Rexy Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 Contact Information Your ReMixer name: Almighty_Arceus Your real name: Jordan Wynne Your email address: Your website: www.youtube.com/c/AlmightyArceus Your userid: 33542 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged: Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum Name of arrangement: "EEVEE used Swift!" Name of individual song(s) arranged: Route 209 Theme Link to the original soundtrack: Hey OCRemix, it's been a while! I'm coming at you with what i call a lo-fi "complexhop" remix of the classic Route 209 theme from Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. This ReMix borrows a lot of its EQing from lo-fi techniques, giving it a worn and vintage feel, which leans into the classic/nostalgic feeling this theme evokes. However, by tempo and feel, it is much more rapid and active than a typical lo-fi piece, and contributing to that in no small part is the fact that I arranged this piece in 5/8 time. This is how I arrive at the word "complexhop," but call it what you like, I'm not too keen to genres and I'm not so picky, so long as you enjoy what you're hearing This piece should impart a sense of majesty and nostalgia, but also energy and joy. Like a breeze in a way. I find the worn wash effect on some of the instruments, particularly the sampled chimes around 1:13 in, adds to this idea of a breeze, guiding you along on your excited journey as a Sinnoh Pokémon trainer. The chimes sway in this 7/8 breeze, and the drums keep you moving along (and with a little bit of punch!) Since I last submitted a piece to OCRemix, I feel like I have developed a lot as an artist. I feel like I have been developing a style of my own, and it's all thanks to the growth that the remixing community has brought to me. I'm hoping that this piece shows how far I've come as a ReMixer, incorporating some of my signature passions (odd time signatures) with my experience I have gained over the years. Hope you enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 The off-beat staggered drums are a bit off-putting initially, not so much due to the adapted timing (which I thought was a creative idea), but by the swing the parts seem to have which throw them off grid a bit too far from the other parts. This feels better from 0:29. The synth bouncing between the left and right channels adds further movement to the mix while a flute initially takes up lead duties. Things are mixed up over time with bell/chime like sounds. The break at 1:54 was a good departure and reset from the first section, moving into some interesting melodic territory before heading back into the initial loop. At 2:36 a bell synth is introduced which changes this repeated section up. The de-tuning of the instrumentation is creatively used, although I think it’s taken a little too far across the mix, making things sounds a bit too sick too often, and really could’ve been dialled back while retaining the desired effect. The arrangement plays out ok. The production lends itself to the lo-fi theme well, making things feel authentic. This took a few listens to get more comfortable with. It’s not without its issues, I think things could’ve been tighter, but it’s not bad. Certainly a different take. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 (edited) I definitely like the track in a vacuum. It's got strong sound design and a great flow, but I'm only making out limited connections with the Route 209 source tune: The track's 3:52.5 long, so I needed to identify the source tune being overtly referenced for at least 116.25 seconds within the track to consider the source usage "dominant" according the Submission Standards. :44-1:16 (:03-:18 of source), 1:54-2:23 (:58-1:14 of source), 3:19-3:47.75 (:03-:18 of source) = 89.75 seconds or 38.60% source usage Making a stretch, you could argue the last 4 notes as the section changes in :39-:41 of source are referenced in the beat pattern from 1:40-1:54, but that's more of a case where the timing of the 4 notes in the arrangements is the same, even if the notes are different. I'd be willing to count it, but it's still grasping at straws unless I'm overlooking some more overt connections. The 4-note pattern first used from :01-:03 didn't sound like it was simplified or otherwise derived from the source, and neither did the stuttering pattern first added at :15. What about other sections of the song, am I missing some of the connections? If not, it sounds like it needs more references to the source because source usage doesn't dominate the arrangement. Love the track, but unless there's a compelling case illustrating A-to-B connections from the source tune to the ideas in this arrangement, I have to go NO (resubmit) on the source references being too limited here. EDIT (1/25): Thanks to proph for the catch in the judge chat; I was listening to the wrong area of the source trying to make the connection of the main beat/stutter pattern, yet there it was right at :00 for only about a second a half. Alright, I'm with you now. New breakdown: :15-:41.5 (from :00-:01 of the source), :44-1:16 (:03-:18 of source), 1:26-1:40 (continues in background until 1:54, from :00-:01 of the source), 1:40-1:54 (from :00-:01 of the source), 1:54-2:23 (:58-1:14 of source), 2:22-2:50 (much fainter, from :00-:01 of the source), 3:19-3:47.75 (:03-:18 of source) = 171.25 seconds or 73.65% source usage YES Edited January 25, 2021 by Liontamer changed vote from NO (resubmit) to YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 interesting concept for this one. i agree with jive that it starts out wonky until the hats come in to help frame out the beat. once it starts, though, i like the sound quite a bit. there's a good overall tone to the track, and the bells in the background echo the first few bars of the original in a nicely-adapted manner. the melody sounds great once it starts up too, the amount of grit and wobble of the intonation sounds very stylistically accurate. after this we get more of the bells/echoed bells section, and a break with winds and mallets. the break is well-timed as it was getting fairly repetitive at this point (an element of the style, to be sure). after the break we get more melody and then an extended section - probably too extended - noodling through the b section again. there's more detuning here and it starts to get to be too much, with the entire mix dropping nearly a quarter tone in several places. the outro is simple and fairly repetitive. all in all this is probably three minutes of material scraped over about 3:50 worth of bread, but i'm more ok with this than normal since repetitive, droning textures are a hallmark of this style. from a content perspective, taking larry's timings and adding in the sections that are predominantly the bells from the first few sections, i get significantly more than 50%. so i think that i'm good there. from a production perspective, my only real complaints are the overuse of detuning and that it could be a few db louder. so i think i'm good on this one. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexy Posted January 26, 2021 Author Share Posted January 26, 2021 Yeah, source usage was never a problem, to begin with - and adapting it to an unusual time signature drew my attention on first listen. The adaptation had a lot going for it right out of the gate - fitting the opening piano riff to establish an early groove, then the A section's melody at 0:44 and letting it shift among the soundscape. It relied on manipulated direct audio for 13 seconds at 1:13, which I can put aside as it's very brief - then building up more of the groove via variations on that intro riff. The break at 1:54 was welcome, allowing the bells to bring in the B section within the sea of gratuitous detuning - and once gone, there's this return to the established riff and some last-minute noodling on the top, before returning to melody A to close it out. It's one of those examples where not all resources got used, and those that did are some background ones hardly anyone would expect - but everything picked out appropriately fit this minimal lo-fi direction to a tee. I was more on the fence with the production values, but it has more merits than flaws. The sound palette chosen is fun, with great use of echoed bells, plucked synths, mellotrons, and pitched-down percussion. Yes, there is a fair amount of distortion involved, and the mixdown leans towards some warm sounds with hardly any high-end presence and risk of burrowing instruments that use source fragments. But when paired with the intentionally staggering drums and use of detuning, it gives me the idea that those decisions were intentional. Even with the warm mixdown direction, I still felt able to hear the parts with their roles in the mix and feel they've been balanced with care while confining to genre norms. Overall, I heard a creative take both on the arrangement and production side, with techniques that may throw the casual listener into a loop. I love the 5/4 and genre adaptations more than the presentation aspect myself, but I can see others appreciating it from different angles - and well worth making an impact on the front page. Great work, Jordan! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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