Harmony

Oh man this is sweet! Breakin’ time ya’ll. I'll give you a review in a minute but first I've gotta go find a cardboard box, my multicolored horizontal striped sweatsuit and some Adidas classics...

Yeah I liked the intro as well but there’s a click at the beginning of each piano note that should be eliminated. A really short attack would do the trick. Similar problem with the decay of the toms at 2:02. We can hear the static from each note abruptly cut off. Arrangement is very conservative to say the least. Also, there are way too many sections here where pretty uninteresting elements are left alone and exposed (1:23,2:02, 3:07,…) and the sparse vibe isn’t working here at all. In this case I think the original is better than the mix. Next time Procrustes, work on the sample processing, add more creative arrangement ideas, throw in some more instruments in the empty sections, add a pinch of spice and mix well. Keep working at it. NO

Well wingless, don’t worry about remembering the source because Andrew here has recreated it here for us quite nicely. Please check the submission guidelines before submitting next time Andrew. If this was a midi I’d say midi rip, if I was being nice I’d say great cover, if I wasn’t a noob judge I’d say no override…but I’ll leave that to the veterans. NO

Hopefully the source sounds a lot better in the game because what we have here is pretty weak. That being said, this remix represents a significant improvement over the original as Larry says. So significant that I’m going to yes this. The groove is not only very cool but it changes constantly which is something that many groove based tracks fail to achieve. I love the transition out of the intro swing beat at 0:10 and the dynamic drum processing which helps them remain integrated with the great background ambient synths and effects. The Rhodes that chimes in with both the background chords and the subtle improve riffs (0:46, 0:54, 2:15,…) is a great addition to the source as well. Sections like 1:30-1:51 and 2:34-2:55 break up potential monotony without sounding like that was their only purpose, and before you know it, the track is over. This mix is not so full of it’s own groove-love that it thinks it can keep us engaged for 6 mins or something. Repetitive, yes, but much less so than the source. I can see the NO vote on this but what I’m hearing is creative enough, interpretative enough, and well executed. Good stuff. Groove bias. YES

I so sucked at that game because I was too busy starring at Kitty-N instead of what buttons to press. OMG undercover furry! But enough about me… This song has been stuck in my head since it’s WIP forum debut. Hot stuff then and hot stuff now. The lead vocals are really amazing (performance and processing) and although the male background vocals don’t sit well with me in select spots (3:09, 2:02) the overall performance is way above the vocal bar. The drum samples and others certainly are default but as Robbie says he has really used them well here. After the intro the samples mesh very well with each other and are skillfully processed to give them a lot more depth that they should have. I’m still going to suggest that you hit the Remixing forum Robbie and check out some of the samples, soundfonts and other cool stuff to spice up you future remixes. The slayer doesn’t detract from the song at all IMO. Slayer is a tool that is only as good as the musician and I think a good job has been done of making it work for this piece. I’m all about that key change. Nice arrangement decision. Great work all around Robbie and Stephanie. YES

Ok, I really like this. There’s some really cool vox in the first half (3:15 is tight), we go to semi-chill mode from 3:47-5:02 with really slick synth and pizz stuff going on and we enter full-on chill mode from 5:02-end where elements are thin but still engaging. Ending wasn’t cool at all but still a good mix as a whole. There are a few things that would be so simple to correct that I have to go for a resub on this: At no point did I think that the distorted guitar meshed well with the other elements. 0:56-1:15 it was out of sync. During 2:00-2:30 it was ok but overly distorted and loud. At 2:49 it was pointless. You get the picture. Try to better handle the guitar FX, levels and performance next time around. Reverb is excessive as Malcos pointed out, especially during the first 3:47. The chill mode ending section could be fiddled with to get some more interesting, even more engaging, sounds from those synths and certainly work on the ending. It’s repetitive, but I don’t think it’s too bad; 6:22 is a little long for what’s in this mix though. Fix these problems and you’re golden. Borderline… NO Please Resubmit

There are some cool parts to this mix (0:43-1:11, 1:55-2:09). Unfortunately it’s entirely too repetitive as has already been mentioned. My nugget of improvement wisdom: Look at more selectively applying reverb. Here, elements seem to swim in their own echoes and in general I think this piece would work much better with a sharper sound. Keep working at it. NO

Hey, “Knightro” is the University of Central Florida mascot. GO Knights! I’m loving the hand percussion. It’s certainly a glue that holds the sparse elements of this mix together. In addition we have the full bodied and very expressive lead wind instrument carrying things along. It sounds like some of the supporting instruments are lacking real depth however. The clicks at 0:16 are dry and sound pretty flat. Same with the left panned flute(?) at 0:48 and the cymbals at 1:28. Some additional reverb on each of those would help. From the beginning I’m hearing some background ambient FX/pads that could be made a little more present. Don’t kill the minimalist feel but I think a little more volume on them would make for a more cohesive piece. 2:00-2:20 would have been a lot cooler if it wasn’t straight from the source. This is a good first effort Matt but I think you’re riding on the strength of your samples and the coolness of the original a little too much. Throw in more of your own arrangement ideas and really make this remix yours. Good stuff though. In the future I’d head to the Remixing and WIP forums for advice instead of going through the whole submission process to get it. You’ve already shown a lot of musical coolness with this piece so tweak your arrangement skills and come on back real soon. NO (Resubmit)

Individually I’m digging a bunch of the samples/synths. The intro oboe, pads piano and bells are nice. Come 1:25 however, the distortion and loads of reverb muds everything together. This combined with most elements sitting dead center creates a pretty cluttered soundscape in sections like 1:25-1:45. Sounds don’t have to step on each other’s toes to mesh well so make sure everyone has their own space in the mix. Can’t really comment on the arrangement because it’s not there. Although there is some creativity involved in choosing samples and throwing a hi-hat beat on top of a midi, plenty of other remixers put in a lot more time and effort with their submissions and you shouldn’t be afraid to get into the remixing trenches with them. They hang out in the Remixing and WIP forums if you’re interested. NO

Haha, I just started a rap remix of this same track today! The source is definitely cool and brings back some good ole’ Game Boy memories. Problem with this source is that it’s only a few bars so avoiding the repetition pitfall is really difficult. I actually think that you did a good job of that by throwing in a lot of original stuff as well as the Mario World “Underworld” theme. There are some pretty tight beats at 0:30 and 2:11 that should be able to inspire some sweet lyrics from a good MC. In fact this would work a whole lot better if those beats were kept throughout and you found a good rapper to collab with because unfortunately the sections other than the straight hip-hop sections are pretty weak. The intro, though simplistic, isn’t bad but what’s up with 1:00-1:40? That section is full of odd harmonies and uninteresting or awkward original melodies. The transition to the Underworld theme at 2:41 is non-existent and then there’s the weird synth at 2:42 that is way too loud and harsh. 3:12-3:34 is just too simplistic and sparse to provide a good exit. There are a few cool parts to this mix but it’s not all there yet. A lot can be learned from the WIP and ReMixing forums so be sure to check them out for help with this and your future mixes. Keep working at it. NO

Not only have you remixed a soundtrack whose awesomeness will echo through the ages, you’ve remixed arguably the best track on the OST. Props for the effort. I’d love to see more MW2 mixes. Ok, I was not feeling the intro. The strings aren’t terrible but those first few notes when they are left exposed are harsh. The slow intro goes on for way too long in my book. I understand the desire to add depth since you’ve slowed down the fast paced source but the whining lead violin is way too repetitive in this section and there isn’t much of a build to the transition at 1:22. Biggest problem with the intro and much of the rest of the mix is the muddiness. The lows from the strings, the timpani, and the heartbeat (which contributes little and should probably be cut from the intro) join forces with the reverb to create a pretty garbled listening experience. The track in general is also lacking in high frequencies. The ethnic drum sequencing is really cool. Is that an udu I hear? It reminds me of some particular acoustic Alanis Morissette tracks. Unfortunately I think a lot of the percussion work is lost to the aforementioned mud. There isn’t nearly enough development here to justify this as a 7+ minute track. However cool the percussion is, it doesn’t vary much , and to quote an analoq phrase, the “wall-of-strings” orchestration gets old and overwhelming after some time. Where’s the rest of the orchestra? I enjoy some of the chromatic lines (2:31,…) but they are some of the only elements that add any variety to the overall sound of the mix I’m optimistic on this one. If you work on the mastering/EQ, cut a lot of the fat and throw in something besides strings and synths that sound like strings you’ll have a much better MechWarrior mix here. Keep working at it. NO Please resubmit

Yeah buddy that’s a pretty crazy lead synth. Nice stuff there but I think the major problems that keep me from passing this have already been mentioned. Top of the list for me is the general default vibe that this mix gives off. From the loud 909 snare fills to the 3x 0sc sounding background synths, things just don’t sound like much care was given to making the sounds your own. Arrangement of the theme was good but there doesn’t seem to be much development after the intro. We kind of move along and wait for the ending and when it finally comes it’s not good or bad…it’s just bland. A fun song for it’s Chrono Trigger remix value but you can make this piece a lot more interesting, I’m sure of it. Take some of the suggestions from above and keep working at it. NO

The supporting instrument samples are really great for this piece. The snare work is reserved but as Larry says it’s “cute” and very enjoyable. The periodic low toms add touches of an epic vibe that is accented by the bubbly reverb poured over all. The piano sample is really nice but the sequencing is slightly mechanical in some sections (0:25-:040, 2:06-2:18, 2:26-2:40). For a piece that highlights the piano, some more attention could have been paid to that area. The piano chord at 1:32 followed by the kick and snare shot is a favorite part of mine and introduces a really fun section. You know, I’m going to give Adam the benefit of the doubt and say that the strange resolution of the harp’s melodic line at 1:38 is intentional. After listening a couple of times it’s quite interesting and I’ve never felt that it was bad, just different considering the other pretty straightforward melodies. Pretty cool expansion on the original with loads of additional emotion and intrigue. I haven’t heard the original version but I think it would have been a mistake to drop the drums. Without them, a lot of the mood in this remix would mirror the original. The rhythm does stay pretty constant as Jesse mentioned but with this short mix I don’t think that it’s too much of a problem. FF6 has produced some of my favorite OCR mixes and I think that this would be a great addition to the FF6 heap-o-remixes. Nice work Adam. YES

Yeah, the Shatterhand soundtrack is one of my top 10 favorite NES soundtracks. I’m surprised OCR hasn’t seen more remixes from it. I certainly think that the intro could have been handled better. I like the intro as a separate entity but slow-to-fast works best when there’s some connection between the parts and I’m not feeling that here. Anyway, once things get going the rhythm and the lead guitars are solid with loads of punch. The solo at 2:12 is very cool and makes me feel like loading my Shatterhand rom and punching the life out of everything on screen. Great job. The drum work is complex and avoids the rock cliché of the overused double bass or some monotonous eighth note kick-snare-kick-snare pattern. There’s a good mix of original material, rearranged and cover sections to keep things moving along and I have very few problems in the arrangement department. Of course it’s not the most expansive take on the theme but there is a lot of creativity and skill packed into a relatively short mix. Nice work from all those involved. YES

You've gotta be more specific there Larry. Free the people? Fondle the people? What? Man this is the finger-snappin’ toe-tappin’ jam. Production of instruments and vocals is very clean and does a great job of capturing the genre. I especially like the backup vocal harmony which offsets the interesting and unique male lead. Arrangement is there in the form of cool lyrics (even though Makke’s never played the game before, he just likes the music) and great reinterpretation of the original instruments. Great stuff Marcus. YES

hot, hot, hot. It’s pretty difficult to do something interesting with :34 seconds of source material but what’s here is amazingly engaging and packed full of 4:20 of groove. I’ll echo Gray by saying that the synth processing is top frickin’ notch. Would have liked to go out on a more upbeat note but the intro makes up for it with its no non-nonsense thrust into action. The solo synth guitar section from :44 and it’s integration with the rest of the elements is very slick. Great stuff all around. done and done… YES

The key for me is that the sections that are close to covers are just that: sections. My vote would be an easy NO if house had tried to pass an extended version of material like the first 1:33, but what we have here is far more expansive. The other material in this six minute mix shows good amounts of creative expansion on the theme and is well executed (1:34-2:50, 4:50-5:15). The reinterpretation, although conservative, primarily comes in the form of creative supporting instrumentation as Larry mentioned, and tons of dynamics created in part by the wonderful transitions (3:40, 4:28,…) that just aren’t there in the originals. What's here is enough to make it in my book. plus I like the rain intro/outro. YES

Man I am so close to a YES on this. Samples weren’t great but were used well. The radio tuner intro/outro are slick and the percussion is tight. Great overall feel however I have to stick to my guns about using your time wisely in short mixes and not pass this. As has been said, the cool percussion doesn’t vary and the arrangement is somewhat conservative. Sparse sections like 1:00-1:24 are nice but more needs to be done with them in order to give this mix more impact. Really nice work that I’d love to see resubmitted, chocked full of 3:13 of even more interpretation and creativity. NO Please Resubmit

Yeah, there are some production problems here that need to be resolved. The levels on everything are super quiet. The guitar would fit in a lot better if there was a really fat bass behind it. As it is, the live bass gets swallowed by the guitar distortion and only makes an appearance when the bass player hits a string too hard. I would make the bass more present and compress it so that the performance is more consistent. The drums need some punch as well. Low EQ on the kick and some highs on the snare would be nice (not to mention a little more creative drum sequencing). Not much more to say. Good guitar work. Keep working at it. NO

I think you need to work on making every second interesting. There are entire minutes of this piece that are either repeats of other sections or are simply not engaging (0:00-1:10, 2:23-3:19). Make sure you pay just as much attention to the melodic elements as the percussive elements. There are a few parts where the melody is quiet and dead center while the drums are panned and flying all over the place. Pretty groovy stuff here but take some of the advice given above and in the WIP and Remixing forums and beef up your style. Then come on back with another submission NO

I am enjoying the pervasive phatness of all of the sounds here. I’m surprised that things aren’t muddy with so many low elements in the mix. That being said, some highs added to the some of the percussion or leads synths wouldn’t hurt. Overall a good clean sound. I really want to disagree with Larry because this is a fun a groovy track but what’s already been said is dead on. The synths are repetitive and bland and the overall track dynamics aren’t exciting until 2:03. I enjoy and even prefer short tracks as long as the time is used well. Here unfortunately there are many places with only a kick and synth, or beat and bass, etc. The drums were pretty cool throughout though and I actually liked the drum solo-to-Ribbit ending. All-in-all, some spicier synth processing and a few more elements to jazz things up in the more sparse sections would do gobs of good. Enjoyable track though. NO.

This is pretty cool indeed. Nice groove, heavy percussion, clean synths and a smooth thick bass. The FX at 0:59-1:25 were nicely done as was the break beat stuff at 1:54. The cut at 1:25 was sloppy to me. The sound didn’t completely cut out and the break came at low momentum point in the song where it seemed kinda pointless. Listening to the source, this is a little too repetitive to pass as is. The original sections and some of the source sections were really nicely arranged but we get a few too many repeats of FX and supporting melodic elements as Gray mentioned. It’s a good length so I would only think about replacing some of the repeated sections with more of the creativity that fills the rest of the track NO. Please Resubmit

Can’t remember where I first heard this (WIP board maybe?) but yeah it took me a couple of listens to find the overworld reference too Larry. It comes in at around 2:02 and sounds kinda off to me. Interesting reference though. This mix is pretty repetitive owing much of that to the source but then again, only half of the already short source was used. I think Tab does a good job of arranging to keep the theme present and also keep things interesting, however two minutes less would have been great. I didn’t think that we needed the repeat of the intro at 3:33 but sections like 0:58-1:20 are interesting and serve to keep things moving (they also remind me of some of the really cool Nine Inch Nails stuff). Sample quality was ok. The synths were pretty default sounding but they weren’t bad. Some of those snare shots sound like they hit a little late which is somewhat irritating at times when the snare is the most present element. This is a tough one for me. The mix plods along bordering on too much repetition but it is still a cool mix with a good amount of creativity, and decent execution. Borderline YES

The intro had me a little worried. The claps and the strings just didn’t sit well with me but when that first PHAT warm bass note fills my headphones at :14, everything comes to life. This has a wonderful smooth latin jazz feel to it created by a triangle, congas, claves, and a guiro clicking away behind the simple but beautifully played classical guitar. The samples aren't amazing but they are all used quite effectively. This all fuses seamlessly with the synth elements. Props for 2:12-2:33 man and great use of the game samples at :56, :58… Rearrangement is right on. Not a significant departure from the vibe of the source but this is certainly nothing less than a show of even more of the chthonic creativity that brought us Fleeting Ecstasy. Very enjoyable. Is it this simple to make a cool mix or does chthonic just make it look like it is? YES

Hey, no bad-mouthing the Casio. With a little care and a lot of processing, I’ve used a few of the ‘cheap’ sounds from mine with some levels of success. As far as I know, FL 3 doesn’t come with a soundfont player but your Cakewalk program might be able to use them. Grab some cool samples or soundfonts and you won’t have to rely on the Casio’s built in sounds. On to the mix… Despite some problems, I thought the intro showed a lot of potential. Not a bad bass, but it’s sounds too much like noise until 0:20. The lead guitar at 0:21 is panned hard right which is pretty grating to listen to more than a few times. The guitars that are mid-right and mid-left feel much more balanced. By 1:08 repetition is setting in. We’ve gone for more than a minute with the same three or four minimally present elements repeating the theme. I like the distorted drums followed by the clean set that finally come in to mix things up, but they don’t mix things up enough. 1:18-2:07 is essentially the same intro section that we hear for the first minute, now with a simple beat. Again, watch the hard panning on the guitars in the mid section. The power chords at 2:46 fail to deliver the energy that you were after simply because they are played over the same background elements that have been repeating from the start of the mix. It’s ok to build a song using the addition and subtraction of repeated elements, but you can’t be lazy about it. There aren’t enough changes of anything to keep me excited about this mix. The arrangement in general could use some work. This mix has the same key/tempo/genre/structure as the original with very few personal touches added beyond the guitar work. I hear whispers of creativity every now and then, such as the layered drums at 3:16, but not nearly enough. Are the same melodic lines and harmonies often repeated? Is the percussion engaging? Does this mix sound a lot like the source? Honestly answer questions like these about your songs and you’ll turn out much better remixes. Keep working at it Philip. NO