Vig

I'm not sure you have enough stutter edits in here. Can you maybe resubmit it with twice as many? I'd like the waveform to look like someone tapping out morse code. YES

Shit dude. You had me at :09 seconds. YES EDIT: I guess I could elaborate. You are good at pianos. etc. If I were to give you some advice, You might do a couple things to enhance the realism. I think the volume is a bit mechanical. In particular, the quiet parts aren't quiet enough. Also, the piano sample is pretty good, but you could make it sound better by adding a little more reverb, and maybe a bigger reverb. The ambience you use is nice, but it's a bit intimate. Sounds like you're sitting at the piano. Maybe pull it back to make it sound like you're in the audience instead.

I'd say that I agree with everyone on the production issues (humanization, mix, etc) but I'm not sure it would be that much work to fix it. A little rhythmic humanization here and there would do wonders. As far as the sound goes, I think you could actually afford more reverb, and longer reverb. Think cathedral. It would help hide the crappyass sample. Hopefully it would be enough. Another thing you really should consider is the fact that there's very little low end in this mix. You might consider transposing the whole thing down a bit and see how that sounds, or maybe just tossing on a low shelf around 200 Hz. NO

Yeah, good call hiding those guitars way in back with the piano. you know what's kind of wierd? You're hiding something else in the left channel that's some kind of percussion, but I can't even really identify it because it's so far back. What is that? I can tell it's there, but I have no idea what it is..ooooh okay at the end it's alone and sounds like a conga. But anyway, I'm with OA. Too close to the original. NO

On the mixing end you need a lot more presence to the rhythm guitars. The lead is actually a bit loud. Drums could use more pop. I think the main issue is that the lead is too hot; you really need more room for the supporting elements. The performance is a bit spotty at times so it's not a great idea to have it so far out front anyway. NO Oh and Larry's here. He's still a NO.

Also structure, key, genre, etc.. Arrangement is much more than just instrumentation, though that is a part of it.

The mix is a bit dark. Especially for a genre like this, you really want to brighten up those leads, and leave space in the midrange for those pads. Also, for a song like this, you really need variety in spatial treatment. Everything here has reverb on it, which turns into a wash. Make some things really dry and punchy. When the style is repetitive, you need to rely a bit more on sonics to capture listener interest. On the arrangement end, I like the melodic treatment, although a bit too often I feel the relationship to the source is a bit tenuous. I'd seriously consider making the arrangement more dynamic as well. There aren't lots of captivating transitions which makes it a bit repetitive. NO

It sounds great (but the bass should be louder), and it's a cool tune. This arrangement is fairly conservative though. I'm going to pass it though because of the supplementary parts in the verse and the very cool original section. You really should consider mixing a little less bright though. YES

So I feel like I'm late to this whole "Nerdcore" party that seems to be all the rage with the kids these days. Well this track is certainly nerdy, and it's also got its fair share of awesome. The production is great. Hip Hop is tricky to vote on for OCR because of the generally repetitive nature of mainstream (and underground) hip hop beats. Without being too lenient I can fairly say that while this track does conform to hip hop conventions, there's enough going on musically to keep it interesting and to push it over the bar. Far from "Write 4 bars, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V" YES

I like the opening a lot, but the track as a whole needs a bit more energy. It's mixed a bit quiet and quite dark. The synths are drowned in delay, and since they are relatively dark, it makes it just a wash. The arrangement is pretty good, if a bit sparse and not terribly dynamic. I'd focus first on cleaning up the mix. NO

The beatboxing in the beginning is great. Very creative and well done. However, as soon as the synth brass comes in, I'm groaning. Way too much delay. You've got to scrap that instrument. The mix is alright but you probably want to bring up the bass. Other issues: the piano sounds really fake. It's unnaturally sequenced and too compressed. The writing is okay, but you've got a little too much unsupported melodic writing. Bringing up the bass would help a lot, but so would adding a pad instrument here and there. NO

Hmm. I like the groove, but the vocal pad isn't great. sounds kind of cheesy. The mixing's pretty good, in spite of sampular cheese. I'd say the largest problem is that the body of the arrangement primarily consists of a simple three-chord vamp with the melody (or other melodies) tacked over it. There's not a great deal of harmonic variation or depth. Also, you need an ending. NO

The very first thing I thought Vinnie already said: this sounds like it belongs in a sitcom about a diverse family coming together to tackle issues. I can't say I'm crazy about it..a little saccharine for me, but it's well-composed. Just like an 80's sitcom theme. I'm going to echo everything Palp said about the mix and say YES (cond)

Wow...some really impressive psychoacoustic effects and editing. If I heard this in some altered state I might think there was something wrong with my speakers. Or brain. I really dig it, but I've got to say the ending is really lame. You might have done something similar to the break that occurs around the 2 minute mark. YES

My first impression is that the groove is great, really cool and danceable. I agree that the intro is a bit long and repetitive. Rather than cut it down, I'd add some more elements or throw in some variation and keep it the same length. This criticism/suggestion continues into the verse, which sounds just like the intro with a melody. the bridge section at 1:30 has different issues..mainly that the piano and pad textures aren't really lush enough to be sustaining the entire soundscape. The other issue at 1:40 is that the pad doesn't have a fast enough attack when you switch to the iv minor to the IV Major so the major third in the melody clashes with the pads. You really need a faster rhythm instrument to keep up with the chord changes. then at 2:29 there's no harmonic support for the melody playing the major 6 of the key. This sticks out like a sore thumb. There are lots of little errors like this. As far as soundscape, you could really be making better use of the stereo field. More effects, etc. NO but your foundation is cool. I'd keep working on it.

I have never been to a video game convention before. I had a blast, and I met a lot of great people from both the OCR and magfest crowds, whose internet names I pretty much don't remember at all. So if any of you guys (and girls) that I met would be so kind, drop me a PM or facebook me; I'd love to keep in touch.

These notes aren't really workin' right. No meat on it neither. There's no depth to it, there's three things going on. There's some promise there, but texturally there's nothing going on there. NO -Liontamer Too repetitive, too simplistic. If you're going to do minimalism, the core elements need to be more interesting. There's clearly some conscientious processing, but the composition is lacking and simplistic. I also don't think you can do this mix without good drums. -djp A man of few words Needs great vocabulary Minimalism -Vig NO

I rarely EQ a reverb return. If your reverb is getting muddy, consider adding more predelay, increasing the early reflections vs. the tail, or using a brighter reverb. EQing a reverb will generally NOT result in a more natural sound.

Guys, really? It's a joke mix and it isn't that funny. Take away the humor and it's not interesting at all.

The best orchestral samples will sound cheesy and unrealistic when they are the only instrument playing. These are not the best orchestral samples. They might be perfectly acceptable blended in a lush orchestration, but there are too often solo string or horn parts which really kill the believability of the tune. The arrangement is certainly not bad, but it's certainly not groundbreaking. There are conflicting harmonies around 2:10. You should probably fix that up. Honestly my attention could not stay off how exposed those string lines sound. You might consider at least bringing up the harmonies against the melodies. NO

The obvious criticism that occurs to me is that the bass and drums are consistently overpowering and overpoweringly consistent. There's very little variation, and the more creatively written parts are shoved to the background. What variation exists in the composition is marginalized by inelegant transitions resulting from again, the constant beat. NO

Wonderful arrangement. You've succeeded in doing an adaptation to a rather minimal style without it becoming simplistic or boring. Well done. The mix sounds pretty good too; if I were going to nitpick I'd say the lead guitar could use a little more midrange. Sounds a bit scooped. I also would have picked a different reverb. What is that, a plate? I might have gone for something a little darker and more natural sounding. YES

Well the countermelody isn't gelling because it keeps playing a major 6th over a harmonies that heavily imply aeolian. The dorian mode is implied, ironically enough, in the sections when the countermelody doesn't play. Maybe if he just nudges the countermelody over 16 bars or so it will sound good. NO

Well...Certainly gets points for a sense of humor. Can't hate the engineering either. It's cute and clever and everything, but it's really gimmicky. I'm not saying that anything here is poorly done, and the guitars are great, but this is a joke remix. Doesn't really stand as a cohesive song. NO

I love the sound and the performance. Great concept. I actually love this track except for one thing. And I Really hate this one thing. When the beat drops out at :50. This really does not work at this point in the song. Maybe it would work better in the middle once you've already ramped up the energy. It also might have worked better if you only left the beat out for the first half of the phrase, bringing it all back in after the first muted wah strums. God I hate the way you did this. I almost want to say no because of it, but I cant. YES