Chimpazilla Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Hi,This is my submission of Diabolus Ex Machina, a Pony Island metal remix.Download:320 kbits MP3: (also available through )192 kbits MP3: Contact Information:Name: Björn "BKM" KirchhoffMail: Website: https://soundcloud.com/bkmUserID: 32752Submission Information: Game: Pony Island by Daniel MullinsRemix Name: Diabolus Ex MachinaArranged Song: Adventure AwryOriginal Composer: Jonah SenzelSource Link: https://soundcloud.com/jonah-senzel/06-adventure-awryAbout the game:Pony Island (not associated with other pony-containing franchises) is a clever project by Daniel Mullins that messes with the players' expectations about what constitutes a game and how it is supposed to function. The player finds himself in the role of a silent protagonist who interacts with an arcade console that appears to be possessed by Satan himself. As the player tries to keep Satan from his declared goal of obtaining the protagonist's soul by trapping him in the arcade, the game blures the line between game and metafiction as the game continues and it becomes increasingly unclear who "arcade-Satan" is talking to - the protagonist or the player? While the game asks interesting questions about our relation to games in general and what we expect from them, it provides a series of interesting puzzles and enjoyable mechanics that keep this game from being "oh so meta" or over-pretentious. This is the first game for me that had me solving puzzles in the game menu in order to be able to progress.About the soundtrack and my remix:Jonah Senzel composed some really enjoyable chiptunes that progress in complexity as "arcade-Satan" further elaborates his trap (i.e. the arcade games). Stylistically, it's a blend of contradictory styles such as childrens music and death metal according to a blog post by the composer. No wonder that especially Adventure Awry, which served as source for the present remix, basically screamed for a remix involving heavily downtuned guitars. When I started to work on this remix, I tried to force the remix part into this project by dissecting the main riff and trying to build something new with it, which absolutely killed the strong groove and surreal feel of the original. I therefore opted for enhancement instead of (forced) alteration - I transposed the arrangement to fit a drop-tuned seven string guitar and added a lengthy interlude containing riffs that are inspired by and carry further the original groove. On the forums, Rozovian expressed his concerns about my fairly conservative take on the source (which I share to some degree), but I hope I was able to elucidate why I chose this path for this particular mix. I documented in detail the process of creating this remix and all the changes made / lessons learned in a corresponding thread (http://ocremix.org/community/topic/42797-adventure-awry-pony-island-keith-merrow-style-7-string-metal-remix/#comment-807194). I talk about the difficulties of achieving a modern metal guitar tone using nothing but software amp modellation there and I also explain in detail why I chose to master at a volume that is on par with modern metal releases; since I know that not everyone in the forums (and maybe also in the judge panel?) shares my views in this regard, I'd be glad to resubmit a lower RMS version if that is somehow preventing my mix from being accepted.I hope you enjoy this mix as much as I enjoyed creating it.Best regards,Björn "BKM" Kirchhoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted July 21, 2016 Author Share Posted July 21, 2016 First the source tune: omg 8-bit trap, I've never heard that before, and I love this source tune. (edit: I had not heard of Pony Island. I'm watching a walkthrough now, wow what an interesting concept for a game. Ingeniously evil!) Now the remix: Interesting idea to redo this source as metal. The guitar performances are good, the rhythm guitars are mixed nice and wide. The lead guitar sounds a bit too centered for my liking. The drums are good, but mixed on the quiet side, and the crashes lack highs that would give them more impact in this mix. I like the glitching effects very much, they are well used and not overdone. I find plenty of source in the arrangement, it's on the conservative side. After the 2 minute mark though, I'm feeling like things are getting repetitive. The backing chug writing in particular, is quite repetitive. I can see this going either way because there are good aspects to this mix, but for me, the repetition is dragging it below the bar. Also, ugh, fadeout ending. edit: 7/22/16: Ok so my son and I played through the entirety of Pony Island last night. Wow, what a game. This is the best source tune in the game. I have a better feeling for the source tune now. I still feel like this remix gets repetitive, and I really dislike fadeout endings, but the track is too good not to have on the site. Changing to YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Mmm, tasty metal. The production values are very high, as are the performance... values. The guitar playing is great, and the drums compliment the arrangement precisely as they should. The balance of the guitars sound fine, for me, but I agree that the drums are mixed just a little quiet. It's not breaking the track, or anything, but they could be mixed into the track a little better. The arrangement is conservative, but the arrangement does a good job of really transforming it into a stand alone metal track in its own right. I feel the overall atmosphere pulls this track's weight well enough. I can hear Chimp's concerns about repetition, though - some parts sound pretty close. Sections like 0:17 & 1:01, for example, sound very similar. Most of the time, though, there's something that differentiates it from a prior section (drum pattern being different, addition of small background instruments, small doublings, etc.) that helps mitigate the issue, but it does still feel repetitive, from time to time. The fade out ending is also unimpressive. Hell, this could've ended on a single chug of the guitar and it would've worked fine, but the fade out makes the song sound a little incomplete. While I can understand Chimp's vote on this, I don't agree that these are dealbreaking issues. The performances are great, the production values are solid and it's a clever take on the source material. I can honestly see this swinging either way, but I think it just hits the bar, as is. If it doesn't pass due to repetition or the conservative arrangement, make the different elements of the repetitions more salient and noticeable, mix the drums a little louder, and give the track a proper ending. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 For a 3:31-long track, I needed to identify at least 105.5 seconds of source usage for me to consider the VGM usage "dominant" in the arrangement, per our Submission Standards :01.5-1:14.75, 2:48.5-3:31 = 115.75 seconds or 54.85% overt source usage I'm not too familiar with 'Adventure Awry", so there could have been sections I overlooked, but it seemed like it was a sandwich approach with the source opening it, moving to an original section, then a shorter close re-referencing the source tune. Pretty grungy, and lo-fi in a way that nonetheless allows the lead guitar work to sound upfront and effected rather than just lossy. It's not ideal, but it works overall. At about 1:06 with another iteration of the verse, I was waiting for something more, but then the changeup happened at 1:15, so that was welcome. Going back into the theme at 2:48, the presentation was repetitive there, but the overall arrangement and performance of the theme was well-personalized and adapted to rock, so I wasn't bothered by the final 40 seconds feeling too repetitive or uncreative. Everything flowed together nicely, IMO. The fadeout ending could have been something more substantial instead, but I didn't mind it. Nice work, Björn, and good luck with the rest of the vote! Let's go!YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Holy crap, you're right, that's how the track is designed. That's a bit embarrassing, for me - gonna scratch the section on this being too conservative. I will argue that there are pieces from the source that are embellished in that section (such as the lick at 1:15 - 1:17 mimicking 0:23 - 0:24 in the source, for example), but there is a lot of original material in there, as well. Glad you pointed that one out. It doesn't affect my vote negatively, so I'm still a 'YES', but it's good to be corrected on that front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 Great guitar work on this one. Your intro sets things up nicely with great numbers of chuggery, and more importantly, your parts are fully audible throughout the course of the track. Great use of stereo space here with alternate panning of your parts, and nice glitch work which is implemented great for fills and isn't overused. Lead sits above the rest of the mix and is clearly heard, although I will say it does get close to being a tad ear piercy at times. Your overall tone is solid. While you largely play it safe with arrangement, the original bits you've added complement the source well. To close it off, the track is a decent length and doesn't overstay its welcome. No major problems for me here. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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