OCR04307 - *YES* Dragon Ball Z Budokai 2 "Twisted Soul"

[Liontamer]

-Remixer Name: B-laze (aka Fungist)

-Real name:          Kenneth Nordsveen

-Email address:    

-Userid:                  29885

 

-Website:               

https://www.facebook.com/B-laze-aka-Fungist-141969925846294/

https://soundcloud.com/b-laze

https://www.youtube.com/user/Blazestalker100

https://www.Fungistvgm.com

Submission Information

-Name of game(s) arranged:

  Dragon Ball Z Budokai 2

-Name of arrangement

Fungist - Wild Soul

-Name of individual song(s) arranged

Wild Soul

-Additional information about game including composer, system, etc. (if it has not yet been added to the site)

Arranged By Kenji Yamamoto

 

-Link to the original soundtrack (if it is not one of the sound archives already available on the site)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb3mznAthlU

-Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc.

Hi.

i was being nostalgic, browsing through my music folders and came over this track i finished in 2016.

i have totally forgotten about it, but if i recall correctly, i was contacted via mail for remixing a track for an album release on OCremix. 
As i finished the track, but totally forgot to send the track back (over 6 years ago) i am pretty sure the album was released without my addition to it. 
Therefore i thought when browsing through my archives that i would submit this track directly now, a bit too late..

The track is a fast Psytrance composition that have elements of upfront happy and melodic psytrance for the first part, building up to a more "Darkpsy" feel in the middle, as i used voices from the game (?)
(which i have never played by the way). As i have no idea what dragonball is about, i just hope the sound effects and voices are correct because i dont know anything about the story of this game (?)

Anyways, its been so long since i submitted anything to OCremix, and i remember i got comments on my "Super mario world remix" which was called "PsyCastle" that some people hoped it was Psytrance when it wasnt.
So here is my psytrance remix for OCR.
Cheers

[im sorry i do not have a wavfile of this remix]

 

[Liontamer]

The track was 4:31 long, so I needed to identify the source tune referenced for at least 135.5 seconds for the source material to be considered dominant.

:51-1:30, 3:11-4:00, 4:01.5-4:31 = 117.5 seconds or 43.35% overt source usage

That breakdown aside, there's obvious chord progression stuff going on from 1:33-2:36 where the explicit progression heard from :01-:15 of the source by the bassline is (very) quietly played in the background here, but the mixing is a lot less crisp and distinct than it should be. You mileage may vary on counting that connection, but it's defintiely there, just extremely quiet.

The arrangement's fine IMO, and I liked the overall flow and dynamics. On the negative side though, the key change at 4:01 back to the original arrangement style was sudden and needlessly awkward, though you can get used to it over time. The ending also cut off, but that can be touched up with a fade.

It's too bad the original file's lost, because the mixing's definitely lossy-sounding; one small exmaple is how the detail of the vox accents at 1:33 are practically non-existant. Same with some padding from 3:36-3:55; there's an almost shimmering tone to it that's decidedly lost in the murk. The mixing being needlessly indistinct drags down an otherwise strong and solidly put together arrangement with great energy.

That said, what's here works enough to where the lossy-sounding mixing still doesn't make it a NO for me, though it was close. It's got its issues with source dominance and production, but I can get beyond them in the big picture. Interested to hear what others have to say.

YES (borderline)

[prophetik music]

some fun sfx in the opening. i loved the voiceover at the beginning, actually, although it's a bit bright. the jump into 0:52 was great, and the beat is pretty fun. i agree that it's a bit lossy but it doesn't sound terrible. there's a bit of a breakdown at 1:30 that keeps the driving beat but plays with stereo, and that's a little weird but it's still clearly tied to the original's chord progression. i really liked the arpeggiated synth at 1:58 specifically, and the continued variety of percussion and synths helped keep such a fast, straightforward progression from getting to weird.

by about 2:27, i started getting a bit tired of the voiceover, but that's more personal preference than it being a bad implementation. the transition into 2:52 wasn't expected - i like the needly synth there! - but the key change was really surprising. i liked the new melody handling though and the synth used was great.

the transition back to the original key was bad simply because it's not set up at all. even a bit of transition in the keys or some drum stuff would have been enough. then it just sort of ends.

this is great for 95% of the track, and the ending is a real let-down. overall though i love the synth choices, i like the sound of it, and there's some fun ideas that you explore. i think this is over the bar.

 

 

YES

[djpretzel]

As @Liontamer writes, transition at end was a bit abrupt, and then the very ending cuts off - fixable with a fade, most likely.

Admittedly, it probably helps with this one if you have a profound love of Dragon Ball, or just... deep male voices talking about power. Otherwise, the generous helpings of voiceover quotes are going to seem a little odd. I could have seen the bass going a bit lower - I think it would have survived a full octave dip for one or more sections. The pulled-back section is less iconically psytrance, but does offer a respite/variety in a genre that can sometimes get overwhelming. Some neat psychedelic panning effects and decent attention to modulation over time checks some of the core genre boxes, and overall it was, in a word, fun. I wasn't 100% sold, but I was sold enough to have a good time.

YES (borderline)

[MindWanderer]

Holy sidechaining, Batman!  This opens up with some pounding beats, which fortunately mellow out somewhat, but early on, I found it hard to listen to.  It does have an awful lot of voice clips, to the point that I'm a little worried about fair use and if the copyright owners would have a problem with it. And yeah, that ending... between the drastic, abrupt change at 4:01 and the cutoff, it's a real letdown.  There are so many great sweeps and build-ups that to have the most drastic transition not have one is just bizarre

However, the arrangement is overall a lot of fun.  Trance-ish, but not with the over-repetitiveness characteristic of that genre.  Lots of rich synths that are a joy to listen to.  Solid production overall, other than that sidechaining.

If the project file weren't lost, I'd be pretty eager to send this back for some changes, especially to 4:01. It does need to be faded out properly, but as LT said, that's a touch-up.  It'll do.

YES (needs new title)

Edited October 1, 2021 by MindWanderer

[Gario]

Got some aggressive beats, some nice psytrance basslines, good production values in general, and hey it's Dragonball Z vocal clips (and GT's shadow dragon thrown in, for good measure). Glad this is a part of the game's soundtrack, otherwise how would we be able to show off some love to Dragonball on here?

That sidechaining is appropriate, though the lead at the beginning (0:52) is buried too deeply in the mix to be sidechained that aggressively; it gets lost and is a little hard to follow. Don't be afraid to make the lead stand out a little more, especially if it's gonna be sidechained; you aren't going to cause big production issues if it's getting sidechained anyway!

The key change is led into in an interesting and sensible manner, but it doesn't leave nearly as gracefully; suddenly changing key and overall texture is jarring and doesn't seem justified, here. You know how to modulate into a key pretty well, so use that knowledge to move yourself out of a key, as well.

The portion at 4:00 to the ending seems like it should be a bit longer before closing the song out; right now it's quite a bit shorter than prior sections, so it doesn't sound proportionally like an ending, but rather like an incomplete song. The song should've ended on a more complete note (and the cut off sound at the end doesn't help, either, as others have pointed out). Be careful with your harmonies there, too; the melody ends with a major chord, and the harmony is in minor, so it clashes. Since the melody is so strong it's hard to hear, but when you hear it the parts do clash. Be careful with that moving forward.

It's a close one in my mind; the issues do add up. There is a lot of good that this song does too, though - the strong production, aggressive beats, DB vocal clips - they also produce something pretty awesome. It's a bit of a tough vote, but considering the biggest issue for me is that a four and a half minute arrangement sounds like it should be even longer that's a little on the strange side to hold the track back for that. Keep proportion of a song in mind when arranging in the future, though.

YES 

Edited December 4, 2021 by Gario

[Chimpazilla]

Oh wow!  I'm loving this right away.  The vocal clips are terrific.  When the beat drops, it's intense.  I love a nice meaty kick but I feel like this kick hits just a bit too hard when paired with that first bassline.  I see djp wished for an octave lower on the bassline, I think the octave used is fine until 1:33 at which point the bass really is playing an octave too high.  Other than that issue, I think what's here works fine.  I absolutely love the transition to the triplets at 2:51, I love that entire section, including the modulation, those are excellent surprises.  The final section starting at 4:01 feels tacked on and unnecessary, the track could have finished out with the triplets and been complete, or the final section really should have been signaled somehow.  And I agree with Larry that the final cutoff could be corrected with a quick fadeout.  Overall, I dig this, let's do it.

YES

[Emunator]

Psytrance is such an underrated EDM genre, and this arrangement clearly shows a lot of respect and admiration for many of its standard tropes - squelching acid basslines, frequent beat and bassline changeups, and absurd voice clips, all of which are surprisingly well executed. The transition at 2:53 into a triplet rhythm was slick and easily my favorite part of this arrangement. 

The transition out of that section, however, was really poorly done and had me wishing that the arrangement just ended at 4:00. The transition was so sloppy and really took me out of the flow that the rest of the arrangement had so carefully crafted. The lack of a clean fade on the ending is also sloppy but could be fixed even without the project file if Fungist is willing. At the end of the day, I don't see a need to sink this arrangement based on the superfluousness of the last 30 seconds when everything else is so solid. This has my signoff!

YES

[DarkSim]

“How about we skip the introductions and get right to it, okay?” Well I’d rather not skip it actually, as the introduction to this track is immediately engaging. Evolving layered saw pads drone and oscillate, giving way to some higher-pitched resonance which then mellows out and an acid arp swirls around the space as the fighters introduce themselves. Quite an entrance!
The vocal samples are well-treated, relevant, and come through the mix clearly, whilst being given extra gravitas with reverb and delay. After the thumping 4/4 beat drops at 0:52, the signature trance bass bounces along with some sidechaining action helping it pump the energy. Combining the vocal samples with this style of music works really well, and changing up the lead synth to an acid arp at 1:32 helps with the feeling of a battle. When we’re invited to “Share your energy with me!” at 1:58, the track evokes the 90s rave scene, complete with on-stage emcee hyping up the crowd. It certainly got my head bobbing!
At 2:30 the track takes a darker turn with the introduction of increasingly-distorted synth arps, and we’re treated to a beat switch-up with the bass pulsating in triplets, before returning to the main melody, sans bass and kick, to allow us to catch our breath. The transition out of that section is a little abrupt, though.
Overall it’s a very cohesive mix that is arranged and paced well. Samples are thoughtfully implemented, and despite the trappings of the genre, there is a lot of detail in the production. From the evolving layered pads in the intro, to the phasing effects accompanying the bass that help keep it sounding fresh throughout the track, to the excellent builds and transitions connecting the sections, nothing here is done by accident. Switching genre from rock to trance/rave has been handled expertly, both from an arrangement and production perspective, and I’ve no problems passing this.

YES

[jordi]

Hi there, thanks for the submission! This is a pretty interesting take on the original track. The production seems well-balanced and satisfying to listen to. I enjoy the heavy reverb at 1:33 on the sound design; a bold choice but it fits nicely. At first, I felt that the amount of the samples might be a bit overkill, but on second thought, I do think that they are fitting to the style. The transition at 3:13 was enjoyably intense! 

This arrangement is something that I could imagine hearing at the fairground on one of the larger and faster rides. For me, it sits on the right side of the border between fresh and cheesy. This a track that ran the risk of being repetitive in energy, but I think you did a good job to add variations and small details throughout to keep it fresh. I noted that one particular aspect that this track made great use of in order for that to not happen is the attention to the percussion. We've got that juicy kick at 0:54 which is also heard at 1:36, but is joined by those new arpy synths and rises. Then some different percussion comes in at 2:02. The whole feel changes at around 2:53 and adds a sense of slowness and tension in the mix!

I do agree with some of the other judges in that the ending seems rushed and disjointed, but didn’t personally bother me too much. As others have pointed out, I did notice the tail at the end cutting off early as well. It’s always good to keep in mind that the ending is usually the last impression that will be left on the minds of the listeners, so you want your end to be as strong as the rest of the track. Generally, I enjoyed the mix and arrangement and I feel that this is a strong submission. What I will note though, is that your track should have an original title as per the submission guidelines. For this to be accepted, you’ll need to come up with a title different than “Wild Soul”.

YES (conditional on title change in line with submission standards)

[XPRTNovice]

Let’s be honest – nobody has any idea what Dragonball is about. But that didn’t stop you
from making a good arrangement of the music. It’s not quite ready for the site though – but it
can be with just a fix of the ending. The smash cut at 4:05 needs to be smoothed out. It
extremely abruptly transitions back to the A section of the piece without any transition,
almost as though it was cut/paste. The same voice files were even used, and then the track
sort of suddenly stops at the very end – and you didn’t let the effects bleed out before you
set the rightmost export gate, resulting in reverb getting sliced off. Returning to the A section
is a natural way to bring the tune home, but the transition to it needs to be smoothed out.
Drop out the bass and let it breathe for a second and re-build it into the A. A fade-out might
even work at the end (these are just suggestions – your taste will supersede mine.)

I don’t have any issues with the production or source usage. Everything is really tightly EQed,
and you have good control across all your sidechain compression. The panning is effective
and clean, and your instrumentation is varied and fun to listen to. All this needs is for you to
end the piece! You’re almost there.

 

YES CONDITONAL (fix the ending)