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It's time for BadAss to return! David L. Puga and I return to direct BadAss: Paragons and Renegades (title may change). But this isn't your "regular" BadAss; this time the heroes get the spotlight! From the grittiest anti-heroes to the most determined heroes, it's time for the protagonists to show us what they've got! The album itself will have genre restrictions like previous BadAss albums, but with a twist: there's one 'Paragons' disc (mainly directed by me) and one 'Renegades' disc (mainly directed by David), each with a different genre. So let's see who wins while still being a BadAss doing it! The Paragon disc is about adventure, determination and courage. Think of the Chrono Trigger theme, "Flameheart"by Two Steps From Hell (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQMpRWuT6hk), and the 'X-Training' theme from X-Men First Class (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUCA6w0Zz-k) but it is certainly not limited by orchestral. Rock themes like the 80s/90s cartoons and shows (Biker Mice from Mars, Power Rangers or Airwolf) are also good examples and electronic music is certainly appreciated as well! Base line: getting you pumped up and ready for adventure! Make sure to send me an example of the vibe you're going for to check if it fits the album! The Renegade disc is more "regular" BadAss style, especially BadAss II. In other words, not the big epic or symphonic rock from BadAss 3 (which is perhaps better suited for the Paragon disc), but raw and gritty is the name of the game and rock and dark electronic music will be the go-to style here. We want to show the world that protagonists can be at least as BadAss as the bosses, so let their inner darkness out on this side of the album! For references (and awesome music), check out BadAss 2. Be sure to check in with David if you want to make a mix for this disc! More details will follow, but we're aiming for about 20 tracks (balanced between the discs) and we want to complete this in about a year (BadAss 3 took 14 months to be sent to eval, so let's see if we can do it in 12 this time around!). And suffice to say, only (anti-)hero themes are eligible this time around! Are you going to be part of the next BadAss album? Let's see if you've got what it takes! Directors: David L. Puga (The Joker) Pavos Audio Engineer: Stevo Bortz (Level99) Tracklist (18): Paragon (9): "The Hidden Ones (Assassin's Creed 2 & Origins - Ezio & Bayek)" by Pavos "Time Warrior (Chrono Trigger - Crono)" by Sam Dillard "Chariot of the Moon (Final Fantasy 4 - Cecil)" by Rebecca E Tripp "Revenge on the Terror From The Deep (Chrono Trigger - Magus)" by Audio Mocha & Pandora's Bread "Human After All (Sundered - Eshe)" by David L. Puga, XPRTNovice "Part of Me (Celeste - Madeline)" by HeyMagurany "Whip of Justice (Castlevania 4 - Simon Belmont)" by HoboKa, sykozealot "Apex Predator (Metroid Series - Samus)" by Chernabogue "Spirit of the Sword (Zelda Skyward Sword - Fi)" by McVaffe Renegade (9): "Devils Lament (DooM Series - Doom Slayer)" by Lashmush "Fire Cleanses All (Gargoyle's Quest - Firebrand)" by Mak Eightman "Blood is Everywhere (Blood - Caleb)" by Clem "Eternal Shadow (DMC5 - Nero)" by Steele "Bassbag (Duke Nukem 3D - Duke Nukem)" by bLiNd "Righteous Ragemaster Rocketship Rampage (ToeJam and Earl - Toejam and Earl)" by Garpocalypse, Willrock "The Butcher of Bavikin (Witcher 3 - Geralt)" by Gunderslam "City of Lost Things (Earthworm Jim - Earthworm Jim)" by Justin Lassen "And Hell Followed Him (Darksiders 2 - Death)" by David L. Puga, Mak Eightman

Guess what came in?

The source tunes fit surprisingly well together. Initially I thought the bit crushed instruments may become tiresome as they continue through the track, but their gritty nature really adds an atmospheric element to the production which I highly enjoy, almost like a secondary reverb source. There are a couple of departures from the main pacing in the arrangement across the different sections, but the momentum of the track is mostly the same throughout. Overall track length is about right here, as I feel any longer and things would risk becoming repetitive. That said, the general riffing and articulations in the mix do help in keeping things fresh, as do the tweaking of the effects, which act as a fill in their own right in some cases. Mixing is also handled relatively well, considering the amount of crushed parts playing, things didn't feel squashed or bunched together. Overall this is another interesting one from Eino, continuing in a style that he's certainly enjoying himself in. YES

Looks like all the original judges get to get their second opinion. I remember parts of the original, and listening to the new version I can definitely tell there was a good amount of work put in to add more variation. I do think that some sections still feel a touch samey, but it is a huge improvement and I wouldn't call it an issue any more. I'm going to agree with Gario this time on the grittiness being more of a stylistic choice here, through I suspect you ruined it down from the last version. Thanks for the second pass! YES

Comparing the two, there does seem to hold more variety in the lead portion, with some more animated lead work to help alleviate some of the static elements that were present in the previous version, along with a greatly improved drum part (with all of them fills to keep things interesting). I still think the EQ range is constricted, but there was a clear effort to improve the mixing to make it easier to hear the important elements, at least, and the lead bitcrushed square has had it's upper EQ ceiling lifted notably. I was pretty borderline in my vote before, so I think I'm okay swinging this in the track's favor this time around considering the improvements made. It's a unique track I think OCR would be better off with rather than without. As far as the overly bitcrushed style goes (as it was a complaint that arose in the prior decision) I stated my piece before and I'll reiterate: it's a stylistic choice from the artist that we shouldn't fault him for. The mix is certainly easy to hear everything even with the dirty instruments, so it shouldn't be seen as an objectively bad element in the track, even if it's not for everyone. Just sayin'. YES

While I didn't go back and listen to the original submission, I do remember it, and I don't feel like this resubmission is significantly different. Between the compounded grittiness of the synths, the constrained frequency space, and the overall repetitiveness of sound and texture, I have to come down the same way as before. I think any one of those would be tolerable, but probably not two and certainly not all three. Edit: To clarify why I think the bitcrushed instruments are a problem: This technique effectively adds a small amount of white noise to every channel it's applied to. On one instrument, it's fine, stylistic choice, whatever. But on several instruments, all that white noise adds up and becomes an ever-present buzz, which I find distracting and which I think reduces clarity. The soundscape is such that every instrument can still be heard, but it's all through this veneer of mud that adds nothing and makes it all much less enjoyable. NO

It's with profound sadness that I announce the passing of DJ Redlight (Ashley Carr) on October 26th of 2016. He was from Australia and only 30 at the time. I was recently informed of this news after stumbling across his Facebook Artist Page. Here's an excerpt written by a personal friend: Although I never spoke to him, I do have warm memories of burning CDs with a couple of his remixes in. . Both were also used in Extra Credits episodes here and there. His existing work is already formidable enough to make him a relevant name in the world of fan game music communities. Thank you for being a part of my early years at OCR, Ash.