OCR04345 - *YES* Xenogears "Dancing in the Sky"

[Gario]

Hallo,

Remixer name: Jorito

Real name: Jorrith Schaap

e-mail: 

Userid: 3899

 

ReMixer name: Fiddledo

Real name: Kaisyn

e-mail: 

Links: https://www.youtube.com/fiddledo, https://twitter.com/fiddledo

 

ReMixer name: subversiveasset

Real name: Andrew Spriggs

e-mail: 

Links: https://www.youtube.com/subversiveasset, https://twitter.com/gaspriggs, https://www.facebook.com/subversiveasset

 

ReMixer name: Jarrod G

Real name: Jarrod Grgić

e-mail:

Links: https://www.youtube.com/user/imafutureguitarhero, https://twitter.com/imafuturegh

 

Submission information:

 

Name of Game(s) Remixed: Xenogears

Name of Arrangement: Dancing in the Sky

Names of songs arranged: Wings (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IyyXO5nP1c)

Link to the remix: 

 

Comments about the mix:

 

Somewhere March 2018 I stumbled upon this (relatively) new VGM community called Pixel Mixers. I just wrapped up some tracks and wanted to start something new. Turns out Pixel Mixers was in the middle of a Xenogears 20th anniversary tribute album. While I played the game a long time ago and never got that far in it, I am a sucker for RPGs and their music. I was going over the available tracks and found Wings, the airship theme. Since I am still in a synthwave mood fuelled by The Midnight, I figured it might make for a great 80s inspired synth based tracks with male vocals and saxophone. 

 

Took me a few attempts and false starts to figure out a decent starting point with those typical synthwave chord stabs, but once that was done, things started to fall into place naturally and I had a lot of fun playing with the sax and vocal interplay and the song structure. 

 

Part of the Xenogears album concept was that every track required at least 2 collaborators. Since I knew I wanted to do a vocal synthwave track with saxophone, it was an easy choice to figure out what kind of collaborators would be needed. I found out that subversiveasset is more or less the go-to saxophone player in the Pixel Mixers community, and he hopped on board with a lively sax part as well as a solo part. The lead vocals and lyrics were done by Fiddle, whom I recruited through the community, and after a few tries to get the vocals working with the track’s melody and context I think it turned out great. Lastly I couldn’t resist having some guitar parts in there, so I wrote a quick solo with my VSTs that Jarrod was ultimately happy to replace. Can’t beat live performances, they always make such a big difference.

 

With all the collaborations, arrangement shuffling and things being quite different from the source but also still recognisable, I’d say this was an interesting experiment. I think it turned out well and can be enjoyed as a standalone piece even if you’re not aware it has its roots in VGM.

 

Kaisyn adds:

 

It's funny because I've never really played Xenogears before. I did a bit of research on the game when I got into Xenoblade Chronicles and thought to myself that I'd wait until I have the opportunity to pick it up on the original PlayStation so that I can play it on the original hardware. The story of Xenogears was deep and was something I wanted to dive into sooner or later, but I had never realized that I would end up writing lyrics to the flying theme, "Wings."

 

I wanted to really take a look at how the main character must feel while they are flying high above the land amidst the chaos happening down below. He was kind of dragged into what was happening and perhaps, while looking down below, he would ponder and talk to his crewmates. I wanted to capture that feeling of doubt which would later turn into confidence. A took a bit of influence from Final Fantasy VII in regards to how to capture the moment. 

 

The chorus reflects the feeling of being in the mech, making the characters feel alive and how, perhaps, they feel like they can do anything. I mean, they're in this super powerful robot armor that is more powerful than anything that anyone has ever known. They can dance in the sky and be free. Despite what's happening, they feel like this will all end soon and maybe they'll be able to enjoy that freedom. 

 

All and all, I had a fun time writing this song. It's a huge departure from what I usually write but it was fun to really dive deep into the emotions of the characters and reflect them in the lyrics.

 

Full credits:

 

Arrangement, production, backing vocals: Jorito

Vocals, lyrics: Fiddledo

Saxophone: subversiveasset

Guitar: Jarrod G

 

Source usage:

 

Since I maybe went a bit nuts with overhauling the arrangement, I figured a source breakdown might help. As always, I mainly use the melody from the source and mess with that, this track also uses a chord pattern that you might miss otherwise.

 

0:00 - 0:12 - original intro

0:13 - 0:25 - chords (and their rhythm) from source, 0:56 - 1:02

0:26 - 0:38 - chords as above, lead vocal also heavily based on the chords/rhythm

0:38 - 0:51 - variation on the above in the chords and lead

0:51 - 1:16 - sax plays the lead from source, 0:02 - 0:27

1:16 - 1:42 - lead vocals sing lead from source, 0:20 - 0:56; sax plays variations of 0:02 - 0:27

1:42 - 2:08 - lead vocals are a variation of source, 0:02 - 0:27

2:08 - 3:12 - original solos

3:12 - 3:38 - variation on chords/rhythm from source, 0:56 - 1:02

3:38 - 4:03 - same as 0:51 - 1:16

4:03 - 4:28 - same as 1:16 - 1:42

4:30 - 4:56 - original outro

 

Lyrics:

 

Verse

 

There are times I feel like

Without you, there's less meaning in life

Hold my hand, tell me it will be okay

 

Passing by these bright lights

I need to figure out if I've got things right

Things keep passing by, I will find a way.

 

Chorus

 

We're going to spread our wings and fly 

As we keep dancing in the sky 

I feel so alive 

Forgetting the danger that lies up ahead 

Please just let me

 

Bridge

 

I really want to feel safe 

I want to know, I wonder why

I feel this way

 

Nasty thoughts stuck in my head

I want them gone, I wish they could 

Just disappear

 

Verse

 

Let's take in this moment

C'mon, just keep your eyes wide open 

Gliding through the sky, no clouds in the way

 

I feel like I belong 

Despite the troubles, I know I can stay strong

I'll keep holding on, I won't drift away 

 

Chorus

 

We're going to spread our wings and fly 

As we keep dancing in the sky 

I feel so alive 

Forgetting the danger that lies up ahead 

Please just let me fly

 

 

Cheers,

Jorrith

[MindWanderer]

Well, this is a lot of fun!  Despite the collaboration, it's still just about everything I expect from a Jorito mix.  It's a great arrangement, with a very creative approach, and really captures the intended feel.

The vocals are a little flat and nasal but serviceable.  It's also mixed oddly quietly--I see over 2dB of headroom; I had to turn my volume all the way up to hear it adequately, and even then it was a bit quiet.

Otherwise, this is pretty darn good.

YES/CONDITIONAL (on volume increase)

Update 10/17/19: New render sounds great. 

Update 6/22/20: Larry makes a good point.  I think maybe when I was listening to the revision I didn't pay close enough attention to how much easier it became to hear the issues with the vocals.  They are frequently nasal and off-key.  There's also a lot of enunciation that sounds more like speech than singing, e.g. hard R's and long A's.  I know it's been a year since our initial votes, but I'm going to flip and say that a stronger vocal performance really is called for here.

NO

Edited June 22, 2020 by MindWanderer

[Rexy]

First of all, thank you very much for the source breakdown! Going over the sections, I can verify its treatment with plenty of subtractive writing - and the saxophone/guitar solos and synthwave style placed the icing on the cake.

I honestly have no significant problems with the production, either. The sounds are all appropriate to the genre, the live musicians all sound crisp and clean, and everything feels well balanced. I honestly think the vocals are at a good position in the mix and are clear enough for me to make out the lyrics. The only thing that sticks out is that the mixdown doesn't go beyond -3dB and can sound better with some normalization, but it's no dealbreaker in this case.

It's still a fantastic Jorito production / collaborative project as always. Not only can I see this on the front page, but also as part of a playlist for use at the gym.

YES

[Sir_NutS]

I've listened to this one already before.  As always, Jorrith brings a very interesting pop take, this time with an 80's edge.  The vocals by Fiddle are a bit dry and the singing isn't perfect, especially when trying to go to the edges of his range.  I think a bit of extra correction in those cases would've made it better, as you can almost feel the strain on some of the higher sustained notes.  Otherwise, the vocals work and so does the vocoding.  The backing arrangement is basic and it just drives the sax and vocal melodies, but there's nothing wrong with that and just works in the track's favor to make it sound more authentic.  I enjoyed the sax performance the most, very good stuff.

YES

Edited October 3, 2019 by Sir_NutS

[prophetik music]

hey, what a fun take! this passes my bar easily. i particularly like the vocal treatment - while a few times there's some strains or odd scoops that needed some post lovin', i think it sounds great within the mix and is well-suited to the singer's vocal range and style. i agree with NutS that the background is little more than a bucket for the vocals and sax parts, but that's ok in this style, i think. it's well-executed and doesn't get in the way of the parts that we showed up to listen to, which is all it needed to do.

some suggestions to subversiveasset, one saxophonist to another: one thing that'd help from a recording perspective is to crank down your gain on your mic and really play a lot louder. there's several times repeatedly where your tone is soft and subtle, which is great for some styles, but this needs a really wailing timbre which only comes from more air behind your stack. the lick at :51 and others is a great example - it sounds like you played it real quiet and controlled, and then it has to really be cranked up to fit volume-wise, but then it feels odd next to the other instruments which have more body. it'll also give those articulations more bite. lastly - don't be afraid to run your parts through pitch correction, just like a singer. the low end of the upper octave (F-D w/ octave key) is really sharp, and it shows on some of your runs through there. it'll let you focus more on tone and fingerings, and less on perfect embouchure adjustments for those runs.

if i'm nitpicking, i'm pointing out that a major seventh up is a huuuuge jump for a singer, especially a male singer going from chest voice to mixed (4:16). combined with a glottal stop (the g in -getting) makes that a pretty hard play, so i'll call that sub-optimal writing. also the entire track has a ton of headroom and can be pushed up easily.

as a whole, though, this is a great fun track that features some excellent guest performances. nice work to all involved.

 

 

YES

Edited October 15, 2019 by prophetik music

[Liontamer]

The vocals are a weak point in that they're lack power and are exposed in too many places. Because they're mixed both loud (louder than the music itself), and relatively dry, all of the drawbacks in the singing performance stick out more than expected. Some effects to thicken up the sound and mitigate the lack of strength and/or some AutoTune could have helped mask it.

No shade on Jorrith, but given other vocal tracks he's produced himself, I'm surprised he let this one go like this. It's a substantial drop, both singing quality and post-production on the vocals. Fiddledo's lyrics are still fun and fitting, and all of the instrumental performances are solid. I would like to hear the instrumental given some more oomph and the vocals given a stronger treatment to give them a richer sound. Sorry to dissent, but there's unrealized potential here on account of the mixing choices.

I'm requesting some additional votes on here to either extend the YESs or elaborate on what else needs works before this is posted.

NO (resubmit)

Edited May 23, 2022 by Liontamer
vote changed (see below)

[DragonAvenger]

Had to listen to this one a few times through to figure out what I think about the vocals. I think Larry has some good points on the overall feel within the track as well as some intonation issues, but I think that overall it doesn't come to a point where it drags the rest of the track below the bar, since there is a lot of good going on with it. Definitely somethings to take note of for the future, and it does end up being close in the end, but I think it gets by as-is.

YES (borderline)

[Jivemaster]

There is a bit of a rawness to the vocals, which carries some charm. The sax starting at 0:51 was fun. I think the chorus performance could certainly use more power. There are some dropped notes here and there as we progress. I agree with Larry that it could do with a bit of autotune to tame some of the drift. The vocoder at 2:20 was fun, and the sax and guitar solo exchange afterward at 2:33 was a nice surprise, with some great tone that fit the piece well. The main thing holding this back for me was some parts of the vocals, but I think it works well enough. There's enough variation here in the arrangement, and mixing seems ok. If the artist would like a chance to tweak the vox a bit closer to tune I'd be all for that (if we haven't done so already).

YES (Borderline)

[Chimpazilla]

This is a fun tune and is mostly very well produced.  I agree with my fellow Js that the vocal performance is a weakness, and it would really benefit from a manual comb-through to correct some of the more off-key notes, which can be painstaking but would really help here.  Autotune might be fun too, but would give the vocal a totally different flavor, and Autotune didn't exist in the 80s so it might not fit.  As for the vocal mixing, I feel like the vocals could come forward just a bit, perhaps with some added bite with a hint of distortion, or perhaps a longer predelay on the reverb, but those are extreme nitpicks.  It's a fun song and none of the issues break the deal for me.  Let's do this!

YES

[Emunator]

Keeping this short, but just to add my 2 cents at djp's request, the vocal performance and some of the other elements of production also didn't sit quite right with me. There was a lack of energy in the vocal performance and saxophone that did not match the quality of the arrangement. I also found some of the lyrics to be awkwardly written (i.e. "I really want to feel safe") but would be okay with this if the vocal production was cleaned up at bare minimum. This is an excellent arrangement but a second pass should hopefully make this a no-brainer YES vote.

NO (borderline)

[Liontamer]

Jorrith was checking on this and let me know that he sent djp a revision WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY back... which Dave seemingly never passed onto us. Boo, djp, boo. (I've overlooked things in much worse fashion, so no hate.) Jorito had no hard feelings about it, which speaks to his class, but we'd still like to apologize for it. I'm sorry to Jorrith, Kaisyn, Andrew, and Jarrod for us dropping the ball, and we're glad to now pick it back up!

Listening to the revised version, the mixing of the various parts is much better; you can hear more of the supporting synth writing which helps spice up the instrumental, the vocals were pulled back instead of being so much louder than the instrumental, as well as given some effects & tuning touch-ups alongside chorusing & vocoder layering in parts which added more smoothness, depth, and variety to the performance. Everything glues together so much better as a result.

Loved everything else about this updated piece and am happy to flip my vote to YES; I'm sure any concerns djp also had are meaningfully addressed here. Not that the bar rises due to Jorrith's track record, as the original version did pass, but given that djp agreed with my serious reservations, I didn't want this to potentially get veto'ed. The revised version sounds like Jorito's cohesive presentation we've come to expect, and will better stand the test of time.

YES