DragonAvenger Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 (edited) Mp3 link: Contact Information - ReMixer name: Enrico Deiana - Real name: Enrico Deiana - Email address: - Forum User id: 29043 Mathew wallace () has been part of the work as sound engineer. He performed mix/mastering of the song and he deserves to be mentioned in the submission writeup instead. Submission Information - Name of game arranged: Final fantasy IX - Name of arrangement: Dark messenger Rock/orchestral - Name of individual song(s) arranged: Messenger of ruin This is one of my favourites songs from all time Final fantasy OST. I've decided to make a reMix in order to emphasize and make it more epic and realistic using professional orchestral llibraries. In the reMix there are also real take of drums and guitar (recorded in studio) that go to replace the unrealistic sounds of the original version giving the track a progressive rock vein. Hope you'll enjoy and appreciate the results. Thanks and greetings from Italy. ----------------- Edited June 29, 2017 by Liontamer closed decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted June 27, 2017 Author Share Posted June 27, 2017 There's a lot of good aspects to the mix here. Overall the sound upgrades are pretty solid, and the treatment of the overall mix is pretty good. There are a couple sections where there is a lot going on and fighting for control, like 1:18 and later at 1:29. Alone I wouldn't call it a dealbreaker, but it is worth mentioning. My big issue at the moment is that the track follows pretty close to the original in both structure as well as melodically. There are some personalization details and additions here and there that are a great help, but overall I think this is riding too close to the source for us. Some extra original writing, possibly a solo, would make a big difference here. The track also runs a little bit short, and I think you could expand the mix a little. The ending feels abrupt. The idea you have of the guitar riff to the end is solid, but the execution makes it feel like the track wasn't meant to end there. A stronger lead up into the ending would make it feel more natural. I think you're on the right track here, and a lot of the work sounds really good, but it's a bit too close for our arrangement standards and a little underdeveloped. Curious what the other judges will say. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 My biggest concern is actually the production: there's severe clipping and pumping in a lot of places, too many to list. The overall levels need a much closer look here. However, I didn't feel like any of it was excessively busy; there's a lot going on in places, but I could hear everything distinctly and actually enjoyed the complexity. DA's absolutely right about the cover-ish nature of this arrangement being a dealbreaker as well, although I infer that maybe she wasn't able to hear all the layers of personalization you added. It would certainly benefit from some more substantial structural transformations, so there's clearly originality even to a casual listener. I thought the ending was fine, personally, but I see why DA objected to it: there's a riser in it that just leads into a final hit, which does feel a bit anticlimactic. I'd personally cut elements rather than adding them, so that you're left with just that guitar playing the final hook. That's just a suggestion, though. The performance and additional accompaniment is spot on, and there was a lot here that I really enjoyed. It just needs a little bit more interpretive content and a good hard look at the compression/limiting, and I'd be happy to see this posted. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 Riding in on Deia's coattails a little, but her review is spot on: mixing could use improvement at the points she mentions, the arrangement is short (a single run through the source material is all that it entails), and has an almost unfinished feel to it due to how abrupt the ending is. What IS there has very similar instrumentation and structure to the source (though admittedly of much higher quality). To be honest, it sounds like a great first half to a solid OCR arrangement, with the current end being where things really kick it off and you explore the material with your own spin on it - running through with the same structure and style once doesn't quite cut it for the sake of OCR's arrangement requirements. MindWanderer also has a great point in the production quality, since it indeed does hit the limiter quite often. Looking at the waveform, it's easy to see why: the low end takes up virtually all of your space. Toning down the bass will give you quite a bit more room to work with your other instruments. The instrument quality in this is absolutely superb, though, and the material that you added (choir, backing textures, etc.) only serve to improve what was in the source. I'm certain that you can push the arrangement side of things so it's more in line with our standards, based on what you added to this already. Pay attention to your mixing and production quality, and be careful not to push the low end too hard. Best of luck, and I hope to hear a resubmit of this. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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