Liontamer   Judges ⚖️

Remixer: LXE Name: Alexis Gelinas Email: Website: instagram.com/lexadex_yo 38753 -- Earthbound Days Gone By Onett This one is a laid back lofi bop with bass synth, electric piano, mellotron, and backing guitar, and loads of ambience. I played this game a lot as a kid and this subtle reharm is nice and nostalgic I think.

This track came from the second round of Game Set Mash! Compo from the forums, run by Darkesword. On that particular week Final Fantasy 7 was matched against Final Fantasy 6. Tifa vs. Forever Rachel. I started working on this piece very quickly after the sources were revealed and ideas really flowed fast. That was a good thing because it also happened to be the same week as I was having a major certification exam scheduled so I was also studying a lot. My plan was to get a barebones piano sketch/structure in place so I could that off to H36T to orchestrate and shape the feeling and color of the piece. That ended up happening as well, and it came out lovely. But something in me still wanted to keep it as an expressive solo piano piece. After that week was over, I went back in and added a lot to the arrangement to make it stand on it's own compared to the compo version. I extended one of the sections out to hold it's feeling for a longer period, added additional embellishment and interpretation, and even a small cameo of Terra's theme snuck it's way during this time. The title "Steeling Hearts" is double meaning both with usage of stealing and steeling. Locke was a thief and therefore the stealing came into play. Steeling referring to hardening and toughening, exactly what both Tifa and Locke had to do to move on and deal with their situations after trauma. Solo piano was quite the challenge to undertake. I hope people will enjoy this! Source breakdown: 0:00-0:23 Forever Rachel 0:24-0:31 original bridge to next theme 0:32-1:08 Tifa's theme 1:02-1:05 and 1:19-1:22 Mako Reactor intro in the left hand (big octaves) 1:09-1:21 Original material 1:22-1:27 Tifa's theme 1:28-1:58 Forever Rachel 1:59-2:14 Tifa's theme 2:15-2:19 original bridge 2:20-2:38 Forever Rachel 2:39-2:41 Terra's theme cameo 2:42-3:01 Tifa's theme 3:02-3:12 Forever Rachel with some interpretation 3:13-3:19 Tifa's theme Games & Sources: Final Fantasy 6 - Forever Rachel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWfdEj9jHDM (main source) Final Fantasy 7 - Tifa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO_ftxA28Y8 (main source) Final Fantasy 7 - Mako Reactor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZH6coTxDTo (cameo of the intro only) Final Fantasy 6 - Terra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObccgHQdos0 (cameo of the melody)

Love it! IMO, Michelle's vocals could have been given more clarity and been more upfront; I say that because other parts trading off the lead work like the sax ended up sounding clearer to me. For example, during the big flourish from 4:02-4:25, I felt like vocals were just being swallowed up by the surrounding instruments. It's nowhere near pulling anything below the line, but there had to have been a better way to mix it. Nice breakout section of the main MMBN theme from 2:13-2:46 as well. Amazing concept, energy, and performances! It's a jam, it's a vibe! YES

At 1:33, that synth line's pretty shrill. From 1:51-on (arguably 1:33-on), the way this is mixed, I feel like I'm hearing the beats and claps being the most forward instead of the melodic elements, and then you also have leads and supporting lines competing to be heard due to being in the same frequency range. For example, the lead at 2:07 is too subdued compared to the percussion and industrial sounds (even though I realize it's meant to have contrast with the louder instance at 2:41), then you have stuff like the plucked strings and bassline just adding mud. Very busy sound without clear enough mixing to know what should be focused on, resulting in nothing having a direction. I like the overall arrangement concept, Eino, but the overall texture is too messy and cluttered. NO (resubmit)

The track was 2:25-long, so I needed to identify the source tune in play for at least 72.5 seconds for it to be considered dominant in the arrangement. :00-:11.75, :19.5-:39.5, :41.5-:46.75, 1:04.5-1:08, 1:09.5-1:10.75, 1:12.75-1:16.25, 1:17.75-1:20, 1:24.25-1:31.75, 1:32.75-1:33.5, 1:55.5-1:58, 1:59.5-2:06, 2:10.25-2:18.5 = 73 seconds or 50.34% overt source usage The source tune's very slowly paced, so I've tried speeding it up 1.5X, 2X, 2.5X, and I just don't hear all of these stated connections. Even stuff where the marimba's supposed to be playing the source bassline (from what part?), if it's even doing that, it's barely audible to the point where it seemingly wouldn't count because it's so obscured. Regardless, I found what I needed to, so there could be more, but I'm done checking. Well performed, and what I could make out of source usage squeaks over the line, so count me in. Hated analyzing it, enjoyed listening to it. YES

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Iron Piston (Cover) Remixer: Animattronic Game: Mech Warrior 2 Track: Iron Piston The Mech Warrior 2 soundtrack was a big influence musically so naturally I had to try a remix. This track along with my own original mech inspired music was used as a soundtrack throughout the official MechCon 2018 event. All things Mech Warrior & Battletech. Thanks, Animattronic

SUBMISSION LINK: Contact Information * Your ReMixer name: minusworld * Your real name: Grayson Hardaway Submission Information * Name of game(s) arranged: Mega Man Battle Network * Name of arrangement: Mega Jam Disco Network * Name of individual song(s) arranged: Operation! * Additional information about game including composer, system, etc. (if it has not yet been added to the site): * Composer: Akari Kaida * System: Game Boy Advance * Link to the original soundtrack (if it is not one of the sound archives already available on the site) * https://vgmdb.net/album/2176 * 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 an arrangement I did for Dwelling of Duels’s Spinoffs Month in March 2023. While my previous OCR submission would indicate otherwise, my usual arrangements are rock and metal. This arrangement was my attempt to merge a groovier sound into my more typical style. Biggoron (organ and keys) introduced me to Japanese city pop a few months prior, so that and disco ended up being a starting influence for the track. I ended up getting away from that and moving toward some groovy fusion-style songs, so the end result is this sort of smashed-up version of a city pop/disco tune with crazy instrumental jams. Here’s some of the songs I used as reference. * Airport Lady by Toshiki Kadomatsu (city pop) * Soul Lady by YUKIKA (modern city pop) * Cruise Control by Dixie Dregs (fusion) * PUNKADEMIC by Takayuki Murata (fusion) The submitted version here is an updated production of the submission in March. The mix was redone from the ground up, and I rerecorded some of the lead guitars because I thought they were too busy after being away from the track for a while. This arrangement was a few firsts for me: first time arranging for real saxophone players, and it’s the largest collaboration I’ve done to date. Executing this arrangement in DoD’s month-long timeframe was a challenge. I solidified the arrangement early to give my collaborators a good chunk of time to give feedback and record, and I had to cut back on my initial ambitions to get it out quickly, such as vocal harmonies, and I didn’t write any lead guitar parts until everything else was arranged because I thought I could “fill it in later.” This ended up being a bit of a mistake because, as mentioned above, I think I made them too busy trying to “fill in” as much space as possible. I’m extremely grateful to my collaborators for working with me on this, despite me having to learn a thousand things throughout the process. Everyone was absolutely stellar to work with. This is easily the cover I’m most proud of for 2023! Track credits: * Biggoron: organ and keys (+ solos at 1:47, solo at 3:20) * Cyril the Wolf: alto saxophone (+ solos at 1:47, solo at 2:40) * Jess Destramp: tenor saxophone (+ solo at 3:34) * Michelle Dreyband: vocals * minusworld: guitars, bass, arrangement, production Oh! I forgot the lyrics. The lyrics are about staying up waaay too late working on DoD entries, with a thin "disco" veneer on top. XD Verse The night is calling The lights are fading The glow is beckoning Lit up in color Feels like no other There’s so much happening It’s hypnotizing It’s mesmerizing Can’t take my eyes off you The things you show me It’s like you know me And what you see is true Chorus Into the sunrise We will dance all night So captivating Can’t sleep! Tag Up all night Soul alight Verse 2 The music’s thumping My heart is pumping Not sure I can go on Deadline approaching Tension is growing Won’t stop until the dawn Chorus 2 Into the sunrise We will dance all night Gotta keep going Cast off sleep for the lights Never perfection No don’t worry now So captivating Can’t sleep! Bridge The music’s waiting here for you Always waiting here for you Always just a step away (just a step away) Tune in and disco to the groove Always something new to do Bringing happiness today Final Chorus Into the sunset We will dance ‘til night Anticipation Can’t contain my delight The music’s waiting here for you Always waiting here for you Always just a step away Tune in and disco to the groove Always something new to do Wide awake Tag Up all night Soul alight

Aquaria was a game I sadly never played properly. But I immediately fell in love with the soundtrack, which was one of my first purchases on Bandcamp. With this remix I tried to represent a kind of travel through the underwater caves, including sound samples of water and bubbles. To emphasize the loneliness I also incorporated the sound of a pulse pumping slow and faster. The remix became quiet long over time but I think it is worth the trip. UPDATE-INFOS (March 20, 2024): The Journey: The original remix was built up like a journey through Aquaria. That’s the reason why most of the main parts are still existent in the new version. – The Intro starts with a splash and the dives deep down into the ocean. Theres a noise sound in the beginning which is rising down to emphasize this. And there's echo sounder like sound used in the drums starting at 1:10. – At 1:40 theres the breath of Nadja, the protagonist of Aquaria. – The center part starts with the pulses, which become faster at the end, to increase the drama. – The climax of the main theme ends with the waves above the sea, but it is not clear what became of Nadja. Things I’ve changed: For me the intro isn’t disconnected at all. Especially because parts of it are repeated I the middle section. But I changed the chord progression at 1:27 to use it as a foreshadowing of the upcoming melody starting at 1:42. So the chord progression is now more connected to the rest of the melody. Emunator criticized the detached feeling. Although I didn’t perceived it while writing I think it underlines the journey-like character (like chapters). Some of you mentioned the thin soundscape at the start of the main melody at 1:42, so I tried to make it fuller, with the basses coming in earlier. The biggest change is in the middle part. Chimpazilla suggested that a spoken text could maintain the interest. Inspired by this idea I wrote a poem from the perspective of Nadja about her journey through Aquaria. In the game there’s something similar when Nadja narrates the intro: https://youtu.be/gv5xxGp7qzM?si=2WMd4Ygk-s5Hp27n&t=343 Nadjas text is introduced by »the verse«. According to the story of Aquaria »the verse« is something that flows throughout Aquaria« and »binds all as one«. The lyrics of Nadja are inspired by the text she speaks in the intro. At the end of the spoken part I cutted about 30 seconds which were from 4:30 – 5:02 in the old version and put the climax directly behind it. @DarkSim: Your shorter version is interesting, but too short for my taste, because the intro and outro are about the half of the whole track. The Lyrics: Listen to the whispers of the verse ... Deep in the ocean down below where dark and dangerous waters flow. Concealed within this vivid gloam there is a place I once called home. But I am not supposed to stay, ’Cause loneliness drives me away. So I'll be strong, I have no choice. Call out in song, and use my voice. Through coral banks and caves so vast I seek the truth, search for my past. Don't let my aim get out of sight until the answers comes to light. And while my journey sets me free I use my strength to finally reveal, behind the barrier, the secrets of Aquaria. Games & Sources: Name of game(s) arranged: Aquaria Name of individual song(s) arranged: The Traveller https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gvSmXqEg-w

Octopath - :00-:33, 1:05-1:21 FF15 - :33-1:05 I could sit in a lobby and eat donuts on endless repeat; it sounds like a great day off! The more Russian-sounding one is Octopath, got it. I'll need to listen more closely or ask donut for a breakdown so we can determine which game to classify this under. Once I recognized source material in play until 1:21 (past the 50% point to satisfy the source usage criteria), I just focused on the musicianship. A lovely & delicate adaptation and combination of the themes! YES

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

The timing oddness at :15 that proph brought up didn't register as problematic with me; since he was conditional based on it, I felt I had to speak on it. Odd intro; that lead isn't doing anything melodious for this 7-note pattern, but I at least hear how it's adapted from :41-:48 of the source. OK, the main source melody kicks in at :30. Such a shrill lead. Changeup at 2:16 felt abrupt, but wasn't a huge bother. Good energy in the writing, even if the drums didn't sound like a proper fit and felt like they lacked velocity variations. Weird restart of the track at 4:05. Agreed with the others that it was awkward, but it was more of a briefly confusing choice rather than something that majorly hurt the track. Really good comping-style ideas afterward for that final section. The ending was too abrupt though and did lack a proper resolution, IMO. Overall, I respect the treatment of the theme, even if it didn't fully gel for me with how some of the parts were mixed. For me, it still feels fairly creative and ambitious. Some of the timing of the sequenced parts felt blocky, but the overall presentation was humanized and vibrant enough. I could see jn revisiting this in 5 years and having a lot of ideas on how to tweak the production on this, though I'm not about to make the perfect the enemy of the good. YES

Track title: {This Title Intentionally Left Blank} Source game: Signalis Source tracks: Train Ride, Die Toteninsel (Emptiness), The Promise, Cigarette Wife Primary artist: Zach Chapman (arrangement, mix, bass) Contributing artists: TheManPF (guitar, VST string arrangements), Andromeda (vocals), Nicole Chang (harp) Comments: This track was structured to be split into four sections – each one revolving around one of each of the four endings of Signalis. Each one covers a different song from the OST that thematically fits each ending, and the lyrics all reflect the endings in questions (from the POV of the protagonist). The first three endings are the main endings, all achieved in a similar way and all pretty easily understood. There also are no happy endings in this game, so I tried to write them all pretty slow and melancholic as well. The fourth and final section is for the secret ending of the game, which is incredibly convoluted and hidden, and equally weird and hard to understand. I wanted to reflect this with the music as well – the first three sections are all similar in instrumentation and feel, while the fourth is completely different. It’s all synths and electronic instruments, the mood shifts, and the vocals are in German, as a lot of text in Signalis is in other languages (mainly German, Korean, and Japanese). To further fit this into the ending theme, I added sound fx as if the song is being played on a cassette tape and a long break between the third and fourth sections, reminiscent of a secret track the end of an album, which obviously felt appropriate for the secret ending. The cassette also fits Signalis as well, as it has the same sort of “70s/80s sci-fi” aesthetic as media like the original Alien. References: The title itself is a reference to a thing in Signalis that happens often – sometimes during important scenes, the screen will flash to a blank screen with text on it saying different things. “Compartmentalizing Trauma” is one that flashes during a particularly brutal scene, and “Violent Scene Missing” replaces a scene of your character killing a boss. The most common, however, is “This Space Intentionally Left Blank”, which I believe is a visual representation of the characters trying to repress or deny something difficult. I often struggle with naming songs, so I thought it would be a fun reference to use that as the title. At 1:46, the lyrics “I’ve given my blood, and kept my faith through this hell strong” are a reference to a similar line in the song The Patient by my favorite band Tool – “But I’m still right here, giving blood, keeping faith”. At 2:17, the harp plays a rendition of the melody of Swan Lake, a famous ballet referenced in the lyrics at the time. I also made sure that there was a bit of dissonance when it did as well so it would feel just a little off-putting and “wrong”, to reflect some context from the song in the game. The lines in the fourth section of the song are also a poem called Cassilda’s Song. This poem is from The King in Yellow, a famous book featured in Signalis. I made some minor changes to the poem to fit the world of Signalis better, and translated it into German. Throughout the song are a lot of references to Signalis itself, but this list would get too long if I included all of them. Those are the more significant references. Lyrics: Section 1: Leave Ending/Train Ride One single step away, but it’s But it’s too much One single step more than I can take Nothing remains but Rot, blood, and empty promises To her One single breath more to take But my corpse has none left Let these cursed memories find their peace Once I have mine As I (Please let me) leave and rest Section 2: Memory Ending/Die Toteninsel (Emptiness) I was drifting through (in) your dream Drifting out of your memory I’ve given my blood and Kept my faith through this hell strong Yet here my hell was waiting with you With no promise to keep Would you know my name if I told you Could we dance again If I played our song for you My love My stranger To be with you must be enough So please just let me stay with you Just a little while longer Section 3: Promise Ending/The Promise Just give me one moment my darling I know what you’d have me do Just take my hands in yours dear To hide their bloodstains Let me touch you With love one last time Before with death Don’t fret now love, I am here now No more suffering soon No more waiting for your peace You’ve strong enough You’ve been patience enough Let me take it all away Darling tell me just one more (last) time Before I let you rest (go) Close your eyes Rest your head And I’ll keep my promise Section 4: Artifact Ending/Cigarette Wife Entlang der Küste brechen die Wolkenwellen, Die rote Sonne versinkt hinter dem See, Die Schatten werden länger In Penrose. [Along the shore the cloud waves break, The red sun sinks behind the lake, The shadows lengthen In Penrose.] Seltsam ist die Nacht, in der schwarze Sterne aufgehen, Und seltsame Monde kreisen durch den Himmel Aber seltsamer ist es immer noch Verlorene Penrose. [Strange is the night where black stars rise, And strange moons circle through the skies But stranger still is Lost Penrose.] Lieder, die die Hyades singen werden, Wo flattern die Fetzen der Königin, Muss ungehört sterben Schwach Penrose [Songs that the Hyades shall sing, Where flap the tatters of the Queen, Must die unheard in Dim Penrose.] Lied meiner Seele, meine Stimme ist tot; Stirb du, unbesungen, wie unvergossene Tränen Soll trocknen und einsterben Verlorene Penrose. [Song of my soul, my voice is dead; Die thou, unsung, as tears unshed Shall dry and die in Lost Penrose.]

Yep, there's an actual Piano Collections arrangement, so I took the link prophetik gave and put it into the first post. I do appreciate the Distant Worlds arranged version also being referenced starting around 2:27. It's entirely possible to have an arrangement of an arranged album version make it on OCR, so this just happened not to be the case here. Co-signed with proph, this version's just way too close to the structure of the Piano Collections version to start. It's a great performance by Josh, however, IMO, this presentation doesn't stand enough apart from these arranged versions to pass our arrangement standards. From what I can tell, this premise, which is of course a lovely performance, just happens to be something that's not quite interpretive enough when contrasted with the pair of arranged versions being referenced. I hope we hear more from you though, Josh; your piano talents are right up our alley, so we'd love to feature something else from your VGM repetoire that carries more of your personality and arrangement approach in it. NO

The main melody kicked in at :31 and I love how sweeping the sounds are; arguably too loud, but I'm OK with what's there. I appreciated how it took until 2:33 to reference the very beginning of the source. Cool soundscape and an enjoyable treatment of the theme; there's elements of sadness, quirkiness, solitude, and loss for me. It feels like whatever feeling you want to find in it can be found. YES

It's a meaningful improvement in terms of adding some more interpretive arrangement ideas, so that's a nice step forward, Adrián. You certainly put some work into having this feel less repetitive. Unfortunately, the stiff timing of nearly everything is still a dealbreaker and will continue to be. The percussion changes up more often, but the track needs further padding to help mitigate the blocky feeling of this rigid timing. When you listen to the source tune, it doesn't sound anywhere near this stilted. The laughing/growling SFX at 3:21 sounds too clean and exposed; it needs some effects on it to have a more ominous sound and also not feel so stapled on top and out of place with the rest of the soundscape. The track also ended abruptly after the laughing, so there's no real resolution. IMO, humanizing the timing of the instrumentation would be the main hurdle. If there's any way you can do that, this would have a much better shot of passing. NO (resubmit)

Stamp of rubber. YES

Never heard Gary Moore's "The Loner" at all before, but I totally see how the backing synth chords have that VGM vibe. The whole track sounds like something that could have come out of a 90s Japanese arrangement album inspired by the 80s, and I'm on board. Hearing lots of light popping sounds all over this WAV, so I'm not sure if something got messed up in what we hosted or if Will's render was jacked up. Hopefully this can be fixed, because it's pervasive enough where I'm going to call this a conditional YES. Nice mileage out of this source! Arrangement-wise, it sounds awesome, and I hear the Gary Moore influence across the track. The guitar wails, I dig it. Classy extended fadeout as well. Would have loved to have heard a quick cameo of vocals like in "The Loner" to get the full effect; don't leave 'em hangin' like that! EDIT (1/24/24): Will says the pops are intentional, like a vinyl effect. There's no inherent problem with adding in crackling/popping SFX to create a more lo-fi aesthetic (see the intro of https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01312 which is 100x more overt). IMO, it just wasn't done properly here. They don't sound like any vinyl effect I've ever heard and don't sound good, they just sound like a big rendering error; potentially not noticeable on speakers/monitors, but hurting this on headphones. I'm a NO (resubmit) then, and if this passes as is, that's cool. EDIT (1/26/24): Wack crackles eliminated makes Larry a happy man. YES

Opens up sounding super basic/vanilla with these synths, but there's at least some good power. Melody comes in at :17, and this soundscape's flooded. Way too loud and mixed in a muddy way. The arrangement's not bad, but about a minute in we get to the Comic Bakery portion, and this was feeling like too much of a paint-by-number adaptation. It's got power behind it, but I'm wanting to hear more personality. At 2:11, we get to the Comic Bakery portion again, and it's just the same stuff being repeated with some very minor textural differences in the background. Right now, Bryan, it's just 3 playthroughs of a good-sounding sound upgrade, but after 1:45, you've effectively heard all of the track's ideas and all that's happening from then on is repetition. Any further attention given to varying up the instrumentation, melodies, rhythms, tempo, dynamics, etc. would help push this closer toward a YES. You've done it before with your DKC arrangement, so see what other arrangement techniques you can present here to more meaningfully develop this. NO (resubmit)

Opens up pretty loud. IMO, too loud so the levels should be pulled back, but I'll live. This overly loud presentation's part of why MW felt it had no dynamics; I don't agree with that but I see where he's coming from. He's also not wrong about the vinyl/crackling SFX being too loud, everpresent, and repetitive in a way that's distracting and detracting rather than spicing up the soundscape. To me, the track's still undercooked, but it's well in the right direction. Much like Alexis's previous sub, Super Mario RPG "Geno Hop", more variation in the backing instrumentation, more time to develop, and fashioning a real ending would help put this over the top, IMO. Good base here! NO (resubmit)

Heh. Not the most melodious take on the opening, yet I like how tense the build sounds. Heard an off note that was more a scrape at :54, but it was quickly forgotten. More ominous than the original, and good drive and momentum here during the densest parts thanks to Andrew's spirited playing. Dug the change into the more open and understated texture at 1:58. The tension didn't click for me 100%, but let's say it was 90%, and that's firmly on solid ground, IMO. Cool concept! YES

Dragon Warrior, something we don't get enough of 'round these parts. To me, the arrangement's solid, but the mixing's lossy-sounding or at least not sharp enough. There's a noticable quality disparity with the live parts vs. the sequenced elctric guitar in particular, starting at 1:45. MW said this sounded disjointed in terms of the genres; to me, it was just a progressive style, and I didn't mind that it moved around. The overworld melody was there in spades, but the presentation throughout was different enough to me due to the different instrumentation and textures. Nothing wrong with being ambitious if the musicianship and production are there, so I think MW's calibration is off. The flaws here were notable, and other more proficient Js can pull out way more, but I'm not hearing dealbreaker arrangement issues. Call me old fashioned, but I don't see a universe where this concept doesn't pass as is; if it doesn't, our bar is out of whack. YES

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

It's definitely not on OC ReMix, but it's a fun piece!