Emunator Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 ReMixer name: Pencildragon Name of games arranged: Minecraft - Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 Name of arrangement: Low Resolution Rain Name of individual songs arranged: Mice On Venus - Heartbeat, Heartbreak Name of original composers: C418(Minecraft) - Shoji Meguro(Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4) Originals: https://youtu.be/DZ47H84Bc_Q - https://youtu.be/P3ue1JPFXEU Everything else: Hey there, I've been a huge fan of your website for years now and being an (always learning) composer/producer I decided it was time I submit something to you guys! This mix is an arrangement of two of my favorite pieces, done in a semi-electronic, piano lounge-y style(does the even make sense?). It started out as just a piano arrangement, but as I kept going it grew and grew. The acoustic guitars were inspired by music with a warm, roomy sound- like you're just sitting inside by the fireplace. The bass, strings, drums, and other sounds are very reminiscent of Persona 4's soundtrack to me, which I thought contrasted very well with the theme from Minecraft. And to explain the name and ambience, well, so many people hate the sound of the rain in Minecraft. So I took it upon myself to attempt to make it musical instead of annoying! Thanks a ton guys, I hope you enjoy it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted February 27, 2016 Author Share Posted February 27, 2016 NEW JUDGES: this is a great opportunity to test out your source breakdown chops. I'm trying to plow through the inbox so I haven't source checked this yet. I have no idea if it checks out on that front, but I had some immediate feedback on the production/sequencing so I'm basing my vote solely on the production/sound quality side of things. Still, definitely want to see some source breakdowns from the newbies in the remaining votes. This is a lovely, emotive mix. I love the dynamic curve of your arrangement and how emotional and powerful it gets by the end. The supporting instrumentation is nicely done and makes this feel like it could slip right into a romantic movie score. Uplifting stuff on the arrangement side, really well done. My problems with the mix stem mainly from your piano. I think I recognize the piano sample library you're using and, if I'm correct, you can get some pretty great results with it, so I don't think this is a case of low-quality samples. However, you've seriously overcompressed it which really doesn't work for some of the more delicate parts of the arrangement. It This is also somewhat due to the sequencing, which can be very rigid and seems to be lacking in velocity dynamics. For example, from 1:26 - 1:38, the repeated low piano note plays very rigidly and breaks the illusion of realism that is essential for this style. This issue can be found many other places throughout the mix. Ease up on your piano compression first off, which will give you more breathing room for the softer parts and make the intense parts stand out more by comparison. Then, look at your velocities and make sure you're not just hammering away at full blast for every note. Lastly, make some small tweaks to your timing so that the piano isn't quite so rigidly quantized. Working on these three things will help you achieve much better results with this track - if you need more specific feedback or are interested in collaborating, hit me up and I'll do what I can to help! You've got a promising start but that one dominant element needs a lot of TLC. Good luck! NO (resubmit!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaMonz Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Reporting in! Okay, so here's a quick source breakdown: 0:00-0:16 - Mostly original 0:16-1:16 - Mice On Venus: Theme heard from 0:50-1:24 in the source 0:16-1:26 - Original 1:26-1:38 - Heartbeat, Heartbreak: First 10 seconds 1:38-2:00 - Heartbeat, Heartbreak: Verse 2:00-2:46 - Heartbeat, Heartbreak: Chorus 2:46-3:36 - Mice On Venus: Theme is showcased again 3:36-3:59 - Mostly original This adds up to 190 seconds of source usage out of 239, which means 79.5%. Source checks out! The arrangement is nice, and good job on meshing those two very different sources together. I like the guitar working in the background, it's a nice touch. A nitpick I had though, was that the electronic-y distorted hits building up slightly from 3:14-3:22 felt slightly out of place to me, as if you're not completely confident in the idea yourself. I'd suggest reworking the sound design of it and/or allowing more space for this idea, for it to blend better with the rest of the arrangement. I also think the percussion writing could use a bit more love, as it feels copy-pasty after a while. I have to agree with Emunator though, the piano is a deal breaker. With such a big focus on the piano throughout the whole track, I think much more attention should be given to the humanization, and I'm definitely backing Emu's tips on the velocities and timings. I also agree that the compression is definitely overdone, which is a huge blocker for what could be otherwise good intensity progressions and contrasts. Bottom line: cool arrangement, but deal-breaking piano sequencing and production. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_NutS Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Source usage checks out (Damonz already detailed it, but I was doing my own anyways) Emunator nailed my main issues with this track very well, which are mostly production-related. The usage of the piano library could be much better than what is presented, for such an emotive arrangement, the piano is as subtle as a lead hammer. It needs better humanization specially in handling the different velocities of the notes. The performance is very robotic at the highest points of the track, and even though you did try to be subtle at some spots, the excessive compression cancelled the delicate tones. The guitar was also mechanical and lacked emotion. I wasn't too bothered by the static drums, in a track like this they fill they purpose well, as the real rhythm can be found in the lower piano notes, and you did keep a groove going around the middle of the track with it. The arrangement however was a plus in this track. You managed to marry both sources effectively and I can hear an emotive and effective arrangement behind the overdone piano performance. The pause at around 1:36 was a bit odd, intentional or not, but I think you succeeded in making the arrangement feel more melancholic, which wasn't a quality of the original Persona track. Very powerful moments (in a good way) can be found towards the end. Work on making your performance believable, charge it with the subtlety your arrangement deserves, and you'll have a yes from me. For now though,NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts