ella guro

Could I change my name here to "ella guro" (no quotes, as written)? I sent a pm about it awhile ago but I missed this thread.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) (even though I've heard like half of these before)

You didn't die! That was impressive. Though I would've liked to see a full run of the game without warps. I vote for Ducktales too.

I feel like we've done this thread so many times now. I guess everyone loves to talk about themselves I found OCR through John Romero's website back in 2002 (and I joined then around june under a different account than this one). At the time I was annoyed about there being another game midi site, but then I came here and when I saw what this site actually is about I was like "OMG".

hey Iggy! It's nice to see that you're still around! Your playing has some nice touches but it still ended up feeling pretty mechanical in that first section. I think you could make it more expressive without changing the simple feel of the arrangement. A new piano sample might help also - this one has kind of a claustrophobic electronic piano sound which makes things come off as more robotic. The same goes for the second section. There are some nice parts, but you still need to be more expressive, and you do need a new piano sample with some reverb if you want to bring some space into it. Right now the arrangement sounds too reigned in, it should feel looser if you really want to bring out the emotions in the piece. Keep at it, Iggy!

Happy birfday eddie! You ruuuuuuuuuule

Nario, you're my new hero.

I'm 22 and my hearing stops at 18. I guess that's all the loud music I listen to on headphones taking its toll.

Yeah, you're right that they aren't that obscure (though I think they were a lot more obscure at the time). I think I was overstating because I feel like there was a lot of good music, but that the decade is defined by cheese now in most people's minds and so many people seem to go for that. With those recommendations I was just thinking people were probably looking more towards stuff that could be easily associated with the 80's. Like people my age who make "80's mixes" usually want stuff that was a hit back then, like "Tainted Love" or something. But I do really like all those songs/artists that I mentioned, they were definitely genuine recommendations. You're right, though. I'll go ahead and recommend some stuff that I mentioned before now: Mission of Burma - Academy Fight Song The Minutemen - Little Man With a Gun in His Hand http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVwJAvDLMWs The Raincoats - Shouting Out Loud Meat Puppets - Plateau The Replacements - Bastards of Young Dinosaur Jr. - Little Fury Things Scratch Acid - Cannibal The Birthday Party - Release The Bats http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5R8pECW3UHs This Heat - SPQR http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mmxo3QgC88 The Fall - The Classical http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umKEj_fFNBw The Clean - Getting Older The Swell Maps - Midget Submarines The Cocteau Twins - Lorelei (a more "80's" one I forgot) Camper Van Beethoven - She Divines Water http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o7u1cpNvwc The Pogues - Fairytale of New York (best christmas song ever) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtXv9U-2ZHU alright, you get the idea. I doubt anyone will look at these, but at least I'm making good on my tastes now.

Though a lot of my favorite bands and albums came from the 80's (Mission of Burma, The Minutemen, Husker Du, The Raincoats, Jesus and Mary Chain, The Clean, This Heat), they're all stuff that came from the underground and isn't really associated with the 80's. I don't have the 80's nostalgia everyone else seems to (that's probably because I was born in 87, though I know plenty of people my age who seem to have some sort of weird fabricated 80's nostalgia anyway). I dislike a lot of the kinds of production that became more prevalent in music in the 80's (though some used it well), and the fashion styles I find awful, and so much other stuff that I don't even want to get into because I don't want to be a downer on everyone's love of everything 80's. But whatever. Here's some more stereotypically "80's" sounding songs that I like a lot: Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuLlwUaEyr0 The Smiths - How Soon is Now? The Smiths - There Is a Light That Never Goes Out New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2Ii0K77K1k The Cure - Pictures of You Devo - Gates of Steel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRa0lfsdubg The Go-Betweens - Streets of Your Town XTC - King For a Day Wall of Voodoo - Lost Weekend (their hit is "mexican radio" but I like this one better):

I like this idea, though worried about the workload you guys might have to take on eventually. I also feel like there are maybe one or two areas in the process where things could become more complicated and confusing. Like people wanting to mod review their mix several times, or people who make changes to something while it's in mod review. I'm just worried about people who might otherwise take more time with a mix trying to rush their mix to mod review so they can get the semi-official feedback. It might also be good for moderators to emphasize that this is not the judges panel by not using "YES" and "NO" kind of stuff. That would also put less of a barrier between the mods and the people who aren't mods who want to give criticism (because I'm worried about people listening to the non-mods's advice less). We'll see how this all works out, and I'm glad that something like this was implemented anyway.

It's nice to hear from you, K. I always really loved how you were never afraid to let a full-on noise assault with the guitar. The Combatribes one is one of my favorite mixes on this site. It's good to know you're still around doing something artistic.

I didn't comment on this one earlier cause I don't know the original. I'll give a comment anyway. The arrangement you have sounds pretty nice. I can't compare to the original, but it does seem like you're trying a lot of different things in the mix, so good job there. But you really need some new sounds. The percussion is fine, but needs to be brought up (and is it a loop? you definitely need to do more if it is). Some sounds, like the piano or the flute are fine, they just probably need some more processing and a little bit more dynamic range. The background synths are quite bland, they definitely could use a lot more modulation. The way you're using that distorted harpschordy sounding one isn't really working - because it's kind of a background textural synth, but you're using it as a lead and it sounds strange and kind of bleeds over into other things. I don't really like the guitar at all, I'd go for a different sample there. The biggest thing is that your arrangement kind of stays at one volume level the whole time. With all this stuff going on, you want things to be more dynamic, which means you need to do a lot more work with volume automation to so that you can build some tension. I think better choices for some of the instruments and some processing would help. Like I said...I don't know the original, but it sounds like what you have is a pretty nice arrangement. There are definitely many cool things going on here. Work on trying to get it stand out more dynamically so it really feels as epic as it should be. Some different instrument choices/more processing and modulation/a lot of work with dynamics/some mixing and EQ work will all really help that. Keep at it!

melody! Why has no one commented? Are you scaring people away with hip tanaka? That filtering effect was really well executed! Great work there. I'm not sure how I feel about the sounds. I mean, they do work well for the cheesy 80's lounge sort of thing you're going for. It just feels like there's a layer missing or something. Maybe there just needs to be more processing going on, or like some background pads to supply a little more texture? It's just a bit thin right now. Maybe that's just what you're going for. I can't really comment on how it compares to the original because I'm going to be lazy and not listen to it. But you have a good start here - the filtering stuff was particularly great. This is nice if you choose not to work on it more, but it's definitely worth expanding on if you feel like it.

These are both noce stuff! It's also nice to see a Tecmo Bowl remix (and a hillbilly one too!). I loved both that game and Tecmo Super Bowl. Thanks for sharing!

Your percussion could use a lot of work. The patterns are pretty simple and it's very mechanical right now. Some processing/layering different patterns might help along with editing the velocities. All the sounds from the original are a nice touch, though. I don't know if you were just going for a simple expansion of the original, but the arrangement is not very adventurous at all. Almost all of the stuff going on seems to directly reference the original both in terms of sound and in terms of melody - there's very little development on either of those fronts. If you do want to submit it to OCR eventually you will need to do a lot more work with both the arrangement and your sounds to distinguish it from the original.

Not much to say here. It's a nice little pseudo-original. It probably could have gone a little further, but at the same time I like that you maintain that slightly offbeat groove with the drums and those delayed synths through the whole song. Thanks for sharing!

Everyone's loving this track lately. I like how you did something different with the original right from the start, but some of your sounds could use work. The lower distorted synth is pretty good as are the background pads, but the sharp trebly synth you have really doesn't seem to work that well. It kinda sticks out like sore thumb. Also the percussion - I like how you're trying different patterns, it's pretty mechanical right now, especially that constantly repeating hi-hat pattern (which gets a little annoying after awhile). I really like the background of swirling ambiance you have here. There's some subtlety that a lot of people have trouble grasping how to do right or they just don't try at all. You lost me at around 1:23. I like that you were trying to change up the arrangement, but the way you're interpreting the source there doesn't really work for me - the sounds are too goofy and glitchy, given the more serious tone of the rest of the mix. You also simplified that part of the melody from the original quite a bit, and it could have used a lot more development to make it sound as epic as it's supposed to sound. I would just rewrite that whole section completely, to be honest...nothing about it really sat well, given the rest of the piece. In general, you have these nice pads and this nice atmosphere...but then your lead synths stick out completely. It sounds like they're from a different song entirely. I would really work on finding sounds that mix in better with the ambiance you established. The last thing is that the whole mix is rather quiet, and while that doesn't bug me as much it is something that tends to be expected of people on OCR. Have confidence, though! I'm glad you posted this because there is definitely potential here.

Lemmings! It's one of my favorite game soundtracks. This doesn't sound too bad at all for a first mix. You have some nice synth work going on, even if it's a little plain. The first thing I'd concentrate on is working with the individual sounds a little more. The synths right now are a little bit bland, it would be nice if you made them a little more distinctive from each other - filtering, chorus, flange, that kind of stuff can make a big difference. Also they are a bit muddy - some EQing work would help separate the sounds a little bit. I honestly don't think the guitar sound is too bad, but you might want to consider using a different, distorted synth sound in place of it if it bugs you too much. Around 1:29 I think you got a note or two wrong from the original, but it's been awhile since I've heard it, so I'm not positive of that. That vibe sound is really plain and exposed - I really would try a different sound there, or at least some more processing on it to make it more interesting. I didn't think the guitar solo was too bad. Protricity and other people have done great stuff with fake guitar - and while it doesn't sound necessarily realistic it can still sound really cool. So, from the technical end, some more processing and EQing would really help things. On the arrangement end, I like that guitar solo a lot, but there isn't a whole lot interesting happening outside of that. If you want to sub it to OCR you need to develop a bit more on the original. Some people may disagree with me here but I don't like to think of what I'm doing as just "a trance mix" or "a (whatever genre) mix". Try to avoid being generic and doing things in a predictable way, if you can. Take what you like about the original and think about how to shape it into a piece that has its own character, if that makes sense. I also think you could do a bit more with the percussion - some layering of different drum samples/patterns would really help things, even if you don't have a super complex part. This is pretty solid work, especially for a first mix. Keep at it!

happy birteasterday, jay!

Oh definitely, that's a big reason why I started too. I wasn't trying to say that it was bad - maybe it didn't come out right in my post. I guess I just think you have to enjoy what you're doing for what it is as much as possible. I feel like my tendency is to get too worried about getting other people's approval. I sense that there are a lot of other people out there the same as me. I guess it's not a bad motivation as long as you're realistic about it and try not to let it affect the music you're making. Or at least that's something that I've tried really hard to do.

IMO, getting posted on OCR means that you've made a piece of music that passes the standards of this website. It's certainly exciting, especially for someone who's new to writing music/remixes/etc, but I don't really think you need to read into it anymore than that. I don't think I really understand how you're distinguishing flukes and "the real deal". As far as scoring games goes... I feel like there might be some misconceptions about it. I could be wrong here but my impression is that the people around here who have gotten work on soundtracks have been able to from their work on other soundtracks - as in, they started trying to find any small soundtrack work they could, and kept doing more work on soundtracks until they got more high profile jobs. OCR was no doubt critical in developing their skills as an artist, but I think their work on other soundtracks had a lot more of an immediate bearing to getting more work than their mixes on OCR. I could be wrong about this, again, this is just my impression. But the point is, don't expect someone to contact you to score their game because you have a bunch of mixes on OCR. If that's something you want to do, you need to put in hard work to get it, with a lot of luck as well. There are a lot of people who just do game mixes as a side hobby. Maybe they're already established and skillful musicians in other areas but only have time to do one or two remixes. The amount of mixes a person has doesn't necessarily have a bearing on their skill. And on the flip side - just because a person has continued to consistently make music for years, it doesn't mean that their newer music is better than their older music, or even that they've over that time (though you'd hope they would). Be excited about the music you're making and think about that. Think less about your status or level of respectability in other people's eyes. That's not really something you can control. I say this because I've made this mistake many times before, and I don't want you to get frustrated when things don't end up coming as easy as you hoped they would.

Unbelievable! I can't believe all of you guys are just going along with this! This is fucking ridiculous. Hardly, Adolf. Don't put this on me! You and everyone else here are the ones who need to look inward, if your insides haven't already rotted completely. If I could, I'd donate negative money to this stupid site.

So this is what it has become. This is what we've come to. I can't say that I didn't expect it, or think it inevitable. The years I've worked so hard on music, trying to improve my skills, trying to do something creative and original...has all of that been in vain? Is this what music is now? Just a grocery list of vaguely defined generic musical elements pasted together in different configurations? I always knew OCR was moving in this direction, but I never thought it would be this crass or obvious. It just shows how far people have become jaded and desensitized. We've become mindless consumers. We've forgotten what really matters. We're so far from what brought us here, we might as well trash the whole thing and start over. I, for one, am not gonna stand for this. And I can't stand by while the rest of you drink the kool-aid of this horrendous invention. You people are fucking DRONES. And I'm a human being, goddammit. My life has value. I WILL NOT stand for this. I'm seriously considering quitting the community, because it seems at this point that there's no way it will turn around. This is pure garabage, and that's my opinion.

When I first started remixing, I thought there was just no hope for me to get something that sounded as good as anything I'd heard on OCR. I thought it was impossible. I played cello in orchestra, so I was familiar with how to read music and play an instrument, but I had no real experience composing anything beyond a few midis here or there. I didn't have any idea how you were "supposed to" make music. I really thought there was no hope because I didn't know any theory or anything, but I decided to find a free program and learn how to use it anyway. I was lucky - within about 5 months of starting out, my first mix (the second remix I did) was on OCR. After that point, as I begun to learn more, things about the process started to demystify a bit. I had a real desire to be respected and recognized at the time. But the further I went along, the more I realized that doing what I wanted to do made many people dislike my music because it was too weird or experimental. And I couldn't really deal with that at the time. It and a bunch of other things lead me to leaving the site for awhile, but that's a whole different story. I know people talk about how high the standards are these days, so it's more of a bigger deal to get a mix through. The standards certainly higher than they were in the past, sure, but there is still a lot of stuff that gets on OCR that has a whole lot of room for improvement. The point being, you don't have to make something perfect, or feel that you're making the piece of music exactly for OCR to have to hold up to its standards. And I think some people have a big misconception here. I'm uncomfortable by people who make it their only goal to just get a mix posted on OCR. I mean, it's a good initial goal to have. Being on OCR is a big deal when you're starting out, after all. But then once you are, and your name is on the front page, and the excitement dies down...it's sort of a "now what?". What's next? For me, I need to have a feeling like I've really done something that I could be proud of. I'd be much more proud of a mix that I felt I took a real chance on that didn't make it onto OCR than one that I felt was much more safe that was posted. I don't want to hear music that sounds like "safe music", I want to hear music that sounds inspired and full of energy and ideas. I have a desire to explore different things, that's why I make music. I make music that I'd want to listen to, but I do make it for other people in the sense that I very much want to share it with other people. The kind of music I have made has been very intuitive and not particularly a result of studying things carefully but just trying out a bunch of random ideas wildly matched with extreme trial and error. It works for me, it definitely won't work for some people - everybody has their own process. But the point is that I never learned how I was "supposed to" do things. I still don't know how I'm "supposed to" do things. I've found out that I like it that way. The less I worry about what I "should" be doing in my music or what other people are expecting out of my music and the more I think about just having fun and trying different things out, the happier I am. So the desire to keep going despite lack of knowledge or skills and whatever has always been the most important part for me. I think it's important to think about what drives your need to do music, and work towards that as much as possible. Hard work is very important, but that comes out is an extension of your desire. But worries like your talent level or age or lack of equipment - don't even worry about that kind of stuff. Trust me - I was a young remixer and I got a little caught up in thinking in my own head sometimes about I was the best blah blah blah. And it didn't help me in any way, musically or otherwise, to think about that stuff. I had to make sure to keep reminding myself that this is an amateur community and I was doing the music for fun. So just do what you want to do and do the best you can do. You may or may not get onto OCR, but you will get better at music, and you will have fun doing it, I promise.