Liontamer

Still a YES, and nice to hear a little more substance thrown in. Groovin'.

Still YES, so we'll see what some previous NOs eventually think.

We can do a Discord listening party.

I definitely heard what MW was talking about with the source tune repetitiveness, although once you get past 1:23 of the source, it pivots. I appreciate you putting this track on my radar, Spice, it's a good source tune choice! Opens up quietly but quickly gets the beats going. When the escalation started picking up at :14, I wasn't liking how the melody's piano line was getting buried; by :27, the melody might as well not have been there, it was too quiet and subdued. By putting the all the volume and focus on these kicks/beats after :27, you actually expose how plodding the pattern is without the proper support built around it. Shift to 1:23's part of the source tune at 1:23 in the arrangement and the lead still doesn't cut through. It'll sound like I'm saying you have to copy the original verbatim or that the sound quality of the original, professional track is our bar: the source tune’s countermelody and bassline have a lot more smoothness and flow compared to this, which sounds more stilted. As far as the sequencing and mixing, if you haven't done so already, I'd recommend getting feedback in our Workshop's Post Your Game ReMixes forum as well as our Discord server's #workshop channel. If the parts were mixed to give everything the proper space, it would be a good cover version, but there's also the question of whether this rendition's interpretive enough for our arrangement standards compared to the original song. There's a saw providing the countermelodic groove here was about the only significant original writing I was identifying here; it seemed like all of the other part-writing was carried pretty closely from the source tune. Again, mixing issues aside, this is a solid cover that reconstructs the original well. As long as it wouldn't compromise your vision of what you want from this, consider integrating other writing ideas or changing up the instrumentation or textures somehow. Even if it's not this track, I hope we hear more submissions from you, Spice! NO (resubmit)

MW undersold the arrangement techniques used here, but prophetik elaborated on what he did hear to present a fuller picture on the positives here. The overall sentiment's right though in that this arrangement's vastly underdeveloped; once you get to 1:13, you've heard it all, so see what other variations and/or ideas you can bring to the table. Would love to hear another version of this, as the sequencing worked well, the presentation's nice and fluid, and the, albeit brief, guitar guest spot by Daan had good energy. If you're not closed off to revisiting this, Drew, see what more you can do. Juke's Double Dash arrangement's a great reference; perhaps integrating other theme cameos could give you ideas in varying up the instrumentation and textures. There's plenty of other ways to fulfill this track's potential as a standalone arrangement. NO (resubmit)

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As soon as I fired this up, I was digging Damon's sound palette. A common critique I've had with Damon's past work are his samples having a stilted feel to them, so I have to point out how much stronger this sounded; Emunator pointed out some humanization concerns, sure, yet it's a fluid sound throughout, and the brief run-time leaves you wanting more. Also, I see what you did there with this arrangement title. Beats at :23 felt a bit tame for me, but things filled out more as things continued on, so it was a very fleeting feeling; the way this piece's textures gradually escalate until 1:25 and then simplify for the second half is such a fun arc. Excellent example, just like C418 did with his original, of establishing the core pattern and then building on top of that with more and more varied, original writing ideas. Though it's Minecraft-inspired, this would fit in perfectly with a modern SimCity-like game. I always have plaintive griping in these votes when someone's got well-written bass work that's buried due to the mixing; the bassline writing in particular here was a subtle detail that added nice density and movement due to being mixed well. Nice lil' off-rhythm stuff to the beat, first used at :27, to give this some personality. The final note cut-off should have trailed off more, so it would be nice to get an adjustment there. It's so rewarding growing up while being a part of our community and seeing how parenthood -- while it subtracts time -- has added to people's creative processes. We've had Xaleph collaborate with his daughter, we've had DarkeSword make something for his newborn son, and now we have NoTuX inspired by hearing this source while his daughter was gaming. Chef's kiss, Damon, you've sincerely brought a smile to my face and tear to my eye; I'm proud of you, this is great fun, and exemplary work! YES

Hey Eric, it's going to sound like I inherently dislike this track and am actively trying to discourage your submissions. Having judged an earlier version, there's some writing improvements, but also still some significant production drawbacks. The panning's too wide, and I saw the comments in the Workshop, but I'd argue parts are bouncing around the stereo field too much; it's nothing where I'd NO an otherwise cohesive arrangement over it, but it's potentially disorienting. The opening line as well the core kicks/beats in particular are extremely barren; they don't resonate anymore or fill out the soundscape. I'd have to say as far as the sound quality and mixing that it's a step down from the previous version. I thought the previous version would have passed the bar of ye olden days pre-judges panel, but this makes less of that case. The brief shot of the lead at 2:05's very piercing. This will sound wrong and insulting; you should step away from the track for a little while to reset on account of this resubmission sounding markedly worse from a sound quality standpoint (strictly with the synth choices and seeming lack of effects). Let's see what the others say, and I may come back to this to co-sign on other judges feedback if they hit on relevant aspects I couldn't articulate. NO

2nd RESUB 1st RESUB Original Decision This is Audiomancer, once again. This is another attempt at Mara and Nara's theme from the fourth chapter of Dragon Warrior 4. A few things I did differently this go around is use high and low pass filters and shelves on each individual track, instead of just on the master. I changed the percussion samples, lowered the volume on the percussion, and changed some of the patterns/fills. I also changed some of the synths, and added some automated filter, flanger, and comb filter affects to the ends of some phrases to add variety to the sound. In addition, I brought the melody components closer to center/ reduced the panning. I did the same with the different snare drum sample. Written on Caustic 3, a mastering pass done on FL Studio. Original inked below, arrangement attached. Thanks ahead of time for your consideration, I'm enjoying the challenge of trying to mix and produce, even if difficulty is higher than I expected;) Original Dragon Warrior IV (NES) Music - Nara and Mara Overworld

Your ReMixer name: Parker Walker Your real name Parker Walker Your email address Your website(s) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW1jycmYfDZYXPnL6W9DEtQ Your userid (number, not name) on our forums, found by viewing your forum profile: SPIRAL_SYSTEM Sonic 2 Funky Synth Sonic Emerald Hill Zone When I hear the original, it always screamed "funky synthesizers" to me. Is it just me? Anyway, I hope this song isn't too short for the judges. There is a lot in there, and I sped the tempo up to give it that sonic energy. I tried to put a feeling of progression and playing the game for the listener, especially during the bridge, where I also used Chipsynth MD to bring back that classic sonic slap guitar. Thank you for your consideration and time!

Contact Information Artist name: Lashmush Real name: Rasmus Sorber E-mail: Sites: soundcloud.com/lashmush , mixcloud.com/lashmush , lashmush.newgrounds.com , lashmush.bandcamp.com , youtube.com/lashmush Userno: 20246 Submission Information Lotus 3: The Ultimate Challenge Twin Millennium (Nitrous Remix) Lotus III: The Ultimate Challenge Amiga port, originally composed and arranged by Patrick Phelan. Original track here I originally made a synthwave version of this more close to the original tempo. I did not upload it as it was simply way too samey as the original so more of a cover, not a remix up to standards. However, I worked very hard recently on my first live performance (big success, btw) and I figured I could do a sort of experimental psytrance approach in 160 bpm instead. Sooo, I started ripping out old synths and slapping in newer mix techniques I've learned, I added a synth harmony to the VST guitar, I did all sorts of junk for this one. The original even has a bunch of AI isolated samplings of voice lines from Hot Fuzz, the Edgar Wright movie. Removed for OCR ofc. In any case, I suppose total time put into this is like 35-40 hours maybe, 6-7 of them being this remix of my old remix version. Drive carefully with this one, folks. You're liable to arrive much faster at your destinations, if you catch my drift here? DROPBOX BACKUP LINK (44khz 16 bit WAV):

Main ReMixer name: TheManPF (User ID: 35318) Additional artists: Zach Chapman; Newmajoe Submission: Game: Metroid Prime 2 Name of arrangement: GFS Jukebox Playlist: Track 1 Songs arranged: Title (https://youtu.be/s6N0A1U_ZhE); Menu Select (https://youtu.be/NKYJD_duWqQ) Original composer: Kenji Yamamoto System: Gamecube Year: 2004 Comments: This arrangement was done as part of the "Metroid Redux" month in Dwelling of Duels back in February 2022, and got 3rd place out of 25 tracks, it was also the first time I got to the top 3. The arrangement is divided into two halves, one for the Title theme, and another for the Menu Select, I never played a Metroid game, but I found these two tracks back to back while scavenging and I couldn't decide for one, so I did both, starting as "Title", moving to "Menu Select" at 3:33, and back to "Title" at the last section. The song is done in a loose jazzy style with a focus on piano, with a mental image of a person sitting on a Galactic Federation cruise spaceship while jamming out to the ship's jukebox. Some portions use chord progressions from the sources as jam sessions for different solos. This is also the first time I used vocoders in a song (even before We Are the Robots), and while it does have lyrics, since we don't know what the original is saying, I'm keeping it a mystery for this one too ? (it's nothing vulgar, I promise). Zach is once again playing all of the bass, and my friend Joe is responsible for the keyboard solos (both piano and rhodes). I did everything else i.e. arrangement, drums/strings sequencing, mix, guitars, vocals, and played the piano bits that are not solos. Worth mentioning that the project for this song is super mega hyper deadedy dead dead, so I won't be able to do any revisions in case this gets sent to resubmit (unless I redo the whole mix from scratch which I'm not particularly excited about).

ReMixer name: jnWake, Ivan Hakštok, JohnStacy, Brandon L. Harnish, Nathan Froehlich, DeLuxDolemite. Name of game(s) arranged: Okami. Name of arrangement: Waka Waka. Name of individual song(s) arranged: Waka Appears (Track 215 here https://www.zophar.net/music/playstation2-psf2/okami) Link to arrangement: . This is an arrangement I wrote for DoD's PS2 month back in May of this year. I've always loved Okami's OST so that particular DoD theme gave me a push to finally do a cover of it. I usually do prog. metal kinda stuff for my remixes but that particular month I was in a jazz-ish mood so one of the first things I decided (even before picking a source) was to do something jazz oriented. Picking a source was a little tough, but I eventually decided on Waka's theme, which is a pretty flute oriented theme with waltz rhythm. Somewhat unexpectedly, I found at least 2 jazz covers of it on YouTube but I decided to keep at it anyway. Since I wanted to do jazz-ish stuff, I decided to find people to perform for the arrangement instead of using VSTs since it'd sound a ton better. This remix features JohnStacy on french horn, Ivan Hakštok on bass, Brandon Harnish on EWI/vocals/melodica, Nathan Froehlich on trumpet and DeLuxDolemite on drums... quite a large group for something arranged in less than a month! Anyway, their performances really add a lot to this, so thanks to all! I performed synth leads and did MIDI recordings for the piano, organ and supplementary synths. The arrangement features a fair bit of somewhat original writing by me so I hope that isn't an issue... I'll detail source usage now in any case. The source is actually a pretty simple source and it's mostly composed of 2 elements, a harp melody and a flute melody. These 2 elements are the basis of my arrangement. 0:00-0:25: Intro of the song, it features the harp melody on piano (with some variations). Bass and drums are "original", not using the chord progression from the source. 0:25-1:09: Here, the arrangement switches to 4/4 and John Stacy's french horn "ensemble" plays a variation of the flute melody (it's mostly some different timings to fit the change from the source's 3/4 to 4/4). 1:09-1:19: An "original" riff, it keeps the rhytm from the previous sections but isn't based on the source. 1:19-1:40: Brandon's EWI plays a variation of the flute melody over a chord progression that constantly changes key! 1:40-1:48: Switch to 6/8 and piano plays the harp melody again, but the chord progression shifts to a somewhat quick constant E to D. 1:48-2:28: First, bass and drums accompany the piano and then we have a solo duel between John's horn and my synths! As backing for the synth solos we can hear Brandon's singing. 2:28-2:49: To get inspired for the arrangement I listened to some Snarky Puppy... and that led to me wanting a trumpet solo in the arrangement, which Nathan played awesomely (is this even a word?). The backing for the solo is "original" writing, repeating the riff from the earlier original riff. 2:49-3:14: This is a completely original bridge, mostly on 7/8. Synths played by me, accompanied by John's french horn. 3:14-3:35: A repetition of the main flute melody on french horn. 3:35-4:18: Main melody on F#, now on synths over faster drums and a more "dramatic" chord progression. I'd call this the main climax of the song. On the second repetition of the main melody you can hear Brandon's melodica doubling and/or harmonizing the synth lead. 4:18-4:27: Repeat of the "original" riff from earlier, now on F#. 4:27-4:48: Piano plays a variation of the harp melody to close the song on a B minor chord with a lot of added notes. I had a lot of fun writing this and it was pretty well received on DoD, so I hope you enjoy it!

OC ReMix team, Good evening! Mazedude here. Dang, it's been a while since my last remix. I've still been making music these past few years, but it's been original work for a series of projects that still have a ways to go, so, more to come on those later. For now, enjoy a new "just for fun" track! -- Remix Title: "Cloud Sailing Sky Robots" Game: Rygar System: NES Year: 1987 Composer: Michiharu Hasuya Original Composition: Lapis (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9IazYBD56A) WAV file: -- Description: It's been quite a long time since my last tracker homage. Remixing a game theme while at the same time paying a nod to one of the trackers that inspired young Mazedude as I learned the art form... I love doing that, and it's a lot of fun to work with the oldschool sounds and samples. Recently I was listening to some of those homages and realized that I'd never done one to the artist known as Scirocco, which felt like a shame, as he was one of the first trackers that I was introduced to as a teen. Well, problem solved with a new Rygar remix! I took what I always thought of as "the cloud level" and have reworked it in the style of "Full Sail," a classic track by Scirocco. Clouds and robots in the sky meet water music. Enjoy! -- Let me know if you need anything else from me on this one, thanks! All the best, Christopher "Mazedude" Getman

Remixer Name: Sekky Real Name: Daniel Firth Email: Forum ID: 38695 Game Name: Sonic Adventure Arrangement Name: Tikalkaline Song Arranged: Theme of Tikal

RebeccaETripp Rebecca Tripp https://www.youtube.com/@RebeccaETripp/videos ID: 48262 Game(s): Tears of the Kingdom Song Title: Emanations from the Garden Songs Remixed: Sky Islands Here’s a link: I don’t know if this is really OCR material or not, to be honest. I just love the idea of us all adding some TotK tracks to the ranks, though!

Contact Information Draconiator Justin Landry https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRtgNmluXn0fIr4O2gVdY1g (inactive) 17504 Submission Information Castlevania "The Dungeons of Castle Dracula" "Poison Mind" Nintendo Entertainment System https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSVoSPtrCRo Here's something I wanted to remix for a while, but as it happens, since my last mix, REAL LIFE(tm) hit me upside the head like a thousand rabid monkeys. Or something. I thought I never finished it, but I did find this track languishing around by its lonesome, and to me it sounds finished ENOUGH. Unfortunately, over the years I moved away from music creation so this is the only time I will submit this particular piece. I remember wanting to dial the creepiness factor up to 11, so I employed some super wet piano that sounds more like something plucked. The Choir Strings are from a soundfont, and the organ is a free VST. I's conservative, but I tried to make it interesting sounding to try and make up for it. MP3 file is attached to this e-mail.

Your ReMixer name: Parker Walker Your real name Parker Walker Your email address Your website(s) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW1jycmYfDZYXPnL6W9DEtQ Your userid (number, not name) on our forums, found by viewing your forum profile: SPIRAL_SYSTEM Streets of Rage 2 Sega FM drum and bass Spin on the Bridge For this remix, I wanted to push two facets of the original to the max: Sega FM elements and the Dnb style frentetic energy. At the same time I wanted to keep the main theme intact to not alienate fans. I would say this isn't a radical remix, but rather the original and more. Besides one tape-stop effect, this was made entirely (drums, everything, effects) with Chipsynth MD and I am still discovering what the synth can really do. That's all there is to say - I hope you enjoy and thanks for the judges' consideration. Sorry for the uninspired title.

Since the artist mentioned the original source and a later remake version, YouTubes for both are included, even though this just has the original version as the inspiration -LT I initially wanted to just attach the file, but it's too big and the email bounced back, so I'm throwing it on my personal mega Sean Tartaglia https://vocesnaturalis.com/ Vantage Master ... purity A Quiet Purity Falcom Sound Team jdk (But it's definitely Masaru Nakajima 100%) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEVcsgZhqe0 For the past few months I've been working on music for a strategy game project that may or may not ever see the light of day, and part of the vision was to include arrangements of tracks from games I love, including Fire Emblem, Super Robot Wars, and Vantage Master; however, stylistically and tonally, this arrangement didn't really quite fit the feel of the other tracks, so I decided to set it aside, and I figured it would be fine elsewhere. I'm not a big jrpg fan anymore (too long), so most of my interest in Falcom is in earlier games, like Brandish and the early Ys games. However, as a forever fan of strategy games, and especially turn based hexagonal tile ones, I love Vantage Master. Part of it is the gameplay, but the other part is the whole Falcom package you get, with a lot of care and attention put towards the visuals and sound. Nakajima is part of that, next to Ishibashi he's part of why 90s Falcom is so good, and this is probably my favorite track in the game. In the portable remake (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAMiTKfy-Wo), Yukihiro Jindo gave this track far too much edge when I think it's much more a pensive track, though parts of his overall arrangement aren't bad. I think if it wasn't an arrangement of such an iconic piece of music (it's the first track on the OST release instead of the game's opening!) it would be a pretty good map theme. What I wanted to do was stretch it out a bit and give it much more atmosphere. Since the tone of the track is to light, I opted to use more dreamy and airier instrumentation, with a simple choir patch covering the ground, celesta floating around overhead, e piano with heavy delay to give the rhythms a bit more drive, and an organ reed stop saturated with flanger to give it a bit more of a haze. The original intention of the track was as music for a fog of war map, so the whole point of it is to sort of enhance that mystery and haze. There's also that other worldliness of vantage master itself, which is more of an atmospheric game, especially when compared to other strategy games. When it comes to mixing and VSTs and computer music, I tend to be more interested in that more "artificial" sound of the 2000s than the newer samples we have now, so forgive me if the flugelhorn or strings come off as very... PS2. As a musician I'm most used to performing in churches and cathedrals (with stone floors, not carpet. It makes a difference.) so I also prefer everything being a bit wetter in terms of reverb. Mixing disparate elements can only go so far, but to my ear it's passable.

I was a bit torn on submitting this one, but my inclusion of the piano section in the breakdown and how much it reminded me of so many of my older OCR remixes pushed me over the edge. Hope you enjoy! As for the game itself, Journey to Silius is yet another in a long list of stellar NES games that I have no recollection of from back when it came out. I think that by the time the game was released in the fall of 1990 I was already playing Genesis games and only kept an eye out for the highest profile Nintendo games coming out on the NES at that point. I'm so glad it was eventually added to the Switch Online library so that I had an immediate and simple way to check it out. As expected, it was pretty fantastic but my terrible platforming / run and gun reflexes were tested to the point of frustration pretty quickly, though I was easily able to see what a cool game it was. For a NES game, it looked great, and I could absolutely see the "Terminator" roots in the design. But from the opening screen, it was the music that grabbed my attention. It's incredible to be able to stumble upon games that came out over 30 years ago and still be blown away by the music once you start playing. The soundtrack was fantastic late-era NES fare, reminding me of some of the best Capcom music from the time. I definitely knew I wanted to cover some of Naoki Kakoda's excellent work for "Pulse." I ended up selecting the Stage 3 theme music and decided to use sounds that are a little more associated with some 80's or more recent synthwave aesthetics. Something about 80's music and the soundtrack to a would-be Terminator game just seemed to go hand in hand. Thanks so much! Enjoy! MkVaff Mike Vafeas User ID - 6 Journey to Silius "Level Three (Pulse Remix)" Stage 3 Theme

Contact Information Username: H36T UserID:37144 Website: https://www.youtube.com/@H36TRemasters Submission Information Arrangement Game: Silent Hill Name of Arrangement: There's Something in the Church... Song Being Arranged: Claw Finger Comments: Hello there again! I made this song awhile back for a PRC or MnP remix compo...I'm not sure which one, but regardless I really liked what came out my mind for this haha. Full disclosure, I've never played Silent Hill or really any horror game and I don't really watch too many horror movies. I just kind of thought to myself, "How do I....be spooky?" First thing that came to mind was Albion IV. As such, I've employed a few patches from that library but I knew (or at least I thought) adding these effects alone would make anything substantial. Still, after adding some layers here and there (as well as some solo vocal patches which I use too often!), I started to get the hang of things. A few choirs later and we have this! The whole first section utilizes the first few notes of the main theme—Bb, down p4 to F, and then up an octave to F and back down to Bb—as a motif and plays with it. It's very subtle and without much or anything in terms of harmony . I think it could be quite difficult to pick up on without knowing that's what it's doing explicitly. Whether it works or not...well, I'll leave that up to the judges. However, that is my usage of the source in the beginning. A slow walk through a church at night...and as you move forward you begin to feel you are not alone. You hear things...dark things. No matter how much you try to shake it, you know there is only one conclusion to all this. There's something in the church...and as you go further and further, a cold chill stops your feet....and your heart. The voices in your head get louder and louder and louder still. And you see it. You see the end.

Contact Information Your ReMixer name: tibonev Your real name: Juliano Flores Your email address: Your website(s): https://classicgames.com.br Your userid (number, not name) on our forums, found by viewing your forum profile: Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged: Valis 3 Name of arrangement: See Me Again Name of individual song(s) arranged: Deja-vu Additional information about game including composer, system, etc. (if it has not yet been added to the site): Game is in the site database. Link to the original soundtrack (if it is not one of the sound archives already available on the site): OST is on th site. Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, how the source material was referenced in the arrangement, etc: This is chill / lo-fi take on the Deja-vu theme. Originally arranged for the April 2023 DoD competition, where several people were mentioning having a stressful month, i decided to arrange something soothing, to maybe give people a couple of calm minutes during the listening party. The source is heavily represented in the chord progression and main melody is there. I added a couple of parts/solos and changed the whole feel/vibe of the track. The main idea here is to be a bit nostalgic, and give that calm feel, which i think i achieved. Hope you all enjoy. Link to the track: Thanks, and i'm on OCR / DoD / Pixel Mixers discord as well as available through e-mail, if you need to contact me. Take care, cheers! -- Juliano "tibonev" F.

Contact Information: Your ReMixer Name: The Vodoú Queen Your Real Name: Angélique Vodoú Your Email Address: Your Website: https://thevodouqueen.newgrounds.com/ Your User ID # on our forums: 37001 Submission Information: Name of Game(s) Arranged: Mega Man X3 (SNES) Name of Arrangement: "Sorrowful Bellows ~ an Ode for a Winter's Night" Name of Individual Song(s) Arranged: 'The Frozen City (Blizzard Buffalo Stage Theme)' Additional information about game including composer, system, etc. (if it has not yet been added to the site): 1. MEGA MAN X3 SOUND COLLECTION; Track 10 - Blizzard Buffalo (Frozen Buffalio) Stage; Artist(s): Kinuyo Yamashita; Release Date: 24 July 2018; Label: Capcom Sound Team Link to the original soundtrack (if it is not one of the sound archives already available on the site): 1. https://megaman.fandom.com/wiki/Mega_Man_X3_Sound_Collection Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc.: I will start off by saying something fairly simple about me. . . and excuse me if I sound like a bovulating bovine for the extensive commentary below (haha, inside jokes...thanks @ Liontamer ). I *love* cinematic orchestra. I like orchestra in general. Ever since I was a kid, there has always something about the acoustics and variance of sounds and textures in strings, horns and woodwinds that drew me to works from Bach, Beethoven and Mozart--in particular--and movies which utilize full orchestra a lot back in the day (The Ten Commandments, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, etc) were my favorites. Growing up, I was exposed to a wide variety of musical genres, and in exploring my horizons as a musician / music producer, I adore trying out various genres and genre mash-ups. Although I am still seeking what *is* my "signature style", I don't think I would ever give up on using and composing a myriad of songs across genres, rather than just sticking to one or two areas of music. That being said, I also have a tendency to make music with a singular goal in mind; that goal being to: tell a story. It doesn't overly matter if the story changes in interpretation from listener to listener. That's the beauty of the Arts. However, in my mind's eye, I've *always* got a story to tell, a feeling to emote, a vision...that I would hope others would appreciate and enjoy, as well. This remix of Blizzard Buffalo's stage theme, 'The Frozen City', is no different, and story-telling was a big catalyst for not only the way the song is arranged, but the genre I wanted to employ and master. Another major component was me trying to give it that 'Trans-Siberian Orchestra' grandiose, emotive, action-orientated feel. It may not have the rock n' roll and heavy metal influence and opulence they give (all the bells and whistles of hard rock married with orchestra, because I elected to stick with pure orchestra with synths rather than electric guitars), but I wanted to push for that pull and strength to uplift and give a solid foundation for the story-telling. Mega Man--as a series--has always been one that has both fascinated me and I have been a huge fan of since the very first one for the NES. In honesty, on surface level, there's not a whole lot of story to draw from. It's very episodic, with "the same villain every week" vibe to it in each game. Same dude; be it Dr. Wily, or Sigma (and his derivative forms), or Gate (MMX), or Neo-X / Copy X (MM Zero), there's always some bent on destroying the world / mankind for some reason...be it general madness, a want for world domination, or reploid freedom. But I found--in curiously reading comic books and other stuff about the source material--it goes deeper than that, like many things in video games can do. And the one throughline that is present in and across all Mega Man media is that of great tragedy and sorrow. Blizzard Buffalo, (one of my favorite stage themes in the Mega Man X series), is no different...and as with many of the reploids turned Maverick, he was once a simple kind and gentle soul, who loved to make ice sculptures in his down-time acting as security for a ski resort, and who befriended a little boy in the neighboring village by turning his snowman's frown literally upside-down. I decided to make a song dedicated and concentrated in those feelings of sorrow, and even the briefest elation to (temporary) joy in lieu of mimicking the tragedy for this reploid turned Maverick. I wanted it to be a poem--an ode (Ancient Greek tragedy)--complete with a Prologue, a Strophe, the Antistrophe, Epode and a further Epilogue akin to the stages of that kind of play. And, because I had done this for OCR's unofficial yearly Christmas album--(Volume 16...go check it out!)--mentally I made some parallels between Blizzard Buffalo and the dreaded Krampus demon from Xmas folklore, who comes in the night to punish misbehaving children. So...those are the metaphors and ideas that helped to formulate this piece, and I tried my best to describe these layered notions in my source breakdown write-up. It is my sincere and greatest hope that people can feel these things in listening to this remix, and I pray that the philosophical ride is enjoyable. I had such a fun time making this song and working on it, learning new and interesting techniques in mixing and producing orchestral music (thanks to Hemophiliac)! It wasn't my first rodeo with the genre, but it *certainly* won't be my last. ;3 This is the first song in the dozen or so I've done since I started trying to make my own and remix music that I've decided to revisit and tweak with the new skills, techniques and knowledge I've gained about arrangement, composition, mixing and (post)-production. The changes between the two versions (this and the one from the Christmas album) are pretty stark in contrast--for the better, I believe--and I think in light of some forward-thinking on how successful this has seemingly turned out, I'll begin to slowly pull others from the backburner, giving them a tune-up, too. So stay tuned, and let's hope for the best. # Parts from the Source Used (all adjusted to F#Maj/A#Min): * The Frozen City (Blizzard Buffalo's Stage Theme, Mega Man X3) = - [1.] Chiptune / Piano Synth (main melody, beginning @ 00:01) - [2.] Bell / Chime Synth (pulse / intermittent harmony beat that turns to double-time, beginning @ 00:01) - [3.] Percussive Beat / Drums (trio beat for rhythm, beginning @ 00:01) - Original source song/material is 40 seconds long, before repeat. Source Breakdown: PROLOGUE // The Beast is Awake (a Quartet; 00:00-01:28, 90 BPM)- * 00:00-00:16 = foley & SFX of a harsh winter storm paired with heavy walking mechanical feet, stomping and plowing through the deep snow * 00:16-00:48 = bells play very slow, incremental counter-melody notes that are similar to [1] source melody. Two cello synths and violin synths play newly-written harmony to back newly-written melody (played by the harp starting @ 00:48), albeit both parts are based from [1] & [2] of the source material; glockenspiel is the main percussive element. * 00:48-01:20 = a louder cello synth "joins in" with the quartet of synths and harp to play an additional layer of melody, adding to the movement and feel of Blizzard Buffalo wandering the harsh tundra/taiga landscape in search of prey. * 01:20-01:28 = chromatic scale chimes and the solo cello plays us into the STROPHE, via transition. STROPHE // The Beast Watches and Wanders (a Duet; 01:28-02:04, 90 > 80 > 40 BPM)- * 01:28-01:56 = the main parts of the source are shown on full display here, a flute, piano, strings in pizzicato and the unique cello playing [1], and the harp playing a modified [2] (changed from whole notes to quarter notes to fit the 4-bar measure/meter), with bell and pad backing; called a "duet" due to the unique cello and flute taking a sort of 'center stage'-feel, in driving the melody. * 01:56-02:04 = transition with very Christmas/church-styled tubular bells and a triangle hit, accenting Blizzard Buffalo's deep breath as he spots said prey. ANTISTROPHE // The Beast Rampages, and then, Slumbers (a Waltz; 02:04-03:38, 138 BPM)- * 02:04-02:36 = tempo picks up as the piano synths are now the driving-force of the main melody [1], backed by an original countermelody of the full string section in pizzicato; harp continues to back melody playing the modified [2] and breathy pad. * 02:36-03:34 = strings swell to become a full orchestra piece of one full repeat of purely the source, including full woodwind section (piccolo, flutes, clarinets and oboes) carrying melody with the strings (violins, viola, celli, bass and double bass); harmonies are played by full horns (tenor and bass trombones, trumpets, french and tuba) with bassoons; soft choir pairs with the pad; full timpani, cymbals and snares fill the percussive line with tambourines and bells; marimba plays [3] of the source material, as the triplet note rhythm for the waltz flow. * 03:34-03:38 = strings and other instruments slowly start to drop off to mostly pizzicato, spiccato, staccato and tremolo elements carrying the speeding up piano key hits that slide into the next transitional phrase, into the next song phase; Blizzard Buffalo has frozen innocents, and low on energy from his tirade, he is forced to sleep, and to dream of what he once remembered. EPODE // The Beast Dreams (a Jig; 03:38-04:31, 180 BPM)- * 03:38-03:50 = two pianos play this newly crafted, modified version of [1], complete with a key shift from F# to A#m to denote not only the change in emotion, but the change in dance to a happy, elated, Christmas-spirited one; harp and dulcimer (carried over from the previous section, but changed from a mini synth to a fingered synth) simulate the marimba's triplets, but are shifted to a more upbeat rhythm of 6/8 timing (double-time on the 3/4); one piano is the melody and the other is countermelody (a more chorded structure). * 03:50-03:53 = incoming choir synth, denoting the "epodical" call for the singers to come together in unison; they "sing" chords following the melody, but continue from their previous F# counterparts, simply at higher octaves, more towards the front of the soundscape and higher in volume. * 03:53-04:21 = a celeste and pizzicato viola chime in to match the two pianos in a culmination to the finale. * 04:21-04:31 = jig section fades to a solo piano after the crescendo to the repeat, changing from the source melody back to reprise the beginning harp melody once more (the original, newly-written melody that starts @ 00:48, beneath the celli and violins); Blizzard Buffalo dreamed of his past, of crafting delicate and intricate ice sculptures and playing happily with the village children, but now. . . . EPILOGUE // The Beast Stirs unto Nightmare, then Sleeps Once More (a Music Box Solo; 04:31-05:04, 90 BPM)- * 04:31-05:04 = from the end of the previous section, the foley & SFX start up again, winter winds blowing and Blizzard Buffalo grunting and panting in his unrest; the music box ditty, made up of a light key synth, music box synths and a hand bell play us out to the finish, continuing to reprise the harp melody from 00:48 till the end. He sleeps once more, only to stir once again and walk the path of (and as) a waking, unending nightmare. ---- MORE INFO / FURTHER NOTES ---- STROPHE ("Turn, Bend, Twist") = is a concept in versification which properly means a turn, as from one foot to another, or from one side of a chorus to the other. Praising and glorifying the beauty and power of an event or an individual intellectually and/or emotionally, (in this case, the subject being Blizzard Buffalo), the song matches this distinction, with the flute and cello providing an almost ethereal, enchanted envisioning or reimagining of the once-kind, yet powerful being, carried by the "song on the winter winds" from the PROLOGUE. ANTISTROPHE ("A Turning Back") = the portion of an ode sung by the chorus in its returning movement from west to east in response to the strophe, which was sung from east to west. The strophe, which dwelt in triumphant accents on the beauty, power and ecstasy verse, is answered by the antistrophe, in a depressed and melancholy key, and can also be symbolized through ancient dance (hence the song's waltz tempo and cadence, use of F# as a melancholic key, as well as the heavy tone and almost dire seriousness of this section). EPODE ("Singing To/Over; An Enchanter") = completion of the movement. In Ancient Greek odes, at a certain point in time, choirs, (which had chanted to right of the altar or stage, and then to left of it), combined and sang in unison, or permitted the coryphaeus to sing for them all, while standing in the center. In this remix, the song stresses the point of the coming end by said unification and differentiation of the melody, countermelody and harmony elements introduced earlier on, culminating in a dream-filled state in thoughts to happier times and greener pastures for the reploid before turning Maverick. The epode of the song is also emphasized by the increased volume and influence of the choir synths backing the jig-like dance, as if the "choir" has come together to sing the last stanzas in unison.

Hiyo OCR, I'm submitting the track I arranged for the SeeDs of Pandora album (3-11 For a Few Draws More). This is my first time submitting a track to OCR - I believe I followed everything in the instructions, but please let me know if I missed anything or if you need anything else from me. Thanks! -Brendan (Flake) Track File Contact Information Your ReMixer name: Flake Your real name: Brendan Vavra Your email address: Your website(s): https://www.youtube.com/@BrendanVavra Your userid: 37781 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged: Final Fantasy VIII Name of arrangement: For a Few Draws More Name of individual song(s) arranged: The Mission Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, how the source material was referenced in the arrangement, etc. "For a Few Draws More" takes FFVIII's "The Mission" and transports it back to the wild west, drawing inspiration from Spaghetti Western master Ennio Morricone to reimagine the infamous train heist scene from the game. The arrangement adapts the original tune to a unique instrumentation, embellishing the melody and molding the harmony to better fit the Western theme, while also taking some vocal cues from in-game dialogue (Yo, the blue! And the red!). I've been following OCR since the early 2000s, and I'm happy to finally contribute my first arrangement 20 years later! A big thank you to everyone who provided their performances to this project: Credits: Flake: arrangement, jaw harp, whistling, recorder, banjo, harmonica, lyrics, vocals, production, mixing Cyril the Wolf: acoustic guitar Audio Mocha: electric guitar dpMusicman: snare drum TSori: trumpet Kyle Mesce (Sorven): trumpet Zack Parrish: strings Ian Martyn: vocals Calem Destiny: vocals Treyt: vocals Lucas Guimaraes: vocals Hemophiliac: vocals Source breakdown (source for reference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxRUMpeoyOQ? 0:00-0:22 - source melody (part A) on whistle repeated 2x with slight embellishment (0:27-0:35 from source) 0:22-0:30 - *augmentation of string part from source intro (0:09-0:10 from source) 0:30-0:35 - original variation of source melody (part A) 0:36-1:12 - variation of 0:00-0:35 (part A + intro string source), melody on guitar with additional embellishments, original counterlines on recorder and whistling underneath original string/guitar chords with driving ostinato rhythm (variation of 0:00-0:09 from source) 1:12-1:19 - original transition 1:20-1:26 - source intro with added string part from source (0:09-0:12), plus vocal chanting from in-game dialogue at time source is played 1:27-2:10 - source melody (part A 2nd time) on trumpet with additional embellishments and original counterlines (0:27-1:13 from source) 2:11-2:22 - original transition 2:22-2:46 - *whistling and harmonica trade embellished source melody (part over original chords/bass (1:13-1:21 from source) 2:47-2:58 - *straight source melody trading continues over original chords/bass (1:13-1:21 from source) 2:59-3:05 - original transition 3:06-3:24 - source part B (melody, chords, and bass) with original banjo part (1:13-1:31 from source) 3:24-3:43 - source part A' (1:31-1:51 from source) 3:43-4:18 - source melody (part A) on vocals, recorder/harmonica, and trumpet (0:27-1:04 from source) 4:18-4:32 - variation of 0:22-0:35 (final buildup) 4:33-4:54 (End) - original outro