Rexy Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 Name: M Benson Real Name: Mike Benson Game: Final Fantasy (series) Arrangement: Riddim de Chocobo Song: Chocobo Theme Website: https://mikebensonmusic.bandcamp.com/ Comments: I've long noticed the chords to the Chocobo theme (G-F-G-F etc) are a staple of reggae music. I used two famous reggae 'riddims' (The Hot Milk and Stalag riddims) and put them with the tune. I tried to use as many real instruments as possible (just the keyboards are fake) and tried to 'wark wark' on the sax at the end of the solo. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 (edited) I have to admit, the adaptation of the Chocobo theme sat very weirdly with me at first, and I imagine this will take some warming up to for many listeners, but by the end of the track I found myself nodding my head and really feeling the groove you put down! This remix succeeds on the strength of your saxophone performance, which is thankfully very strong. I would have liked to hear a different instrument take the lead to offer some variation, since each instrument stays relegated to its own role throughout the entire runtime, but thankfully there's enough subtle variation in rhythm and melody to prevent this from feeling totally on autopilot. Some additional variation would probably have helped this feel fresher, but thanks to some really interpretive writing, genre-appropriate performances, and solid production, this feels ready to go in its current form! (We good on the headroom issue now. This is good to go!) YES Edited October 3, 2020 by Emunator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 Nice reggae vibes, the change in rhythm and note placement gives this a nice unique flavour. Saxophone takes on lead duties, and is played well here. Lots of riffing throughout which personalises this a lot. On the production side, the bass is a bit boomy, creating some clarity issues in the low end. It’s not deal breaking, but it does cast a gloomy shadow over the rest of the mix. I think this is a good original take on the classic. Well done. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 (edited) What an awesome concept for this silly source tune, I love this! The performances are great, the island vibe is totally achieved. 6db of headroom is too much, though. Some normalization would surely do the job, as Wes mentioned, as it does not need more compression. I am having an issue with the bass though. On my setup, when the bass plays a G, I am getting punched in the brain at about 45Hz, enough to give me a headache. I applied a gentle notch filter on that frequency and it was more listenable. I would request that this be done, it will lower the boominess quite a bit. My brain thanks you in advance. Irie, mon. edit 10/9/20: Fixes applied, full YES vote achieved! YES Edited October 9, 2020 by Chimpazilla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexy Posted September 26, 2020 Author Share Posted September 26, 2020 (edited) Ooh, I also like this genre translation! The framework's very straightforward - a run through the theme, an opportunity for solos over the A section's chord structure, then back to the source to finish with both segments swapped over. A mellow groove like this has an irk with causing autopilot, especially considering reggae rhythm norms - but a dig deeper revealed subtle percussion differences in both source iterations, notably differing tambourine accents and off-beat cross-stick placements. Cap it with how well the melody transformed itself to fit this more laid back groove, and it's got more than enough strength on its writing and interpretation to get over the bar. The presentation is also serviceable, but not without a couple of minor flaws. The best asset is that you kept all the live instruments clean and well-presented throughout the mix, which is essential to carry the arrangement forward. It's got a decent balance, too - no part is clashing with another, though I noticed an emphasis on the sub-bass and low-mids, yet that's common for genre standards. The headroom problem, however, does need addressing before getting posted. I honestly think this is almost golden - just a louder master is all it needs before getting out there. You've got this, Mike. [EDIT 2020/09/28: I received an updated version and not only is the volume up as requested, but the mixing got further cleared up. You know it's a great one when I can now hear a shaker in the mix - so glad to see you went the extra mile. Let's go!] YES Edited September 28, 2020 by Rexy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 There's a 7-note pattern looped in this mix that 311 briefly used in "Prisoner" for a hot second (1:18-1:21), but is that a common reggae riff in the genre? Could it be a potential Standards issue if it was? ------------------------------------------ Liontamer - if anyone's really familiar with reggae, had a quick question on a riff used a lot in this mix; just want to be sure it's not somehow a case where you could argue there's big usage of "non-VGM" as a source tune; for @djpretzel too, if you have any opinion Rexy- He said he took inspiration from 2 riddims; gonna bring up some reading material Hot milk - http://www.dub-stuy.com/riddimology-20-crucial-versions-of-the-hot-milk-riddim Stalag - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_riddim I’ll go close and see how it relates in use to that one track posted in the thread Liontamer - Thanks for looking Rexy - Okay, that clip in the song you linked used a Stalag riddim - characterised by that 7 note riff https://youtu.be/td1kmHIYv2Y According to Wikipedia, that riff has been around for nearly 70 years Liontamer - Thanks; yeah, I knew I'd heard that rhythm before, so I knew it had some sort of history; I guess I'll look to Dave for Standards guidance djpretzel - ya I mean, reggae has a lot of reused patterns, not surprising listening now, I'd say fine reggae, blues, you've got a ton of common progressions/patterns, gotta allow those or the genres go out the window cool mix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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