Rexy Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Hello! I would like to submit a track for consideration by the judges. Thank you for considering my submission. Name of game arranged: Journey To Silius Name of arrangement: Cyber Chrome Name of individual song arranged: Underground Concourse (Stage 2 Theme) Additional info about original track: Original composer Naoki Kodaka, composed originally for Nintendo Entertainment System / Nintendo Famicom (as a game named Raf World) Link to original game music: Contact info: ReMixer Name: Kuro Real name: Brendan Schmidt ReMixer number: 15462 Email address: My comments on my track: I’ve always loved classic-era Sunsoft music for the NES/Famicom, but the music from stage 2 of Journey To Silius holds a special place for me. I thought this song would sound good as a synthwave/future-retro tune. I wrote a few lyrics that are sung by a Vocaloid, Gumi. I drew inspiration for the arrangement and lyrics from my feelings about a special person in my life, and this song is dedicated to her. Lyrics: (Whoa) It grows a little colder Don’t tell me that it’s over I thought I was stronger I need you (Whoa) I wish it lasted longer Can we be together? I’m crashing into love… …with you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted July 8, 2020 Share Posted July 8, 2020 Oh hell yes, I remember Kuro's last submission from 4 years ago as a fond favorite of mine, so let's see what we've got here... ... Yep, this is just as good as I expected. You haven't missed a beat. There's a number of different rhythms and layers going on here, making for a deceptively-complex mix that holds my interest the entire time. There's really so much to unpack here, but the mix never feels overcrowded. Special shoutouts to the transition at 3:25, you knocked that out of the park!! The vocaloid lyrics keeps things fresh as the track progresses, although I will say that the choice to introduce that element so late in the remix felt curious to me. I would have possibly preferred to hear the vocaloid brought in earlier and trade off parts with the lead guitar, though this is certainly not an explicitly wrong decision - just a personal preference. The fadeout might bug some judges, but I didn't take any issue with it - it seemed like a deliberate creative choice to end on a guitar solo and let the track slowly fade away. Source usage seems to check out with no issues. I'm not hearing anything that would hold this back from posting - nice work and great to see another submission from you in the queue Brendan! Keep 'em coming! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexy Posted July 9, 2020 Author Share Posted July 9, 2020 Yeah, this is a melodically conservative take, so I have no problems detecting the source. Aside from the synthwave direction with the choice of instruments, there's been some careful additions of backing pads, additional rhythmic synths in the bridges, and adding accents to the rhythm part leading into the two melody sections. Structurally it goes through the first two melody sections straight with the bridge between them repeated - but then goes into an exciting break at 3:16, which serves as a dynamic way to build into the Vocaloid use at 3:50. I admit it sounds uncanny hearing English lyrics when the software caters more to Japanese pronunciation. Still, the usage is minimal and pairs well with the guitar solo to round out the final minute. Like with Wes, the ending doesn't bother me, as I expect a lot of 80s pop to end similarly. It's a well-produced package, too - cleanly mixed, all parts identifiable, and the timbres picked out are appropriate for synthwave. I want to give a special shoutout towards your choice of snare - it's surprisingly rich for being so low-pitched, and there's enough punch to pack through the mix and fit well with the lead guitar and Vocaloid. In my opinion, I would've wanted your lead guitar to be a touch louder in the mix. But it's not a dealbreaker in this case, as its position in the mix had an emphasis on mid-highs, which hardly any other instrument touched. As it stands, this is a great sophomore effort. It showcases more of how far you can go arrangement-wise while keeping interpretation minimal, how adaptable you are to other types of EDM, and how fearless you are at finding ways to make Vocaloid soundbanks work in context. Excellent work, Brendan! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 haha, i love the initial 20 seconds or so. it's got that classic intro-build into the lead guitar. i also really appreciate the use of timbral variations/arrangement in your synths to keep it interesting without relying on just repeating the melodic theme over and over. there's some really fun little things here and there that pop out of the mix (example: the little bass synth fill at 1:58) and make for a much better package than it appears at first. the vocaloid is gonna turn a lot of people off, i think, due to personal preference. it's simultaneously not clear what's being sung while being bright enough in upper registers to bother me, especially when compared to how dense and dark the rest of the mix is. lifting that around the 2k-3k range with a notch filter will help the pronounciation a *lot*, as will rolling off the siblants in the 8-10k range of 'her' voice. i do think the fadeout's going to bother some people too. personally i don't mind fadeouts. however, it's nearly 25 seconds long and doesn't appear to follow a traditional parabolic curve so it spends a lot more time in the middle of the fade than most people like. if it was, like, ten seconds at most i wouldn't say anything, but this is too long. i think both of these fixes are simple enough to handle under a conditional. a bit of EQing on the voice and updating your fade (start it later, use a parabolic curve, then nail down the silence at the end and trim it) will make for a much more complete package. CONDITIONAL (on fixing EQ and fade) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 (edited) Good synth based atmosphere, solid choice in sounds. The guitar lead is a tad soft in the first section compared to the other parts, and wasn't quite as tight as I'd expect (the surrounding instrumentation being to grid is likely making this more apparent). Arrangement wise things are quite conservative, but there are some original inclusions. Guitar in the 1:42 section is off time slightly with its initial notes, which was a bit distracting. I thought the vocaloid here worked ok, as it wasn't used too much. The rhythm guitars at 3:27 also feel slightly out of rhythm/not as tight as they should be. This is distracting as well. Conversely, the lead at the end during the fade-out felt ok. The overall soundscape is good here, and I enjoyed the original elements that were added in. On the production side, there are some frequencies that are a bit hot. Personally the lack of tightness around the guitar performance and some problem frequencies made things challenging for me here. Perhaps I'm overreacting, but I do feel it hindered part of the overall presentation. YES (borderline) Edited September 6, 2020 by Jivemaster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_NutS Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 (edited) Synthwave and journey to silius? Do you read my diary? I dig it. It's not super expansive but imo the original is so good you don't really need to do a lot with it. This remix relies a lot on arpeggios and filter automation to keep things moving and varied. My main issue with this one is that it feels pretty static throughout. I was hoping for a break but I don't feel like I ever got one, and that caused the buildup around 3:10 to have less impact for me. I feel like the vocaloid is not meshing that well with the rest of the mix, feels like it's on top of everything else yet outside of the mix. It's probably a bit too exposed and needed a bit more work to make it feel part of the mix as a whole. Besides these gripes, production and arrangement are solid. This is a solid mix. YES Edited September 23, 2020 by Sir_NutS Rexy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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