ReMix:Red Alarm "Red Dimension" 5:11

By MkVaff

Arranging the music of one song...

"Title"

Primary Game: Red Alarm (Nintendo , 1995, VB), music by Ken Kojima

Posted 2003-01-30, evaluated by djpretzel


Yes, it's McVaffe. Yes, it's Virtual Boy. And yes, unlike the console of the game being ReMixed, this mix has nothing to be ashamed of and kicks some major red-wireframe booty. But before I let The Big McV take the spotlight, I've got a brief(ish) announcement. I don't think Mike'll mind too much as he's a pretty laid-back, groovy fellow ^^

For around two years, I've wanted (and others have wanted me) to get some high-quality OC ReMix shirts produced and available for sale. Until recently, the problem has been finding a reliable, cheap, and high-quality way to get these made, shipped, and sellable. I didn't want to charge people ANYTHING for a product that would be heatpress or shoddy, etc. I'm happy to announce that OverClocked ReMix Shirts are now a reality. It took a sizable investment to get them made, but I hope that many of you will choose to support the site's bandwidth and maintenance costs as well as the spirit and community of OCR by buyin' one (or two!) and wearin' it as well. Who knows - you might meet (sexy, beautiful) locals in your region that you never knew existed and strike up a meaningful, productive conversation based on a mutual interest . . in a site . . . about video game arrangements. Okay, so you probably won't meet the love or your life because of these shirts. But they are good quality, they do help support our bandwidth, and they have got a purty cool, minimalist style to 'em. Buy one here, more info here.

Right then - plug mode over. The shirts really will help, and really are pretty groovy. But in deference to Mr. Vafeas, I'll proceed on to the duty at hand: our first Virtual Boy ReMix, and a badass one at that. I freely admit that I've not heard the original, and thus can't speak specifically to some aspects of the arrangement. But I know what the sound chip is capable of, roughly, and it ain't nowhere near this ballpark. This is damn good, synth-o-holic techno, with a massive variety of synth timbres going on simultaneously. You want a meaty, deep synth bass? You gots it. Computational blips and funky bleeps? Portamento square lead? Layered patterns? Wispy and warm synth pads? All that and a bag of chips. Beats are mostly breakbeat style, with things dropping to halftime/octave pitch later on, and jumping back up afterwards (for a much earlier example of the same trick, see Hyrulian). There's some cool, synth-choir counter-melody brought in towards the end that I really dig, and as the piece fades out - perhaps a tad bit too swiftly, you can really hear + appreciate the arsenal of aliasing high-pitched synth funk McVaffe has going on. That's definitely the vibe - hi-tech to the extreme, with a smorgasbord of synthesis on the table, lending a very sci-fi, futuristic motif. Only element I wasn't entirely satisfied with was the bass - it didn't stand out as being bad at all, it just felt underdeveloped. Then again, I'm a cuplrit of possibly over-extending the melodic priority+motion of basslines, so you'd expect that. McVaffe sets a high benchmark for any future Virtual Boy ReMixes, which we might not see simply due to lack of familiarity or the slim, mostly forgettable library, but the piece also adds yet another sound to his formidable array of mixed genres and styles. Recommended.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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paradiddlesjosh
on 2024-01-25 20:58:11

Absolutely groovy mix from start to finish! The half-time middle section was a treat.

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MegaMixtape
on 2024-01-25 20:57:18

I think this could had been a tad shorter, but it's still a great track. Wasn't used to this style from MkVaff, since I didn't listen to this back in the day, but it's always great to find deep cuts in his catalogue.

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pixelseph
on 2024-01-25 20:55:44

MkVaff created a sick workout track here. Arps keeps driving us forward and the shifts in beat between full-time and half-time with the drops keep the interest across a 5+ min track. Love it!

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DarkeSword
on 2024-01-25 20:54:00

That arpeggiator is doing the work, damn. Great use of panning and stereo space. Love the textures here. The half time section HITS. Really glad to rediscover this one. :)

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Dyluck
on 2024-01-25 20:53:59

Very classic McVaffe, an evolution of his Vortex theme (#496). Love the processing in this, very faithful to the feel that I'm getting from the very limited view of the game I have. Spacey and epic B section that recapitulates with that sweet lead. The groove in this is phenomenal.

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Liontamer
on 2024-01-25 20:53:43

Cool vibe. You can tell that MkVaff's sound/sample tech was so much more advanced than most folks in the community way back when. Feels robotic and schump-y! Inherently hard to maintain interest for 5 1/2 minutes, yet MkVaff succeeded!

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Xaleph
on 2024-01-25 20:52:56

The synth quality in this song and arrangement is absolutely on point. The panning is great in the beginning and it's always a pleasure to listen to MkVaff's work. The intricate percussion is also fun to listen to - Thank you!

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on 2011-07-14 00:03:59

Where are the reviews? This is one of McV's latter tracks. It's got the same clear production you've come to expect. Here he takes on a more obscure source but pulls it off nonetheless. This is mostly electronic with some throwbacks to his earlier Castlevania Adventure mix among others.

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OA
on 2008-06-13 12:25:37

This one is super crisp and clean, the synths are all very well balanced and panned, so you can hear every element at all times. I do think a little more bass would have made it rock a bit more, but it's still very nice.

Arrangement does get a bit repetitive, but there is plenty going on, and the grooves are pretty hot, so it doesn't detract as much as it could have. There is an underlying current of development, and it seems to work its way from the bottom to the top, which is a pretty cool sonic effect.

Lack of an ending is too bad, but the song itself can stand on it's own.

Good stuff.

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MechaFone
on 2008-04-14 01:34:12

I think I was one of the few that dared to look into the scope of that infernal machine. Kinda screwed with my vision afterwards @_@

Anyway, I don't remember much of the music, and I don't really need to. McVaffe got this song down so well you can just imagine yourself on a red-wire jet, shooting down the enemy in the thin-red-line world that McVaffe painted so well.

This one's a classic, hyped up shooter song, don't miss it!

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mananetwork
on 2006-01-29 20:19:37

I love this song! One of my favorites and I recommend listening to it!

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JFM
on 2005-01-28 08:08:47

I have never played a Virtual Boy, never mind Red Alarm, but this remix seems to capture the atmophere of the system perfectly! 8/10

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jordex
on 2004-12-28 21:06:31

I've never played Red Alarm, I've never even heard of the game but from this song I can tell it has sweet music! The style and instruments McVaffe's chosen are great!

1:21-1:28, I wish McVaffe emphasized this part later on in the song or made it stick out.

Just before 1:50 it starts to build up, I was waiting for something amazing but instead it all falls apart and splits into a seperate section. The same thing happens again at 3:20 and once more at 4:21. McVaffe should have pushed it and kept it going.

Oh well, still an excellent song!

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zircon
on 2004-05-09 22:51:49

Brilliant, as is the rest of McVaffe's stuff. Great arrangement, fantastic synthwork, great execution and production values. I didn't mind the repetition that much, because it's such a great track, and none of the loops used are irritating.

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Vash the Stampede
on 2004-05-08 15:33:28

McVaffe is a demigod!! :lol: Dude your ReMixs are always so kickass, and I'm lovin this 1 too!! NJ!!!

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Red Alarm (Nintendo , 1995, VB)
Music by Ken Kojima
Songs:
"Title"

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File Information


Name:
Red_Alarm_Red_Dimension_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,070,605 bytes
MD5:
ea7286ba8846bff64ddd9d97d304f4c6
Bitrate:
128Kbps
Duration:
5:11

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