Liontamer Posted December 2, 2007 Share Posted December 2, 2007 Hola, Soy Trenthian. Tengo un remixo para los "juez mrcns" y De Jota Pe. Considering the new and improved panel, I cant wait to see them tear into this one. Esto es uno remixo pequeño para los Hombres, y uno hamburguesa gigante para lo hambre. Sadly this does not feature any form of electric recorder solo. Pero viene con su opción del topping y del premio secreto. I give you, (Le doy) Chrono Trigger - Travel Companion OC Submission The first course is a crisp "Memories of Green" Mixed ensalada with "Secret of the Forest" spice dressing. 00:00 - 03:05 The second course is our world farmous "Wind Scene" Bean Burrito. 03:05 - 04:39 The third course is our "Ruined World" Spicy Jambalaya, sure to ruin your world later in the lavatory. 04:40 - 05:52 Dessert is a light and fluffy whipped Ice Cream Dish we call "Radical Dreamer's Distant Promise" Its price promises to keep your positive financial future radically distant for some time to come. 05:52 - End Goce con el fuego y la pasión - El Castillo de Trenthia - Restaurante del Musica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted December 2, 2007 Share Posted December 2, 2007 note: this vote was edited after other Js voted, which is why it might reference later posts Not a bad arrangement; it's groovy and all the different themes fit together nicely without succumbing to the deadly medlyitis. I do have some concerns as to how conservative it is, particularly the section with Secret of the Forest. There are some nice harp and piano bits though, so I'll give you that. On the other hand, I'm not feeling too hot on these samples, especially the brass that comes in around :25, and then the strings that join in; there's really unnatural release there. Seems to be a lot of high-end throughout the mix; not a big deal. I think your layering of samples around 3:50 really hurts the texture of the piece; you've got violin with a buzzy synth and the mid-range gets crowded. After listening to this more though, I feel like this piece is really lacking in direction. It sounds a lot like some kind of long jam session going through the themes; it's not a medly issue, as the transitions work, but things sort of just plod along and coast. I can see what Andy is saying about the percussion plodding; although it's varied in terms of fills, the energy level throughout most of the mix stays the same. The real highlights are when you bring in the larger drums and step away from the kit. This is such a tough call for me, but I have to say that this piece doesn't seem to come together cohesively. Sure, the transitions get the job done, and the themes fit together stylistically, but from start to finish, it doesn't feel like it goes anywhere. NO (borderline) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 The brass samples are indeed pretty weak, I noticed that right off the bat. Encoding could be better too rather than straight 128cbr, as the highs throughout are lossy. I also thought the mixing/mastering could have been better. Lots of low-mid energy, not a lot of balance throughout, which maximizes the actual volume but not the perceived volume. More time on EQ and fine-tuned compression (preferably multiband) would help that. The interpretation of "Memories of Green" & "Secret of the Forest" was a little on the coverish side in terms of the approach at first, though there was enough new writing to pass our bar. As the mix progresses, the interpretation becomes more interesting, which helps solidify this mix in the direction of a YES. However, the beat is pretty plodding... Trenth I think this is a pretty consistent problem in your mixes. Spend more time on drum programming and don't just use the kit to keep a simple beat. Do something more interesting next time, please. It's not a deal-breaker but it almost always brings your stuff down. I'm glad the mix picks up around 3:45 or so with the new themes. Prior to that, while the writing and interpretation was all there, I thought the sounds were beginning to get repetitive. Syrupy violins & pianos only go so far. At the same time, the heavier instrumentation & beat also brings more mixing problems, with more crowded lows, and fake brass towards 4:45 or so. Again, the vanilla beat with little variation doesn't help. After listening a few times, I think it's clear that the arrangement here is solid enough. Not my favorite style personally, though, and I thought it went on a little too long considering how most of the melodies were played out in a very similar fashion with the same sort of sounds. I'm torn on this because there's definitely some creative stuff going on in terms of the actual notes being written - no medleyitis here - but the production is very dull, and in particular the rhythm section is straight-up boring. The level of energy is pretty low overall and it seems to me that the mix sort of is torn between an orchestral ballad style, and something heavier (with the synth cameos here and there.) Texturally, things don't change a great deal, and the changes are too gradual. Unfortunately, despite good writing, this mix doesn't have enough going for it to merit a YES, in my opinion. The orchestral sounds are lackluster, the drums are boring, the melodic interpretation throughout is approached the same way, the mixing & mastering aren't so hot, there are no major changes to rhythm, time signature, tempo, or instrument texture, etc. Skip around the mix and the whole thing sounds very similar no matter where you go. This is way weaker than your Wizards & Warriors sub, John, kick it up a notch. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted December 7, 2007 Author Share Posted December 7, 2007 http://snesmusic.org/v2/download.php?spcNow=ct - "Memories of Green" (ct-105.spc), "Secret of the Forest" (ct-111.spc), "Wind Scene" (ct-109.spc) & "Ruined World" (ct-201.spc) http://snesmusic.org/v2/download.php?spcNow=rd - "Far Promise ~ Dream Shore" (rd-08.spc) Yeah, first impression were that the brass samples and high strings didn't sound quite realistic enough. The brass was definitely weaker, while the strings were comparatively stronger despite their own issues. The brass in particular definitely hurt both the intro and the conclusion, sounding pretty fake and exposed. The drumkit definitely plods along and usually doesn't mesh well with the other instrumentation. Agreed with DarkeSword than when you moved away from it, your percussion choices seemed a lot more fitting. IMO, it's not so much the writing, but rather the sounds choices, though I'd also say that the background could have used another element to help fill it out. It's pretty empty as is for some of these sections Arrangement-wise, I see where the criticisms were coming from. This definitely has a lot of nice embellishments to make it more acceptable, but the arrangement still lost something in holding so much to the overall feel of the originals for the "Memories of Green"/"Secret of the Forest" section. Dynamically, I can totally understand the crits there as well, but didn't have as much of a problem. The dynamics were arguably a bit too subtle for first 3 minutes, but the buildups and dropoffs were working overall, IMO. Nice stuff for a 2004 arrangement, John. (I checked the tags.) It probably would have made it back in that day, albeit with the same criticisms. Honestly, it's mostly the emptier sections with the plodding drumwork that have me not quite feeling this. They last a while and prevent much of the track from feeling cohesive enough. The arrangement is already where it needs to be. I'd just spit polish the lacking areas to really get this flying high and making the most out of the interpretation ideas in the execution. NO (refine/resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJT Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 Just thought I'd throw my two cents in here. There are three major problems with this remix. 1) The textures are barely passable at best, and distractingly synthetic at worst. The intro is very weak in this respect. You've got a poor electric bass sample with rigid sequencing, which is soon joined by a very, very fake sounding trumpet 2) The drum kit is not pulling its weight at all. You've got this very driving, medium tempo pocket, but your snare is so thin and flimsy it can't support the groove at all...the energy just bleeds out. Good, free drum samples are not difficult to find, and as Andy mentioned, you could definitely be putting some more work into your sequencing. The worst section is where the ride cymbal is clanging out quarter notes. Doesn't make any sense to me, in context. 3) There's a uniformity of ideas, sounds, and dynamics that starts to grate on the listener after awhile. IMO. John, you're a very talented arranger. If you'd put this arrangement into the hands of a live band, it would probably sound great. As it is, however, the execution is holding this mix back. You're definitely developing your own style, which is more than most remixers in this community can say. As you continue to grow as a writer, arranger, and producer, you may want to think about expanding into the realm of live recording. In this case, your samples/sequencing aren't cutting it. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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