Emunator Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 Remixer(s): Emunator feat. Gamer of the Winds, Sirenstar Name: Black Ice Mire Game: Metroid Prime 2 (primary), Super Metroid (cameo) Sources: Torvus Bog, Prologue (Super Metroid) Credits: Emunator: arrangement, sequencing, production, mastering Gamer of the Winds: alto flute Sirenstar: Additional vocals (intro and outro) Additional Contributions: Chimpazilla: Additional mixing, mastering Zack Parrish: Vocal processing Comments: I'm finally closing the loop on another arrangement that's been stagnating for WAY longer than it ever should have. I started remixing this in 2015 and, over the course of the next 8 years, put about 65 hours toward finishing it and ultimately not getting very far from where I started. I was locked in loop mode for years and unsure of how to actually transform it into a complete musical statement. In 2023, I finally broke through that creative wall and started making rapid progress. The concept is pretty simple - what if Torvus Bog was done in the style of Phendrana Drifts? I've always found the Metroid Prime series to be one of the most technically impressive, atmospheric game soundtracks, and way ahead of its time in terms of sound design, so I challenged myself to capture the magic of those textures and sounds with my own tools. The bulk of the sound design was built in Omnisphere. I also chopped up some drumloops from the original sample pack called Uncivilised Grooves that Kenji Yamamoto used heavily in the original score to really give it that authentic Metroid Prime industrial organic vibe. Lastly, I employed a copious amount of Shaperbox 3, a new plugin I recently purchased which helped add a rhythmic pulse to everything from the bassline to the iconic Prime sine lead. I'm not saying that you can always just throw money at shiny new plugins to get over creative block, but in this case... that's pretty much what happened. What started as a sound design experiment really started to come together in 2023 with some help from Theophany, who helped me workshop the track and gave me some pointers on how to make my bass way less boring (check out his own Torvus Bog remix that he released earlier this year that I tried really hard not to consciously rip off as I was finishing this!) Gamer of the Winds and Sirenstar also contributed some wonderful live elements, adding additional air and organic texture to the soundscape that I couldn't have pulled off on my own. Extra shoutouts to Chipmazilla for your help with getting the mix and master sounding great, and to Zack for lending his Melodyne skills as well. Thank you all for helping me get this one to the finish line! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 Greg's wind accents here were a beautiful touch for the intro. I didn't really get any "Phendrana Drifts" vibes from this at all, not that I minded. To me, the fadeout ending, including the direction of Sirenstar's vocals, felt unresolved; while it could have had another measure to give more finality to this it wasn't a big deal. Overall, you get some familiar sounds coupled with a good rise in the energy level here compared to the original piece. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted September 8, 2023 Author Share Posted September 8, 2023 Stealth updating to remove an audio clip in the middle of the song that wasn't sitting right. Shouldn't fundamentally change anything here but posting for transparency in case anyone's downloaded the earlier version or if Larry wants to revisit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 (edited) listening to v2. opening really benefits from the live parts. 0:41's entrance of live elements sounds great, really evocative playing from GotW. the complexity of the background is really nice, especially the density of various rhythmic elements. the chopping on the arpeggio is particularly fun. melodic material hits at 1:13. the whistle lead's a little overused by this point, but luckily it's used sparingly. there's a beat break with GotW again at 1:45, and this is again really pretty. the timing is a little off at 1:59, but other than that this is an effective break. more vox parts doing their H36T sample pack imitation at 2:10, and this section noodles around for about a half-minute through some really neat textural elements. 3:02 is easily the most upbeat and energetic section of the entire song, with a long build before it really prepping your ears. there's a squelch right at 3:02 that i'm not 100% sure is intentional. GotW is going to town here though which is just awesome, and the really crunchy drums at 3:25 are perfect. 3:19 there's a big dropoff, and it's more noodles for the last minute of the track. the fadeout is super extended and winds up highlighting some kind of weird notes from sirenstar, but overall it's effective at setting you down after the intensity around like 3:20. the shape of this track is really nice, and of course there's a preponderance of the original throughout. the track sounds pretty good overall and only has that one squelch where there's anything that may be a little messy on the mastering side. this is an easy pass. YES edit 3/13: the arp at 0:41 overwhelms the live flute and i want to hear the flute more. melodic line at 1:13 is a touch quiet. it feels louder when it goes up the octave and that fits better there. live flute at 1:45 is a little quiet compared to the instrument that's mirroring it. 1:59's timing being off is still confusing...would be easy to fix in melodyne imo. the melodic line at 3:02 lacking any pitch lfo/vibrato is noticeable despite it being an intentional choice to mirror the game's iconic lead tone (tbh i have the same complaint earlier when this is used but it wasn't as noticeable there). i YES'd it before and i'll do it again here, of course - this is despite my nitpicks an incredible piece, and whatever voodoo you did on the backside of this one only made it more powerful. Edited March 13 by prophetik music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted September 29, 2023 Share Posted September 29, 2023 (edited) What a sound palette! The industrial synths combined with the woodwinds and the vocals make for something I've never heard before, and it sounds great! I would have liked more of the vocals: opening with them and then having them return only briefly a couple of times was a bit of a tease. This is lovely and creative. Strong work. YES Edit: Just rubber-stamping the 3/12 update. Still a YES. Edited March 13 by MindWanderer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted November 4, 2023 Author Share Posted November 4, 2023 This track is also going on the "I can do better on the mixing" pile, I forgot to mark it earlier but I will re-open this when it's ready! I'll also see if I can address the issues that Brad brought up too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted March 12 Author Share Posted March 12 (edited) @MindWanderer@prophetik music@Liontamer Finally got a new version of this out, with Chimpazilla assisting with some additional help on the mix and a shiny new master! Edited March 13 by Emunator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 On 3/12/2024 at 3:32 PM, Emunator said: @MindWanderer@prophetik music@Liontamer Finally got a new version of this out, with Chimpazilla assisting with some additional help on the mix and a shiny new master! It becomes more of a moot point at :28 when more elements come in, but there's obvious hiss on headphones when listening to this new version compared to the old one. I hear it as well around 2:14 when things are quieter. One of those issues where it doesn't matter much in the big picture, but you should be aware of it in case it can be addressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted March 13 Author Share Posted March 13 I hear what y'all are saying, but if I can be totally honest, I am weary of working on this track. Anything that's not a total dealbreaker, I'm likely going to let slide just because this project file is a dumpster fire at this point and it takes a lot just to open up anything and make any tweaks. It's 9 years old and it's behaving like it :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexstyle Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 Let's close this one out. Honestly, this sounds a lot like some vintage Andy+Jill (zircon/pixietricks, for anyone reading this who's not in the know) stuff here -- breakbeats, etherial vocals, organic instrumentation elements, arpeggiated synths, shimmering textures, the formula is all here! The overall mix is a bit hollow -- lacking in a lot of midrange energy or at least clarity -- but it doesn't hold the song back from communicating what it needs to. Obvs the source comes through clearly. This is an imaginative take on the tune, it's executed well enough, why bother holding it back? YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts