ReMix:Skies of Arcadia "The Voyage Begins" 3:44

From Arcadia Legends, Pavos (Pieter van Os) gives us a mellow pop piano ballad that transforms into an uplifting, inspirational march:

"This was the opening track for Arcadia Legends, covering the soundtrack of Skies of Arcadia. In 2016, Darkflamewolf contacted me if I wanted to make a ReMix of the opening theme and the main theme from Skies of Arcadia in a combined track that had "a calm buildup with the main theme that flows into the opening theme that ends in a climatic finish that pumps the listener up for the rest of the album". Even though I had never played the game before (BOO! Go home! Shame!), I was interested and wanted to try adding more orchestral influences to a mix than I had done previously. The themes were quite different, however, since the opening theme is full of energy and excitement, and the main theme is very calm and soothing. It was quite a challenge to mix the opening theme and main theme in a cohesive way, especially since both of them really consist of three different parts; there was no clear chorus or bridge. To add to the difficulty, the themes don't really have recurring motifs, but rather transition into distinct, different parts.

To keep a common theme in the mix and maintain the cohesiveness, I decided the main motif/focus in the mix would be the first part of the opening theme, which in my opinion has the most energetic and recognizable melody. To make the two blend nicely, I started with the opening theme, but slowed it down a lot to make it match the main theme's tempo. I also chose to use only piano (and some strings later on) and to play it in a simpler, calming, and soothing style so that it would match the main theme which comes afterwards in that regard as well. Since I didn't want to make the mix too long, to keep it coherent (and to make sure it felt like a complete song on its own and not a medley), I only used the first part of the main theme and the first part of the opening theme (not counting the intro of the opening theme). I think the piece flows really nicely from the opening theme to the main theme, but the next challenge was to transition back and to up the energy level.

To that end, I made an original build-up bridge in which I could also do what I've been wanting to try for a long time: add brass instruments to a mix to make it even more orchestral than my mixes have been in the past. This is my first official track to feature brass instruments, and I think it worked out quite nicely. The problem with brass instruments is that they sound fake so quickly, but I think I did a pretty good job there! Afterwards, I could bring the opening theme back at full energy with a lot of backing instruments to really get the adrenaline pumping for the start of the album. I've been making more and more music with a high energy level, and I really like how this one turned out.

The mix took me a lot longer then I initially thought because of the different transitions and the different parts in the source theme, but I believe the result is a nice, cohesive mix that fully reaches the goal as set by the project director. I worked quite some time on this one since I had a lot of difficulty mixing the two themes (especially going back to the energetic opening theme in full effect) and making the brass sound somewhat realistic, but I'm happy with the result! I think the playfulness and serenity of the main theme is in there, and I feel this builds up the energy well to be pumped up for the rest of the album!

Anyway, source breakdown time (it's quite easy with this one though):

• 0:00-0:16: Original intro
• 0:16-1:23: Part 1 of the opening theme (:24-:54), only slowed down A LOT (30 seconds became more than a minute)
• 1:23-1:40: Original part to transition between themes
• 1:40-2:11: Part 1 of the main theme (:00-:26), the bells play the original melody and the piano later mirrors the bells
• 2:11-2:49: Original (orchestral) bridge to slowly build up the energy and to transition back to the opening theme
• 2:49-3:24: Part 1 of the opening theme again, with additional instruments and counter-melodies, and one or two added chords
• 3:24-3:44: Repetition of the end of part 1 of the opening theme and I end with the starting four notes of part 1 of the opening theme (how poetic)

Source usage: 153 seconds of 224 = 68%. So, yeah, not really anything to worry about there. ;)

Arcadia Legends mastering engineer Rotten Eggplant writes:

"The composition in this track continues to send chills up my back every time I listen to it."

The mellower piano ballad half has a warm, lush tone, with faint string/bell accompaniment and deliberate, meaningful pacing - like someone reflecting, looking out a window, thinking about future possibilities while remembering past events. While I dig the eventual higher-energy march the mix ascends to, the ascension itself hits a little abruptly, and to me the snare sits a little too forward & dry in the mix. Nits being picked, of course; the sense of adventure, hope, & determination provides a great intro to the overall album, and it's also cool to see Pieter branching out and exploring expanded orchestral instrumentation. Enjoy!