prophetik music   Judges ⚖️

quick co-sign with the gario and chimpa. when i turn this all the way down, the last thing i hear (for a while) is guitar. which is a shame, because this is a great arrangement and has loads of fun stuff happening alongside it. my particular favorite spot is coming out of the slithering 7/4 line around 1:30 into the power-metal section that's right after it - really fun section. the solo at 3:07 is also great. crank down the guitar on the opening and this is a definite pass, because the arrangement's nuts. this is IMO a very straightforward fix and won't require a ton of balancing to make it work. NO

opening xylophone doesn't really have any velocitization on it, so it's very mechanical initially. same feel for the conga, there's some repeated hits from that which feel machine-gun. the filtering to make it feel more underwater is a really clever touch, and the acoustic that fades in with the bells handling the arpeggio is a nice feel. there's definitely more in the right ear here, which is a little confusing. percussion comes back in for the transition at 1:49, and the feel moves towards reggae or island. the plectral instrument in the right ear here doesn't seem to have verb on it, so it's sticking out of the mix a bit among all these other very verby elements. and then we finally get the melody line at 2:30 - what patience! i love it. i do thing also that the lead needs more reverb as well, same reason as above. there's another deep drop and build - the sonar pings are inspired, and i really like the big bass hits that are so far away. really neat spacing here. guitars and drums come in at 4:00 for a pretty big build. the rhythm guitars that hit at 4:15 are too dry and loud, but i really like the idea. and then the lead comes in soon after, and it's louder than everything else combined - way too loud. needs to be turned down drastically. the spacing of the lead in the original (or in Vig's arrangement from the DKC album) is a good demo of where this should sit in the mix. it's well-played, but it dominates the soundscape. coming out of that, there's a bit more of the 12-string, one more sonar hit, and it's over. what a creative, interesting arrangement! really shows the breadth of the original's composition that we can still get really solid, unique mixes all these years later. i think that there's a ton of story in how you approached this, and the variety of realization elements you've used is really fun. i think if you do some cleanup - more velocities to the opening xylophone, avoid machine-gun repetition in the opening conga, fix verb levels on some instruments, and then turn down the guitars and especially the lead guitar at the end - you'll have an all-timer. and fixing the mono issue described above would be a meaningful update as well. so close! can't wait to hear this one a second time with a few tweaks, as it'll be amazing. NO

opens with some suitably menacing keys that builds into an interesting combo, between the strings, guitars, and keys alongside the drums and keys. strings took a second to grok what they were doing as it wasn't obvious what they were at first. 0:32's jazzy chord blocks are a fun adaptation of the original. the lead section with 0:48 sounds a little funny - the bend (at 0:50 and 0:58) sounds like it isn't properly in the chord that's underneath it. it's played well though and sounds good aside from that. there's a surprise acoustic break at 1:20 for a bit before it gets proggy suddenly - i love that lead tone! the build into the intro section is great, and i really liked how you handled the chromaticism in the original's intro at 2:04. we do finally get the big fast double-time section i've been waiting for the whole song, and it feels great coming out of that into the sustain in the guitar lead. there a slam transition at 2:46 into some sfx and sustained strings - this felt very unexpected (probably intentionally), but it took a few listens to get the direction there. it eventually settles out into a really nice band sound at 3:07, and again pf does a great job with the lead. the last section is the chord blocks from earlier in the guitar, and this features a great keys solo. there's no real ending which is a bummer. this is a really great ride. like hemo said earlier, you use every part of the song in interesting ways, and the overall ensemble sounds really solid together. there's a few bits here and there that don't make as much sense to me as they could - a few of the transitions for example - but overall it's a really enjoyable track. nice work. YES

energetic original. opens with an orchestral stab and some very loud pads over what sounds like a midi guitar. the entire mids are very blown here - everything is very loud in that range, the pads especially, and it is clipping constantly - and you can't really hear anything going on. percussion are pretty quiet until the ~2:00 mark when a very loud half-time beat comes in. this continues for a while until 2:56 when it gets even more clippy and overblown, and that continues until the track ends. the instrumentation throughout is so overblown that i can't really make out any elements of the music itself, so it's hard to comment on the arrangement. you need to start by turning every instrument down by half, and then being more intentional about what is saying what instead of just layering in big sustained pads on top of one another. i'd definitely recommend the workshop (either the forum or discord) and especially the regular Office Hours meetings on discord as a way to peel back some of the layers here and get to the core of what you're hoping to do. NO

To the esteemed judges panel, OCRemix community, and any other listeners, This is what a remix sounds like when you're a hobbyist musician who only has spare time and energy outside of regular joe working hours to engage in this hobby, among other hobbies (video games, of course). But actually, in all honesty, this is technically a resub, though the first and only submission prior was a fair number of years ago. I am thankful it was rejected, as it allowed for the various refinements that resulted in the current version of this remix. Not only have I learned the electric guitar and the Arturia Microbrute since then, I had also been interested in refining my sound, which included long hours of mixing and mastering for the fun of it. Needless to say, I haven't been working on this song this whole time, only refining little bits here and there on a small number of occasions over the years, whenever I fancied the effort. My choice of DAW has been FL Studio (since version 4), and the guitar amp I currently employ is Guitar Rig. My guitar is a "House of Blues" Washburn, and I think it needs better strings. I used a fair number of VST instruments, some from FL studio, some free to use ones from the internet, like the drum kit, which is the "MT Power Drumkit 2". And as I mentioned earlier, the Microbrute was used for the first instance of the melody, a square lead with tone modulations, as well as for the following sections, as the 'bass wubs' for lack of better terminology. The remix itself, in a word, is progressive, as I strive to be as minimally repetitive. In fact, the melody doesn't occur until 2:30 using the square lead mentioned above. That being said, I feel there is no single genre this can be categorized under, as there is a section best described as reggae, with a separate one later best described as heavy metal, though the whole song maintains the same BPM. The song encapsulates an auditory journey from the shore, above the waters, into the depths of the ocean. You are accompanied along the way with some familiar sound effects, which includes a familiar swordfish, as well as the collection of some bananas and the KONG letters. I hope you enjoy the ride! Though I feel that I have accomplished the vast majority of what I would like to accomplish with this song, as any artist understands, one's art never really feels complete. And so, I figured its time to get this remix out there! Been a long time fan of OCRemix, now I would like to join the ranks! I am always happy to hear any feedback and criticisms, and can make any adjustments if there is anything standing out that I didn't catch. The sense of proficiency I feel towards music production after working on this song makes me hopeful that I can get more done now, better than ever before. There are a few on the backburner, already. Games & Sources And now presenting the prospective 30th remix of David Wise's ultra beloved Aquatic Ambiance! I don't know if there really is such a thing as too many remixes of a song, as it is interesting to hear the sheer variety of takes, for instance, on this theme alone; while quality goes a long way, which is what I appreciate about OCRemix's submission standards, what is really valuable is the opportunity to share with the internet one's vision, or in this case, music! I don't think anything more can be said about this source song, that hasn't been already said, but it merits repeating, who could ever have expected a song about a monkey riding on a swordfish to be so transcendental!

Inspired by Living in the City from Sonic R, my personal favorite music track in the game. Games & Sources Sonic R - Living in the City

opens with the instantly recognizable ascending line from the melody in snippets. the cutoff of the static at 0:28 was a little confusing, as was the transition to the melodic material at 0:30 - it's very abruptly to a new style. the initial presentation of the melody reminded me a lot of early 90s new age more than synthwave. i didn't care for the constant sfx, especially the burbling sound (maybe a voice clip?), but that's more of a personal opinion. the lack of dynamics in this melodic stretch is notable - there's virtually no changes to the dynamics or backing elements for over a minute, so the change at 1:49 is welcome albeit not really prepped or signaled. the swoop for that transition cuts off hard at 1:54, which i don't know if that's intentional. this middle section is much thinner in terms of texture and almost overstays, but we get back to the original feel soon after. there's one recap with the first lead, and an outro that's straightforward if not simple. i need to admit that i don't get vaporwave much at all, and most of the elements of it are things i generally don't prefer in music that i listen to (the constant detuned sfx, the usually strange-sounding and simple leads, the repetitive drum patterns). this does to my ear do a fairly good job of representing the style, but i feel like the result is less than the sum of its parts. it's clear that there's a lot of sound design done here, but i just don't personally care for what came out on the other side. i find the lack of dynamics, the abbreviated scope of the middle section's scoring, the simplistic ending, and the choices for the lead instruments to be all elements that come together to make a track that plods and doesn't feel like it's going anywhere. i'm open to being wrong, but i just find this track boring. interested to see what the other judges say. NO

opens with some sfx and some arpeggiated chords. opening lead has some nice vibrato buzz to it which i like a lot. there's an extended build with a pretty big pop at the end leading into 1:19's initial chorus, and the pendulum inspiration is really obvious right away at that point. the single snare strike as a fill at 1:43 is on every pendulum album ever. there's a big drop at 2:05, and a downtempo section starting at 2:18 that's got a great groove - hats here have some great quant to give it a great shuffle. this entire section really is another disguised build for the chorus section at 2:52. there's a short drop and final chorus before we get into the extended outro material with a recap of the opening. a lot of reverb and some sfx, and it's done. this is a quick, fun approach to the original. i appreciate the focus and direction - it feels much shorter than the four-minute runtime as you spend most of the time building into short chorus sections. i wouldn't have minded the big sections having a bit more verve to them, but what's here is enjoyable. the mix feels pretty solid and i don't have issues hearing anything. nice work. YES

opens with bells and some distant strings. big prototypically evil bass synth comes in soon after as well as some limited kit with loads of verb on it. track kind of doesn't go anywhere initially - it's just playing back the bell lead which is basically just arps. guitar comes in at 1:25 and sounds great, as expected. 2:18 the drum rhythm changes a bit and is more intense which is nice, as it definitely was starting to feel a bit stale. i wouldn't have minded a change to the lead when the guitar came in or sometime after. the solo's nice and technical which is a nice change to what we've heard so far. there's some fun harmonized elements at 3:15 which was nice, and i like the expansion of the arps into the guitar lead right after this. that's a nice touch i didn't expect. the bells come back once more at the end to walk through the descending chord pattern, and then we get a less distorted guitar walk through the chords once as well, and it's done. this isn't anything groundbreaking, but it's a fun take on a repetitive original. i wouldn't have minded if the first half was a little shorter, but what's here sounds great and is definitely passable. YES

big guitar intro with loads of reverb to start, but we get the kakariko theme right away in keys with some heavy guitar backing elements. i hear virtually no bass, which is interesting, and the kit is pretty quite. it's very guitar-heavy in the mix. even the melodic elements are minimal. there's a short drop at 1:19 which is a nice choice to break up the post-rock-esque part before it. it builds back into the full band sound with guitar as the lead, before some really intense blastbeat for the B theme of the melody. this part felt over the top, with the happy major-key melody (and the part with the most pathos, as well) being underneath 32nd note kicks. after an extended fade, we get some acoustic guitar playing the same earlier chord patterns with loads of reverb. the lead has the same verb when it comes in, and the wash of sound is pretty if a bit ringy. this last play-through is the ending, and then it's done. the fade-out sound gets a bit hairier than i'd expect, and it does cut hard so it'll need a fade. i think the arrangement's simple but effective, and the performance is great. i'm interested in getting @pixelseph's opinion on the mix before i decide. i think the lack of bass and the guitar being so up front is too much. ? edit 10/29: i really think the bass is a problem, and the overall balance isn't there. NO

opens with a cute fanfare, and we quickly get into the meat with violins replacing the piano ostinado. there's a nice rolling beat in the kit and some fun flourishes in winds and percussion. the feel changes a bit at 0:45 with some new instruments taking on the melodic material - the chimes are a nice touch. a big drop at 1:28 to just keys is sudden (i wouldn't have minded more transitional notice there), but the subsequent instrumentation that is gradually brought back in is really nice and tasteful. 2:25's recap sounds quite a bit like the opening section, but is blissfully short before we get to some outro material. a fade-out ending isn't quite what i'd hoped but it does wrap the song up. there's some really nice stuff here! the instrumentation throughout is really well-chosen and the mix is clear and consistent. i think i liked the last ~45s less than the first few minutes due to the repetition and the fade-out ending, but this is a great rendition of the original's concept in a fresh and inviting style. nice work. YES

5db of headroom. opens with the typical kit for this style of music, and the melody's represented first in a void and then with some other elements alongside it. sounds like there's a bit of sampled audio at 1:03 for a few seconds. the whole thing finally comes together at 1:06, and it's a solid core (although the synth that's constantly opening the filter every four beats is annoying). the melody here's actually pretty far back initially but comes in halfway through the chorus section. there's the bridge chords right after this, and there's no obvious melodic material here although the chord change is nice. there's a big drop at 2:10, and some exploration of the middle third of the original. the shift at 2:32 is pretty noticeable, and this kind of explores a variety of backing elements with the main melodic snippet over top for a while. there's another drop and build starting at 3:50, and the shift into the more acid style is obvious by the acid bassline that gets layered on top of the main set of melodic and harmonic elements from 1:06. as far as i can tell, that's the only difference - the rest sounds like copy/paste. there's a drop at 5:12, and we go back to a recap of the opening section as an outro. this is pretty straightforward and linear, and then it's done. this is a pretty safe arrangement overall. i think that the copy/paste in the last third is a little disappointing, and i'd have loved to hear a more unique soundscape there that fits more with the bass synth. i don't want to overlook the exploration in the middle third though which i liked and thought was pretty deep for a house track. i also think that overall the track sounds good - the mix is solid and everything speaks in a balanced way. i think this is probably over the bar but i'm interested to hear what my fellow judges will say. YES

some really nice synth pads to start, and a lot of chromaticism in the lead synth right off the bat - a hallmark of the music of castlevania. the bass is reminiscent of Tallon's bassline as well. there's a break at 1:21 with just the bass and kit under a lead line - this needs something else to mix it up, it just sounds unfinished initially. the next section has some really great electric guitar and some sfx elements before the melodic material comes back in. there's some more meandering, and then it's done with a fuzzy fade-out that clips off hard at the end, probably unintentionally. there's some really crunchy chords throughout, at least partially driven by the chromaticism in the main line and the rest probably a result of reverb tails conflicting, but it gets really rough in the last third of the piece. separately - and this is a bigger issue IMO - the piece meanders a lot. there's only really one major break in it, and most of the piece has a very loud lead instrument wandering around without a clear sense of cadence or form. it's hard to follow. being more intentional about framing phrases both in the lead and in the backing elements would help a ton, as would varying backing instrumentation on a regular basis to help box in the lead parts into consumable chunks. i think this is actually pretty close. the lead's personalization is fun to follow and the arrangement overall makes for a nice thing to listen to. cleaning up the dissonance and making the melodic approach and overall song structure a little more formalized will make for a much more listenable track. NO

some sfx and organ/choir to start - appropriately epic concept. the big chord stacks with a screaming synth on top are huge and sound great (agree the synth sounds a bit weird with the slow vibrato). the fast melodic line comes in at 0:31 in soon after. it's a bit buried. 0:57 sounds very dastardly and straight off of Train of Thought, and the siren soon after is great cinema. there's a super fast solo in a few instruments - that synth solo is nuts! the ensemble section after this is a nice tonal change, again very DTesque with the rolling chords going into the acoustic guitar section and then into a half-time section. i think the mix through all of these various sections sounds as expected - there's a lot going on and i can hear most if not all of them fine. the track rolls through a variety of prog tropes that generally feature the original material in a few ways (the work to make the solos outline but not mirror the solos in the original is nice), and we get a huge final chorus at the end starting around 4:09 that is a great payoff. the ending's a little longer than i had expected. this is a really fun ride. there's a load of intensity throughout and the melodic usage is more prevalent than i'd have expected given how much variety of textures you use. i don't have issues with the mix. nice work. YES

ooh, the percussion and guitar right away is nice. i wouldn't mind the guitar to be a bit more forward in the mix, but it's a nice sound. as it gets higher in the instrument's register, it's clearer and more balanced. violin really slots in nicely next to the other instruments. the countermelodic elements in the guitar around the end of the second minute are nice as well. overall this is an enjoyable take! i wouldn't have minded hearing a touch more personalization in the melodic material especially! there's some fun stuff that could have been done using the violin and guitar's unique characteristics. i also wouldn't have minded a more solid ending. lastly, there's definitely some pitch issues here and there that maybe could have been addressed, but they do lend a more live feel to the arrangement. i think what's here is definitely above the bar. this is short and sweet. YES