Gario Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 (edited) Contact Information Your ReMixer name - Psycosulu Your real name - Kyle Scott Your email address - Your website - https://www.youtube.com/user/psycosulu Your userid - 1746 Additional collaborator for song - subversiveasset Collaborator's website - https://www.youtube.com/user/subversiveasset Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged - Final Fantasy VI Name of arrangement - Subaqueous Serpent Name of individual song(s) arranged - The Serpent Trench Comments - This was originally made for the Pixel Mixer's Final Fantasy VI album. I had the style in mind when I asked subversiveasset to lend his unique saxophone style. Overall, I wanted to try for an underwater feel when making the song but I also wanted to have a nonstop drive to mimic the feeling when you're being swept by the currents in the Serpent Trench. Edited April 23, 2019 by MindWanderer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_NutS Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 I like the textures and layering here. The main saw synth is not that great alone but when layered with the lower bass notes it sounds pretty fat. None of the sounds used are out of place to me and complement each other pretty well. The arrangement is sadly not up to the task though. It's super repetitive and barebones, and follows the original pretty closely. The structure lacks dynamism as well, the initial two minutes are pretty basic and static and only a while later we do get to hear the original melody. It just feels like this could've been shortened without losing much and also the arrangement could've been expanded way more than what we got here. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Aside from changing the rhythms a bit, Kyle, this was extremely straightforward and ultimately repetitive; once you hear the rhythmic changes to the melody, that's the only interpretation you hear without any further variations. Very anti-climactic addition of that countermelodic line at :59; if you're looking for a super-close cover, that's all good, but since we're looking for more interpretation, that was a pretty bland approach. Then repeating it at 1:29 was another drag; the track's relatively slowly paced, so when you wholesale repeat bars at this tempo and with textures this thin, it's pretty boring. Dropoff at 2:00 led to SA's smoove sax work, but the beats behind that were just thin and plodding; the texture gradually thicken up at 2:15 and emerging more at 2:26, but the overall pattern is still so straightforward and plain. The beats here didn't add any movement, and as soon as I was thinking that, something more substantive came in at 2:46, which was a good, albeit late, addition. The finish was just more of the same stuff from the opening. Sorry that I can't be more positive on this, because it's a classic theme and a great choice, plus Andrew's sax contribution was strong. But right now there's really bland beats, barebones textures, and a plodding arrangement; there's some development, but not enough. You don't have to get crazy and wild with the level of interpretation, but there's not ENOUGH variation/personalization of the theme, and dynamically this is too flat. You can keep SA's sax performance intact but figure out other ways to further develop this concept. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 I'm afraid I agree with the above 100%. The sax parts are really good, but everything else, including the backing during the sax parts, is way too conservative, too repetitive, and too static. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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