OCR04760 - *YES* Lufia 2 "The Shrine of Twisted Shadows"

[Emunator]

Contact Info

by Docjekyll

real name: Chris Johnson

email: 
forum: Docjekyll (#31804)

 

Remix

"The Shrine of Twisted Shadows" (also via SoundCloud)

a remix of "Final Battle" from Lufia 2 (for SNES)

 

This is a trance remix of the final dungeon BGM from Lufia 2. I'm sure this OST requires no introduction as it has inspired numerous remixes on OCRemix and elsewhere.

 

For this remix, I wanted to combine my favorite SNES game with the music genre that first got me interested in digital music production. The remix title is a reference to "Twisted" by Svenson & Gielen, which long ago lodged itself in my brain as a quintessential trance track.

 

Originally this remix was a much slower and lengthier progressive trance mix but I decided to shorten it in order to better reflect the source material. Hopefully the result is a fun trance experience for fans of Lufia 2 that doesn't overstay its welcome.

 

This remix is not subtle in its use of the source material, both in terms of structure and phrasing. There are variations on note patterns throughout (most obviously at 3:08) in order to better build and release tension in a manner appropriate to the trance genre.

 

In a few places I changed things in order to emphasize my favorite ideas from the source track. For example:

• detuned synth pluck pattern starting at 0:28 in place of the pulsing dissonant string chords from the original to keep the listener somewhat off-balance
• swelling synths leaning hard into holding the tension just a little longer at 1:23 in place of the 16th-note run that teases releasing tension from the original melody
• vibrato sine wave at 1:28 to emphasize the 4th/5th leap that the melody in the original uses to release a bit of tension right before the buildup to its big moments

For as long as I have done music production as a hobby, I have repeatedly come back to the Lufia 2 soundtrack, and I feel like with this remix I may have finally done it justice.

 

Thank you for your time and feedback!

[MindWanderer]

Great tone to start off with.  The bass is evocative of the source without actually using it, though the slow arp establishes source usage.  The intro builds up a superb soundscape.

And then it just keeps building, and building.... At 1:15, there's the source melody, but it's done with an ethereal bell synth, quietly, in the background.  Bizzarely, at 2:11 there's a breakdown, as if we'd had melody already.

At 3:27-3:42, and then at 3:56-4:30, finally, the source melody kicks in as a melody.  But it's still a thin, quiet synth that can only be heard by merit of how shrill it is.  And then it plays just once, 49 seconds out of 4:38.

Now, perhaps I'm biased, because Lufia 2 is my favorite game soundtrack of all time, and this source is excellent.  So the fact that the entire remix rides on the arp and the chord progressions was a disappointment for me subjectively.

So the question for me is whether this represents a standards violation.  My timestamps for what are obviously, overtly source material and not just chord progressions or riffing are:

• 0:14-0:55 (arp)
• 1:15-1:30 (melody, buried)
• 1:30-1:44 (arp)
• 2:53-3:07 (arp)
• 3:15-3:27 (arp)
• 3:27-3:42 (melody and arp)
• 3:42-3:56 (arp)
• 3:56-4:30 (melody)

Total: 159/278 seconds = 57.2%

So then the question for me is whether the melody being prominent is critical for this to work, either as a standalone track or as a remix.  And I guess technically it isn't.  This isn't what I want out of a remix in general, let alone of a source I have a personal attachment to, but it counts, and it does what it's supposed to do.  I don't have any objective criticisms.

YES

Update 10/25/24: I don't remember exactly what the original version sounded like, but everything here sounds crisp, and I can make out more subtle hints to the melody earlier. The melody use at 1:15 is much more up-front, so while it's still more of a tantalizing taste of that melody, it's more solidly there. The main hit at 2:12 strikes more forcefully than I recall. However, the refrain that finally comes at 4:03 is still pretty buried and not very satisfying.

So, no change in my bottom line: Still not what I would have wanted from this epic tune, still fine for what it is.

Edited October 25 by MindWanderer

[Liontamer]

Love this theme, SO YOU BETTER NOT MESS IT UP, MAN!

Source comes in at :14, so glad to hear it invoked early. Interesting electronic approach too; I've heard chill and rock, but nothing like this, so respect for the unique interpretation. Soundscape's somewhat washed out during its densest moments, but thankfully not enough to make me pause and go back thinking something was problematic relative to the bar. I dig the synth fleetingly used for the melodic lead at 3:27. Nice little high point at 3:56 finally building to the chorus; I would have personally preferred to get to that earlier, but huge respect for drawing the track's development out so that you built to this as the catharsis, so to speak. Cool approach, Chris, let's go!

YES
EDIT (11/3): No issues with the new version.

[prophetik music]

the mastering right off the bat is pretty low-heavy, and feels pretty dense with too much low-mid to feel good. the synths that come in later however sound great and are a good mix of sounds.

from an arrangement or structural standpoint, there's a lot of referential material but certainly not the melody-driven approach i'd have expected with such a banger original. it is a patient arrangement and i can't fault it for that. i will say that while i felt it was probably a minute too long, when it worked (like the breakdown at 2:11 and near the end when the drums dropped), it worked great. there's a clean ending, a cohesive structure, and a clearly intentional approach taken overall.

i think the mastering hurts it - this track doesn't sparkle like it could - but it's good enough. the arrangement isn't what i expected, but it's solid and doesn't overthink it.

 

 

YES

edit 10/22/2024: still a pass for me.

Edited October 22 by prophetik music

[Gario]

Oh shit I better give this one my thoughts.

Solid style for a fantastic source (if you don't know, I love Lufia 2). The source is more implied than it is obviously apparent, focusing much more on the source textures and harmonies than it does the source melody. I'm not sure if that'll be something everyone wants - especially if they're a fan of the source - but I personally really enjoy that approach. Give those other elements of the source some love, y'all, and it makes moments where the lead pops out like at 3:30 all that much better. Really good stuff.

The production is okay, but it's certainly the weak point of this arrangement. There are elements that I think would be better presented to the front when they show up in the mix (like the glass lead at 0:44 that contrasts against the texture and the lead that pops out at 2:12 & 3:28); there are a lot of elements that are fighting to be put at the front of the mix which makes those moments where a significant lead should be drawing the listener's attention is buried behind the other textures. No clipping for a track this loud is impressive, but the overall experience sounds unfocused and hard to follow.

I really want to see this on the front page, but this really could use another pass on the mixing front. Mix the textures into the background more so that the leads really shine when they do come in. Considering the style of this one, it's especially important for those leads to pop when they come in, which right now they are fighting too much with the other instruments for space in the mix.

NO

[Chimpazilla]

I'm not familiar with this source so my comments are on production.  This is a good, interesting trance arrangement, but as Brad said it lacks sparkle.  The synths used sound very vanilla and dated to me.  The drum groove is simple and repetitive.  The kick sound is full enough, but the hats and snare are weak and quiet, sitting dead-center in the soundscape.  There is a lot of excellent ear candy going in in terms of delays and automated panning.  The mix would benefit from some instrumental changeups at some point, as the arrangement is long and has a repetitive feel over time. I also think the elements could use more/deeper sidechaining to make everything groove and melt into the soundscape. (I hear that some elements are sidechained and others aren't.  The ones that aren't feel disconnected from the soundscape.)  All that said, I think a lot was done with the sounds used, and it is an enjoyable listen.  I would love to hear an arrangement like this one using more modern sounds and with improved mixing and soundstage placement.

YES

edit 10-23-24:  Listening to new version, it sounds like a lot of my complaints were addressed.  This sounds good to me, although it still sounds a bit dense in the mid-lows.  Still a YES from me.

Edited October 23 by Chimpazilla

[prophetik music]

@Chimpazilla @Gario @MindWanderer @Liontamer we got an updated version of this non-project lufia 2 track back in may and i'm sick of it sitting in the submission bin, so i'm doing this =) please update your votes with a quick re-listen of this track. it's changed significantly from what we originally YES'd, so while i don't think it'll get any votes flipped, i'd still prefer to have the updated version listened to before we rubber stamp it.

per Docjekyll's submission: "Since my previous submission ~2 years ago, I have been working on improving my mixing skills in particular and I don't believe my previous submission is still a good representation of my best effort. So I'm resubmitting the same remix with generally the same arrangement, but with better mixing, smoother transitions and additional atmospheric elements."