Jump to content

ASK A JUDGE: While we're busy NOT voting - your questions, we want 'em


Liontamer
 Share

Recommended Posts

Yeah the judges, I do see that they're releasing some judgements once in a while, but has the Christmas vacation started already for the site people? And Chernabogue is right about it having been a while since the thread was updated. Was the focus put more on albums, because I noticed a bunch of albums coming out frequently for a while there! 

But as for the question, where is everybody... kinda curious to know where/what some folks are up to currently, not that it's necessarily my business, but at least if it is OCR site related I would find it interesting:shock:

 

@djpretzel: It looks like there's a lot less mixes to be posted than there are to be judged, at least from the time of the last thread update... is that an issue? Or is it more an effort on your part to keep the to be posted pretty clear for when new mixes are passed so they can go up sooner?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Yo Judges! How's that panel doing? ;) Only asking cause it's a couple months since the last update to the thread. I may be wrong but I have almost no songs to be posted. I have 3 for FF9, one for FF5, and 1 for another album that should be coming soon. 

It's my fault though for having a big gap of time where I wasn't submitting but thought I'd ask anyway, I have a few in the inbox at least and maybe some on the panel!

 

ed; ok so there was 1 ;p

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
15 hours ago, jmr said:

Hey Judges, if the artist behind a song that was in the judging queue / inbox was planning on releasing an album in the near future, would it be kosher to ask for an expedited decision / posting in order to reap the cross-promotion benefits? ;)

(semi-serious about this...)

Not a problem, just PM me with the details, specifically when the album release would be and the info about when the mix was subbed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I'm sure there are better samples out there, that one would probably be alright. You'd need to watch out for the reverb that likely comes with the sample, though - if it didn't match the reverb levels of the rest of your instruments it would sound out of place. Be sure that you study organ music a little bit so you know how that kind of music is idiomatically written; that's often what determines how "realistic" a sample is.

Short answer, though: Yeah, that'd probably be passable as long as you did the additional footwork to make it sound like a real performance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
17 hours ago, Slimy said:

What are the judges opinion of a remix submitted in 2 parts? Specifically, 2 separate submissions for 2 songs, but both are designed to go together, and share themes and motifs between them.

Both standalone parts need to be distinct/different enough from one another to merit being posted as two separate tracks; if not, consider submitting the overall piece as one track.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Hello, completely new here. Fell in love with this community the moment I laid eyes on it. I have some questions before I start trying to make a sweet ReMix here.

1.) Are soundfonts acceptable to use for remixes as long as they aren't standard? I personally am getting used to using the OmegaGMGS2 soundfont, as a lot of the samples included are prerecorded and not compressed. However, I notice that everyone on here mostly uses samples, (which I have questions for as well).

2.) How limited is the FL Studio demo compared to something like LMMS? I have zero money to put forward to get a good DAW, so right now im just trying to manage with LMMS, which is clunky and odd to me, plus often times complicated Midi arrangements get so slow that the program crashes and then my progress post save is gone. I really want to get a better free DAW that can last me until I can put money forward to get a full version of FLStudio.

3.) How is the legality of sampling handled? I have no clue about these things, but if one of my sampled artists says that their work can only be used with no monetization, do samples get excluded purely because of how they are a component of the song and not the song as a whole? How is credit for samples handled at OCReMix?

4.) Whats the best source for improving composition knowledge? So far im very basic, ive picked across websites and music teachers and other things to get a basic understanding of what sounds right. I want to go further.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I suppose I can go through these one by one, see if that helps:

1.) Much like many things in life, it's not what tools you use, it's how you use em'. Soundfonts are acceptable, as long as you can handle the instruments in a manner that make them sound either realistic or interesting. I know that Darkesword has a few tracks posted that used older or free soundfonts, so I know it's at least possible.

2.) FLStudio, to my understanding, prevents you from saving a project, but is otherwise fully functional. It's pretty good to learn with, but that does become a hindrance when it comes to making more complicated projects. If you're on a budget, I hear Reaper is an entirely free DAW demo which only limits you by giving you guilty reminders of how you should buy it one day. It's very good, comparably as good as FLStudios.

3.) As far as samples are concerned, it's certainly a case-by-case basis, on here. There are a few certainties on here, though: Square Enix samples are off limits, due to the company's request a few years back. There are a few sites (like freesound.org) that offer some absolutely free to use without credit, so that's a viable, safe option (I use them quite often in my own arrangements). Others have used various SFX from other sources, so it's not strictly forbidden, but using too much can raise a flag or two if the samples are from obvious sources (other songs, movie clips, etc.). It's something you can play by ear, or you can use those aforementioned free samples, if it makes you more comfortable.

4.) Well, glad you asked! Take a look into our workshop forums - look at what others do, read what others have said to the music that's posted there. If you're working on some things, feel free to post them in there, and posters on here often will give you great advice that'll help you learn and grow. OCReMix is a great resource for learning your craft, so check the forums out! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/21/2016 at 0:58 AM, Gario said:

I suppose I can go through these one by one, see if that helps:

1.) Much like many things in life, it's not what tools you use, it's how you use em'. Soundfonts are acceptable, as long as you can handle the instruments in a manner that make them sound either realistic or interesting. I know that Darkesword has a few tracks posted that used older or free soundfonts, so I know it's at least possible.

The majority of my remixes are soundfont/free-sample only. It wasn't until Gentle Fist from FFV that I started using purchased libraries.

Free soundfonts are still extremely viable for OC ReMixes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Out of curiosity, is that a blanket "no" on fan mods, or specifically for Project M?  Seems like it would fall under the "Games that are shareware, freeware, or personal projects may or may not be accepted at our discretion" rule, but I can see how accepting remixes of fan mods might put OCR in a weird position with the modded games' publishers.

And out of double curiosity, would that "no" be blanket or case-by-case for games that are 100% fan creations, like AM2R or Pokemon Uranium?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, MindWanderer said:

Out of curiosity, is that a blanket "no" on fan mods, or specifically for Project M?  Seems like it would fall under the "Games that are shareware, freeware, or personal projects may or may not be accepted at our discretion" rule, but I can see how accepting remixes of fan mods might put OCR in a weird position with the modded games' publishers.

And out of double curiosity, would that "no" be blanket or case-by-case for games that are 100% fan creations, like AM2R or Pokemon Uranium?

No unofficial fan creations, period. Any game created by fans would need to be endorsed/released/pulled into the fold by the copyright holder in an official capacity, e.g. Street Fighter X Mega Man. If that's not the case, the game is ineligible for OC ReMix for a standalone mixpost.

The best chance a "fan creation" game would be approved for representation on OCR is if the game is original IP and has a release on a notable platform or otherwise has built a meaningful following. It's not enough, for example, to put up a free game on Kongregate if it has no following, but it is to get it approved and sold on a commercial platform like Steam or iTunes. We use our discretion and common sense to make those calls.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 10 months later...

@Gario, in his own words in a remix thread in the workshop:

Oh, absolutely resub if you want to give it another go. I personally never add the RESUB tag, since I was literally putting that qualifier on every single track I rejected.

How horrible.

It got me wondering what methods and procedures the judges use when judging. Do you use the resub tag, when, when not, why, why not? When do you say conditional and when do you say resub? What are your dealbreakers? What if there are random fart noises in the middle of an otherwise excellent track?

Larry has his stopwatching and 50% standard for assessing source content. What else do you guys have?

Similar to our meet the evaluators, can we have a meet the judges thread?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...