OCR04192 - *YES* Streets of Rage 2 "Malicious Intent"

[Rexy]

Your ReMixer name       SPIRAL_SYSTEM

Your real name             Parker Walker

Your email address        

Your website               https://www.facebook.com/SpiralSystem-112016667209300

Your forum name         SPIRAL_SYSTEM

 

Name of game(s) arranged                   Streets of Rage 2

Name of arrangement                          Malicious Intent

Name of individual song(s) arranged      Never Return Alive

Composer is Yuzo Koshiro  System: Sega Genesis

This is by far my favorite BOSS song, as well as some of my favorite video game music of all time. To make this remix, I used a FM synthesizer (chipsynth FM) that emulates the original FM synth engine of the sega megadrive in order to really get that retro sega distinctive feel, but at the same time bring the music up-to-date and to a new level. All the sounds, besides the drums, were made with this synthesizer!
 

Thanks for your consideration!
 

[Jivemaster]

An interesting approach. Bass is thick, with some nice de-tuning. Good use of subtle sounds, the siren like effects in particular are well done. Good used of stereo space/panning. The arrangement progresses well, with several changes made while retaining the vibe of the original. The breakdown at 3:06 before the outro was a nice surprise. The final outro section also featured its own original nuances, though it was shame things had to end on a fade (particularly with the creativity shown to that point). This is very much like a remix of a track sonically targeted to the old hardware, but with a fresh, expanded feel. Solid effort.

YES

[Liontamer]

I wasn't sure if the basis of this piece were isolated channels of the original audio, but reading the sub letter, that's not the case. Even if it was, it's manipulated and presented in a way that's definitely different enough where it doesn't come off like a Standards violation to me.

The lead line that came in at :14 was realy garbled-sounding, but it cleared up some when the notes changed at :29. Can't say I like the sound of it, as I felt the first 1:43 sounded less sharp than it should have, but it was still serviceable.

For the arrangement, it's more about changing the textures and overall feeling of the boss theme; a relatively simple premise and it works well. The lack of an ending was a letdown, but not enough to drag down an otherwise worthy interpretation. Cool concept, Parker!

YES

[Rexy]

Larry got the approach analysis spot on - it was more of a case of breaking down the different patterns in the source, then using them in a unique build altogether.  I was a little concerned when from 0:29-1:29, I didn't hear any of those source fragments at all - but from that point, the motifs became way more recognizable and dominant.    The intro allowed a modified arpeggio from the A section to lead into the beat-building area at 0:29 - a role to play in the track despite no source use.  That beat-builder section leads into a breakdown and the first appearance of the original bass riff.  Pretty much from there on, you're heading into more straightforward EDM territory that primarily uses that bass or the B section's wailing lead (2:43) to ground the arrangement while using other small fragments of the source as shapable layers.  For you to manipulate the bits and pieces into an entirely different composition like this is a working promise that shoots the arrangement aspect over the bar with a hop, skip, and a jump.

Your chosen synth textures here fit your idea of "modern Streets of Rage remake" well - with a lot of 90s-sounding synths densely packed with layers and parameter shaping to maintain interest.  As Joel said, you've also got great use of panning to let complementary sounds occupy opposing sides of the stereo field.  However, the mix skews towards high-frequency EQs in the mixdown, with your synths' harmonics and effects taking more prominence over their fundamentals.  This aspect sounds like it's affected the crazy -13db RMS average, making it a challenging track to present over YouTube on posting due to its lower RMS recommendations.  They aren't dealbreakers in the slightest, though - as the way the synths got mixed is in such a way that there's minimal overlap, and YT recommends -14dB anyway, so you weren't too far off with that.

With all the creativity taken towards both the arrangement and the sound design, I feel more than confident to approve it for the front page - and of course, any opportunity to see SoR on the front page is always a great one.  Stellar work, Parker!

YES

[prophetik music]

oh, this is really neat. the entrance of the bass is just filthy...it sounds fantastic. the build up to the melodic content at 1:29 was well-paced and sounded beefy without being overblown. the FM synths sound just great, tons of blurps and buzz with that trademark digital feel. i agree with rexy that the arrangement as-is is great, tons of bits and bobs pushed around into an entirely new-feeling track. i didn't have a significant problem with the mastering other than it indeed being bright in the high end.

this is essentially a rubber stamp. this is clearly over the bar and is a great listen.

 

 

YES