Gario Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Remixer name (ID forum): Bluelighter (21840); Katamari (30406); Chris | Amaterasu (23512); Arvangath (33696) Bluelighter : arranger Katamari : guitar Chris | Amaterasu : violin, viola, cello Arvangath : bass (https://m.youtube.com/arvangathvgm ) Mail: Game & Songs: Dragon Quest 7 & Days of Sadness; With Sadness in Heart Composer: Koichi SUGIYAMA Links: Days of Sadness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29h1H6neu3k With Sadness in Heart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j9wJKnoivU Hi OCR, Here is an acoustic remix from Dragon Quest 7. K. Sugiyama put in the game series a lot of immortal themes. But the most memorable for me are certainly these two themes, so intense and sad! These two themes have yet their orchestra version. So I've tried sthg different for the arrangement. I wanted a music minimalist, in the building and in the instrumentation. It was the best way IMO to feel the purity of the original melody and to enjoy the acoustic recordings. After introduction by guitar solo, some classical influences can be heard with the trio of strings. They are combined with a more modern rhythm by guitar, bass and hand-drum. The mix concludes by a simple theme, based on harmony of "With Sadness in Heart", repeated several times with a fade out. I really thank artists who have collaborated with me! Recordings contribute to give to this arrangement its particular atmosphere. Enjoy Breakdown : Days of Sadness - 0'00: Melodic Line 1 - 0'24: ML2 - 0'42: ML3 - 1'01: ML4 - 1'20: ML5 With Sadness in Heart - 0'00: ML6 (unused) - 0'46: ML7 - 1'19: transition TR1 - 1'25: repeat Remix: - 0'00: intro: ML1 and ML2 in guitar solo - 0'33: ML1 in 4/4 by strings; rhythm by guitar, bass and percussions - 1'00: ML7 in 3/4 - 1'29: TR1 - 1'32: ML1 in 4/4 (variation) - 1'46: ML3 in 4/4 (with guitar and viola pizz) - 2'03: TR1 - 2'06: ML4 -2'20: ML5 by guitar and bass. Rhythm with strings and percussions -2'35: outro: simple melodic line based on harmony of ML7. Two times with strings ; and three times by guitar solo with a fade out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Very nice approach, with the string trio married to ethnic folk accompaniment. The soundscape is a little thin, partly out of necessity given this approach, but the cello in particular could have had a bit more presence, and the bass a bit too. Fade-out endings are almost always a cop-out, and even though it works better here than in most cases, it also shatters the illusion of an intimate live performance. Even an abrupt ending would have been better. Otherwise, I don't have much to add. This does pretty much exactly what was intended, with strong instrumental performances and a lovely, creative arrangement. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 I didn't find the soundscape to be thin so much as intimate, and I think it works out just right for the style here. Really enjoying the combination of instruments here, it has a nice folk-feel and still captures that Dragon Quest style in the arrangement. I am going to second that a fade-out isn't really the best choice for an ending here, but I'm not finding it to be a dealbreaker in the end. I wouldn't be sad to hear the track cut after the second guitar repeat of the end for a more final ending, however. Nice work overall! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_NutS Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 On 5/16/2017 at 11:36 AM, DragonAvenger said: I didn't find the soundscape to be thin so much as intimate, and I think it works out just right for the style here. Really enjoying the combination of instruments here, it has a nice folk-feel and still captures that Dragon Quest style in the arrangement. I am going to second that a fade-out isn't really the best choice for an ending here, but I'm not finding it to be a dealbreaker in the end. I wouldn't be sad to hear the track cut after the second guitar repeat of the end for a more final ending, however. Nice work overall! YES Ah, I was looking for a word to describe this but Deia beat me to it: Intimate. Gotta say, after having reviewed quite a few tracks from Bluelighter by now, this is a very nice change of pace. If there are production issues on this one, none jump out at me as something major. The mix isn't very bright, but it is clean and warm, and that's quite alright for this style. The performances are great here, I loved Amaterasu's performance in particular, which was very dynamic and cozy-feeling while also exuding just a bit of sadness and nostalgia. The arrangement complements the performances in its execution, and is very rich in flavor while also holding back things from being too complex in order to keep it all light. The only (subjective) stain in an otherwise excellent offering is the fade-out ending. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted June 2, 2017 Author Share Posted June 2, 2017 This is certainly a very intimate piece, to mirror what my colleagues have said, which is pretty awesome. I love bombastic, but it's nice to have something that takes a break from that, as well. The overall warm tone to this has the effect of sitting in a bar and listening to a small sextet. MindWanderer brings up a good point on the fade out ending, in that while it's actually a pretty good use of it, it DOES take some of the illusion of intimacy out of the track, which hurts it a little bit. Not nearly enough to knock you for, but just ending the line on the last note before repeating the phrase would've been a more realistic (and therefore satisfying) ending. The mixing balance could've used a little more TLC, as well, as the string trio seems to be drown a bit by the other parts. They're still easy to hear, but they seem to be more in the midground rather than the foreground of the piece. Neither of my misgivings drag my otherwise positive opinion of this track, though - it's warn, it's personal and it's full of soul. Let's get er' up on OCR. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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