[PC-98] Valkyrie - Frozen Moonlight

[Docjekyll]

Remix on Soundcloud, with download option:

(Edit: I updated the version on Soundcloud with some changes so the old link/embed no longer works. Here is a direct link to the version I originally posted in this thread, hosted elsewhere: http://cjdevsite.com/misc/music/Frozen-Moonlight-remix-WIP-4.mp3. Or see my post below for the updated Soundcloud link.)

 

Original track on YouTube: 

*quick note about the source material: like many PC-98 games, "Valkyrie: The Power Beauties" has NSFW/adult content, so be warned before you go Googling this one on the family computer

 

About this remix

I've been wanting to cover/remix this song for a while. I'm a sucker for many PC-98 soundtracks with their octave-jumping FM basslines and their warbling lead synths. This track has all of that, plus plenty of energy.

With this remix, I didn't want to significantly change the feel from the original track, but instead expand on it with new variations on the melody and phrasing (and of course moving beyond the capabilities of the YM2608 sound chip).

Instrumentation:

The overall sound is rock/metal, with drums, bass, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, and 2x keyboard. But I also didn't hold back on some very "synthy" sounds for the keys, as is immediately clear with the arpeggio pattern in the intro.

Structure:

• in the source track, there is a brief intro followed by a repeating loop (first loop at about 1:09)
• I expanded the intro so that the instruments and overall intensity can build up incrementally
• at first I stick fairly close to the original, with the lead guitar carrying the melody
• the second time around, I drop the lead guitar and add a keyboard solo (organ)
• the third time, I lengthen and shorten a few sections and play around with the melody a bit more

 

About me

I'm a long-time lurker on OCRemix, and I've always enjoyed making music as a hobby. Mostly I make little half-completed songs to amuse myself or short compositions for game jams (e.g. https://soundcloud.com/docjekyll/harriets-hasty-harvest-bgm).

For this remix, I wanted to post it and see if others think it is ready to submit to OCRemix or not. Any feedback is welcome!

Edited September 3, 2021 by Docjekyll
broken Soundcloud link

[djpretzel]

Would always be interesting to have more PC98 representation!

Catchy source. I get that you're keeping the vibe, but have you perhaps sped it up a bit? I'd consider dropping 2-3 BPM down, I feel like it's running a bit fast.

I've got individual observations & you can pick/choose which if any you agree with

• Drums end up having almost a hybrid EDM vibe because the dynamics are static across large patterns - I like that there are fills/breaks, I could even stand for some more of them - but I'm talking mainly about the melodic parts where you've got the downbeat going; because they're sampled & not explicitly electronic drums, and because the fills/breaks are more humanized, these stand out due to the velocity of the kick/snare hits being maxed out, basically all the time. I think humanizing these would give a bit more organic vibe & more contrast... either the chorus or the verse could be significantly quieter, for example.... hopefully the drum samples you are working with are multi-sampled and respond differently at lower velocities - if not, I think there are some free options out there that do, but I'd have to check. In short: humanize the drum line a bit to prevent listening fatigue.
• RE: listening fatigue in general, I think a breakdown might help... something to reduce overall intensity, noticeably. Not that waveform is everything, but right now you can tell just by looking at the Soundcloud visualization that it's basically a non-stop proposition... something to cut that up a bit would help. Drum dropout, then fill to back-in, etc.
• I like the organ solo, but I do like it better for a dirty B3 than the churchier option employed here... if you can get something with more grit, maybe Leslie...
• You're asking a lot of the sampled guitar, on lead, and I'm wondering if a straight up synth lead might work better.... perhaps for just one of the variations? Right now it's being a bit overused, as a lead, with nothing sonically to distinguish it from section to section. One way of addressing this would be via creative FX application, where it's widened/delayed/modulated in some manner in one section, but not the next. Another is to simply swap the lead out to a different sound, and I think synth could work.
• If you wanted to get a little cheekier, instead of just making the third variation more elaborate on a single lead (whether you keep the guitar or roll with something else), you could do a call-and-answer style duet between the previously-introduced organ and the main lead, introducing some harmonic combinations, having a couple notes in unison, that sorta thing. Just a notion; could be fun.

In terms of is-it-ready-to-submit, I don't speak for the judges panel, but I imagine they'd pick up on some of the same things, all of which I think would improve the track. Hope that helps!

[Docjekyll]

Updated remix on SoundCloud, with download option

 

Thanks for the feedback!

I finally found some free time to revisit this remix and I made a few improvements:

• Tempo is slightly relaxed.
• Drum dynamics have been improved throughout. They're still loud, but not endlessly so.
• Organ has more character to its sound now. I actually started with a very authentic B3+Leslie plugin but I couldn't get it to fit into the mix how I wanted, so I went with a simpler plugin that I felt gave it a bit of the Leslie charm. I also gave the organ a few more parts in order to give the lead guitar sound a break early on.
• I added some other minor polish throughout, smoothing over some sounds, correcting a few wrong notes, tweaking automation, etc.

What I didn't do was any significant overhauls to the remix structure or instrumentation. For now I think I'm happy with this remix being what it is, and I can aim for more interesting variations across the piece in future remixes.

 

Please let me know what you think! I'm thinking of submitting this remix for judging, so I'm interested to hear any feedback before I do so. Thank you!

Edited September 3, 2021 by Docjekyll
fix link