Gario Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Contact Information Remixer Name: Garoad Real Name: Michael Kelly Email: Website: garoad.bandcamp.com User ID: 18771 Submission Information Game: The Silver Case Name of Arrangement: Lunar Phase Name of Original: The Silver Case Original Composer: Masafumi Takada Original Song: https://youtu.be/NP2Y5HODNNw Masafumi Takada's use of synthesizers are a big inspiration for my own music. I wanted to remix his track 'The Silver Case' as a tribute to him and also to a wonderful game! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Interesting ambient piece, relaxed despite the frenetic beat. Somewhat similar style to the original, but very different execution. Reminds me very much of the soundtrack to Parasite Eve. Production is clean, no concerns there. It does, however, get pretty monotonous. 0:24-0:47, 1:12-1:36, and 2:12-end have the same percussion and the same pad (even when that pad creates dissonance with the melody), 2:36-3:00, repeating again to fade-out, even sounds like a copy-paste of 0:24-0:47. The fade-out especially sounds like you just ran out of ideas. The two breaks, the use of the sax and piano the second time through the main hook, and the electric guitar the third time help, but unfortunately it really does just sound to me like the same thing repeated 5 times, with two breaks and some variation. There's nothing in particular I don't like, but I found it hard to stay interested through the end. As background music, I like it a lot, but as a standalone song, I don't think it holds up. NO Gario 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted April 20, 2017 Author Share Posted April 20, 2017 Yeah, I'm definitely getting the Parasite Eve vibes from this one. The harmonies and soundscape just ooze with the same style and flair that the PE ost had, which is absolutely great. MindWanderer is definitely correct on how repetitive the arrangement gets, though - while different instruments and licks often play over the same pad and texture patterns, that pattern gets overused pretty quickly. The break at 1:36 helps, but it's not enough to recover the rest of the track which sounds like it's running on autopilot. I think this has potential to be a really cool arrangement, but it needs to break away from the static patterns that is uses for most of the track before it's there. I hope you come back to this one, though, since before this I've never even heard of this game before; it needs some representation on here! NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 Idunno guys, I like it. Sure the backing is repetitive, but it is holding the soundscape together nicely. Perhaps a few gated noise sweeps or something else, something sparkly here or there could liven it up a bit more, but ultimately I'm ok with this and the changes in lead/focus instrumentation keeps it fresh for me. I don't like the fadeout but that's a personal opinion, and perhaps it works here in context. The first note seems a bit sudden and chopped off, like the render missed part of the first note. Otherwise, after four listens I am finding this quite enjoyable. If this doesn't pass, definitely make some changes to the repetitive aspects of the track and throw in some more ear candy, but for now I'm a YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 I'll agree that it's repetitive, but I think I'm with Kris here, I didn't find it so bad that I lost interest in the track, and I think the extra elements like the sax, etc, keep the track going. That being said, some extra variation certain wouldn't hurt things here. I can see this going either way, but I'm seeing it as a pass. Energetic percussion and a great sound structure really work in favor here. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 Just noting the padding alone being taken from the source tune's opening and being used as a base for the track, the source references were all over this: :00-:47, 1:12-1:35.5, 2:11.75-3:24 (just the pads referencing the source) I only bother pointing that out given the source's obscurity. No issues on source usage throughout the arrangement. The plinky piano's a stylized thing I've heard in this kind of music; same with the synth bowed strings at :47 and the 3rd Strike-style fakey sax introduced at 1:11. All not my cup of tea in terms of realism, particularly those exposed strings, but I'll live. If you told me this was from some Japanese VGM arrangement album, I wouldn't flinch; the production sounded super authentic, including that drop/transition at 1:35. At 2:11, the guitar sounded straight out of Zuntata's Metal Black: The First arrange album; Michael seriously nailed the 90s VGM arrangement album aesthetic, and I meant that in a good way. At 2:14 when the breakbeats came back, I agreed it was repetitive, but the pattern itself were pretty energetic and varied, which mitigated that issue. I would have liked something different from 2:35 until the end instead of the copy-pasta with slightly warmer padding, but it's creative enough that it doesn't drag it down to NO in any respect for me. The previous 2 1/2 minutes were developed well, and I didn't mind the repeat of that previous section either; the track could bear it, given how well-written it was. I thought I might be a NO coming in, just seeing how the initial votes came down, but I'm listening, and yep, I'm with the ladies here. Dunno if this'll pass as is, but Michael could certainly get this posted in some form if it doesn't make it as is. That said, has the tide swung on this one? YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutritious Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 Ahh, old school dnb here. This sounds similar to the stuff that got me into the genre back in the 90's. That said, I'm gonna leave some comments below without reading other judgements for now. Atmosphere is on point with the ethereal synths, synth bass, and frenetic breakbeat. What's hurting it for me is rooted in how the beat is handled and repetition in the backing elements. I don't really feel like the four on the floor kick is working here. Given that the loop already has a built-in kick, which frequently does not align on each beat like the kick you added, it leaves the beat sounding unnecessarily jumbled. Also, regarding the beat, one of the staples of the old school dnb genre was how the artist would take a commonly-used beat pattern and slice it up in a unique and unexpected way, usually evolving it over time to keep it sounding fresh. Here, there are long stretches in the track where the same 8-bar pattern plays on repeat with little or no variation. I think there's a lot of potential there for improvement on sequencing to improve the track and avoid unnecessary repetition. Minor point: the beginning of the track sounds cut off - probably a rendering error. I used to get this a lot with FL Studio, so I made a habit of moving out the whole song a beat or so to make sure it renders the first note properly. I don't know why it happens, but it's one of those things you gotta work around. Arrangement-wise, this sounds like it's depending a lot on connecting the backing chords to the original track for the first minute or so. Around :48 is where I first hear a more solid reference to the piano lead on the original and I'm solid on arrangement after this part. I've said it many times that I don't like fade-out endings. I never consider it a straight up deal-breaker, but I feel that I must mention it generally comes off as lazy and ineffective at leaving the listener with a good final impression of the song. Reading above now, I can see there are varied opinions on how much the repetition detracts from the piece, but for me, when the majority of the track is literally playing the same 8-bar pattern (despite it being pretty complex) with a few fills & drop offs here and there, I feel it needs to be addressed - especially given how central the beatwork is to the genre. Beyond that issue, the others are more minor issues for me. NO resubmit, please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 Great sounds, albeit reminiscent of the original source tune. Nice breakbeat drums to drive the mix forward. Very atmospheric backing instruments. The trumpet at 1:10 was a nice inclusion though I wish it played more than the 2 variant patterns it goes through. Your arrangement sounds quite loop/layer based. Not a bad thing when done right. New layers are added in fairly frequently, with the overall palette of patterns changing often. Guitar lead at 2:12 is a great addition. The fade out worked ok on this one. Production quality is pretty decent, I would've liked to see some more low end clarity, but things are still audible for what's here. The arrangement didn't feel like it dragged and while more in pattern variation would've been nice, I think the changes across the track do enough to keep things interesting. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_NutS Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 This sounds like something you would've heard in OCR back around 2005 or so. The obvious dnb loops, somewhat stiff piano, and not entirely realistic instruments. And I quite liked it. I'll admit, I liked the drum loop on the original more, it's so Michael Jackson it's not even funny. The change in tone from the original to this one is noticeable though, as this is less jazzy, and more ambient and straightforwards. I think more could have been done with the loop, as manipulating a single drum loops into several different ways was what dnb used to be about back in the days. Now with neurofunk and liquid dnb dominating that genre it's mostly about who can get the fattest reese bass or the most snappy, clicky drums, but I digress... some old school dnb and big beat was ALSO about not mangling that loop too much, which is more inline with this song's approach. The arrangement is fine, less complex than the original, but with neat touches like the sax section and that sweet electric guitar lead. Fadeouts make me sad. All in all, I think this is above the bar for me. Like I said it's very old school sounding, if someone had shown me this and told me it's a lost Scott Peeples track from the mid 2000's I would have believed it. And Scott Peeples is the bomb. I think I've digressed enough in this writeout, so: YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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