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 | Re: Marathon Remake 'Leela': Ocremix.org rejection | |
| Posted By: HolyMcGibblets | Date: 9/20/04 7:18 p.m. |
| In Response To: Marathon Remake 'Leela': Ocremix.org rejection (Craig Hardgrove) That's unfortunate. I would have liked to see a remix of yours get some publicity. Reading that forum post, though, they seemed like pricks. Anyway, as to your query about the songs: They sound like an alternative version of the tracks Bungie released with Marathon. That is exactly what they're supposed to be. They have the same feeling and sound that the Bungie tracks have, which is a major hurdle. While they're not the finest pieces of music in the history of humanity, they successfully recreate the atmosphere of Marathon. Amateurish? Maybe a little. But you can never start on top. If you can just refine things so that they sound more concrete and interesting, the "amateurishness" will go away. If you don't mind, I'd like to give some of my thoughts on your songs. First, let me just say overall that sometimes you overdo the pads a little bit so that they sound overpowering. Part of that is the Bungie feel, but it could stand to be turned down a tad; they need to be there, but maybe just a little less strong. The pads also tend to sound like static at powerful bass notes like in Swirls. Not all the songs need this treatment, but Swirls and parts of Flowers in Heaven definitely need it. Let me also say that some of the songs seem to just... not evolve any. The main parts of every song are good, so that's not the problem. Perhaps there should be more of a build to the songs rather than bring in the whole melody at once? I'm not sure. My brief stint as a musician was a terrible failure. Individually... Chomber: Chomber is a really good one. The intro is a mite generic, but it does what it needs to and brings in the melody without much fuss or distraction. The main parts of the song (starting at about 0:36) are the best part of the song and, again, capture the Bungie feel. The small "breakdown" in the middle (at about 1:32) is good, but maybe the melody should be a little more strong or different when it comes back. After this, the main part kicks back in and ends at about 3:25. The ending is decent, but could stand to complete the song a little better. I like the idea of having the melody end it, but perhaps a slight difference in the pads and such would be good. Overall, this is a good one. Leela: This has a good intro and the first melody introduction (at about 0:34) is good, and I really like that instrument used in the background for emphasis on the melody. One of my few problems with this song is the little synth bit that comes in at 0:58. It doesn't sound bad alone, but when the melody kicks back in, it sounds discordant. That also goes for the one at 1:44. The synth there also lasts a bit too long. Everything else about this song is superb. My only other gripe is that I rarely hear the low notes from the original (The C-G-C-C-G-C-C-C-C bit), and that was sort of what the song was built on. Maybe that could be included a little bit more. Rapture: This intro is similar to Leela's up until the percussion comes in. As this is a slow song, the feel of everything reflects that. I like the flute-esque melody instrument. Basically everything else about this is good. Good feel, enough variety, and enough harmonious background bits that it is interesting to hear more than once. Swirls: This one is probably my least favorite of the remixes. Not that it's outright bad, but it has some parts that need work. As I mentioned above, the bass notes here seem to disagree with either my sound card or my ear, because they sound like they break apart. Maybe the volume on it is too loud? This song doesn't really move into anything as it is a slow song, but some evolution would be nice. Toward the end of the song, it gets where it should be. One problem I have with the song is at 2:27, where there is some sort of screeching, grating electronic note. No offense, but that would be good if the song was by Aphex Twin. Unless you use that type of note more than once and in a clever manner, I can't really see any point to having it. Unless that was a technical error of some type, in which case, I apologize. Flowers in Heaven: This is another good one. The intro works, if a bit slow. The main part is good and has plenty of variety. I like the bass drum kicks in this song... very moving and timed perfectly. The choice of drum sound was superb. Great ending, too. I'd just like to point out my above comments again and say that some pads are too powerful and result in sound degredation. Guardians: I like this one. The percussion is perfect for it and nearly all elements of this song are good. The ending is good, but it needs to end a little faster, as there are 20 seconds of a single-note fadeout. Landing: Your latest (and seventh ;P) entry is by far the best of all. I want to point out that the intro is a little strange and may or may not be appropriate for this song. I would like to suggest that, instead of a brief glimpse of the ending, you start the song off as it did in the original track: the firm bass notes (C-G-Eb). I think this would add a sense of nostalgia toward the original song, but hey, I could be crazy. The rest of the song progresses solidly and well. I think that there should be more variety in the main portion, though, as it seems like I hear it all as soon as the song begins (although changing the intro could solve this). I think that's all of them. I sort of lost steam toward the end there. Honestly, though, keep making these remixes. It's pretty obvious that lots of people in the Marathon community really appreciate the effort and final product. We all still dream of the Marathon soundtrack to be redone, and you bring us closer to it. In closing, keep it up. | |
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