Liontamer

Original Decision Resubmission. I switched out the piano for added depth and warmth. Tweaked the reverb. Added a little warmth and reduced some of the brightness from the highs. I asked Chimpazilla for clarification on something she had said in the previous decision and she ended up helping me and asked to let her do a master. Games & Sources: Final Fantasy 6 - Forever Rachel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWfdEj9jHDM (main source) Final Fantasy 7 - Tifa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO_ftxA28Y8 (main source) Final Fantasy 7 - Mako Reactor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZH6coTxDTo (cameo of the intro only) Final Fantasy 6 - Terra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObccgHQdos0 (cameo of the melody)

IMO, you made the case on why this doesn't pass. Strong bell intro, which makes you think the production will be better than it ultimately turns out to be. Drums at :18 and :36 are still bland, mainly because of the snare line at the core of it, even though there's good cymbal activity. The bassline writing until :54 doesn't work in some places (e.g. :32-:36), but it's quiet enough where it's not a huge deal. Yikes at how empty this sounded from :54-1:13. The padding dropping out by 1:00 and exposing the dryness of the clap groove was needlessly sloppy. I get that it's a point of dynamic contrast; I believe another subtle part/pad could help that not feel like such a noticeable quality disparity. Better fade-in padding transition into the next section at 1:14, but the way these sections change up feels too disjointed to me. Vox sounded pretty fakey, but it's wet enough to not be a huge sticking point and gets the job done. Overall nice stuff though leading into the big bells returning at 1:53, which was a fuller presentation. The belltone-like lead at 2:11 had a nice sound, yet its timing is slightly but noticeably off, so it doesn't quite flow. There's the bassline back again noodling around and quietly sounding off on occassion until 2:29, and the snares until 2:39 were plain and plodding again. The arrangement is creative and the second half's execution is better in terms of overall fullness, Troy, and this may pass as is, but there were still lots of smaller textural details and awkward transitions that added up to prevent this from feeling cohesive enough, IMO, even though this is well in the right direction and a meaningfully marked improvement. NO (resubmit)

Just adding a YouTube for reference

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Nothing wrong with Hemo's crits and it would be beneficial to keep them in mind. My only thing was that the last note should have been a C and how it ends now feels like you didn't get that last resolving note, but the ending itself is better. Definitely a meaningful improvement where there's less cramping and conflict between the parts. IMO, it's ready now, but I'm only one judge.

Your ReMixer name: ThePlasmas Your real name: Mauricio Castro Your email address: Your website(s): https://linktr.ee/theplasmasvgm Your userid: 30081 Name of game(s) arranged: DooM 64 Name of arrangement: Condenado A Las Penas del Infierno Name of individual song(s) arranged: Main Theme (Intro Theme) Additional information about the game: Composer: Aubrey Hodges, N64. Link to the original soundtrack: https://aubreyhodges.bandcamp.com/album/doom-64-official-soundtrack Your own comments about the mix: Doom turned 30 years old, so this is a tribute to one of my all time favorite video games. I enjoyed it a lot on my N64, and this song always made me feel goosebumps as a child. This version was recorded to participate in the "Summer of 64" event produced by GameGrooves, available here: https://theplasmasvgm.bandcamp.com/album/64-ways-to-die

Contact Information: Your ReMixer name: Bryan EL Your real name: Bryan EL Your email address: Your website(s): www.bryanel.com Your userid: 34748 Submission Information: Link to remix: Name of game arranged: Eternal Champions Name of arrangement: Seraphic Legacy Name of song arranged: Tournament Results Original composer: Joe Delia, John Hart, Jeff Marsh, Adrian van Velssen, Andy Armer Link to the original soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHzy24vjWAQ comments: I recently discovered this game has an amazing soundtrack and thought it was worthy of an orchestral adaptation. VST's used: Metropolis ARK, Albion One, 8dio Jenifer, Lacrimosa, Heavyocity Damage, The New AGE 2, Etherealwinds Harp 2, Rickenbacker Bass, Vengeance Avenger.

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Opens up feeling like it's going to be a close cover version, just in a different genre, a kind of spacesynth style, so it's not the most promising intro from a Standards perspective, but we'll see where it goes. A countermelody joins in at :43 for a few seconds, and the soundscape seems muddy. Not sure why the mixing's so abrasive starting at 1:05 with this overly loud lead, but it's not pleasent to listen to for sure. There's an unsettling warble to this that's a nice technique in a vacuum, but quickly feels tired and stale by the time we get to the textural change at 1:57. Even though it's melodically note for note with the original, the presentation does stand apart from the original though. 3:05 gets more active with chiptune-style original writing accompanying the source arrangement, so that's notable. More additive writing seems to be here, though the mixing remains abrasive (e.g. the lead at 4:36, 4:46, 5:17, the textures from 4:56-6:09). Going more liberal and "inspired by" for the second half doesn't bother me whatsoever due to the first half invoking the source tune. To me, this is just a rejection on the mixing, George, not the arrangement. If you can rein in this mixing, I'm on board, but right now, it's too abrasive. NO (resubmit)

Opens up with some cool sound design. Melody kicks in at :23 and it's ultra-muddy. There's also a distorted line that comes in around :23 that's also abrasive. At :47, the bassline's handling the source tune's melody, but it's very quiet and just too understated. At 1:12, it's louder and accompanied by the tremolo strings, so it's more audible, which was better. There's some pizz strings at 1:47, but the rumbling of the bass buries it. At 1:59, the lead is playing the part from the bowed strings at 1:13 of the source, but the way it's mixed, it's more of a low rumble, so it's another melodic part where it's more abstract than it should be due to the mixing. Nice bowed strings at 2:24 though, and I hadn't commented before but the vox accents were also solid. Strings at 2:47 were slightly behind the beat, but seemed like a stylistic thing. This arrangement concept sounds awesome, it's just the mixing holding it back, IMO. There's no sharpness here Transition at 3:11 seemed like there was gonna be a big boom or something to mark the change, but then that didn't happen. Sounds like the highs were cut out of this, then something got scooped out briefly around 3:35 for an odd effect. I'm not gonna play-by-play anything else, but I disagree with prophetik's POV that it's too repetitive. The way this is mixed makes the length fatiguing, but it's not on account of the writing, IMO, and the track continued to vary up the textures for the second half. I'm OK with the way things and mixed and matched, it's enough variation and the presentation also stands apart very distinctly from the source tune. Yeah, the arrangement itself is amazingly transformative and high octane, and I completely understand why it was used at MechCon. Yet, at least for me, this mixing is the dealbreaker here, and perhaps that's something where on headphones the issues are easier to isolate than in a booth or over a speaker system. Hopefully another pass at it could get this sounding sharper and clearer, Animattronic, because it's a shame to say no to this when the writing and sound design are strong. What could have happened on the mixing side to undermine this so much? If the source files are gone or there's no way to revisit this, that would be a shame. If this track isn't approved in some form, please submit something else. I appreciate your style and like what I heard, it just needs some TLC on the production side. NO (resubmit)

The source tune isn't much -- it's a minimalistic 35-second loop -- but for OCR standards, you've gotta have something more substantive and varied with the arrangement going on. The "San Jacinto" influence was a genuinely cool idea that worked here; I'd keep in mind that "San Jacinto" has several textural twists and turns even as that pattern remains in play. Beyond the beep-boopy "San Jacinto"-style countermelody, which was a good addition, as well as some organ with a bit of a low rumble that would, this was just as repetitive as the source tune. We need something that develops and evolves as a standalone piece of music. I'm not saying prophetik's wrong about the off-notes he felt he heard (he's right), but they were quiet enough that they didn't bother me. They should still be addressed, but it wasn't a big deal. If you have any other ideas to vary and evolve the presentation, Janet, e.g. more substantive textural changes, additive writing, changing leads or other instrumentation, then take another crack at it. NO

Definitely in MW's camp, i.e. I understand the mixing criticisms, but they're not a dealbreaker by any stretch. A winner! YES

At :27, with the lead notes taking up more space, it helps mitigate the realism issues of the left-hand chords. Literally said "ugh" at the awkward decay/stop at :46, which felt sloppy. The performance sounds emotive enough to get by, and the arrangement's totally solid, so no worries there, but the tone & performance still sound stilted on account of the sampled piano, so the arrangement's potential isn't fully realized. I've not heard a piano piece from Torby yet that sounds like a realistic piano. Are there any technical tweaks that could humanize this beyond a pricier keyboard? The sample's too exposed and, for a stickler like me, it makes the listen more about what's lacking on the production side than what's working on the arrangement side. Make no mistake though, the production squeaks by for me, with the arrangement carrying it. YES

Nice opening and close with the "Danger" voice. Sound design was underwhelming, for example the opening synths at :05, the leads at :58, 1:05, 2:31, the beats feeling metronome-like at :52, 1:16, 1:28. Lots of portions (e.g. :58-1:22, 1:28-1:39, 2:31-2:54) felt too stilted. The arrangement's no problem at all, Peter, yet the sound design and sequencing is undermining the energy, IMO. Would love to hear another pass at adding personality and fluidity here. NO (resubmit)

Yep, I get where proph's coming from on the intro seeming disconnected, the overall conservative approach, and the fact that it's a pass regardless. This felt to me like the kind of melodically conservative but substantively transformative arrangements that I've heard at Remix.Kwed.Org in the European side of the scene. More measured than what I'm used to from Peter; interesting to hear a markedly different approach in his instrumentation and style. YES

Artist: Jett Swole This was originally intended to be a Dwelling of Duels entry for December 2023, but due to some misunderstandings I had about the theme of "32-bit era", I ended up jumping the gun in making it over the span of a couple days, and it turned out to be ineligible, so I just kind of released it on my own terms. I'd been replaying some of the Mega Man Zero games on the recent Zero/ZX Collection, and while the series had some iffy design choices in places, Z3 still stuck out to me as the peak of the Zero series. And so after that and hearing about the DoD theme, I thought I'd start working on an idea I'd had brewing for a while for a medley of Cannon Ball from MMZ3 and X vs Zero from MMX5. They seemed like a good fit together given the similar vibe, tempo, and overarching plot relevance to each other. The short bits of Neo Arcadia from MMZ1 and the opening of MMX5 (technically derivative of the "Weapon GET" song from Mega Man 3) are mostly just there in a cameo capacity to be honest, but I thought they were fitting all the same. Given the popularity of Zero as a character and how many songs revolving around him are outright bangers, I'd be surprised if a similar idea hadn't been done before. Hell, this is actually the third arrangement I've done that's centered around Zero and his overall character arc. I dunno, he's just kind of iconic like that, I guess. But I wanted to try taking another crack at it regardless, so that's that. This was also my first time attempting a synth-heavy rock arrangement that involved playing every synth part live alongside the usual guitar and bass, right down to the fine details like the orchestra hits. The only thing that was sequenced by mouse was the drums. Whether it turns out to be up to OCR standards or not, I had a lot of fun with this one and got some good practice in at the keyboard, so I thought I'd try my hand at submitting it anyway. Mega Man Zero 3 - Cannon Ball (Composed by Ippo Yamada) Mega Man Zero - Neo Arcadia (Composed by Ippo Yamada) Mega Man X5 - Opening (Composed by Naoto Tanaka, Naoya Kamisaka, Takuya Miyawaki) Mega Man X5 - X vs Zero (Composed by Naoto Tanaka, Naoya Kamisaka, Takuya Miyawaki)

Opens up with good proggy, synthy energy. This synth line was shrill at times, but no huge deal. The style and textures of the arrangement move around a lot, but it flows well from segment to segment and has fun dynamics. The guitars during 1:21-1:33 were mudding things up a lot, and you notice a lot more clarity after 1:33. Ha, very creative rhythmic change at 2:32; definitely haven't heard the theme approached like this before. 2:54-3:17 was mixed too hot, and I felt like the texture got muddy and cluttered again, as well as having some piericing higher frequencies, but we'll live. Two segments of iffy mixing can't stop this tour de force. Wonderful treatment of the theme, boys! YES

Dig the first few seconds, but at :07 the melody came in and the texture was very simplistic and basic; just the lead, the supporting countermelody, and some light kicks. It'll sound like it's meant to be a burn; with a handle like "Synthmage", I was expecting more creativity and risk with the sound design, you know, some wizardry. Wasn't getting anything major in the way of transformation of this theme, as the overall tone of the melody is so similar, just some different (and much emptier) support. 1:13 was a rinse and repeat of :07, so no further development or variations of the arrangement. You'll need to further personalize and develop your arrangements to have a decent chance at meeting the bar set here at OCR. In the second (non-quoted) paragraph of this ReMix's writeup, check out that mix and all of the linked examples of other melodically conservative OC ReMixes that nonetheless stand apart enough from the original songs. NO (resubmit)