Emunator Posted June 3, 2023 Share Posted June 3, 2023 Hey there! It's been a while. I hope everyone is doing well. I have a something new that I would like to submit. This is a remix of "Aria Math" from Minecraft. I personally haven't played this game since it was still in beta back in 2011, but my daughter plays it. I just happened to be in our game room when she was playing, and Aria Math randomly started playing in the background and I knew I needed to add it to my VGM collection. I really loved the feel of this song and after listening to it for a while, I decided to try a remix. The mix isn't too crazy. It's kind of my normal style: easy listening/chill. I wanted to keep things kinda short and concise while being sure to follow the flow of the original. I'm still terrible at playing the keyboard and still don't know much about the technical side of music production, but I am proud to say that I did put my old Novation Impulse 49 to good use this time around. Anyways, I hope you all like it. Contact Info NoTuX (aka Blue Magic) Damon Campbell Submission Info Game: Minecraft Remix Name: Blue Magic Original song: Aria Math Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted June 15, 2023 Author Share Posted June 15, 2023 Hah! I love the full-circle turn on the remix title. I did a double take before I realized that it actually was the Blue Magic submitting this. I can see why you were drawn to this source tune - in some regards, it almost sounds like something you would have made yourself! Your remix punches up the energy with some really rich piano chords and harmonies. There's an impressive level of instrumental variety for such a short arrangement without feeling even remotely overstuffed; it's quite an economical use of 2 minutes and 30 seconds that feels like nearly twice that length. No reservations on the production - some of the instrumentation doesn't feel fully humanized but there's adequate use of delay and verb so that everything still goes down smooth. I really like enjoy this and will definitely be coming back to it in my own listening rotation! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 Opens with a really rich soundscape. Bass+piano+synth is a classic for a reason. Great job using a different sound palette to take a melody and elevate it without changing its essential components at all. It's clearly a remix of Aria, and of Minecraft in general, but so much more. It is a little short, but that may be a good thing, because it's done everything it set out to do. The ending could be a little more conclusive; I wouldn't mind if it were extended by just a few measures to give it a chance to wind down. Great job overall. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 opening sounds like it's a fall bgm for stardew valley. percussion and drums come in at 0:23. there's some overlap in the bass occasionally from the sound of it, but i like the tone and the feel. lead comes in soon after and is smooth as butter. there's a shift at 1:04 with a nice wash sfx, and a higher zipper synth is introduced which echos the original. a bit of a break at 1:26 introduces some keys again, and the remix cruises for a bit before the drums drop at 2:06. an extended outro and it's done, quicker than expected. this is a fun track! it's got a neat funk to it - especially in the fills going into each section, i loved the offbeat hits for those - and it keeps the great vibe of the original. this is going in the rotation right away. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted July 28, 2023 Share Posted July 28, 2023 As soon as I fired this up, I was digging Damon's sound palette. A common critique I've had with Damon's past work are his samples having a stilted feel to them, so I have to point out how much stronger this sounded; Emunator pointed out some humanization concerns, sure, yet it's a fluid sound throughout, and the brief run-time leaves you wanting more. Also, I see what you did there with this arrangement title. Beats at :23 felt a bit tame for me, but things filled out more as things continued on, so it was a very fleeting feeling; the way this piece's textures gradually escalate until 1:25 and then simplify for the second half is such a fun arc. Excellent example, just like C418 did with his original, of establishing the core pattern and then building on top of that with more and more varied, original writing ideas. Though it's Minecraft-inspired, this would fit in perfectly with a modern SimCity-like game. I always have plaintive griping in these votes when someone's got well-written bass work that's buried due to the mixing; the bassline writing in particular here was a subtle detail that added nice density and movement due to being mixed well. Nice lil' off-rhythm stuff to the beat, first used at :27, to give this some personality. The final note cut-off should have trailed off more, so it would be nice to get an adjustment there. It's so rewarding growing up while being a part of our community and seeing how parenthood -- while it subtracts time -- has added to people's creative processes. We've had Xaleph collaborate with his daughter, we've had DarkeSword make something for his newborn son, and now we have NoTuX inspired by hearing this source while his daughter was gaming. Chef's kiss, Damon, you've sincerely brought a smile to my face and tear to my eye; I'm proud of you, this is great fun, and exemplary work! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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