Introduction:
Boredom forged in the facade of re-arranging music spawned this. But how does it stand up to the original pieces? Let’s find out.
Music Analysis:
For the most part, channels were added to each and every Module to give it more echoes, range, and the sort. Some timing and pitch bends were also fiddled with here and there. However, some of the music sounds almost entirely unchanged. . .and some, like the Boss theme, actually sounds worse!(In this particular instance, the Boss theme is hollowed out a little. Quieter.) This is mostly due to what I’ll be samples, however. . .
Sample Analysis:
. . .some of which were changed, not for the better, but for the worse. Samples like hi-hats and some of the other things are of lower quality than the original overall(even if they’re of higher bit-rate). In fact, a couple sound like they came right from the Sound Blaster Live! v5.1 SynthWave SoundBank. However, some of the samples, however, sound quite a bit better than the originals. There’s a few songs where the samples fit all the better.
Final Analysis:
Don’t get me wrong. Some of the songs truly do sound better than their original incarnations. Labratkid obviously tried to do this as best as he could. He wasn’t aiming for remixes. Just slight alterations. . .re-arrangements. . .things like that.(Like that Medivo thing I did a while back.)
I’d say overall, he did an acceptable job, but it’s not quite as nice as it could theoretically be. Maybe try using better samples, or at least different ones. Perhaps don’t rely so heavily on just adding channels and echos. Trying adding in some of that originality we’ve come to expect from you, LaRK. For example, with the sample you chose for the “Jingle Bells” thing in Holidaius, might I suggest pitch-bends instead of just jumping from note-to-note? Also, change the snare drum back to a “machine crash” in Scraparap. . . That song is so nothing without that. Use the one from Final Fantasy VI if you have to. Just change it back.
Recommendation?:
Sure. Why not? Nothing here is damaged or anything. For the most part, it sounds just as good as the originals, and in a lot of cases, slightly better. Exoticus sounds absolutely marvelous with the new xylophone samples, for example. Technoir sounds fairly decent, too.
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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene. . . Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2