Liontamer

n00bfl00d '08: ReMixers We Can Believe In! It's great to see (and hear!) new artists contributing to the OC ReMix community. Some stay awhile and become regulars, others strike once and fade away stealthily into the night, but *all* of them make a permanent mark on the community, and we appreciate their skill and creativity. Because we love our n00bs, we've decided to celebrate new artists for the next couple weeks by posting ReMixes exclusively created by newly minted OC ReMixers. We've got a loaded lineup of ReMixes from games including Final Fantasy VI, Cave Story, F-Zero, Super Mario Bros. 3, Chrono Trigger, Donkey Kong Country, Tetris Attack, Lemmings, Valkyrie Profile, plus a Portal theme you know & love that's our second live orchestral performance! In fact, the first n00bmix was JUST posted: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 'Pirates of Oblivion' by John Revoredo http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR01777/ Be sure to get in the game and slap down some Reviews on the new tracks as they come in. As always, OC ReMixers live and die off of your feedback (OK, they don't, but they like reading it). So keep an eye on the front page to check out the latest ReMixes in n00bfl00d '08! Support OC ReMix This Holiday: Shirts & Shizz!! We'll be starting up our annual combined charity program soon, but WE need your help this holiday season, too! You can help OC ReMix REALLY easily if you are one or more of the following: 1. Buying presents for others (or yourself) through Amazon, or... 2. Cold/shirtless If that's you or anyone you know, send them to http://www.ocremix.org/store/ for shirts & hoodies and http://www.ocremix.org/amazon/ for all sorts of Amazon goodness. If you buy like a big TV or console, we could get $20-40 at no extra cost to you, and even smaller purchases help us out with a buck here and there, all of which goes towards operational costs. You want us to operate, right?? Come Hang With Us! @ MAGFest (w/ djpretzel, zircon, pixietricks, Mustin, Dale North, Mazedude, Grant Kirkhope, Howard Drossin, The Fat Man, Tommy Tallarico, loads of VGM cover bands and more at a HUGE Hilton hotel! Bacon!) http://magfest.org/ - January 1-4, 2009 - Alexandria, VA, just outside Washington, DC @ Genericon (RPI FTW) http://genericon.union.rpi.edu/ - January 23-25, 2009 - Troy, NY OC ReMix Does Interviews! Did you know that OC ReMix conducts interviews? To date we've interviewed ReMixers McVaffe and Beatdrop, composers Tim Wright and Grant Kirkhope, and others, with more to come. You can read 'em all at: http://www.ocremix.org/info/Category:Interviews We also GIVE interviews! Print, online, TV, radio, any format: hit us at press@ocremix.org if you wanna talk game music. P.S. We go "legit" SOON!: http://games.capcomdigital.com/streetfighteriihdr/ OverClocked Twitter! You can follow OCR on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ocremix - it's a combined feed of the latest ReMixes plus announcements and anything else we deem kickass enough to include.

Raptr are fans of the site. SUPPORT!

Shaddap already about it.

To clarify, we don't do replacements, but definitely post a new version in this Review thread for everyone to enjoy if you do make one!

***GASP***

Be sure to capture some audio and/or video, Luke; I'm looking forward to this. Good luck!

Last.fm ceased that feature not too long ago, so that effectively kills all the streaming ReMix previews we had. We'll have to figure something else out. Sorry, guys, this one was out of our hands.

Got a revised cut from Rozo that I'm declaring ready for primetime: "And it is...GO!" [/wrong racing game]

http://vgmdb.net/album/11041

I fixed it for you. EDIT: Damn you Dain, you is too fast!

HAHAHA! There sure was! Too bad you didn't know about it!

Note: If this link doesn't work, you can find the file by going to site removed and then downloading MegaMan9-ConcreteFact.mp3 Contact Information * Your ReMixer name: wtuo * Your email address: * User ID: 25933 Submission Information * Name of game(s) arranged: Mega Man 9 * Name of individual song(s) arranged: Title Theme, Concrete Man * Additional information about game including composer, system, etc. (if it has not yet been added to the site): Released for WiiWare, Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network, composed by Ippo Yamda. * Link to the original soundtrack (if it is not one of the sound archives already available on the site): o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf8_4noxqgk o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwYHfGZMB0g * Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc: Inspired by playing the Mega Man 9 demo over and over and really appreciating how good the music was. It was the one thing that kept me going while remembering how to play Mega Man, and so I after hearing that both the Title and Concrete Man have similar tempos, I decided to make this mashup with some guitars and some piano. The intro 'chiptune' effect was to show the development between the 8-bit sounding synth and the modern rock style which follows it up. -------------------------------------------------------------- Rockman 9: The Ambition's Revival!! Original Soundtrack - (04) "TITLE", (08) "CONCRETE JUNGLE (CONCRETE MAN STAGE)" & (07) "GAME START" Too cover-ish; it needs more interpretation. The drums could be more interesting as well; as is, they were fairly flimsy and didn't sound cohesive with the rest of the instruments. I did like the interpretive soloing over the from 2:03-2:24, but that wasn't much in the big picture. Adding original countermelodies and other new writing beyond the straightforward rock adaptation would have been good. That's the short of it. A good listen, but it's not a unique arrangement. I'd love to hear you apply some more ideas here to personalize it more; you could do a great job with it. NO

Hi! This is my very first submission to your site. I've been thinking 'bout submitting something to you for a long time, and here it comes! Contact information: * ReMixer name: SiDEKICK * Real name: Johannes Andersson * Email address: Johannes@who.net * Website: None * Userid: 21912 Submission information: * Name of game(s) arranged: Final Fantasy VII * Name of individual song(s) arranged: J-E-N-O-V-A theme I guessed this song would be very popular to remix. I'm not at all into this genre and this is very new to me, but I think the song turned out pretty cool anyway. - Got a lot of other remixes on the way, with other kind of genres like, Jazz, Orchestral, Rock etc. Thanks for your time. And sorry for using email-attachment. I couldn't find any good host that wasn't just temporary- Cheers, Johannes -------------------------------------------------------------- http://tzone.org/~llin/psf/packs2/FF7_psf.rar - 214 "J-E-N-O-V-A" Not bad at all for a first sub. The percussion being very spartan really hurt this, since you had a pretty weak anchor for the rest of the track and the texture was never cohesive. Melodically, this could have been more interpretive as well, but I liked a lot of the other instrumentation and arrangement ideas. The last couple of minutes had some interesting twists before going back to source for the close. Honestly, you just need to build some cohesive textures to properly fill out the background, and this would be in much better shape. Hopefully the musician Js can give specific advice on accomplishing that. I hope we hear more from you, Johannes, keep at it! NO (resubmit)

ReMixer name: AJiLe Real name: Andrew Lawler UserID: 25958 Source: 'Kraid's Lair' from Super Metroid This is my first submission (!) so I'm pretty excited. I've been reading and listening to ocremix for a long time and I really respect you guys. 'Kraid Begins' is an orchestral take on the classic theme, inspired by thoughts about the guardian's origins. I mean, he just woke up one day and decided to be Mother Brain's #2? I think not. Henchmen like that are made, not born. Thank you for your time, Andrew -------------------------------------------------------------- Don't recall Kraid's theme ever being in Super Metroid, but correct me if I'm wrong. http://www.zophar.net/download_file/9125 - Track 5 ("Kraid's Chamber") That intro definitely grabbed my attention; I was feeling it. The brass from :51-1:30 sounded pretty fake, and some of the string articulations on the string at 1:08 sounded a bit exposed as well. The texture sounded stronger afterward though, as the quiet nature of 1:32's section sounded a bit more cohesive and didn't expose some of the samples as much. The drum at 2:14 probably needed more meat on it. Same with the cymbals at 2:18. The textures from 2:26-onward were again on the thin side while going for a more grandiose energy towards the finish. I think once you appropriately fleshed out those sounds for a richer texture and better dynamic contrast with the quieter sections, as seems intended in your composition, then this would completely click. Overall, this might have what it takes to pass, with the arrangement carrying it, but I'm not quite sold on it. It's not that the soundscape needs to be louder/fiercer, but I thought this needed a little bit more meat on the bones here for the more grandiose sections. Once that's in place, I'd be with this all the way. Touch this up, Andrew; I like what's in place so far, and it's a great first sub with good interpretation. NO (borderline/refine/resubmit)

Form lettered last time, some improvement this time around - LT Hello OC Remix! I am resubmitting this after taking the advice you gave me last month and working on it some more. I think I'll go with "Reflections" as the song title. Here is the song link: Contact Information * Your ReMixer name: KaijaLea * Your real name: Kaija Thorson * Your email address: kaija@pixlberry.com * Your website: http://www.pixlberry.com/living8bit * Your userid: 25528 Submission Information * Name of game(s) arranged: Super Mario 64 * Name of individual song(s) arranged: Dire Dire Docks * Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc: I think Koji Kondo is my greatest inspiration when it comes to video game music. Everything he writes is amazing; plus, he makes it seem so easy! I especially enjoy Dire Dire Docks because of the atmosphere it sets when you're exploring the depths of the sea. As for the composition, I basically started from scratch in Garage Band and used my USB midi keyboard to play the notes; the counter-melodies and flow of the composition just came naturally once I picked the instruments and tempo. My biggest challenge at the moment is making midi instruments sound realistic and believeable. This is my first piece EVER, and I know I can improve with lots of practice. However, I have a lot of great inspiration from this site, so I am excited to create more! Thanks so much for your consideration, (again), Kaija Thorson kaija@pixlberry.com -------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.zophar.net/download_file/12246 - 09 "Dire, Dire Docks" Definitely an improvement over the first version you sent in. I liked the presence of the water SFX. The piano articulations were substantially improved vs. last time, but could still use some work so that the timing doesn't sound so rigid. The piano tone was also very thin and the synthetic-ness of the sample felt exposed. Arrangement-wise, the approach was very conservative overall, with some personalized embellishments and original countermelodic writing to add some personalized touches. 1:31-2:49 was a good example of a mostly original section in the style of the source tune, albeit with some slightly aimless patches. Still, when in play, the source's melody and countermelody could have used more direct interpretation as well, or at least more interplay with the original sections you had in place. You don't necessarily have to keep tweaking this piece, because I'm not sure you can get it to a passable state at your current skill level. But use our forums (if you aren't doing so already) to ask questions, get critique and add to your knowledge. Good stuff so far; compared to the first version, the sound quality showed some good improvement, and you're generally going in the right idea with the interpretation. Whether it's with this piece or your future works, continue working out the kinks when it comes to fleshing out the sounds and getting things to sound fuller and more realistic, and you'll be in great shape over time. NO (resubmit)

Good luck trying to sleep at night, Dhsu.

You're just going to make my Lady of 4+ years jealous, announcing all these nuptials! CEASE AND DESIST! (CONGRATS!)

It's cool you're looking out for opportunities for the ReMixers, but holler back after January when you actually have a firm idea of the potential here. It's presumptuous to put this out there right now.

Being pretty generous here paneling it, but let's get some good feedback - LT Source: "Ballad of the Windfish" Game: The Legend of Zelda - Link's Awakening Remix name: Hipfish Link: I fell in love with this song again after recently playing Link's Awakening. While still inspired, I decided to attempt and record my own version of the song. It's very jazz influenced- especially in the later sections. I tried to extend the harmony in a lot of places to add to the mood and texture of the song. Contact Info: ReMixer name: chronowarp Real Name: Matt Houghton E-mail: hurley503@hotmail.com Website: http://www.chronowarp.net Userid: http://www.ocremix.org/forums/member.php?u=25941 ---------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.zophar.net/download_file/8106 - Track 47 The boring/bland/droning/vanilla programmed drums are definitely the weak link and already bring this down to a quick rejection. These are just placeholders and very obviously don't get the job done. Provided you can do something interesting with those, you'd be in a lot better shape. The guitar work was pretty cool, though the arrangement of the theme was really straightforward. When the main melody is in play, it would help to do something more creative with the arrangement ideas. The material loosely inspired by the source from 2:10-3:32 wasn't bad, though there were a couple awkward spots. Those kind of sections are cool, but don't offset the Wind Fish melody being so straightforward in other places. Develop the supporting instrumentation and make sure it's cohesive and you'd be a lot closer to having a complete arrangement. Decent base so far. NO (resubmit)

David really needs to learn the proper use of "&". - LT Original Decision: http://www.ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17830 Contact Info Remixers: The Joker, 2p Real Name: David L. Puga, Phil (I feel bad I don't know his last name) Websites: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=441573 (<2p) Forum #: 2p 4968 ReMix Info Song Title: Solace () Game: Zelda Ocarina of Time (or whichever Zelda game you want) Orig Song: Main Menu theme () Comments: The Joker - So, a while back, I was playing Minish Cap, & it reminded me of how awesome the select theme music was. I loaded up FL & started playing around with the melody, hoping to make a trip hop song, but quickly scrapped the idea. Why, you might ask, well silly billy, because I realized it would make a killer hip hop track. So, yeah, I ended up making it hip hop, albeit alternative hip hop, what with the orchestral swells & what not. Then decided that I needed a vocalist, & Phil stepped up, which was awesome. This was 2 years ago, give or take a few months. Things kept coming up, & it was put on the back burner. Then, by chance, I loaded up the flp file & started using what I had learned over that 2 years (give or take). Contacted Phil, & he was still down with doing it, & we started down the finish line, refining both the instrumental & vocals. And I'm damned proud we did! Edit: So, the track was mastered too loud last time, & without any finesse. I think I've hit a sweet spot, & if not, it's still way better than it was. Not pro mastering in the least, but alright. Giggidy giggidy! 2p - I wrote the lyrics and performed them for this ReMix. The lyrics are in general about appreciating the people in your life that make you happy to be alive, and are told through the eyes of a university student living off campus. I wrote this at the beginning of my junior year, a year in which I was always busy and always tired. Sometimes you get overwhelmed or weighed down by school or work or whatever, but if you can just step away from it all with some good friends occasionally, then often you may feel like you got your footing right again and you're ready to keep it pushing. That's what these lyrics are about. Lyrics Outside on the corner where I caught the bus Thinking in my head 'it's colder than I thought it was...' Sometimes life is like that, and you just quiver your lips Whisper a wish, hoping someone might give us deliverance Now deliver this message: think I can live with this mess if You could just give a few seconds to come and sit in my presence and yes It is so precious, yes, it is a blessing, next I'll attempt to express it with every heavy breath Cause just to make it worth it, and just to make it real You always made it perfect, and that's the way I feel Sometimes we think too much, and we lose control But it's not what you know, no it's who you know Days that will not end, I'm sure you've had them too Wishing you're still in bed, and yet we have to move This is what passion do, this is what passion does And so my plan is to, start sending back the love. Snowflakes fell like a gift from the skies and Teardrops swelled when I lifted my eyes and It was surely just brightness that had 'em form in me While the storm in the streets was adorning the trees, and It clothed each branch with a layer of the purest snow And this miracle was a little less than a year ago Now summer's almost over, the weather's growing colder, Approaching frozen sojourns - A Minnesota soldier. Backpack on my shoulder days are shorter I spend most alone Still growing older feeling lonesome though I'm close to home On the city bus dozing both eyes closing on the open road My soul is folding though I'm holding on and so it goes And sometimes when it's dark, I look up at the stars Think about how small we are, but at least we have hearts Getting passed by speeding cars, on these streets of ours I want to be the cause, for someone's grief to pause Cause just to make it worth it, and just to make it real You always made it perfect, and that's the way I feel Sometimes we think too much, and we lose control But it's not what you know, no it's who you know Days that will not end, I'm sure you've had them too Wishing you're still in bed, and yet we have to move This is what passion do, this is what passion does And so my plan is to, start sending back the love. And I can't even get emotional, cause even though this road is negotiable, this' the road I Chose, going solo feeling so low and I don't know the things I'm supposed to know but So, I know some brothas that I roll with, in the same role with the same goal and they stay focused. So just forget saying that you gon' quit, its a long way to go I'ma need y'all to go with. I got your back like the shirt tag side, no matter what it is yes sir that's right Even when you act like a dirt bag I, done been there before for sure that's why I keep no accounts of flaws, keep holding out for y'all People is all we are, you know I'm down by law Cause just to make it worth it, just to make it real You always made it perfect, and that's the way I feel Sometimes we think too much, and we lose control But it's not what you know, no it's who you know Days that will not end, I'm sure you've had them too Wishing you're still in bed, and yet we have to move This is what passion do, this is what passion does And so my plan is to, start sending back the love. Cause just to make it worth it, and just to make it real You always made it perfect, and that's the way I feel Sometimes we think too much, and we lose control So this Solace is for all the fools we know. ------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.zophar.net/download_file/12209 - (40) "Great Fairy's Fountain" Yeah, now I remember why I didn't panel this quickly when David PMed me about this. This was still mixed way WAY too hot. The high end was totally blistering. I'm not chastising you, but you basically wasted time resubmitting this. Use the WIP forums and get some really good, specific 1-on-1 advice from at least 2 or 3 artists on how to properly mix this, because this sounds terrible. Do it this time. You could have someone else mix it for you, but you need to learn this for yourself so that you never send something like this again thinking it sounds fine. I still love the arrangement. Once this is balanced, we can fast track it. NO (resubmit)

Good day, attached is my remix of the Fairy Ring song in the Quest for Glory series many years back. The title is The Fairies are Gone, in reference both to the ending of that era of gaming, as well as the gap that has been left by its absence. The original composer is Mark Seibert who worked on many Sierra games. I always truly enjoyed the old classic Sierra adventure games and found them to be some of the most memorable games during my childhood. This piece is simple, slow pace, and intended to have a passing sorrow to it. I'm no expert by any means, but I truly hope you enjoy it. You may hear the original piece beginning at .55 of this video on youtube. It is a more obscure piece and short, but I wanted to expand it as I felt the mood and tune of the piece need just a tad more variety. Thank you. Brian B -------------------------------------------------------------- Hero's Quest - (15) "Fairy Ring Medley" Beautiful piece; it's just not developed enough of a concept, though I'd argue it was pretty close for being such a short piece. Given that it wasn't even 2 minutes, I thought it set a distinct somber mood compared to the original. Please consider more interpretation as well as developing the ideas further. What's in place now is a good base, but isn't being explored to its full potential. Keep on this one; Sierra music doesn't get enough love. NO (resubmit)

Remix Link: Remixer name: Cheeseworks Real name: Tyler Cheeseman Email Address: tylo@fantasticrealm.net Website: fantasticrealm.net Userid number: 25912 Game Arranged: Final Fantasy VI Source Name: Devil's Lab (Magitek Factory) Name of song: Assembly Line of Death Comments: First off, I had an amazingly fun time putting this together. Drums have always been a struggle for me personally. So tackling a song that relies so heavily on a strong beat was a challenge. On top of that, most remixes I have heard of this song have very horrible drum usage. Many notes of the melody differ from the original, this is just my creative license at work. So my attempt was to add an element to this song that I haven't heard of or dealt with before. I also wanted to stay true to the original spirit of the song with wide usage of orchestral sounds. So the end product was an industrial drum beat, electric synth bass line, with strings and harpsichord. I fell in love with this wicked melody at a young age playing through the Super Nintendo game. I hope I did it some justice while adding my own element to the magic of "Devil's Lab", from Final Fantasy VI. Thanks! ------------------------------------------------------------ http://snesmusic.org/v2/download.php?spcNow=ff6 - "Devil's Lab" (ff6-214.spc) Some cool sound choices, though the SFX at :08 was cheesy and out of place. Also, the drums were a little too loud (just personal preference, not a negative). What mattered most though? The overall interpretation of the theme was WAY too straightforward and undeveloped. 1:07 & 2:04 were pure rinse-and-repeat sections with a new countermelody lightly accenting the melody for 1:07's section. Straight up, you're not getting it done with this at all. Develop this further and actually get interpretive with the melodic arrangement. What's in place is just a framework, not a developed idea. NO

~Contact Information~ Remixer Name: ~Jopin~ Real Name: Joe Dininni Email: jopin001@sbcglobal.net ~Submission Information~ Game: Lost Odyssey Song: Main Theme Additional Game Info: 2008 Xbox 360 Exclusive RPG by Mistwalker. Music composed by Nobuo Uematsu. (Well known for his work with Squaresoft/Square-Enix on the Final Fantasy series.) Comments: This was made over about a week's worth of lunch breaks using a MIDI keyboard and the samples in Garage Band, and it started out simply as improvisation in a "feudal Japanese" style. Part of the way into it, I decided to turn it into a Lost Odyssey remix. It's fairly unique in that I didn't use one bit of quantization in the whole song. The slightly subdued background vocals are done by me (along with everything else.) Millenium of Memories.mp3 is attached! -------------------------------------------------------------- Lost Odyssey Original Soundtrack - (222) "Main Theme" Opened up with some fairly solid sounds, though the overall direction of the intro was somewhat aimless; could have been more cohesive. The melody finally kicked in :48. The brass at 1:20 sounded serviceable, albeit pretty fake; always an issue with brass, but it worked fairly well. Honestly, there's not much to say beyond the fact that I like what's in place, but you need to develop the arrangement more, IMO. What's here only scratches the surface. Good work so far, Joe, see what more you can do with it to fully develop the concepts. Right now, you've barely got two minutes of memories. NO (resubmit)

Still a hidden gem, this one has held up pretty nicely. Good for relaxation.

Oooook, you and Mustin can duke it out. I've already laid out why this is more than fine. Your ears are broken.