prophetik music ⚖️ Posted March 26 Posted March 26 I re-scored the Star Fox 64 opening cinematic -- the one where Fox & team receive General Pepper's distress call, run down the corridor to their Arwing hangar, and blast off to save Corneria. I tried to make it as cinematic as I could, as if scored for full orchestra. One thing that always stood out to me about the original was the corridor running sequence -- I felt this amazing cast of characters didn't quite get the warm welcome I was looking for. Their close-ups are so iconic -- was there an opportunity to musically personify them one-by-one as they are introduced? I tried my best to address that. The original cutscene music (“Opening” followed immediately by “Title”) forms the structural framework for the arrangement, and I weave in material from “Mission Accomplished,” essentially the Star Fox team's Main Theme, to provide that thematic movie score feeling. On the use of reference material: Although I approach the star-dusted opening sequence differently (scoring the lens flare and N logo with string glissandi and brass swells), keep your ear out for the "Opening" theme's ominous rising four 16th notes ostinato, highlighted in the strings. When the Great Fox appears, you will recognize the familiar "Opening" theme, which I first pare down in the horns and woodwinds (the tuba’s round-like response reharmonizing it) and then orchestrate in grander fashion as General Pepper reveals Andross' war. As we cut to the corridor running sequence, I turn to the team's 'Main Theme'. You will know it when you hear it – it is an 8-note motif (the "do-so-laa" one) that is heard in various parts of the soundtrack (notably "Title"), but in Kondo's "Mission Accomplished" he fleshes it out across six phrases. The first phrase, re-orchestrated and re-harmonized, forms the basis of the shot of the whole team together. As we move through the individual close-ups, I move away from this material, giving each character his own phrase -- Slippy's surprisal, Peppy's staid approach, and Falco's antagonism -- which sets up a triumphant return right back to "Mission Accomplished" for Fox’s close-up. The final phrase of "Mission Accomplished" with its repeated 16th-16th-dotted quarter figure forms the basis for the next several shots, from the melodically ascending transition away from the corridor, to the march-like section accompanying our initial views of the hangar, and finally to a melodic variation that rises through the orchestra as the Arwings fire up and blast off. Finally, I arrange "Title" for the title splash. As the music fades, the flutes quietly reference the intro to "Mission Accomplished.” If you're curious, the re-scored cinematic exists (over here: https://youtu.be/MIZyl-Eogx4 ), but this one’s for the film score fans. Thanks in advance, I really appreciate your consideration & feedback! -Mark Reference Material Opening The well-known part (starts at 0:25) The string ostinato (starts at 0:50) Title Title Splash / Main Theme (0:00-0:10) Mission Accomplished Main Theme First Phrase (full team shot) 0:12 Main Theme Penultimate Phrase (Fox’s close-up) 0:28 Intro 0:00 Games & Sources Star Fox 64 Opening (https://youtu.be/UW-7Em3BYiA) The well-known part (starts at 0:25) The string ostinato (starts at 0:50) Title (https://youtu.be/-Z99Xi4ES2Y?si=yxU-Q4jK-3woJeVs) Title Splash / Main Theme (0:00-0:10) Mission Accomplished (https://youtu.be/GuB1S_avUWw) Main Theme First Phrase (full team shot) 0:12 Main Theme Penultimate Phrase (Fox’s close-up) 0:28 Intro (0:00) Tracks by Koji Kondo
prophetik music ⚖️ Posted March 26 Author Posted March 26 opens with strings and timpani, and quickly gets very cinematic and dense with the first swell. the iconic theme comes in soon after with some really interesting choices from an instrumentation standpoint. i particularly like the combination of horns and strings on those marcato eighth notes. a few times i think there's a little too much sculpting on the velocitizations - for example, in the horns at 0:36, with the lead notes being buried so that there can be a big swell. 0:51's a fanfare section, and there's some play with the time signatures that took a few listens to grok. i liked the different feels that you were able to represent in such a short period of time. the trumpet fanfare, running string patterns, and later ascending lines at 1:22 all were very A New Hope-esque. a triumphant theme is announced, and then we're into the falling action. i am normally so against extra-short remixes, but this accomplishes so much in such a short period of time. this is dynamite and i really just want a version that gives you more time to expand on some of these elements! what a great reimagining of the original. excellent work. YES
Chimpazilla ⚖️ Posted May 15 Posted May 15 This is excellent, it sounds to me like John Williams himself put this together. I am beyond impressed with this. I wish it was longer, as proph mentioned too. The mastering could be just a hair louder than this, it only ever hits -1.6db peak and I think the mastering limiter could have been pushed just a couple of db more, but this is a nitpick. The production here is unbelievable; someone really knows how to get the most out of samples! What sample library is this? It sounds really super good to me, really competently crafted piece. I hear bits of the source songs, having done a cursory (read: half-assed) source check. I assume the source use passed proph's timestamping...? As long as there's enough source use for OCR, let's get this amazing work up on OCR stat. YES
paradiddlesjosh ⚖️ Posted May 18 Posted May 18 Time to break out the ol' stopwatch just to be safe... The track is 2:01 long (120.612 seconds), so to hit 50% source material usage, I should hear at least 60.306 seconds of overt source material. I clocked the string ostinato from the "Opening" starting at 0:09.796 and ending at 0:25.102, where the next section begins. (15.306 seconds) The SF motif (that I estimate lots of folks know from Smash Bros.) from "Opening" at 0:25.102-0:51.429 for another 26.327 seconds (up to 36.735 seconds now) The motif from the "Title Screen" and "Mission Accomplished" from 0:51.429-0:58.776 (not sure I can place the flourish from 0:58-1:01, willing to call that embellishment) for another 7.347 seconds (44.082 seconds total now) Finally, the "Title Screen" callback from 1:39.184-1:55.102 is 15.918 seconds (64.898 seconds) 64.898/120.612 = 53.81% source material usage! The numbers don't lie, and they spell an incredible cue. Put this thing on the front page! YES
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