Emunator Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 (edited) ReMixer name: Astral Tales Real name: Ernesto Bernal Email address: Website: astraltales.bandcamp.com Submission Information Name of game arranged: Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations Name of arrangement: Dahlia Hawthorne Name of individual song arranged: Distant Traces of Beauty Own comments about the mix: The Phoenix Wright series has some amazing tunes on it, but there's one that soon caught my attention due to its beauty. Ironically, it is the theme of one of the more twisted characters I have ever found in a video game: Dahlia Hawthorne. It's difficult to talk about her without spoiling the plot of the game, so I will just say that her beauty contrasts with her evil nature. I wanted to reflect this dichotomy while keeping the emotional and melancholic side of the theme intact. This is why you'll find two sections, which share some harmonies, but translate in very opposite ways: one is delicate and soft, while the other is darker, and combatant. One reflects the Japanese culture and its beauty, and the other shows twisted emotions and evil intentions. I hope you enjoy it! I hope you enjoy it! Cheers! Ernesto Bernal Edited October 8, 2022 by Liontamer closed decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted September 9, 2022 Share Posted September 9, 2022 It's a beautiful arrangement, and I feel like you successfully captured the emotions and expression you were going for. However, production needs some notable work. The thing that leaps out the most is that balance of everything is out of whack. The instruments you're using as a pads, first the tubular one in the intro and later the wash at 1:45, are extremely loud and resonant, and they distort the entire space. They're compressing the timbre of the other samples and making them sound extra-fake. At 1:03, when more parts are added, there's just too much going on. The soundscape is crushed and distorted. The high-pitched lead and other instruments cut through like a knife, and are too shrill to listen to. At the climax at 2:33, you have the same problem, exacerbated even worse; there's actual clipping here, and it makes a mess of everything; it's distorted, bitcrushed, saturated, and muddy. You certainly have the creative chops, but please take this over to the workshop and get some help with the levels and EQ. I think there might also be an issue with the humanization, but it's hard to pick out when there are larger issues at play. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkSim Posted October 4, 2022 Share Posted October 4, 2022 I just got done listening to your awesome Batman: Return of the Joker mix, and it put me in the mood for some judging. How funny that the first track I clicked on was another track of yours! Very nice arrangement here, with a clear artistic direction. I appreciate the attention to a dynamic range in the track as well - the climax at 2:33 is the loudest section, although MW is right on the money with his mixing critique. Let's dive in with a couple of screenshots: Clipping analysis in Audacity shows there's only 1 instance of actual clipping, however the section preceding the climax has some high frequency content that will pierce the eardrums of anyone lucky enough to still have hearing up to 15kHz: The climax also has some resonance issues, and I get what you're going for with the 'epic reverb' type thing, but it does sound too muddy for me. There's some static-sounding noise in there that doesn't sound too great, so identifying the source of that and either removing it, or making it sound more intentional, would be beneficial. Back to the beginning, and the soft, emotional section should have some better humanisation to it. It represents beauty, and while I know there's a ton of beautiful synth sounds out there, I reckon this would be vastly improved with some more subtle variation in the tubular bell sound (velocity/timing), and also with the attack/decay/sustain/release on the synth flute sound you have. This is a great idea, and you're pretty much there with the arrangement. Production needs more work. At the very least, those high-pitched frequencies need to go, and if you wanted to take on board and change any of the other points, that's up to you, but would be appreciated! NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 I concur with my fellow Js here entirely on all points. This is indeed a beautiful, emotional arrangement of this source. But the production needs some fixes before we can post it. There are a couple of issues causing the master to be overcompressed, as is very evident at the busy section starting at 2:34. That final big section is so loud, flat and overcompressed, it sounds crackly, especially when the bass drum hits, as everything is playing at once in the same frequency range. The soundscape is super crowded, giving the final master almost zero audible dynamics. With some proper EQ treatment, you'll be able to get this mix sounding louder without being crunchy and fatiguing as it is now. From the intro all the way until 1:36, there is some low-end content that is inaudible but is surely causing your mastering to be overcompressed. You will want to EQ out all low frequencies that are unneeded in each instrument, at the very minimum you will want to cut everything below 30Hz as this is mostly inaudible. Low-end rumble only steals your mastering headroom and makes clean mastering harder or impossible. The next issue is the surprisingly loud high-frequency dog-whistle sound at 15K Hz that DarkSim pointed out, happening starting at 1:46 and getting worse at 2:00. It is utterly ear-piercing and has to be removed or scaled way back. So, those two issues must be fixed. Then, focus on removing lows from any instrument that doesn't need lows. I suggest low-cutting each instrument while it is soloed, move the EQ up the frequency range and listen until the fundamental of the sound begins to change, then back it off a little. You don't want to change the character of the sound, only cut out low frequencies that are unnecessary. That will clear up your soundscape extremely well. Hopefully after you've done this, each element will sound more clear and they won't be competing in the same frequency range, and there will be room for that big bass drum when it hits, without causing your master limiter to constantly max out. The outro writing is somewhat abrupt but it works well enough. However your render cuts off before the end of the final reverb tail. Either render the entire tail, or fade it out so there is a smooth resolution of the sound, instead of a cutoff which there is now. I hope to hear this again as it is a lovely emotive interpretation of this source tune. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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