OCR04568 - *YES* Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike "Remy Is a Rave Dad"

[Liontamer]

There are also 3 slightly different versions/mixes of the source tune in the Dreamcast game, so all 3 are included for reference just in case -LT

Link

• Your ReMixer name : Dagger_G 
• Real Name: Kyle Okamoto      
• Email: okamotokyle@hotmail.com 
• Website(s): https://twitter.com/Dagger_G  https://www.twitch.tv/daggerg  https://www.youtube.com/@Dagger_G 

• UserID: 1369
   
• Name of game(s) arranged: Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike: Fight for the Future 
• Name of arrangement: Remy is a Rave Dad (feat. Don_Bozzi) 
• Name of individual song(s) arranged: The Beep (Track.6 Stage of Remy) 
  https://youtu.be/7VtgvJmwW44 

Note: The guitarist on this arrangement, Don_Bozzi (https://twitter.com/Don_Bozzi83 , https://www.youtube.com/@DonBozzi ) does not have an OCRemix account. Please credit him in the submission if it gets accepted

Hello! I’ve been a long-time fan of the site since I discovered it via an Rpgamer remix conteset back in the early 2000’s during my high school days. It had been a goal of mine to get a song on the site which is what kicked off my foray into music production. Those were simpler times.

I had always been an arcade rat growing up, so it was only natural that I would get involved in the competitive fighting game community. Street Fighter III: 3^rd Strike was my first serious competitive game. And over time I would work my way up to being the top Remy user in the USA. Imagine how many times I had to hear that Remy theme haha!

A lot has happened since then. Fighting games and music have come in and out of my life over the last two decades. There was a point where I stopped “hearing the music” if that makes any sense…It was during COVID that I realized how unhappy I was due to silencing that creative part of my soul. Fighting games had always been a sort of anchor in my life to prove to myself that I had some kind of control. I felt like I could have gone much further in those endeavors. So long story short, I started playing again to see if I could reclaim that part of myself. 

I had forgotten how diverse and talented the fighting game community could be. A good amount of the new friends I had made online were musicians. One of the guys I met, Don_Bozzi (the guitarist on this arrangement), was working on a track for a Garou: Mark of the Wolves online tournament trailer. Being a part of the community Discord, and not really knowing what it was for, I booted up my trusty Acid Pro 7.0 (because I had lost my key for Ableton lol) and collaborated to help finish the track. And wouldn’t ya know? I started to hear the music again! I hit up Don_Bozzi to see if he could lay some guitar for this track which he was more than happy to do, with us being in the same boat when it came to keeping music in our lives.

I’m sorry for the wall of text! Didn’t mean to give you my whole life story or anything, but I felt it was important. Anyway, enough about that stuff! I should be talking about the track! As I mentioned before, it was done on a very old and limited DAW (Acid 7.0!), which led me to rely a bit more on my hardware (especially for the sequencing). That being an Elektron Monomachine synth/sequencer/drum machine, and a Novation Ultranova. The Monomachine was used for the drum sequencing, digital sounding arps and voice generator sounds. The Ultranova was used for the pads, and more standard synth sounds.

The original track itself is quite simple, so it took some time to figure out how to twist it without losing it’s soul. As a Street Fighter track, it morphs as the rounds progress, with three rounds being the max. I was inspired by the aesthetics of Remy’s stage, with those weird steampunk looking skulls and the bright lights which offer an air of mystery as to what exactly is going on inside that club. The arrangement is my interpretation of a sort of DJ set with the various electronic styles you might hear in that place. Keeping the idea of the three movements, it starts from a slower paced midrange bass heavy piece to warm up the crowd that you might hear when you first walk into the club (the first round). The second section moves to a higher energy psy-trance variation with heavy guitars inspired by the buttrock goa of the early-mid 2000’s like Infected Mushroom. Things could end here, as one does not always make it to the final round. The third round is always a true battle of wills, as each player must respect that their opponent has taken a round. For this last section, I started with a break and pad chords to portray that emotional release. The guitar starts to rebuild the tension, along with the digital arps. Finally, the square synth gives way for the rest of the guitars to come in to close the show with a climax (the final KO). And as everyone knows, police sirens can always be heard after a wild night!

Here is the link to the flac

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DtKAy1SAmlAAGaws93nSWbCteVNMPll9/view?usp=sharing

Thank you so much for your time!

 - Kyle (Dagger_G)

LT EDIT (7/20/23): I reached out to Dagger_G for a source breakdown, and here's what he provided:

One thing to keep in mind is that I took inspiration of both the original, and the official arranged version since it was different on arcade and on console. Oh yea and throughout the track, listen for that whistle sounding scratch as that is something that occurs throughout both versions of the original and now that I think about it, that must be what makes it sound.. BEEPY

1:06 - 1:55ish is kind of a transitionary section, but the flanged synth from 1:30 is the bass from the source (starting from 1:00 on the arranged ost, and 1:30 on the original ost on the videos I sent)
1:41 I used the reverse hat + portamento lead from the original to bring in the next section
1:55-2:00 also uses this as a backdrop to those techno stabs
2:00 - 2:13 again, the synth is the bass from the original
From 2:13 - 2:37 is where I'd say the meat is. The guitar is playing a modified version of the main synth lead you'll hear in the original OST (:16 in the vid)
2:46 - 3:13 the glide synth is also playing a variation of that main lead and accents the guitars from above that come back in at 3:14
3:33 - end The guitars are playing a variation of the "singing" guitar from the arranged soundtrack (1:28 in the video), and the synthish guitar from the ost (1:30 in the video)

 

[MindWanderer]

Nice dynamic metal/trance arrangement.  The source tune is repetitive as hell, so it's impressive you were able to do so much with it. Clean production, full of interesting ideas. I'm on board.

YES

[Liontamer]

Aside from some overt, yet fleeting references, I wasn’t making out the source tune for most of this. I’ll come back to this later and attempt to timestamp, but I barely recognize “The Beep”. I’ll email the artist asking for more info. MW or anyone else, can you break this down?

[MindWanderer]

It's a tough one to timestamp, for sure. I hear a lot of bits that sound like extensions or transformations of the arp and bass sections of the original, but Kyle can do it more justice than I can.

[prophetik music]

i need a timestamp before i can talk about the arrangement. this is ridiculously hip to listen to but i can't find any elements from the original song - not really even timbral similarities - for the first minute and a half, and aside from the bass riff that shows up at 1:30 for a while, there's not a lot else.

from a mastering perspective, this sounds awesome, and i love it. show me the melodic content and i'll pass it. i hear virtually no SF3 in this track's musical elements, so barring a breakdown that shows me things i totally missed, this is not passable.

 

 

NO

edit 11/9: larry's breakdown is enough for me. i don't feel bad for not catching the relationships. i wasn't really listening for this level of subtractive arrangement. talk about boiling it down to the essence...i like it. i'm good to go.

YES

Edited November 9, 2023 by prophetik music

[Chimpazilla]

Wow, what an arrangement, I love this so much!  So many details, interesting timbres, writing variation.  So many cool arps, growls, ear candy.  Mixing and mastering are very good.  But yeah, we are going to need the artist to timestamp the source material for us to compare, because it really sounds like an original track inspired by the Beep source and not a proper remix of it.  I hope to be proven wrong so we can post this excellent mix.

? (YES if source can be supported)

11-8-23:  Editing my vote to a NO after my peers have not discerned any more source than I did.  But Flex gave excellent advice of finding a complimentary source to use for added motif/melody/other for more source representation.

11-9-23:  Editing again, after following along with Larry's timestamp.  I appreciate Larry's work so much, and I agree with the timestamps, but THAT IS SOME BRAIN DAMAGE.  I really dislike remixes that end up this far away from recognizable source use.  Larry said he does not require a casual listener to say it is recognizable but I disagree wholeheartedly, I think THAT IS THE POINT.  I am not familiar with these source tunes, so I am a casual listener to this remix, and for me there is no connection WITHOUT DOING THE BRAIN DAMAGE of a timestamp.  It is possible to blend up a source tune(s) TOO much in a remix.  This is my opinion.  However, my opinion on this is not going to affect my vote, not on THIS track anyway. The feel and vibe of the remix captures the source vibe well and that makes all the difference for me; not every liberal remix does that.  It's an awesome track that should be heard.

YES

Edited November 9, 2023 by Chimpazilla

[DarkSim]

OK so I've listened to the original and the source many times each now, and it's definitely got plenty of source in there if you really dig for it. The timestamps are helpful, but there's never too much of the source playing at one time, and it's always masked by the (excellent) sound design, so it's really a struggle to identify for the casual listener. That said, I do feel like after the first couple of listens to the remix, then one to the source, it did feel familiar.

The track itself is excellent. The three clear sections are each individual, yet connected with smooth transitions, and all packed with detail. I like the slow start, leading into the intensity of the middle section, and then my favourite part is the smooth, synthwave-esque finale. The sound design is delicious throughout, and the guitar work chunky with some awesome harmonics. Production is great, even if you said your DAW was old!

It seems like you've heard this theme so much through playing SF3 that it's almost become something else, but the theme is there in spirit.

YES

[Liontamer]

Slowed down first two notes of beep pattern (:00-:01) from Mix 1: :02.5-:10.75, :13.5-:19.5, :24.5-:27.5, :29.5-:32.5, :40.25-:43, :45.75-:48.5, 1:28-1:30.25

Pattern from intro (:00-:15) of Mix 3: 1:30.25-1:41, 1:44-1:45.5, 1:46.75-1:48, 2:00.5-2:12.5

Mix 1 bassline's two sets of 5 notes (:14-:42) simplified into two set of 3 notes - 2:12.5-2:16.75, 2:18.5-2:22.75, 2:24.5-2:34.75, 3:07.5-3:13.5, 3:18-3:33.75

Seemingly liberal version of 1:29-1:43 & 2:14-2:28 from arcade version (also :00-:16 of Mix 2): 3:32-3:56.5, 4:20-4:57

I've come back to this so many times. This is a game I loved as a kid, so I've looped these sources a bunch of times and even included the arranged version and all 3 Dreamcast mixes to dig deep on comparisons. I enjoy the sound design and production, so that's not in question.

Even with Kyle's breakdown, none of these stated connections are overt, with the only exception being the slowed down beep pattern used at the start (:02-:48). I'm not counting the whistling SFX, which sounds sampled as far as I can tell, but it wouldn't have added much to my count. To me, the source theme's just too liberally treated; when you're talking about references to brief patterns and cadences, you can't go too far off the beaten path or it becomes unrecognizable and feels only like stylistic influences rather than adapted patterns or arranged melodic fragments.

Even something like the synth line from 3:07-3:13, I hear how that's adapted from :00-:12 of the arcade version (the first source video) or :00-:12 of Mix 1 from the Dreamcast, but that's not actually how the source melody goes in the original. It's a difficult source tune to work with, and it felt there (3:07-3:13) like an inaccurate internal/mental transcription was what was being arranged.

I'm one of the judges known as being very appreciative of very liberal arrangements, and I wanted to divine what you're selling, but it's not happening here, IMO, unfortunately. Unless someone on the panel can explicitly timestamp segments of the source and explicitly connect them to segments of the arrangement, a case for this being a recognizable arrangement is too difficult to make.

NO (resubmit)

EDIT (11/9): Alright, Dagger_G's breakdown isn't as explicit/clear as I'd like, but I'm listening more and more to the Dreamcast mixes in particular (which are cleaner/clearer), and I have a better picture of what's referenced. This definitely isn't focused on arranging the source's most memorable melody, and IMO, some will say the references aren't overt enough, so my more detailed A-to-B breakdown may not be compelling for some. That said, it's offered with timestamps and me pointing out what patterns/parts are referenced:

* Slowed down first two notes of beep pattern (:00-:01) from Mix 1 - :02.5-:10.75, :13.5-:19.5, :24.5-:27.5, :29.5-:32.5, :40.25-:43, :45.75-:48.5, 1:28-1:30.25

* Pattern from intro (:00-:15) of Mix 3 - 1:30.25-1:41, 1:44-1:45.5, 1:46.75-1:48, 2:00.5-2:12.5

* Mix 1 bassline's two sets of 5 notes (:14-:42) simplified into two sets of 3 notes (like simplifying 1-1-2-2-3 to 1-2-3) - 2:12.5-2:16.75, 2:18.5-2:22.75, 2:24.5-2:34.75, 3:07.5-3:13.5, 3:18-3:33.75

* Mix 2 springy line (:01-:16) - 3:34.75-3:36.25, 3:37.75-3:39.25, 3:40.75-3:42.25, 3:43.75-3:45.25, 3:46.75-3:48.25, 3:50-3:56.5, 4:19.75-4:21.25, 4:22.75-4:24.25, 4:26-4:27.5, 4:29-4:32.5, 4:38.75-4:39.25, 4:41-4:42.5, 4:44.25-4:45.75, 4:47-4:50.25

* Mix 1 bassline pattern (:00-:14, sounds like a low rumble), 2 notes twice, rhythm altered - 3:56.5-4:29, 4:32.25-4:37.25

* Mix 1 bassline's two sets of 5 notes (:14-:42) - 4:31.75-4:33.5, 4:35-4:37.5. 4:38.25-4:39.5, 4:40.75-4:42.5, 4:43.75-4:45.75, 4:46.75-4:48.5, 4:50.25-4:57

The track's 4:54-long (due to silence at the beginning), so I needed to make out the source tune for at least 147 seconds for the source tune usage to be dominant:

:02.5-:10.75, :13.5-:19.5, :24.5-:27.5, :29.5-:32.5, :40.25-:43, :45.75-:48.5, 1:28-1:41, 1:44-1:45.5, 1:46.75-1:48, 2:00.5-2:16.75, 2:18.5-2:22.75, 2:24.5-2:34.75, 3:07.5-3:13.5, 3:18-3:33.75, 3:34.75-3:36.25, 3:37.75-3:39.25, 3:40.75-3:42.25, 3:43.75-3:45.25, 3:46.75-3:48.25, 3:50-4:39.5, 4:40.75-4:42.5, 4:43.75-4:45.75, 4:46.75-4:57 = 165.25 seconds or 56.20% overt source usage

I can get over not recognizing the source usage in the ways I would have expected to, and I'm happy to recognize lots more subtle references; there's possibly other connections I'm overlooking. More cerebral and granular of an arrangement approach than I'd prefer, way more difficult to make the connections than I'd prefer, but those gripes are immaterial to how I'm judging it, nor do I need a casual listener to say it's recognizable. It may not sound like what I'd expect an arrangement of "The Beep" to be, but Dagger_G's in fact referencing a lot of different elements from the different mixes. Clever! I ain't too proud to change my vote.

YES

[Flexstyle]

Aww man. This track is rad as heck. Love the sound design, love the sectional approach, love how it's never boring as the song progresses, even with the short little licks and riffs. My studio subwoofer is very happy with all the bass and my feet were tapping along the entire time! (Also, Acid was my first DAW. Glad to see it's still getting some love!)

Here's the thing. This has a very clear SPIRITUAL connection to the original -- that is, I can hear where the influences are. This is not an ARRANGEMENT of that source tune(s), though. It's INSPIRED by the original. That's great if you're trying to release this -- I'm pretty sure even Robin Thicke's jury wouldn't hold the way this sounds against you compared to the original -- but it's a problem here at OC ReMix. No blurred lines, there are very clear lines that this doesn't cross over. I'd expect to hear the main bass riff from the original repeated clearly throughout, since that's the meat of the source tune. I'd expect to hear the octave-jumping acid line played with in some way. Those don't show up, at least not clearly enough to make this obvious to an average listener, IMO.

If I were this ReMixer and I really wanted to see this posted, I'd find ANOTHER source tune with a really obvious melody to pull from and incorporate that as well. Have a lead line that plays over the top of what's here in some way. That way, you can keep the spiritual connection to the Remy track, but then also present a discernible melody line from another tune as the source tune.

For now, very sadly, I must vote...

NO