Liontamer

There are some minors who can't use Facebook, so... don't do a Facebook campaign? Do we have to fill the album full of swears to undermine that argument? We can if you want. It's not possible to take far-fetched issues like that seriously. Saying "You can't promote on Facebook like this, because not everyone can or wants to use Facebook" is silly. That's like saying "don't advertise online, because not everyone uses the internet." That's not a valid reason not to do it. Wanting the album right NAOW is all well and good, but we're not we're even ready to release it right now to begin with, because there's still other stuff to get done, campaign aside. The trailer being out means the trailer was done, and we're planning to release the album in the near future. "Why didn't you start this earlier, before everything was ready?" People ASSUME the project is 110% ready to release and we're somehow not releasing it, which isn't even true to begin with. If that's a big part of the issue, then it shouldn't be, because we're NOT holding a ready-to-release-we-have-everything-prepared-ready-but-oh-well-for-you kind of campaign in the first place. We'll have everything in place by the time we hit the goal in 21XX. Saying "As it stands, people who don't use Facebook are being unfairly barred from accessing this hyped album" is nonsense. Nothing's being banned, and that's entitlement. Even if you didn't like anything, when it's out, it obvious not just going to be out for people who are on the Facebook page. And to say that doing a campaign to build awareness of an album project, which will help us reach more people to be aware of future projects as well, is now some sort of dystopian descent into "frenzied link-spamming" (which isn't even possible if you just LIKE a Facebook page) is over the top. Already was the plan. And not just 1. Everyone be patient. We've been trying different things to hype this one.

Of course there's an ulterior motive. Beyond promoting the MMX album now, the ulterior motive is that more people will hear about the new free mixes and new free albums later on TOO. It's extremely shady and shadowy.

For the handful of people who don't like Facebook publicity campaigns, welcome to Issues! Yes, there is no way we could be attempting to reach both types of people at once. How that makes one go "A-HA, CAUGHT YOU IN LIES!" is beyond me.

You don't even understand how Facebook works. Pages can be automatically created by search terms linked in people's profiles as well as automatically generated by Wikipedia pages. So of course there are going to be other pages automatically generated for "ocremix", "ocremix.org" and "OC ReMix". That doesn't mean we created those Pages, nor are we asking anyone to go there. The link's pretty clear on the homepage. We're not going to make people be required to donate money to access ReMixes. These are free fan arrangement albums. Charging money for unofficial fan works is not how we operate. Yes, we are "punishing" you by attempting to encourage more potential fans to check out and appreciate this album as well as future ReMixes and albums by joining our page so they're more likely to know when even more new music is out later. All I've heard is vague vagueries of moral wrongdoing over daring to promote free music you're instead recommending we charge people for. Quoted for truthz.

Hahaha, yes, why are we trying to get everyone's music more exposure? Better stopz!

Fixed. Which you'd think was implicit and understood, but ah well.

The point is that when Dave started the site in 1999, there were other chiptune and MIDI enthusiast sites, but no sites focused on MP3 arrangements of all games, so a specific point was to use more modern sounds and productions applied to older game music to explore it in ways outside of those traditional limitations. So that's why, if you use MIDI or chiptunes stuff in OC ReMixes, it has to be paired with more modern sounds and modern production techniques. Founder's discretion, and that's the way it's been done.

There was no build to the over-the-top synth soloing only 26 seconds after the song truly kicked off, so the synth noodling during the very first section (:59-1:18) sounded VERY awkward, especially because it only dresses up an otherwise super straightforward melodic arrangement. It also ends up sounding out of place on top of such a simple, laid back groove. Some of the other soloing sounded a bit more measured at least, but the first shot was too much and too soon. I'd expect to hear something like that in a closing section, not the very beginning. Fairly nice piano at 1:23. Agreed with OA about the mechanical-sounding sequencing, but compositionally it was very nice and the tone was very beautiful. More super-busy soloing from 1:37-1:50. At 1:53, the piano sounded a little too distant and lo-fi, but not a big deal; nice composition there. Realism aside, nice little piano flourishes at 2:21 & 2:32 as well. The left and right hands of the piano along with the synth at 2:38 sounded pretty dischordant until 2:51, obviously on purpose (to create a sense of foreboding as the leadup to the "Secret of the Forest" usage). Though I'm not sure the dissonance quite worked, I see what you did there, and I'm ultimately cool with it. Never been a fan of key changes, like at 4:01, but nothing that affects the vote. This kind super-busy synth soloing is better suited near the end, but it still doesn't click, IMO. This is more subjective, but be careful of this kind of soloing that doesn't sound focused. It's easy to go off the rails just trying to create something "different" from the source for the sake of satisfying the arrangement requirement and not copy-pasta'ing the source melody exactly. But it's gotta have more direction than this. I think a great example of pulling off memorable synth soloing is WillRock's "Waking the Fish," which you could check out for some guidance. The source usage is apparent and things are fairly solid on that level, which is why I didn't comment too much on that. On that front, you just need to reign in and refocus the soloing parts so the positioning and flow of everything makes more sense. This isn't far off from being passable, IMO, and I wouldn't be upset if it did, but I'm in the OA/Palpable camp that this needs some added direction and production TLC for the synth & piano would really get this over the bar. Nice work so far, Jordan, and hopefully you give this one more shot if it doesn't make it; this is coming along nicely. NO (resubmit)

More like, send us an easily passable mix so you can join this compo. No hate, but it's not looking like this is a go for you this time around, unfortunately.

Too conservatively structured, IMO. 10 years ago with "Icarus Orchestrated," that close of a cover had a shot, but as of 7 or 8 years ago, that's no longer the case. I'm not saying tossing original ideas over the foundation of the original song is how you get the arrangement passed, but treating the arrangement a lot more like the second half (more interpretive, more personalized) instead of the first (which sounds like a souped up MIDI copy with the same tempo and structure and similar instrumentation to the original) would seal the deal. Here, it was only at 1:36 when it sounded like new writing was truly being explored and combined with different enough instrumentation ideas for the source tune to present something unique and substantially interpretive. Really awesome to see you again in the Turntable.fm room and hearing you submit more stuff. The second half sounds awesome, now just add more interpretation to the first half as well. NO (resubmit)

The beats at :34 were pretty tame and didn't give much energy to the piece, and the overall production quality sounded like it lacked high-end clarity and sharpness throughout. The fullest sections (1:49-2:02 & 2:36-3:30) sections in particular sounded pretty lossy, muddy and cluttered. The arrangement was OK, but the energy was never really there, and the track never felt driving due to the really lackluster mixing job. Gonna have to play devil's advocate, Liam, and ask for another pass at this to get the mixing right. NO (resubmit)

I was worried the second source, Kokubo Sosho Battle, adapted from Tobin's non-game original "Cougar Merkin" (a live version here) was an ineligible source but it's basically an entirely new track made by cutting up elements of that other song. Thanks a LOT for the source usage breakdown as well. This was pretty sweet. It seems like without the over-the-top crunchy distortion, this could be a pass, but I definitely couldn't pass it as is -- the first section in particular was too much. You could tone it down and retain the same overall statement and effect without it being that crunchy. Didn't agree with the drum criticism; they weren't perfectly produced, but were thick and full enough to add power to the track and fill out the background well. Yet again, we have judges saying there's no flow to the arrangement to Brent when the arrangement and flow are JUST FINE. Don't listen to anyone who said that. It's only the massive levels of distortion on some of the parts being a non-starter. Tone that down some and send it right back, and you'd definitely have my vote. Awesome arrangement, Brent, can't wait for you to tweak this so it can go on the front page, this is strong stuff. NO (refine/resubmit)

Short and sweet, the arrangement's there, but production-wise, this was definitely too hot, too loud, and too overcompressed, which bothered me more than the disjointed timing. And the disjointed timing ALSO bothered me. It's purposeful, granted, but the timing's WAY too loose, and the song ultimately suffers as a result. Fix the mixing and timing and you're good to go! NO (refine/resubmit)

Definitely a little frustrated at this second combination mix of themes across a couple of games with 0 breakdown. It's kind of annoying people aren't going to the trouble of explaining how these source tunes are used or piece together. This is Nathan's second mix compo mix apparently using Elec Man's where I don't recognize it in here at all. And it's a catchy source, so WTF? JUST the ending? Anyway, I heard some bits of MM5 Wily, but would appreciate some further arrangement insight, as that theme is NOT memorable. That said, Palpable and OA had my comments about the production down. The mixing's off from moment 1, unfortunately. NO EDIT (3/21): Fixed. That said, SOURCE BREAKDOWNS FROM THE SUBMITTERS ALWAYS WANTED AND APPRECIATED. We're men, not machines. That said, the sources were used here more than amply now that I've had a chance to wrap my head around the MM5 source and hear Elec Man's theme slowed way down in the bells. Following up on this, the percussion at :48 needs a harder tone, more of a snap, IMO. The pad-like instrument at :48 sounded a bit flat and bland as well, and didn't combine well with the other writing from 1:24-1:41, making some of the writing sound off-key; I'd probably drop the volume on that since it's generally a supporting part. Elec Man's theme was used nicely from 1:51-2:56. I could see people having a problem with it, as it's more of a background player to start, while original writing is the main event in the foreground. But Elec Man's referred to in the foreground thanks to the string writing from 2:26-2:53. Not a bad transition into and out of this section, though the mixing of 3:17's section (when more parts came in at 3:44) sounded very uncohesive. I'm not inherently bothered by the warbly effects, but from 3:44-4:01 the warbly effects combined with cluttered mixing to create a brief sore spot. Not a bad transition at 4:20, but back to the bland backing writing of :48's section that ended up dragging this down. Interesting final section at 5:26 for a decidedly different sound for the finish. Initially, I thought the overall structuring wasn't cohesive enough, but I was wrong. I'd looking into refine that drumwork and see if there are other sounds that fit a bit better and have more impact, change that one pad into something that doesn't undermine the energy, make sure 1:24-1:41 doesn't sound off-key anymore and clean up the mixing for that brief section (3:44-4:01). It's little things that are adding up into enough to NO it for now, Nathan, but I hope you make some tweaks to really get everything clicking. You're clearly on the way to getting something posted, very clearly on the right track, so don't be discouraged if this doesn't pass yet.

The overall sound is too hot and sizzly. Basically the same production criticisms from "Electric Sheep" hugely carry over here. The intro sounds were interesting otherwise, but when more elements came in at :29, everything sounded messy and cluttered. Luckily that dropped off at :44, introducing some pretty beefy beats. Texturally there wasn't much going on until 1:13. The changeup at 1:13 seemed half-decent, but the mixing/balance is decidedly off and it leaves the piece with not enough sense of direction for too long (until 1:43). The melodic part, with what I guess is basically a keyboard part or acoustic guitar synth (or whatever), is too soft. Meanwhile the chip elements and beats are WAY too loud in comparison. 2:44-2:53 was blistering. I couldn't tell what from Mega Man 5 or "Elec Man" (according to the sub letter) was used in here at all. All I recognized was Wily's stage from MM1 used as the foundation or backing part for :14.5-:44, 1:43-2:05, 2:13-2:44 and 2:53-3:24.5, which made the level of source usage above 50% of the time and thus OK for me. Someone cluing me in to what else is exactly going on here would be helpful, I'm just not making any connection beyond that one theme. Apparently I can't go YES (conditional) on production issues anymore, so tone down the sizzle, balance the production, and then send it on back for the win. NO (refine/resubmit)

Mega Man 6 - Plant Man Mega Man 1 - Dr. Wily Mega Man 1 - Ending It's a shame the brass is weak, especially exposed like that in the opening. When more elements came into play, however, the brass issues were mitigated. The basic snare pattern plodded briefly during the emptier sections, but it was nothing major, as the percussion generally drove this along nicely and added a great deal of energy. The 8-bit stuff sounded like it needed some high-end brightness, but was otherwise excellent. The soundscape was a little muddy, so I wouldn't mind a touch up there, but it was full and separated enough overall where things sounded pretty solid. But, like OA said, in the big picture, this is clearly on point. Awesome fusion of the themes and the brief 8-bit "Yakkety Sax" had me crack up. Fucking AWESOME! Great fusion of the two themes, with loads of readily apparent creative interpretation and personalization. Be careful, y'all, Beverly's becoming a more well-rounded musician with solid sequencing, creative backing instrumentation and strong execution like this. Totally not what I'm used to from her in terms of genres, but this is lots of fun. Her stuff's on the way to gettin' deadly, this is nice. YES

Pff. That ain't competition.

OR you don't have to be involved. You're listing 5 potential choices for a reason. Make sure you like ALL of your choices.

No. Canon/core series only: I, II, III, IV, Alpha.

Street Fighter II characters • Blanka - Street Fighter II / HD Remix / Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • Chun-Li - Street Fighter II / Alpha 1 / HD Remix / Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • 3rd Strike • Dhalsim - Street Fighter II / HD Remix / Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • E. Honda - Street Fighter II / HD Remix / Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • Guile - Street Fighter II / HD Remix / Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • Ken - Street Fighter II / Alpha 1 / HD Remix / Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • Ryu - Street Fighter II / Alpha 1 / HD Remix / Street Fighter IV / Alpha 3 • 3rd Strike • Zangief - Street Fighter II / Alpha 2 / HD Remix / Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • Balrog (Boxer) - Street Fighter II / HD Remix / Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • Vega (Claw) - Street Fighter II / HD Remix / Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • Sagat - Street Fighter II / HD Remix / Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • Street Fighter I • M. Bison (Dictator) - Street Fighter II / Alpha 1 / HD Remix / Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • Cammy - Super Street Fighter II / HD Remix / Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • Dee Jay - Super Street Fighter II / HD Remix / Super Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • Fei Long - Super Street Fighter II / HD Remix / Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • T. Hawk - Super Street Fighter II / HD Remix / Super Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • Akuma - Super Street Fighter II Turbo / Alpha 1 / HD Remix / Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • 3rd Strike Street Fighter III characters • Alex - 3rd Strike • Dudley - 3rd Strike / Super Street Fighter IV • Elena - 3rd Strike • Gill - 3rd Strike • Ibuki - 3rd Strike / Super Street Fighter IV • Necro - 3rd Strike • Oro - 3rd Strike • Sean - 3rd Strike • Yang - 3rd Strike / Super Street Fighter IV • Yun - 3rd Strike / Super Street Fighter IV • Hugo - 3rd Strike • Urien - 3rd Strike • Makoto - 3rd Strike / Super Street Fighter IV • Q - 3rd Strike • Remy - 3rd Strike • Twelve - 3rd Strike Street Fighter IV characters • Abel - Street Fighter IV • C. Viper - Street Fighter IV • El Fuerte - Street Fighter IV • Gouken - Street Fighter IV • Rufus - Street Fighter IV • Seth - Street Fighter IV • Hakan - Super Street Fighter IV • Juri - Super Street Fighter IV Street Fighter Alpha characters • Adon - Alpha 1 / Super Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • Street Fighter I • Birdie - Alpha 1 • Alpha 3 • Street Fighter I • Charlie - Alpha 1 / Alpha 3 • Dan - Alpha 1 / Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • Guy - Alpha 1 / Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • Rose - Alpha 1 / Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • Sodom - Alpha 1 • Alpha 3 • Evil Ryu - Alpha 3 • Gen - Alpha 3 / Street Fighter IV • Street Fighter I • Rolento - Alpha 2 • Alpha 3 • Sakura - Alpha 2 / Street Fighter IV • Alpha 3 • Shin Akuma - Alpha 3 • Cody - Alpha 3 • Street Fighter IV • Juli - Alpha 3 • Juni - Alpha 3 • Karin - Alpha 3 • R. Mika - Alpha 3 Street Fighter I characters • Eagle - Street Fighter I • Geki - Street Fighter I • Joe - Street Fighter I • Lee - Street Fighter I • Mike - Street Fighter I • Retsu - Street Fighter I

Co-signed with this except for one point: If the source material dominates the arrangement, the amount of original material shouldn't have any bearing on any decision. For example, if someone else made an 7 1/2 minute mix with 90 second original intro and outro, and the middle 4 1/2 minutes was all source arrangement, that's fine, IMO. As long as everything (source usage + original ideas) pieces together logically and thematically, artists should be free to do whatever else they want. One's personal mileage may vary, but I don't feel anyone should vote against tracks like that. I agreed with the criticisms about the soundscape being on the thin side, as well as the core repetition being issues, but they're just not dealbreaker issues for me in the big picture. While the structure is straightforward, I'm more with DS that the arrangement and soundscape were personalized from the start, and evolved more than adequately. The ending's a bit bland and cheesy (extended dropoff + cymbal crash finish!) out of context, but oh well. Solid stuff from Haroon. The soundscape could have used further fleshing out, and more melodic interpretation would have been nice as well, but what's here is enough to get over the line, IMO. Count it. YES

Y'all should just look at my list. Enjoy! http://soundcloud.com/larryoji/following

Depending on what you need changed, I can make the edits. Sup? Feel free to PM me instead if you need.

There's no shaming that'll work. Posting is djp's gig, that doesn't affect anything with the torrent. I'm a busy man.

More like, it's done when I say it's done. It's gradually getting closer to done.