Gario Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 (edited) Remixer Name: Connor O.R.T. Linning Real Name: Connor Linning Email: Website: www.connorlinning.com UserId: 33771 Name of game arranged: Chrono Trigger Name of arrangement: World In Ruin Name of Individual Song arranged: World Ruin Comments about the mix: "World Ruin is one of my favorite Chrono Trigger tracks. I tried to make a kind of survival horror remix of it, and am happy with the result." Edited February 9, 2017 by Liontamer closed decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Interesting choice of source. For all the Chrono Trigger that folks love to remix, I don't think I've heard this one done before. I can see this arrangement in a survival horror game, all right, but during one of the open-air peaceful moments where you just sort of look around and appreciate the ruin. It's beautifully evocative. The jump in volume at 1:04 is pretty severe. I had my volume turned up to appreciate the beginning, and then had to turn it down a lot. Some dramatic differences in loudness are OK, but it should be comfortable to listen to the whole thing without turning the volume up or down, and this isn't. In addition, the loud section is overcompressed at points; for instance, there's some strong distortion at 2:53-2:58, and some brief distortion in other places. The strings are clearly inhuman, especially in the introduction where they're completely exposed. The long, droning notes (e.g. 0:40-0:48) are especially problematic. The choir is really synthetic as well. Over 3 minutes of basically the same thing, in a mix 5:44 long, is a lot. Some sort of variation in instrumentation, energy, etc. somewhere in the middle of that would be really nice, or you could just shorten in. I don't feel like it would be hurt much by cutting it down by a minute or even two. And then 4:17-5:20 is really static as well. As for source usage.... The original is really sparse and not very melodic. The arrangement is in a different key and starts in a different place, so I'm finding it extremely hard to identify where the melodies actually line up. It's certainly done in a similar sort of style, but I'm not at all sure whether this constitutes an arrangement of it by our standards. Maybe another judge will be able to make the connection better than I can. I love this atmosphere, and I love the challenge that you went for. There are some definite production issues which I feel are holding this back; other judges may be able to provide some other thoughts about the arrangement as well. I definitely think this has potential and would love to see it posted in some form, though. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted February 9, 2017 Author Share Posted February 9, 2017 I really do like this source, as it gives the arranger a lot of free reign as to how it should be handled. Being only a series of depressing chords means that in order for the track to be interesting for extended periods musicians really need to get clever with the material. I hear the changes made to this track (the slight alterations to the harmonies, the adding and dropping of instruments in each iteration), but overall it never feels like there is any motion or change in the track in its 5:44 minute run, which makes it sound static and uninteresting by the end. Change things up, don't stick so closely to the source on which harmonies follow which; it's a very limiting design issue inherent to the source that's holding this arrangement down. The mechanical instruments are a bit of an issue, too, but it's not too crushing in my opinion. The articulations are pretty mechanical, always utilizing a slight swell to them. You can create a better sense of phrasing if you utilize some legato, or you can make the swells sound more intentional with each chord by making them a bit more extreme (or do both, for the sake of variety). I don't have much issue with the artificial choirs myself, though that might be because I'm a bit biased in favor of them (it's why they often find their way in my music). The overall atmosphere of this is actually pretty divine, which I get a real kick out of. The overall arrangement almost sounds like a sad homily in a church, which makes this really ooze with flavor. If there was more variety in the overall arrangement I would easily enjoy sending it to the front page (and humanizing the instruments better wouldn't hurt, either), but as it stands the arrangement does need some touching up. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 The connection to the source tune was pretty straightforward, so I'm not what the problem would be there, but overall I'm agreed with the others, particularly on Gario with regards to the solemn church imagery. I liked the instrumentation, but MW's right that the strings were majorly exposed and unrealistic-sounding, and the overall static nature of the arrangement means it doesn't sustain interest this long as a standalone piece. As BGM though, it's phenomenal. I didn't mind the volume jump as much, but I see how it could be viewed by others as off-putting. More clarity in the soundscape, better execution of the strings, and more variation/dynamic contrast are needed to seal the deal here, but this was a solid start. I hope you're willing to go back to this and provide more variation, Connor, but no matter what, you showed promise here, and I hope we hear from you again with more subs! NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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