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OCR01659 - Marathon "The Forerunner Mix (Alpha)"


djpretzel
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Very cinematic but still manages to breathe some much needed life in to the genre. Coupling synths with strings is a stroke of genius and makes a very enjoyable combination. The percussion is fairly interesting throughout but isn't really the focus of the remix, something I think is intentional and works well. The production is very clean, there are a lot of small elements that you might not notice at first btu that really helps the piece.

As I mentioned the piece has a very cinematic nature and would work well as a soundtrack for both games and movies, though this same nature makes it a tad hard to enjoy as a stand-alone piece of music imho. I can't help but to wish there was some more structure and, even though it's very dynamic, a definite culmination of the piece. Nonetheless, this is a great arrangement well worth your time and it's PERFECT as background music while gaming.

Thank you for bringing OCR some Marathon-love.

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Nice incorporation of the orchestrated elements with the synths. Everything gels together well, which is hard to to with something like that.

The song remains a bit too 'background' to really enjoy on it's own, as ANSO said. Still nice to have, and it would be good to see this coupled with a video or something.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Despite the mentioned background-ness, and that I wouldn't mind if it had some "foreground" to it, I somehow enjoy this one as a stand-alone piece. Strings and synths combination is very tasty indeed. I also like how there seem to be different rhythms layered on top of another. I think those are why this works for me for focused listening.

--Eino

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For me, this does work as a stand-alone piece, especially part one, which manages to set up a wonderful atmosphere. As AS said, coupling the synths with strings was a very good idea.

However, I don't really understand why Alpha and Beta weren't incorporated into one song. It seems to me that it would've been possible to link the two together with only little effort. Granted, there would have been quite the stylistic change in the middle of the mix, but it's not as if that hasn't been done, and done well, before.

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hi guys, thanks for all the kind words.

The reason they are separate tracks is that I originally intended them to be part of a longer series, covering most of the material from the Marathon games. But then a few projects came up and I only really had time to work on three of them. The 3rd is on its way though..:sleepdepriv:

BTW sorry for posting in my own review thread, that's gotta be a faux pas of some kind..

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This mix has a super deep sound, and I love the atmosphere it exudes. The pads used are excellent, and your crescendos are great; the only minor complaint I have is that the cool siren-style synth has an awkward exit. It just kind of stops, as opposed to fades out. Everything else is gold. This one walks a very delicate line between an engaging mix to actively listen to, and very good background music. It could easily serve as both. Well done.

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hi guys, thanks for all the kind words.

The reason they are separate tracks is that I originally intended them to be part of a longer series, covering most of the material from the Marathon games. But then a few projects came up and I only really had time to work on three of them. The 3rd is on its way though..:sleepdepriv:

BTW sorry for posting in my own review thread, that's gotta be a faux pas of some kind..

Not at all. I think many of us have done it. :< It's interesting to hear the songs were to be part of a series, though the connections are obvious. I look forward to the 3rd part!

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wow, beautiful sounds, textures, and a lot of energy to boot. You've set up a really great atmosphere, and have combined a lot of natural and artificial sounds in a very organic manner. Also there are lots of cheese chords that I love to shamelessly indulge myself in ;) I only with there was more melodic content, but I don't know the source. But regardless, great work. Time to listen to beta!

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  • 3 months later...

FlamingTP's omni-review challenge# 9/1522

Now this my friends is a work of pure awesomeness, and I'm not a giant Halo fan either. This mix of the Doom engine prequel is laced with gold. Most mixes of halo origin I find have too much chant in them, but this offers smooth background nod to it without overdoing it, all the while pounding an accurate, absolutely solid rendition.

10/10 "Master Chief"

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  • 3 months later...
  • 3 months later...

I love both this and the Beta mix, and rather than spread myself thin trying to comment on both pieces, I thought I'd toss in my two cents for both of them as two cohesive halves of a whole. These mixes are engrossing and sweepingly epic, but also varied and able to keep the listener's interest throughout the entire duration. I'd never even heard of this game before these mixes were posted, but it doesn't matter--awesome music is awesome, regardless of whether or not you've previously heard or even known about the source.

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  • 1 month later...

I'm not as familiar with the Marathon soundtrack as I am with the Halo soundtracks, so I hear those themes more predominately, but still...

Listening to Covenant Dance versus Alpha puts this mix into perspective; it really shows where Alpha came from, where Alpha goes, and just how far Alpha does go. And it is amazing.

All in all, it's an enjoyable listen, an awesome mix, and an absolute must download.

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  • 1 month later...

It's awesome to see some Marathon coverage. I played it through on AlephOne a couple of years ago, but the music never really stuck. I suppose I've spent more time playing Halo, I recognize the Halo stuff easily.

This is an awesome remix, just for how it progresses. Favorite part: 1:25, another build-up. has a gerat scifi sound, would fit into a movie of either game series. I love how it ends with just a soft pad. Great stuff.

Listening to this and Beta back-to-back makes it an even greater experience. Highly recommended. I saw there was a Gamma version too, I hope it is resubbed, judged quickly (and YESed) and posted soon.

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  • 9 months later...

Super nice stuff. I'm a huge fan of this series of mixes, so it's good to finally get around to writing a little note of appreciation for it.

I really like how this has a delicate approach to the genre. It doesn't aspire to soar or deafen or deluge layer upon layer of synth. There's a time and a place for that sort of thing, certainly. But the higher road taken here sure is sweet for a change.

Very fluid mixing. Great compatibility of sounds and instruments; the strings sound strong and I'm liking the choices in synths and effects too. I'm not familiar at all with the sources, but that is totally irrelevant to enjoying this. This is an awesomely serene mix of textures that only gets better with multiple listens. Get it and let it all sink in.

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  • Liontamer changed the title to OCR01659 - Marathon "The Forerunner Mix (Alpha)"

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