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OCR04187 - *YES* Metroid "Vast Infinities"


Rexy
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Hi.
 
Here’s my latest submission. Hope you like it.
It is a very dark remix of one of my all-time favorite Metroid-songs.
 
Contact Information
Your ReMixer name: Gaspode
Your real name: Peter Köller
Your email address: 
Your userid: 26608
 
Submission Information
Name of game(s) arranged: Metroid
Name of arrangement
Name of individual song(s) arranged: Kraid’s Lair
Additional information: Metroid, NES, Music by Hirokazu Tanaka
Link to the original soundtrack:
 
 
Bye, Peter
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Nice atmospheric boomy start, you’ve certainly got the makings of an 80’s sci-fi rendition of the original here. The lo-fi/distorted percussion adds to the soundscape. Bass comes in at 1:13, which is quite big, but not overpowering for now. At 1:32 we begin to get the main theme. The lead at 3:09 is a bit too loud and carries a bit of unnecessary bass that could be dialled back. The ending is short but winds up well. On the arrangement side, things take a while to get to the main theme, which apart from the aforementioned lead volume, is my main gripe with this — hitting the theme roughly a 1/3 of the way into a 4:34 mix seems a bit long. Certainly not a dealbreaker on its own, but it’s worth mentioning. Ultimately, I think the mixing in the final third should be cleaned up a bit, as the lead is a bit overpowering here which is affecting the balance of everything else. If it was for a shorter period of time it probably wouldn’t be as big of a deal, but I think it’s enough to warrant a resub. I’m certainly a fan of this, an otherwise solid original approach.

NO

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  • Jivemaster changed the title to 2020/06/22 - (1N) Metroid "Vast Infinities"

This starts out just like a scene out of Bladerunner 2049, I love the bass swells, even if they are slightly on the loud and overcompressed side. Despite eventually rooting itself in a more traditional electronic style, there's a lot of small cinematic details that really sell me on this concept. I appreciated your delicate approach to building up the arrangement, and thankfully, once Kraid's theme enters the mix, it stays put so I don't have any issues with source usage overall. The dynamic curve subtly builds up to a very satisfying conclusion - when the string/choir accompaniment came in at 3:09, everything fell nicely into place, climaxing with some excellent reharmonization at 4:03.

I would have liked to hear a more textured patch used for the lead - it stuck out as vanilla compared to some of the more richly textured analog sounds featured elsewhere in the arrangement, but not a huge deal. I didn't pick up on any balance issues with the leads, although as I mentioned before, some of the bass sounds did stand out as overcompressed and loud. Ultimately, while the mixing is not perfect, I do believe that the arrangement and concept is certainly strong enough to get by in its current form! 

YES 

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  • Emunator changed the title to 2020/06/22 - (1Y/1N) Metroid "Vast Infinities"
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Ooooooooooo I love this intro, you've set up a spooky vibe immediately with those crushed bass swells. It takes awhile to build to the theme but it's a great ride.  I love the stylistic crushing of some elements, while leaving the lead bell sound clean.  Changing time signatures here... it seems like the mix goes from 4/4 with triplets to 3/4 at 3:09, either that or it's just written entirely in triplets from that point out, but it's seamless and I love it.  The clock ticking is a great bit of ear candy. This arrangement is interesting, changing timbres as it moves along while still feeling totally cohesive.  You captured a creepy vibe that I'm really digging. The mixing is good; it's a loud master though, peaking at 0.9db and hitting -6.8db RMS, but it's clean.  Really liking this remix!  Ok I just listened seven times.

YES

Edited by Chimpazilla
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  • Chimpazilla changed the title to 2020/06/22 - (2Y/1N) Metroid "Vast Infinities"

The other judges already caught just about everything I would have brought up. I do agree that the bass is maybe a tough loud overall, but not ever to a point of being a deal breaker. The one nitpick I might add is while there is a ton of detail going on around the melody to create a fantastic atmosphere, the main theme really plays verbatim throughout. Would have loved some variations or breaking up of the sections. Something to keep in mind for next time!

YES

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  • DragonAvenger changed the title to 2020/06/22 - (3Y/1N) Metroid "Vast Infinities"

Many of my thoughts got touched upon already - so kudos to Kris, Wes and Deia for checking it out overnight! :)

When I started listening to this track in the inbox, I was concerned about where the source would kick in after that extended cinematic intro.  Luckily, once it made its arrival at 1:29, it stayed there for the rest of the track - so source use is ultimately not a problem.  All variations that followed on are all distinct from each other, too.  The first one doubled up on the A section and kept with the bass-ambient feel previously established, and then the second one supported it with acoustic drums, juicy pads, and more developed chords underneath. And the dramatic zig-zagged movement from root to diminished chords at 4:03 was the icing on the cake and a powerful way to set up the closure.  Even though the melody stayed the same, the textural shifts and especially your chord modulations in the second run had done more than enough to let it stand out.  Great stuff!

As much as I love most of the arrangement, there is an irk that caught my ear.  The transition into the source properly at 1:29 could've been smoother than relying on a bar of 11/16, which will sound odd in any context.  But it's a little part of a much broader picture, and I feel okay to keep that aspect in as it is.

And wow, that sound palette is mind-blowing - lovely attention to reverb, delay, cinematic swells with articulations, and overall thickness of your sounds.  The lead, as Wes pointed out, isn't too exciting in comparison to your backing textures - but it does offer up a down-to-earth counter for just being what it is.  The balance and mixing are mostly well polished, as all parts have their own defined space in the mix, and there's no severe collision between sounds.  I felt the high-frequency lead at 1:57 was just a hair too loud, and unlike Joel, I felt the melody at 3:09 could've had some further whack to it, so it doesn't blend too close to the pads.  Neither of them is a dealbreaker, as both aspects are too brief to damage the bigger picture.

What I heard overall is a very, very solid debut from you, Peter.  While it does take longer than it needed to get to the source, it explored it via the backing and complimented it with some impressive cinematic sound design.  If this is what you're like for your first post, I'm excited to see what your next few can be.  Welcome aboard!

YES

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  • Liontamer changed the title to OCR04187 - *YES* Metroid "Vast Infinities"
  • Liontamer changed the title to OCR04186 - *YES* Metroid "Vast Infinities"
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