Vig

the first problem i hear in this track is that the instruments are somewhat clunky. the drums are akward and cheap-sounding, and the strings and leads have long attacks that become distracting. you want those attacks to be more crisp. the larger problem is this track is waaay too abbreviated. it's just getting started when it ends. literally 30 seconds after the track starts to escalate, it's over. no

intro is nsf drowned in reverb and with cheap percussion. growling pads at :40 are pretty cool, but you continue to use the the original with minimal addition. The changes you've made to the original are largely changes in the instrumentation. there's minimal arrangement, although what's here, such as the idea at 2:50, is interesting but underdeveloped. NO

the intro makes the weakness of the samples painfully obvious. This won't take long... The partwriting in this track is very interesting. VERY interesting. It's certainly the most creative interpretation of this track that we've heard at OCR. I wish I could pass this track on the merits of it's arrangmenent and partwriting, but I cannot get past the samples. Too dry, too harsh, too unnatural. Please please get some better samples and resubmit this track. NO

the sequencing does sound mechanical, partly because of the, well, sequencing, and partly because of the samples. larry's right, the soundfield is dry and stiff. and thin. the staccato strings in the beginning are bare. some of the other string lines sound akward because the velocity levels on the sample are so starkly different. You have to be careful when there's a velocity cutoff on the sample that changes the sound dramatically. the general stiffness of the instruments is a fairly big problem, but another big problem is the sparseness of the composition. If you take out the percussion, there's very little here. a lot of the time there's only one harmonic instrument playing at once, and there's rarely more than two harmonic voices. NO

So the first minute or two had me thinking this would go big places. the two-note vamp from SM sounded crisp and forboding. Unfortunately, nothing ever happens in this mix. There's very little in the way of arrangement of the source tunes; taikos + akward rhythmic changes to the melody are not sufficient. There's very little compositional escalation. It just jumps from one riff/melody to another and back again. So yeah. The samples and atmosphere might sound good, but the longer you listen to this track, the weaker it sounds. Composition/arrangement here is nowhere near our bar. NO

Is this the piece where you sampled your guitar? at least the rhythm guitar sounds like it could be sampled. I have no problem at all with the samples. I think it's a bit too picky to reject this track due to sample quality. The samples are used well, they sound smooth, not grating. They arent unpleasant in the least; in fact, I enjoyed the pan flute. The only criticism i agree with is that the tuning of the guitar is irritating at times. It's consistently out of tune, but It's only bothersome from time to time. Ultimately, the production criticims don't even come close to outweighing the awesome arrangement and atmosphere. YES

Alright kids? Go to MAGFest, because MUSTIN SAID SO! Anyway, I don't know why pixietrix put me on the "possibly attending" list. Probably wishful thinking on her part. Although I suppose anyone could be "possibly attending." Unless they broke free of earth's gravity and are hurtling through space towards the sun. Then it's a pretty safe bet they won't be attending. Did I really type all that?

The production and synth design are not superb as they might be in a binster mix. However, they are well above adequate. I have no gripes on the prouduction end. Lack of innovation does not get points off...just misses out on some bonus points. The arrangement is solid. Good dynamics, enough variation to keep me interested for four minutes. This has all the makings of a solid track. Nothing revolutionary, but that's OK. YES

Nothing really to add. The performance is incredibly impressive. The recording aint great, but the deal breaker is obviously that there's very little if any arrangement. Imagine if you combined your awesome shredding/rocking power with some creative composition. You'd be unstoppable. I'd really look forward to hearing something that you've made your own a little more. No

what on earth makes you say that? it's fairly straightforward. I think if you find that particular section to be too liberal, you need to redefine your standards. Are you guys sure you've heard the icecap theme before? cause really it's quite recognizable in this track. I would normally vote NO because i find the performance to be completely flat, but i have to give it a YES because frankly the two previous votes are rather off-base and I'm unwilling to let this thread lock without hearing some more reasonable opinions. Larry fixed his vote, and we've heard from some other judges. I'm satisfried. changing my vote to NO for aformentioned reasons. Good start however, and I look forward to future tracks from you.

I just bought a hoodie with my VISA card. Your internet is broken. So buy a hoodie. Cause you know you want to look just like me.

alright guys..i don't know where any of this "original added material" is that Zircon is talking about except the ending, but this track has very little arrangement. It's the performance/sequencing that is strong, not the arrangement. The transitions like i said, don't exist. this is hardly a cohesive piece. It IS an enjoyable track, but don't kid yourselves; there is next to no arrangement in this track. Be aware that passing this song is setting a precedent for allowing near-covers on the site. If you can live with that, so be it.

I'd like to announce the emphasis of DS's announcement of the announcement forum's emphasis on announcements.

I find it hard to believe that EQ clutter (at least the degree to which such a thing is present in this mix) and lack of a "back-and-forth panning dealie" would convince you this track isn't up to par for OCR. Again, I've not heard better writing on the site in a long time, and the production issues cited are relatively minor. If they really bug you that much, I reccommend talking to him right now and getting it fixed right now so we can get an improved version...right now. The production ain't perfect, but we can't reject every mix for which we can come up with criticisms.

Beautiful tirade. Really. Self-important, tangential...only remotely on-topic at all. Next time I care to know why GLL thinks he wouldnt be a good judge, I'll subscribe to his newsletter.

a number of very talented and qualified members of the community were not offered positions.

there are a lot of really basic mistakes made with regard to the samples. The piano notes arent held long enough, so they sound particularly choppy. I actually like the guitar (?) sample, although the attack is somewhat rough. but then around :40 when the second guitar part comes in, the two parts get mushed together. The sequencing is sloppy, and in some sections it sounds like you didnt quantize. another big problem is that the pads in the back have a reaaally long release, so they often overflow into the next chord, causing all kinds of dissonance. If someone else wants to comment on arrangement feel free, but i think i've given plenty to work on. NO

not a bad track, but the track from mario 64 is a remix of the underworld theme from mario brothers, and this track doesnt do much different from the n64 version. It's quite enjoyable, but it's very similar to the mario 64 version. The difference being an enhanced groove, mainly. The atmosphere is the same, and there's not a lot going on compositionally. sorry. NO

This track is rock. The arrangement is sophisticated and emotive. The leads, bass, and drums are all sequenced beautifully. The live performances are fantastic. The composition and partwriting are the high point. Leads and counterharmonies weave in and out like dancing. The appropriate instrumentation and dynamic arrangement build a vibrant atmosphere. This is easily one of the best-written arrangements the site has seen for a long time. Synth solo @ 3:10=gold. On the production end the track isn't perfect, but there's nothing that comes close to warranting a rejection. The guitar sample, and the drums in particular aren't fantastic samples, however they are used adequately; the guitar is unobtrusive, and the drum fills are fantastic. As far as I'm concerned the only problem that actually detracts from the track is that the entrance at 2:50 is particularly loud. This is nowhere near enough to enter into NO territory. easy YES. Great job.

It's a really nice track. The instrumentation is very pretty. The volume really needs to be raised. Aside from that, I don't think the track is too sparse; the atmosphere and density are appropriate for the nature of the track. However, aside from the introduction, It's just too close to the original. I don't think it would be necessary to bastardize the feel of the song to throw in some arrangement. you could keep it sparse and light; lets just hear some more interpretation. NO

This is recognizable goat. usual strengths, usual weaknesses. Strong performance, really weak samples. Solid if conservative arrangement, occasionally sparse soundfield. This may be stronger than some of his other outings, and it's fair to assume that if you like goat, you'll like this. YES

The dinosaur really sounds kind of cheap...doesn't add much to the track. The samples are used quite inappropriately. The attack on the strings, vocals, and guitars sound very artificial and awkward. The composition is somewhat disjointed..parts come in and out at random. There's no direction, as the arrangement sounds slapped-together. To your credit, some of the tensions in the middle are evocative, but the track just needs to be more cohesive. NO

an enjoyable track...groovalicious and stuff. some interesting sound processing. I dont mind the vocals at all, but they are somewhat...superfluous. Main problem is that the tetris theme isnt really remixed at all...there's just some groove over it. arrange more. NO

There's a glitch at 1:25. We need a reencode. that's not acceptable. This is a really fun track. The instrumentation is really balanced. THe mixer manages to express dynamics without crowding the soundfield. The arrangement is lighthearted and varied. There are lots of fun ideas that are smoothly presented. The samples arent all fantastic, and frequently the partwriting is not independent enough, but these complaints arent enough to reject the track. YES now just fix that bug.