ReMix:Wolfenstein 3D "Blazkowicz's Great Escape" 3:13

By Beckett007

Arranging the music of one song...

"Get Them Before They Get You!"

Primary Game: Wolfenstein 3D (Apogee , 1992, DOS), music by Bobby Prince

Posted 2010-04-11, evaluated by djpretzel


Beckett007, aka Rich Douglas, writes:

"I have to apologize for being out of the OCR loop for so long... work and life have both gotten the better of me but I recently found some very unlikely inspiration for a new arrangement from a well known game you probably played the hell out of... Wolfenstein 3D. With the recent port of Wolfenstein to the iPhone and marking its 17th anniversary, I figured there was no better time than now to tackle this remix! Much like my previous mixes, I have taken something not meant to be epic, reorchestrated it, and made it sound like it was put together for a Wolfenstein film. The piece starts off on unfamiliar territory as BJ Blazkowicz kills his prison guard, steals his weapon, and begins his heroic escape from castle wolfenstein. Then right around 30 seconds... the familiar bassline from the in game cue "Get Them" makes its rousing entrance stacked with elements of the heroic brass line. Right around :53 should be overly familiar to any of you who have played Wolfenstein 3D.

Liberties were taken here and there, but I opted to keep this one as familiar as possible for pure nostalgia. I truly think this is my best remix yet!"

All of Rich's mixes have a certain flair for sound design & production sheen to them - I really dug when he busted out some granular synthesis on his last mix, for example. His original material at www.richdouglas.net is well worth checking out, too. We haven't had a Wolfenstein 3D mix since Mazedude's, which was our first, back in 2003, so it's great to see some very well-known yet undermixed source material making an appearance, and a timely one at that.

I dig all of Mr. Douglas's mixes, so when he claims something is his best yet (which seems to be something of a trend lately!), he's got my attention. While less experimental from a sound design perspective, this orchestral mix is BIG. It uses empty space, bold ensemble brass, and a narrative contrast between the staccato, intermittent beginning and the running, paced second half to paint the exact picture that Rich describes himself above. In other words, it's highly cinematic. If they did a Wolfenstein 3D movie, they'd probably screw it up royally, and this music would be far too good and end up being wasted, but if they did it right (something tells me Inglourious Basterds is as close as we'll ever see) then this mix would be absolutely perfect. I can certainly understand work & life being priorities, but I'm glad Rich got the time to put together this arrangement, because when you close your eyes, this one really takes you there... great stuff.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 14 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Crulex
on 2012-08-18 19:43:36

Truly cinematic and dynamic in it's sound. Beckett's style is one of the most epic styles you can ReMix in, and this shows how damn good things can get when you take a great source and fill it with grand orchestration and lots of DUN DUN! You really hammered in the drama on this ReMix. Awesome.

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Rexy
on 2011-12-08 03:34:17

With a description that includes the words "(your) best remix yet", it's got a lot to live up for. :razz:

But the writing here is actually well devised; it takes the fundamentals of the source, even throws in a straight interpretation down the line but even ended up using some elements of the accompaniment for some of the calmer moments of the track. I can definitely feel the movie trailer approach to the track, which is good!

Even the sounds utilised in this orchestrated setting mostly sound very realistic and appropriately humanised for the most part. The only qualm I seem to have though is that there's not much dynamic shaping until right at the end; it all seems to be at the same kind of general force for the collective instruments until near the end. Though, if that matches with the movie scene style approach to it it may not be a big deal, but it should still be worth pointing out.

All in all it's a neatly crafted orchestrated work; these aren't easy to pull off, and to handle something that wasn't meant to be epic like the Wolfenstein source you managed to pull through powerfully. I'll be keeping an eye on you Beckett :)

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underthesun
on 2010-05-06 09:35:42

This music is so epic, it would be amazing to see it used in a game. Reminds me of final fantasy tactics battle musics, but a bit more movie soundtrack-ish.

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Mtlbro
on 2010-05-02 23:47:23

Wow that takes me back, THANKS Beckette007 !!

Isn't it the menu music?

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Martin Penwald
on 2010-04-29 16:50:46

Beckett007 delivers another quality orchestra/OST-like arrangement with high production values. While there's nothing wrong with that, I do wish that the artist would step out of his comfort zone and try something new for future remixes.

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LuckyXIII
on 2010-04-25 10:07:26

Excellent work! Reminds me a lot of the score in the film U.S. Marshals.

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Saga
on 2010-04-16 16:01:57

Umbelieveble a new Master Piece to OCremix!

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MechaFone
on 2010-04-16 04:29:21

I love a good dramatic orchestral piece!

I'm not familiar with this game at all, so it's new to me. Excellent work, well done!

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Koriantor
on 2010-04-14 15:30:23

I love the soundtracks to wolfenstein and MoHAA. The style they're done in is just awesome. This track is a piece of amazing music, kudos :grin:

Me being a band geek, it's always nice to have a mix like this

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DIGI01
on 2010-04-13 12:14:20

Reminds me of something out of "Battle of the Bulge" or "Where Eagles Dare"...

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OA
on 2010-04-13 12:12:59

Rich's work is always really classy and well done, but it seems to be more focused on mood and rhythms than melody, which is a very viable strategy, and one that always enhances an experience, but makes it more difficult for me personally to get as invested in the music. This one is no exception, with a very polished and rich soundscape, but a more subdued melody. I keep wishing for those soaring horns to be pushed further forward and really take control, but they are backseat to the rest of the drama. As for telling the story of the opening moments of Wolfenstein, that was completely nailed. Very evocative textures and pacing, but my own bias gets in the way of me fully enjoying it. I certainly respect the skill on display here though, props.

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Quakeman224
on 2010-04-13 09:39:17

I was trying to figure out what the song was remixed from. Took me a second the figure it out and I got to say. Nice work. There is not that many Wolf3D remix I think there should. Yes Doom is better but the music is always amazing on bot hgames.

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Eckerson
on 2010-04-13 00:03:45

Breathtakingly epic. It carries the film soundtrack theme well.

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djpretzel
on 2010-04-12 21:48:41

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Wolfenstein 3D (Apogee , 1992, DOS)
Music by Bobby Prince
Songs:
"Get Them Before They Get You!"

Tags (4)


Genre:
Cinematic
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Brass,Orchestral,Strings
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Wolfenstein_3D_Blazkowicz's_Great_Escape_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,727,666 bytes
MD5:
99bbf4b10bfc0ab521385b4db81ac206
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
3:13

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