Emunator Posted March 6, 2016 Share Posted March 6, 2016 I need some help discerning how Grahf's theme was used here, but other than that... dayummm. This sounds like one of Joe's best mixes to date - the voice acting is well-integrated, the drum rhythms are bonkers, and the way he handled the Omen theme at the end and all of the vocal effects suddenly cut out... shit. Next-level stuff there. Should be an easy call once we can figure out the source usage. ~ Emu This remix is for the album BADASS 3. REMIXER INFO Remixer Name: XPRTNovice Real Name: Joseph Zieja Email: Website: http://josephzieja.com Twitter: @JoeZieja REMIX INFO Games Arranged: Xenogears Name of Arrangement: The Power Name of Individual Songs Arranged: "Grahf" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N49Jy7SjdY "Omen" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYUGCGLG9jM Remixer Comments: Grahf had some of the best lines in Xenogears, and, being a voice actor, I guess, I wanted to integrate some of them into a really epic cinematic sort of remix. Grahf was so evil on so many levels, and his role in the plot of the game is just amazing. I used a lot of Middle Eastern elements, and it just sort of unfolded in this big way with creepy elements. Also, screaming "MY FIST IS THE DIVINE BREATH" in your basement when your mother in law is visiting creates interesting results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 So I think I'm hearing Grahf theme (0:30) starting at 1:29 in the mix. Before that there's one little quote of the source but I'm not making any other connections before 1:29. At 1:57 in the mix were matching up with 0:49 of the source. 2:24 matches up with Omen, and after that I'm hearing the sources pretty cleanly. The soundscape here is amazing and I loved listening to this. It really has that evil feeling. The Omen portion at the end is positively creepy, even terrifying. Normally I'm not big on voice quotes during a mix, but I feel like the mix is really tailored around the voice, and the music really helps seal the emotion behind the voice. Joe has great performances on all the parts as well as the voice acting. I don't think this mix would be the same without them. If love done clarification on the opening to 1:29 in regards to source usage. If it's there I'm totally on board with this, though as is I feel like it's a pass anyways. Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Thanks a lot to DragonAvenger for her legwork in breaking this down, which helped me very much. I was telling her, it didn't help me that "Grahf" isn't a memorable theme for me, so I appreciate the extra attention to detail on the arrangement. The pattern starting at 1:14.5 is supposed to be a variation of the "Omen/Premonition" melodic rhythm, but it's different & non-melodious enough where I wouldn't count that as source usage. I also see how 1:29 related to :30 of the source and was something one could make a case for, but I felt like it was tweaked a bit too much compared to the source and didn't count that. Despite those liberal treatment issues in the first half, I was cool counting all of the second half and the source usage checked out just above dominant for what I'd count. For a 4:22-long track, there needed to be at least 131 seconds of overt source usage: 1:55.75-2:23 (:49 of source), 2:37.5-3:15.5 (:59 of source) - "Grahf" 2:23-2:36.5, 3:19.75-4:15.5 - "Omen" That came out to 134.5 seconds or 51.33% overt source usage, so the source material is dominant. Other than sanity checking the source tunes, this was on solid ground! There you go, Joe! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 From Joe about source usage: " First note melody starts at 0:23, echoes back and forth from there until 0:45. Drum intro goes from there until the melody picks up again at 1:29" Just putting this here so others can see and decide if they agree or not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaMonz Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 The source melody being present from 0:23-0:45 was nice, but I honestly wouldn't have noticed them if Deia hadn't pointed them out. I think that the melody at 1:29 is recognizable enough to be counted as source. From there, I think it's safe to say that source usage isn't an issue here! And, well, nothing is an issue here, really. I can't find anything. It's just amazing on all levels. Voice acting was an awesome touch, too. Nice work! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted March 21, 2016 Author Share Posted March 21, 2016 This mix is next-level stuff from Joe. I've been trying to pick out some personal highlights but honestly there are too many to narrow it down to just one - the didgeridoo, the complex ethnic drum patterns, the heavily-rhythmic flute performance, and the eerie reharmonization of the Omen theme at 3:20 are just a few notable moments. And that's not even touching on the voice acting and effects processing, which is fantastically integrated. The complete dropout of all effects at the "I will destroy it with my own hands" line gives me chills every time. I don't think I'm out of line in saying that this is one of Joe's best pieces to date. YES timaeus222 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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