*NO* Undertale "You Have Chosen"

[Rexy]

Hello,

 

my brother and I have recently created a new remix based on the main theme of Megalovania from Undertale.
We would love to see our song on your website.

Contact Information

• Your ReMixer name: Ziomeker Ziom and Marek K. Drzewiecki
• Your email address: 
• Your website: mkdmusic.com

Submission Information

• Name of game(s) arranged: Undertale
• Name of arrangement: You Have chosen
• Name of individual song(s) arranged: Megalovania

Best regards!

Marek Drzewiecki

-----------------
mkdmusic.com
 

 

[Gario]

This is really quite an arrangement of Megalovania; this is more subdued yet sublime than I'm used to for this arrangement of our favorite killer boney boi. The arrangement is easy to hear the source in, yet it also takes it's fair share of liberties with the harmonies and structure compared to the source. It might not be the approach everyone is looking for, but I'm lovin' it so far.

I could nitpick some of the vocal performance (it sometimes wavers on the tuning, like coming in sharp at 2:14), but the biggest concern that I have on this is the dryness of the arrangement and the limited EQ range of the arrangement as a whole. Every instrument in the arrangement is dry to the bone (haha skull joke), and the entire arrangement sounds like it was sent through a low pass, killing anything above 5kHz. It's not a hard fix - a small touch of reverb on the track and shaping the EQ to have more higher end on the track - but it's a necessary fix as the arrangement sounds squished as it stands.

I really enjoy this one, and I think the biggest fix would be quite easy, so I hope to hear this one come back our way soon!

NO

Edited May 2, 2021 by Gario

[prophetik music]

this wasn't what i expected! but it's pretty fun. the vocals are super loud compared to the background, but i'll address them later. there's some really surprisingly fun nuance in the background parts throughout. the build into 2:14 is great. gario's right with the verb issue - the backing parts and especially the voice parts feel very dry where verb isn't employed as a specific sfx. there's also very little compression throughout from the feel of it - major sections are dramatically quieter than other parts, which makes it hard to find a comfortable place to keep the volume dial. the quieter parts are quiet by nature of their timbre already - crank them up, and adjust your compressor accordingly. i love the little transition at 4:15, and the subsequent build.

i'm going to spend a bunch of time on the vocals since that's the make or break part of this track.

• first off, i have zero clue what's being said. i'm bad with accents in general, and i recognize that it isn't your first language, and that these are fast words. that said, consonants are a must and there's essentially none throughout. it is very difficult to even tell when one word ends and another begins. there's a reason there aren't a lot of pop songs with fast piles of words - it's hard to do! so take more time with your words, and be clearer with your pronunciations. even slow parts like 2:14 are hard to understand.
• gario correctly pointed out some pitchiness in some areas. remember to support the low notes with a good breath, and especially the ends of phrases (when you switch to a breathier tone). that will help. don't feel bad about engaging someone to handle tuning some of your notes, either - there isn't a singer out there that doesn't use autotune at least once and a while. i'd be happy to help if you want.
• turn your vocals down by at least a quarter if not more. a trick i use is to turn the master down by 90% and see what i hear. if i only hear one thing, that thing is likely too loud. your vocals crush everything else in the (really interesting) background.
• along those lines, don't be afraid to automate volume adjustments. a great example is at 4:40 - i love the long sustain, but you've got it right in front with no vibrato or any color on the note. plan to hit that and have volume automation move it to the background by reducing the volume on it - keeping the full-voice timbre but not having as many db dedicated to it. that kind of automation will allow you to sing with your full voice while still benefitting from volume adjustments.

this isn't ready yet. there's pitchiness in the vocals, everything's super dry, the vocals are way too loud and simultaneously hard to understand, and overall it feels unpolished as a result. some additional attention to your singing will help a ton and make this an easy yes. the arrangement's already there, it just needs some love on the execution side.

 

 

NO

[Chimpazilla]

This is quite a unique approach to this source, and I love it.  (is it sung in Polish?)  I agree with the other two Js on the production side, however.  The vocals are way too loud.  I hear a few pitchy notes but they aren't dealbreakers for me.  The vocals don't sound as dry to me as they do to the other Js, but I suspect the extra-loud volume of the vocals is giving them a dryer feel.  The volume of the vocals just has to come down.  Still, a bit of additional reverb added to the vocals (making sure to cut lows out of the reverb to avoid mud) would get them to sit better in the mix.  I also agree that this track has a huge dynamic range which could benefit from some better overall compression and/or volume automation to make the listening experience a bit more consistent.  These should be pretty easy fixes.  I can't wait to hear this back again and get it on the front page because I really like this remix!

NO (resubmit please)

[Rexy]

First of all, Kris - this is in English.    I can hear some words, but I'll get to that later.

Anyway, this approach is charming!  The idea of taking a climactic endgame track and turning it into something more solemn is an excellent twist on such an iconic theme.  What's even more surprising is that all you needed arrangement-wise were the main riff and the D section, which works well with how you paced the track.  That main riff also has had multiple rhythmic transformations, both on your synths and your vocals - plus the welcome surprise of harmonies at 3:41.  I wish I could say I had much to nitpick on the writing at this point, but clearly, I don't - so way to define a direction.

Alas, the production qualities are the main things that are bringing this down at the moment.  I'm not as fussed over with the dynamic split as Brad is, as those quiet sections are needed to break away from the energy from the main vocal segments.  But the vocals do sound not only louder than the rest of the parts, but they're also really muddy and stuffy - which explains why it's hard to identify consonants and entire words.  There's also not much emphasis on the mid-highs in your mixdown, which would be ideal for bringing out your consonants and give the vocals more clarity.  The mix itself doesn't sound as dry as Greg pointed out, but I feel some high-passed reverb instances on the voice and e-piano can help them fit more naturally with the other processed parts.  The same can't get done to the taiko drums as they're the only source of percussion, but a slight volume boost and close-up on the virtual mic (if there is one) can make it sound not as soft in the mix.

It's a creative idea and one that I loved the concept from the inbox, but what's hindering it at the moment is needing reverb tweaks and another mixdown pass, with the vocals being the primary carrier of both flaws.  The pair of you have sent in something very unique, so I hope you've still got the project files to take this the rest of the way.  Keep at it.

NO (resubmit)

[Liontamer]

Nice opening SFX, but the intro notes at :04 were sparse, so we'll see where it goes.

The English pronunciation's not good; the lisps and (I dunno the technical term) slurps affecting the delivery don't help either, but can't be helped to some extent. For me, it's not that criticism of the English pronunciation's not merited, but if this were a foreign language, it wouldn't stand out or inherently bother me. The more important thing to me is how the syllables are shoehorned into the melody's timing, which feels forced, but it's an earnest approach. The overall execution for the first 90 seconds was solid.

Another minor thing, but there's some light hissing/warbling noises from 1:16-1:33 & 3:37-4:16 that seemed tied to a sample, or at least doesn't sound intentional but rather like an audio artifact; double-check if that can be removed.

I wouldn't have brought back that anemic-sounding melodic line at 1:33; the sound is too bubbly, dry, and thin, and the timing too rigid, so it doesn't click with the other instruments at all.

When the vocals come back at 2:13, the mixing's odd, IMO. The vocals are chorused but relatively dry, while other elements aren't, so there's another instance where parts don't mix well and thus don't have synergy. Nice effects on the vocals at 3:14 for the transition out of them though.

I'd argue the arrangement was creatively approached but dragged on too long. There's dynamic contrast throughout the piece, though it's worth noting that the piece "peaks" with basically the same energy level and textures in the :50-1:13, 2:34-3:16, and 4:40-5:06 verses; some more obvious differences between these verses would be helpful.

This piece has promise, bros, though I'd like to hear a version with a new take on the vocals -- preferably de-essed, not as dry, and with clearer pronunciation (not perfect, just clearer) -- more balanced mixing between the parts, and considering a change in the synth line first used at :04.

NO (resubmit)

[MindWanderer]

This is oozing with charm, and I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. The arrangement is subdued but cinematic.  It helps to pretend it's like J-Pop: mostly in another language, with a few English words scattered throughout.  It might have been stronger that way (i.e. mostly in... I guess your native language is German?), but I'm not going to complain about not being able to understand it, or even about the enunciation; as music, I think it works just fine.

The other concerns are plenty valid, though.  The vocals are too loud, the instrumentation is too thin, the singing is periodically off-key (though not badly), it lacks a proper climax, and it could stand to be a couple of minutes shorter without really losing anything.

I'm excited to hear an improved version of this, because I do like the aspects of it that work.

NO (resubmit)

Edited November 23, 2021 by MindWanderer

[Emunator]

Dropping some quick thoughts here - there's a ton of dynamics in your arrangement, great instrumental variety, and an emphatic vocal performance. It's clear that you put a lot of effort into this!

I'm intrigued and a little amused by the discussion spawned regarding the vocal performance; I agree with the other judges that the pronunciation makes it extremely hard to understand, but MindWanderer makes a great point that if you imagine this as a J-Pop song, the intonation actually isn't a big deal. This could still benefit from some more aggressive pitch correction and de-essing. The mixing on the vocals is much louder than everything else and dominates the soundscape whenever present. You could still maintain the vocals at the forefront of the arrangement without drowning out everything else as much - taking down the volume slightly would solve this.

The orchestral production sounds great when it's isolated on its own (strings, choir, and especially the piano) but when the vocals are also mixed in, your instruments all occupy a narrow range of frequencies and sound quite muddy. The percussion barely cuts through at all and sounds thin as a result - I don't think the choruses have the intended dramatic impact because of how soft the percussion plays. 

There's a lot of creativity at work here, so I sincerely hope this is revised and resubmitted a second time! There's a bit of work to be done here, but I think it's worth it to get this concept ready for the front page 

NO (resubmit)

[DarkSim]

First off, this is a great source tune with a real hook in the 4-bar main melody, and some tension-building backing chords.

I love that sweet-sounding lead synth in your intro, and the little countermelody blips that play alongside it. It’s very playful, works well with the synth and strings, and when the vocals come in, you’ve got the makings of a great pre-chorus build. When the chorus does hit at 0:50, I was expecting something with a little more bombast, however the vocals have just been turned up slightly, and there seems to be a very slight timing issue between the vocals and accompaniment just as they come in, that is accentuated by the volume increase. Not in itself a dealbreaker, but the mixing definitely seems off during the chorus, especially with the drums. The floor toms seem very muddy, the cymbals are quiet, and overall the percussion lacks the punch I was expecting from such a good build-up. The sweet synth works great in the build, but maybe switching it up for something harder in the chorus would give it that edge it deserves.

I do like the addition of vocals, although to attempt a challenging melody line at such a pace does run the risk of sacrificing clarity of lyrics for tone - even moreso in a second language. In some cases, the layering of the vocal performances can also detract from the clarity, so it’s worth taking extra care with your timing when layering up recordings.

1:37-1:54 sees a break section taken from the source, and again some nice synth/choir pads lead into the main melody, which is this time accompanied by some arpeggiated piano chords. These are really nice builds! There are 3 in the song, and yet each time the chorus hits I’m left wanting a bit more out of it. My favourite section is the guitar/piano build from 3:16-4:20, but again it’s a minute-long break into a pre-chorus into a final chorus which does little to distinguish itself as a finale. The original source has 2 solos, so I’d love to see at least one original solo in this ReMix. A perfect place to add one and give the track a fitting send-off would be in the final chorus, just as the final word is sung at 5:00.

Overall it’s a nice concept, although the mixing needs improvement. Percussion needs a lot of work to make it sound cleaner, give the chorus some more emphasis, and bring them up to par with the rest of the instrumentation. At a running time of 5:29, I’d also expect a little more original material thrown in there, such as a solo or two.

I’d definitely like to hear this one again with a bit more polish applied, and the tweaks I mentioned above. It’s got a lot of potential, but as it is, it’s a little rough around the edges.

NO (resub)

 

[XPRTNovice]

The arrangement takes a source that doesn't have that much material and weaves it back and forth with some nice breaks in there to create some breathing room. The switching of the melody back and forth between vocals and other instruments creates variety, and there are some nice interpretations. I think there was room for more - with such a short source, it would have been easy to deviate from the melody and create some variations rather than use it verbatim each time it is used, especially considering you have a vocal as the main melody, but I'm not evaluating based on missed potential. Vocal embellishments are easy to incorporate, and would have helped solve one of my major problems with the arrangement, which is just that it's too long; I felt like the piece came to its conclusion with the fade out at 4:19, but then we came back in for another minute of essentially the same thing we have been hearing for the first 4 minutes of the track. The source is very, very repetitive on its own, so having it extend for 5 and a half minutes made it easy to lose interest in the track. Production wise, the elements are well mixed and balanced.

 

The instrumentation is good, and so is the overall EQ. I think the vocals need to come back in the mix a little bit, and could maybe even use a little touch of reverb; it's very dry in comparison to the other elements you have going on, which tend to be very wet. I had a considerably hard time understanding the vocals, but that could be turned into a positive rather than a negative by using the vocals as an instrument rather than a lyrical device (see groups like Massive Attack for examples on that sort of use of voice-as-instrument). This part is purely an idea that you can take or leave, but I do think the vocals need to mesh better with the rest of the instrumentation.

 

NO (resubmit)

[jordi]

Hey! Thanks for submitting to OC ReMix. I’m always very happy to hear anything Undertale, especially a vocal arrangement. There are a few elements of this that I feel could take it even further, but for the most part I like this very much.

The mixing of all the instrumental elements of the song is really pleasant on the ears. I appreciate the dynamics of the arrangement, especially the quieter part at 3:16 which then gradually builds in energy. This was very well done. Your choice of instrumentation as well was satisfying (the una corda-style piano and those plucky synths that carry the Megalovania melody sound great together). The use of delay throughout your arrangement was nicely done too.

I enjoyed the tone of the vocals which, paired with the way they are mixed, gives this track somewhat of an 80s feel at times. Bluntly put however, I do wish that the lyrics were easier to discern because I really have to concentrate if I want to understand them, although less so at the more exposed parts like 4:20. I think the vocals could sound even punchier in the mix and the dryness of the vocals stands out a bit too much given how much reverb the instrumentation around it has (especially at 2:13-2:33). The effect this creates is that the vocals are sitting “on top” of the mix rather than nestled nicely into the mix. Perhaps this was the stylistic intention of the mix, and I anticipate that adding reverb would probably make the lyrics less clear. I think the only resolution for this would be to really practise the diction of the words so that they are expressed as clearly as possible. This is something that takes a lot of time. For a short-term solution, I’d say the secret lies in the luxury we have when recording from home. That gives us more time to sit, record, listen, re-record and perfect. Ask for some feedback too and even pronunciation references, to try and match it as closely as possible.

I was on the fence with this one, because whilst I can clearly see how this arrangement could be further improved, the question is whether or not in its current state it falls outside of, or within the standards for acceptance. I thought long and hard about this and against consensus and all in all, I’m inclined to lean towards a “yes” more-so than a “no”. I felt that your take on this was positively unique and the production overall was clean. You’ve taken good control of the atmosphere (very nice SFX at 1:12 and onwards, is that flames?) and the dynamic variation is great. However, I do think that the judges have left some really valuable advice that would serve to improve this track, and I encourage you to take it! Those few more small changes could improve this, but I definitely enjoyed listening to your track.

 

YES (borderline)