Liontamer Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 Hi there! This is my first remix submission to you guys and actually it's one of my first attempts at covering videogame music. The source material is in my opinion, a colossal achievement in the chiptune department. I still remember the first time I played this and how I was blown away by the overall quality of the soundtrack. Since then, I always wanted to remix one of these tunes, so I'm glad I finally got the opportunity. I must say that I had my work cut out for me though.. I had a hard time with the intricating melodies at first. I think there may be a bit too much melodies layered on top of each other in the original tune (Ex. 0:08). So I mainly tried to isolate the different tracks instead of putting them althogeter and confuse the listener. I also down tempo'ed the whole track so that it would fit the symphonic feel I wanted to give it. I must appologize for the use of drum loops, I edited all of them to break the repetitiveness but found myself a bit limited overall. I learned my lesson for next time. I hope it'll pass the test so that more people get to know that awesome game.. Thank You! Yan ----------------------------------------------------------------- Link to remixed file: Link to original chiptune: Your ReMixer name : Rakadam! Your real name : Yan Thouin Your email address : Y_thouin1@hotmail.com Yan.thouin@ubisoft.com Your website : --------------- Your userid : 22317 Name of game arranged : Gaiares Name of individual song arranged : Original: Mission 4 Remix: The TOZ factor Additional information about game : Composer: Shinobu Ogawa System : Sega Genesis ---------------------------------------------------------------------- http://project2612.org/download.php?id=24 - "Mission 4" Catchy source tune. Cool opening as well. Piano brought in at :10 sounded was already pretty exposed and could be better humanized. Not sure why it wasn't in the foreground of the piece, as it was the melody, but the counter-melodic writing from the guitar and strings seemed derived from the source as well. The drumloops were a negative, not so much in that you used them (as I don't feel they were a crutch), but because the various pattern didn't sound like they were in the same room or of the same sound quality when they'd switch off. Frankly, the patterns also weren't very strong in the first place and I felt they didn't really integrate well with the other instrumentation. Not sure why the soundscape had to be this murky most of the time, as lots of details are lost. Besides the source melody, for example, the bowed string part in the background from 1:06-1:29 is almost completely buried. Stretches such as 1:51-2:36 dragged out due to no one element given the piece focus with everything being quiet yet at similar volume levels. Lots of sound balance issues the whole way. A decent base, going in the right direction in terms of concepts that would make for good OC ReMixes. I think it shows off legit potential as an artist. Hopefully the other Js can give some more pointed composition and production advice. Keep working at it and use the ReMixing and Works forums at the site to enhance you skills and seek out fan feedback if you aren't doing so already. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted November 18, 2007 Share Posted November 18, 2007 Oof, yeah, that drumloops really don't sound so great here. The tempo is fast enough for drum n' bass to work, but the loop just sounds kind of cheap. I would use it for an intro, or maybe an additional layer, but it's definitely not strong enough right now to provide a solid rhythmic foundation. Plus, it's rather reptitive. I also noticed some sort of high end.. buzz or distortion, for lack of a better word, that I think has to do with the first drum loop (maybe a vinyl effect). Filter out the very high end freqs to get rid of that. The level of energy throughout the remix was fairly low, with lots of soft sounds like flute, synth pads, and orchestral elements. It was a weird contrast with the fast jungle-style drums. Some elements, like the stabs at 2:48, were just drenched in reverb, making the whole thing kind of muddy and indecisive. Pick a style and stick with it - what you have here sounds more like the intro to a song rather than a standalone track in and of itself. If it were sgx, he would add some huge distorted drums and crunchy synths. If it were a rock/metal remixer, they'd bring in a heavy acoustic drumkit and some burning guitars. If it were SSH, he'd focus on the synth leads... so think about how you want this to sound and then develop the sounds and the arrangement to reflect your concept. The interpretation of the source tune itself is solid enough, in that it doesn't just directly rip everything 1:1, but your variation and original writing needs to be in the context of something that is musically interesting. That is just as much a part of our standards as simply interpreting the video game tune. Work on that, plus improve the drums, and fix up the mixing so it's not as muddy and washed out - you'll be well on your way. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted November 19, 2007 Share Posted November 19, 2007 The percussion doesn't really sit well in this mix. It's lacking in definition, drowning in the pads and strings; percussion in this context really needs to be a solid anchor, not something far away in the background. I think a lot of your lead instruments are lacking in definition too; this is bad, coming from me, because I generally like glassy leads. I think this piece needs a more solid direction; right now it just floats around aimlessly. Ground the piece with your percussion and a bassline. Also, the source is not as complex as you think it is. They're not all different melodies going on at the same time; they're different parts working together to support and embellish the melody. Try to break that down and don't feel obligated to use everything. Some of it is just comping chords, and you can always write your own version of that. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts