Rexy Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 (edited) Hello, I would like to submit my remix of the "Theme of Love" from Final Fantasy IV. Contact Information Remixer Name: George Shepherd Real Name: George Shepherd Email Address: Website: www.youtube.com/user/SuperBuckleMan Submission Information Game: Final Fantasy IV Arrangement Name: "Can't Get Over You" Song Being Arranged: "Theme of Love" Original Composer: Nobuo Uematsu Edited December 10, 2020 by prophetik music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Good set of sounds, and I dig the DJ-style vibe this has going. There is a bit of a timing issue with the guitar (or is it a harpsichord, can't tell due to quality), which is making things feel out of time — very distracting, and carries on throughout out the mix. Good beat at play. The vocal sample 0:42 works ok initially and fits thematically but should really be pitch-shifted when the notes change for proper cohesion, as it seems slightly out of place in the last 2 bars. The layers then peel pack, and things retread a bit. The break at 2:18 was ok, particularly with the synth at 2:32, but then it just unnaturally disappears when the chorus hits at 2:45 — I feel it should have continued on into that and done something different to the previous chorus portions. Things end on a fade. There are some good ideas here, but a few problems with execution. The arrangement relies heavily on layer building which is fine, but the same layers are often at play which tends to get repetitive. The guitar portion needs to be fixed for timing. Production wise, the balance is a little off across the stereo field which I'd take another look at. Not too bad overall — some good ideas, just needs some more fleshing out. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexy Posted October 29, 2020 Author Share Posted October 29, 2020 What a chill groove you put together - with genre authenticity worth relaxing by. It gave a favorable first impression with some modified notation on the A section and most of the track having textural variations shaping around that same part. The B section doesn't arrive until 2:18, and even then, it looped twice in building textures to go back into the main beat. So while I appreciate the ideas you've got going, this track has a couple of substantial autopilot issues. Firstly, the A section's melody notation got repeated throughout the track, outside of the B section break. See if you can go through the other uses of the source and find ways to vary it - whether it can be with new harmonies, revised note rhythms, or even changing up the chord modulations every once in a while. Secondly, the groove you established at 0:28 got repeated straight twice more (1:50, 2:45) - and while it's possible to go in that direction, just tweaking the textures or drum beat between them can be more than enough to make them feel more distinct from each other. The mixdown is decent - nothing clashing with another part, save the leads needing to be a pinch louder as they're carrying most of the source use. The sound palette feels quirky to me - you've got a mixture of dry organic tones with some wetter leads and backing parts. Unfortunately, those dry instruments stick out like a sore thumb, and even more so when panned heavily in one direction like your Tamborine on the right and the B section's string patch to the left. A touch of reverb across your pitched percussion, in particular, could de-expose them. And as Joel brought up, either that opening harpsichord at 0:25 isn't on the beat, or you've got a delay ping louder than the primary signal. See if you can get that fixed as well. Considering this is your first sub, George, you've got some sweet ideas with the RnB direction and initial source presentation. But with autopilot issues and exposure of your more organic parts, it's a tough sell, unfortunately. I'd like to hear another version with added melody and textural variations, as well as a remedy for the fakeness flaws on your sound palette. Whatever you do next, keep at it. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 hey, this is a great genre adaptation for this track. i always felt this was kind of a ballad feel, and the switching it to downtempo r'n'b is a fun idea. right off the bat i noticed the mix of wet and dry that rexy mentioned. it's really noticeable, especially since you've done a nice job with replicating a lot of the common genre staples like the super-echo snap. it extends elsewhere too - this style really needs a clearly defined soundscape with a lot more verb presence throughout to match up to the vocal set. i did like the vocals but they're too loud when they come in, as well. beyond that, there's heavy use of panning (simply too much) - a great example is the strings in the left ear at 2:17, they're just too wide to the point that they gave me an earache very quickly. right after that is the pretty fun arp that you bring in, which sounds great but emphasizes some wrong notes in the backing pads for the last two chords, at 2:43.2 and 2:43.8 - sounds like the sustain is hanging into the next chord. beyond that, there's a lot of copy-paste here - at least twice, where the vocal sections happen - and then a really, really long tail that's the expected parabolic curve but is a straight fade for nearly 30 seconds (should probably be closer to 10, with the top and bottom of that fade being much slower than the middle). i probably sound like i hate it, and that's not true at all. i actually really dig this style and think you did a great job making the base level of what should be a pretty fun remix! i think right now it needs a bunch of updates in the soundscape in terms of effecting, volumization, and layering, and i think the arrangement is like ~1:45 of music scraped over 3:45 of bread. this definitely needs a clear B section that stands up in terms of content and quality to the pretty fun A section with your singer, and separately needs some attention paid to the repeated sections so they're not just restatements of the same ideas. always do one less repeat than you think you need, to bring the listener back again to hear it again =) soundscape and arrangement issues are holding this back. i think this could really benefit from some workshopping, and then it'll be one i'd love to hear again for round 2. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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