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OCR03852 - *YES* Suikoden "Man-eating Spores of Agony"


Liontamer
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Contact Information

 

  • Your ReMixer name : ilp0
  • Your real name : Ilari Nieminen
  • Your userid : 9399

Submission Information

  • Name of game(s) arranged : Suikoden
  • Name of arrangement : Man-eating Spores of Agony
  • Name of individual song(s) arranged : Theme of Sadness
  • Additional information about game including composer, system, etc. (if it has not yet been added to the site) : Composer Miki Higashino
  • Link to the original soundtrack (if it is not one of the sound archives already available on the site) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yLDTzHcZGY
  • Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc. :  Hi guys. After a unintentional 5-year break from music, I finally managed to arrange a wife-free weekend with all the gadgets plugged and fridge loaded with cold beers. I came up with this remix from Suikoden - Theme of Sadness. Original song is hauntingly beautiful and I have made several attemps to remix it earlier but always fell way short of the mood of the original. This time I didn't even try to maintain the mood of the original but went for bit lighter and crazier moods. Br, Ilari  

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

My main concern here is with repetitiveness.  2:13-3:55 isn't identical to 0:00-1:14, but it's very similar, and both sections are very static, with very few changes to instrumentation, beat, or energy.  The middle section, 1:15-2:13, is different from the rest, but is also static, consisting as it does of basically a minute of noodling around the simple theme with a simple theremin with unvarying accompaniment.

I don't think there's any part of this that's bad, per se, it just goes on for 4 minutes without giving the listener much to get excited about.  Throw in some more variations, whether it's to the melody, the instrumentation, the energy, the soundscape, something engaging that stands out from the rest of the arrangement and doesn't repeat what came before so much.

NO

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  • 2 months later...

That opening was not what I expected when I opened the track compared to the source, but I like the almost lilting march you established here. Great use of triplets and duplets. Pretty unique soundscape overall and it really makes me think of the remix you did from FF4.

1:15 is a bit of an odd turn and feels very directionless. I'm not sure if it's really adding much to the track, though it is definitely a change from the original soundscape. 

I'm going to agree with Mind Wanderer that the second feels pretty close and repetitive to what was established before and I think some more variation might be necessary to bring this up to speed. 

Super glad to see you submitting again! 

NO(resubmit)

 

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  • 1 month later...

Listening on headphones, the panning felt too wide, but it wasn't a huge issue. That said, the soundscape did get cluttered from 1:15-2:10 & 3:45-3:55, when it seemed liked the gliding synth was too loud and creating some distortion; I'll live, but I didn't like it and would love some tweaks there.

The rhythmic changes to this theme were a cool idea, and I liked that once Ilari moved from the restriction of holding to the same mood as the source, he was able to really present something interpretive.

2:40-3:01 was another iteration of the arranged main verse in a higher key; MindWanderer said it was too repetitive, but just because something repeats doesn't make it overly repetitive and I didn't agree with the inference that the arrangement was underdeveloped. Being too static is another thing entirely, but the interpretation was creative enough to bear the repetition, IMO. Let's go!

YES

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  • Liontamer changed the title to 2017/09/11 - (1Y/2N) Suikoden "Man-eating Spores of Agony"
  • 3 weeks later...

After listening to the source I was very surprised by the style you went for here, and the intro specifically goes all-in as if saying "get ready because I don't care about the original's tone".  Loved it.

Honestly, this is pretty well mixed so my production beefs would be very minor, some sections that feel too busy but don't last too long anyways, a bit of a lack of air in the top end, but again, minor gripes.  The arrangement and adaptation are stellar, with plenty of style changes, stops and structural mutations, not to mention the re instrumentation and performances which are great.  There's some sections that repeat, but they don't feel like a copy-paste job to me, they fit in int he context of where the arrangement is going at that point.

Overall a really cool adaptation that chanegs the tone completely without breaking its relation to the source.

YES

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  • Sir_NutS changed the title to 2017/09/11 - (2Y/2N) Suikoden "Man-eating Spores of Agony"
  • Liontamer pinned this topic
  • 2 months later...

On the mixing side there's a noticeable bias towards the right channel in a lot of sections which I feel could've been balanced better. The arrangement's progression works well, lots of section changes with timing and other effects used. The early bridge section at 1:15 was an interesting surprise, a complete departure from everything to that point, making good use of guitar tone and accompanying FX for that atmospheric spacey feel. The synths that appear across the mix are basic in nature but surprisingly fit in well with the guitars, although again, panning was a bit of an issue for me across different sections. Overall a very creative take on the original - a mix that drops a bunch of ideas relatively quickly without overstaying its welcome.

YES

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Really digging the new direction here.  Based on the source, I wouldn't have expected this style, but I do remember your contribution to the FF4 project and this is in a similar vein.  Well produced overall.  As mentioned, the panning creates a bit of audio imbalance when listening on headphones, but not a big deal.  Some parts got a little dense, even a bit distorted, like the build to the end at 3:45.  The shifting 6/8 to 7/8 time signature is cool and well executed.  

Very creative take on the source while keeping the connection strong.  The feel reminds me a bit of the Risk Of Rain soundtrack (which is awesome, by the way).

Love it.

YES

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  • Nutritious changed the title to 2017/09/11 - (4Y/2N) Suikoden "Man-eating Spores of Agony"
  • 3 months later...

Yeah, definitely tonally different from the source. What can I say, that's kind of what OCR's all about, in some ways, so nice work on that front.

Listening to this on headphones, as well, I can hear what Larry's talking about on the panning being very wide, though there doesn't seem to be any moment where the panning gets unbalanced and distracts headphone users. Concerning the rest of the production the lead guitar could've had some more high-end EQ to help it stand out better, but other than that nitpick it's well within OCR's par.

The source usage... I had to go back and listen to the source after listening to this, since it's so outside of what you expect, but it's certainly all there. I'm pretty impressed on just how different this sounds from the source while still technically having the source in there. I can see what others have said about the second half having quite a bit of similarity to the first part for some time, but I don't think it's an issue; the portions that are "repeated" are done so in a different, higher key, which makes it sound like an anthem's callback rather than just straight repetition.

This is a solid arrangement; let's get er' done on here.

YES

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  • Liontamer changed the title to (2017/09/11) *YES - TAG* Suikoden "Man-eating Spores of Agony"
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