Gario Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 Howdy! Remixer name: Jorito Real name: Jorrith Schaap Email: Userid: 3899 Submission information: Name of Game(s) Remixed: Shovel Knight Name of Arrangement: Shovel Power Names of songs arranged: Strike the Earth (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqAYMZSOQao), Of Devious Machinations (https://virt.bandcamp.com/track/of-devious-machinations-clockwork-tower) Link to the remix: Comments about the mix: Here's another remix I did for the Robots vs. Knights competition on OverClocked ReMix. Initially I had some problems coming up with an arrangement for the 2 tracks. After a first few sketches I ultimately decided to take a shot at making a Synthwave track, pretty much inspired by the artist mitch murder. It was quite a fight to get the track to flow well and suit the genre well enough. Only when I got to the stage where I nicked part of the second part of Tinker Knight, incorporated it as the chorus of my track and added the vocoded vocals, the track finally found enough shape and direction that it inspired me enough and made it less of a struggle. Even though the result matters just as much as the journey, I'm glad that the track is finished and I'm happy with how it turned out. So I guess I ultimately won, thanks to the Power of the Shovel! And some tips from in-house synthwave and Italo expert Sir_NutS (thanks dude!). The lyrics (such as they are, they are more for effect and to highlight the genre): Shovel Power Get ready for the fight Shovel Power Dig in with all your might Shovel Power (2x) Join the fight, The strenght is ours. Become a knight, And wield the Shovel Power. Cheers, Jorrith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 As I mentioned in the compo thread, it's pretty neat that you imitated an 80's electronica aesthetic to remix a game designed to imitate 80's video game aesthetics. Funny how synthwave seems positively antique but 8-bit gaming seems like it was mainstream just a few years ago; it never even occurred to me that these were actually contemporary. Anyway, this is pretty by-the-numbers synthwave from an instrumentation and production standpoint, no surprise given that Sir_NutS helped out. It gets a little same-y at points, but they're brief and that's part of the genre. Great, smooth integration of the two sources, a well-deserved win on that front. Nothing substantial lacking that I can tell, so nice job! YES Jorito 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted April 22, 2017 Author Share Posted April 22, 2017 More Shovel Knight compo, more Jorito goodness. Looks like we've got some old school synthwave going down, here, which is always fun. I'm loving that vocoded voice (especially at 2:49 - that was an amazing transition), and the sources seem well represented. The synths used are pretty slick, as well, so nice work on sound design for this one. Some of the textures really wear their welcome out after sometime, as a few of them really play through the entire track. That arp in the background utilizes the same pattern throughout the entire song (adjusting for harmony), which frankly gets exhausting to listen to after a while. As there are crowding issues later on in the track (like at 2:49) there are plenty of places where that synth could've been dropped and improved the overall track. The static issues that MindWanderer point out are problematic, as well. They are helpfully broken up by the 1:30 section and 2:49, but long stretches of the track sound like it's on autopilot due to the overall similar set of instruments utilized throughout, the similar harmonic patterns, the same pacing, etc.. Again, two or three sections bring something to really break the rut the track falls into, but great deal of the track feels static. Watch your release envelope on some of your instruments - the track gets overly saturated with those wet synths from time to time. The lead at 0:29 and the background texture could be drier than they are at the moment. The static nature of the arrangement swings my vote on the other side of MindWanderer's. I'd suggest dropping that backing texture, and utilizing the synths that you have in different manners in the more static areas of the track so that the arrangement has some more variety and life in it. It's good, but I think there's some TLC that needs to happen in the arrangement before I can pass it. Best of luck! NO Jorito 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 I can see what Gario's saying here, though I don't think it's below the bar. There's still some changes here and there that vary things up that I didn't feel like it was too much. I can see this going either way, but I'm good to do on this one! YES Jorito 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_NutS Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Ah I remember this one. Jorito catched up pretty quickly on the basics of synthwave, and the authenticity is very much here and throughout the duration of the song. A couple things: the voicing change near 2:55 could've been handled better, I feel the mood changed too much and breaks apart from the rest of the song, second I feel like the overall mix could've been tighter. It's clean, and shows a ton of progress from Jorito's first subs, but for this genre I think a bit of grit from those old tape recordings and analog hardware that made the original sound famous would've been great here. Tons of ways to get that effect nowadays, so you should look into that, but the production is otherwise solid and I'm just nitpicking at this because it's something I'm very familiar with. Very good stuff. Reading the other Js comments now, the track is a bit static at some points but there are plenty of variations in the drum sequencing and arrangement. There's enough detailing for me throughout and I don't think this is below the bar by any means. YES Jorito 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Pretty dry opening here. I like the instrumentation, and there's clearly effects on the synths, but something about this still feels empty. Later on, there was some crowding in terms of the production, yet emptiness as far as the textures/writing. By 1:10, I was already feeling like the backing writing was pretty static and plodding, but the dropoff at 1:28 helped out the dynamics there. At 1:43, the lead just felt pretty bare. At 2:13, the textures remained relatively thin; the track did get busier at 2:27 with some variations on the "Strike the Earth" melody. Onto "Of Devious Machinations" at 2:49, but the core kick pattern just plodded, IMO. I could see this passing, as the arrangement uses the themes well with some good tradeoffs, but something's obviously lacking with the dynamics. The beats plodded and the writing & textures felt skeletal despite the effects used to thicken the sound up. Very good base here, Jorrith, but I'm strongly with Gario that this needs another pass to get more sophisticated with the writing. NO (resubmit) Jorito 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted July 17, 2017 Share Posted July 17, 2017 Very cool concept and sounds, I adore the vocoding. Unfortunately I'm in the NO camp here because of how static the arrangement feels, and the mixing. A few suggestions: 1. Try to make arrangement variation by actually removing elements in different sections so we aren't hearing everything in your arsenal full time. Break it down to just a couple of elements, and vary those element combinations throughout the track, save the full bang for the final chorus. 2. Make some sections a little more quiet, and possibly slower (without the pulsing bass), and with a different drum groove/fills (this in addition to the breakdown you already have). 3. Fix the mixing by letting each of those midrangey syths play wherever their fundamental is the strongest, and eq so that other elements can do the same. Take three samey things and open their eqs at the same time, and adjust until each one is clearly audible. You can also differentiate the sounds using stereo widening on some elements and narrowing on others. Looking forward to hearing this one again! NO (resubmit) Jorito 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutritious Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 Shovel Knight OST is soooo goooood. Liking the 80's synthwave approach here. Parts are pretty well balanced, though it does get a bit busy in sections with a lot of elements playing simultaneously (some with longer reverb tails). 2:30 - 2:44 is a good example of this; 3:35 as well. Breakdown to melody at 1:30 felt a bit underwhelming to me due to the drop in energy and some overlapping writing distracting from the melody (that plucked synth thing in the back specifically). I think it would be better served if you established an even more stark contrast from the previous section and solo'd the lead (or with minimal backing). More contrast between the two would create better drama IMO. 2:50 was a nice change to the B section of Strike The Earth. Effective writing as well with l. Coming to the last quarter of the mix, I feel like I've heard all the sounds here throughout most the mix, so a bit more part contrast (or perhaps a little less utilization of SOME synths) would help alleviate this. The robo voice felt spot-on to me for the track. The only drawback to me is I swear it sounds like it's saying "Chocobo" instead of "Shovel Power." I can't unhear it! Reading some previous J's votes now, I do hear the static arrangement issues in the NO camp, but not feeling that alone here is a dealbreaker for me. I didn't hear the empty/thin texture issue though, really, so I can't identify there. Overall production is solid (despite some mixing clutter), OST arrangement is solid, and though writing/flow could be improved, I don't feel it's enough to bring this one down. YES Jorito 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 Really solid all around. I'm not too bothered by the arrangement's variation. Really enjoyed this one quite a bit. Voice is great. YES Jorito 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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