ending into something shorter and focused, that wont leave the listener expecting something else. One of the reasons I decided to give this one a longer evaluation is so that I could provide better feedback for you to use, because I think this could work if it's executed properly, and I would like you to do so and resubmit. The source was handled well, and was expanded on, and there aren't many glaring issues for me with the production, it could be better but what we have here is enough. Work on the song's structure and arrangement, fix the minor issues me and other judges have pointed out about the production, and I think you'll have a solid remix for us. In the meantime, NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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