Chimpazilla Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 ReMixer Name: DusK Real Name: Dustin Branscum Email: Website: http://www.itstartsatdusk.com User ID: 24328 Game: Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns Arrangement Name: "Mordrem Stomp" Song Arranged: "Heart of Thorns Theme" Platform: PC Composer: Maclaine Diemer Release Year: 2015 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtvnP91PDfQ ReMix link: Comments: This is a remix that I created to surprise ArenaNet with when I go down to Seattle next week -- which probably means that, by the time this is posted, I'll have just celebrated the first anniversary of that trip :D. I decided to just straight up heavy the hell out of this source. Not a whole lot more to it than that; A lot of this track is simply me taking liberties with the structure and having fun setting the chord progressions and melodies to metal. I contacted two people in secret to get feedback on this mix and neither got back to me. However, I feel pretty confident in this track. Here's hoping you guys dig it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Solid metal, brah. Overall, it's well produced, the guitar timbres are appropriate for the style, and the performances are pretty solid. It's a great direction to take that source, and it works great. There are a few smaller issues that I can pull from this, though. The crashes throughout the track have a habit of panning from one speaker to another. On monitors it has little effect, but on headphones is sounds strange, and I can honestly think of no case where metal crashes should pan like that. Either stick to one side or center them, but don't change the panning during the performance, it makes no acoustic sense for them to do so. The background elements at 1:47 don't quite come through, which is a shame as they add another dimension to that part of the song. While the mixing is overall decent (important elements are upfront, background elements are in the back), I feel the background textures don't quite pop out enough, there, so a small pass on the mixing to bring things like that out a little bit would be beneficial. The rising guitar that starts at 2:00 is panned a little to the right (probably just how that guitar part is normally panned in the track). On headphones it's a little distracting, since it remains alone for a significant amount of time. If something like that is exposed like that for some time, it's better to center the panning during that period. The chord at 2:53 sounds wrong - the major chord sounds like it should be a minor chord, if it were to match the key it's being played in. I sound like I'm just hammering on it, but everything I mention here is a minor point - I simply bring it up to help improve you tracks in the future. Despite my incredible amount of nitpicking, I feel this is still a great metal arrangement of the source, and should be a welcome addition to OCR's metal library. Nice work, and I hope to see it on the front page. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_NutS Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Good stuff from Dusk. I really can't find anything that would hold back this mix from posting, though I do have some things to point out, first I think the production is pretty good and clear, elements seem separated but the mix feels slightly empty at times, which leads to my second point which is that, IMO, this would've benefited from extra layering of more instruments other than guitars. Given the progressive nature of the arrangement this wouldn't have felt out of place, and it would've made the mix fuller without overloading it too much. Strings, choirs, or pads would've contributed a lot for a better listen. But what we have here is alright, maybe even less trope-y than it would've been with the added elements. This is not a dealbreaker at all and maybe a bit too subjective, but I felt I had to give the suggestion, specially since the empty soundspace does get a bit distracting at times. Reading through Gario's vote, he's referencing the background elements needing some boost to bring them a bit forwards, and I think this could be the cause of the empty feeling, and also a possible solution rather than adding more elements. Either way, not really deal-breaking. A bit of dissonance pops up between 2:30 and the 3 minute mark but I found it flavorful rather than off-putting. Great work here, and I think I congratulated you on winning the ArenaNet contest back then, but congrats again, I bet it was a huge honor. Oh and: YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Passing it with reservations, as there are a lot of the same issues I take with Dustin's rock material. In this case, the opening bowed strings strained for realism (but were only there briefly). At :26, the lead guitar was performed live but had very stiff timing that made it seem sequenced and unexpressive; also, the lead sound was relatively dry. Arrangement-wise, this is a solid rock approach, but there's something off about the lead guitar. Nice bass work at 2:00 that was subtle but added to the texture nicely, followed up by the added layer of guitar work from 2:12-2:25 that all came together nicely. At 3:17, I really liked the layering of the guitars once again. So, yeah, when the lead guitar is out there on its own, it's stiff and not expressive enough, but the overall balance of the arrangement quality and solid production gets it done.YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Not hearing the rigidness really being a problem overall, but I do hear what Larry is talking about. The arrangement is really solid and there is a great mood overall in this track. I also wouldn't have noticed the cymbal panning, but I do think that's something to think about for future tracks add it doesn't make logistical sense (rotating stage???). Really enjoyed this, and I think others will too. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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