Emunator Posted August 22, 2023 Share Posted August 22, 2023 Remixer(s): Emunator feat. Gamer of the Winds, Shea's Violin, Lucas Guimaraes Name: Binary Stars Game: Super Metroid, Secret of Mana Sources: Brinstar Red Soil Area, The Dark Star Credits: Emunator: arrangement, orchestration, piano, mixing, mastering Gamer of the Winds: alto flute, shinobue Shea's Violin: solo violin Lucas Guimaraes: backing vocals, rhythm guitar Comments: This remix was created for the August 2023 Pixel Mixers "Two Songs,Two Series" remix competition, though the roots of this concept really date back much further than that. Ever since I started arranging video game music, these two themes have been perpetually stuck in my head as possible source material, but I never found an approach that stuck. My hard drive is littered with half-baked takes on both themes spanning the past decade that never went anywhere. It seemed fitting that the first arrangement I managed to complete is a fusion of both! All things said, this track came together in 6 days, which I think is a personal record for fastest start-to-finish time on any remix I've submitted thus far. I took major inspiration from the soundtracks to Hollow Knight and the Ori series, both of which feature lush, intimate orchestration that heavily relies on solo performances and small ensembles, combined with unique instruments from all around the world that aren't typically featured in an orchestral setting. It was a challenge writing an arrangement that featured a huge instrumental range while always maintaining ample room to breathe and never feeling overstuffed. The cast of collaborators really brought this concept to life for me. Greg is an absolute rockstar on winds and has already helped me on several other arrangements (and certainly many more to come) coming in clutch with performances and improvisation on both the alto flute and shinobue. Shea's Violin is a new collaborator who also delivered a beautifully rendered solo violin line that tracked my section string arrangement, as well as original soloing during the outro. Lucas heard this WIP and offered to lay down some guitar tracks and a massive vocal stack at 1:36 - these little extra details really helped flesh out the texture of the track overall. I'm so grateful to all three of you for your contributions!! As for the title, there's several levels going on. In astronomy, binary stars are two stars bound in orbit by each others' gravitational pull that are perceived as a single entity to the human eye. In a sense, these two sources felt intertwined to the point where they practically morphed together in my mind. The arrangement itself frequently uses call and response between the two themes played on different instruments, occasionally playing motifs from both at the same time. Also, there's the serendipitous fact that both sources happen to have "star" in their name! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted August 22, 2023 Share Posted August 22, 2023 Wouldn't have thought to put these two pieces together, so I love the compo idea promoting other unique concepts like this. Exotic strings at :59. What can I say while listening through other than that this is a smart arrangement with polished performances. Will vote for you this one time. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 intro in winds is beautiful, very delicate piano work. the ensemble at 0:36 is also really delicately handled. the strings at 1:00 are a little heavy-handed compared to what we've heard up to there, but are nicely handled and fun to listen to. the flute right at about 1:34 is a bit sharp. the swell into 1:36 is great, really rich, and the addition of celli is a great pick there. there's a break right at 2:00 with tons of plectral elements which fit really well with the percussive elements that come in soon after. 2:49's the beginning of the end, with continued excellent performance elements in both the flute and vin. love the air fade in the flute to end it, very evocative. easy vote. this is a clever arrangement that does an excellent job setting up some great performers to do their thing. great concept. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted September 10, 2023 Share Posted September 10, 2023 Seamless mixing of these two themes. Performances are stellar, everything is super cohesive and emotive, mixing is perfection, mastering is appropriate. So many bells, metals, and delicate textures floating in and out of this soundscape, this is beyond lovely. Really nice work! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted September 27, 2023 Share Posted September 27, 2023 Oh my yes. I don't have much to add; this is gorgeous from beginning to end, with beautiful expression and a dynamic arrangement that isn't content to sit in a mellow groove. This will be a favorite of many, I think. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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