Liontamer ⚖️ Posted August 3 Posted August 3 EDIT (8/20): new version with sax intonation updates, after acceptance Artist Name: The Key Combo "Ancient Skyline" by The Key Combo Arrangement, Bass Guitar, Electric Piano, aux instrument programming: Pipko Fanfare Alto + Tenor Sax: April Murphy Grand Piano: Lampie23 Drums programming: paradiddlesjosh This one has been in the works for a long time and I'm excited to finally share it with you all. The part of FFXIV where this plays really resonated powerfully with me, as did the track itself with its dark, moody, bittersweetly nostalgic sound. It's about a memory of a long-destroyed home and the way it flows beautifully between ideas and key centers was really inspiring to me. We approached it as if it was a downtempo standard played by a medium to small electric jazz ensemble. The original tune is a simple A-B-C structure with no internal repeats, but our take is a bit longer. First we establish the original themes and harmony, then on the repeat we mix it up significantly with an improvised solo section over the A section harmony and then a dramatic reharmonization of the B theme before tying it all up with a final statement of the C section to bring it back together. The saxes and bass guitar were recorded live, pianos were live midi recordings played on physical keyboards, and all other instruments are programmed. As always, I'm blown away with the stunning performances provided by my collaborators and I hope you will be too! Games & Sources Final Fantasy XIV - "Neath Dark Waters" by Masayoshi Soken
Liontamer ⚖️ Posted August 9 Author Posted August 9 Sax from 3:16-3:41 got lost with the timing and had some flat moments, but wasn’t a big deal to me, though some tweaks wouldn’t be a bad thing. I liked the soft piano comping in the start of the second half, a nice detour from just rehashing the main melody again. Overall, a strong lounge jazz cover, this was quaint, chill, intimate, and relaxing! :-) YES
prophetik music ⚖️ Posted August 19 Posted August 19 (edited) some sfx to start alongside the cymbals to lead in, and the band's all in right at the beginning. band sound is great - drums, bass, keys, saxes makes a nice ensemble. as the last time i heard April play, i think the alto's tone is a bit boxed up - really sounds like the mic isn't at the bell but is up by the left hand, which gives it a closed tone. tenor tone is again fantastic. there's some vibes around the 1:15 that are really nice. consider varying your vibrato speed faster and slower occasionally on the sustains - like at 1:30, slowing it down over the length of the note would really add a neat feel to it. some of the unisons/octaves in here aren't 100% in tune. 2:01's one of the aforementioned key changes. there's some fun harmonized elements in here. the saxes aren't in tune. there's a recap of the opening stuff at 2:38, and then a piano solo that focused a lot around block chords which i think really fits the feel. bass here sounds a little too forward and big. alto's got some funky notes in the solo, and then it moves into another recap of the b theme with some extra backing pads. there's the c section, and the track ends on a final sustain that's not quite where you expect. leaving the pad noise in after the last drum fill is fun. this is pretty straightforward and nails the style well. the sax intonation wasn't great (avoiding octaves can help hide that!), but the overall feel is solid. nice work. YES edit 8/20: the updated intonation fixed my biggest issue. this is still good to go. Edited August 20 by prophetik music
pixelseph ⚖️ Posted August 20 Posted August 20 I remember giving this a listen while it was in the #workshop channel in the OCR Discord early on, and it's come together in a lovely way! Establishes the feel right from the start and maintains it without feeling trite or boring, which I attribute to the arrangement variations in the first half ( < 2:30) and the change to a more blocked-chord structure for the solos in the second half. There's a sense of restraint in the performances, not letting the dynamic ceiling get too high, while keeping that gentle, smoky bar feel locked down to the end. I do hear the saxes rubbing when playing unison, and while they're not totally in tune, they don't bother me enough to send this back for fixes. What's here is above the bar for me, and I'm happy to see another FFXIV track on the front page! YES
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