OCR04138 - *YES* Legend of Zelda "Dungeoneering"

[Rexy]

RebeccaETripp
Rebecca Tripp

http://www.crystalechosound.com/
ID: 48262
Game(s): Legend of Zelda
Song Title: Dungeoneering

Songs Remixed: Dungeon
 

[Jivemaster]

Nice opening dramatic build-up. Amongst the strings and twinkliness, this one again gives me Elfman vibes in how the parts are written. At 1:10 the layers peel back to reveal a softer yet still sombre mood. Instrumentation is good throughout, with a decent amount of changes in lead duties that we've come to expect. The pacing of the arrangement is quite consistent, though there are a number of build-ups and breakdowns along the way to keep things interesting. Things close out relatively smoothly. Not much more to say on this one — the mixing is decent, and production value seems fine. A great expanded take on the original.

YES

[Rexy]

Rebecca, you're no stranger in dealing with short sources like this - and similarly, you made sure to not only keep all three variations distinct throughout but also molded a cinematic framework through it.  The tempo fluctuations and dynamic bursts are well placed, the minute-long dramatic twist caught attention off the bat while slowly preparing the listener for the slower main body, and the textural switches are all on point.  Even the bridge between the second and third runs at 2:25 experimented with several ideas.  You kept the chord structure, did brief re-harmonization on the oboe, and let the piano flourish develop the source's last few notes into a satisfying transition.  Very smooth stuff throughout - can't argue with this.

Now, I was initially unsure about the presentation.  On a positive note, there's a broad stereo spread and clean mixing, making the parts easily identifiable and balanced.  On the other hand, the articulations have been a mixed bag.  Velocity placement on your pitched percussion is well-shaped, and the textures for your strings feel lovely.  However, you have some exposed legato phrasings across your strings and woodwinds with little to no release - more so on the woodwinds with the gaps representing the theoretical performers taking in air.  I've criticized this aspect before, but luckily there's more right done on the arrangement and other areas of the presentation that I can happily let it slide and appreciate the track for what it is.  Do take note of this in the future, though.

To sum it up - a vast expansion of a brief source, lovely textural molding, and a sharply produced package.  While some of the articulations remain in the uncanny valley, it's nothing more than a minor blemish.  I'm all for seeing it on the front page - impressive stuff.

YES

[Sir_NutS]

Oh, this is a nice change of pace, most of Rebecca's tunes have a style which is often soothing/mysterious, and this track does have a lot of that, but it is also veering towards that cinematic flair of a movie soundtrack.  I feel like the source here is expanded in several interesting ways, from the cinematic intro that just hints at the source, to the longer piano performance towards the end which really develops the main theme and expands on it.  This is a great example of what an OCR track is in my mind.

There's not much to say regarding production here in my opinion, it sounds good.  I think the oboe is a great choice for this track as it adds that enigmatic dark tone to it. I once again feel like this song could've been mastered louder, just analyzing the track shows a lot of headroom that really serves no purpose.  There's only so much dynamic range you really need even for an orchestral song, it's not a thing you can add infinitely to a track and it will always be better, you CAN have too much of it.  In this track I don't feel is that big of an issue, and we might seem like a broken record repeating this on almost every sub from Rebecca, but it's our job to point it out, and I hope one day we don't have to.

Overall the best thing about this track is the excellent expansion of the source material which feels natural and fitting.  

YES

[Chimpazilla]

This is a quiet master, but not overly so as with other submissions.  What a unique, interesting and emotional take on this source!  It's very creepy and mysterious, and has a Harry Potter vibe.  The soundscape and writing are rich and varied, the arrangement is very dynamic and it holds my interest throughout the track.  As Rexy pointed out, the articulations aren't perfect, but what is here gets the job done extremely well.  I love this!

YES