Liontamer Posted November 19, 2007 Share Posted November 19, 2007 Kaijin Tim Sheehy tim@timsheehy.com www.timsheehy.com 1665 Animal Crossing Main Theme <- original.The arrangement was done in 2004/2005. Some instruments were re-sampled and it was re-recorded with slight changes to the mix, specifically with OCR in mind. The faces are different, the attitudes are different and it's time I showed some love. Let's hope it stays that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big giant circles Posted November 19, 2007 Share Posted November 19, 2007 HA--beat Larry to the first vote! (Not talking trash, I'm just saying...) Anyway. On to the mix. Man, I feel like I'm on an elevator with Kenny G and Celine Dion. Oddly enough, it's kind of nice, actually. I'd say we don't really get a lot of mixes in this particular style submitted around here. I'd say at 1:46 the mix picks up a lot more density, due to the nice part writing of the strings particularly. The harmonies really beef up the overall texture. Really, the short of it is, the production is decent, if not flawless. The partwriting is solid. I'd complain about the drums just a tad, except they seem to have that trademark early-90's intentionally dull drum-machine feel to them, so I think it fits the style fine. As far as the level of arrangement as it pertains to the source, that's a call I can't quite make right now. We need a good copy of the source tune. I heard the music from the title screen, and if that's the only thing your mix is based on, then I'll have to take a closer look. Otherwise, I really kind of like this. Basically, I've got a YES on hold for you, but I need to research the original first. MEBBE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Chorused piano makes it sound like a pop version of "Walt Disney Pictures Presents: Animal Crossing: The Movie." I'm waiting for Peabo Bryson to start singing. This is a good thing. High strings sound a little shrill when coming in, but it all fits with the style and they settle into the soundscape nicely as the song progresses. Nice texture throughout, really laid back. Great harmonica stuff near the end! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zykO Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 i could so totally picture jay chow singing over this. this is ridiculously calming then again, when is kaijin musik not? even when he tries to rock out, it sounds calming. this is such a well-executed piece of music. so far the only complaints i'm seeing are purely stylistic ones... these are elements of the genre that kaijin is totally dedicated to. it's like criticizing brian mcknight for not having enough distorted guitars. this is fine. this is done with a sure hand - there is no amateur work here and the interpretation of the original is very thought-provoking. listening to this takes me back to middle school, no doubt - if you don't think that is powerful, you have no idea how difficult time travel is and how awesome it is when it is accomplished. i would like some thicker drums as i don't think they have enough presence in the mix but otherwise, it is money. $$$ YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 The connection to the source is a close call, but I think this one just clears it. Unless I missed something, it breaks down as follows: 0:01-0:35 - keeps half the chord progression, second half is original 0:36-1:09 - keeps progression and melody 1:10-1:30 - original 1:31-2:03 - keeps half the progression 2:04-2:36 - keeps progression and melody 2:37-3:02 - original So giving half credit for the first and fourth section, it's fine. Definitely liberal though. Sometimes the source is difficult to make out. As far as the arrangement, I definitely got the early 90's ballad vibe. Aladdin and Vanessa Williams. You did a great job recreating the sound, and there's a lot of detail in the parts. I love the little counter-melodies and trills, and the closing harmonica, while clearly fake, suited the song well. They did that sort of thing in the 90's. Production was lush and clear, and the instruments have nice tones. The programming of the instruments was quite human. All in all, it was very slick work and it deserves to be heard. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big giant circles Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 Thanks for researching that, Vinnie. I'll default to your breakdown of source comparison then, and as you said, it's definitely a close call (only as far as the arrangement goes), this one's going to duck down into YES territory by a razor's breadth. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted December 6, 2007 Author Share Posted December 6, 2007 I actually saw this week in my Ormgas box that Tim mailed me a long time ago, really pissed off at the last EarthBound mix decision of his, because I surmised that X-Japan (an inspiration for "Scars") wasn't as droning and repetitive, only to be given a clip of the relevant track and finding out that they WERE droning and repetitive. Hey, I can't help their faults. I'll definitely never forget that. So are the days of being a judgefgt. Ha! Man, I remember when me joining the panel was a breath of fresh air. Now I'm part of the establishment, so it's like "thank God these new faces are here. Counteract Larry, that fucking asshole." Also, sorry to Tim; he was trying to hit me up for probably a week and a half or so trying to get feedback on this track, and I suppose whether or not to try submitting it. But already the feedback's been pretty solid. http://www.zophar.net/usf/afusf.zip - 061 "8 am Hourly Music (default)" & 002 "Title" Based on the arrangement, I just knew the title theme couldn't have been the only source, or this would have potentially looked too liberal. When I looked through the soundtrack though (241 USFs, so that was both a bitch and why my vote took so long), I found that the 8 am Hourly Music was actually the main unmentioned source (:08-:26 of that track), which directly accounts for Palp's thus half-true observations on the 0:36-1:09 and 2:04-2:36 section. The decision would have closed up a lot faster if I'd known, only because this was seeming fairly liberal without knowledge of this other track. Seems like most of this was plucked from theme variations in the game. With that said, this was pretty much nothing but smooth sailing. The mixing felt a little muddy with the backing strings, and I was hoping the overall sound could be sharper, so I disagreed with Palp on things being crystal clear. There could have been better separation here without hampering the effectiveness of the composition. I wouldn't have minded a higher encoding. Pretty solid dynamics and very effective changes for the genre. Great piano and organ-focused section from 1:29-2:03 was an interpretive sweet spot. The gradual escalation once the strings were brought back at 1:46 and the soundfield gradually filled out more and more was excellent. The harmonica from 2:35-2:56 was an excellent touch to close this out strongly. This track showed Tim really step it up on a creative level compared to his early arrangements, not getting rid of his penchant for staying true to the original melodies, but really expanding the piece with his own additive writing and emotive style, giving the end result a familiar yet distinctive and personalized quality. Everything we're looking for. Keep it up, bro. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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