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ladyWildfire, I strongly urge you to get someone to spit some rhymes over Tribal Hunter if you decide to sub to OCR. The beat is too good and is practically begging for someone to rap over it.

Warning: The following reviews are influenced by the consumption of alcohol and in no way reflect the views and opinion of team Rock Hard Mandrills KingTiger I can definitely hear where Jordan helped out with this. The mix is very full, and the arrangement keeps progressing and evolving and staying interesting. It's for the most part very groovy and a fun song to listen to. Some of the sound choices I didn't care for much though, and there wasn't really a part of the song that stood out for me. Darren Smith I'm not quite sure what to say about this one. The sound choices were really weird, some of the drums seemed kind of pretty off, and the arrangement just kind of seemed to be going everywhere. I guess it had kind of a creepy/mysterious kind of vibe to it. Definitely a creative track though. Jorito I feel like you really liked bLiNd's track from week one and decided to go in a similar direction (Dubstep evolving into DnB just a coincidence???) I really like that you vocoder-rolled us this week. I thought that was extremely clever and different. Overall I must say this track was pretty enjoyable. Lots of energy and kept interesting. Also it seemed a little less repetitive than bLiNd's mix from last week (even though it's not quite as warm and full on the production side). ladyWildfire Lots of really big neat sounds in this one. Solid arrangement, big beats and some catchy grooves in this one. Although I felt like the arrangement could have used more, maybe some emotional instrumental solos or some vocals. Ghetto Lee Lewis Definitely the worst song in this whole competition so far. too much reverb, nooby chip sounds, and way too much going on to constitute a coherent arrangement. Oh who am I kidding? xP I have to say I'm very grateful for the help I got this week from Will and Jason. I'm very happy how everything came together. Great work guys! Amphibious I feel like this is one of the most solid mixes of the week. Very groovilicious and funky, and yet pretty relaxing too. Maybe just a little bit too relaxing, could have taken some more risks this week, given the mix some higher energy and easily had one of the top tracks for this compo. Anorax Really nice arrangement this week. I love the direction and vision this song has going for it. Unfortunately I think the execution could have been a lot better. The song seems to have quite a few mixing and production issues. Could have used more energy as well. Usa Thought the song started out pretty nice, and then I began getting pretty bored. But then BOOM, suddenly the song picks up a bunch of energy, and then begins to die off and get boring again, but then OMG IT GETS EVEN MORE UPBEAT AND GROOVY. I really love how Usa and Sir Nuts worked together on this to create a really interesting and fun song that takes the listener by surprise into a magical adventure of ear candy and drugs. Definitely one of my favorite mixes of the week. Supercoolmike I gotta be honest, for like the first minute or two of this song I felt uneasy, and then I realized the theme was "a centipede's burden". Well centipedes certainly make me feel really uneasy. I think you really nailed that if that's what you were going for. Not the most enjoyable mix for me at least, but a solid arrangement nonetheless. The Hiryuu I feel like this song was inspired by Willrock's song from last week, between the chip sounds and crazy guitar solos. I have to admit some of the guitar licks in this track are really incredible. This might be the first and/or last time I ever say the guitar in this song sounds way too quiet. It has a lot of really major production issues. If the mixing in this song were better it could easily be one of the best songs in the compo. Pu freak Frankly I really wasn't impressed at all when I first started listening to this song. As a pianist, I am extremely picky whenever I hear other people perform. However, it wasn't long before my opinion changed. Obviously everything in this song is performed live, not some sequenced crap (yes, I have an utter seething hatred for sequenced piano, or mediocre execution). The arrangement continues to get more and more emotional and keeps building up energy and evolving. 6 minutes is a long time, and I was cursing the fact that I drank strong alcohol content beer before playing this song, yet I couldn't tear myself away from it until the very end. This is definitely by far my very favorite mix of the week. I had never heard of Pu freak before this compo, but now I definitely want to hear much more.

Garpocalypse knows about layering two basses at the same time. Or 5

It is an Fsus. Edit: I just posted the midi's I worked on. Sorry, they're not 100% complete, but should be enough to help people get started. Part One Part Two

The Sigma Fortress Remix Gauntlet (Main Competition Thread) Voting for round 3 is now open, and will end on Saturday, August 22, at 6PM EDT. Download Round 3 remixes: Sigma Fortress Remix Gauntlet - Round 3 (X-Hunter Stage 1 [X2]) Sources Gauntlet Theme: Mega Man X2 - X-Hunter Stage 1 Maverick Themes: SFRG 2015 Competitor Playlist (Compiled by NovaReaper) Remix Titles: IT'S NOT URSUS (Crescent Grizzly in X-Hunter Stage 1 [X2]) VAAM (Blast Hornet in X-Hunter Stage 1 [X2]) (Don't Wanna) Hurt You (Gravity Beetle in X-Hunter Stage 1 [X2]) Tribal Hunter (Splash Warfly in X-Hunter Stage 1 [X2]) Caffeine Shoveling Hunter Turtloids (Rainy Turtloid in X-Hunter Stage 1 [X2]) Cloud Hopping (Spiral Pegacion in X-Hunter Stage 1 [X2]) Soaked Tapes (Tidal Makoeen in X-Hunter Stage 1 [X2]) Laser Power (Shield Sheldon in X-Hunter Stage 1 [X2]) A Centipede's Burden (Magna Centipede in X-Hunter Stage 1 [X2]) A Blaze in the Northern Fortress (Blaze Heatnix in X-Hunter Stage 1 [X2]) X's Demise (Spark Mandrill in X-Hunter Stage 1 [X2]) Voters, post your top three remixes in this thread as follows. Your name First place choice remix name Second place choice remix name Third place choice remix name Please use the forum's bulleted list feature, as shown above, and please do not "creatively misspell" remix names; copy the remix titles from the list above to avoid any mistakes. Do not include NUMBERS in your list, i.e. your first choice should be "Remix Title," not "1) Remix Title." This is really important, because it'll help me plug your votes into my tallying spreadsheet without a lot of hassle. Voting in the proper format will help expedite the tallies being done. Thank you! Things to keep in mind when voting: The most important thing to consider when voting is how well the remix incorporates and arranges both themes. Production and enjoyability should also be considered, but this is primarily an arrangement competition. The sources have been linked above for your reference. Everyone is allowed (and encouraged) to vote, including competitors. Competitors should not place their own team's remix in their rankings, regardless of whether they are the remixers for that round or not. However, by voting, they will earn a first place vote for their team's remix. If you are on a team, you must post what team you are on in your vote so I can make sure your team gets your voting bonus. If you do not specify your team, I cannot guarantee that your team will receive a voting bonus. You are required to make an actual decision for each choice, meaning, you cannot declare a draws or a ties for different places. This will be counted as not voting and your vote will not be counted. Do not post reviews in the voting thread. Compile your reviews for each round into a single post in the main competition thread. Post only once in each voting thread. Everyone must adhere to the Competitions Code of Conduct.

Ah, it is! Odd. I swore I didn't see anything.

Splash Warfly comes in at 0:43, the start of each 2 bar phrase is from Splash, and the same phrases again at 2:43. Also, the vocal melodies at 1:17 and 3:17 are Splash too.

Soon, in theatres near you: Cyber Peacock in... FINAL WEAPON!

My reviews for this week. I'm not feeling well, so I'm afraid it's not that nuanced or detailed. KingTiger feat. bLiNd - IT'S NOT URSUS: Some Crescent Grizzly in the intro; intro doesn't do a lot for me, the low-fi to regular sound is a bit too long I think and there's too little builing up in my opinion. However, the drop is effective. Variation on the last part of the X-Hunter stage, with the mix sitll feeling a bit empty. Mix loses its energy at 1:20, for a long build-up. At 2:05 it kicks back a bit again, without the build-up having lead to much. Another drop at 2:33, with - again less energy. I feel like you've had three consecutive build-ups without a real pay-off. Build-up at again leads to a drop at 3:23, but this time it flows into a part with more energy. However, the continuation of the same dominant bass note/chord and the standard beat doesn't give this a climactic feel I expected after such a build-up. The part at 4:23 finally has some other parts of the X-Hunter stage; parts with different chords. However, since you don't use the primary notes (I have no idea how to call it differently), it also lacks a bit of the energy. Furthermore, since the bass note/chord stays the same, it doesn't really mesh well. I think this mix really misses dynamics, a better structure and energy. It doesn't sound bad, but it's not going anywhere 6.5/10 Darren Smith - VAAM: Wow, this is glitchy and... weird. A bit too chaotic for my taste, but is certainly has a unique vibe. I have a feeling some of the drums are a bit off in timing; which makes it hard to listen to. I think that the transition to Blast Hornet at 1:09 doesn't flow that well. Crescendo at 1:22 works well. Those low frequencies are flooding my headphones a bit but that could be just my headphones. Oooh I like the final part, nice contrast between the instruments and feeling of the rest of the song. Wow, ending is VERY sudden. Very unique sound, but a bit too unstructured for my taste. I hate to evaluate something with something as subjective as that as conclusion, but it just didn't feel cohesive with a clear goal. 7/10 Jorito - (Don't Wanna) Hurt You: Setting the vibe right away, with the choice of bass synth and the ominous feeling. Excellent layering of intruments so far (this is 0:41). Good transition into Gravity Beetle, while still swtiching dynamics there. Bridge at the 1-minute mark is well done, with a bit less energy, followed by a sudden burst into a fast-paced part with a nice blend of mixes, which I really liked (the transition)! I felt like the drums needed to go double-time at 2:11 to give a better climactic feeling (this is true for the following parts as well). Aside from that, the Rick Astley-vocoder-parts mix nicely with the rest Ending is too sudden for me in this mix as well. Great mix, nice build-up, altought the climax (the last minute or so) really needed a change in drums and more building up, since it's such a long climax. 8/10 ladyWildfire - Tribal Hunter: Nicely built-up, and a nice vibe you're going for. The X-Hunter theme is nicely altered so it meshes really well. I also like the new chord progression. Can't make out much of the Splash Warfly theme out, but that could be because I'm not too familiar with the theme. The birdge is nicely done, altough if you were really going for a tribal feeling you should've used different percussion instruments here. I feel like the part starting from the 2-minute mark are missing some additional instrumentation, a carrying instrument (or vocals as some have already suggested). Awesome vibe, great rearrangement of the X-Hunter theme to fit it. The last part feels like it's missing something though 8/10 Ghetto Lee Lewis feat. Jason Covenant & WillRock - Caffeine Shoveling Hunter Turtloids: After listening to your Maverick theme I already heard some similarities between it and the X-Hunter theme, so this should be good Classic trance intro, works well, although I don't like the sound of the drums there; they're a bit flat. They're good after the intro though. Nice transition into the vocals, works really well. I feel like the decrease in energy comes too swiftly. The build-up afterwards with the guitar works really well, building further up with a small chiptune part, which makes a re-entry in the climax (which I like). Climax also should've lasted a bit longer imo. Nice piano ending (although the last chord is a bit cheesy). Great mix, you've really used your team members' skills well. Great energy, nice blending of sources and good structure. Build-down comes a bit too soon and ending aswell, in my opinion. 8.5/10 Amphibious - Cloud Hopping: I like the groove you're going for, it fits your Maverick theme well. Drums and bass are nicely done, and you somehow made the phased e. piano clearly audible while not cnosuming everything which I always find very hard to do nice dynamics throughout. Good variations in the lead instruments as well, without it being distracting. I also like the creative use of the X-Hunter theme, it works really well! Very well done, the style really fits the Maverick theme well and the X-Hunter theme has been creatively rewritten so it blends in perfectly. Lots of dynamics going on, really keeps in interesting. Awesome job! 9/10 Anorax - Soaked Tapes: Also going for the groove, curious to find out what happens. Oh I am not fond of the instrument that sets in at 0:19... it sounds midi'ish and the timing is a bit off (since it has a build up). The synths afterwards also lack some depth and could be of more quality (especially the ones in the background). There are some timing issues in the 0:40 - 1:00 part. Hmm, this needs a change in pace of dynamics. I am also not fond of the out-of-tune later on. And I'm not really hearing any of the two themes in there. Sorry to be so negative Not fond of this one; I think the instruments aren't good, there are a few timing issues, the piece needs more dynamics and I have a hard time recognizing the themes. 5/10 Usa feat. Sir_NutS - Laser Power: I like the ambient intro, very á la aquatic themes (also caused by the high amount of reverb). Sudden transition works very well, with still "aquatic" sounding instruments accompanying the guitar. Transition to the X-Hunter theme works very well. I was going to say the the X-Hunter theme was very straightforward, but the synth part afterwards nicely solves that problem original stuff also works well, keeping in line with the overall feel but also having different instrumentation and dynamic. Ending is kinda sudden and the song feels a bit too short. Nicely done, good dynamics, nothing too fancy with the themes and a bit soon and abrupt ending 8/10 Supercoolmike - A Centipede's Burden: Hmmm interesting adaptation of the theme, but the dissonance is not really working for me. Glad you changed things at 0:44; the additional instrumentation at 1:00 works well, hoever I felt that a change in pace or energy was needed after this part. At the 2-minute part, the piece begins to drag on a bit. The entry of magna centipede at 2:20 doesn't flow really work, but it works. The inclusion of X-Hunter in the background is nice. The transition at 2:40 doesn't work well imo. The mix then further shifts to a very different feel, and again at 3:09 - it makes the mix feel a bit uncohesive. The change in pace at 3:30 is also an example of that. Ending is not that good either Very creative writing with a unique feel. However, some choices do not work that well, the transitions later on in the mix don't work well imo and the mix misses a change in energy or dynamics to keep it really interesting all the way 6.5/10 The Hiryuu - A Blaze in the Northern Fortress: Wow, this sounds muddy... the guitar are buried in... well nothing actually but they sounds miles away. The timing is really off and the high pitched synths are not really pleasant to listen to. Some synths are also really off-key and the songs feels like it's unintentionally sped up. I'm sorry for the negativety here, but it doesn't sound good to me unfortunatly This song shows a lack of time: it's really muddy, timing's off, some parts are off-kley or do not mesh together and it sounds unnaturally fast. 4/10

I agree that it's C minor (besides in the dissonant section, where it's less clear). The scale used as the main melody is a minor scale that definitely contains Eb and Ab. Eb major is Ab, Eb, Bb, so we're in the C relative minor, before 1:02. There, it switches to Eb minor, containing Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, and Gb. On the repeat at 1:15, it sounds like it should go to Bb to resolve into a Bb relative minor key, but the composer decided to use what sounds like the 2nd in the Bb minor key at that point as the root of a C minor key on the repeat. Seemed forced to me, but ah well.

Music is easiest to keep organized if you think about it in layers. notes-intervals-triads. Definitely practice your scales, modes and chords. Knowing what chords you are using is essential to keeping your arrangement organized. Sounds like you imported the wav correctly into audacity but you might want to check your export settings.

Just in time for Round 3 I'll post my thoughts on Round 2 entries! Arsonist - I don't particularly like this track tbh, sorry ;_; Production-wise it's fine, the percussion is fun and the instruments are clear. I like the rhytm in the intro and the first sections with Mammoth's theme are cool. The guitar sample is crappy though. The rhytm change near 1:30 is cool but after it the song gets a bit stale. Source usage isn't particularly strong in the arrangement since it's basically Mammoth with a bit of Doppler near the middle (and the bass is pretty unfitting here imo). Tiger Millionaire - Intro is cool, very unique sounding. Production wise it could be better. The drums sound very crushed and the soundscape feels muddy, making it hard to understand what each instrument is doing (too much stuff going on in similar sections of the spectrum). Source usage is cool, especially with the variations on Neon Tiger's theme (a source that I find terrible haha). The second half starting with Doppler is pretty cool. Nice song, I feel production could be improved but it's neat. Arma Gonna Topple That Dopple v0.1 - The v0.1 in the title says a lot about the song. It's very barebones in production and arrangement. Transitions aren't very strong and I'm pretty sure there are a few off-key notes in some melodies. This is pretty unfinished and it shows, sadly. MMMDop - My favourite from the round! I like the chip sound, reminds me of Shovel Knight's soundtrack (intro makes me think of the water stage in that game). I don't have much to say about this since it's pretty good IMO. Arrangement is great with some very clever uses of both sources together and production is, for the most part, super-clean. Break near 1:30 is very cool and almost a trademark in Willrock's songs haha. Guitar playing is cool too. Change at 3:13 is very good and the arpeggios in the 3:39 solo are amazing. Very nice work! I Don't Run At All - From the get-go production seems rushed. Guitar lacks power and the drums are very low. Vocals sound nice, even with the rickrolls haha. Ending with the clean guitars is really cool. Source usage is great and fun. I like this song, with a better production it'd be one of my faves of the round. Is é mo aingeal imithe - Another of my favourites! Instruments used in this song are great. Source usage is cool and production is pretty clear. The only complaint I have with this song is that some instruments sound weirdly tuned, especially the piano and the choir-ish samples seem to have weird tuning. Also, there's a bass note in the first riff that is very dubious to me. In any case, that's a bit of nit-picking since this is cool. Red Shifting Drift - Yet another one I liked a lot! This feels like typical Gario to me, energetic song with many chip and electronic elements. Production is cool and the arrangement is fun although I felt it dragged on a bit. I felt MMMDop was an overall stronger song so this one got my second place. Thermoception - This one is interesting. The playing in the instruments is cool but also feels a bit loose as if you missed some timings or something. Arrangement is very cool with some very clever mixes of both sources. I'm not really sure what to say, it feels nice and the arrangement is good but it lacks some polish. It was definitely a contender on the strength of the source usage though. Winter Weather Advisor - Very interesting armonies here. Brass instruments are very fake-ish but the writing is amazing. I also really like the piano and e. piano writing. Drums are uh... unique I guess? I can dig them in some parts but I really dislike them in others haha. This song grew on me with a couple listens but I'd still change the drums to be easier to listen! In any case, it's pretty good and interesting. Just Give me a Minute - It's clear this was rushed. It has the potential to become something good but right now it's a bit messy. Production is muddy and the song is super short so uh, that's that. Last section (like final 10 seconds) is very good! Dark Times, Happy World - Not a very big fan of this one. While production is clear, I feel the arrangement lacks excitement or something to carry it. Right now it's just, to me, a few melodies that go after the other without much structure behind them. Sources were easy to identify but weren't used in interesting ways IMO. Beetle Dopplerganger - My song! I rushed the mixing and some of the writing but I feel it turned out decent haha. I may fix it in the future. Tropical Relaxation Method - Very nice song. Mood is unique and source usage is interesting if a bit too liberal (reason why I didn't vote for it). The part with Peacock usage was very good and I'd have liked to hear more of that (especially of the progression in 1:26). In any case, super creative arrangement and nice production! Like before, sorry if I sound harsh or nit-picky!

I usually just put the melodies over some seventh chords and call it a day. But actually my approach is similar to Sir_Nuts, I usually get a couple of different ideas for my theme in my head then hope that the other theme for my round can be used in a reasonably comfortable way. Don't be afraid to alter rhythms and fragments of the melodies to some degree. While going too liberal might not be good (as I sometimes tend to do on occasion) things don't always need to stay extremely close to the original. It can be a little easier to make a compelling and fresh take on the themes when you impose less limits on yourself. Maybe lots of people have already thought about this but I'm just throwing out some thoughts in case it helps. I'm a little sleepy so I hope I'm making sense

Yes, it is my fault that this isn't submitted yet for eval or whatnot. I am sorry! I was planning to finish the song on Saturday, then I got called out to work the night shift after working 7am to 3pm, then had to work Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon... when they put the shifts that close together I get really tired/exhausted and I lose the afternoon daytime that is ideal for reamping with the guitar which can be very loud. I restrung the acoustic guitar Sunday.. I am hoping that I can get the song finished up between tonight and Wednesday.. cause I work Tuesday nights and Wednesday afternoon, but if I get the guitars reamped, I can put all the files on dropbox and mix it at work. It's just hard to plan everything because someone keeps calling off and then they call me out to cover his shift too. Soo I am sorry and a big thanks to Chernabogue for allowing me the extra time to make the mix very good. And thanks to djp and eval people for getting the eval done faster because I am encroaching into their time

So, listening party tomorrow, sometime after 6PM EDT? Maybe 8PM?

I agree. I think it would be worth exploring putting some artist links on remix pages.

Okay, so I can finally stop hitting F5 every 30 seconds until later tonight.

I saw the link for follow us on twitter and facebook under the preview this mix button on the mixpost page... I was thinking it would be awesome if that was follow the artist!! It would be such a good place for those buttons right next to where the artist's music link is posted!

By extended harmony, I mean a major, minor, diminished, or augmented chord that has additional thirds stacked up on top of it, with the numbers representing the intervals above the root (for example, the BbM7(9) from the above track is Bb D F A C). And unextended harmony is just the basic three-pitch chord with no additions. The notation conventions for these extensions vary a bit depending on whom you talk to, but generally: if min, mi, or m is specified, the unextended chord is minor a plus sign, aug, or #5 means the unextended chord is augmented a minus sign, dim, or mb5 means the unextended chord is diminished if there is no min/aug/dim etc. then the unextended chord is major if maj or M is specified, the 7 is a major seventh interval over the root, otherwise it's a minor seventh 9 is assumed to be a major ninth; a minor ninth is written as b9, and an augmented ninth is #9 11 is assumed to be a perfect eleventh; an augmented eleventh is written as #11 13 is assumed to be a major thirteenth; a minor thirteenth is written as b13 listing an extension implies that all the lower extensions are also present; if not, add is included before the extension (e.g. Cadd#11 is C E G F#) if the bass note is not the root of the chord, the bass note is written after a slash (e.g. C7/G is C E G Bb with G in the bass) So CM13 would be C E G B D F A; Cmi13 would be C Eb G Bb D F A; C13(#11) would be C E G Bb D F# A; Cmi7addb13/Eb would be C Eb G Bb Ab with Eb in the bass; and so forth. In classical music, these chord extensions were considered dissonant, and they were generally approached and left by step because doing so makes the dissonance "make sense" in that it is both led into by and resolved into notes that are not so dissonant against the underlying unextended harmony. And the song in the OP specifically doesn't do this, which draws attention to the dissonance. I think the F-C-F jump in particular is important to the overall sound of the example both because it's emphasized through repetition and because the way in which it's dissonant -- that is, the extension that it forms over the chord -- and the specific notes in the gesture that form the dissonance are different in the repetition from in the original. So when you hear it a second time, it's still dissonant, but it's dissonant in a different way. It's the old trick of recontextualizing a melodic figure, which is an effective compositional approach in pretty much every kind of music.