Final Fantasy VIII - The Landing | Epic Orchestral Trailer Remix

[Alex Moukala]

Here's something new I wrote. I always wanted to remix this track since I started making music, and finally, I did. Yay!

Now, while I've worked on this track long and intensely enough to consider it a finished piece, I am not quite sure if I should submit it or not.
What do you guys think? Is there something you would've done better??
Would love to hear what you think about it!

Link to the remix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks2gHdinH9o
Link to the original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v6BtJaBQmo

 

[Slimy]

Normally I find "Epic Orchestral Music" (a.k.a. generic trailer style) pretty boring, but you pulled it off well, and the style really fits the original song. Nothing about the production sticks out to me as being "wrong."

[Alex Moukala]

7 hours ago, Slimy said:

Normally I find "Epic Orchestral Music" (a.k.a. generic trailer style) pretty boring, but you pulled it off well, and the style really fits the original song. Nothing about the production sticks out to me as being "wrong."

Thanks!
And I know what you mean, even thought I write trailer music myself I I feel quite the same in regards to that style, so I always try to add something more to it.
Glad you liked the track.

[MES Records]

Awesome work. I don't usually find epic music boring, so this is right up my alley anyway. I especially like the Choir. Really good work.

[Alex Moukala]

20 hours ago, MES Records said:

Awesome work. I don't usually find epic music boring, so this is right up my alley anyway. I especially like the Choir. Really good work.

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
I think the choir is the thing I had the most fun with of all the elements in this track, Metropolis Ark 1 is the bomb!

[DarkEco]

Bravo, this was incredible to listen to and kept me on the edge fo my seat! It sounds great to me, but i think the fade out could use a little bit of work. It didn't feel quite finished.

Edited June 10, 2016 by DarkEco
typo

[Bowlerhat]

Very intense, really cool. The beginning kind of reminds me of Marc Papeghin's version, in a good way. I agree with DarkEco about the fade out ending. Seeing how it's trailer music it might make sense to end the track after the modulated climax thingy at 3.06. But sense the soft part is also quite pretty I understand if you'd want to keep it. If you were able to but the calm ending somewhere at the end of middle part it would be best in my opinion. It'd also give a nice diversion from the allround epicness, and would make the finale even grander. I know there already is a calm end of the middle part, but since the calm end of the middle part you've got right now keeps the beat intact with the drum rhythm and stuff it's still quite epic. 

[The Nikanoru]

Wow, very impressive. Love the feel, definitely epic - I especially like the choral bits emphasizing the beat. There's a lot going on, but it doesn't sound muddy; you can still hear the individual parts throughout most of the song.

Did anyone notice the almost-Magus theme bit in the intro at about 0:40? I like that - almost expected it to finish.

I liked the percussion up until about 1:45. I find the softer electronic beats take the song a little away from the overall feel. I personally think the drums should be consistent throughout the song, but if that's your design, then maybe something just a little more defined.

The sound seems a little choppy at 2:22 and again at 2:55. Is this a format thing?

I think the fade-out is fine, but maybe just one piano note instead of the repeat.

 

[Alex Moukala]

Woha, thank you for the feedback guys, really appreciate you took the time to listen and to tell me what you think about it!

DarkEco:
Thank you! You're most probably right about the outro. Hearing the tack again now after taking distance from it for some time, I think that maybe I could've made the humanization a bit more convincing on that part by playing a bit more with the overall tempo automation & with the attack times of the instruments.

Bowlerhat:
Thanks for the heads up on the structure! I have to say however that the way I laid out the track, structurally speaking, is the only thing of it that convinced me 100% and I'd definitely leave it as it is. What I was mostly concerned with is if the overall sound is good enough to consider submitting this to the OCR judges.

The Nikanoru:
Glad you enjoyed the track! And good ear, the 2:22 part was choppy by design (I actually put a subtle stutter effect on every instrument there and in other points of the track as well, to create a little bit of additional rhythmic tension).
Same for the electronic beats at 1:45, those were designed to take the listener into a different and more calm space, so that the emotional solo cello and strings could sink in more and to give a sense of break before the loud part kicks in at 2.15!
Although you're right on the fact I could've probably accentuated them more, hmm. Just trying to figure out how, hmmm... Maybe by making them more mono, but also louder in volume??

 

[Gario]

MOD EVAL

Wow, there's certainly a lot going on in your favor, as far as this arrangement is concerned - those drums, all of the big moments you have playing throughout the track, and especially the subtle synth work and gating/stutter effects you have sprinkled throughout, they're all great in this track. Source is very recognizable, but you really bring some big orchestra flavor to the mix. The orchestration that you add behind all of this helps make it your own, and the moments that you hold back really give this track a lot of push and pull that the original didn't have.

Your instruments sound pretty good... for the most part. The strings could use some better humanization at the end, though - they seem to all individually swell. You don't have this issue throughout the track, though, so it may have been intentional (or maybe you got lazy at the end :P), but if you're going to make a phrase with the strings they really will only swell in their first note, then they'll play the rest of their phrase legato. You'll get a more real sound from the strings if you don't swell for every note.

The ending sounds pretty good otherwise, but it does seem to cut off right at the end. It would sound better if you let the notes at the end ring out rather than cutting off at the end.

For future posts, I'll recommend providing a link to a higher quality (192kbps+) for the sake of giving a clear review on quality - it's tough to determine if artifacts that could pop up in a track are coming from Youtube's compression algorithm or from the track itself. I couldn't download it, so I couldn't take a look at the production in as much detail as I would've liked. At 1:30-1:33, for example, the strings sound like they have a little 'pop' for each note they hit. It's possible that Youtube messed up the track a little in compression, but it's also possible that the samples you used there have an artifact in them that causes that little popping sound, such as the sampler starting too late in the sample, or the release cutting too quickly for each prior sample.

On the panel it'd likely get a YES, with a conditional to fix the cut-off at the end, though you'd have absolutely no issues getting a pass if you fix the strings at the end and the little production pops, as well. Great work on it, overall.

[Alex Moukala]

On 11/6/2016 at 7:31 PM, Gario said:

MOD EVAL

Wow, there's certainly a lot going on in your favor, as far as this arrangement is concerned - those drums, all of the big moments you have playing throughout the track, and especially the subtle synth work and gating/stutter effects you have sprinkled throughout, they're all great in this track. Source is very recognizable, but you really bring some big orchestra flavor to the mix. The orchestration that you add behind all of this helps make it your own, and the moments that you hold back really give this track a lot of push and pull that the original didn't have.

Your instruments sound pretty good... for the most part. The strings could use some better humanization at the end, though - they seem to all individually swell. You don't have this issue throughout the track, though, so it may have been intentional (or maybe you got lazy at the end :P), but if you're going to make a phrase with the strings they really will only swell in their first note, then they'll play the rest of their phrase legato. You'll get a more real sound from the strings if you don't swell for every note.

The ending sounds pretty good otherwise, but it does seem to cut off right at the end. It would sound better if you let the notes at the end ring out rather than cutting off at the end.

For future posts, I'll recommend providing a link to a higher quality (192kbps+) for the sake of giving a clear review on quality - it's tough to determine if artifacts that could pop up in a track are coming from Youtube's compression algorithm or from the track itself. I couldn't download it, so I couldn't take a look at the production in as much detail as I would've liked. At 1:30-1:33, for example, the strings sound like they have a little 'pop' for each note they hit. It's possible that Youtube messed up the track a little in compression, but it's also possible that the samples you used there have an artifact in them that causes that little popping sound, such as the sampler starting too late in the sample, or the release cutting too quickly for each prior sample.

On the panel it'd likely get a YES, with a conditional to fix the cut-off at the end, though you'd have absolutely no issues getting a pass if you fix the strings at the end and the little production pops, as well. Great work on it, overall.

Woha, thank you for the super detailed evaluation and tips, Gario!
I'll try to fix the things you mentioned, and will submit this one for sure.

Cheers!