Emunator Posted December 19, 2021 Share Posted December 19, 2021 Hi OCRemix judge team, I hope this mail finds you well! This is my submission of 'Orwellian', a metal remix / medley of two tracks from the Half-Life 2 and Half-Life Alyx OSTs. Download (WAV 44.1k / 16 bit): Contact Information: Remixer name: BKM Real name: Björn Kirchhoff Mail: Website: https://www.youtube.com/user/bjoernkmusic UserID: 32752 Remixer name: Manuel Hirner Real name: Manuel Hirner Mail: Website: https://www.instagram.com/manuelhirner_books_and_music/ UserID: 37550 Submission Information: Games: Half-Life 2 (PC, Valve), Half-Life Alyx (PC, Valve) Remix Name: Orwellian Arranged song 1: You're Not Supposed To Be Here Original composer 1: Kelly Bailey Arranged song 2: Anti-Citizen Original composer 2: Mike Morasky Source link 2: About this remix: This is a metal remix / medley of 'You're Not Supposed To Be Here' (YNSTBH) from Half-Life 2 (2004) and 'Anti-Citizen' (AC) from Half-Life Alyx (2020). Given that both tracks are in D minor, I thought it would be nice to bridge the decades and generations of Half-Life games in that way. I haven't actually played HL: Alyx due to the somewhat prohibitive nature of VR and only enjoyed it vicariously on YouTube. Nevertheless, I'm super excited that we got another entry in a series that had been abandonned for so long that even the memes surrounding the lack of any sequels had become rather antiquated themselves. Both of the original tracks have fairly linear song structures; they're continuous progressions / builds that are employed during battle encounters to build tension. I therefore picked out certain motifs that felt good to play on guitar and sounded kinda 'metal', and rearranged them into a completely new sequence with a more classic song structure. Turns out, the original tracks blend very nicely - for example, the intro of this remix uses the atmospheric background melodies and bass line from YNSTBH with the main guitar riff from AC layered on top. Overall, I kept the speed and dark atmosphere - Half-Life tells a story about government oppression after all - of YNSTBH (160 bpm) and peppered in motifs from AC to mix things up. Also with regards to the linear song structure of the originals, I was a craving a moment of resolution. I therefore wrote an original, chorus-like section that I was able to build to over the first half of the track and end the remix on. The chorus also modulates from D minor to A minor, which allowed me to drop down a fifth on my downtuned 7 string guitar during these sections for an extra push of low end and heaviness. Finally my good friend and bandmate in Remember Your Scars, Manuel Hirner, delivered a fantastic solo that elevates the final (double-)chorus. His solo really ends this remix on a yearning, melancholic note that makes me want to walk into the sunset with a crowbar in my hand and the longing for freedom in my heart. Thank you for your time and for considering my submission. I hope my track is up to standards, I'd love to make another contribution to OCR! Cheers, Björ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 Now this is metal! Fantastic performances, silky blending of the two sources, great production. I've been listening to this for a few days, and the only thing I can think of to criticize is that the rhythm guitar is a little loud, so that in in 1:36-2:00 and 2:36-2:46, and to a lesser extent the ending solo, the lead is a bit buried. Otherwise this is a success on every level. Nice work. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 both originals are great. love how ethereal the opening is. very suspenseful. the alyx riff is immediately recognizable, and the continuing build is great. 0:43's full band sounds great - i love the heavy gating on the guitar to really open up the space around the riffs. i agree that the rhythm parts are very loud and cover some parts, but tbh the extreme emphasis on the rhythm parts combined with the heavy gating felt a lot like something off of one of breaking benjamin's early albums. the solo is pretty long but the track is prevalent with half-life themes.my only nitpick is that the solo kind of wheedles on and then suddenly the track's over. i'd like an ending that feels more intentional. this is a great track and very fun to listen to. excellent work. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkSim Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 Wow, that pulsing intro note instantly takes me back to booting up HL1 (and 2) and seeing the man with the Valve in his eye. The atmosphere here is absolutely dripping in flavour, and I can't make out that speech over the crackly PA system, but I can imagine it's welcoming us to City 17: A Safe City! Guitar is chunky, bass has huge presence without being overpowering, and drums are mixed cleanly. Great job on picking out the identifiable riffs and elements from the sources and fleshing them out into a track that is unmistakably Half-Life. One small nitpick I have is that there's some unwanted distortion artifacts (clipping) at 2:47-2:48, just before the solo. It's clipping elsewhere according to Audacity, but that was the only place I could clearly hear it. Nice work on this one both of you - thanks for submitting! Hope to hear more in future. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 This is a great arrangement! Lead is sometimes buried by the rhythm guitars as MW said. In the fullest sections, it is a wall of sound that is overwhelming; from 1:35 - 2:01 I would argue that there's just too much going on and it feels oppressive. This is a well crafted arrangement and the production is generally good (drums sound great!), but I think some mixing cleanup is required. At the very least, the final limiter needs to be toned down as the mix is hitting -7db RMS (hardcore EDM territory) and SPAN tells me it's clipping like mad. I would suggest bringing the lead volumes up a tad, and rhythm guitars down by a tad as well as using EQ on the rhythm guitars to make more room for the lead especially during the heaviest sections so it isn't such an assault on the ears. I really dig this track and I just think it should be sounding its best! NO (please clean up and resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted October 29, 2022 Author Share Posted October 29, 2022 There is such an abundance of texture and body to this track, it's truly incredible how rich you've made this sound. Although we get a lot of metal submissions, not a single thing about this sounds generic, and the layers of ambiance you've added through choir and sound effects only help distinguish this from its peers. Really killer work all-around. Mixing-wise, the leads are a little buried but aside from that, everything is clear and balanced. The loudness doesn't bother me here. Let's get this one posted! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 Being super late to the party since we're about to post it, but since I had to listen through and determine which primary game this would be assigned to, I also listened to the sources to then pick them out of the arrangement. Strong stuff from BKM and Manuel! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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