OCR04482 - *YES* Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time "The Secret Lullaby"

[Emunator]

ReMixer name: jnWake, Ivan Hakštok, Nemo Fairlight
Name of game(s) arranged: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Name of arrangement: The Secret Lullaby.
Name of individual song(s) arranged: Zelda's Theme (https://ocremix.org/song/41/zeldas-theme

So, back in like 2014 I was contacted about an upcoming album that was dedicated to djp's recently born daughter. It was meant to be an album of more chill tracks and my super creative mind immediately went to Zelda's Lullaby...

 

Anyway, where my mind actually went to a creative spot was the idea of basing this remix on one of my favorite "regular" music songs, "The Secret Song" by british prog-rock/pop band Frost* (here: https://open.spotify.com/track/1kIb02iceWgfdJdmaFWvGR?si=92e837a97a1a4651). For some reason that I can't fully recall currently, my 2014 self thought that Zelda's Lullaby fit with this particular song so I got the idea of mixing them together. Since Frost's tune has vocals I also wanted to add vocals to my arrangement. In any case, for reasons I can't recall I never really started writing the arrangement and it just stayed in my head, completely missing the chance to be in the album meant for djp's daughter.

 

Fast-forward to 2023 and for April's Free Month on Dwelling of Duels I decided to revisit this idea. I managed to find some collabers and I finally managed to do it! I'm pretty happy with how it ended up and I'm glad I can finally share what was meant to be for djp's daughter who I assume is too old for lullabies now! Somewhat funnily, I also became a father in the meantime so I guess I can dedicate this to my own daughter, who I think shares a birthdate with djp's one!

 

Small breakdown now:

0:00-0:08: Intro percussion, heavily inspired by Frost's song. The electronic toms are actually playing Goron's Lullaby from Majora's Mask but it's so subtle that I didn't even list it as a source.

0:09-0:28: Zelda Lullaby's melody on piano. The timing is slightly different from the original but I think the emphasis on the A works pretty well.

0:29-1:08: First verse, the vocals sing Zelda Lullaby's main melody, the chords are heavily based on Frost's song first verse.

1:09-1:38: Chorus! This is the B section from Zelda Lullaby with very few alterations outside of the rhytm.

1:39-2:17: Zelda Lullaby main melody now on guitar! The rhytm change is taken from Frost's song but while they stay with electronic drums I shifted to real (well, sampled) ones.

2:18-2:56: Second chorus! The similarities with Frost's song end here as I move to a more standard Wake-ish arrangement.

2:56-3:55: Variations over the main Zelda Lullaby theme on guitar and keys.

3:56-end: Return to the electronic percussion and ending!

 

Hope you like it! I'm curious if the resemblance to a "real" song is a problem but I hope it isn't haha.

 

Source:

Reference Track from Frost*:

[Liontamer]

Nice fusion of the style of "The Secret Song" with "Zelda's Lullaby". Was a bit worried the lyrics would stick more with the actual melody of "The Secret Song", but that worry was quickly put to rest, and 2:17's section even offered a sound that was simply its own thing, not a sendup of Frost, which was unexpected but cool just the same.

No need to belabor the point, it's fun stuff here! It didn't end up being baby lullaby album material, but we're proud to have planted the seeds for this track's eventual growth as well.

YES

[MindWanderer]

Opens with a heavy, pounding kick that really bothers my ears, especially while it's exposed. I got more used to it as the song went by and more parts were added, but it's still nearly disqualifying in my mind.

The lower note in the main hook is difficult for me to wrap my brain around. It sounds wrong to me every time, but I can't tell if it's clashing with notes or just my expectations. Same for some of the low notes in the refrain. Seems like they're taken from The Secret Song, but with chords from Zelda? Maybe someone with more music theory knowledge can pick it apart better.

Vocals are mixed a little quietly in the bridge, and are especially hard to make out there.

Otherwise, this sounds great. It's an experiment that works. The Frost influence is strong but I think you skirted on the "homage" side of the line without drifting into using it as an actual source (other than the simple arp). The contralto vocals sound great.  There are things that could be improved but even still, I think this is good for a

YES

[prophetik music]

the first note in this track's representation of the iconic riff from the zelda track doesn't exist in zelda. it's added for this to help it fit the Secret Song's song layout.

the guitar on the bridge at 1:38 is pretty loud compared to the first minute and a half. i wouldn't have minded a more graceful crescendo over the course of the bridge to get the overall volume up to where you wanted to go at 2:17. the vocals here are nice but are a bit quiet. the higher vocals have a few pitchy tones but overall sound nice. there's another (loud) guitar lead section after that, with some well-handled chord changes and some great modifications to that original zelda riff. once this is done, we get the kicks and a distant maj7 arp and it's done.

this is a really neat idea. MW's right, it's an experiment that works. vocals are stylistically appropriate, the addition of that first note to the main riff does a great job of helping make it different from the original and fit the box you made for it without really dragging it too far away from the original's idea. it's well-realized and it's clear you spent a lot of time with this on the back burner. nice work.

 

 

YES

[Emunator]

I definitely had my reservations about this during the first thirty seconds - the piano sample felt heavily compressed, bright, and not the highest quality sample, and there wasn’t much more going on with the instrumentation so we’re left with a very exposed soundscape playing some very simplistic lines.

Once the vocals come in though, I’m getting on board, and with that lush chord at 1:30 I’m totally buying what you’re selling! There’s a great dynamic curve to your arrangement and some moments where the lead guitars and vocals just sound massive. This arrangement really rewards patience and demonstrates a great understanding of what makes The Secret Song such an effective arrangement. 

There’s a few balance issues between instruments that other judges alluded to that I will also second. The intro piano feels too loud, the guitar leads are a hair too loud, and there are moments that the lead vocals dip too low in the mix and don’t cut through as much as they ought to. None of this amounts to a dealbreaker by any stretch. 

If there’s one thing I could suggest based on this and other submissions of yours I’ve listened to recently, maybe look into a new piano sample library or ease off on the compression when playing right hand melodies. I feel like that sample sticks out like a sore thumb here, especially when it’s not supported by ensemble instrumentation. In lieu of a whole new sample library, I have another possible recommendation to try - I will often have two different signal chains for my melodies and chords when writing with piano in a dense mix, so that you’re not compromising the lushness of your chords but also maintaining more dynamics in your melodies and not slamming so hard against the compressor. Just some ideas to consider that might help what I perceive to be a weak point in many of your mixes ?

Let’s go!

YES