*NO* Valkyrie Profile "Luminescent Sorcery Harpsichords"

[Rexy]

 

Contact Information

• TheBitterRoost
• Your real name
• https://www.youtube.com/user/armageddacrab1
• userid: 32609

Submission Information

• Valkyrie Profile
• Luminescent Sorcery Harpsichords
• Illuminating Magic Links
• composer: Motoi Sakuraba, system: PSX
• Link to the original soundtrack:
   

• Mix comments: All live drums and guitars, but letting the non-stop harpsichord and organ keep center stage. I felt like this tune had a power metal feel to it from the get-go, so I leaned into it, saving room for a small dip into some acoustic guitars.
• From the Pixel Mixers Valkyrie Profile tribute album, “Nibelung Valesti” (disc 1, track 13)

Edited December 29, 2020 by prophetik music

[Jivemaster]

That organ playing the melody is a bit hard to hear. The accompanying guitar portions sound good, with decent tone and technique. The arrangement structure is pretty straight forward, sharing several sections with the original, but there are some nice additional layers throughout. Mixing is a mixed bag. The synths/organ fall too far into the background and can’t be heard all that well, which is a shame as they carry the bulk of the burden when it comes to the main melody. While the track certainly follows along with the original, I think the mixing for the lead organ parts need to be fixed so the main theme is more overly audible.

NO

[Rexy]

The first half of the track has a simple run-through of the source, while the second half opened itself up considerably for textural variations. You brought in:

• The half-time drums at 1:52 that segued into a great use of the double kick pedal
• The sudden acoustic breakdown handling the B section at 2:22
• The double-time drums at 2:47
• Added extended bridges between segments to transition smoothly from one to the next
• And the C section at 3:01 repeating similar ideas to the equivalent section at 0:50 but also carrying different drum fills and a guitar overlay.

The ending at 3:20 felt cheapened slightly, though, as it sounded more like a copy-paste of the 1:38 section with a big rock ending attached. Since this applies to less than 10% of the runtime, I'm okay with letting the ending stay as it is.

Now, I've been torn over the production values here. It's clear that the Pixel Mixers QCT was happy with everything that got put together, and I can see why - great live instrument performances, a robust set of guitar tones, and an appropriate garage-like presentation for your overall ensemble. But like with Joel, I got frustrated with the harpsichord and the organ getting buried in the mix - and they're the ones carrying the bulk of the source's identity. Changing the EQ would risk altering their tones, which already feel delicate. Do try and see if you can make EQ cuts elsewhere to give the harpsichord and organ their presence, or just raising their volume if all else fails.

It's so weird to send this submission back for something that may or may not be minor in the grand scheme of things, but evidently, I want more presence on your synth instrumentation before it can get posted. Don't change the arrangement - it clicked together as it is. Nevertheless, please make those fixes - it's so close!

NO (resubmit)

[prophetik music]

i can hardly hear the leads throughout. it's hard to call this a valkyrie profile mix if there's no melody.

the performance are rock-solid and i thought the arrangement was fine. you do a good job of keeping the track moving with different variations, although it's a little stale by the end with some of the repeated licks. the band itself sounds great too. the harpsichord and organ are essentially unable to be heard, though, so that's not passing. this needs a volumization pass and a better organ patch to help it cut.

 

 

NO