OCR04576 - *YES* Golden Sun "The Lighthouse"

[Liontamer]

Hi ocremix team!

I recently did a remix of the Golden Sun Soundtrack, which I'd like to submit and share.

ReMixer name: Mental
Real Name: Ly
email address: 
my social media:
https://mentalpainmusic.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/lymusicger
userid: 17600

Name of game: Golden Sun 1
Name of original soundtrack: Wintery Imil
Name of my arrangement: The Lighthouse

I had this idea lying around for a long time. The Imil theme was one of the first pieces I learned for the piano initially and always loved this motive. Now I'm back with some new toys and an uplifting arrangement!

The original track form is like ABC.
I recycled the first bar of the A and instead of the remaining A section, I invented an arpeggio and melody around it to fit the uplifting motive. Sections B and C I used fully for this remix.

Best Regards
Ly

 

[MindWanderer]

I love epic cinematic arrangements! You'd definitely captured the tone and composition of the genre, and that aspect sounds great. I would say that the men's choir is a little quiet, but otherwise production sounds really good.

However, I'm left disappointed in a few areas. The instrumentation is pretty mechanical: the timing and articulation is too precise and consistent. This is evident in a few ways, but mostly in the strings, which swell in exactly the same way every time.  The piano intro and outtro also sound exactly identical, without human-like inconsistency in timing and velocity. Percussion also sounds like it's on a loop. And although they're clearly synthetic, the two drops (1:35 and 2:30) being identical was also noticable.

The ending is also really abrupt. It's clearly an outtro, but it doesn't end on the tonic, and even the tail of the last piano note is cut off. It sounds incomplete.

This is well on its way, but for a heavily orchestral track, the realism needs to be a bit higher, and while I don't normally come down hard on weak endings, an ending that doesn't resolve fully in a sub-3:00 piece makes the whole thing sound like a work-in-progress.

NO (please resubmit)

[prophetik music]

the intro is pretty, as is the first section with strings. the intro of symphonic percussion, some plectral elements, sfx, and more rhythmic strings at 0:42 certainly sounds appropriately epic. the use of the slower string pad as a lead at 0:59 however isn't a great choice.it sounds good earlier on without the rhythmic elements, but as soon as there is percussive elements behind it it's clear how behind the beat it is. that needs to be something that is able to play in time with the fun backing you've put down. it's more egregious when it's doubled up the octave and you can hear it next to an instrument that actually changes on the beat. the brass there are androgynous to the extreme too - it'd be nice to get a clearer and more timbre-appropriate tone for a whole ensemble vs. what sounds like a flugelhorn synth for a coffee shop.

1:38 brings a bit of a break which is needed by this point. the echoed guitar is a nice tone, and it sounds like there's a glide synth layered into the slow string lead right after that's really nice.

there's a big hit at 2:11 with chorus added, and the chorus sounds great. the same bass drop transition shows at 2:31, and then we're in an outro featuring the intro instruments. there's a hard cut at the end that needs to be faded out instead.

i agree with MW that there's opportunity for customization throughout that wasn't taken. i don't have too much of an issue with the intro/outro although the outro could have certainly been different and more robust, but i do agree that the string leads being the same notes in the same places throughout is a letdown. also, the string lead that's used throughout simply isn't cutting it - it's just too slow.

i think these are straightforward fixes! this would be a quick resubmission if you're willing.

 

 

NO

[Liontamer]

I'm surprised a track by Ly's at 2 NOs, but maybe there's some work needed.

Good source tune choice. No need to timestamp source tune usage for this one, it's straightforward. Seems to have a lovely, intimate sound to start. Good choice to stick with just the first part of the source's A section.

Strings enter at :25 and are in the uncanny valley but sound solid. Laughing a little bit, because the instrumentation and tone felt like I was watching a viral video on perseverance, motivation, or grind, at least until the change-up at :42. Really enjoyed the tension introduced with the transition at :42, including the vocals added at :50.

String timing at :59 sounded slightly lagging behind the beats until 1:07; not a big deal. Around 1:16, I started noticing the panning here seemed strange. It sounds imbalanced towards the right side, but I'm not sure what happened; rewinding the track to the beginning confirms it's ongoing. I had to put on a control track to make sure my setup wasn't messed up and my headphones weren't fritzing. Though not a dealbreaker or disorienting, the panning's still too wide, so it would be good if it could be tweaked; we'll see if a musician J can better explain what I heard there.

Dulcimer brought in at 1:37, and I'm always game there. Choir also brought in was adding mud, so the mixing was indistinct to some extent, but it creates a decent texture, so I'll live. Regardless, I like the instrumentation ideas. Good escalation of the energy at 2:11 in repeating 1:37 & 1:54's melody; each iteration sounded texturally different, changing from dulcimer to lower strings to higher strings. I really enjoyed those instrumentation changes to create dynamic contrast and keep the presentation fresh all the way from :59 when that section of the source was first used. Then 2:31 repeated the intro as a bookend.

I appreciate MindWanderer citing some timing and articulations as "too precise and consistent", which exposes the samples and ostensibly makes things sound more like a mock-up and less organic/humanized. He's not wrong at what he heard, but I disagreed with how negatively those issues shape up relative to our bar. I didn't notice these issues at all until they were pointed out, and the samples are used reasonably well enough that I didn't mind the criticism. I didn't care that the pair of drops, which are more in the background anyway, sounded the same.

When you side-by-side this with the source, the arrangement's already majorly transformative and sufficiently developed, presented with more speed and a cinematic palette. The samples sound organic enough that majorly dinging this for not varying already solid-sounding articulations is too far gone for me; as long as the overall structure isn't repetitive, I don't care if various elements occasionally repeat, so the intro/outro, the drops, the drums, none of that's undermining the overall strong dynamics of the arrangement; there's no lengthy wholesale cut-and-paste.

The arrangement carries it, and I didn't hear anything about the samples, writing, or mixing that made this feel questionable relative to our bar. It could be tightened up, but this is good enough stuff, no reservations, let's go!

YES

[Chimpazilla]

I put an instance of Cubase's multiband imager on the track, and Larry is hearing it as too wide because everything is panned super wide, especially noticeable at the fullest sections, such as at 1:16 as Larry mentioned.  That's when the low brass begins.  The low brass sits wide, which can be disorienting.  The range between 150Hz and 1500Hz seems to be panned the widest according to my imager, and yeah that doesn't feel quite right.  Dialing that whole range down from 100% (as mixed) to about 40% (on my imager) makes it feel more natural.  Even the lowest lows (sub-150Hz) occasionally go wide.  The wideness of the mid-lows/low-mids also makes the piano, when it is exposed in the intro and outro, sound much less intimate than it would if it were slightly more centered, since it can't really be located in the stereo field, it's everywhere.  (of course, fixing this would be done on an instrument basis, never with an imager, I'm just using that to check)

Other than the stereo field issues, I really like this beautiful track.  The instrumentation is rich and full and emotive, the dynamics and energy are exciting and engaging, and the arrangement is beautiful.  The samples are used well enough; a tad uncanny but not enough to detract from the piece at all.  Like Larry, I would not have noticed that if it hadn't been pointed out since it is not egregious.  The mixing and balancing are fine, as is the overall master. 

Lovely track.  My only other issue is that the render cuts off the final tail.  Is this conditional-worthy, anyone think?  We could ask for another render, or one of us could simply fade the end out, or we can leave it alone.

YES (should we ask for render with complete reverb tail?)

 

[DarkSim]

Very cinematic piece here, the whole orchestration and instrumentation sounds suitably epic. There's plenty of sub-bass in here, but it's been handled delicately, and the mixing hasn't suffered as a result - everything is distinguishable. The male choir is a little quiet, but perhaps that's a production decision to avoid muddiness from the sub and the low percussion.

The piano intro and outro are nicely compressed so as to sound gentle but still loud and clear. Articulation isn't very human-like, but I can forgive that for the sound quality. The ending and outro was disappointing though, seeing as it's a straight copy of the intro, and doesn't resolve nicely at the end. The reverb has been cut off, and that whole section feels rushed.

Overall, I really liked this! It's a shame that it felt unfinished, but I don't hear anything that holds this one back significantly.

YES

[Emunator]

I agree with the YES votes here - the sequencing feels a little phoned in but the sample quality is excellent and there's enough expressiveness and round robin variation baked into the samples that it still sounds great to my ears. I wouldn't have pinpointed the stereo spread issue myself but I do hear it now that it's been pointed out, good call to @Chimpazilla for identifying that!

Ultimately, this does feel like a sketch to a certain degree, and I think would benefit from another layer of polish, but the strength of the arrangement and the sample quality is sufficient to put this unconditionally over the bar. Good luck with the rest of the vote!

YES

[XPRTNovice]

Oooo I love the piano in the intro with the strings in the background, really nice choices made in the soundscape.

The long strings at :30 sound a BIT thin, but when the rest of the orchestra comes in they fit in nicely. I'm not sure if you could do some EQ automation there, but it might be a nice touch. 

Horn entrance at 1:20 was beautifully done. 

Overall, I love the orchestra, I love how you balanced everything, the mix is solid, and the arrangement is moving and passionate.  Instrumentation is great, and you know how to use em! 

Great job. 

YES