Liontamer Posted November 19, 2007 Share Posted November 19, 2007 Remixer name: AzureKevin real name: Kevin Che e-mail: azurekevin@gmail.com website: www.azure.co.nr Submission: Source material: Final Fantasy V - Unknown Lands: http://snesmusic.org/v2/download.php?spcNow=ff5 I originally made the instrumentals for this with no intent on adding vocals. A little over a year later, however, I decided it was suitable for lyrics and said, "hey, why not give it a shot?", improved the instrumentals slightly, and added my own vocals. Yeah, the lyrics are sappy ( http://www.azure.co.nr/music/remixes/distantworld.html) but I've never actually tried writing lyrics before, and this was the easiest topic to dive into. I made the instrumentals with Madtracker and free samples I managed to collect over the years. I used Adobe Audition 2.0 to improve the sound quality a bit, as well as recorded the vocals with a 20 dollar Behringer mic. I figured I'd submit this to you guys even if the sound quality isn't quite up to par with your standards. Nevertheless, enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 There's a lot of reverb on this mix, right off the bat. The opening strings have a weird stereo image too. I don't think the drums really fit either; they sound more like big beat or hip hop drums than soft ballad drums, which is what I would think you would want. In general, the mixing/production here needs a lot of work. Too much reverb on nearly everything, hihats are too loud, kick is hard to make out, and instruments tend to step on eachother in the frequency range. THAT BEING SAID... I think the vocals are excellent! Great performance and great recording. Too much reverb, but I mean that aside, really cool stuff. The issue is the backing track, which in general just does not sound nearly as good. Hit the Remixing forum for more help on mixing/EQ, and maybe picking up some better samples as well. I like the arrangement overall. You've added original parts and varied the source tune's melody in the vocal line. Good job in this department. I came away feeling that you really personalized the original song and turned it into something more. In terms of the structure, this mix has great dynamic and a well-thought out contour overall. It's enjoyable to listen to. For example, I like the way everything swells towards the end, how the ending itself doesn't fade or abruptly stop, but uses the glock + piano to close out. Creative stuff. This boils down to production for me. The mixing/mastering could use work as a lot of the parts not distinct enough due to EQ, the string sample isn't that great, the drums don't fit (and are kind of repetitive also), and there's too much reverb overall. You might consider adding some synth sweeps or pads to help mask the weaker strings, and maybe layer up the drums more to create rhythmic interest and variation over the course of the track. I'm probably sounding rather nitpicky but I think this is a great track conceptually, with a good vocal performance and well-written lyrics. I would really like to hear this with the production issues fixed. Please resubmit, and don't forget to use the Remixing forum and #ocrwip on IRC (irc.enterthegame.com) if you need more help. NO, resub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 This song really reminds me of Moby's "Porcelain," particularly the bit with the filtered vocals. That's a good thing, because I really love that song. In any case, your vocals are actually pretty well performed, which is interesting considering they're not part of your original vision for this mix. However, I'm not really fan of the rest of your soundscape. The percussion is sitting in a weird place in this mix; too far back and it's got some weird reverb on it. Percussion in a song like this should be your anchor; centered, with presence without overpowering, and just a touch of reverb, no more. I think that the sustained strings could be better written too. They're mid-range, occupying the same range and your vocals; you might be better served bring them down or up in octave, quieting them a little. Try writing your chords at greater intervals; span two octaves with just four notes, and again, keep it quieter. Those sustained chords aren't interesting enough as is to be as loud as they are. Also, use a better string sample. The one you have sounds really phasy. I think other judges can speak more towards production issues, so I'll let them take care of that. All in all though, a great first effort. Hope to hear more. NO resub plz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Beautiful arrangement. Sort of an electronic lullaby - a wonderful interpretation of the original. I thought the mood of the piece and your vocals were excellent. Pitched just right. The execution was a little bit of a stumbling block though. Right from the start, I didn't like how unnatural those strings sounded, like they've had too much of the high chopped off. I might suggest using a better sample too, since they are used so prominently. It was something I noticed with the vocals as well, when you took the filter off at 1:04. It sounds like part of the highs are missing, while the 'S's are overemphasized. I hope this is just your EQ settings rather than a problem with the recording, because it really needs fixing. The drums seemed like a mismatch for the material, a little too in the background and lacking body. You can keep them quiet while placing them more in the foreground. I wouldn't mind more variations in those patterns too. You've got a really good start and I think most of your problems are with the production. Fix those and we may have a keeper. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted November 21, 2007 Author Share Posted November 21, 2007 My bros here already got this one, but I enjoyed the arrangement so much, I had to give a full vote on it as well. http://snesmusic.org/v2/download.php?spcNow=ff5 - "Unknown Lands" (ff5-2-04.spc) Well, first off, I love the concept and potential of this one. Great vocals, cool lyrics, and a fairly good sense of atmosphere. Sure, some Moby similarities. The closest analogue you have community-wise is Arkimedes. The interpretation level of this one compared to the original was excellent. I suppose one could argue it's purposeful given the mix title, but I wasn't a fan of very distant, lossy, lo-fi wash given to the string pads that opened this up. They sat fairly comfortably in the track once the other instrumentation arrived at :25 though. I'd make the strings cleaner and more upfront to start, then shift them further back into the washed style you have at :25. The drums brought in at :25 don't quite fit alongside the vocals, plus they cruise control for way too long; there are definitely ways to keep the relaxing groove you have while varying them up more. The addition of the light cymbal work at 1:10 was all I heard to do anything else with it. Just ends up droning badly in the big picture, undermining the other strong aspects of the arrangement. Also, the other Js are definitely right about the strings occupying the same frequencies as the vocals, preventing the strings from sounding out well during the singing. This boils down to production for me. The mixing/mastering could use work as a lot of the parts not distinct enough due to EQ, the string sample isn't that great, the drums don't fit (and are kind of repetitive also), and there's too much reverb overall. You might consider adding some synth sweeps or pads to help mask the weaker strings, and maybe layer up the drums more to create rhythmic interest and variation over the course of the track. That literally sums it up right there. Agreeing with Palpable and pointing it out because of how it causes unintentional earbreak: you need to de-ess the vocals, with 1:04, 1:10-1:12, 2:02-2:03, 3:01, 3:13, 3:25-3:26, 3:38-3:41 being the worst offenders. Otherwise, this is around 80% of the way there. I'm definitely keeping this, and you're on my radar, Kevin. You better work on this more and resubmit this. You can see the general vibe of the panel is that we'd like to see this posted on the site. You only need to fine tune what's in place, you don't need to reinvent the wheel or drastically overhaul the track to get above the bar. Use the ReMixing and Works forums for help and feedback. If you have to, don't be afraid to nag people to listen to this along the way in order to get the assistance you need to push this over the top. Impressive so far, bro; let's fix the issues on this and get it on the front page! NO (refine/resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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