Rexy Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 ReMixer name: Astral Tales Real name: Ernesto Bernal Email address: Website: astraltales.bandcamp.com Submission Information Name of game arranged: Metal Gear: Name of arrangement: Snake's in the Jungle Name of individual song arranged: Jungle Own comments about the mix: I've had this song stuck in my head since a long time ago and I wanted to write a Synthwave version of it. The OST of this game is great and I am very happy on how it turned out! I hope you enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted February 5, 2020 Share Posted February 5, 2020 Pretty good synthwave. Putting Metal Gear into this genre exposes the similarities between it and Castlevania. The crash cymbals in the intro are used excessively--crashes are used for emphasis and you can't emphasize everything. Balance is a bit heavy in the lows and highs when all the parts are going, and the pads are loud enough that they're adding a fair bit of wash to the spectrum. Those pads also go slightly out of key on occasion, which bothers me more the more I listen to this. Bah, fadeout ending. Overall, though, production is adequate and the arrangement is fun. Could be tweaked but I don't think any of the issues are enough to send this back over (although those pads are getting close). YES (borderline) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 good call on the similarity, mw. it's really obvious now that you point it out. i found myself unconsciously thinking 'dracula' throughout. what a fun initial wash at 0:15. i love your initial presentation. the arp that comes in at 0:32 is a little loud compared to everything else, but you tone it back when the melody comes in. i found a few of the original's notes jarring in this context (like the lower note in the melody at 0:58 is a half-step away from something in the arp), but as a whole it worked with the chord structure you used here. another instance of some notesy things is like the chord at 1:25 which sounds like an extra note got included unintentionally. nothing that was really huge. i liked the pickup coming out of the breakdown at 1:37, and enjoyed the subsequent build (and snap! love it!). the melody restatement at 2:10 did feel like it was the precursor to the end though so i was surprised when i realized there was so much more after that. there's some more notesy stuff going on in the background arp at 2:46 - guessing it's the delay or verb tail of that arp conflicting with the actual attacks as it's moving between chords. it wasn't that big initially but it started to bother me more and more as it went through this section. not a huge fan of the fadeout either. the track sounds fun and is enjoyable. i think that some people will pick up on the crunchy notes and be turned off but as a whole it was good enough to pass the bar. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexy Posted March 19, 2020 Author Share Posted March 19, 2020 This track has to be the most unintentionally happy Metal Gear arrangement I've ever heard. What we have here is an adaptation for the A section in the first two thirds, then the B section in the final minute. Though the melodies have mostly remained as they are, the beauty here is in the subtractive arranging underneath that are appropriate for the genre - arpeggios, pads, that driving bass, and engaging drum work throughout. That breakdown at 1:21 did good in building anticipation for some more original writing at 1:36, which had some beautiful glides to complement the change of lead tone. And yes, while I can mention the off-notes that are here, prophetik already did a great job in pointing them out. I can let them slide due to the complexity of the chords picked up, but it is something to look out for in your next work. The production values are sharp too. The mixdown is clean, your parts are identifiable, and the sounds picked out are on point for the genre adaptation. I respect your use of reverb and decay on an aesthetic level, and it's especially prominent in the intro to give power to the tom rolls. But I would've liked to have heard less intensity on your arp starting at 2:43 - the quick chord changes mean the notes blend into each other way too quickly, generating unintentional dissonance. Funky note clashing aside, it's a worthwhile arrangement with a clear direction and understanding of what synthwave is all about. I can see it on the front page - though I recommend that for your next project, consider your next goal to mitigate as much dissonance as possible. I'm excited to see where you can go next! YES (borderline) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted May 3, 2020 Share Posted May 3, 2020 This was a cool concept. The track did have dynamic contrast and textural difference throughout, but the relatively static beats and overall loudness actually made the track seem less dynamic than the writing intended. Agreed with MW on the weakness of the fadeout ending in this case, which is something that normally doesn't bother me, and I agreed with everyone calling out the off-key moments. I wish the mixing were sharper/cleaner, and I've heard plenty of synthwave like that, but the strength of the arrangement carries it. Welcome aboard, Ernesto! YES (borderline) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djpretzel Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 Thankfully we got a fix on some of the dissonance, making this mix even better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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