Rexy Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 (edited) Hello, I'm writing to submit a track for OCRemix. The track is title "Mako Power," it is a metal arrangement of "Mako Reactor from Final Fantasy VII and was featured in the Pixel Mixers Final Fantasy VII Remake tribute album, "Beneath the Stolen Sky." Contact Information: ReMixer Name: Yuki K Website: youtube.come/yukik UserID: 37024 Submission Information: Game Arranged:Final Fantasy VII Submission Title: Mako Power Source Title: Mako Reactor Original Composer: Nobuo Uematsu Link to Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=nswfLcROs-0&ab_channel=Cloud183 Featured Artists: Yuki K, GuitarSVD (https://ocremix.org/artist/17052/guitarsvd, youtube.com/guitarsvd) Edited May 18, 2021 by Emunator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 (edited) This one starts off with some very loud synth melodies that I definitely wouldn't have mixed that loudly. In general, I found the lead synths to be lackluster and too clean for the texture you were going for. I think a synth sample with more bite and distortion would have set the stage a lot better. Later on, they're not as noticeable because there's more supporting instrumentation and the texture has more to blend in with. The samples used for the choir/orchestral instruments aren't the most sophisticated in terms of articulation, but I'd say they get the job done in terms of adding texture to the track. When we get to the guitar, that's when things really kick in for me. Both the rhythm and lead guitars sound ridiculously heavy and have an excellent tone to them, so I really dig that part of the arrangement. The solo rips, though there's some times where it almost sounds like it gets too ambitious for its own good and trips over itself on some of the faster runs. I will say that, musically, the section of the solo from 2:48 - 2:58 didn't jive quite right to my ears. I can't tell if it's explicitly out of key or just playing odd/unexpected notes, but aside from that, it was all pretty good to me. The ending fizzles out unexpectedly; I can't say I'm a huge fan of how that was executed. This is a tough call - overall, the arrangement is very strong and the guitars add a lot to the final package, but the synthetic instrumentation is not as strong. I'm inclined to say that the strengths here outweigh the detractors, none of which are absolute dealbreakers in my opinion, but it's a borderline call for me. Best of luck with the vote either way, I hope to hear this on the front page either in this form or a revised one! EDIT: Upon relistening, I do agree that this could benefit from one more pass before posting. No need to hold this up - hope to hear this back here soon! NO (resbumit) Edited May 18, 2021 by Emunator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 the intro has some fun delay effects but the drums sound pretty robotic. i agree with emu that the opening synths are real loud - sounds like they are volumized for later in the track and the remixer just didn't adjust them in the beginning. the choir sample is also pretty robovox. when the guitars first really come in at about 1:10 though it sounds pretty great. layering strings with the lead synth helped that a lot too (although i admittedly wanted to hear complexity there). around 2:05 i noticed that the lead synth didn't have any real personalization to it - no lfo change, no vibrato, nothing to keep the attention on these sustained tones. some variety or change would have really helped. there is also very little personal influence into the melodic line here and it really could have used it to keep it moving. the guitar solos start out fun although they could have used a bit of verb to fit them into the soundscape. the one at 2:47 was in the wrong key - sounds like the adjacent melodic minor, or more likely lydian (based around the 4th note)? it worked but there's a lot of odd notes there. same thing happened at 3:19, you sit on a G over a Bb chord (6s never sound right), and then step in a scalar fashion to an Ab when the Bb's the root key and not the V. would have worked if you were in lydian or something but sounds odd here. the part at 3:40 where it's trucking through the chords is pretty nice. i like the simple movement in the guitar to keep it moving at about 4:15. the ending was great until the last note - i think i get what you were going for but it's a real letdown after a piece that was pretty low-key intense the whole way through. i think ultimately i'm on the other side of the line as emu. i think this one is real close, but there's too many little things that came together to make me want to say no. opening synth volumes being so strangely loud, several solos in the wrong key, some real boring melodic programming in the first half, the letdown ending...none of them are dealbreakers by themselves but together i think pull this down just a little too much. i think this is a great track that could easily get posted if there's a few more changes made. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gario Posted April 30, 2021 Share Posted April 30, 2021 Some great synth/guitar blending going on in this one, with slices of the remix in fact sounding top tier (3:55 is just a great blend of instruments, in my opinion), and it has some nice arrangement ideas throughout to keep it fresh, including a rippin' guitar solo. This is an arrangement with a lot going for it. It's not without criticism, though, on both the production and arrangement fronts. As others have pointed out, that synth at 0:11 sticks out like a sore thumb. It blends well with the arrangement later, but at the beginning it's grating, even painful if the listener turned their volume up to hear the rumbling bass below it. Tone it down in the mix at that point, or do something so the instrument isn't so piercing at the onset like run it through a low pass. The guitar playing is pretty cool in this, and the solo is really slick (when it's good), but at 2:47 it goes off key, with the licks at 3:00 sounding like you miss the rhythm and/or notes. Considering how solid the rest of the guitar parts are it's a really strange contrast. The smaller synth solo at 3:18 has similar off-key issues, as well, though not as pronounced as the guitar. I don't mind the ending quite as much (anti-climatic as it is), but the combination of the synth in the beginning and the strange soloing takes this one below the bar, for me. It's an easy pass once these things are addressed, though, so I look forward to seeing this one again! NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 Nice subtle build-up. Drums progressively come out of a filter. The synth/choir sounds are quite retro, I've initially taken this as intentional. The rhythm guitars that land at 1:12 are quite thin, and could do with a touch of their low-end returned. Main theme plays out on a porta-synth, with a consistent drum beat. 2:26, we get an unexpected guitar solo, which sounds great. There is some dissonance and timing issues in the notes of the second half which do detract a bit from the overall performance. 3:18's arpeggio synths lose some volume after the first few seconds — I wasn't quite sure if this was playing as the lead, or doing background duties. The outro brings back a mixed accompaniment of previous synths and slower lead guitars. The mixing here is ok, there are some low end issues, but they're not mix completely breaking. The rhythm guitars are a little thin and could be beefed up to match their lead counterparts. Arrangement wise the song progression is ok. The vibe of the source was there, with original parts scattered throughout. Given the other votes, have in part been unsure where to lean on this one. I think the lead guitar note issues tip the scales here, there is enough of them to IMO to get a resub. If we can tidy those we'll be in a good place. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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