Emunator Posted March 6, 2016 Share Posted March 6, 2016 ------------------------------------------------ edit 10/18/16: Jorito has asked for this to post in the normal cycle since the album has been canceled. ------------------------------------------------ NOTE 1: This track is going to be part of the PS1 20th anniversary album album. NOTE 2: This is version is not yet mastered and therefore maybe a bit low in volume. You will probably have received the mastered version from Ivan Hakstok or me before you’ve reached this track in the queue Contact information: Remixer name: Jorito Real name: Jorrith Schaap Email: Website(s): YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Joeirot Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jorito Userid: 3899 ReMixer name: Xarnax42 Real name: Jesse Deacon Email: Userid: 23875 Name of Game(s) Remixed: Ridge Racer Type 4 Additional Game information: System: PS1 Developer: Namco Genre: Racing Released: 1999 Composer: Namco Sound Team (Kohta Takahashi, Hiroshi Okubo, Asuka Sakai, Tetsukazu Nakanishi, and Koji Nakagawa) Name of Arrangement: Tarmac Chill Names of songs arranged: Urban Fragments (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEVZEmfMPjs) Link to the remix: Comments about the mix: When Ivan started recruiting for the PS1 20th anniversary album I was keen on participating, being a nostalgic sucker for the PS1. Originally wanted to remix an RPG track, but due to the album’s criteria (only songs from games with 0 or 1 remix) that wasn’t easy. So I racked my brains on other games that I played with great music. Somehow I ended up choosing Ridge Racer Type 4 because of the high octane, high fun factor of the tracks. Ambitious as always I selected the vocal intro song, which is pretty challenging if you can’t sing. I had no clue where to start until I heard this mellow chillout track on Youtube which reminded me of the chord progression of Urban Fragments. So I thought “why not” and started off with a laidback groove with long stretched jazzy chords. Next steps were the vocoded vocals, which I originally intended as a placeholder until I could get a vocalist. Turned out I liked the vocoded vox so much I kept part of them and blended them in with real vocals. Which this time were provided by Jesse, whom I worked with before on a Shovel Knight remix. I thought his jazzy, smooth voice would fit the track well and I think the final result proves that! Added some interesting breaks, some nice variations and sfx and a sneaky cameo of Outrun’s “Magical Sound Shower” as a kind of solo in the middle. There is probably a name for this genre, but I’m proud of my li’l Frankensteinian mixture of chillout pianos/pads, funk guitars, disco strings, in a bed of four on the floor dance kicks and a splash of jazzy vocals. Hope you enjoy! Source breakdown: 0:00 - 0:14 - chord progression from source 0:15 - 0:30 - chords + lead from source 0:31 - 0:34 - original break 0:35 - 2:22 - leads/lyrics, chords structure from original 2:23 - 2:53 - Outrun Magical Sound Shower lead 2:54 - 3:16 - original bass “solo” and break 3:17 - 3:31 - original buildup 3:32 - 3:46 - leads/lyrics, chords structure from original 3:37 - 4:10 - outro from source Lyrics: She's the one for me there's no place I'd rather be... yeah To the finish line, everywhere you look she's right on time With her silent stare... Blazing through the open air She's without a care Ohhhh..... yeahhh.... Everywhere you look she's right on time... yeah Movin' to the beat Can you feel the heat, when the tires kiss the street Step back, it's Ridge Racer... A Ridge Racer She gives me what I need One more win it's Ridge Racer... A Ridge racer I feel the need for speed Step back, it's Ridge Racer... A Ridge Racer One more win it's Ridge Racer... A Ridge racer She gives me what I need One more win it's Ridge Racer... A Ridge Racer She gives me what I need Step back, it's Ridge Racer... A Ridge racer I feel the need for speed One more win it's Ridge Racer... A Ridge Racer Step back, it's Ridge Racer... A Ridge Racer ohhhh…. Ridge Racer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 This mix is interesting. There's a combination of a lot of elements from different genres here, and I'm not sure if they are combining well here. I think my biggest issue is the jazzy vocals combining with the other elements of the track that are all pretty stiff. I'd love to hear a lot of the elements loosened up so that they feel smoother and so that the vocals feel better. I'm assuming that the track I'm listening to is the original submission and not the masters version by Ivan. There are some balance issues that I think could be addressed. The synth at 0:15 is really loud compared to the backing. Similarly when the synth is combined with the vocals it is a bit too loud. It isn't sporting the vocals as much as competing with it. I'd also like the kick and snare to be looked, they feel pretty flat. Not a real fault of the mix but the source has some really awkward transitions, and some of the areas in between the verses feel like they lose steam. I think for the most part you guys worked them well, they just feel kinda vamp-y to me. Hopefully that makes sense. Really enjoyed the final chorus with the harmonies,I felt like that part really worked well. The strings could be a little less stiff, otherwise I think the ending worked well. I think this is close but not quite there yet. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 Listening to this, and then reading Deia's comments on it, it's pretty easy to see where she's coming from. The synth tends to be mixed too loud, where it overpowers everything else (including the vocals), and those drums are pretty boring throughout the mix. The singing portions are also arguably too quiet in this arrangement, even aside from being drown by the synths. These elements really need to be balanced better before getting a final mastering, in my opinion, as mastering the arrangement would only serve to amplify these elements that are off. I disagree with the vocal portion meshing with the rest of the style of the arrangement, though - it sounds like the arrangement as a whole has a lot of disco influence, in which it actually seems to be pretty fitting overall. The vocoded portion that pops in from time to time, though, is very difficult to understand. That becomes a problem when the other vocal part plays off of it in a sort of antecedant/consequence arrangement (like at 1:06 - 1:10). You should work a little on making the vocoded part more legible. As mentioned earlier, those drums are pretty boring. This arrangement really asks for more than a simple four-to-the-floor beat throughout. Play with the bass pattern at least a little, from time to time. The style doesn't really allow for the beat used to be used throughout, like it is here - it just ends up sounding lackluster and lazy. It's a good arrangement, but it's not quite there. The mixing needs to be adjusted, the vocoded portion needs to be legible and the drums need some more variety in the basic pattern. The mix is quiet, but I understand it needs some mastering so I won't focus on that. Do those things and I think this could pass, but for now I'm following Deia's vote on this. -- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_NutS Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 (edited) @DragonAvenger @Gario Jorito has provided an updated version: I had pretty much the same opinion as the other Js on the first version, but I'm glad that Jorito worked more on the production and now the mix is much tighter and balanced. Gario has a point about the intelligible vocoder quips, and while I agree they could've been clearer they're also fine like this, as they're used to add detailing to the arrangement and not really as the main focus. The best part about this arrangement is definitely the chorus, it's so catchy, it could be in a "radio" pop song and nobody would notice. I loved the Magical Sound Shower bit, as anything with a little outrun in it is bound to get better. The disco feel is maintained throughout the duration of the song and its fairly authentic, with staples like the staccato strings emphasizing the harmonies and the constant groovy beat. I think Jesse's vocals fit very well this adaptation, even though I find them slightly exposed, but nevertheless, I can say this is pretty damn cool overall.YES Edited December 7, 2017 by Liontamer removed link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Well, for the most part the issues that I had with this prior were addressed properly. The vocals are easier to hear now, the mixing is pretty well balanced and the drums have a bit more presence than before. The drums are still quite boring overall, but that alone isn't a dealbreaking issue. I still would've liked the vocoded portions to have been more intelligible, but I think it'll be alright as it is. Nice work cleaning things up - I think it's above the bar, now. Great work! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Just noting that I've only heard the "v2" version. Arrangement-wise, the RR4 source was adapted nicely for more of a disco approach, and the usage was straightforward enough through the vocals and synth lines where I didn't need to timestamp. The OutRun reference felt a little tacked on, but was integrated reasonably well enough, and pushed the source usage to a point where I could quit stopwatching. I thought the vocal mixing wasn't great. Not sure Jesse's vocals/tone are the right fit here; giving it an even more arier/ethereal sound to mask some of the pitch issues would have been best. That said, I also don't want to put him in a corner based on his tremendous FF6 crooning. In this mix, his vocals aren't entirely dry, and I hear the effects on them, but I felt like they were relatively too dry & upfront and didn't blend into the instrumental enough. They could be produced/processed in a way that sits better in the music. Right now, when there are (minor) pitch issues, it's way too exposed and obvious; it's nothing where you're like "Oh my God, oof", but there's some correction/smoothing out needed. The choruses sound the best in terms of smooth delivery from Jesse, so now it's just a matter of having those vocal sitting correctly in the overall soundscape. I also agreed strongly with Gario that the vocoded vocals should have been more understandable. Perhaps it's an "I know it when I hear it" subjective criticism, but I didn't think they had enough of an aesthetic where it was unimportant that they be intelligible. On a more important note, the mechanical string articulations first used from 1:23-1:37 & 3:46-4:05 strained credibility. And I know it's a disco track, but didn't think they sounded good in spite of that stylistic choice because the strings sounded too dry and weren't masked by anything else. Anyway, I've gone through the litany of issues I had with it. I'm not mega-enthusiastic about a YES because of the production, but we don't make the perfect the enemy of the good. I've given this 9 or 10 listens. What you have here is a reasonably good -- but not great -- execution of a very creative arrangement concept. While I wish the track had more clarity/sharpness and better vocal mixing, the arrangement carries it with good enough production execution. Ideally, I'd love for Jorrith to take another pass at the production if this version passed.YES (borderline) Sir_NutS 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 My vote is on version #2. The mixing isn't optimal, the drums could use some more presence and highs. The bass is somewhat muddy/indistinct. I don't hear any sidechaining, and that is a technique that can be used to clean up the soundscape without obvious ducking if it is done gently. The drum writing is for the most part simple and repetitive. I don't mind the vocoded parts being hard to understand. The fake strings aren't bothering me in this context. Jesse's vocals sound just a touch dry, but not dealbreakingly so. Generally the vocals are well done and on-pitch. I hear some elements that are hard panned left or right and I'm not a fan of that. Nice vocal effect at 3:01! This isn't my strongest yes but I think this is a cool track despite not being perfect. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_NutS Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 (edited) Jorito sent me a link regarding the conditional status: Edited December 7, 2017 by Liontamer removed link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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