Liontamer

The "Metropolis Zone" arrangement once it picked up at :28 was conservative and somewhat personalized, but was ultimately pretty by-the-numbers. The core beatwork at :28 was bland; combined with the conservative level of interpretation, the arrangement wasn't creative enough, though it was moving in the right direction. The usage of "Hot Crater: Act 1" wasn't bad, but the arrangement of it was straightforward and the introduction of it at 1:51 didn't connect well or have much of a transition from the "Metropolis Zone" arrangement before it. I agreed with Chimpa on the second iteration of "Metropolis Zone" feeling like a copy-pasta beyond the part additions. If the interpretation had been more substantial, maybe that could have been OK, but really it just feels like there needs to be more interpretation and that the concept isn't fully developed yet. Feel free to take another stab at this one, Matt, if you're interested. NO

The arrangement was relatively straightforward, but expanded nicely with the new supporting writing and personalized well with the vocals. The vocals were crowded out in places (e.g. :31), so there were some areas where I would have tweaked the balance. That said, that was mainly an issue for the first verse, and the overall production was solid. Glad to hear some touches of vocal chorusing at :59, which I felt this needed from the start. There were also spots with the vocals where some de-essing would have helped, and some awkward Auto-Tuning at 3:02 that sounded like a glitchy flub, but nothing that was a dealbreaker on any level. The vocals with the scream fade at 3:40 was money. In any case, good emotion with the vocals and lyrics, strong rock performances, and a simple but effective A-B-A layout of the two Wily sources. Easy call, with Connor doing a nice job per his usual. YES

I also wanted to check this out because anything Mads makes will sound awesome, but I also agreed that there was too much of the arrangement that merely had stylistic similarities to the source but weren't overt connections. Besides 1:00.75-1:33.5 & 2:28.25-3:02.5, this sounded very scant on using the "Fruit Analysis" theme, not just looking for the melody. Even the mix's intro, which had a similar mood, didn't have those chords explicitly used in the original. With some more upfront usage of the source tune during some of the other sections, this would have been a shoo-in. If we're wrong on the explicit usage or another theme is being referenced that wasn't stated/counted, we can definitely re-assess this. Still a great track, but it needs to have the "Fruit Analysis" theme dominant in the arrangement to be approved. NO

If we're pitched for Talkback topics, we'll be on it, no problem, but we're not behind on responding to the $100 level peeps. Dave's been working on IPB migration for a while, but they're not things where a light switch is flipped at XYZ level, it just helps us get there. djp's definitely in progress on the forum move, then Workshop expansion will be the next big thing. I'm also made some big progress on album retagging, so that should be this year.

Doing a Talkback show isn't a Patreon perk and has nothing to do with it. Not sure how the show is "self satisfying", but it would be nice to have more ReMixers on; they just usually aren't around on Friday night. We'll be talking to Nutritious and zircon about putting the Twitch channel to some use though.

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

All you need to do is select all the tracks from the album, put "OverClocked ReMix" as the Album Artist, and it'll group everything. I hope we'll eventually re-release an updated set.

I want you to ReMix XYZ song! = Requests http://ocremix.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=10 I want you to ReMix XYZ song! AND... I'll pay you to do it! = Recruit & Collaborate! http://ocremix.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=39

Please don't speculate that. You ain't the panel.

Opens up nice, with a clean soundscape. Let's see if this holds up. ... It didn't hold up. Keep in mind, the overall mixing/balancing job IS an improvement, but it's definitely not separated well enough, IMO. As soon as 1:01-1:12 happened, the track was distorted and clipping. Moving on, IMO the layers of guitars & drums at 1:27 are still pretty muddy and the melody on piano doesn't cut through. Even the guitar from 1:59-2:04, which was supposed to sound intense, just sounded quiet and swallowed up. Not sure why 2:21-2:52 sounds so distant. Even if it's intentional, the volume jump at 2:52 when that part ends was awkward, so it doesn't sound purposeful & smooth, even though I'd assume this was done on purpose. 3:02-3:13 was pretty cluttered. I still point to 4:09-4:25 as the one section where the parts really can breathe, and the mixing sounds strong. This is still a great arrangement, but you HAVE to fully eliminate these clutter & distortion issues before we can post this. If this doesn't pass, take it to the Workshop for targeted production help and don't resubmit this again until you're able to really focus on tweaking some very specific things with the EQ. I'm not saying that our of any anger or frustration, Anthony; this is a strong piece, but production-wise, it's gonna need some advanced back-and-forth critique, and possibly some direct assistance from another musician, to clear this soundscape up enough while preserving the power you intended here. NO (resubmit)

Didn't judge the first version, but this started out pretty nicely. The lil' hand percussion touches added at :23 and gradually building were mixed too loud IMO, but it wasn't a huge deal. Great job retaining the mood of the original while changing the rhythms a bit. What happened at 1:21? The synth at 1:21 clashed in places with the piano until 1:40; another J can better explain what sounded off there. Not feeling the percussion additions at 1:50; those thuds sounded out of place with the rest of the instrumentation, moreso when exposed from 3:01-3:13. That could stand to be pulled back a bit along with the volume of the hand percussion. Maybe it's a just a personal taste thing, so we'll see where the other Js fall, but IMO the thick beats for all of the second half didn't quite click here. Along with agreeing with Chimpa's crit that the arrangement ideas in the second half were stagnant/repetitive, that and the beats in the second half are enough to ask for a resub after another pass at this. TL;DR: The arrangement's pointing in the right direction and this maybe could make it as is, but, for me, the second half needs more interesting/unique variations of the source, whether it be more melodic changes, instrumentation changes or rhythmic variations. The textures in the second half also aren't cohesive at all, IMO, so I can't quite sign off on this yet. Like I mentioned, I didn't hear the first version, but whether or not this version passes, you're well on your way to getting posted with work like this Cody. Now it's about getting the detail work sounding great. NO (resubmit)

I didn't judge the original version, but this one's solid. I think the balance still isn't great and that the lead and backing guitars kind of occupy the same space; this is still somewhat busy/cluttered, but the parts are separated well enough, so ultimately there's no dealbreaker. Unlike Nutritious, I would have counted :13-:33 as source, and the context of those two note pieces matters when comparing it to the source. I think he justified his opinion on it, I just felt otherwise re: counting it when I checked it. Source usage checks out markedly above 50% overt usage for me, and this was a really sweet take on a very somber, pensive source. Great energy and definitely not a take I would have ever expected. Nice work from Eino and Calum! YES

Anything from the past is grandfathered in per our agreement with them. It's just going forward, we disallow SE samples of any kind. I did notice that back in the day when researching for lockdowns. Since the productions were 6 weeks apart and Sega was a co-producer of the anime (with some character/product tie-ins), Jun Irie's music is at least known enough from the game as from the anime, and may have been concurrently developed. We'll likely need to credit him as well as an composer for the game.

I'll check on it late tonight or tomorrow for you.

YAY! Journey & The Banner Saga's Austin Wintory is digging it! THANKS, AUSTIN! Way to go, Seb! https://twitter.com/awintory/status/572517396407177216

OC ReMix Presents Seven Songs for Seventh Saga! March 2, 2015 Contact: press@ocremix.org FAIRFAX, VA... Swedish cellist Sebastian Freij artfully pays homage to an underappreciated RPG with OverClocked ReMix's latest album, Seven Songs for Seventh Saga. The album features seven arrangements of themes from The 7th Saga, released by Enix in 1993 for the SNES with music composed by Norihiko Yamanuki. This is the first album published by OC ReMix to feature a single instrument and to be accompanied by sheet music and , creating an experience that is both immersive and educational."Like many VGM fans, I'm very fond of music from RPG's like Final Fantasy, Breath of Fire, Lufia and the list goes on... but for making a project as this, I wanted to choose something that hasn't been covered as much," Freij explained. "As far as I know, 7th Saga is the only game [Norihiko Yamanuki]'s written music for. The question pops up in my head from time to time: Why did he stop? I think many of the tracks have a classical touch and very interesting harmonies." Each of the seven pieces is beautifully conceptualized and arranged by Freij for three cellos, accompanied by videos edited by José E. Felix synchronizing the sheet music to each of Freij's performances. Beyond including photography by Swedish studio Tuana with digital painting by Andrew Luers, the album was mastered by Wilbert Roget, II, who worked with Freij while composing the scores for Square Enix's Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris and LucasArts' unreleased Star Wars 1313. Seven Songs for Seventh Saga is available for free download at http://sevensongs.ocremix.org. This album was produced to help promote the music of The 7th Saga, 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'm honored and excited to be releasing Sebastian's Seven Songs for Seventh Saga on OCR," OC ReMix founder David W. Lloyd affirmed. "From the classical presentation to the amazing videos Sebastian and José worked on to the availability of sheet music, it presents the essence of both arrangement and performance in a stripped-down, compelling, and immediate format, highlighting the cello itself and Sebastian's exquisite playing." Hailing from Falköping, Sweden, Sebastian Freij has played the cello since a young age, performing for both acoustic and electric cello. Beyond his work as a cello instructor, Freij also presents workshops on sample looping, and has studied theater, dance, and sound engineering. His first love, however, is arranging video game music, and he has been an OC ReMixer since 2006, contributing 16 arrangements. Seven Songs for Seventh Saga is his first video game music album. 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 it: http://sevensongs.ocremix.org Performance Videos: Torrent: http://bt.ocremix.org/torrents/7th_Saga_-_Seven_Songs_for_Seventh_Saga.torrent Comments/Reviews: http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=49277

Download it: http://sevensongs.ocremix.org Performance videos: Torrent: http://bt.ocremix.org/torrents/7th_Saga_-_Seven_Songs_for_Seventh_Saga.torrent My first contact with the game 7th Saga was a cold winter day. I think I was about 14 years old and was sick home from school. I borrowed it from a friend that said that this was a hard game that would keep me busy. His words were true. Too true, in matter of fact. Die, level up, try again, continue, die, level up, try again were the steps I remember. I think I got to the 5th rune or something… then I gave up. I got well from the sickness and tried easier games and forgot about The 7th Saga. A few years later, I found it again and thought I would give it another try, but failed to finish the game even this time. One thing I do remember is the very cool melodies from the game that really got to me. Norihiko Yamanuki wrote the music and as far as I know, 7th Saga is the only game he's written music for. The question pops up in my head from time to time: Why did he stop? I think many of the tracks have a classical touch and very interesting harmonies. Like many VGM fans, I'm very fond of music from RPG's like Final Fantasy, Breath of Fire, Lufia and the list goes on... but for making a project as this, I wanted to choose something that hasn't been covered as much. As I currently work as a substitute cello teacher, I wanted to create a video that could inspire you as a cellist or just a music lover as well by being able to follow the progression of the piece both visually and audibly. It's a video that you can watch over and over again and choose freely what part you want to focus on as a listener or a fellow cellist. I've done a few prototypes of this kind of video before. "Sky" was made a little less than 2 years ago and posted on my YouTube channel: http://youtu.be/YRHBPz5X9Iw The idea of adding sheet music synced to the BPM (beats per minute) came up and I made the first video with an arrangement for three cellos of some tunes from Secret of Mana. I didn't get as much response as I hoped, but I was still satisfied with the result and the core purpose of it: http://youtu.be/XbJI_hSvDlo My goal with this project: • To inspire other musicians to play more video game music • A tribute to the music of 7th Saga written by Norihiko Yamanuki • A play along video solution • Keep studying the musical possibilities with music written for three cellos It's been a great journey to work on this project and I hope to do a similar project in the future! Big thanks to the OC ReMix crew for being supportive with helping out with art, homepage, and everything necessary to make it happen! (All the names that's been involved.) - Sebastian Freij

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

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

Just throwing a quick YES on this. Great listen, and the source interplay was seamless.

I treated some of the interpretation as a little too liberal IMO, but my breakdown ended up checking out just barely over 50% regardless: :26-1:07, 1:32.5-1:51, 1:53-2:17, 2:30-2:33, 2:35.5-2:38, 2:45.5-2:47 = 90.5 seconds or 50.2% Anyway, I strongly disagreed with "If I click around randomly in this track, I can't tell where I am." Maybe I'm more used to the piece having listened to this a lot when Futebol Arte came out, but I didn't get thrown off by any of the structure, and I thought the layout of this wasn't any different than a lot of A-B-A subs we receive. It may be a case where listening to it more and getting more used to the structure makes it click for the full listen. I can see concerns about the melodic and backing repetition, but IMO the overall interpretation of the source and expansion of the instrumentation was more than substantial enough to bear some repetition. There's a difference between copy-pasta that works and doesn't work, and I felt there were a lot of textural/combination changes that helped this not feel samey. Overall, the the instrumentation and production were on point, the textures changed up more than enough, there were lots of subtle dynamic changes through, and the source tune was very nicely interpreted, varied and expanded. I didn't get any sense that it was getting into boring/underdeveloped territory at all, and I'm with this all the way. IMO, it's a mistake if something like this can't pass. YES

Melodically, I agreed this was too conservative, but there was enough going on around the melody that I thought this was reasonably personalized. There are good ideas for changing the surrounding instrumentation and textures. That said, by the time you hit 2:08 and it's just the source tune continuing near-vebatim melodically, it would have been good to hear some sort of melodic variations to add more uniqueness here. Overall though, it's mainly the execution and production holding this concept back. The sequencing/timing was pretty stiff-sounding, and the textures were very thin most of the time, so the track feels empty and robotic, despite the effort put into it. If you can humanize your sequencing and learn how to create fuller textures, you'll be in much better shape. If you aren't doing so already, William, hit the Workshop, and post your arrangements there for advice on how to improve those specific things. NO

BUMP! I'm staying away from social media so I don't get spoiled. I know the original UK series, so there's some major plot points I'm fairly sure they'll hit, but just like the U.S. version's season 2 demonstrated, even if you know the British version's plot, you don't know how this version will get there. GET HYPE! Here's Sesame Street's House of Bricks to tide you over.

Hey F it, I'm still on panel and can take another look. Would rather you just went "Dude, WTF?!?" 8 years ago and not carry that with you, also so we could have re-visited it earlier. I'll reread/revisit it and see if we messed up. Going from major to minor isn't too liberal by the standards. From TO's vote, he says it's good to go as far as source usage, but I'll look more closely at the overall rejection grounds when I'm free. Honestly, I think the other issues I brought up about the repetitive beats, bassline, and dynamics possibly would keep my call the same, but I didn't timestamp as much in 2006, so I'll certainly do that. I definitely don't meant to insult your arrangement and your efforts to use the source tune. Having been on panel pretty long, I don't believe we've made lots of calls that were wrong or poorly justified, but we're also human, so if someone thinks we BSed a call, just let us know right when it happens (ideally). Just FYI, any artist who thinks we majorly jacked up a call should always ask for more votes/another look. We've done it before and reversed a rejection, and we're always willing to revisit.

When has that happened? That hypothetical doesn't sound (at all) like a reason we'd reject a track.