BONKERS Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 (edited) Phantasy Star II - Restoration - An arrangement album (Sorry if this is an inappropriate place for this thread. Move if need be.) Introduction: Hey OCR Folks, it's been a long time. This is the first project and music remixes i've actually worked on in 4 to 5 years. (Last complete thing I made was an audio restoration project for Grandia II https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=673761272 ) So i'm a little rusty. The reason it's been so long is that in 2016 through a myriad of unknown circumstances I acquired Tinnitus in both my ears along with some major sinus issues and something wrong with the left side of my jaw that has caused a variety of symptoms in my left ear that i've had to learn to deal with. (The biggest issue being for whatever reason more low frequency sounds seem to travel through my left side of my head more than the right. And so listening to audio with bass it sounds more localized in my left ear and slightly off center and not entirely unidirectional.) Learning to live with this stuff took a long time to not only acclimate to, but to get over the extreme anxiety of never being able to hear really the same as I used to. One day I was fine, one day I randomly woke up and my whole world was changed. And so I thought I had to give up audio and music forever. I did try to start a few things here and there after 2016 but could never overcome my anxiety to finish. I uploaded a few on my soundcloud Something you could do to be helpful as well. I've only ever played part of Phantasy Star II, never finished it and I watched my older brother play through parts of it a lot when I was younger. (I was born 2 years after release) and so while I am familiar with the music and love it. There is a lot of context to some of these I am missing. So if anyone could provide useful hints about where or how pieces of music are played (For songs I haven't already posted a WIP for) that would be very helpful for inspiration Restoration - Current WIP https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yzQDh5vofXpNKiHUEUjTcDoTZWZqv2V4/view?usp=sharing Basically finished and loopable. I'll come back much later to make adjustments with a clean head. Step up - Current WIP https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q9G4tk3cujM5CqJ7XHii6bZDOvhTsOkz/view?usp=sharing Song is almost finished, last sections don't have all parts in yet, but I wonder if the ending doesn't work? A Prologue - Current WIP https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IjI-ikQpJPlQPdKoyO8GfArAJg6dp7LT/view?usp=sharing This one is fairly far along. Polished sequencing/performances and a lot more developed mixing and arrangement changes. (Plus a reference to Phantasy Star 1!). A prominent feature of the first half of this "Nightmare" is a Heartbeat driving the song. The arrangement is a lot more fleshed out and additional sections of music have been added. Overall I feel like this song really wants to channel some Vanegllis and Blade Runner. Subconsciously, those are what my brain goes to with "Space!" Bracky news - Current WIP https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kBuadh82dQrVpgQCGgFcuvKRJMwZXE7D/view?usp=sharing Another song that started out as a *very* short original piece of music. Like 16 seconds. The composition is extended to almost 1.5 minutes with variations of the core composition to make a longer loop. This one gave me the most trouble so far trying not to go too overboard and make something that won't be fitting to hear in game. There are more guitars because I can't help but think about Metal when I see this guy http://u.cubeupload.com/MrBonk/ps2weaponshop2.png So I wouldn't be opposed to scrapping this arrangement and starting from scratch for something more "Blip Bloopy Spacey" Mystery - Current WIP https://drive.google.com/file/d/1957JaRXvnb21sCb0-YTqePaiJgMTYwWu/view?usp=sharing The song is blocked out and essentially done foundation wise.Basic mixing and placeholder instruments until Arturia fixes one of their plugins. Phantasy Pressure - Still been plugging away at it here and there trying to get close what I originally envisioned in my head. Still a lot placeholder performances for bass/guitar solos and stuff. But the foundation is there. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EfFFAfDj-fF5JW034s7O82aHjm7l9VqP/view?usp=sharing Pleasure My Home - There are some gaps in the lines later on but I think it's blocked out. Tried to keep the structure more simple this time but let me know your thoughts if you have any. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RKZ5GpZabyuBoUtiLdGgW-89xsUt_cKU/view?usp=sharing Rise or Fall Movement Advanced - I've had the hardest time with this one. Go easy on me will ya?? Vocoder still misbehaving. And lots of clipping so please forgive it! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZiOMMuLTKTLqwikwlIXBzRw0gjXY0vJS/view?usp=sharing Secret Ways Over - Song is blocked out. Basic mixing, let me know what you think! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1txu6qum7n4Cy7HbI3-w3msOVORE4ugRc/view?usp=sharing Silent Zone - Rough mixing perhaps but the song is taking the kind of shape I wanted https://drive.google.com/file/d/18S0nCqho9NAicq5f0iB68_-Ecc6H_2h4/view?usp=sharing Excite Town - Final WIP for blocking out Excite Town. Lots of little things to change when final pass is done later. Quite like how most of this turned out https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FP7TrmFhhT-4t0f_b8k1wc2CZ6ADGU3D/view?usp=sharing Violation -https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CBo4OX5CWHaAzNI2o-ApHisYWZjjxtvJ/view?usp=sharing First WIP for Violation, just sat down tonight to get the base out of the way. No percussion yet. I like how this is sounding to start with ? Power - Blocked out. I like this. But other times I hate it. /shrug https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lw68HYE-Gy69bLgDjKwczhKhs-bkpjBh/view?usp=sharing Under Death Place Exclaim Never Dream This will probably take a while to finish between working full time and trying to do other stuff. But i'm more motivated the more I go on,though I have to mind my ears. Some days with Tinnitus are worse than others and that can affect my sound perception. And worst come to worst if I can't finish i'll just release the few songs that are finished eventually. Nya?? Edited June 28, 2022 by BONKERS HoboKa, orlouge82, djpretzel and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filidecht Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 Fuggin' love me some Phantasy Star and the amount of work you're undertaking is wild, but commendable. It's sounding great so far - really enjoyed "Bracky News". I'm always happy to give feedback or constructive criticism, but I kind of want to walk away from this and come back when it's all done so I can just sit and enjoy the whole album. One piece of advice I can offer, though, is that the original soundtrack is perfectly suitable, contextually, whether it's supposed to be conveying emotion, or just there to amble along as dungeon BGM (something "Secret Ways" does brilliantly). Just trust your ears and your feels and go for it - or better yet, finish the game , though as both an adult and a Dad, I can appreciate how that might not be possible. Either way, good luck and keep up the good work! HoboKa 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djpretzel Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 @BONKERS Well, this is a surprise! Sounding promising so far. I love this OST too, but I've always found it challenging to interpret - staying close to the original might be the best option, as you've done w/ "Step-Up" (though I think changing the time signature on that source might be interesting...) It's been almost 3 decades since I played the game, but I might be able to help w/ context. In order to do so more effectively, if you could add links to the source tunes on YouTube to your post, would aid in jogging my (and perhaps others') memory. Also, any interest in this being an OCRI release when finished, as we recently did with @Cyril the Wolf's Mega Man X album? HoboKa 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONKERS Posted January 31, 2020 Author Share Posted January 31, 2020 Hey DJP, great idea about a time signature change. I'll try to play around with ideas with that. I hadn't considered doing so for that song. Bracky News for example, in the original 2nd section as far as I can tell it switches around between 3/4 and 4/4. But only once. The pattern seemed to be 3/4(1 measure), 4/4(1 measure), 3/4 (2 measures) then back to section A. In my 3rd variation of section B I basically switched it up to a full 7/4 for 4 measures, 2 for some prog'ish wankery and 2 for a return to part closer to original B before switching back to the 3/4/3 pattern. So time signature changes definitely don't feel entirely out of place in the soundtrack. I'ld like to build more on each song as it goes on without going too crazy. (Which I think just reflects my own preferences for remixes anyway) Here's a link to a playlist of the OST An OCR release would be cool, whether through submission or as an album. Just getting more ears to hear it (Especially Phantasy Star fans now that Sega is releasing PSO2 so late) would be a wonderful motivator. HoboKa 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONKERS Posted February 28, 2020 Author Share Posted February 28, 2020 (edited) I've started to build more upon Restoration and try to polish the mixing some more. It's been tricky to find the instrument choices I like. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xPAFYCjZinLmHDY_Wh4f2iz9g1uLZ2vE/view?usp=sharing Edited February 29, 2020 by BONKERS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONKERS Posted March 13, 2020 Author Share Posted March 13, 2020 Getting closer to what I want. But not having done this for so many years, I forgot how easy it is to let yourself get sucked into a rut. There is a stuck note near the beginning. I made the mistake of starting most of these in 64-Bit Reaper. Which for whatever reason, even with 64-Bit VSts constantly has issues with MIDI notes getting stuck on. I have to hit F3 to send all note off constantly. And getting it to render without sticking is a crap shoot lol. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tjo1z9mr-GAbShWLteXu8n8Aupy92MX0/view?usp=sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONKERS Posted March 15, 2020 Author Share Posted March 15, 2020 Been getting mentally stuck on some stuff. If anyone can tell me what they think of this short synth wanking whether it seems just right yet or not https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xnx08VMHDutVzF-S5fdl3TUeVou3caU-/view?usp=sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONKERS Posted March 23, 2020 Author Share Posted March 23, 2020 Think I have the rest of this down now. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nbbTcUXX70ACmHZIfi5QaZhMCqEClsdM/view?usp=sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONKERS Posted March 27, 2020 Author Share Posted March 27, 2020 (edited) Basically finished and loopable (Seamless in Foobar. Which is a good sign). I'll move on to another track and come back later to make any changes later. You start to get to a point when listening to something so many times that you can't really make good choices. Any have any thoughts on the modal changes I added in the 3rd section? Tried to experiment without it sounding too out of place. After the 2nd loop it moves to 7/4 and returns to the original BMaj key but shifts to a different mode, mostly around C# Dorian. The original song shifts keys as well so it didn't feel too out of place to try that. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yzQDh5vofXpNKiHUEUjTcDoTZWZqv2V4/view?usp=sharing Edited March 27, 2020 by BONKERS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONKERS Posted April 23, 2020 Author Share Posted April 23, 2020 Here's the current blocked out version of Step with basic mixing (A lot of the backing in the later half isn't in yet), tried to mix in some time signature changes (But tried to make it a subtle change) to play around with as suggested by @djpretzel Kind of going for a synth pop'y vibe overall. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C6KDzyGAx8P3hQGQrBwVUbO-iMf-Q6p8/view?usp=sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dj Mokram Posted May 3, 2020 Share Posted May 3, 2020 This massive undertaking is made all the more impressive considering what you had to go through to lay the groundwork for this project. More Phantasy Star coverage is always a good thing and I wish you mad luck in completing this daunting beast of a tribute. Cheers! BONKERS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONKERS Posted May 9, 2020 Author Share Posted May 9, 2020 (edited) Almost getting finished with Step Up. Getting some more polished mixing put in and the final sections of the song. (This file might be louder than the others. So turn it down at first for now) The drum programming is still very much WIP. Though the snare is near final I think. (Which comes from the Korg M1) https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ze4Ocgj_ZB37w4ils7tVKS4_z_bWbrEW Edited May 9, 2020 by BONKERS Dj Mokram 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONKERS Posted May 16, 2020 Author Share Posted May 16, 2020 Ok, getting closer to final. The last few sections don't have all the parts yet(The build up to the ending section needs to be done ot make the transition work I think?) Let me know what you think if you can. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q9G4tk3cujM5CqJ7XHii6bZDOvhTsOkz/view?usp=sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONKERS Posted May 25, 2020 Author Share Posted May 25, 2020 Started preliminary layout of My Home. Kind of want at least the first half of the song to have this bubbly chill relaxed feeling. The intro i'm not sure about, I had this great idea in my head, but actually getting it out right is hard lol. https://drive.google.com/file/d/135f1gaHpPAAqvjdef3gLTABQFZCUp24t/view?usp=sharing Dj Mokram 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dj Mokram Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 (edited) Digging the slow buildup and wonderfully chill direction on your 'My Home' wip. You've created a dreamy yet uncertain atmosphere with those lush pads coupled to the (albeit a little too upfront) detuned stabs. I'd suggest boosting the overall dynamics slightly, and progressively adding more complexity to elements like the percussions, playing with layers and effects for added depth, just to make the intro slightly less meandering before you transition into the meat of the source. I imagine you're aiming for the kind of soundscapes heard in PSO and above, to truly modernize the source, and imho you're headed in the right direction. Can't wait to hear how this one develops. Edited June 4, 2020 by Dj Mokram Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONKERS Posted June 5, 2020 Author Share Posted June 5, 2020 Thanks for the feedback! What i've done on My Home is really just a small amount of work one night after I had some ideas for it. So your thoughts will be really helpful as I dive deeper into it. PSO is a big inspiration of course especially when it comes to spacey synth music. I do want to take ideas from that to incorporate a bit Dj Mokram 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONKERS Posted July 15, 2020 Author Share Posted July 15, 2020 No progress lately. I was taking a break to play a game and work on another hobby and started having some horrible health issues. I have felt like garbage the last few weeks, which sucks because I just spent a bunch of money on a new Audio Interface, a new MIDI Controller and other stuff. I hope to get more done sometime soon if my body will heal itself :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONKERS Posted August 2, 2020 Author Share Posted August 2, 2020 Started being able to block out Mystery again https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VZS8C3dnf9L46ycFCKCD6jgrgfobjV9s/view?usp=sharing Dj Mokram 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dj Mokram Posted August 2, 2020 Share Posted August 2, 2020 7 hours ago, BONKERS said: Started being able to block out Mystery again https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VZS8C3dnf9L46ycFCKCD6jgrgfobjV9s/view?usp=sharing It's so inspiring to see you've still got the resolve to go forward with this project despite multiple setbacks. Hopefully you've recovered and are feeling better. Great sound upgrade that preserves the late 80s, early 90s rock aesthetic, complemented by a well rounded mixing/prod. Looking forward to hearing more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONKERS Posted August 3, 2020 Author Share Posted August 3, 2020 Things have gotten better recently thankfully with some small setbacks, but some parts vary day to day. But I feel good enough to get back to as close to normal as I can get while being mindful. Ugh man, human body sucks. I'm trying to come up with some ways I can help streamline my process to get things done a bit quicker by writing notes and ideas down here and there. I'd like to get a lot more songs done. Although the new Interface I bought is basically unusable due to some weird latency/buffering issues that no matter what I do, I can't solve. Trying to get a return for a different one is proving difficult though. As I didn't get a chance to install it until a week or two ago. And i've only had one response from my Sweetwater Sales Engineer, and no responses from their support line on the website either yet since last week. Pretty frustrating for a 300$ piece of equipment that is essentially almost unusable. I'll keep my hopes up and be patient however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONKERS Posted August 21, 2020 Author Share Posted August 21, 2020 (edited) Got more blocked out. I had an issue with Arturia's plugins that would cause a massive memory leak and eventually crash my DAW, so the 2 main lead synths are entirely place holder for the time being until Arturia releases a new verison of the plugin in question sometime soon.(After contacting them. It's been reproduced and marked to be fixed). I'm liking the structure so far although I had some apprehension about adding a power metal like variation into it (Which needs the increase in tempo). It seems like it's going to work so far but maybe i'll retool that part of the song. There are also some funky time signature changes that might sound weird in the later sections too. I might change that as well. The solo line is very WIP as well. I almost want to make a second Pantera like metal version with a faster tempo on it's own. Also there are a few stuck notes here and there, because Synth1 is just a butthead. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cxvlwNRU7s7C1-P1aAgTQ_UJHxdVM07H/view?usp=sharing Edited August 21, 2020 by BONKERS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONKERS Posted August 22, 2020 Author Share Posted August 22, 2020 Ok, I didn't like that last bit. After some work to make some tweaks and re-recording all the guitars I had a spark to work more of Cave in from PSI. I'm liking this much more now. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SIArpJ0-7Z7KZNRe1B00bqMfqDEbtoSb/view?usp=sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONKERS Posted August 25, 2020 Author Share Posted August 25, 2020 The foundation is in place I think. The song is basically done as far as the foundation is concerned. Time to move on to another song. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1957JaRXvnb21sCb0-YTqePaiJgMTYwWu/view?usp=sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONKERS Posted August 26, 2020 Author Share Posted August 26, 2020 First Silent Zone WIP. I had originally a slightly different idea for this, but this is just what came out of my brain today when I started working on it. https://drive.google.com/file/d/13MuHYTttC9g8_UN6siRU-5TVBelj-pZp/view?usp=sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BONKERS Posted September 11, 2020 Author Share Posted September 11, 2020 (edited) Blocking more of Silent Zone out. Have to say this wasn't a direction I expected, but I really like it none the less. It will be a lot more difficult to balance this one though. The mix isn't really there and there's a lot of placeholder stuff. (Like you'll notice I switched the real bass out for a synth one a few sections in. Just writing the parts. Also missing guitar rhythm lines) Plus I think i'll finally pick up a new bass. The first sections are recorded on a cheapo 200$ starter Ibanez that has a bunch of broken knobs and stuff i've had for 15+ years that sounds like shit and have never bothered to buy a better one. I'd like to ideally do all the bass with a real one for this to give that really funky late 70's/80s vibe. https://drive.google.com/file/d/12ouKyGbqoOAVb_3hUypN2eeMvcpmntzt/view?usp=sharing Edited September 11, 2020 by BONKERS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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