OCR03713 - *YES* Castlevania: Dracula X & Portrait of Ruin "Burning the Clocktower"

[Gario]

Oh look, is Gario abusing his Judge's privileges and posting music on the panel again? I think he is!

Remixer Name: Gario
Real Name: Greg Nourse
E-mail: 
UserID: 18482

Games Arranged: Castlevania: Dracula X; Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Name of Arrangement: Burning the Clocktower
Song(s) Arranged: Dracula X: Stages 1 & 6, Portrait of Ruin: Gaze Up at the Darkness

It's funny, I think this is one of my favorite tracks I've made to date (created for the 2016 Castlevania compo), but I always felt like some of the arranging in this was a touch 'slapped-on' so I didn't submit it. Listening to it again and I think I was an idiot; the transitions are freakin' fine and the source usage makes sense, what the hell.

Urgh, stupid hyper-critical self analysis.

Anyway, this is probably one of my favorite soundscapes I've designed to date, with the organ and e-piano supplementing the old-school 'Moog' style synth lead. It also just so happens to be TWO of my favorite Castlevania themes coming together (The compo I did this for happened to pair me up with the first stage of Dracula X, and I chose the sixth stage on my own), so how could it NOT come out as a solid track?

 

[Liontamer]

The mixing's too bright for my tastes, but the part-writing was clear and it was easy to appreciate the intricate web of sounds going on. The sine wave in particular lended a nice tone to things. Strong, effective crossover and interplay between the various sources throughout the entire piece. I had to laugh to myself at Greg's initial lack of confidence, but that just illustrates how artists should just take the plunge and submit something they're not sure about. Don't be scared, people!

YES

[DragonAvenger]

What a great opening! Great synth choices and the energy is high. Similarly the combo of the sources feels very natural. I do think occasionally the lead synth feels a touch weak compared to the background, but it's a very small nit to pick. Solid panning in sections to emphasize backing parts. 

Want feeling the 3:02 - 3:18 section, but I think it's only a few chords there that aren't doing it for me. There's a sacrifice to make it fit better or to remain recognizable, and for the most part it works. 

Overall this is a fun track that fits your style well. Transitions were fine, too

YES

[Sir_NutS]

Oh hell yeah we need more Dracula X remixes.  Drums are bouncy and so are the synths.  I don't like the bass much though, it seems a bit dull and hollow, though it has a strong attack that helps it drive the song.  The arrangement is solid, it doesn't deviate much from the original but the embellishments and added harmonies make it feel new.  I think there could've been less repetition overall, but this is pretty good.

Just noticed this is Gario after I was done listening, which surprised me a bit because what I've heard from gario is usually way more transformative.  Not that this track needs more of that, just a different approach that also works.

YES

[MindWanderer]

I was holding off on voting on this one because there was something off about it I couldn't put my finger on, but NutS nailed it: slightly more repetitive and less transformative than the usual Gario work, especially the intro, which jumps right in without much preamble.  The bright ping-pong arps are on the relentless side, too, and aren't well balanced by the thin bass.

Still, none of that is really significant.  It's a fun arrangement and clearly achieves what it sets out to do.  I can see why Gario was insecure about it but it's still a solid piece of work overall.

YES