Rexy Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 (edited) RebeccaETripp Rebecca Tripp http://www.crystalechosound.com/ ID: 48262 Game(s): BotW Song Title: Queen of the Sandstorm Songs Remixed: Gerudo Town PS: I know the outro is pretty long and meandering (I wanted it that way) but I’m willing to cut it to about 3:45 if you guys feel that the outro is a dealbreaker. Edited March 18, 2021 by Emunator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexy Posted December 3, 2020 Author Share Posted December 3, 2020 On the production side, I've seen a lot of improvements in your presentation and articulations. The percussion sounds as lush as always, and while the legato shaping on your woodwinds and strings aren't perfect, they do feel considerably less stiff, particularly with the note durations. The instruments themselves have been presented adequately enough, with some minor concern of bleeding between the bass drum and pizzicato strings generating the low-end pulse. Yet, I noticed that leading in and out of the theme, the wind SFX felt boomier than they needed to be and left behind this flossy microphone-brushing texture. That's something that a low-to-low-mid EQ cut can fit, though even then, it works so much better during the second half. Alas, with the arrangement side, it's not quite there for me at this point. The theme run-through itself, lasting from 0:20-2:22, is as carefully arranged within the loop's constraints as I usually expect from you, with countermelodies and added accompaniment aplenty. I like how in the B and C sections (1:00 and 1:53), you modified the start of some of the phrases slightly into a longer legato note rather than the original's sudden burst of staccato - something that captures a more graceful expression appropriate for the track title. Even the A sections (0:34, 1:27) are non-identical, with the second one emphasizing more on the note runs on your pitched percussion. So from this singular run-through alone, you've still demonstrated strong chops. However, everything outside of that 0:20-2:22 timeframe is entirely original, including the drawn-out ending. I'm all for preserving artistic integrity, but when it doesn't use any source at all, it's a tough sell and harms the VGM dominance aspect - bringing the entire track to less than 45% source use. I know you said you're up for cutting the ending in half, but it's possible to add in a couple of other instruments and get them to reference the Gerudo Town source's melody or a different BGM entirely. Even if it's a brief cameo (i.e., 15 seconds minimum), it'll be enough to meet the quota - but whether you decide to preserve the ending's length while doing so or making that cut above is all up to you. To sum it up, the presentation has some minor mixing flubs that could get addressed, but I'm more concerned about the lack of source use more than anything else, particularly in the second half. If you can find a way to boost the source quota, whether by trimming the ending or merely adding more BGM, I'll be more than happy to look at it again. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 the opening is beautiful, but i agree with rexy that there's a lot of mic pressure noise (ie. you recorded wind contacting your mic instead of what wind sounds like) that needs to get cut out. the melodic presentation is competent and well-handled. the phrasing and instrumentation reminded me of some of the desert tracks from FFXII, actually, in terms of how they use melodic content and move through instrument groups. the brass that came in near the end of the first melodic presentation was also really nice, great use of contrasting timbres to keep it interesting. i agree with rexy that the entire rest of the track is original, or far enough removed that it doesn't matter. i'd pass this at 3:45 while complaining about the volume of the last minute, but it's not functional in this state. it wouldn't be difficult to add melodic content to the area between say 3:10 and 3:50, at least enough to make it viable at its full length. i will note that the track is again comically quiet after 2:30, and it's entirely possible to use compression to allow for a quiet tail that isn't utterly incomprehensible at normal headphone or speaker volumes. this is a consistent problem in rebecca's music and it's one that needs to get fixed here if it's to be passed at full length. NO CalloftheJay 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 The two J's above absolutely nailed this and hit on a few specifics that could tighten this up, as well as the assessment that your orchestral sequencing is steadily improving with each submission. The mixing and mastering during the main section of this track, aside from the rumbling in the atmospheric effects that can easily be highpassed out, is quite good. However, the lack of any game-related content late in the arrangement is more of a dealbreaker than the length of the outro itself. In fact, I like the very slow wind-down, but if there was a bit more of a connection to the source, or any Zelda tune for that matter, it would seal the deal for me. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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