00:00
00:00
Newgrounds Background Image Theme

Jmurr12 just joined the crew!

We need you on the team, too.

Support Newgrounds and get tons of perks for just $2.99!

Create a Free Account and then..

Become a Supporter!

A Hero's Last Stand Remastered

Share Download this song

Author Comments

Mastering of: A Hero's Last Stand
Original Artist: SSJ3-Goku4567
Contributing Artist (the horn progression): XayberOptix
Length: 4:20
Soundfonts are the same as the original, aside from florestan_woodwinds

---------

Okay, so after receiving word from XayberOptix about a missing midlevel part, he suggested I put horns in the song, and even supplied me with a shortened version of my song with the horns in it. After receiving the horns alone, I tried as best as I could to follow them, to implement them into the song itself. I edited them a bit to fit my desire as well as improvised in some parts to get the horns as much into the song as possible.

So I hope you enjoy this remastered version of "A Hero's Last Stand," brought to you by myself and XayberOptix!

P.S.: Xayber, I hope you're impressed. :D

Log in / sign up to vote & review!

hey

I mean I'm sure the song is awesome and all but the quality is being molested by the fact that you're submitting a 128kbps version. Submit a 320kbps version and we're talking.

Shiverwar responds:

You want a 320kbps version? You'll get one! :D

Some little problems here and there...

...But an impressive submission. It's a shame that you use only soundfonts because making a song as cool as this with just soundfonts shows how good you'll do with proper VST's. Anyway, all in all I found it to be an epic, well-thought out submission, and like your last, the whole 'Video Game final battle' sound really stands out. Now time to annoy you with some constructive criticism :D.

Alright, to start with, I really liked the instrument choice. The guitar in the background fit very nicely and its patterns were rhythmic and catchy. The strings provide a wonderful amount of tension to the piece, and they sound particularly good at 1:43. That being said I think what really made the difference would be your use of chimes and xylophones. I think they added a unique touch to the submission, giving the listener something more light to listen to, as opposed to the power chords of the guitar, the thumping drums, etc...

XayberOptix's horns were also a really wonderful addition. When comparing this to the original one, I immediately noticed that the other one sounded a bit more empty and if I had to review that one I'd definitely point out that it needed more depth, but over here Xayber's horns filled up that emptiness very nicely and really leaves the listener with that epic feel after a full listen.

Now, while the instrument choice was pretty much spot on, as you might already know the instrument quality isn't as good. The the choir in particular, stand out as a little fake (I suggest looking into Magnus Choir for choirs - it's what I use and sounds very realistic and pleasant). I won't reduce any marks for that, because it's not your fault, but it's worth mentioning, and heck, on the whole the instruments sounded good, and you don't always need a realistic sound to get a cool sound ;).

The composition was really nice, and gave the song a somewhat heroic feel to it, which makes it fit perfectly with the name. The main melody is rememberable and catchy. Not only that, but it was varied well throughout the song, and the subtle changes you made around the melody gave the song a fantastic amount of variety. The melody especially shined in the part at 2:25, and playing the woodwind instrument on its own and then introducing more instruments at 2:38 was a great idea.

Now for one problem I have with the song. Despite the horns in the song which gave it the depth it needed, at times I thought that the song's melody was a bit underpowered and drowned out by the background instruments.Here I think some mixing/mastering would help out.

For instance, you can EQ the instruments to give them their own space in the mix to achieve more clarity. Maybe you can increase the high end of some of the instruments carrying the melody to make them sound clearer, and some stereo separation will help. Still, I wouldn't worry about it. Even though I think the main melody could be more definable/distinct, it still sounds alright the way it is.

I don't have a lot to say about the transitions. Even though I'm known to be fussy when it comes to transitions, I'm glad to say that I liked all of the transitions in this song :3. They were smooth and fit well. The transitions at 1:16 and 2:22 were probably my favourite transitions. There were similar transitions in the older version, but they sound better with Xayber's horns in this one :D. The ending was perfect, and although I think the intro is a tad too simple with just a snare roll, it's alright...

The drums on the whole were very fitting and wonderfully varied. That being said, I think that the kick and snare are too drowned out and should be heard more. Other than that, the drums were pretty much flawless, and I liked the changes you did to a marching rhythm throughout the song.

Well, since I'm now running out of characters, I'll just say that I've been listening to the song more times than I have fingers and I enjoyed it throughout. I'd give you a 9 for the small nitpicks I mentioned, but I'd hate to ruin your perfect 10/10 score, so here's a 10! :P. Keep it up!
10/10
5/5

-Review Request Club-

Shiverwar responds:

I can always count on you for a wall of words, dude. I always enjoy reading your reviews, no matter how long they are, because even though you're younger than I am, you've got a severe advantage over me, and because of that, I love hearing what you have to say.

Yes, sadly, I'm still limited by soundfonts, but I try to do what I can with them to make the best of them. I heard the kick drums just fine. I DID use a compressor to get the kick drums to stand out more, because I listened to it without the compressor, and it just didn't have the same power. Now my favorite part of the song is the interlude I had, with the instrument "Atmosphere" going about its own solo part.

Yeah, I agree with the xylophone parts (they're actually vibraphones, but hey, who's keeping track?) giving it more of a light feeling, as if it were a prelude to the battle that comes as soon as the song gets its power. And yes, I really love the fact that Xayber pitched in with the horns when he did. I never thought that this song could have gotten better without his help.

Yeah, this song does still need work, but I think when compared with Endless Confrontation, this has to be probably my best work yet. Of course, these days I'm very limited on material due to some problems I'm having on the home front here, but I'm doing my absolute best to tend to the needs of Newgrounds' Audio Portal. Still, I wish I had what you had, that East/West Symphonic Orchestra VST so I can fiddle around with it and see what I can do, but alas I'm flat broke.

The heroic feel was what I was aiming for! I always did ones that sounded dark or just pure battle. I wanted to have one that had a heroic basis, like that of a hero backed up against the gates of his city, defending it from an onslaught of opponents until his dying breath.

Again, thank you for your always marvelous reviews, and I hope to hear from you again!

--Shawn--

True inspiration at work here!

It's amazing what a bit of inspiration can do as it is apparent in this piece! ;) You're definitely heading in the right direction now. I'm grateful to be honored as a contributor to your work. Great job on this and may you continue keeping the dream alive! -XayberOptix

Shiverwar responds:

I just used your horn arrangement, lol. I may have modified it somewhat, but I think it was for the best.

Thank you for your wonderful review!

Awesome

Greatness and kudos are three words that came to mind to describe this song in it's entirety !

10/10
5/5

-Omega24000

Shiverwar responds:

Heh, thank you, man! Me and Xayber really produced a masterpiece, didn't we?

Bravo!

You really have outdone yourself with this track! It has a great balance of classical and modern sounds. The images in my head when I listen to this are somewhere along the lines of a lone hero standing against a horde of enemies with his back to a gate, guarding something. You have done an excellent job here!

Shiverwar responds:

Thank you so much, Wolf! :D I was waiting to see what you would say!

Credits & Info

Artist

Listens
2,071
Faves:
7
Downloads
76
Votes
7
Score
5.00 / 5.00

Uploaded
Jan 18, 2011
9:36 PM EST
File Info
Song
4 MB
4 min 20 sec

Licensing Terms

Please contact me if you would like to use this in a project. We can discuss the details.