Liontamer Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Another doujin submission, doesn't have an original title - LT * ReMixer name: moAbi * Email address: moabi@opus-xero.com * Website: http://opus-xero.com/ ReMix Info * Name of game(s) ReMixed: Legend of Mana * Name of individual song(s) ReMixed: Pain the Universe * Link to the original soundtrack: * Composer: Yoko Shimomura * System: ps1 * Your own comments: check this out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big giant circles Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 Ouch brass samples. Lots of energy in this one. The biggest problem I see so far is this is a near-cover. Fake lead guitar bugs me a little. Sequencing is pretty good, but the pitch-bends are a little over-the-top. Finally here some interpretation in the solo at 2:18 that wasn't present in the source. But after a few seconds of that, it goes straight back to running along side the original only with better samples, etc. Woah, changeup at 3:30 actually took me by surprise. Good of you to throw that in there. Keychange at 3:52. I dunno. Cool track, and cool source, very fast-paced metal type track. I dig it, and mixing is aight, if not masterfully executed. I dunno. Still, despite the solo, the soft section at 3:30, and the keychange, it's still reeeeeeally similar to the source. I'm leaning more toward a NO at present. I'll hold off officially until after maybe I've discussed it with the other J's. Say Whaaaaat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big giant circles Posted August 26, 2007 Share Posted August 26, 2007 Talked with Larry about this one a litte--after a couple more listens, I've decided that this is definitely a cool track. But the level of arrangement is not particularly high in comparison to the original, and unfortunately, I think it doesn't quite fit the bill as laid out by our submission standards. Hopefully this isn't a language issue--perhaps MoAbi could add more original stuff, like a longer solo, or something. As is, it's very nearly a mere cover of the source tune. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted September 9, 2007 Author Share Posted September 9, 2007 Legend of Mana OST - (109) "Pain the Universe" I actually thought the mixing was cluttered for the beefier sections. The sustained volume and density of the track didn't change much, and felt like it was wearing out my ears. Not interpretive enough. Too bad, it's a good arrangement, but you need to interpret the original song more and provide a unique approach to the arrangement. Here, the structure and tempo are basically verbatim with the original song. Even the brief rhythm change here at :45 was exactly the same as the original. The soloing on top of the chord progression from 2:18-2:36 was in the right direction, but it was basically gone before it got going. There were also some more substantial instrumentation changes from 3:29 until the end, but that was too little too late, and didn't make up for the lack of interpretation on other levels. This is a cool cover, but we're looking for something more than that. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 Agreed that the arrangement and instrumentation is remarkably similar. Solid as a cover - very much like the approach S.S.H. takes with some of his material - but not interpretive enough to be an OC ReMix. I also agree that the mixing/mastering could have been a bit better. The rhythm guitars are very thin; they're mostly high end, with very little low end to low-mid "chunk". There's a lot of reverb overall which could be slightly toned down. You could probably increase the volume on the snare too. However the main problem is definitely the lack of significant arrangement. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHz Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 My initial call on this was an extremely narrow YES, but I've talked with some of the judges and given some more thought to my decision. First off–and this absolutely has to be mentioned first and foremost–the first 2:18 of this mix is basically a sound upgrade of the original. There are a couple of personal touches, like the extra little melody line ender at 1:26-1:28, but for the most part, this goes beyond mere similarity; it's exactly the same, except with slightly better sounds. OCR is about arranging video game music by putting your own personal spin on it, not just recreating the original song note for note. Which is why it's absolutely infuriating that, from that point on, you've got lots of arrangement ideas in there. Guitar solo from 2:18-2:33 that's built on 1:39-1:44 of the original, another solo at 2:59-3:14 built on 0:51-0:54 of the original, good additive stuff at 2:52-2:59 and 3:14-3:28, an excellent progression at 3:28-4:13 that's four variations on 0:51-1:02 of the source, a nicely arranged section at 4:13-4:43 featuring varieties of the melody of 0:51-0:54 of the source combined with the keyboard accompaniment of 1:17-1:32, and a big fat ol' ending at 4:43 that's a huge take on the section right before the loop of the original. Where was anything even remotely resembling this level of arrangement in the first half of the track? Going for the exact same style as the original, epic orchestral rock, didn't help you at all either. It's certainly possible to remix a source in the same style (see Krispy's Halo mix Insurrection as an example), but you'll have to step up your arrangement game in other areas to compensate, and you haven't really here. More things you could do to the original are adding in even more instrumental variety, dropping in some tempo shifts; hell, just see the submissions standards: * Modifying the genre, chord progression, instrumentation, rhythms, dynamics, tempo, or overall composition of the source material* Adding original solos, transitions, harmonies, counter-melodies, lyrics, or vocals to the source material I see what you've done so far, and I like it a lot, but to go the distance, you'll have to add even more variety, and make this your piece, not just Shimomura's piece with some cool new additions. The production on this track is alright, and might be good enough if the arrangement were stronger, but it's not good enough to make up for less than ideal arrangement. The build from start to finish of the track would be a lot more dramatic if the dynamics were better; the mix is the same volume throughout almost the entire track and that detracts from the direction you're trying to give the piece. Instrument quality can use some work in a few places, most notably the orchestra in the intro and 3:29-3:40 and repeated guitar notes at 2:44-2:46. Would I say try to resub this one? Not really. As a cover, this is good, and the first half of the mix is a solid intro that's built on by the last half into a very nice climax. It might be more work trying to create a new first half and shoehorn the last half of this mix into it than to simply just make a new mix entirely. I'm sure you have the ability to get a mix onto OCR some day, but you'll have to make the whole mix your own, not just the last half of one. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 I liked some of the ideas here, but there are some sizable problems too. The biggest, that others have already mentioned, is that it really just sounds like a souped up version of the original. It's definitely not a MIDI rip, as there are both big and small changes - that excellent guitar solo, a couple new sections, and pitch bends all around. But from the beginning to around 1:21, it sounds note-for-note identical to the original. You've got to be more liberal with interpreting the song. The aforementioned improvisation and new sections are a good start - more in that vein would help. Try experimenting with some changes in the rhythm guitar and drums, or maybe adding new counter-melodies, like you do at 4:15. I also didn't like the repetition at 3:51. There's a key change, sure, but everything sounds like it was cut-and-pasted, then transposed. Your song sounds a little too compressed, like a wall of sound. When you got to the quiet part at 3:29, it was a huge relief on my ears and that shouldn't be the case. Try to keep it more dynamic, and maybe isolate your sounds better. The lead guitar rings clear but everything else gets swallowed up. In general, I liked the approach you took to the song with the guitar and the orchestral swells. It's a song deserving of the epic treatment you've given it. But the problems I've listed are too big to overlook. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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