Liontamer Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 Hiyo OCR, I'm submitting the track I arranged for the SeeDs of Pandora album (3-11 For a Few Draws More). This is my first time submitting a track to OCR - I believe I followed everything in the instructions, but please let me know if I missed anything or if you need anything else from me. Thanks! -Brendan (Flake) Track File Contact Information Your ReMixer name: Flake Your real name: Brendan Vavra Your email address: Your website(s): https://www.youtube.com/@BrendanVavra Your userid: 37781 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged: Final Fantasy VIII Name of arrangement: For a Few Draws More Name of individual song(s) arranged: The Mission Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, how the source material was referenced in the arrangement, etc. "For a Few Draws More" takes FFVIII's "The Mission" and transports it back to the wild west, drawing inspiration from Spaghetti Western master Ennio Morricone to reimagine the infamous train heist scene from the game. The arrangement adapts the original tune to a unique instrumentation, embellishing the melody and molding the harmony to better fit the Western theme, while also taking some vocal cues from in-game dialogue (Yo, the blue! And the red!). I've been following OCR since the early 2000s, and I'm happy to finally contribute my first arrangement 20 years later! A big thank you to everyone who provided their performances to this project: Credits: Flake: arrangement, jaw harp, whistling, recorder, banjo, harmonica, lyrics, vocals, production, mixing Cyril the Wolf: acoustic guitar Audio Mocha: electric guitar dpMusicman: snare drum TSori: trumpet Kyle Mesce (Sorven): trumpet Zack Parrish: strings Ian Martyn: vocals Calem Destiny: vocals Treyt: vocals Lucas Guimaraes: vocals Hemophiliac: vocals Source breakdown (source for reference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxRUMpeoyOQ 0:00-0:22 - source melody (part A) on whistle repeated 2x with slight embellishment (0:27-0:35 from source) 0:22-0:30 - *augmentation of string part from source intro (0:09-0:10 from source) 0:30-0:35 - original variation of source melody (part A) 0:36-1:12 - variation of 0:00-0:35 (part A + intro string source), melody on guitar with additional embellishments, original counterlines on recorder and whistling underneath original string/guitar chords with driving ostinato rhythm (variation of 0:00-0:09 from source) 1:12-1:19 - original transition 1:20-1:26 - source intro with added string part from source (0:09-0:12), plus vocal chanting from in-game dialogue at time source is played 1:27-2:10 - source melody (part A 2nd time) on trumpet with additional embellishments and original counterlines (0:27-1:13 from source) 2:11-2:22 - original transition 2:22-2:46 - *whistling and harmonica trade embellished source melody (part over original chords/bass (1:13-1:21 from source) 2:47-2:58 - *straight source melody trading continues over original chords/bass (1:13-1:21 from source) 2:59-3:05 - original transition 3:06-3:24 - source part B (melody, chords, and bass) with original banjo part (1:13-1:31 from source) 3:24-3:43 - source part A' (1:31-1:51 from source) 3:43-4:18 - source melody (part A) on vocals, recorder/harmonica, and trumpet (0:27-1:04 from source) 4:18-4:32 - variation of 0:22-0:35 (final buildup) 4:33-4:54 (End) - original outro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted August 7, 2023 Share Posted August 7, 2023 Great stuff. Album evaluators Fishy and Hemophiliac immediately identified the homage to Morricone's "For a Few Dollars More." The vocals are a little thin; before seeing the credits, I actually thought it was just one person layered on themselves. Highs are a little sharp; the whistling needs to be to convey the intended tone, but the strings are quite bright, and the flute, guitar, and even trumpet don't need to be quite so piercing, either. Those are nitpicks, though. Otherwise this sounds great, and nails the intent. It's long but extremely dynamic in a holistic way; not something I mind listening to repeatedly. Great job, especially for your debut submission. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 is it even an OCR album if there isn't a spaghetti western track in it? i mean, the genre is in the video talking about the site. jaw harp intro with whistling sounds great. 0:35 is where it really starts to go, and MW's right in that most of the texture feels very high in the frequency range. the guitar especially is quite shrill there. when the strings come in at 1:12, the freq range fills in better, but it's still high-heavy. the instrumentation however is very good - trumpet leads, acoustic guitar and strings in the back, highly percussive vocals, flutter-tongued whistle...it's very thematic. there's a break at 2:17 that is very dramatic initially and then quickly transitions into a tongue-in-cheek hayseed section for a bit. the string pads under it sound and feel great when they come in. 3:01 starts a pretty epic build from an instrumentation and energy standpoint. banjo picking is excellent in here. this trucks (trains?) through the melodic content on a few lead instruments before really settling into trumpet and friends. there's a final high note at 4:30 and it settles down to the ending. what a neat idea for a track. i do think overall it's mixed with very little low content, and i think that's a negative that holds the track back. however, the charismatic approach really carries it - the instrumentation choices are just perfect for the style, and there's a lot of mileage from a fairly repetitive source in this very creative arrangement. excellent job. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted August 31, 2023 Author Share Posted August 31, 2023 Hmm... certainly a good sound as far as the genre transformation... At :12, there's almost a soft pop; same at :21 but softer, seemingly tied to way the whistling was recorded; not a big deal. My favorite sections from an arrangement perspective were 1:12-2:16 and 3:06-4:41; it's a fascinating transformation to the spaghetti Western style. The build-up from 3:14-3:24 was an epic transition. 3:24's section was shrill; not sure what part was doing that, but wasn't a pleasant sound. There were other areas where the highest frequencies felt potentially piercing, even with the whistling, but it's not significantly hampering the experience. Amazing concept by Brendan and crew! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkSim Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 To get from the source to Ennio Morricone is quite a leap of the imagination, I'll give you that! I was lucky enough to see his work performed by an orchestra in London last year, and it was fantastic. Great to see you've enlisted the help of a small orchestra yourself to do this vision justice! Love the opening with the whistling, and mouth-twanger. Interesting to hear a recorder in there as well - even with some snazzy tongue modulation there at 1:06. I like that in moderation, but it does feel overused and unnatural around the 1:50 mark. Cool instrumentation throughout, courtesy of all the supporting cast, and the arrangement - as well as being a creative genre switch - works well. The source definitely lends itself to the genre, now I'm hearing it. The mix feels a little light in the low-mids, particularly for the triumphant sections towards the end (3:27 for example could use some deeper string layering). Nitpicks aside though, it's an excellent debut! Nice one, Flake! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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