Emunator Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 (edited) Artist Name: Maldivir Dragonwitch This ReMix was created for the Dwelling Of Duels monthly VGM remix contest. All of the main melody lines and synth solo were performed and recorded live, as per the contest rules. I always found the original tune very melancholic and decided to go all out with a chill, deep synthwave version of it, with reharmonization. For no particular reason, at 2:49 there's a small easter egg melody from Suikoden II's Secret Village Of The Ninja. Edited August 22 by Chimpazilla closed decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 great original! really slow, glammy synthwave vibe right off the bat. i think the snare's both a little short and a little high for the style. the track kind of noodles through the melodic material in a pretty straightforward fashion until like 1:35 when we get some altered chords. a few of these aren't handled quite as well as i'd hope and are a bit crunchy. we do finally get the B theme of the melody at 1:54, with some vocal pads layering it. there's some more slightly weird harmonies at 2:20 (parallel fifths are in general a little weird to western ears) and then it settles back down to the opening synth lick again. around 3:00 we get a synth solo which is a welcome departure from the sameyness of the first few minutes. there's also a slight change to the drums and backing elements in this section, which is also a first in the track to my ears. 4:15's the fourth or fifth copy/paste of the opening synth line, with a little added vocal wash the second time through. there's a sustain on the bVII chord and it's done. i think my biggest problem with this track is that it goes nowhere and it takes over five minutes to do it. there is so much sameyness throughout. this is easily a three-minute track scraped over five minutes of bread, and beyond that it doesn't really ever change backing elements or beat or instrumentation or feel during that entire time either. the shape of this track is lacking, and it's very boring as a result. you've got some fun ideas here - i think the initial style is really a great idea, and i think the synth solo was really fun! - but it's just so much drab around it. mixing up instrumentation can really help with this, as can adding some sparks of color here and there with added elements that aren't playing the whole time, or with drum fills. i mean, the drums essentially play the same thing >95% of the track - i get it's a ballad, but something's gotta add some life occasionally. i really like the idea, and i think that your electro-ballad approach is a functional one. i think it needs more verve and a better sense of dynamics and movement to get out of the doldrums. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted August 22 Author Share Posted August 22 I couldn't have said it better than Prophetik did, so I'll keep this brief in agreement. There's some lovely synth tones and a solid foundation here. When you got more expressive with your solo around the 3 minute mark, things really came alive! It's abundantly clear that you've got the chops to make a bangin' synth ballad based on that section alone, but I think this track needs some trimming for length, and further development on the backing elements that make up the bulk of the song. When you're working at such a slow tempo, you've got to find smaller ways to add that flair through drum fills, texture, or one-off riffs that keep things engaging throughout the duration. There's absolutely a passable track here, but it's not there yet! NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted August 22 Share Posted August 22 Luscious soundscape right away! Ok so it's a halftime groove, cool. The bass sounds great, I love the lead synth and the square backing synth too. Nice vocal padding, and I really like the chord variations. I agree with both my fellow Js, the track is too long for what it offers, because the feel of it is so repetitive. The drum groove never changes, once established, and I believe that is the biggest factor in sinking it. The arrangement needs some energy variation, which would include some variations on drum writing here and there, some fills perhaps, and for sure at least one drumless breakdown lasting at least 16 bars, building back up into your main groove for another full section and then outro. You've done a great job with the lead instruments and writing, and the solo is lovely. It would help if you varied the backing pad sounds at some point too, bring in something with a different flavor (and/or add some sfx, sweepy sounds, etc.), to highlight the changing mood of the piece (once you've varied the drums). This is so solid already, the mixing sounds great, it just needs more arrangement (drum groove, backing instrumentation) variation and this will be golden. I love it, please revise it and resubmit it! NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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