Final Fantasy VII - Underneath The Rotting Pizza Remix

[Karousin]

Here's a remix that started out quite close to the original, then took a turn to the funky side around the middle

Since i'm thinking about submitting it i'm looking for honest feedback about arrangement, production quality etc. And especially: is it too far from the original to be submitted here?

What do you guys think?

 

[Vidilian]

I like the vibe of this and don't think it's too far from the original especially since it stays so true to it for the first half. The fact you mix it up in the second half is actually a positive imo, otherwise it would be too close to the original. Production-wise, the vinyl audio crackle effect works for me, but it could be turned downed a bit, especially when the flanger(?) effected instrument comes in at 1:30 and things get a bit cluttered.

[The Nikanoru]

This is a pretty chill remix, I like.

As far as arrangement goes, I think it's pretty good what you have here. Some comment could be made on the lack of 'tasty licks' or interesting guitar fills on the first loop, but I like what you've done with the back half of the track - I think a lot of the first loop is good at 'setting the stage,' but a light touch here and there would add a bit of flavor (like you did with the percussion, nice touches). Ending was very sudden for me, but not terrible.

What I think you'll get picked on most is production, as Vidilian made examples to above. One comment I could make on this in addition is to watch the flanging(?)/chorus oscillation on all your instrumentation. There are some parts where it sounds ... off to me.

The biggest distraction for me is the bass synth. The opening is kind of this scratchy record, high-reverb, almost beatnik jazz open stage feel, but this bass is all fuzz, all muffle - like someone put on some hard overdrive on and dropped the tone to the floor. I don't mind the tone so much as the muffle - seems a bit of a mismatch to the soundscape to me. I'd like to hear something that blends a little better and where we can hear the strumming a bit more clearly - for those familiar with my review style, a bit more 'plunk' and a bit less 'thunk.'

Thanks for posting - I enjoyed that.

[Mr. Hu]

I think the last 30 seconds of this needs to be changed to something different from just coming back to the same organ line/crowd sounds as from before the synth progression. Maybe get a different crowd sample and change up your playing a bit? Also, I think the vinyl effect is just a bit too prominent in the first part of the song. You have some nice sounds in here, and the needle effect distracts a tiny bit from them, in my opinion. 

I like your drum sound a lot, and kinda want to hear a little more from them!

The bass is ultra thick, for sure. It's like a bass organ and a bass guitar together. I actually like it but it is kinda EDM-y, and I generally agree with what Nikanoru said about it.

This is actually one of my favorite tracks from FFVII, so I'm glad this exists. I think it's really close to being great!

[Karousin]

Wow thanks a lot for the very detailed and constructive feedback, i really appreciate it! I will upload a new version as soon as i worked on the track some more.

[Karousin]

On 6/4/2018 at 7:50 PM, The Nikanoru said:

but this bass is all fuzz, all muffle - like someone put on some hard overdrive on and dropped the tone to the floor. I don't mind the tone so much as the muffle - seems a bit of a mismatch to the soundscape to me.

 

On 6/10/2018 at 4:28 PM, Mr. Hu said:

The bass is ultra thick, for sure. It's like a bass organ and a bass guitar together. I actually like it but it is kinda EDM-y, and I generally agree with what Nikanoru said about it.

Yeah it was done using a novation peak, which tends to produce a quite "modern sound" because of its clean digital oscillators and the digital effects section. I like the bass sound a lot, but i agree that it doesn't quite fit the overall sound of the track. I tried to stack it with a sampled e-bass (native instruments scarbee mm-bass), separating them with contrasting EQs and gluing them together with a slight distortion and a compressor on the bus. However, it somehow just didn't fit. So now i'm thinking: it's either adjusting the synth bass patch, or recording a real bass. What do you guys think? Any other alternatives?

[The Nikanoru]

To me, nothing beats the sound of live instrumentation. A real bass is the way to go, in my opinion.

Given a choice, I would use a double-bass with more reverb and a very light touch of overdrive - this would match the soundscape nicely, IMO - but palm-muting an electric bass might be closer to the sound you're looking for.