OCR04383 - *YES* Amnesia: The Dark Descent "The Shadow"

[Rexy]

CONTACT INFO:

Mike Norvak

Miguel Ángel Ramírez López

 

24333

SUBMISSION INFO:

Amnesia: The Dark Descent

The Shadow
Arrangement of "Menu Theme"

Original song by Mikko Tarmia
 

 

ADDITIONAL INFO:

Dare to descent into the darkness and listen to Re:Amnesia. Featuring a variety of remixes to Amnesia: The Dark Descent OST composed by Mikko Tarmia.

This medium play album consists of 7 arrangements on different styles like acoustic piano, progressive trance or drum ‘n’ bass of some of the most iconic themes from the acclaimed survival horror game.

LISTEN AND DOWNLOAD FOR FREE BEFORE THE SHADOW GETS YOU!

 

https://noisebrec.bandcamp.com/

 

MIKE NORVAK │NOISE BOULDER RECORDS

BANDCAMP

SOUNDCLOUD

YOUTUBE

 

[prophetik music]

significant stylistic variation from the original with this one. the original has minimal content at best so it'll be interesting to see how the artist ties it over.

the intro has some long-envelope synths and some interesting buzzy synth design. the chord structure is similar but not the same as the menu music from Amnesia, so it doesn't relate without a few listens. there's a higher-pitched synth that comes in and again plays something similar to the menu theme, but i still wouldn't count it as very obvious that it's from Amnesia.

at 1:08 there's a background synth that's clearly playing the few notes from the title theme, and that's the first time i can definitely say that i recognize the theme. at 1:38, the bass synth appears to be playing the B section of the melody as well, but it's a fairly generic set of notes. at 2:12 there's a great change of pace with the addition of the higher string pad, and that's a nice shift. i don't recognize what it's playing, however, and it doesn't seem like it's part of the menu theme from what i can hear. 

there's a break at 3:19 and then the melodic content comes back in in the bass under some other sfx-like synths. there's a fadeout ending that plays with some more sfx and it's done.

this is close enough that it needs a timestamp. so from 1:08 to 1:31 there's the A section in the bass, then the B section from 1:37 to 2:05 in the bass, then the A section from 3:24 to 4:08. the entire opening section is more difficult to say. the added chords aren't in the first chord's key which makes it really confusing to map out and in turn it sounds odd, but there's definitely the Ebm - EM - Ebm - Fm pattern in there, so i'll count that despite it being pretty stretchy to me. so that makes it enough total time if you include the opening.

overall this does what i think it's supposed to do, which is represent a track with minimal original melodic material in a melodic-driven style that's totally different. some of the references are understandably minimal or stretches but it sounds good and has solid energy throughout. i think this is over the bar.

 

 

YES

 

[Liontamer]

On 8/5/2021 at 12:22 PM, prophetik music said:

this is close enough that it needs a timestamp.

Need a timestamp, eh? I got you.

:05.5-1:06.5, 1:08.5-1:23.75, 1:25.5-1:29.5, 1:42-2:04.75, 3:23-4:00, 4:02.5-4:07 = 144.5 seconds or 54.73% overt source usage

If you fire up the source theme and speed it up, it's just 12 notes. The layout of this mix is more about the ear candy that's built over the top of the references to the source, a lot like SGX's "Kick Your A"; you can still hear the source in play the whole time, but it's not what the ear gravitates to, which is a totally valid arrangement approach in the sense that when I have to look for the source, I can readily identify it.

Not much else to say beyond this being a very transformative piece with strong sound design. Very creative interpretation and referencing of the themes in the first and last thirds of the track while also showcasing energetic original writing in between that fit very comfortably. Nice work, Mike!

YES

[MindWanderer]

I too was worried when I heard the source material, since it's borderline what I'd call "music."  Mostly ambient sounds, with just some slow double bass, three notes at a time, and as Larry said, 12 notes total.  But the remix is definitely dominantly arranged around that theme.  I'd describe it as 50% source material and 95% original, somehow.

"Strong sound design" is an understatement: these are some of the most well-chosen synths I've heard in an arrangement for a long time.  There's a ton of them and they're all used expertly.

The ending is a little meh, but it would work fine as part of a set.

This is hugely creative, with excellent design and production chops on display throughout.  Good stuff.

YES

[DarkSim]

Well, this is certainly the most intense ‘menu music’ I’ve ever heard! Pretty hard drum ’n’ bass here, with emphasis on the bass. I’m glad the other judges already covered the timestamping, because this is a very out-of-the-box arrangement that’s almost unrecognisable from the source.

This remix really goes hard for the most part, with punchy kick and snares, gnarly bass, and some of the most distorted leads to cut through it all. Where it stood out to me, however, was the section from 2:34. The vocal pads lead into a more mellow snare sound, with some gorgeous bells panned around the space. Props to the sound design for managing to somehow blend all that with a heavily distorted lead at 2:57. This lead allows the piece to segue back into heavier territory with what I call the ‘cheese grater’ synth at 3:20. Listen to that swirling, snarling bass as well - another highlight.

One pretty big nitpick I had with this was the percussion sequencing. For drum ’n’ bass, I’d expect a little more attention to the drums. The same kick and snare pattern can be heard for the entire first 1:30, with the odd drop out, and after the break section in the middle, although the snare sound is switched up, the pattern between the kick and snare remains the same. The hi-hats also have a very repetitive pattern that’s used throughout the track. Fills could be improved at key transitions such as 1:31, and a little more sample variety wouldn’t go amiss either.

Despite the fairly straightforward drum programming, it's a pass from me. Great middle section and sumptuous bass give the ears a good tickling.

YES