*NO* Deus Ex "Reamplified Streets"

[Rexy]

Remixer Name: Marc Chemali

Real Name: Marc Chemali

website: https://marcchemali.bandcamp.com/releases

userid: marcchemali

 

Name of game arranged: Deus Ex (2000)

Name of arrangement: Reamplified Streets

Name of original: NYC Streets

Original soundtrack link:
 

Comments on mix: My inspiration for this remix/reboot was to see if I could give it a more modern sound. I wanted to keep the original ambiance and then maybe try add a different perspective on each section like it may be a different area of the level. But overall I still wanted to make it sound like a song the way the original did. Hope you like it.  

Edited May 26, 2020 by Emunator

[Liontamer]

Opens up pretty conservatively, not just structure but overall tone as well (only more electronic), but let's see where this goes.

I thought 1:17 was a point where more needed to be going on melodically or dynamically. This was pretty flat even when other melodic sections came in, e.g. 1:39; even where something melodious is there, it's not positioned in a way to focus on it. The levels of the different parts would need to be re-balanced to give this more to focus on.

In a vacuum, this is a nice-sounding cover, Marc, but it doesn't really stand apart enough from the original in structure and tone/instrumentation to differentiate itself. That's not inherently a bad thing, but we are looking for more in terms of arrangement & interpretation.

NO

[Rexy]

Arrangement-wise, there are some subtle changes from the source here.  The rolling bassline that was part of the A section got omitted entirely in favor of allowing more space for the lead pad and percussion.  The B section at 0:55 and C at 1:38 have an emphasis on chords where the original equivalents did not, and in B's case, there's also a minor change in the melody line to accommodate this decision.  So that initial treatment from the first couple of minutes is subtle and appropriate for the genre shift.

However, the rest of the track doesn't develop any further.  There's a brief return to the A section's second half, a repeat of B with the four-on-the-floor drums happening all the way through rather than halfway, and the previous treatment of the C section twice.  The whole stretch from 2:00-3:52 is a revisit of prior ideas, and there's a lot of room to play around more with the theme.  You've made a good start so far with those brief melody and accompaniment tweaks, so see if you can do something with this section to get it to stand out from the first half.

The production also has its rough spots.  I like the use of verb and echo to give the soundscape some space, and the choice of instruments work well for the intended "upgrade" direction.  However, as Liontamer pointed out, the balance needs work - especially when considering the melody is too far back during busier parts.  I also noticed the recording itself is extremely quiet - peaks at -0.4, but the audio hardly ever goes beyond -3dB even at its busiest.  See if you can experiment with a master chain or some compression to bring up the sound levels more too.

It's a good start, but the balance and underdeveloped second half are the main concerns for why I can't pass it in its current state.  It'll be nice to hear a second revision that refines both of those areas of improvement, and I hope you'll be able to keep developing your craft nevertheless.

NO

[Emunator]

You did a great job of capturing the original Deus Ex magic in your sound design. I think for what you set out to do - creating a modernized expansion of the original source material - this is certainly an enjoyable effort! However, there's a few things holding this back from meeting OCR's standards on the arrangement and production side.

The production feels imbalanced overall, especially when the main melody comes in. Consider re-balancing your instrument levels during that section so the most prominent part of the arrangement, the one you want to stand out, is actually at the forefront of your mix. I also think you could bring back the acoustic drum hits that you used in the intro and nowhere else in the mix to help those chorus sections pack even more of a punch. As it stands, I find that the backing instrumentation during those sections falls somewhat flat and could go further to fully convey the drama you intended. 

Additionally, I found the percussion sequencing to be very static, as if many of the percussion sounds were all hitting at the exact same velocity and were too rigidly quantized to the grid. A good example of this is from 2:12 - 2:25 - even though you're working with electronic percussion, you can do more with the velocity to help the drums sit more naturally. 

The other judges did a solid job of explaining the arrangement breakdown so I'm not going to say much about that aside from cosign their opinions.

There's a lot to like hear, and you are clearly off to a very good start with your sound design. It's a great upgrade from the original, but it's not quite there yet. Hope to hear from you again in the future!

NO