Emunator Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 (edited) Remixer: HoboKa Game: Secret of Evermore original composer: Jeremy Soule Hi guys! And greetings to the new judges, Dark Sim and Co. (っ◔◡◔)っ herro I went for a cinematic big-beat, with operatic stuff to make it epic. Er...Can't really eloquently describe this remix. Other than I wanted to expand on it in my own way, using Omnisphere 2 and Composer Cloud. Hopefully it's not overdone or undercooked. Enjoy! Edited August 9, 2022 by Liontamer closed decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 :00-:17, :18.5-:23.5, :52.5-1:18.5, 1:18.5-1:43 (from 6-note vox pattern in :25-:51 of the source), 2:09.5-3:26, 3:31-3:56 (with gaps), 3:57-4:21 (from 6-note vox pattern in :25-:51 of the source) The source is invoked most of the time, I just broke it down to help myself as I compared the original with the arrangement in order to recognize the interpretation. I liked the intro here with some breathy vox elements derived from vox lines at the very start of the original and produced in a way that created a mysterious vibe alongside the synth playing the source melody and the organic-style drums and accent instrumentation added in at :11; all nice touches. Not as much a fan of the chanting vocals as they seemed shoehorned in due to sounding aimless, but I'll live and they add some further mysterious energy. From :52-1:43, the textures underneath the vocals became muddy and unfocused. Nice melodically conservative but expansive handling of the source from 2:22-3:26. Beats got crunchy from 3:00-3:30; nothing alarming, but seemed like they could have pulled back some to have a quasi-clipping effect. It's going to sound very negative when I like the piece overall; the brass from 3:56-4:21 sounded anemic and had no business being there if it wasn't going to have more presense. This isn't as overtly melodious as the original, which is totally fine; Alex has done a good job taking the structure of the original and giving it a darker and more dramatic movie cue vibe. I had a couple of minor production issues, but the arrangement's otherwise pulled off extremely well! YES HoboKa 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted July 13, 2022 Share Posted July 13, 2022 Production and theme are great. It's creative and transformative for sure. The integration of synth and ethnic sounds is tricky to pull off but always fun. This uses an elegantly crafted soundscape with rich atmosphere. However, it drags. The general tone and energy level are constant for its 4 1/2-minute length. Nothing gets repeated per se, but everything sounds the same. The vox are nearly always there and doing basically the same thing. Same for the bass, the pads, and the drums. I lost interest at about the 2 minute mark and nothing pulled me back. This would be great as part of a score for a movie or game, with great emotive ambience. But as a standalone track I can't get into it. NO HoboKa 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkSim Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 On 5/22/2022 at 11:30 PM, Emunator said: Hi guys! And greetings to the new judges, Dark Sim and Co. (っ◔◡◔)っ herro Hello there! Thank you! Love the ambition with this one. Those vocals matched with the pulsating bass and dramatic, cinematic instrumentation remind me of the Theme from Farscape. Instantly though, the vocals seem far too quiet. They're a huge point of interest within the mix, but I'm straining to hear them. What I do hear sounds great, although could benefit from a little layering at key points for emphasis, and some more reverb/delay/backing harmonies to really fill them out. There's definitely space in the mix for them to sit right in the middle of, so it may just be a case of turning them up and seeing how it sounds. One thing I've learned when using vocals is to be bold and confident when applying them, especially if you're not used to implementing them in a mix. These sound too tentative for me as it stands. Arrangement-wise, the energy levels are pretty even throughout the piece. A break section somewhere wouldn't go amiss, and although it starts dramatically, the sense of drama soon fades as there's no release of tension and build again. There's the briefest of breaks at 3:27, for about 4 seconds, but notice what a difference that tiny break makes once the vocals return at 3:31. This is really close, and may not require all that much tinkering to get it sounding far better. I'd love for you to take another crack at that vocal mixing as a must-fix, and if there's anywhere you could fit a more substantial break section in, that would be a welcome addition. NO (resubmit) HoboKa 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted August 3, 2022 Share Posted August 3, 2022 that's a fun intro. i really like the repetitive synth initially, and the ongoing shifts to the filter and release on it. as more stuff is added in, i think MW's right - it just doesn't really progress anywhere. there's a ton of interesting stuff going on everywhere - the sweeps, the heavy stereo separation, the ongoing vocal noodling - this all does a nice job keeping it active, but it doesn't feel like it progresses. every time there's a natural breakpoint for something to change (1:44 and 2:30ish's build), there's not really a functional change to the track, it's just more of the same. i found the guitar that comes in at 2:35 to sound really non-idiomatic and strange. the changes at 3:28ish are nice, but too little too late. it's still the same voice, repeating synth, and drums as the beginning. we're at four minutes of cinematic slams - it's just too repetitive here. i love the arrangement and the liberty taken, but i'm done with it at about 2-2.25 minutes. finding new ways to keep it fresh (a new repeated tone instead of the synth? mix up the drums? lean away from vox and into the other ethnic concepts more?) would help a ton. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 I have no problem hearing the source connections in this mix. The mixing though is very flat and lifeless. The vocal chants sound dry and they are sitting on top of the soundscape instead of living within it. I do love the idea of this arrangement, but I have to agree that the soundscape palette sounds the same throughout and as MW said I've lost interest at the two-minute mark. Some of the elements sound very rigid, for example the plucked string that begins at 2:35. It is rigidly timed as well as mostly hidden within the soundscape. The track requires a mixing overhaul with EQ to bring each element into it's own place in the soundscape, and also a drumless breakdown would be nice to break up the repetitive energy level. The drum pattern remains mostly unchanged once it begins, and it eventually becomes fatiguing. Dropping out a few elements and adding new and surprising ones would also help break up the feel of this. NO HoboKa 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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