Liontamer

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Wow, that FL Slayer guitar sample ain't getting it done. The beats at :20 were thin, plainly-written, and droning, and the lead synth was super vanilla. Basically, all of the sound design was weak. At 1:38, the arrangement sounded like a cut-and-paste of :20's section. There was no synnergy or cohesiveness as far as these sound working together. To the extent that I was digging your Kingdom Hearts "Dearly Beloved" arrangement, I thought this was poor all-around and didn't have enough effort put into creative sound choices or a developed arrangement. Maybe this genre is outside of your wheelhouse, but there's just 0 polish or sophistication to the execution here. Sorry I don't have any praise for it, but I know you're capable of much more than this, Joey. NO

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

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Cool to hear this theme done in a such a bouncy style. Good use of the CV 2 GB and NES themes as the introductions to the Dracula X version of "Beginning." The textures were a bit busy for me personally, but the mixing was solid and the elements all sounded sharp. Won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I drink transformative tea. YES

Nice soundscape to open things up; a touch muddy, but purposeful. Some of the instrumentation tilted towards the generic side, but the overall treatment and production of these sounds was solid. Smaller detail, but it's nice to hear breakbeats with a different style of drum samples (first used at :35 with filtering that gradually dropped by :53). I liked how, even softly, there was almost always a line playing both the source melody and countermelody; the instrumentation and textures evolved constantly here, so there was never a dull moment. Very creative arranging, Daniel, and way to get a good deal of creative mileage with such a limited source! Welcome aboard! YES

Just noting that I've only heard the revised version. I was worried about the opening being so similar in instrumentation and tone to the original song, but it differentiates itself a lot once things kick in, as the others said. Loved the section using the more chippy elements the most, first isolated at 2:16. Later, at 3:16, I thought the opportunity was there for a more pronounced dynamic shift for the finish, but the wind-down at 3:44 worked nicely to mirror the close with the opening. Nice work, Brett! Short and sweet, count it. YES

Surprising arrangement approach, but I've been on the panel long enough to know that textural reduction is considered a very valid one. The interpretive aspect isn't lost at all either, which was just as important. Good use of the bubbling SFX, which fit very nicely in the soundscape both in the introduction and close, so I completely disagreed with Gario there; don't really care if it fits a beach vibe just because the word "surf" is in the submission letter. The subtle ramp-up at 2:12 and turn at 2:42 toward a different guitar rhythm and additional line in the background was well overdue, so I'm glad it all finally arrived; I would have felt compelled to reject this for a lack of development if the piece had hovered at the initial energy level and instrument set with a flat dynamic curve for 5 minutes. Everything after 2:42 continued to work well, including the dropoff back to the initial energy level at 3:41 but joined by the bubbling SFX and a more active lead. I could have gone for even more twists in this arrangement, but what's here works for the standards. Good job, Von! YES

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

A fair amount of the synth design was generic, especially the vanilla saw leads. There's something about the beats being plodding. The core beats (bass & kicks) behind the :52-1:02, 1:23-2:04, 2:15-2:24, 2:36-2:56 & 3:07-3:27 sections were too plain and ultimately plodding, IMO, and it's like this for too much of the track. The plain writing of the beats was OK from :10-:40 when you opened the piece up with an understated build, but something more creative and varied should have anchored the piece later on. Smaller thing, but the articulations of the sampled plucked strings from 1:54-2:06 just sound too mechanical; thankfully, they didn't last too long. I know they're not meant to sound 100% organic, but the robotic sequencing for a sound like that generally doesn't work. This is going well in the right direction arrangement-wise, and I agreed with Chimpazilla that the subtle differences in the repetition of the verse at 2:25 were a smart idea to keep the writing fresh. Good stuff so far, Erick, but the synth design and beat-writing both need to be more sophisticated. What's in place is creative, but sounds more like a late-stage work-in-progress than a cohesive, finished product. NO (resubmit)

Once you hear the original, you can see why anyone would want to arrange it. Huelsbeck crafted a beautiful ending theme that lends itself well to relaxing instrumentation like Andrew and Stevo employed for the first half. Ramping up the second half was a creative change of pace, even though the first half was so relaxing that I'd have had 0 problem with the entire track being paced that way. Source usage was nice and straightforward, and the arrangement was excellent. Stamp of rubber! YES

I see Gario's point about having issues with with the arrangement and how close it matches the original. Though the structure was the same, I thought this went in the right direction in personalizing the adaptation to rock; it doesn't pass on the level of interpretation in the arrangement for me either, but there are additive writing components and live performance flourishes that deserved credit. That said, I agreed with Gario on the lack of sophistication in the sequenced material. The lack of realism in the brass and bowed string sequencing, and the piano tone were pretty exposed weak points, and that pulled this down below the bar when considering that alongside the relatively close arrangement. If the sequenced/sampled instrumentation were better humanized and/or the arrangement did more to vary from the original source tune, I could pass this. Shinray's a great band, so if they're interested in further polishing this, we'd love to post it in some form. NO (resubmit)

The instrumental could have been less sparse and had more variation, but the arranged material here was developed enough and the vocals were the focus for the listener. I would have liked the instrumental to also be louder behind the lyrics; it can be heard enough to where it's not a dealbreaker issue as is, but the source feels deemphasized to some extent. Regardless of that, the overall execution worked well; this could have easily fallen flat if the vocals weren't properly produced and given some depth via delay or if the bass kick had no meat on it. Smart lyrics tied into mentions of games in the Kingdom Hearts series as well. Everything's clicking nicely, Joey. It's great to finally and officially welcome you aboard! YES

Yipes. I get that the opening keyboard/organ lead's supposed to sound odd, but it's so thin that the way the sound slurs just sounds beginner-ish. Despite the attempt being there to thicken up the textures and vary up the sounds, Chimpazilla mentioned how all of the sounds are vanilla with minimal or uncreative processing, and that's definitely what does this in. The sequencing's always pretty rigid, but it's hard to get more stilted and robotic-sounding than the lead from 1:04-1:26. The saw that came in for the final section 2:55-3:32 was atonal. There's no fullness to these sounds, and the instrumentation is so plain, thin, and mechanically-timed. I like the effort to make the arrangement creative, Martin, but production's nearly as important as arrangement here, and this is far from where it needs to be; there needs to be more sophistication to how these sounds are used. Try our Workshop forums to ask production questions and get further feedback on your tracks. NO

Why's the panning so wide? Everything's pushed far towards the right, which made 0 sense for how people hear music, especially on headphones. I enjoyed the arrangement, but like Gario said, the sequencing was very mechanical. At :46, I really liked the metallic clangs, but the piano handling the melody was pushed too far down in the soundscape; watch the balance/volume issues there. At least the plucked string lead at 1:06 was more upfront, but both that and the piano were very mechanical-sounding. At 1:48, there should have been even more pronounced dynamic contrast in the arrangement; the added bowed strings did provide that in a limited way, but because the tempo, rhythms, and overall energy level are so similar throughout the piece, it didn't feel like the piece evolved enough overall. Perhaps some other different instrumentation ideas could help as well to provide variety, Fuchs, but the main issues were the rigid timing/sequencing, the repetitive structure, and the panning being needlessly wide. Good arrangement concept, and I like your instrument choices, but you need more compositional dynamics and/or instrumentation variety, and this needs more particular attention on the sample articulations. Try our Workshop forums to ask production questions and get further feedback on your tracks. NO

Right from the get-go, the lack of humanization with the instruments is apparent, both the drums and the piano. What seemed like lead instruments at :26 were very drowned out, which was more obvious at :39 when the melody came in; right now, the guitar chugs are drowning out the leads. I did like the electric guitar handling melody at 1:01 sounding more upfront, but that doesn't account for the other instrumentation being very imbalanced. There was a dropoff from 1:24-1:50, but then the energy level and density at 1:50 felt practically the same as at :39; there's not enough dynamic contrast in the final minute with the opening minute. Also, the energy of the sequenced strings was very flat and undermined the emotion of the arrangement. Gario pretty much had it right with his call. It's all a matter of learning how to humanize your samples' articulations, so you should focus your learning on that and use places like our Workshop to ask production questions and get further feedback on your tracks. NO

DON"T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! (i.e. fixed and will be live the next time the site is synced with the database)

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OC ReMix presents Chronology: A Jazz Tribute to Chrono Trigger! August 22, 2016 Contact: press@ocremix.org FAIRFAX, VA... OverClocked ReMix today released its 60th arrangement album, Chronology: A Jazz Tribute to Chrono Trigger. Coinciding with today's 21st anniversary of Chrono Trigger in North America, the album pays tribute to Chrono Trigger, released by Square in 1995 for the SNES. Featuring eight vibrant arrangements from the OC Jazz Collective, Chronology is directed by OC ReMixer, multi-instrumentalist, and arranger Dylan "Wiesty" Wiest, and is available for free download at http://chronology.ocremix.org. Chronology includes a deep roster of jazz musicians honoring Yasunori Mitsuda and Nobuo Uematsu's timeless soundtrack in the Chrono series by arranging several themes for improvisational jazz. Chronology was made by fans, for fans, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Square Enix; all original compositions are copyright their respective owners. "I was able to assemble my own 'dream team' of musicians and arrangers on OC ReMix who all shared a passion for jazz and video game music. I felt Chrono Trigger would be an ideal candidate for our first release given [...] the fact that Mitsuda's music lends itself so well to jazz and improvisation," recalled director Dylan Wiest. Speaking to the format and end result of the album, Wiest explained, "Jazz is a social music best captured in the moment... and while the production process of this album was anything but 'in the moment,' I think the album's sound and cohesiveness will speak for itself." The album's cover artwork was designed by Andrew "OA" Luers, who also created the visuals for OC ReMix's Final Fantasy VI: Balance and Ruin album, which raised over $153,000 via Kickstarter in 2013. Supplementing Luers' cover artwork are nine visual art pieces from several artists depicting Chrono Trigger's various eras from Prehistory to the End of Time. "The musicians and artists on this album have put in countless hours of practice and recording to produce an album which I think sounds authentic and natural," observed Wiest, who steps forward with his first OC ReMix directorial effort by assembling and leading the OC Jazz Collective. Also featured alongside the OC Jazz Collective are the Triplepoint Trio of Doug Perry, Sam Suggs, and Jonny Allen, formed at the prestigious Yale School of Music. Weist added, "It has been an honour getting to know and work with these talented artists from different parts of the world. Each of them brings their own unique sound and nuances to the album and without each and every one of them this album would not have been possible. I hope that our devotion to detail will be apparent in the music and that you will enjoy Chronology: A Jazz Tribute to Chrono Trigger." Chronology marks OC ReMix's second Chrono Trigger album dedicated to a specific musical style, following 2006's Chrono Symphonic, which focused on symphonic and orchestral arrangements. The album is also OC ReMix's second dedicated to live instruments following Sebastian Freij's 2015 project, Seven Songs for Seventh Saga, featuring Freij arranging and performing music from Japanese RPG The 7th Saga for cello trio. About OverClocked ReMix Founded in 1999, OverClocked ReMix is an organization dedicated to the appreciation and promotion of video game music as an art form. Its primary focus is ocremix.org, a website featuring thousands of free fan arrangements, information on game music and composers, resources for aspiring artists, and a thriving community of video game music fans. ### Download Chronology: http://chronology.ocremix.org Torrent: http://bt.ocremix.org/torrents/Chronology_-_A_Jazz_Tribute_to_Chrono_Trigger.torrent Comments/Reviews: http://ocremix.org/community/topic/44200-/ Preview Chronology: http://youtu.be/3wiyaNlffwY

Preview Chronology: http://youtu.be/3wiyaNlffwY Download Chronology: http://chronology.ocremix.org Torrent: http://bt.ocremix.org/torrents/Chronology_-_A_Jazz_Tribute_to_Chrono_Trigger.torrent I first played Chrono Trigger when I was seven years old. It was my introduction to JRPGs, anime, and most importantly, video game music. I can vividly remember watching my brother play this game... or was it a movie? It certainly wasn't Super Mario Bros. or Donkey Kong Country. It had complex writing and intricate characters put into a vast and colourful world accompanied by music you might expect to hear in a film. As I learned to play the game, it consumed me. I would rent the game every weekend for what seemed like years. It didn't matter how many times I had completed it because I could restart and it would seem like a new adventure every time. Needless to say, I have a bit of an addictive personality. Over the years, I would go on to obtain many new obsessions and interests that would come and go. Chrono Trigger, however, did not. I am 25 now and, after nearly two decades of playing the game, I can honestly say that it still remains an important part of my life and that every time I play it, I look at it with the same wide eyes and enthusiasm as when I was seven. I explored Chrono Trigger through all of its facets whether it was trying to copy Akira Toriyama's art (and learning that I'm not very good at drawing), discussing the more intricate plot features on the forums at Chrono Compendium, actively awaiting the English dub of Radical Dreamers so that I could further my knowledge in the Chronoverse, or attempting to learn Yasunori Mitusda's score on piano. I believe at one point I had just about the entire soundtrack learned and it was this that nudged me in the direction of the video game music community and, eventually, OverClocked ReMix. Fast-forward another half-decade and I decided to pitch the idea for a jazz-based Chrono Trigger album. It seemed like this was going to be an impossible task to accomplish given the genre restriction and general interest from other arrangers at the time so move ahead another couple years and the OC Jazz Collective was born. Through some fluke, I was able to assemble my own "dream team" of musicians and arrangers on OC ReMix who all shared a passion for jazz and video game music. I felt Chrono Trigger would be an ideal candidate for our first release given the game's quickly approaching 20th anniversary and the fact that Mitsuda's music lends itself so well to jazz and improvisation. The musicians and artists on this album have put in countless hours of practice and recording to produce an album which I think sounds authentic and natural. Jazz is a social music best captured in the moment... and while the production process of this album was anything but "in the moment," I think the album's sound and cohesiveness will speak for itself. It has been an honour getting to know and work with these talented artists from different parts of the world. Each of them brings their own unique sound and nuances to the album and without each and every one of them this album would not have been possible. I hope that our devotion to detail will be apparent in the music and that you will enjoy Chronology: A Jazz Tribute to Chrono Trigger. - Dylan Wiest (Wiesty)

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.

I'm pretty much with Gario, and I also hear the repetition concerns djp pointed out. The arrangement's interpretive and substantive enough that I believe it can bear the repetition, but I felt that more pronounced dynamic contrast in place would have made this sound even more interesting. I hear Gario's criticisms on the instrument balance and some parts feeling lost in the overall soundscape, but I didn't have any huge problems with that. All that said, it works for me. YES