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FFIV - Into the Darkness

Nutritious

By Nutritious,
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Nutritious Newbie

Nutritious

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Hey guys, here's an orchestral rendition I've been working on for Into the Darkness (mist cave) from FF4:

EDIT: Updated link

http://nutritious3.googlepages.com/FF4-IntoTheDarkness_3.mp3

Still have a lot of work to do on it. There will be several more sections that come before the last string section at the end of this WIP, which is why it's a bit jarring.

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avaris Newbie

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Nice slow build up per ur usual.

Having that melody played with some nice woodwinds during a breakdown would be sweet. A good place for this would be the breakdown at 1:51 or the section after the breakdown at 2:06

The transition into the breakdown at 1:51 is non-existant, but I'm guessing that'll be fixed right? :)

1:19 there is some nice counterpoint but's it's a lil soft. Bring it up a bit.

1:32 have more of the instruments play that note. Give it some more emphasis it's the climactic note in the melody.

This is a great start but needs more counterpoint and bells n whistles to help puch the envelope a little more. IMO Vampire Hunter Dan's track would be a great reference for some counterpoint to add some xtra flava.

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Rozovian Apprentice

Rozovian

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The only flaw I'm hearing is one note (1:36) that feels off key. But like Avaris is saying, it could be more complex which would give it a richer soundscape and make it more interesting. I'm also thinking you could extend it a little at the end, about ten seconds or so, maybe play the theme on a solo instrument or just chill with chords, something.

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Nutritious Newbie

Nutritious

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Nice slow build up per ur usual.

Having that melody played with some nice woodwinds during a breakdown would be sweet. A good place for this would be the breakdown at 1:51 or the section after the breakdown at 2:06

The transition into the breakdown at 1:51 is non-existant, but I'm guessing that'll be fixed right? :)

1:19 there is some nice counterpoint but's it's a lil soft. Bring it up a bit.

1:32 have more of the instruments play that note. Give it some more emphasis it's the climactic note in the melody.

This is a great start but needs more counterpoint and bells n whistles to help puch the envelope a little more. IMO Vampire Hunter Dan's track would be a great reference for some counterpoint to add some xtra flava.

Thanks for the feedback avaris :). Yeah, you've got me nailed down a bit on these types of slow, quiet intros. It's just what I hear with this type of OST. As far as your suggestions, I'm having a little trouble pinning down what you're talking about cause I don't think the time markings you gave are matching up with Winamp/Fl Studio. Could you maybe be more specific, instrument-wise?

Oh, and near the end (1:34 on my player), that section isn't going to be following the previous section in the finished piece. I'll be adding some additional stuff in between (still have some source to work with), which is why there's no transition or anything.

is this ewqlso?

what does counterpoint mean? Does it mean playing more than one pitch as once?

I took a quick skim over wikipedia's counterpoint, and it is defined as independent lines harmonizing together. Isn't a whole song counterpoint then?

Lish Fish said, I wish it was ewqlso :D. Actually I'll be getting the silver bundle very soon. As far as counterpoint, the way I understand it is it's not just playing chords to harmonize, but an actual melody-type link that compliments the main melody of the song.

The only flaw I'm hearing is one note (1:36) that feels off key. But like Avaris is saying, it could be more complex which would give it a richer soundscape and make it more interesting. I'm also thinking you could extend it a little at the end, about ten seconds or so, maybe play the theme on a solo instrument or just chill with chords, something.

Yeah, I've got some notes in the last section of the song that are purposefully slightly dissonant to give it kinda of ahh... a mysterious feel? Don't know, I just like how it sounds.

Justin wishes. This is a free soundfont called squidfont I think. I'd love to hear what he can do with a pro set of samples. The world would probably end.

Mr. guitar here is too generous :)

And yeah, all the instruments used here are free samples/soundfonts. Squidfont orchestral, cadenza strings, some *cough* fl studio default string samples - all layered together.

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Rozovian Apprentice

Rozovian

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0:30 Whoa, this is really movie score material.

0:42 Yup, still movie score... And a weird note. I know you like those, but... I don't.

1:55-> Really neat. I sense some off-scale stuff, but I don't care. It's just pretty.

2:20-> Wow.

2:40 Okay, now we've heard it already. Still pretty, though. Maybe this is just once too much?

3:15 No, no, no, doesn't sound good. Too massive, fat, or something... too much like a pad. Beautiful thought, but the samples used don't quite live up to the idea. Great idea, semi-decent execution. Find another sample for this, something lighter, less fat. Don't stray from the sound you've employed throughout the piece.

And then comes the same melody as we've heard over, and over, and over, and over...

But it still sounds good. Just... more variation. You can easy harvest bits and pieces from a tune and create entire new sections from those. Don't overdo it, but try it out. It could lead you to that fresh new melody this wip needs.

No headphones, so I can't give much in-depth on production. All that's left to say is that I like it. :D

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Nutritious Newbie

Nutritious

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0:30 Whoa, this is really movie score material.

0:42 Yup, still movie score... And a weird note. I know you like those, but... I don't.

1:55-> Really neat. I sense some off-scale stuff, but I don't care. It's just pretty.

2:20-> Wow.

2:40 Okay, now we've heard it already. Still pretty, though. Maybe this is just once too much?

3:15 No, no, no, doesn't sound good. Too massive, fat, or something... too much like a pad. Beautiful thought, but the samples used don't quite live up to the idea. Great idea, semi-decent execution. Find another sample for this, something lighter, less fat. Don't stray from the sound you've employed throughout the piece.

And then comes the same melody as we've heard over, and over, and over, and over...

But it still sounds good. Just... more variation. You can easy harvest bits and pieces from a tune and create entire new sections from those. Don't overdo it, but try it out. It could lead you to that fresh new melody this wip needs.

No headphones, so I can't give much in-depth on production. All that's left to say is that I like it. :D

Yeah, agreed on the criticism here, esp at 3:15. That's the point I'm still the least happy with so far. I might be able to tweak it, but if not, might just scrap those last two sections come up with an entire new ending.

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Rozovian Apprentice

Rozovian

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If I were you, I would probably have replied with "Yeah, agreed on the criticism here, esp at 2:20."

:D

Like I said, the ending section, it's a great idea, but it's too fat. If you have a harp soundfont, try that one with some really faint strings in the background. An ending there isn't necessary, but it does give the remix a sense of closure. Try a harp and/or a flute.

And see if you can kill some repetition by mixing up the material or itnerpreting the source differently. jeremy Robson did that unbelievably well with Not So Ordinary People. The source is quite repetitive as it's jsut different spins on the same bunch of notes, and that remix is one of my absolute favourites. Learn from its arrangement.

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Nutritious Newbie

Nutritious

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New version:

http://nutritious3.googlepages.com/FF4-IntoTheDarkness_3.mp3

-Cut out last 90 seconds or so of the song and rewrote it, taking the song down by a minute total. I think this was a good thing to avoid the repetition in the themes.

-Changed melody at 2:40 to expand more on main theme rather than repeat it

-New ending, much softer and better resolved IMO

Questions:

-There are two variations on the main theme that play back to back (2:24 and 2:40). I can't decide if it's good how they are, or if I should switch their places. I'm leaning towards keeping them as is since I like the crescendo leading into 2:24 and it's my favorite part of the piece. What do you guys think?

-Some of low brass notes leading into the 2:24 theme (starting around 2:20 or so) are kind of bothering me. I'm not sure if I wrote them incorrectly or something is clashing. I've listened to the brass and strings separately and they sound fine, but together something's not quite clicking. Someone with good ears please comment. :)

-I do all of my mixing on headphones, which doesn't necessarily mean it sounds good on different setups. Anyone with some decent monitors that could take a listen? Or anyone at all with a good production ear that could comment?

oh well then...

congratulations :D

Thanks :) Like Tensi mentioned, it'll be a while since it's part of the SM64 project, which has a ways to go.

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Rozovian Apprentice

Rozovian

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At 2 mins, the only thing I still wish would be changed was that it's essentially the same 10 seconds repeated over and over again. But it's arranged beautifully enough for that just to be a minor detail. At 3 mins when that melody is pushed into background, it all just feels right. While I'd still like some more variation, this is good enough for that just to be my preference. If you're still looking to improve it, toss in a variant of the ending or intro melody somewhere in the middle to mix it up.

If I was a judge, I'd YES this. This is really great, dude.

Answers:

2:40, all good. I like it. 2:24, all good. Works well as they are. If they were the nlast two bits of the piece, reversing them would make a cool ending, but... they aren't. And it's better this way, methinks.

2:20 Sounds good to me. If you're worried about them, copy, rework, and compare.

Repeat: While still a bit repetitive, I'd YES this already. :D

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quoda Newbie

quoda

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This is really pretty! Epic and lovely like a movie score. I do have problems with things around the 2 min. mark and onward... can't put my finger on it. It's like I want something more. The beginning seems to be building, but then it's like a plateau when I'm looking for a climax... if that makes even a shred of sense.

But it it lovely lovely lovely! I'd like to see it go further.

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