Gario Posted May 23, 2019 Share Posted May 23, 2019 Remixer name: Bluelighter Real Name: Guillaume SAUMANDE Mail: ID forum: 21840 Game & Songs: Asterix (Game Boy) & Egypt, Rome Composer: Alberto José González Egypt : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h32OarxPpCY&list=PLbMoFtAsbzin8a4DaIihGsx7r5brXyEVC&index=5 Rome : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cokC-uzy2n0&list=PLbMoFtAsbzin8a4DaIihGsx7r5brXyEVC&index=3 Hi OCR ! Here is an orchestra arrangement based on Egypt and Rome theme, from Asterix GB. “Egypte “ is really my favorite melody from the OST. For a long time, I wanted to arrange this. But I didn’t find convincing ideas to start. The arrangement must emphasize the main Melodic Line (ML) from the theme (divided in ML1 and ML2 in my breakdown). I didn’t find how start like this. In the end, I decided to start my mix with ML3, a melody with oriental influences really pronounced. I wanted an epic orchestration to well represent the power of the Egypt empire : melody in brass, deep notes for the rhythm (faithful to the original), gong sounds to mark beginning of some parts, anvil sounds to reinforce percussion rhythm, quick notes by piccolo, harp effects… I find also interesting to introduce some dissonant notes with xylophone. This emphasizes the unease we can feel on this piece. For this particular effect, I've taken my inspiration on “Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes” soundtrack composed by Michael GIACHINNO. Else, some influences of peplum soundtracks can be felt on the whole piece. The arrangement starts and ends up by the melody simply played by flute, accompany by harp. There is also a bridge, soft part with ML1 played by flute, accompany by a light instrumentation. On the other parts, it is the full orchestra that I wanted epic. Rome theme is introduced at part 5. I find these two themes well blend Parts 6 and 8 are the two culminant points of this piece, with orchestra really reinforced! I’ve composed short parts 1b and 10a freely, basing me on Egypt theme rhythm : strange harmonies by brass, dissonant notes with xylophone… I find it well matches with the two original music’s atmosphere. Enjoy ! BREAKDOWN Original Egypt : ML1 (0'00), ML2 (0'34), ML3 (0'51) repeated (1'09) Rome : ML4 (0'17), ML5 (0'34) repeated (0'51) Arrangement 1. Intro : Cm a. 0'00 ML3 flute & harp b. 0'25 transition : orchestra to introduce next part 2. 0'37 : ML3 : orchestra Cm, Fm, Cm 3. 1'10 : ML1 a. Soft b. Melody reinforced 4. 1'50 : ML3 : orchestra Cm, Fm, Cm 5. 2'11 : ML4 : orchestra 6. 2'25 : ML5 : orchestra 7. 2'43 : ML4 : orchestra 8. 2'52 : ML1 : orchestra Dm 9. 3'11 : ML2 : orchestra 10. Outro: a. 3'30 : similar to part 1b b. 3'50: ML2 similar to part 1a Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 Not to be glib, but this was par for the course with Guillaume, i.e. good orchestration with some sounds in the uncanny valley, but ultimately above our bar. The arrangement felt a little by the numbers melodically, but the supporting writing had subtle differences alongside the different tone of the melodies to help distinguish this from the originals. The brass at its fullest seemed to crowd out other parts, and there were other moments where the textures washed together, but it wasn't enough to hold this back. Mastered too quietly, so I'd like to hear a louder version before we posted it, but when I turned up the volume, the overall mixing seemed good aside from some spots of mud during the fullest parts. YES (conditional on higher volume) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexy Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 Oh boy, I wasn't expecting so many time signature changes all at once! This technique is something I associate more with prog, not one of your usual orchestrations! Nevertheless, the source is in spades, and the melody had gone through a beefy variety of moods. There's quieter dynamics at the bookends as well as the first Egypt Melody A section, tasteful use of dissonant notation while not detracting from the melody and brass backing and new instruments within source use depending on the dynamics. You're expected to hear more aggressive flutes and brass during the louder segments and more subtle use of glockenspiel and plucked strings in calmer ones. And surprisingly, the many time signature changes are tight and allowed for the instrumentation to bridge gaps together with realism and confidence. The production also sounds cohesive. The instruments are mostly clear, though I would've liked the low-mid brass parts to have a more distinct presence rather than have any frequency overlap. Thankfully, everything is well balanced, and there's a lot of care to articulation and dynamic shaping. You've worked well with your resources, and once again it had the quality to bring itself over the bar. I did also notice the track's mixdown is considerably quieter than other submissions that I've heard from you in the past. I wouldn't see it as a bad thing in this case as the volume feels okay for me to see it posted as-is, but I wouldn't mind going over that bridge if needed. Nevertheless, it's a well-realized orchestration with emphasis on working with Egypt's Persian scale (not Oriental - that's Pentatonic btw). Additionally, it adapted the melodies to a structure that rightfully personified the might of an ancient empire. It's all solid stuff, and I'll be happy to see this on the front page! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted August 22, 2019 Share Posted August 22, 2019 Yep, seems fine to me. It's a complex and dynamic arrangement, solid work all around. Realism is well above our bar, including other Bluelighter remixes that we've passed. It's on the quiet side, but I don't think it's quite so quiet that raising the levels should be mandatory (though it's close; a Conditional would be fine by me). YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_NutS Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 (edited) For some reason, I keep coming to this track, listening, and then something comes up where I can't finish my vote. So let's get this done now. Bluelighter has shown us he has a particular, distinctive arrangement style that is a bit quirky, whimsical, and also compelling. This one is less on the whimsical side than usual but still boast an interesting arrangement that's not your usual epic orchestral arrangement. This has some extra flavor of having strong egyptian tones, as well as a bit of a celtic touch thrown in for good measure. Some interesting arrangement choices with the time signature changes that work out very well and kept me interested all the way. The production is ok, though I found some busy sections were a bit too wet for my taste. Solid stuff. YES Edited September 13, 2019 by Sir_NutS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 i can absolutely hear the Giacchino influence here. the low moving brass are something i've always associated with him. the flourishes in the flute and xylo at 0:26 and onward are delightful and add some whimsy to the normally dour phrygian mode you're playing with. i like you moving between Cm and Fm to keep interest. the mixed meter is another whimsical addition that is a great way to keep attention, and the varied percussion (vibraslap!) is a fun variation from the usual gong or cymbal crash. the variety of instrumentation for the second theme at 1:10 is nice. i wasn't a fan of the articulation of the brass through this section - too sharp for the volume, but beyond that i liked what it was saying. the transition to 1:51 was nice, too - adding some fury there for the next theme. the mixed meter continued to keep it off-balance and moving forward, along with the sudden unexpected ritardando. there was another Giacchino call-out at 2:25 with the heroic brass leading that part, and some more pseudo-film-score movement with the extra beat/hang at 2:48 into the fast articulated brass sections (a bit of Williams star wars prequels there?). another nuance is that i really like the way you bring back rhythm as a motif throughout - the flourish in the winds at 3:18 is echoed at 3:22 in the brass at half-time. just stellar attention to detail. i think my only sample nitpick is that i'd have preferred the flute at 3:52 to be a sharper tone, so that it continued the Middle Eastern feel throughout the ending. maybe an english horn instead, to tie the ending to the beginning's style a bit? beyond that, i heard no issues with muddiness or uncanny valley that i'd complain about. no one's going to confuse it with a live performance, and that's ok. there's no glaring issues that really jumped out of the texture. i do agree that it's too quiet, and that a bit of compression to liven up the quieter beginning and end would have helped a lot. i don't consider that enough to hold it back. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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