Jillian Aversa

.... Do mine eyes deceive me? "Singers" and "Musicians"?! Fix that first post, you!

...That's mah man! *snaps suspenders*

Wow, Chris! You should review for a living! You put into words what I felt myself, and beautifully.

My brother might be coming this year as well, so I don't know if the room situation could be the same as last year. A little to early to tell, though. :>

I think more people will get excited once the next round is actually ready to go. :>

No, see, I didn't victimize myself; I was actually attacked. But it's a happy place now, with rainbows and butterflies.

If it will make you feel better to think that OCR took some sort of damage when certain people left the site, suit yourself Coop. Unfortunately, it won't change reality. The forums are cleaner, more constructive, and more geared towards the kinds of things that bring this community together. Victimizing yourselves will do no good. :/

Patrick makes a good point; if we worded it delicately, we could probably convince some people to really get an idea of what the standards are before submitting. The submissions process is a great way to get feedback, but I sometimes wonder if more people would actually rework their stuff if it weren't, in effect, rejected first. I put so many "please resubmit"'s on my NO's, and a rare few actually come back. Maybe we could do something with the WIP forums to ensure that people are getting good, consistent feedback for their experience level. A way to entice more people to use the resource? Appoint some people as official WIP-helpers, in addition to whoever wishes to contribute? Anyway, this is a little off-topic for the thread. I may bring it up in j-disc.

Previews are two posts above you. ^_~ Thanks for the support. I just finished another track and a half (half being the intro to the album), and well underway with something else! Expect another sample-packed newsletter in early September.

I would start out with no more than 30-40 minutes. It takes a TON of work editing a show... Unless you're gonna leave it a little more raw and not worry about background music, SFX, etc. I usually get bored listening to podcasts with only one host because there's less conversation and banter, but if you plan on doing weekly interviews, people may be interested in hearing longer eps. It all depends on the content, really. Either way, you should give yourself a chance to get the hang of it. Get a sense of how much time you want to be spending editing, uploading, writing up the notes etc. ^_~

You and your CD threads. How's about I start another one, hmmmm? ^-^

This is a cover *and* a medley. Sorry, dear. Everything's swimming in reverb and the sequenced parts all lack that organic quality. Not bad for a first effort, but you have much room to grow. NO

I have little to add that Larry hasn't already covered. Production is very rough here. Thne guitars sound like they're on top of a distant mountain yodeling to the drums, which are sitting in front of us in a dry room. It seems like everything's a little right-heavy whenever the guitars are taking the forefront as well, until the wahoowahoo FX come in at 2:14. Wide panning is okay for the style, but you should try to get all the instruments sounding like they're in the same space if you want it to work. Arrangement-wise, yes this is more expanded upon than Shadow's remix. I still think it needs more personalization, though, and that's already been mentioned. Don't give up; you're on the right track. NO RESUBMIT

The intro sounds abrupt like the piano entrance has been cut off somehow. Piano sample itself also sounds pretty meh - definitely not an opera-quality instrument. ^_~ The trumpet caught me off guard there, but it's not too bad. As soon as we hit 0:20-0:45, the soundscape is MUCH improved. Every sounds fuller when the harp and smooth strings enter. Love the way the percussion enters and the actual writing of that part, but the sample sounds thin and over compressed - makes my ears pop a little. D: Guitars are very fitting, but all the heavy sections like that could use another look mixing wise. I'm pretty sure the drums are the culprit. I disagree that the brass doesn't stand out enough from 0:44 on. In fact, I think it's almost *too* present on some of the buzzier notes. When we get to 2:34 and the sample is more exposed, it sounds pretty choppy, which is unfortunately the case with almost all brass samples. If there's a way you could overlap the sequenced notes slightly so they sound a little more legato, that'd probably help. Wicked ending! Arrangement is brilliant overall. This will be an easy YES for me if you fix up that intro glitch, percussion and general production issues here and there. ^-^ NO PLEASE RESUBMIT!

I'm with Vig on some of the initial concerns Larry pointed out, in that the gritty mechanical stuff suits the style pretty well IMO. I do agree that there was too much empty space for lack of louder pads and other sustained textures, however - especially starting at 0:49 when the initial pad drops out. The choir sample is pretty nice in the context of that whole section from 2:25-2:50. I think its the initial backdrop earlier in the piece that lacks cohesiveness; the chorus just stands out because it's loud when there's not much else going on. That thing you did with the synth at 1:50 is so awesome... Reminds me of Queen for some reason. XD I don't think anyone would disagree that this is a very solid arrangement, so you've won me there. I'm still on the fence about production, though. It's not so glaringly empty that one couldn't enjoy the piece, but perhaps not to its full potential. It would be nice to hear a few mixing tweaks at the very least, but I guuuueeessss I won't sentence you to the whole resubmission process. ^_~ KAY

Oooooh... Haunting intro! I love all the ambient textures you've used throughout the mix, and the percussion is very effectively placed. Much more interesting than the source, that's for sure. I'm not sure what Larry's alluding to in terms of lossiness in the atmosphere at 0:47. You don't really hear as much of the atmospheric stuff there since da big beats come in. But maybe he's just referring to the EQ issues BGC elaborated on? I agree that there seems to be a lot of high end and not enough middle/low. That should be a pretty easy thing to fix, though. Arrangement and performance is fantastical. This could be like a "model mix" in terms of source vs. personalization; you've really struck an ideal balance. I too would love to hear an update on the EQ (I'm sure it wouldn't take long?), but I still think production is above the bar as we currently stand, so... YES Great work, you two.

I ordered it on the release day (7th) and got it on Tuesday (14th). So, one week from England to Philadelphia, PA... Not bad!

Well, it is the equivalent of two CD's. The first one has 17 full tracks, and the second another 4. I think $21 is an appropriate price, especially considering that includes shipping all the way from England.

Who got theirs so far? I just listened straight through, and then went back and put a lot of the songs on repeat. So amazing, it nearly brought me to tears! I probably would have cried if I didn't try to hold it back, but my throat was burning. *blush*

Sequencing really isn't half bad here. The flute solo does sound a little mechanical, but I think the leaps may be throwing you off, Larry. They're still pretty legato; it just that step-wise motion is much easier to make flow. Brass samples are probably the worst of the bunch, and yet I've still heard far worse. The first few notes of the clarinet solo were admittedly a little rough in articulation. Arrangement is superb. Man, do I love that suspension at 3:49... You have great orchestrating skill, Gorgonian. Do you compose for real ensembles? The lack of experience with actually mixing forshows a little, but I'm still pretty impressed. You clearly know how an orchestra is supposed to sound. The parts are all well balanced. Production is passable, IMO. I look forward to hearing more from you. YES

Hmmm, "Battle Theme" is a pretty boring title. It's even more generic than the source title! Not that we judge remixes per that criterion, but I thought I'd point it out at least. Shariq took the words right out of my mouth. This is basically an "upgrade" of the original. I think you've made a lot of great improvements, but it needs more personalization in terms of arrangement. Go for it! Just sing in the shower until you think of a few new things that could *expand* upon the source, as opposed to only filling it in. Know what I mean? Production is so-so. A little bland, but there's nothing garishly wrong with your samples, so that's good. Try comparing under headphones the sound quality of your remix versus a couple of your favorite songs by professional artists. You'll see that it's a little lack-luster. More dynamic contrast, and definitely beefier drums could do the trick. You're off to a good start! NO RESUBMIT

To me, this didn't feel like a medley until we got to Gold Saucer at 2:07. All the transitions up until that point felt perfectly logical, but then it was like "meep meep meep mamameep meep meep!" and I did a double-take. I love the goofy samples, personally. It's clear that you weren't trying to make them into something more than what they were... And well, with a title like "Catpoop Overture" it all makes a little more sense. That slap bass, which is most exposed during the little fling with Underneath the Rotting Pizza, is so awesomely cheesy. It reminds me of the Law & Order theme! Totally digging this. I kind of wish you hadn't attemped Gold Saucer, or at least been a little more careful with it. And yeah, a more conclusive ending would have been nice. But overall, this is just too great not to pass. If it doesn't make it, definitely resub, and definitely submit to OverLooked ReMix as well. ^_~ YES

Hmmm... I'm conflicted. On the one hand, the lyrics and delivery are excellent. But there are a few things that are holding me back: - Timing of the brass. It's definitely a significant distraction. - Balance of parts. I don't think the instrumentation was particularly sparse for a hip hop track at all, but it kind of felt that way because of the way things were mixed. The beats could use a little more bass and reverb. They sound really dry. And the parts that are doubled or filled with strings and sinewaves seem too soft. - The section from 2:35-4:18 lost a lot of energy, I think. Although I like the guitar and sinewave solos, they felt a little aimless after a while. I'd propose either consolidating them, or layering in a few more things for this instrumental. It's such a significant portion of the track: approximately 1/3. - The cutoff at the end seems unintentional, like the download cut off. Maybe you could add in some FX like a record scratch or something, just so people aren't confused? I think all these are pretty easy fixes, so I can almost guarantee my YES on an update. Very nice work overall. NO PLEASE RESUBMIT

Hey guys, what's this term "vanilla"? Never heard it used before. :B Awww... bouncy Bubble Bobbley beats. They're so cute! This a fun listen, but I have to agree with Larry and Shariq. What's used of the source is pretty much verbatim, and then you've slapped some beats on top. Granted, you did vary up the percussion from time to time. But the grainy, industrial sections contrast too much with the more tonal parts, which have a completely different timbre of drums. Overall, the texture is just way too thin. There isn't much going on yet. Keep working at it! NO

Heard this a while back, but wasn't able to get in my official vote until now. Woops! Anyway, because I'm too lazy to type it all out again: That basically sums it up for me. I really enjoy this piece - will undoubtedly save it to my playlist and listen again. As Vig said, it's not copy/paste in the traditional sense of the word. A lot of thought and talent clearly went into this. But unfortunately that doesn't change our standards in terms of direct sampling; there's definitely too much of it. NO