Liontamer

As much as I love this source, the arrangement could use a breakdown, because it's not readily apparent what's there on the first listen. The track was 5:13.5 long, so I needed the source tune overtly used for more 156.75 seconds for the source material to be dominant in the piece: :00.5-:35 - source opening (:00-:25 of source) :43-1:13 - stuttered lower backing synths based on the source bridge (:31-:37 of source); liberal but overt enough reference to that pattern for me to count 1:13-1:43 - rhythmically similar to bassline of source bridge (:31-:37 of source), but IMO too liberal to count as source use UNTIL 1:28-1:43 1:43-2:21 - based on main verse of source (:38-1:01 of source) 2:21-2:36 - loosely based on bassline of 1:06-1:08 of the source; IMO too liberal to count but arguable 2:36-3:14 - sounds like original writing, perhaps loosely based on 1:01-1:16 of source, but IMO too liberal to count 3:14-3:40 - loosely based on backing bassline of source's bridge (:31-:37 of source) 3:40-4:20.5 - original writing 4:20.5-5:06 - based on main verse of source (1:16-1:31 of source) 163 seconds of overt source usage (along with 41 sections of looser connections which I'm not counting) = 51.99% source usage, at least With that out of the way, let's get to the track in the big picture. FIRST LISTEN It was definitely way on the loud side. The :43-1:13 build arguably went on for too long and felt sparse despite the volume, moving onto some pretty simplified and minimalistic building until 1:43 finally brought in the main melody of the source. By 2:07, this was arguably going on too long with stripped down instrumentation that came off as aimless. I'm trying to remain open-minded here, but I'm not feeling much direction or substance from this so far, despite the creative approach with the source. Beyond the basic beats, there's nothing that fills out the soundscape or provides direction; hopefully another J can better articulate the issues here. 2:36 moved into seemingly original material not tied to the source, at least not in any overt way, before 3:14 went into some super liberal stuff to finally match the backing pattern of the source. 3:42 went back to seemingly original material, and it wasn't until 4:20.5 until the source tune finally came back in an obvious way for easily the strongest part of the arrangement going towards the finish. MULTIPLE LISTENS Well, I hate to sound like I'm shitting on whatever genre this is, but the structure initially came off as too disjointed. I have to say for any judge listening to this that this potentially needs 5-10 listens to really wrap one's head around the instrumentation and dynamics and at least not be put off by the very unorthodox structure entirely without giving it more of a chance. Some of the core instrumentation was pretty vanilla, and the sparseness of various sections WAS initially off-putting. That said, I think after listening to it many, many times that it's structured with purpose and has reasonable mixing (despite being too loud). I'm NOT saying it's a display of ZOMG technical prowess and amazing composition that only the elite can understand, but it's capably assembled. My knee-jerk reaction was disliking this odd piece, but it's creative and has merit, even if it's outside my personal taste. It's not a strong YES, but it gets by. We'll see if there are other polarizing reactions. YES

Source tune finally kicked in at :38. The higher strings at 1:04 sounded somewhat exposed, which was a continuous problem, though not something that was very obvious. The plucked strings also seemed a bit too loud, but that could just be personal taste. 2:50 started getting pretty cramped as the instruments layered together, transitioning into a brass focus at 3:00, which sounded somewhat muddy or compressed from 3:20-3:46 on account of the brass's levels There was definitely a plodding feel and lack of expression with the sequencing that undermined the attempt at subtle dynamics. I'm definitely agreed that this is close to passing, as the arrangement concept itself is good, but the expressiveness of this piece is lacking. Tighten some of the production issues pointed out and you'll pull it above the bar. Love hearing you move out of your comfort zone and becoming an even more proficient creator. Keep it up, and don't give up on this one if it doesn't pass! We definitely want this posted in some form. NO (resubmit)

The track started out well enough. During the more intimate parts the piano doesn't sound bad at all. As soon as it ramped up at :26, it was over. That is one mega fakey piano. The sound is so mechanical that the faster and fuller writing all sounds unrealistic and exposed. 1:51's transition was also another low point. The arrangement quality is there, no question. With a better, more expressive piano sample, this would probably be fine. This one's old, but we'll have to see if Derek can snag a better piano sample from DarkeSword's freebie recommendations that are out there, or Vinnie or another J could take a look a re-rendering it with a better piano sample. Otherwise, cool arrangement, but the sample quality kills this dead on production. NO (resubmit)

Pulled back from a DP nomination due to the lack of realism of the piano; Both djp & I would like a panel vote - LT Link: Remixer Name: Derek Huelsman Real Name: Derek Huelsman Email Address: Website: N/A Userid: 38924 Name of games arranged: Chrono Cross, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Name of arrangement: Dream of the Storm Name of individual songs arranged: On the Banks of a Dream: Another World (aka Dream of the Shore Near Another World) from Chrono Cross Windmill Hut (aka Song of Storms) from Ocarina of Time Comments: I started writing this song five or six years ago and actually posted it in the WIP forum under the pseudonym Sasqua Mox in 2007 (http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=10099). There's also an earlier version of the song that was posted on Youtube by a friend of mine (), and it received a lot of positive feedback, but for some reason I never got around to submitting it to ocremix.org. The title of the piece is clearly adapted from the names of the two source songs, but I chose it because I feel it matches the feel and flow of the song exceptionally well. ------------------------------------------------------ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMEb6XXXi08

Hate to just cut this down, but this was extremely weak material. I'm way too familiar with this theme, having grown up on DKC1. The first 1:11 sounded like a flat out MIDI rip. Everything throughout this piece was rigidly sequenced, and all of the textures left too much empty space. At least 1:49-2:05 had some brief touches of expansive writing, but it was minor stuff. Most of the changes compared to the original were lazy instrument swaps. Went back to the MIDI rip-sounding cover at 2:08, just repeating the first section wholesale. Just very beginner-ish ideas with no polish. The fanfare at 3:13 honestly felt like a trolling finish. You're gonna need to get a lot more interpretive with your arrangements, and MUCH more capable at producing sophisticated sounds before you submit something again. If you're not doing this already, you need to use the resources of the Workshop forum and feedback of the Works forum to learn more of the basics both of creating music and what we're looking for with regards to the submission standards. NO

Putting aside OCR standards discussion, this sampling of the backing pattern from the source tune was far from tasteful, not because there was something inherently wrong with it, but because it was bone done dry AND sounded lazily stapled into the soundscape. Ultimately, the sampled chiptune sounded like it was interfering with the rock arrangement whenever it's heard, as there's absolutely NO synergy there. Some effects on the sampled chiptune line would better couch this into the soundscape, so that each part compliments the other. One reason the chiptune usage through most of the track didn't bother me as a pontential violation was because the rock instrumentation was constantly arranging the source theme, so it wasn't using the chiptune sampling as a crutch to connect the mix to the original. I think we'd want to run this level of chiptune sampling by djp and/or a larger group of the panel, to see if this much is kosher. I'd likely vote to NO this based on how long that pattern was in play coupled with how prominent it was. That said, we can't do conditional votes any longer, so at the VERY least, I'm going NO until Cristián employs some effects and techniques to make the chiptune usage sound like a much more comfortable fit in this arrangement, i.e. not as loud, dry or prominent. Bookending the arrangement with clips of the source tune is cool, but any other usage of direct source sampling has to make sense in the bigger picture and not pull spotlight away from the primary motive of actual arrangement. NO

Well, it's a decidedly different take on this theme, which is interesting to hear. That said, there were lots of issues. The soundscape was thin throughout (though the added string pads at :52 helped some), the sequencing was too rigid, leaving the song devoid of feeling, the instrumentation was bland, the patterns were repetitive overall, and there was little dynamic contrast in the piece besides the change in focus to the string lead for the final section at 1:37. The track had no real ending, and was just very underdeveloped overall. Cool ideas for a base, Peter, but everything needs to be fleshed out and refined a lot further before it would even be close to cohesive enough to have a chance at passing as is. If you'd like to put more time into this one just to see how much more you can do with it, you may improve this some, but it would take a lot of time and effort. NO

Co-signed. There's not much to add other than confirming that while this is a nice piano cover, it's basically just a very straightforward adaptation of the source material to piano, with little other interpretation, expansion or personalization of the material. It's an enjoyable piano arrangement, but it's such a straightforward cover that it falls outside of what we're looking for in terms of substantive interpretive arrangement. NO

Not much more to add to what OA and DA said. Promising stuff here in terms of personalizing the arrangement, but this is dry as hell. Give the backing instrumentation some further body (the core beat pattern was BORING; spice, plz). The wind-down got BONE DRY from 3:16 until the end; seriously, in no universe will that ever fly here. You know better than that. Like they said, it's legitimately a great start, but don't skimp on the fine tuning needed to make this sound fully fleshed out. This is totally worth a resubmission, so bug anyone and everyone who you admire in this community who may be willing to give you some tips on this WIP. Lots of potential here, don't drop this one. NO (resubmit)

Pretty awesome soundtrack. WELL worth a listen for any readers here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msoPVdN78FQ&playnext=1&list=SPC63672E893D00DD5 The trailer music is certainly based off motifs from the game's soundtrack, if not made for the game itself. I couldn't find the trailer music outside of the trailer vid, though it's a cult game and the soundtrack may not be spread around as much on YouTube. It would likely check out, but just FYI that I had no conclusive info that the trailer theme was originally made for the game. Again, it's PROBABLY fine. First part of trailer theme: :33-1:00, 1:15-1:28, 3:14-3:28 (very quiet on plucked strings), 5:13-5:41 Second part of trailer theme: 1:29-1:53, 2:21-2:31, Chapter 1 theme - 1:53-2:21 played by the lower strings PC98 final boss theme - 3:28-3:54, 3:56.5-4:45 The arrangement checks out, and I liked what I heard there adapting these themes to a more electronic style. Trailer theme arrived at :32, and I'm already thinking the levels are too hot here, though they're tolerable. Am just I getting old? Until 1:44 (which was a beautiful transition adapted from the original), the track was sounding too loud and cluttered. 3:14-3:30 was another area where I felt my ears were getting battered. Anyone else, from 3:42-4:10, lemme know if this is too compressed or if my ears are turning into Grandpa Larry. Actually once the distorted stuff was brought in at 4:16, I think I was firmly against this one on production grounds. Short and sweet, clean up the mixing and we're good to go, but I can't support this one as is. NO (refine/resubmit)

Interesting opening that eventually revealed itself as "Ruined World" around :22, as far as I can hear. Weird changeup at 1:27. Not sure what was going on melodically with this section, as I couldn't tell if it was tied to any of the sources. It seemed to be loosely tied to the CT game over theme for maybe 10 seconds, but not really after that. If someone could ID what, if anything, was being arranged from 1:27-2:45, let me know. In any case, it felt like a more meandering section that came off as filler. "People Seized with Life" arrived at 2:47. The soundscape was decent, but the plucked string sequencing brought in at 3:00 sounded too robotic and unrealistic. Not sure why there was a programmed note flub at 3:44, but it needs a quick fix as well. The overall instrumentation of this piece was fairly solid, so make sure there's no weak links in realism if possible. Nice change in the mood of the source at 3:55. It was structurally conservative, but had a much more forceful sound than the original, with an even bigger dose of strength at 4:25. The mixing was a bit muddy, and the levels got too loud then, but the overall arrangement approach, while conservative, was personalized well in the section. The piano sequencing in the background of that section was rigid, but those flaws were covered up nicely due to the placement of the instrument. Then at 5:00 the rigidity of the piano was exposed. And again, I'm totally missing what theme, if any, was supposed to be represented here. I guess another part of "People Seized with Life" here, but again I'm not sure. It's not great, but at 5:36, the writing sounded cohesive enough and finished it well. As I've said numerous times (and HoboKa might complain about douchey criticism against him a la SnappleMan), I still feel he just doesn't have an ear for writing his own original music. 1:27-2:45, a section that sounded more like original writing was meandering and not very musical. But 5:00-6:17, while also a bit meandering, didn't have any huge sour notes or glaringly bad structure like I've heard in some long ago subs, so there's hope on that level yet. When he sticks close to the source tune's original structure and then tries to put his own sound and some expansive writing to it, he's more likely to hit something pleasing to listen to as far as the notes. Suggestions: 1. Create a real transition leading into 1:27's section if you're going to keep it. 2. Make the 1:27-2:45 section more melodious or figure out a way to trim it, or cut it entirely and create a different transition. 3. Improve the realism of the sequenced guitar at 3:00. 4. Improve the realism of the sequenced piano at 5:00. Otherwise though, this was close for me and has a lot a positives, where just a bit more tightening up will get this over the line, IMO. I could see this getting encouragement and/or YESes. That said, great start either way. NO (resubmit)

We only do torrents based around round #s, so probably up to mix #2500 on this update.

Where's PROTO·DOME at? e.g. http://protodome.bandcamp.com (he made his own artwork)

Great point!

Nah. Though FF5 parts 3-5 could use a compo or four to get the final stuff complete. I am indeed collecting those, but there's no plans for a formal FLAC release yet. One project at a time, but it's something I'm privately maintaining for now. Once the new torrents come out, and ReMixers see these updates have in fact happened, I think artists who haven't responded to my callout for lossless versions before will then also come out of the woodwork.

http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?p=734023&postcount=172 BPMs will NOT be embedded in the mixes for the revised torrents at all, because we can't ensure the accuracy of all BPMs generated by a DAW or BPM Analyzer, especially for pieces that use tempo changes. Things could change, but if we integrated BPM into the site database on any level, it may make more sense to do ranges rather than exact numbers.

Cool idea! Just FYI, track 2 on your list is from VotL. But certainly a fun concept! Time for Chrono Trigger and Mega Man 2 playlists structured in a similar way.

Just asked about this; when djp next updates the site, he says this'll be fixed so the lack of slash doesn't 404. The update's planned for this year, and he's working on it, which is why some things that could be tweaked on the current site design/coding aren't being touched.

The links currently require the trailing slash at the very end. http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02038/ - WORKS! http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02038 - 404! I think djp said he'd change/fix this up at some point, so that the lack of slash wouldn't cause a 404. Though I don't know what that involves, it doesn't sound too tough, so nagging might work.

Yeah, I'll just say again, if our ONLY standards were posting music that sounded awesome, and we didn't care about the strength of the connection to the original VGM, this would be approved without hesitation, Joe. But for the first half, there's got to me more overt usage of the "Special Stage" theme rather than (essentially) improvising over a very loose chord progression. Definitely don't be discouraged, and let's hear from you again with a revised take on this theme or another VGM arrangement.

"Late Goodbye" is definitely eligible (and a great song): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poets_of_the_Fall#Early_years_.282003.E2.80.932004.29 The KoRn track is most likely eligible, but I've yet to see the smoking gun evidence for it.

The answer's already there. Proof your Blind Guardian track was commissioned for Sacred 2.

Well, you said it yourself: Then we hope you, and everyone else, will remain understanding. When there's an actual update, so WE know what the status is, everyone will know.

I didn't say anything new; I basically just said everyone's been speculating, and I haven't seen anything accurate yet, so folks should just wait for things to play out. When there's more to report either way, the community will know.

I'll check on that this weekend! Sorry if I lost track of it!