Liontamer Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 Remixer Name: DJ SymBiotiX Real Name: Fernando Chorney E-mail: djsbx@hotmail.com Website: http://www.djsbx.com User ID:42156 Game ReMixed: Beatmania IIDX 7th Style Song Remixed: Traces Info: Traces (made by Taku Sakakibara) is one of the songs solely created for the IIDX series. This game is for the PS2, as well as arcade. (wasnt sure which to place it on, so I just placed it on ps2, if I was wrong please correct it) Link to original song: (This is the short arcade/ps2 version, I couldnt find the long version for some reason ) http://www.djsbx.com/othermusic/traces.mp3 Link to ReMix: http://www.djsbx.com/othermusic/Traces%20-Tracing%20The%20Noize%20Mix-.mp3 (I would like to request that you keep both links available for people to see. thanks) Comments: I tried to incorporate as much as the original as I could, but yet changing it so it wasnt so similar. I think I changed the style from a mellow trance to a more hardcorish trance. I added a few parts (like the soft middle part) to incorporate some of the original ideas with something of my own. I used the main piano line a good amount, and I also created a few variations of it. I hope you enjoy this remix. ----------------------------------------------------- beatmania IIDX 7th style Original Soundtrack - (29) "traces" Thanks, as usual, for you providing the original. My first though after listening to the source: there's not much to work with melodically. Dunno where you're gonna get 6:02's worth out of it, but I'm certainly gonna be interested. Faded in with some synths 'n beetz. The drumwork there was really flat and tame, but the other stuff was alright. Melody came in at :49 with the classic piano tone used in these types of tracks. Not feeling the texture from 1:21 with those distorted beats, which didn't quite fill out the track; the background needs padding. The distorted beats actually, IMO, ended up crowding out some of the other supporting writing ideas, making it seem like less was going on. Some more beatwork was added in at 1:33 to further flesh things out. Piano came in at 1:46 (nice effects at 1:51 & 2:04). Switched to another combination of beats at 2:11. The piano sample sounded very thin and exposed compared to its usage before. Synth at 2:37 providing the melodic content was bland to me, but not a big deal for that section. Slowed down and switched over to a quieter original section at 3:04. Not feeling that lead synth at 3:25; ultra-bland, along with the backing synth padding it out. The beats were decent, but plodded along after a while. The piano performance starting at 3:41 was decent; good writing, but once the notes got closer together, the sample was pretty exposed. More could be done to have it flow more naturally, though your velocity variation is in the right direction. Tempo shifted upward around 4:32. 4:46 has some cool warbling that gives way to more thick beats along with the piano. The piano sounded too bright, and again something about the performance didn't feel smooth. On the arrangement side, things are OK. But, overall, the synth design just doesn't seem very unique, or strongly presented, making the arrangement seem a lot less strong. It's not to either hate on the genre or deny the effort put into making the mix and working on the slew of effects in order to give the track more meat and depth. But there's a...blandness here that makes me feel like this was supposed to sound much more expressive. I'd like to see the production and synth design given more love. Best of luck on the rest of the vote, Fernando. Despite not quite feeling this one, your talent is more than apparent, so I hope you keep working on this. NO (refine/resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jillian Aversa Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 I agree with Larry that you didn't have a whole lot to work from, considering the rather generic source tune you've chosen. Sometimes it can make judging rather difficult, because there is such a fine line between liberal and conservative arrangements. Still, I can tell how much creativity was involved in putting this together! The intro was pretty bland, but then things picked up very well. What I don't understand is how you got from point A to point B at the 3-minute mark. It's almost as though you have created two different remixes, separated by a pause with a few little drop effects. Makes me wonder where you could have gotten with the first half, had you not switched things up so drastically. A bold choice, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. On second listen, I actually kinda liked it. Nice accelerando at 4:40; I really like the way it leads into the next section. Fadeout worked alright in this case, but you probably could have given us a little more conclusion. Aside from the flat drums at the beginning, production sounds really good: balanced and clear. Nice, ethereal mood throughout. It's like futuristic heaven... or something. ^_~ I can dig it! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big giant circles Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Lots of TaQ-esque elements going on in this one. BTW, I have the omgTaQbias going on here, as he's one of my preferred artists, not only in the BM/DDR series, but just as a musician in general. I can definitely see how someone could label his stuff as somewhat generic sounding, especially when they might not be quite as familiar with his work, but I guess the more you listen to him, he has a very distinct sound, and though certain parts of your remix are still quite similar, I think you've replicated a lot of it fairly well without blatantly ripping the guy off. The synth pad progression is very reminiscent to his stromatolite stuff. Nice energy flowing at 1:21 as the pace picks up a little. Pretty decent sequencing on the piano. I would have preferred that you ran some EQ sweeps and some other creative effects rather than the typical high-end-saturation and ping pong delay. The (subtractive?) synth around 2:38ish with the crazy filtering is pretty cool, again in the style of TaQ. Pixie's right about the transition. It's not bad; that being said, I think it could have been executed a little better than it was. The slower part seemed a little empty lacking any sort of bass accompaniment until... wait a minute, until the end of the song it seems. Was that intentional, or just an oversight? Wow, that's either a big mistake, or a really bold decision. Yikes. Hombre, I don't think I can quite bring myself to overlook that. It's one thing to drop the bass out for a portion of a song, but you've got 3 minutes of a track with absolutely no bass instrument support. That = a very hollow and IMO, incomplete track. Huge bummer. I was ready to drop a solid YES on this one, too. I really have no other major gripes. The only thing worth mentioning (and I've been told I have the same problem, mainly from zircon, and I think he's right) is that you've got a lot of emphasis on the low lows and high highs as far as the EQ is concerned, and as much reverb/delay as you've got plugged into this one, it makes it sound like you're sitting on a large open plate, with a sub-average sound setup, and it would definitely benefit to get a little more midrange, and keep it just a wee bit more dry. Not a huge deal. At least, nowhere near as big an issue as forgoing the bass altogether for 3 minutes. I'm gonna have to ask you to program some sort of bottom-end support to sustain your track. I'd love to hear a resubmit. I really dig this one so far, and quite honestly, the length didn't phase me one bit. Good luck with the rest of the vote, bro. Perhaps the rest of the panel won't mind so much. If they do though, be sure to bring this one back after you've tweaked it. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 I'm in agreement with Larry and Circles. Lots of interesting arrangement ideas here, but I think that you could do a lot better with your percussion's balance with the rest of the track, particularly in the beginning of the piece. It's a very densely written part when it comes in, and it overpowers the rest of the piece because of its relative dryness. BGC mentioned bass support issues in the second half of the song, and I agree with him. Try to bring some more low end to that section. NO resub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 yeow! those are some punchy hats. It would be nice to hear the other instruments too. Dont know if i have any new comments. There's no bass in the second half, wtf. 4:15 would have been the perfect time to come in with a bass. fix those two problems and you've got yourself a mix. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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