All Activity

Interesting.... I agree this is lovely to listen to, but it's a reduction of the source song down to almost a little soundbite. The instruments don't sound perfect to me sample-wise but they don't sound terrible either (other than the four string notes at 1:45 which sound extremely fake since they are so exposed). This is a nice little comp, but it seems almost more like a short trailer or teaser or proof-of-concept and not a full track, at this short length. Half of this arrangement is buildup, one big swell and a soft outro and it's done. It just doesn't feel like a full arrangement, although it's a very nice start. NO

Opens up with some uncanny valley orchestration that sounds... aight. There's effects on everything to give it some depth and mitigate the realism issues, though it's not enough to prevent lack of realism from standing out as soon as this started. Hard to articulate but at 1:07 when it transitioned into the more grandiose texture with these high strings, the volume was too quiet for the energy of the part-writing, if that makes any sense; obviously, this shouldn't be clipping, and I'm not saying "just turn the knob one higher", because it's actually pretty shrill. But something about the layering of the parts should have been fuller and more cohesive. The high strings were always very exposed as being a sample, but the articulation around 1:10 was the worst offender. A little better texture at 1:32, though it's pretty muddy until 1:39. Something about the way the strings at 1:45 and winds at 1:51 were produced made them feel like they weren't in the same room, even though I hear the stereo placement being different; again, difficult for me to articulate. There's some sort of light pop at 1:59 that needs to be eliminated as well. The bar isn't "now, go find some live players!", and this possibly could have passed like this 20 years ago. That said, I do wonder how much this could be improved to humanize these sounds and make the textures less shrill, more cohesive, and with more realistic ambiance, because that's the real hangup for me, not the arrangement, which in a vacuum is fine, no problem with it. Needs some more finesse with these samples, Pipko, but it's a good concept. For something so short, this needs to be closer to firing on all cylinders. NO (resubmit)

I have zero reason to believe this is AI, and the artist has an online presence that extends far enough back that I really have no doubt. He also mentioned his DAW and software, which is also quickly verifiable online. Nice typical Big Room arrangement here. Not sure why there is 3.3db of headroom, is this a premaster? The mixing is on the harsh side which I find unnecessary, every element has heavy distortion which means there isn't much contrast in the soundscape, and it feels somewhat abrasive. Not a dealbreaker, just makes it a bit hot on the eardrums. The lack of enough source makes it a dealbreaker for OCR however. Fun to hear in the big club though, I'm sure! NO

Very cool arrangement, great performances, vocals and energy. I love the concept! But wow is this dense, loud and crunchy. The guitars are indeed very loud compared to everything else. Very wide, very midrangey, and very, VERY loud. EK's vocals are so buried under the wall of sound. When I can hear her, for example at 0:30, she sounds very dry, and too upfront. She sounds too intimate compared to everything else, and that really emphasizes how everything was recorded in a separate space from each other. EK's vocals will need some further processing, some reverb (with some predelay, like 60-90ms), and there will need to be heavy EQ cuts on the guitars and backing elements so the vocals can cut through. You can even do this with a dynamic EQ, just make sure it sounds natural enough overall (no obvious dips). The screamo cuts through better than the female vocal, but there are spots that even the screamo is drowned out. Wow! The drum work is great! But yeah it's buried under the wall of guitars and backing elements, a good amount of the time. In the densest areas of the track, for example at 2:41, the high mids are dog-piling so hard between 3-4kHz that it is literally shredding my eardrums. It's just too many midrangey things playing at once, with no EQ used to let leads/vocals shine in front of the soundscape. This is an oppressive wall of sound! The master is driven very heavily. The numbers look ok (-10db RMS is totally fair), but the master sounds so crispy on top as if it has just been pushed too hard. From time to time I hear pumping in the master. You'll want to turn every stem down by several db so you have more mastering headroom, and also make sure with EQ that no instruments are playing any stray or unnecessary subs, lows, or inaudible rumble. This is a long arrangement, and it's pretty samey all the way through. The instruments, vocals and energy level remain constant once established. Having a low-energy, soft, and possibly drumless breakdown would really break up the relentless nature of this arrangement and let the listener have a break before another big section starts. As it stands, this arrangement is more of an assault on the listener rather than telling a story. This song has some terrific elements! As I said the performances and instruments and vocals are all great. But the mixing and processing are blowing it. I suggest going back to the drawing board on the mixing. Maybe just start with the drums and the bass, get those working well together with volume balancing and EQ, then add one element at a time, utilizing EQ and stereo placement to make sure that leads/vocals come through when they should, without sounding so buried, and without the soundscape feeling so cluttered and oppressive. NO (resubmit)

From what I can tell here, this seems like genAI. Fuzzy overall sound, some good instrumentation in places, but it wanders around with wholly original sections that have 0 connection to Crystalis. Obviously not enough source too, which is an automatic NO. If it's genAI, begone.

Man, all the years I've known about Phantasy Star II, but I've never actually listened to this specific source before, this is awesome. In any case, Rick, I've gotta echo prophetik. This is under two minutes (read: underdeveloped), and it's sampling the original audio and (in your case, substantively but basically) building around it, which itself is a violation of our Submission Standards. We're looking for a true arrangement when you reinstrument & interpret the source tune, not a traditional remix where the foundation is the original in-game music/audio. No ending either, c'mon; at least make one instead of ending at a hard stop. Stick around and see what more you can learn from this community, Rick! NO

The arrangement side was previously a pass, so I'm side-stepping that and just looking at production. I'll say right off the bat, this still sounds massively cluttered. When the growling vocal word came in at :19 with no clarity, I knew this was going to be a tough hill to climb. EK's vocals at :30 sound so dry and untreated, and are getting swallowed up by the surrounding instrumentation, it really nerfs her potential impact if the vocals don't sound airier. Even Gregorio's vocals at :49 & 4:44 are really buried and I'm mainly just hearing the guitar's pushed way forward over the top of him until 1:26 & 5:03. The choruses at 1:26 & 2:41 sound noisy/cacophonous, this balancing doesn't make sense. The vocals never cut through and the guitar stuff is just massively overdriven to the point where it feels like the loudest parts are distorting. I did like the guitar parts from 2:22-2:39 & 3:37-3:55, those isolated bits were sounding aggressive without obliterating other parts. Anything texturally more busy than that was a hot mess. Vocals are buried. Guitars are overdriven. Textured are cluttered. Energy of the performances sounds strong. Arrangement's on point. As I lamented last time, Zach, I'm not a musician or producer, so I can't tell you how to rein this in, which disappoints me because I want this posted, it's a creative arrangement. Saying no may come off like I'm saying you're an incapable producer or a no-hoper when we all know differently; you're bold for working outside your wheelhouse. Though this doesn't need to have perfectly balanced, pro-level mixing, the mixing revisions still leave this far from where it should be; the parts lack clarity and they're not reasonably positioned/balanced. This is still promising, but it needs production TLC. I'd love us and/or DoD to hold a #workshop session where other community members work with you to tighten this up, because this deserves it. NO (resubmit)

I thought I might post in this thread, and share the instruments used:) The flute is myself sampled in direct wave in FL Studio. The strings at the beginning are from BBCSO Discover. The vocal is from Arcane, a free Kontakt library that works in the free player, I think. The Celeste is also from BBCSO Discover. The choir and organ are from the old Musyng soundfont (not the kite version). The harpsichord is from the Kontakt 6 factory library, but if I didn't have Kontakt, the harpsichord in Musyng sounds good also. The low brass is BBCSO Discover once again....bass trombone layered with tenor trombone...the French horns are also from that library. The trumpet is a free instrument that DOES require full Kontakt. I would have made do with the free Berlin Orchestra offering if I didn't have NI. I thought perhaps some folks might appreciate the instrument breakdown. I think I might do the same for my other ReMix later 😁 I certainly wouldn't mind hearing such information from others. Respectfully and Semper Fi, Eric, aka Audiomancer.

Wow I thought I was dealing with a Piano/classical type interpretation at the start, the beat drop was extremely welcome and a fun surprise. I am absolutely loving the retro vibes. Reminds me of those action/thriller 80s movies. You know the ones I am referring to: dark, brooding, but a lone hero in a dying world has to get the job done anyway against near insurmountable odds. A big fan, time to go watch Terminator 1! Or maybe that zombie movie where the guy plays chess by himself up in the apartment? Phenomenal work!

Uh, wow! Crazy talented group of musicians there, or, I imagine, one guy with like 8 instruments attached to his body in various ways..... Not a song I can listen to in the background, feel like it really forced my attention otherwise the song made me lost in the chaos of the changing instruments. Once I embraced this wild mix I got swept along and enjoyed this very unique piece. Bravo for coming up with such an interesting genre mash up.

Several things just "feel right". Hit me in several weakpoints: ethereal choir, some zippy synth melody, and a, hmmm tight/stiff bass beat? I am a man that struggles to grasp the correct language for what the music is telling me, but this entire track is incredibly pleasing to my ear, and opens my imagination where I begin creating stories/scenarios in my head. 5 stars!

The whole soundtrack is pretty good, I recommend you check more of them out. Not only from this game but the other Capcom versus games also have solid theme songs (some which I've also covered) That's an interesting take on my tone, and I'm glad to hear as I like that kind of sound given that it was big in the 80s. It's great that you're picking up the guitar. it's a fantastic instrument and both useful for rhythm and leads which makes it a complete instrument. It's good what you're doing to get better. If I had the best universal advice to give, it's this: whatever you do (scales, chords, improvisation, etc.) always start slow with a metronome, and slowly increase the speed once you've mastered it and played it perfectly. That way you learn well and don't make mistakes later. It's like when lifting weights, you first learn the technique well and slowly increase your strength progressively. You do the same here with your coordination and skill. You want to develop the muscle/mind connection and do so progressively without rushing the process. To answer to your question, I've played for about 11 years now. I'm self taught. Learned from watching videos and learning songs. I think I could've been better much earlier had I learned the correct techniques and did what I suggested above. Learning technique well from the beginning will save you so much time and frustration in the long run. Thanks for the words, I'm glad you liked this cover. Check out the rest of my channel if you wish to hear more of my work, or in streaming services like Spotify, etc.

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Oh man, even an Xbox is huge joke on that very same page.

Man, I am in this too many times. Also, it's 3 AM, and we're getting ready for bed last night. starla looks me dead in the eye and says, "Do you remember 'Your opinions of late are ridiculous'?" we old, man. we old. Also me.

This is a solid start! Too much repetition across the runtime, and not enough personalization by far, to meet our criteria, though. proph hit all the same points I was going to make; there's plenty of room for more exploration in here - changing the backing under the solo, adding an original bridge to tie some sections together - that would help make up ground. Seconded on the #workshop channel feedback (direct link to the OCR discord) - it's invaluable for getting ears on your track and feedback making any adjustments you'd like! I'd be happy to give this another listen if it comes back on the panel with some fresh changes, but unfortunately it's going to be a NO (resubmit)

I just melody swapped the main riff for Ice Cap Zone in one of my original tracks, and this happened. lol Ice Cap Zone but it's boss music.wav

Fantastic track that I come back to every so often. Everyone needs a happy town to rest in now and then. Although the last minute is a bit much for me, feels like someone is hitting me with a happy hammer with the forceful nature of the volume or something...

Beautiful track, has that cozy uplifting feeling that reminds me of an old remix that was titled "town theme"....Think I will look that one up after one more listen of this!

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

I am not a huge acoustic guitar fan but it fit so correctly in this mix I have to applaud the artist. It enhances the haunting/mysterious feeling of the original. A great example of a musician leaning into the feel of the melody with instrument choice.

Fantastic take on this theme. This melody is already so excellent I guess you could say it's hard to screw up. I am an OG listener and I tend to prefer the heavy electronic style of that era, so this one surprised me with how pleasing the rock song came together with this theme. Was a instant download from me, wonderful.

Fun and impressive track! There's a lot to like here but a shout out to the jazz bass.