Harmony

This has a great clean sound throughout. The vocal samples are wonderfully used and the instrumentation is very engaging. It's euro stylin' all the way and some of the arrangement feels like something a favorite conductor/composer of mine Paul Schwartz would create. The composition is standard yet interesting, the arrangement is creative and the sounds are enveloping. Great work Carlo. YES

Not really much development or variety here. Most of the synths sound like the solo synth that we get in the intro. Combine that similarity with the gobs of reverb and you have a mush of indistinct sound. A stronger beat would have helped things but the percussion here is too quiet, not varied enough and drowned in reverb. Aim for more clarity by choosing instruments that sound interesting together without sounding the same. Also, tone down the delay and reverb. Selectively apply those effects to individual instruments rather than pouring them over the entire mix. Before submitting next time, take some of the great advice that can be found in the OCR ReMixing and WIP forums. My advice: have fun and keep working at it. NO

I’ve been looking forward to reviewing this one. Dan turns out some really great original stuff and if you haven’t heard it already, stop by the WIP – Other forum to hear the cool stuff that he and others are creating on the non-remix front. No question that some good quality samples are in play here. They could have been used a little better though. The constant attack on the strings from 1:01-1:15 sounds completely synthetic in a sea of realistic orchestral sounds. Same problems when the section is repeated. The guitar section starting at 1:30 is interesting indeed. Some stereo separation as well as more balanced levels amongst the instruments would greatly improve the clarity there. Why was a beat skipped at 2:12? If it was intentional, I wouldn’t advise an abrupt break in a slow ¾ tune without following it up with something other than more ¾ music. The biggest problem however is the arrangement. The instrumentation differences between the mix and the ToP “Good-Bye Friends” source are somewhat superficial. Compositionally, sections 0:00-1:00 and 1:59-2:25 are mere covers of the first part of the original. The powerful orchestral builds are present in the source and honestly the largest arrangement decision that I hear is switching to a staccato melody at some sections. Sorry Dan but I can’t pass this one. Listening to some of your original stuff it feels like you haven’t finished this mix. From the choppy strings to the tail of the piano fade out being chopped off, I know that this doesn’t represent your best effort. The arrangement is the major killer though. NO

Good samples. Some more attention to production and mixing would give them more pizzazz though. Use of purposeful panning, more reverb on the drier percussive elements, EQ work on the drums, and more sample variety could really add a lot of punch to this mix. Unfortunately, this is too conservative a take on the theme to pass. There’s some limited arrangement but in general the source and the mix use the same instruments in the same way throughout which isn’t exciting. You’ve got the hang of making a decent sound. Now make the sound more your own. NO

Not a bad effort, just not quite there in terms of arrangement and mixing/processing. I’m also digging this dry lo-fi vibe but the integration with the sampled SID stuff isn’t the best. The chorus separation on the lead weakens it IMO. I would have liked the lead to be stronger and more centralized to better tie the other elements of the mix together. The melodic and percussive additions and changes are minimal which, as has been said, makes this feel like a tribute rather than a remix. Still a fun piece of music to listen to though. NO

Not the most trance friendly source but I like the way that the transition to 4/4 has been made. Although the source could have been used more creatively and with less repetition, I think the arrangement for the genre is passable. The synths aren’t bad. They don’t stand out much but they get the job done. The ultra plain drums are killing me though. The sequencing is pretty generic, which isn’t all that bad, but the samples and their processing (or lack thereof) just come off as flat. Try layering your percussive elements to create richer more engaging sounds. Also try layering the main beat with another subtle groove. Even for this genre some background snare-play or hi-hat work could really spice up some of the more empty sections like 1:20-1:27 and 2:27-2:47. Check out the Remixing forum and Zircon’s Groovy Drums tutorial for some other tips to spice up your drums. I like the dynamic bass on sections like 0:26-1:20. It’s got a lot more character than some simple standard sine wave bass. It gets a little muddy and disharmonious though at some points (1:00, 2:34,…). Work on toning down the generic vibe and a lot of the potential of this track will be brought out. NO

I think the opening chord progression is a close cousin of the progression at 0:01 of the .spc otherwise I don’t hear the source until much later as has been said. The source is there in some form past the mid-mark of the mix but it certainly isn’t developed well enough. The WEEeeooww synth that comes in at 1:10 somewhat overpowers things. Might want to tone that down. The clips weren’t all that bad but they would have been more appreciated if they came after a good rearrangement of the source or were well integrated with the music. Lots of the samples are pretty nice, such as the string instrument at 2:22, but I can’t pass this on sample quality alone. A more developed source would have made this golden. NO

I think the VGMix version is the better mix but the differences between the two come down to remixer preference. The mix that we have has a lot more attention paid to production, FX and variation. Although these are offset by some of the issues that Larry mentioned I don't feel that this mix is significantly weaker than the VGmix version, especially since the composition of the two is pretty similar. I say judge what we have.

Not bad but this is a very straightforward adaptation; this mirrors the source instrument choices, structure, and even uses the same panning of the percussion and some of the supporting elements. I can’t pass this based on that alone. Bottom line is that I can’t hear any of your creativity shining through the good musical base that the source has provided. You mentioned that you were going for more intensity than the original but this mix doesn’t exactly deliver. It’s louder than the source and the percussion is more prevalent but more intense a mix that does not make. Like Larry said, most of your elements mud together. The lead and supporting instruments need better sonic separation. Even if they were separated the repetitive percussion is overwhelming much of everything else. From 1:04 for example I can barely hear the lead strings under the kick and the loud piano. I like the piano sample and it has the potential to achieve what you were going for but just like the percussion, it has to stay in its place. Some of the FX/processing are interesting such as the flanger on the ride and some of the ambient stuff that makes it through the percussion. Make sure that your levels are kept in check to avoid the clipping that pops up here and there. Creativity and originality are the name of the game Adam so work on expanding on the source material in future mixes and check out the WIP and ReMixing forums for help with the production as well. Keep working at it. NO

Some of the fuller sections towards the end have a decent sound to them. For the most part however, the low quality of the samples is bringing this one down. There’s also the matter of the sax in the middle of the orchestra which sounds a little out of place. It was good to hear some attention paid to dynamics with the build starting at 2:16 but much of the rest of the piece felt flat. Some soft cymbals, for example, might really add some expression to this mix. The arrangement is very conservative and with the sound quality problems that the other judges and I mentioned, this can’t pass as a genre adaptation or an additive remix. Check out the WIP and ReMixing forums for some help with your future works. Good orchestral arrangements can be difficult to pull off so I think what’s needed here, even more so than better samples, is some quality practice time. Keep working at it. NO

Nice groove. It’s got a lo-fi Sade vibe to it that could be really cool with better processing and clearer samples. Pushing up the mid to high frequencies on many of the samples (guitar, percussion, pads) would add lots of life to the track. Even the vocals at the end that are intended to be subdued could benefit from additional highs. You also could have gotten a better take on those vocals. The speaker breathes into the mic a few times and the delay echoes the mistakes for what seems like forever. There is some light clipping throughout the track (eg 1:34, 1:40, 2:59,…) that should be cleaned up. With this short of a source the ambient mix seems like a good way to go but you’ve gotta keep things alive with plenty of variation. The percussion is way too constant and not many additive elements are thrown in as the track rolls along. The pads are nice but some addition of interesting harmonies or changes in samples would have made them a lot more engaging. Original melodies played on the lead wind instrument would add both variety and personal flare. Good simple groove here. With some work on the repetition and limited arrangement this mix could sparkle. Keep working at it. NO

The vox and the intro harpsichord are way too robotic. It’s an interesting combination that might be interesting to hear performed by an experienced vocalist and harpsichord player. Some of the sustained “ahhs” towards the middle of the mix sounded good though. In general the sample quality is good but the sequencing needs some work. There’s a decent build through 0:48 but after that, the track pretty much plateaus at a certain dynamic level and doesn’t let up. This isn’t helped by the repetition, the shortness of the track or the conservative interpretation. The percussion adds a very stately feel to the source but they aren’t enough to keep the mix engaging for long. Keep working at it, and don’t be afraid to pull farther away from the source in future remixes. NO

The intro lead synths are as generic as they come and there are a bunch of stock crash cymbal transitions but beyond that, the execution shows a good amount of creative original work and attention to detail, especially in the drum track. The “frenzy” is driven by intricate percussion and very cool use of sampled beats and FX early in the track (0:11-0:23, 0:36-0:59, …). I’ll also be the odd man out and say that I enjoyed the pitched-up samples. Although they contributed little to the actual arrangement I feel that the energy that they bring to the outro is great. I can’t say that I felt that the mix was thin. The bass layered with the lead synth in concert with the main bass synth made sure that a good level of phatness was maintained through much of the mix. The bass/lead combo was especially effective in sections where only a few elements were present (1:00-1:09). And then of course there is 1:48 where that monster bass/kick is dropped. It’s almost got too much punch though as I think it drowns out the other elements more than I would like. I’ve got some issues with the arrangement but I feel it’s passable. I agree with Gray that there is little melodic or harmonic reinterpretation of the source and this is certainly a point of concern. The melodic structure is changed enough for me though. The remixing of the source melody from 0:23-2:11 is interesting in that at times the theme is used as a supporting element in this beat-driven track while at other times the theme rises as the lead. It’s somewhat repetitive but not as much as the source and with only 2 mins of theme, the repetition isn’t overbearing. The theme is completely left-out from 2:12-end which is not a good thing but again, I like what was done with the potentially wasted time. A few problems here and there but nothing too serious. YES

Credit to DeathBySpoon for the remix name suggestion. I was unable to find the source but I vaguely remember the tune and analoq is satisfied with the level of arrangement so I'm good. Compositionally I don’t think enough is here to justify a 2 minute mix. Sound quality is hurting this piece. The kick is absolutely lifeless which leaves the low end feeling weak. In future efforts you might try to get a fuller sound by layering two or three kicks, adding distortion or playing with the EQ. The rest of the percussion track was similarly lacking, especially the snare, so be sure to find ways to thicken up those sounds as well. Application of chorus, reverb, pitch changes and delay are some odeas that could be explored. The piano sample was decent but it’s usage isn’t. I think much of the mechanical feel is coming from the lack of dynamics that Larry mentioned. The high individual piano notes aren’t too bad but the low supporting chords could really benefit from some careful velocity editing. I enjoyed many of the strings. The lead solo violin, though somewhat repetitive, is made pretty dynamic by the sharp attacks and variations in velocity. The intro strings might have been concealed a little better, since their quality isn’t really that great. Good work but a little more practice is needed to get more out of your samples and you mix. Keep hanging out in the WIP forum. NO

Great show, once again. Keep it up! Consider picking up a pop/breath shield for your mics. There are some really breathy F's and popping P's that could easily be cleaned up.

Pretty cool song. Great use of vox and FX to setup the paranoia vibe, interesting and engaging composition ideas and some slick processing choices. The sound quality is generally good but there are a few things that might need to be looked at. That kick at 1:46 would be so much more effective if it blew up the entire sound field. As it is, it comes off rather weak. It also leads into what sounds like a bad note at 1:50. I felt that the entire section from 1:46-2:14 could have been better. The choir steps on its own toes and the notes mush together which isn’t very pleasant at times. The acoustic drums in the final section certainly need some punch. Bring those bad boys up! You might also want to tone the choir down on that same section as it seems to jump out of its place at points. Good song but as a remix, its way too easy to forget what the source is until the familiar intro chimes in from time to time. As has been said, work on that. I hope to see this retuned and resubmitted. NO (Please Resubmit)

Ah, memories of saving up $5 to buy the shareware version of Descent on two 3.5” diskettes. Good times, good times. This has got a pulsing vibe that I’m really digging. Although the main beat is a chill oom-tss deal, there’s some subtle and at times rather intricate percussion going on behind it which really drives the track. The synth that carries the main theme at 1:26 is refreshingly smooth, although a bit quiet for my tastes, and in general the choice of synths and their processing fits well with the ambient feel. Too much is happening in the lower registers. Through 1:25 we have a very low bass, low strings, reverbed toms and a pounding kick. The creamy synth at 1:26 is low and many of the sound FX are low as well. While I won’t say that it’s muddy, I will say that the combination feels indistinct and heavier than it should. Props on handling so many lows without the mud but a more prominent lead and more high frequencies from something other than the percussion would make for a more polished sound. My biggest issue is the limited arrangement. For a 5 minute mix not much happens compositionally beyond the source. There are extended groove sections like 1:55-2:15 and 2:33–3:11 but more interesting synth processing, additional FX or something along those lines is needed to keep them from sounding as repetitive and bare as they do. Additionally, there aren’t any significant modifications to source instrumentation so at times I feel that this is something of a simple upgrade with a tempo change. Great sounds, great mastering, cool groove but a little repetitive and not expansive enough for me to pass outright. I’m close on this one but I think the source can be used much more creatively. Work on it and please resubmit. The first Descent soundtrack deserves all of the attention it can get. Borderline NO

Wow, I’m loving this. The music production is spot-on, the vocals are cleanly recorded and some quality work has been done in terms of doubling, panning, EQ and chorus effects to provide a very dynamic feel to Jason’s lyrics. The vocals fall apart at 2:58 but that’s a minor gripe. Honestly this could have easily been something played in any club that I frequent and no one would blink at the quality of much of the track. Unfortunately, making something that sounds like it could be played in the club just isn’t enough to pass these days. If you want to make a successful remix you’re going to need something to set you apart. What we have here is very well produced, for what it is, but it’s very lacking in creativity. It might be catchy, but it’s certainly not interesting. Just like I have problems with out-of-the-box techno, this rap mix, from beat to lyrics, is dangerously generic. Although that is an issue, the primary reason for my rejection is the lyrical content. The explicit lyrics don’t particularly bother me but what are they talking about? Nothing. If a song has lyrics then those lyrics become an instrument that must be congruous with the theme and supporting elements in order for it to qualify as a remix. Otherwise you’re simply playing the source and writing an original piece on top of it. That is what we have here and that doesn’t fly with me. Two recent rap mixes that have passed, “Niggaz 4 Life” and “Memories Frozen in Time” make much better use of the poetry of rap in the context of a remix. The lyrics of the first mix directly relate to the storyline of the remixed game and the lyrics in the DCT/Just Us mix, as I mentioned in my review of it, play on the theme of music creation which is what remixes are all about. There’s also the issue of arrangement value. This is a cover of the source with a beat and lyrics. Conservative reinterpretation of the source would be an overstatement. I love rap and I’d love to see more songs of this quality make it to the front page but it would be wrong of me to pass this. This needs a lot of thematic reinterpretation and more creative and relevant lyrics. Great production though. NO

I think this mix gets better as it nears the end but the first two minutes are really not working. The music box in the intro is slightly out of tune, which is cool in some respects as it fits with the dreamy strangeness of the Special Stage. I would have preferred a gradual introduction of the reverb rather than abruptly stepping it up (and down at the end). Also in the intro we’ve got some light pops and glitches, most notably at 0:26 and 0:30. When the main strings and background pads come in at 0:30 everything goes to mush. The choir pads are low quality and indistinct and simply need to be removed or changed. Similar problem with the bass which has way too much reverb on it. The lead strings are at least bright so that we get some contrast from the other elements but their consistent very slow attack gets bothersome after a while, as Malcos mentioned. The chromatic percussion that remains from the intro doesn’t sound out of tune anymore but it does hit some bad notes (e.g. 0:33). The jazzy vibe that you were going for is a cool idea but the drums aren’t living up to your creativity. They sound as if they’ve been around the resampling block more than a few times. Very low quality with a lot of high frequency distortion. I’m sure that it supposed to be a ride from 1:00-1:22 but it’s completely garbled. The crashes at 1:01 and 1:32 are too loud and bright and their contrast with the other percussion makes for a tough listen. Arrangement was conservative but I think passable given how brief the mix is. The symmetric composition is interesting but I don’t think that it works well with this brief of material. For the last minute we have essentially the same material as we had for the first minute. It’s difficult to effectively repeat an entire minute of a 3 minute track. Lots of work needs to be done to get this into shape. The sample quality needs to be greatly improved and the composition needs to be expanded. Improving is the joy of music though so don’t hesitate to keep working on this one. In addition to the feedback you’ve gotten at VGMix, there’s great help available at OCR’s Remixing and WIP forums. NO

The intro bell sounds really thin and sort of creepy. If that’s the vibe you were going for then capital work old bean but I would have preferred a much more full sound there. Nevertheless I think that the short strings and breakbeats that come in at 0:13 are sweet. They still feel like an intro however and thus there is too little build up before we are launched into a thematic chorus section at 0:27. The result is a mix that feels underdeveloped from that point onwards. In addition, the beats are cool but that lack some amount of captivating energy, especially given the amount of repetition that they undergo. The drum switch-ups at 1:24 and 2:27 breathe some life into the percussion track not only because they are different from the rest of the mix but also because they’ve got some funky processing laid on them. Try to keep that in mind with the rest of the track as well. I didn’t particularly like the beats as they were used at 2:11. Although this is more of a personal preference issue, I feel that their choppy breaks didn’t mesh well with the flowing sustained strings and light chromatic percussion. The arrangement started off great with the really cool bass groove that threatened to take the themes in cool new directions. To some extent we get that but for the most part the good ole Dream Shore theme is conservatively recreated with the same instrument as in the source and then played over the supporting groove. That can work if you have really strong, engaging supporting elements but as has been mentioned the mix is relatively simplistic. Really fun to listen to though. Work on thickening up and varying the percussion as well as introducing more expansive interpretation of the source material. Have fun with it. NO

Some of the FX and processing are really cool. The vocoder sounding FX at 0:32 are really trippy, as are the breakdown at 2:50 and the outro. The section from 1:40 is slick indeed with its ambient beat-driven groove. There’s a decent variety of lead synths whose textures all seem to work nicely with the supporting elements. The bass isn’t too smooth though and I’d either swap the sample for something creamier or tone the bass track down. Sadly, not much locks together to give the mix a cohesive feel at any given point. The percussion sequencing is good but is very sparse and the drums are in need of some interesting effects processing to thicken them up. I’m all for crazy amounts of compression, distortion or some unique use of reverb on drums and you guys might consider something along those lines in the future. I’m wondering why the bass dropped out at 1:02 as it was somewhat holding things together. Sections like 1:02-1:20 and 2:19-2:49 aren’t strong enough to stand alone with the few elements that are present at those times. I also wasn’t feeling the harmonies created with the lead during 1:02-1:40. The supporting and main theme just didn’t mesh well. An enjoyable track and an interesting spin on the original but a whole heap of compositional concerns keeps this from being as cool as it could be. Keep working at it. NO

Hey, this is a fun source tune that certainly lends itself to the mix’s genre. The adaptation here doesn’t live up to the source’s potential however. The source has plenty of variety, interesting harmonies, key changes, lead changes and aside from the bass and drums, the source doesn’t really feel that repetitive for a 4 minute video game track. The mix however loses a lot of this by keeping the same harsh lead throughout, cutting some of the sections of the original, and shamelessly repeating the sections that are kept. I would have liked to see more synth variety. If you’re going to stick with the same beat throughout, the synth processing and choice of synths needs to be very creative and have a lot of variety. For the most part the buzzy lead is alright but at 2:37 a smoother lead is desperately needed. When the beat cuts out and for a brief moment all that’s in the mix are creamy background pads, that sawtooth synth comes and slices any dream trip that I was having. I think the mix is enjoyable for the most part but it is really not an improvement over the original. Bring in some more of the source, add some variety to the instrument choices (including the drums), avoid the fade-out on such a short track, put in some tweaking time and I think we will both be happier with the final product. NO

A major issue is the overwhelming reverb. Everything from leads to kicks is drowned in the stuff. Rely more on dynamic contrast and bold instrument/arrangement choices to create an epic vibe rather than on a single effect. The intro needs a lot of work as it is too sparse and not interesting enough hold the stage on its own. You might try adding some pads to smooth that section out. This would also ease us into the synth at 0:38 which is a somewhat jarring transition right now. Once things get going, don’t forget to actually remix the theme instead of simply playing it over your background stuff. As a note, the cymbal build at 2:44 was bad. The attacks on the cymbals are way too short so it sounds very mechanical. If you can’t adjust the cymbal attacks, there are plenty of free drum kits out there that have good cymbals for that kind of effect. The cymbals in this mix are much nicer however when not completely exposed (ex. 3:38). Good effort but plenty more work needs to be done to make this track as exciting and polished as it could be. Keep working at it. NO

A lot of great improvements have been made since the first revision that I heard. Most of the instruments are much more fluid and realistic and the arrangement was always there in good form. The flute arpeggios are very nice now. They don’t overpower the mix and a good sample is used. Unfortunately, there are still a few sticking points and for the most part I agree with the problems that Larry mentioned. The new solo horn is cool but it’s too loud when compared to the string and the piano that get buried behind it. This is especially evident when the horn stops at 2:19 and I feel like I have to strain to hear the now exposed background elements. I don’t have a problem with the vox. I think that they are pretty well covered which is a necessity for synth choirs in my experience. I think the biggest problem with this version however is the “missing register” that the wingless mentioned. The entire piece is mid-heavy which contributes to the muddiness of the lead instruments and generally makes everything sound like a gray rainy day. This wasn’t the case in the first version (compare the sound of the strings when they first enter at 0:28 in the new version with that of the old version and you should hear a big difference), so I suspect that the culprit is either an EQ production mistake or the lower VBR encoding of this version. Fixing this would go a long way towards making this sparkle like I know it can. I really hope you can eventually continue to work on this one because I feel it’s very close to a YES and I think a lot of folks out there, Sonic fans or not, would really enjoy it. Do the community a favor and please resubmit. NO (Please Resubmit)

That bass is killing my speakers and I love it; wait, and what's this!? A crazy delayed funkadelic Rhodes solo! Please, Pretzel, don't hurt 'em.