OCR04216 - *YES* Deltarune "Arcane Anticipation"

[Rexy]

Contact Information

 

Your ReMixer name: Saxxon Fox

Your real name: Tony Konzel

Your email address: 

Your website: https://sanxion7.com

Your userid: 16152

 

Submission Information

 

Name of game(s) arranged: DELTARUNE

Name of arrangement: Arcane Anticipation

Name of individual song(s) arranged: The Legend

Additional information about game including composer, system, etc: (left out; this is a well remixed game by now)

Link to the original soundtrack:
 

 

Your own comments about the mix:

 

I wrote this in a fever of inspiration while at Summer Games Done Quick 2019. About 15 years prior to this submission, I used to write a lot of trance music (it was popular at the time and also my fave!) So, this remix revives the classic early 2000s trance genre that I used to love so much.

 

This remix follows the typical trance format: intro, drop in to the melody, break down, bring in another section, break down, bring it all back in the end. It's abridged a bit from its first trance length draft (over seven minutes!) in order to keep things interesting. The melodies themselves build up and become more complex in each part. Plus, I've added some original melodies in there also. The synthwork is entirely hand crafted specifically for this remix.

 

I did the composition and sound design on a laptop at the event itself using FL Studio, then took it home and did the remainder of the mixing on my main setup.

 

Thank you for your time!

- Saxxon

[MindWanderer]

I really like the approach.  It's basically a straight EDM interpretation, but it's generally well done.  I like the groove and energy a lot, the structure is a cool take, and your original writing fits right in.

What's not so great is the production.  There are a lot of conflicting layers, especially in the mids.  The lead is seriously buried at all times except for the beginnings of the breakdowns, and the harmonies are nearly inaudible.  The sidechaining is over the top, making the entire track sound like it's pumping.

Take this back for another heavy duty pass on balance and EQ and I'll love to have this on the site.

NO (resubmit)

[prophetik music]

yeah, the initial presentation of the melody just sounds so good in this style. nice work realizing it. i really like the meatiness of your kick particularly. there's some good personalization of the leads throughout and there's some nuance in the background so it's not just supaslammed sidechain the whole time. i like the lfo synth at 2:04 a lot since it's a good example of that kind of variation.

the drop at 2:32 was well-timed and does a good job setting up the meter change for that section. it's a nice change of pace and allows the last recap section to feel more frenetic since it's back into duple meter.

overall the arrangement is great, and while there's some heavy sidechain on this i didn't feel like it was too much or over the top throughout. i also didn't think the mids or leads were congested or buried at any point - i was able to track the melody without too much trouble. it's certainly a bit quieter at 2:06 compared to other sections but it wasn't nearly enough to prevent it being passed. this certainly feels like something from 2002 (in a good way!). my biggest nitpick is the ~10s of silence at the end, which is an easy fix.

i can't wait to see it on the site.

 

 

YES

Edited March 26, 2020 by prophetik music

[Chimpazilla]

I love this approach and the writing and I love me some meaty kick.  But I have to agree with MW that the mids sound overhyped and the melody and harmonies get lost behind that relentless kick.  The track sounds unnecessarily crunchy.  I have no issue with the sidechaining but I think the track needs another pass on balance and eq, to bring elements forward most especially the lead, and to take some of the sting out of the midrange.  

NO (please resubmit)

[Rexy]

The arrangement's great for what it set out to do.  Not a lot of trance tracks we receive are source dominant, but this one barely hit the 50% quota on melodies alone, so you should be happy you nailed that aspect.  Of course, for the style, treatment of the motif is generally straight-forward.  Though, I do like the treatment of the 3/4 section at the end and its adaptation to 4/4 from 3:03 onward.  The builds are also on point, so consider it a job well done in terms of the writing.

However, I'm going to have to agree with MindWanderer regarding the mixdown.  I don't mind the side-chaining going on, as it's okay enough for the genre, but the leads don't have the expected power behind them.  Consider a re-eq on your mid-range sounds like your arpeggios and pads, and see if that can bring some breathing room for your melodies.  A volume boost on said leads would also be good - I'd like to be able to hear those harmonies with much less effort.

Honestly, the arrangement checks out, so don't touch it.  The production, however, isn't quite there yet, and it will be desirable to hear a version that brings the leads further to the front and addresses the clutter in the mid-range.  Please get back to this one!

NO (resubmit)

[Nutritious]

Nice powerful, yet clean sound through the intro.  The 1:30 beat is pretty sick, I like that section a lot.

Melody use is pretty straightforward, but I think it works here.  I really only have an issue (like the other J's) that the melody feels a bit overpowered by the other elements.  I will also say, though, that it never was to the point where it became inaudible, nor the notes unclear to me.  I think it would service the track better if it were upfront (and I'd certainly like to give the mixer the opportunity to do so), but I think I can live with it as is if necessary.

YES (borderline, melody levels)

[Emunator]

I appreciate the obvious effort to add variation to this arrangement. Although it always finds its way back to the classic 4-on-the-floor trance rhythm, there's plenty sprinkled in here to keep this fresh. Sound design, percussion samples, and overall sequencing was on-point, and I have no complaints about the bones of this mix.

I do agree that some volume adjustments/EQ tweaks to allow the lead to sit more up-front would really suit this track well. The overall mix is a little hot in the mids and high frequencies, as well. However, I don't believe that any of this amounts to a dealbreaker - the strength of the arrangement and sound design puts this over the bar, IMO. The leads, although quiet, are certainly still audible.There is room for improvement on the mixing end, but it's enough to get the job done this time. Good luck!

YES

(I agree that if we can get a version that trims the excess silence at the end, that would be great!)

[Liontamer]

Yeah, the mixing isn't ideal, so we should reach out to Tony for a possible revision. While I definitely hear how supporting writing is being obscured, the leads are clear enough, and I thought this was reasonably mixed, certainly enough to meet the production standards. Sometimes, supporting part-writing just isn't clear, but in this case, it's not enough of an issue to reject on. Good EDM arrangement that I'm glad went to some more creative places as the track went on, since it started as a very straightforward genre adaptation. Good energy throughout, and a lot of fun!

YES

[Jivemaster]

Big kick indeed. Clarity drops a peg at 0:59 due to the amount of layers, and again at 1:12. Synths occupy similar EQ space from the 1:30 section. 2:07 the lead is a bit quiet, with accompanying elements overpowering it. Nice break/change of pace around the mid-point. 3:04 the lead again is quite soft compared to its neighbouring instruments. I think the mix could certainly do with another mixing pass to clear up some of these issues, it would be relatively simple to fix. The ending was a bit average. Overall an energetic mix, some good changes, drops and much needed breaks across the arrangement. The mixing issues put this on the wrong side of borderline for me, considering the fixes would be simple to accomplish, I vote we push for that.

NO

[Sir_NutS]

This is a very tough one.  I don't think I could add much to the discussion here as most of the pros/cons have already been mentioned.  The biggest issue here and potential dealbreaker is how the mix gets super crowded and crunchy.   There's no denying it, some sections of this mix are just messy and lack clarity, but I'm not sure they take down the whole mix with them.  Outside of those crowded sections, the mix is ok and most instruments can be heard.  The arrangement is good here, so I think this is leaning towards a YES from me but it's very close, I would love to hear this mix with a more relaxed master, a bit more dynamic range and a second pass on EQing and compression for the busy sections.  If we can't get that, I think this should be fine as-is.

YES (Borderline)

[DragonAvenger]

I'm just barely on the YES side of this as well. The melody is there, and I can hear it, but I do really wish it was out more in the forefront. Definitely a lot going on though, and it's a fun listen.

YES (Borderline)

Edited October 25, 2020 by DragonAvenger

[Gario]

This is a rough one, and not an easy YES or NO. The arrangement is good, and there are some really cool drops that elevate the arrangement for me (like at 3:04, with that particularly flavorful final boss theme in there), but on the other hand the mix is definitely too heavy in the mids for quite a bit of time (from 0:50 - 1:27 & 2:50 - 3:00). They're important, defining lines, to boot, so you can really feel the impact of how much is lost in the mix.

In particular, the issue is that the texture, leads, and counterpoints all have a similar type of distortion that ends up cluttering the mids (as was suggested by others), so even the simple removal of some of the effects on the backing instruments when the melody comes in would improve this issue significantly. Barring that, decreasing the distortion on some of these elements and/or lowering the levels of the texture would also be a good solution to this.

I would love to push this through, but I don't think I can get past the problematic mixing and clashing. Fix those issues and it'd be a quick YES from me.

NO

[DarkeSword]

Arrangement and interpretation are fine. I'm having some issues with the lead when it comes in; it's really weak and doesn't make as strong of a statement as it could be making with a melody like that. Others Js are spot on with saying that mids are cluttered. Ultimately though I feel like these aren't hitting dealbreaker level for me. It's borderline, but I'm a YES.