Liontamer

Great source tune choice. I'd love to hear someone turn it into an alternate version of Mario Kart 64 "Koopa Castle," MK64 instrumentation, rhythms and all. Now... I say this with no personal insult intended, but... :19 is a bunch of bullshit. What in the world happened? The screamo stuff and mixing makes no sense whatsoever and sounded as if I turned the preamp on Winamp to +12db and everything was just flooded and distorted. It's gotta be crazy when I'm checking other tracks to make sure my computer AND ears aren't broken. It's a great arrangement, but the way it's produced/mixed is just sillyness. Pull it BACK. Source melody comes in at :45 and it's just buried behind the vox and drums. Even when the unintelligible vocals come in, everything was just mud and volume. I'd be begging someone like Sixto or something to see what they think. Again, great arrangement, Joachim, but the overboard mixing choices that are intended to enhance how intense this is just ended up swamping and undermining the whole thing. Once that's fixed, it would be such an easy pass. NO EDIT (9/6): I was reaching out to Joachim today to potentially get a revision for this mix, and he mentioned he thought I was bashing the vocals. I wasn't, but I was glad to get the chance to clear up what I meant : Just to clarify for the peoples, I didn't know that was an insult, sorry. I wasn't using it as a pejorative, and until today I didn't know it was considered a separate genre OR that it's more about emo music. OOPS. Now I get why that could be taken the wrong way, that's my fault. I'm referring to more the power & intensity of the vocals, but I don't meant that the performance/lyrics/creativity isn't substantive, just more that the vocals are meant to be way out front, SUPER intense, and less about being able to understand each word (which isn't required for OCR, by the way). Again, sorry for unintentionally insulting your approach; I'm down with all genres, so I don't want you to think I was just trying to wave off black metal. As far as the decision, and how the production factored into it, Torzelan mentioned he wasn't sure that some of the production inherent in the genre fits OCR's standards. I think that old techno/trance argument is more about being too repetitive, but everything goes on a case-by-case basis. For this mix, IMO, it's just about the different parts all being at the same high volume, it was near impossible to hear the details in your composition and performance, enough to (in my opinion) undermine what you were otherwise going for. I think it's definitely possible to do black metal and have it sound loud, intense, aggressive and all that while at the same time not having all of the parts mud together. Thankfully, while asking Joachim if he could somehow revise this piece before BadAss 2 came out, he let me know about his problem with what I said, and (I hope) I was able to clear things up so he could understand where I'm coming from. BTW, artists, if your track is being judged and you see something written that that pisses you off, don't hold it in. Contact the judge who set you off first and see if you can make sure there's no misunderstandings. But if the judge is being a jerk about it when talking to them (they shouldn't be, we're not out to be mean), then make a thread on the forums and have at it!

Vig's crits about the muddyness aren't wrong, but having heard a bunch of Brandon's subs with these kinds of problems being more pervasive, I just wasn't bothered by this as much as others, and thought the mixing worked well enough. 3:23's section was the most swamped to me, but even then it was nothing that would bar posting it. The compression didn't bother me overall, and I thought all of the elements pieced together well. The drums were a non-issue to me and nothing ever sounded off or wrong to me. I didn't mind the transitions; the move into Chrono Cross could seem jumpy because that theme is so well-known, but I thought that usage, and the 7th Guest one were fine. I'm not hearing anything other than a great arrangement with strong, stylish execution. Let's go. YES

Finally. Took me a long while to wrap my head around this piece, but (after a lot of back and forth comparisons) I hear the source in there. I rearranged Chris's breakdown to make more sense in following the arrangement: REMIX - soft, ethereal string and choir chords; easier to hear at beginning (LT Note: :11.25-:37.5 of the arrangement, though Chris would possibly argue it lasted until :46) ORIGINAL - oompah oompah chords (LT Note: looping in source background from :00-:07) REMIX - 0:46-1:20 - soft strings and choir ORIGINAL - 0:15-0:22 - tuba and xylophone REMIX - 1:22-1:57 - synth lead ORIGINAL - 0:00-0:08 - tuba theme REMIX - 1:58-2:32 - synth lead and accomp. ORIGINAL - 0:15-0:22 - tuba and xylophone REMIX - 2:33-2:50 - bells melody, w/ some decoration ORIGINAL - 0:08-0:15 - tuba secondary melody --------------------------------------------- The track was 3:27.75 long, so I needed 103.875 seconds of overt source usage for the pass on arrangement: 11.25-37.5, 46-1:11.5, 1:21.5-1:47, 1:57-2:03, 2:05.75-2:13, 2:14-2:19, 2:50-2:54.75, 2:56.5-3:03, 3:05.5-3:08 = 109.25 seconds Once I got past the source usaeg threshold I was looking for, I stopped, so there's definitely more I'm not counting. This arrangement'll definitely (and understandably) fly way, way, way over people's heads, so if they don't like this, I get it. Slowing the tempo AND changing the rhythms of the melody like this (e.g. 1:22's section) gets pretty dicey, but those source parts are there, just like Chris said they were. I wouldn't speed up the track 400%, but 150-250% did help, for anyone curious enough to try. In a vacuum, I love it. It's too abstract to appeal to most people as a Plok arrangement, so I would have liked something a bit more melodically straightforward, but that's more a subjective concern than anything else. It's definitely a liberal take, but as long as the source usage is clear to me, I'll allow it. YES

The music part of the track was 3:43.5-long, so I needed 111.75 seconds of overt source usage for it to be dominant in the arrangement. I get the similarity to the theme from :29-:31, but the notes and rhythms of that pattern aren't the same and it's not something I'd say sounds directly enough like the source, not that the case was even being made. Thanks for the guide. I never referred to it until after I made my own breakdown. Aside from a lot of the end that had areas I didn't get/count, it was relatively on point. :36-:38.25, :41.25-:44, :45-:51.5, :53.5-1:10.5, 1:11.5-1:25, 1:27.5-1:31.5, 1:32.5-1:52, 2:06-2:11.5, 2:14.75-2:20, 2:23-2:28, 2:31-2:36, 2:52.5-2:56.5, 3:01-3:06, 3:09-3:15.5, 3:17.75-3:21, 3:26-3:32, 3:34.5-3:40.5 = 114 seconds or 51% Wow, super subtle variation of the source from 1:32.5-1:52 by the backing vox that I didn't pick up on until I was hunting for more source usage. Liberal, but that slowed down rhythm to it was distinct. In any case, the question seems to be did this noodle too much or whatever, and that all comes across as very subjective. So it gets a little busy at times, but that doesn't mean there's no clear direction. IMO, the arrangement clicked the whole way, had excellent shifts in the dynamics & instrumentation, never lacked focus, and did a great job getting mileage out of these theme "Requiem" variations. It cuts things close, but it doesn't merely "dance around" anything as far as the source usage. Excellent, sophisticated work by Kristina, IMO. Count it. YES

Duly noted. Alright, fixed and good to go. I'mma add it. I inspire new rules!

Weird, but I've heard a lot of submissions today with needlessly exposed, fake-sounding piano. It doesn't sound "horrible" here, though there's got to be a way to thicken or delay that piano to give it a more ethereal sound that helps mask the mechanical sequencing earlier. :00-:51 needs some tightening up there, but the big offender was from 1:17-1:42, since the individual notes sound significantly worse than the chords. At least there was more going on from 1:42 onward to fill out the soundscape and obscure that lack of realism with the piano. The electric guitar sample brought in at 1:41 was barely audible, but damned if you do, damned if you don't, since it would sound fake and exposed at any higher volume. IMO, the piano pattern droned on for too long from 1:16-2:20; you could cut this down a little (e.g. at 1:54 or 2:07, since the subtle buildup has already finished) and get to the new ideas more quickly so that the piece doesn't get too repetitive. I liked the original writing ideas like the bowed strings and synth line brought in at 2:20. Those dropped out at 2:59 in favor of the breakbeats until 3:24; solid touch. Heard some light but constant distortion from 3:25-3:37 that needs to be fixed. The piano for the finish was rigid again, but didn't overstay its welcome. Production-wise, I thought the mixing lacked some clarity but was generally OK to listen to; some other Js may be able to recommend how to clean that up a little. Right now, the arrangement is far in the right direction, but several smaler issues were adding up making me hold back an enthusiastic YES. Anything that can be done to make the individual piano notes sound less stiff would be good. Getting a brighter soundscape, consider trimming that middle section, and fix the distortion towards the end. I'm hoping another judge can comment further and with more detail about the production drawbacks here. It's a very promising mix here, and I've love to see both Zackary and Elebits represented on OCR in some form. Good work so far! NO (resubmit)

* Zeneshac Raiser * Zackery Banton * * https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTWqm0wrUdeiuoPclaKL6BQ * Name of game arranged : Elebits * Name of arrangement: Together with Zero * Name of individual song arranged: Elebits: Boss Theme - Zero Elebit * Elebits is a first person action/adventure game on the Wii developed and published by Konami and Produced by Shingo Mukaitoge. The album is composed by Naoyuki Sato and Michiru Yamane. (Incomplete soundtrack) * My inspiration for this song actually came from the game itself. I loved playing the game and listening to the different styles of music that the composers came up with. I love techno music so i just gave it a mellow DnB feel. I wanted to recreate the bond between the main character, Kai, and his elebit friend, Zero. --------------------------------------

The source usage and arrangement were more than fine, but the balance among the parts wasn't. 1:18-2:44 & 2:52-3:25 were large areas where the leads don't actually take the lead and the levels among the various parts being so even made the whole thing sound too scattershot. It's a lot like how Sonic Colors "Gone" was going off the rails some. I wouldn't have a fit if this passed as is, it was somewhat close; but it's enough of an issue where I can't sign off on it until some adjustments are made to clean this up and give it more focus. It can be done without compromising the dark nature of the piece. NO (resubmit)

Game: The Grinch Source: Lake Whoville Composer Unknown, Sega Dreamcast (Konami 2000) Title: Whovian Waltz Source: This was one of the few Dreamcast games I owned as a kid, along with Centipede and Sonic Adventure. These were all fun games that I really enjoyed. The Grinch in particular was an awesome game for a kid back then, I'm sure it didn't stand the test of time (neither did Sonic Adventure) but what game really does by today's standards? It was amazing then, that's all that matters to me. This song... Let's just say that the entirety of it was written on the road with plenty of time to sink into it, and a fittingly bleak atmosphere. After it was written, I recorded and finished it at home over an 8 hour stretch of time instead of sleeping between shifts (and the day before MAGFest 11). It has that "live band" feel I do too much, and has a very Anathema-esque ending imo. Lots of cool whistling, lots of fun soloing, spooky theramin at 3:03 and a beautiful and enjoyable mellotron (which is essential to every good OC ReMix) at 3:24. It's a nice little dark rock tune, hope you enjoy it. -----------------------------------------------------------

The piano and bowed strings having such a mechanical sound to them was definitely a weak link; it's not a bad sample, but the fakeness of the timing/sequencing stands out. Switch over to the electronic base at :56 was OK. It was good the piano dropped out at 1:19, but it's not expressive enough with that kind of rigid sound. The beats up to 2:04 were decent, but lacked depth and energy to the sound, even though the pattern itself was good; needs some oomph. That's pretty much how I feel about this the whole way through. The arrangement's respectable, but the instrumentation lacks richness the whole way through. It's like hearing a good sketch/mock-up version of a composition where all the meat isn't on the bones; everything sounds flatter and less expressive than it should as far as conveying the energy inherent in the arrangement. Another J can articulate it better than I can, but to me this needs more polish and more pronounced dynamics. But it's a good start. NO

Contact info: ReMixer name: Noisebringer Real name: Ravi Van Meel E-Mail: Website: https://soundcloud.com/dj-noisebringer UserID: 51175 Submission info: Name of game: Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Name of original song: Midna's Lament Name of Remix: Midnight Dreams Additional info: This is probably my favourite song in Twilight Princess, so i decided to remix it since it had been stuck in my head for about a week or so. And this is the result. -----------------------------

I have nothing to add but "it's important."

Not my thing personally, and the biggest drawback was that the beats should have been more varied and interesting. That and the repetition at the end made this feel paint-by-numbers than it should have. That said, this had some melodically and rhythmically interpretive things while also personalizing the sounds during the more cover-ish verses. I would have liked to have heard more melodic interpretation and variation, but that didn't end up being the approach here. Decent dropoff at 2:10, though I would have liked to have heard something more melodically different from the opening at :00. Perhaps I'm being too lenient, as I'm admittedly underwhelmed, but on the substance it gets by. From a creative standpoint, this is merely OK, but it could have been great. The final third not really evolving much (and having a bland finish) ended up being a disappointment, IMO, but this does still get by on a solid overall level of expansion and interpretation. Gary shows off some good potential for the future. YES (borderline)

* Your ReMixer name: T1lTED * Your real name: Gary Burrell * Your website * Your userid: 51011 * Name of game(s) arranged: The Legend of Zelda - A Link to the Past * Name of arrangement: A Link to Zelda * Name of individual song(s) arranged: "The Legend of Zelda Theme" (Overworld Theme)

Definitely love cynics PRE-EMPTIVELY complaining. Let's get something very clear: with all respect to vertexguy, we were justified in rejecting those old covers many years ago; they were short, undeveloped, minimally interpretive, not particularly personalized, and not mixed well. We also HAVE a posted ReMix by Chris, because it was everything those old submission were not, i.e. mixed well, and more interpretive. He didn't have to compromise his approach to music in order to get posted: http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02027/ There are such things as interpretive covers, covers that are well-performed and demonstrate a unique interpretation of the source music, and we love to post them. Some things with your arrangement: The guitar performance is cool. The percussion was OK, but the writing was on the bland side, and it didn't quite gel with the rest of your performance. For the backing pattern, you might as well have just taken a MIDI and put some better samples on it; it sounds too close to the original "Funky Stars" with little interpretation. At least you have some parts where the guitar doubles it, and you have some original writing involved as well, so that goes in the right direction of making the arrangement more interpretive; but it's not enough in that direction. In any case, it's not a bad track, but would need to be developed further for what we're looking for. HOWEVER, it's not actually eligible in the first place to be submitted, because the original song is not from music originally created for a video game. Apart from being an original demoscene song made in January 1996 that wasn't created for Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden, the song being used in a Worms 2 cracktro doesn't mean it was created for an original video game soundtrack. That would be like ripping the Blu-ray of Games of Thrones, adding in your own cracktro with music promoting the fact that you ripped it, and then claiming the song used was part of the Game of Thrones television soundtrack. Cracktro music is ineligible to be arranged for OC ReMix, so even if the arrangement were all sorts of amazing and fit the standards, we couldn't accept this track. That said, you're not warning anyone about anything. Get over yourself, stupidly claiming that we either "don't get" your music or are too biased against XYZ genre/styles to post your music. You clearly don't listen to what's posted at all, or you'd realize that we have plenty of music with live musicians, whether it's rock, metal, jazz, piano, acoustic guitar, or orchestral. So to claim we discourage live musicians is hilariously ignorant. Also, calling one of our moderators a "faggot" means you're immature. We've had people acting even douchier than you eventually come to understand that they were being stupid. If you get over yourself and grow up, we'd be more than happy to hear another submission from you. Don't fuck around. - Larry NO Override

Original name : Title Theme Game: Barkley Shut Up and Jam Gaiden My version: Hybrid Song Cover Remixer name: Master Ceddy Real name: Cedrick Daniel Halley e-mail: Username: MasterCeddy Bonus: YOUTUBE PERFORMANCE VERSION HERE: And I warn you guys. Don't do like you did to Chris Klein a.k.a Vertexguy the first time he went to your website. I didn't just add drums and guitars to my remix. I worked as hard as anyone. Playing real instruments is the shit. Don't fuck around. ----------------------------------

Neither did we.

So yeah, I'm listening again and while I hear a little more, I'm still not hearing enough to go over 50% as far as overt source usage. :01.5-36, 37.5-39, 40.75-43, 44-50, 54.5-59.5, 1:01-1:03.25, 1:04.5-1.09.75, 1:22-1:26.25, 1:29.5-1:39, 1:42-1:44, 1:49.25-1:52.5, 1:56.5-1:58, 2:10-2:11, 2:24-2:29, 3:12.75-3:41, 3:45.5-3:48, 4:06.5-4:07, 4:09.5-4:11.25, 4:13-4:14.5, 4:16.5-4:18.25, 4:19.5-4:28.75, 4:33.5-4:38, 4:41-4:49 = 140.25 seconds of a 318 second-long piece or 44.1% overt source usage I gave as much credit as I could for the more liberal areas (1:22-3:12). I hear the chord progression for much of 1:22-2:00, but then the comping goes off into its own thing for most of 2:00-3:12, where any usage of Maridia became even more abstract. As per my usual, implied chord progressions don't count as overt source usage to me, just like I wouldn't accept an arrangement only or mostly using implied chord progressions as the connection to the source. Voicings do want. That depends on your POV and the overall context of the arrangement, but it can be a slippery slope. That said, it passed and we wanted to post it for years but not with the huge distortion issues. After years (I'm very relaxed) of back and forth email pings, I ultimately gave a drop-dead date of August 1st. Well, I FINALLY heard back TODAY from Nick and he finally was able to get back to the original computer that he had the track on and re-render it WITHOUT the distortion. The distortion was indeed fixed, and I'm just waiting to see if there's a WAV available for an even better encoding. All's well that ends well.

We have it from June 27th, but it'll be a long while. There's a lot of people ahead of you in line.

There's a chance this isn't him, but it's the only semblance of a lead out there: http://facebook.com/norihiko.yamanuki

Socks are rocked. How we lookin', Dafydd?

I love the piece in a vacuum, and it's not like there's 0 interpretation, but there didn't feel like there was enough beyond the genre adaptation. Besides some slight rhythmic changes and interplay from 2:22-3:11, everything was straightforward. I dig it, but IMO we also need a further level of interpretation than what's here. The tempo's different, it has a more ambient sound to the piano, and the overall instrumentation is different, but there's little melodic interpretation, and some but not enough overall personalization in this arrangement. I'm willing to hear out the case for this being interpretive enough, but it's not quite there for me, despite being a sweet listen. With some further evolution in this arrangement that was less by the numbers, I could get behind this. NO (resubmit)

"Gates in his path" works for me. Awaiting any edits and/or signoff from Dafydd y Polo. [sic]

The percussion really makes it. Everything's nice and chill. Just great work here all around by Jordan and Adam.

Done. Done. Done. Tweaked it. Yes, he can take more hits. Clarified it with "sometimes" and dropped the shield mention. Tweaked it. Yeah, that's what I'm referring to. They're only important in the sense that he's just getting through the end of each area. Tweaked it to "numerous gates," though that may affect the reading flow of the sentence; it ultimately seems alright to me, but if there's any edit suggestions there, let me know. OK, she's now a UPS package. Changed "return" to "deliver" a la "deliver us from evil". I mentioned "saving the day" later, so I'll prevent the chance of using the verb twice. Arthur doesn't bitch. Added a sentence at the end to allude to that (can tweak if needed).