Liontamer Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 ReMixer name: Gemini Black Real name: Dominic B. E-mail address: metaldivinity@gmail.com Website: http://www.projectithera.com/ User ID: 20258 ReMix info: Name of game ReMixed: Tales of Symphonia Name of song ReMixed: Shihna (Sheena's Theme song) Composers: Motoi Sakuraba, Shinji Tamura Platform: GCN Original soundtrack: Personal comments: What can I say? Tales of Symphonia is without a doubt my favourite RPG, I've played through it too many times for my own good. And while the game's entire soundtrack is fantastic, Sheena's theme song has always stuck out to me. I figured that I should try remixing this, why not, you know? I'm quite proud of this actually, since I tend to procrastinate on everything I do. This is the first remix that I've actually finished, while there's a tonne of other unfinished ones laying about. As well, as with all of my remixes, this came out nowhere near as how I had originally planned... but I like the changes made and how it's turned out better than what I had originally planned. But, I digress. Try to enjoy it, eh? -------------------------------------------------------------- Tales of Symphonia Original Soundtrack - 314 "Shihna" Sample quality definitely sticks out. The sample articulation for the piano sounded serviceable, but otherwise everything sounded pretty fake as well as rigidly sequenced. The drumming and string work in particular felt very robotic and hindered the piece. Beyond that, the drumwork was fairly repetitive, leaving the piece dynamically flat; there was no energy here. The arrangement's in the right direction, but the execution isn't there at all. If you haven't done so already, I'd post the piece to the Works forum and see what feedback you can obtain. Keep at it. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted November 18, 2007 Share Posted November 18, 2007 The opening piano is incredibly quiet... can barely hear it even on headphones. After that, I gotta agree with Larry. Sample quality is a major issue. Ultra mechanical sequencing of the snare, strings. No velocity editing, pitch bends, or detailed writing to cover up how fake many of the samples sound. Check the Guides & Tutorials forum and start by reading my guide to working with real instruments (also available on my website, zirconstudios.com) - then use the Remixing forum resources to look for new samples and/or tips on how to get the most out of what you have. Remember, more often than not, it's HOW you use the sounds, not what your sounds are. That aside, this is also dynamically not too interesting. It's basically all the same throughout. The texture doesn't change much, and the interpretation really simplifies the original and sort of takes away from several of the more interesting elements. The snare needs to be removed and rewritten entirely, and I think you could do more with harmonies and counter-melodies. The chords are very sparse as it is right now, especially compared to the original. Keep working at it, and definitely make use of our Workspace. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted November 18, 2007 Share Posted November 18, 2007 My biggest problem with this was how static the elements were. The section starting at 0:58 gets repeated four times with very minor changes, and while the next section does some have changes, it too sounds similar. The individual parts just sound copied and pasted over - it doesn't keep the listener's interest. I did appreciation the variations you added, like that little bit with the strings at 1:05. Use a lot more of that sort of thing, in the strings, in the piano, and in the drums especially. Even small changes can go a long way to holding the listener's attention. That goes for volume too. You wouldn't hear a snare playing every hit at the exact same volume, because certain hits get accented and others deemphasized. Play around with changing volumes until you get something that sounds more human. I didn't think your samples were that bad, but they definitely need to be used more interestingly. I also thought the interpretation was too simple, like zircon said. Most of the changes involve taking parts out, with not enough new stuff added back in or modification of the original parts. I did like the quieter section at 3:08, which changed the chords AND used a different chord progression than the original's - that's a step in the right direction. Try applying that kind of creative thinking in more places. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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