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LazarCotoron

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Posts posted by LazarCotoron

  1. This is also one of my top six from B&R. I had a lot I wanted to say about it, but after reading everything, I just wanted to say two things.

    To quote DJP, "and, and, and... <EXPLODES>." ...yeah. Literally, we could go on gushing about this, but this thing isn't fit for mere words-this is an EXPERIENCE.

    The other thing is that songs of this type just do not come along very often, regardless of genre or purpose. Stuff like this is quite literally WHY I started following OCR closely since... 01, 03? Somewhere in there, I remember when the site was BLUE. I don't say much, I'm not a musician, but it's work like this that I'd otherwise miss if I didn't watch you guys, and as an artist (even though of radically different discipline), I don't want to miss more of the amazing things that people make than I will already miss just by being limited to personal experiences.

    For me, as a graphic artist, writer, and animator, this is why OCR exists-it is the nexus through which I can witness the work of artists who do things that are soundly different than what I do while giving me a frame of reference of what to expect. And a great once in a while, much like the visual art field, a masterwork appears that I can both relate to AND appreciate. This is the place that, for myself and my interests in music, that can happen.

    So thank you, Jake Kaufman, Tommy Pedrini, and OCR at large. Thank you, OCR, for being a thing, for making amazing things, and inviting all of us outsiders to share them with you.

  2. This is one of my top... six I think over the whole project? Kefka's theme, with what sounds like influence from the Elfman, big top carnival, and even a bit of wonder. Even catching some of the undertones that the composer from FF Tactics, Hitoshi Sakimoto, likes to use... possibly coincidental, possibly influential, neither would surprise me.

    If I ever do a Grand Masquerade Ball set with a Ventian Carnival, I'll be upset that I probably can't set it to this due to SE copyrights. :)

  3. I see what everyone is saying about the first part there. Even with my techno preference favoring iterative repetition-which this absolutely has-I agree. That section overstays its welcome by about 20 seconds. But during that section, I love how he iterates on the motif using several different metal styles.

    The transition to piano and pad actually REALLY works for me, largely because it could have been extremely jarring, but the artist fit it together very well. Furthermore, it makes sense in the context of Bowser's character. There's a gentleman in there somewhere, and we've been introduced to that fellow through the backgrounds and settings that Bowser keeps around himself. Furthermore, it adds the silence within the thunder-compositional balance, negative space, whatever you want to call it. It's contrast, and it is interesting.

  4. So we're in heavily treaded ground here, but y'know, there's a reason for that-I don't mind a letter from the era where Capcom could do no wrong. I've heard so many of these mixes in fact, I sorta' think it's one of those personal 'rite of passage' pieces for people on OCR. Present your Wily 2 mix and we shall acknowledge your credentials as a member of the tribe. ;p

    All that said, I'm the kid that rented the game just so I could get to that one stage and let Mega Man stand there while I did HOMEWORK.

    I love how you've smoothed out the almost jagged edges that source has, and while I think the Flash Man mix in is getting to an overcooked stage, I liked your use of it more than some others I've heard. It fits more like a puzzle piece and a transition in here instead of feeling forced or experimental.

  5. Awesome mix up. So it's a little medleysome. ;p

    I gotta say though. Normally, I read the judges talking about how samples could be better, and then I listen to the track and just figure that oh, this is because these guys are surrounded by sample libraries day in and day out, and they just know the samples so well they could tell ANYWAYS.

    ...yeah, not this time. Bad string sample is sad face.

    But hey to focus on the good parts? I really like how you've utilized the Song of Storms in this piece as sort of the 'binding glue' if you will. It keeps everything in place and pulls it all together.

  6. So, when people post Chrono mixes, I've noticed a bit of a pattern. People seem to really dig a few of the themes, and don't get me wrong-I LOVE those songs too.

    But CT had a lot of great music in it, and to date my favorite take on this theme has been Spekkosaurus's piano rendition. It's great to see a very different take one of those less oft done tracks in a very different style.

    Just wanted to say well done and thanks!

  7. As someone who's not really a musician, I'd like to add in that this is one of the most "listenable" dubstep songs I've ever heard. From my sound engineering course, I have enough ear and knowledge that I can hear the high compression, and anyone could hear that reverb abuse. While we could probably argue on the compression front, the reverb is used well here.

    Sometimes when I read the judge's comments, I feel that they're so into 'music' that they forget about listenability, although frequently this is why I like djp's write ups-he brings it down back to earth.

    Congratz to Rockos on mixing Mario with dubstep successfully!

  8. I just started in on this and... yeah, this is amazing. But one thing immediately hit me. Even after punching up the song specifically to double volume, it's still quiet relative to my library.

    So, in a post where I would normally be talking about how much I like the metal orchestral interchange and cross over at X:YY time and how it works so well, I'm going to have to say this instead. Just one word.

    LOUDER!

    Stipulation: I have no idea if you were bouncing off the ceiling of your levels when you made this or not, and as was mentioned, there's a lot of level variance between your different parts, but the compression is great. We also could be into competing sound engineering theory, where I was trained to ALWAYS be bouncing off the max level without clipping, so this could be a bit subjective too.

  9. This is a very smooth rendition. Trance tends to run the gamut as far as my personal tastes and tolerances go. Momentum runs strong in this piece, but the breath, as though a leap off something very tall just happened sells it to me. As more of a graphics artist, I can see a Mega Man run n' gun sequence to this, followed by a leap at 1:22 where all the noise of the world vanishes for several seconds as we enter into an epic free fall, then with the landing at 2:02... it's very cinematic in that regard.

    Interestingly, this is only the second piece on OCR that provokes very strong and definitive imagery with me. Most of the pieces on here inspire images and sequences, but usually more of an implication of such rather than such a clear visualization. Nicely done.

  10. bLiNd has CONSISTENTLY been one of my favorite mixers-he's one of the folks I consider "The Legends" around here. And this mix illustrates why so perfectly to me. The vocal interlude at 2:30 adds to the mysterious overtone of the whole piece, and at 4:00 dead even... things 'get real' right there.

    My kicker here... I want this remix in a game. Maybe the character(s) going down a dark hallway with scattered lighting and zombies and demons appear in the shadow spots. Maybe this is a technical hacking sequence where our hero has to hurry while doing a very puzzling task. Maybe this is the music that plays when we make a major plot revelation, and suddenly the bad guys are all there and we have to fight our way out while the place crumbles down around us. Don't care-this is the kind of music I would want to HEAR in a game.

  11. Y'know, I downloaded this like nearly a year and a half ago on Sixto's site, which if you've never been there, you need to check it out. Juan here has a lot to offer in terms of media experiences, both visual and audio. I'd link it, but the computer that had the link on it died spectacularly back in December. x.x Google up Sixto Sounds, I bet you'll find it.

    Anyhow, this is one of my favorite mixes of his because it captures so very well one of the very few times I started to feel heroic in a video game. The great thing about remixes... to a certain extent at the least, they represent sort've what you were really thinking as you were playing those levels as a kid. It's just like how when I listen to the final level music in Super R-Type on the SNES... the track pretty much IS a bit of classical meets funk. I consider it, personally, to be my first real brush with Industrial because I remember it with all the explosions and the intensity of the experience, which lended itself to the (literal) heavy metal grinding common to industrial.

    The best mixes transcend simple covers-they play off the gameplay and emotions people remember, and this does that successfully.

  12. Nuh uh, however, it fits with the Xenogears mythos regardless. If you're familiar with ancient cultures, the concept of 'dragons' varies a lot, from things like Tiamat and Bahamat, the Asian Lung, our own western variant which we are more familiar, and even things such as South America's feathered serpents. The consistency is immense creatures with at least some reptillian traits of considerable power and cunning.

    The world set of Xenogears showcases that gears were developed further since the crash to contend with immense monsters.

    That all said, I feel the mixes Kate has posted up here on OCR, this one especially, showcase Kate's genre mastery. I'd love to see her branch out a little bit, but I definitely will keep coming back for what it is that she "does."

  13. I've always felt that "Stage 7: National Anthem Of Bydo Empire" track of Super R-Type for the SNES would make an awesome industrial mix. I can practically hear it in my head with the melody playing out smooth, almost trance like, and then colliding into a striking percussive section where the song breaks, almost into a Stomp like act of metal banging on metal.

    Thank you for your time. I love the work that goes on around here, and I appreciate the dedication of this community in keeping so much of my favorite music alive.

  14. I'm willing to grant all of you that in regards to the original piece, this mix is a bit off, but I've never seen that as a reason to knock an arrangement. And I readily admit that I am NOT a musician and can rarely tell the difference between live and well done sequenced recordings (save through reverb)...

    However, as a piece, I think this is maybe not interesting, but enjoyable to listen to. It was mentioned earlier this is robotic, but then, so are most Bach pieces. The only reason they have any emotion to them at all is because the person playing it got sick of playing it the way it was specifically written.

    I notice a lot with people involved in artistic industries, be they music, advertising, or more preferred method of illustration, people who get heavily involved in the methods and feelings of things tend to forget the wider audience of people who simply enjoy the act of, in this case, listening. Despite a piece like the Trial in Concert being a fantastic remix with a real human element and clear passion injected into the piece, its mere existence doesn't make this bad.

    Bad is taking speaker fuzz and feedback and calling it music. This shows some creative direction, clear thinking as the original piece sounds quite different, and some good decisions in how to set it up.

    Like I said, I like this one.

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