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OCR04481 - *YES* Atelier Shallie & Atelier Ryza "Starlit Sails"


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Hello, it's me again!

Remixer: Ivan Hakštok
Games arranged: 
- Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea
- Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout
Name of arrangement: Starlit Sails
Names of songs arranged:
- Stella parts 1, 2 and 3 from Atelier Shallie (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhPr0R_YTU0)
- End of Hibernation from Atelier Ryza (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0zBU_U1IHQ)
 
This was my entry for the December 2021 Dwelling of Duels Free Month, Magfest edition. Just like in last year's Magfest DoD, I placed 2nd behind that guy T-Dick and The Tiberian Sons, although it was much closer this time! But honestly, I didn't even expect to make the top 5, there were a ton of great entries.
 
I've never played any of the games, but I discovered some cool Atelier series music this summer while listening to random Japanese VGM cover artists. I was shocked to see that nobody ever covered anything Atelier both on DoD and ocremix, so I thought I might break the ice. :)
 
Since there are several sources, here's a breakdown:
0:00 - 0:23 = intro
0:23 - 1:07 = Stella 2 intro and verse
1:07 - 1:25 = Stella 1 bridge
1:25 - 2:10 = a combination of Stella 2 and Stella 3 choruses
2:10 - 3:09 = the chords for both the acoustic and the electric solos are based on the chorus sections from all 3 parts
3:09 - 5:14 = End of Hibernation, with some extra piano soloing
5:14 - 5:17 = Stella 2 intro
5:17 - 5:41 = just some original doodling
5:41 - 6:34 = accordion solo over the repeated first 4 bars from Stella 2 chorus
6:34 - 7:56 = chorus section repeated a few more times, with a final guitar solo, followed by an outro based on the Stella 2 intro
 
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  • prophetik music changed the title to 2022/01/14 - Atelier "Starlit Sails"

what absolute BANGERS of originals! i am gonna check out a ton of that music now.

the initial presentation of stella is immediately recognizable, and well performed on the whistle. presentation is typical ivan, balls to the wall but everything's clear and nothing's really overwhelming. when the paired guitars come in at 1:25, i loved the continued focus on orchestral instruments in the background (lead guitars could have been slightly quieter but this section is still real fun). 

the solo break at 2:15ish i would have probably attributed to just similar chords, but i can hear some of stella's chord patterns in there now that i know what to look for. solos are great. there's a funky chord change at 3:13 that i didn't expect, but End of Hibernation has some real weird extended chords in there so i didn't think it was a real issue. it is probably the only really crunchy transition out of the whole song, though. entrance of the guitar at 3:52 was nice. this section of the arrangement wasn't quite as originally handled as stella 2 and 1 were, but there's obviously a lot that went into the transcription. 

the accordian lead at 5:41 sounds great, really - it's a very different vibe from earlier, and changing up the backing instrumentation at that point was a great choice to keep a long track moving forward. there's some ramen and then a final recap of everything starting at 6:34 with the expected last solo and outro.

this is a great track. the mastering is solid (if loud) and clear throughout despite a variety of different instruments and band groupings. the transitions are overall real solid. the arranged aspects are present throughout and the solos especially are great. can't believe you didn't win with such a complete package. nice work ivan!

 

 

YES

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  • prophetik music changed the title to 2022/01/14 - (1Y) Atelier "Starlit Sails"
  • 4 weeks later...

This is a ton of fun throughout!  I never expected where it was going to go next, and yet everything flows smoothly from transition to transition.  Such great sounds and performances.

I have only two teeny nitpicks.  First, the samples and instruments have different amounts of clarity and reverb.  The flute, piano, and claps in particular jump out as aseptic.  Second, at 5:42, there's a sound effect that just sounds like something being wiped with a rough cloth; it sounds really out of place, especially since it's again really clean, and every time that section comes up, I look around to see if someone's sweeping the floor or dragging something nearby me.

Neither issue is anywhere close to a dealbreaker, though.  You earned your second place rightfully (and I'm going to go look up the winner right now, it must have been stupendous!).

YES

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  • MindWanderer changed the title to 2022/01/14 - (2Y) Atelier "Starlit Sails"
  • 3 weeks later...

What an absolute treat! I don't know how you managed to blend so many elements together to make this incredible Japanese/Irish vibe that still goes hard, but I loved it. When the chorus comes back at 6:35 (yes, 6:35... it's a long one!) it was immediately recognisable and the arrangement led to it beautifully.

Production is extremely clean (perhaps a little too clean in places), often sounding like the musicians are right there in front of you. Some amazing instrumentation - opening with marimba, irish pipes, and there's all sorts of flutes and whistles mixed in, and is that a melodica at 1:15 (and later)? You did me dirty though with those Irish pipes. It's one of my favourite instruments/sounds, and we only got 5 seconds of them at the start, and a little bit at 2:18. Booo! More of those please!

There are great solos throughout as well, on both acoustic and electric guitars, and the clapping breakdown is a fun interlude, with more melodica action. We get a fully epic buildup from 5:42, with a very Windwaker-sounding melodica solo leading into a female choir getting the goosebumps going. I said it earlier, but the way that chorus returns at 6:35 is masterful. Just a superb build and transition, with a satisfying and recognisable climax to the song. This is how you do an arrangement!

I've run out of superlatives now, suffice to say, it's 8 minutes of craziness that brought a big smile to my face.

YES

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  • Liontamer changed the title to 2022/01/14 - (3Y) Atelier Shallie & Atelier Ryza "Starlit Sails"

No idea at all what this is referencing from the sources:
5:41 - 6:34 = accordion solo over the repeated first 4 bars from Stella 2 chorus

I couldn't find anything at all in Stella 2 matching up with that repeating pattern.

The claps at the very end were so out of place; why even do that when they weren't anywhere in the track before and sound dry? Anyway, a needlessly poor finish, but a strong arrangement otherwise!

YES

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  • Liontamer changed the title to OCR04481 - *YES* Atelier Shallie & Atelier Ryza "Starlit Sails"
  • Liontamer locked this topic
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