Liontamer

http://www.tzone.org/~llin/psf/packs2/FF7_psf.rar - 318 "You Can Hear the Cry of the Planet" Loud pops at :12, :19, :36, :44, 1:01, etc. Smaller, fainter pops elsewhere. Way too sloppy on the production to allow that kind of stuff, and it gets REALLY fucking annoying. If you can't fix glaring problems like that, don't send it here. Visit the ReMixing forums here and find out what's causing the problems there along with how to remedy them. Not a rip, so I won't NO Override, but this is just a cover with very minimal additions, like the guitar work coming in at 1:58. The guitar was so quiet, it didn't contribute enough to the picture whatsoever either melodically or in filling the sound. Better luck next crime. NO

http://www.zophar.net/gym/SK+SONIC3.RAR - 24 Sky Sanctuary Played this one in the X-Mas block for VGF44, and it was a very nice fit. The arrangement was conservative, though I generally liked what I heard on that level; no problems there. The main thing that was an issue here, one I was affected by moreso than DarkeSword, was that the performance could be a lot more cohesive-sounding. On account of that, I felt the piece was lacking in places on an emotive level. The tone of the piano sample itself was an issue with, as it made the presentation dry and plinky at times, instead of full and rich. If the performance was more polished, however, the tone of the piano sample might even enhance the piece, so (repeating myself) the piano tone could go well hand-in-hand with a more natural, flowing and cohesive performance. If you listen to JigginJonT's two versions of "Live from the Yggdrasil", even there you can hear how Jon's performance on the VGMix version was much more practiced & internalized than the OC ReMix version, achieving a more effective product in his eyes. Ultimately, that's what I feel this piece here needs. And that's not meant to be an insult like "this isn't OC material while the old Live from the Yggdrasil is", but I believe that some more attention to timing and realism would result in a much stronger performance. Excellent stuff so far, Bev. If it doesn't make it, I hope you can come back with a more masterful performance that shines. NO (refine/resubmit)

Jerad PMed me yesterday at Ormgas.com after I mailed him: Excellent. So getting back to my vote... http://www.tzone.org/~llin/psf/packs2/Xenogears_psf.rar - 215 "Omen" http://www.snesmusic.org/spcsets/ct.rsn - "Undersea Palace" (ct-3-08.spc) [:30 of the source] Good handling of the "Undersea Palace" theme at :50. The first 1:24 of the track is absolutely excellent on the rearrangement front. I liked the vox in the mix starting at 1:25, but going to :59 of "Omen" and trying to see if the note patterns were similar, it seems as if the vox work was all original, and not derived from the vox work in the source. This relies on the harp to handle all of the arrangement of Omen, so change the vox here a bit to incorporate ideas from the vox in Omen. I liked how Jerad increased the plucking on the harp from 2:32-3:06, with some arpeggiated activity though. That was more of what I would have liked to have heard on the rearrangement side. I liked the chord changes of "Omen" going on with the harp strings every 8 measures. Though they occured more frequently in this mix than in the source, those changes were also simply taken from the source nonetheless. This mix was a good example of keeping the same vibe as the source, while providing very expansive and logical original additions. But I felt the handling of "Omen" itself via the harp was too conservative, and that's what the base of the arrangement here was. At the core of the track, the harp strings handling the Omen melody needed to go a slightly more interpretive route. It's a hell of arrangement, and would easily fit as in-game music or on an arrange album, but again, I looked at the core component of it and found the harp (which is the only instrument even performing the source material from 1:24 until the end of the track) to not be offering enough on rearrangement. The other elements in this track sound excellent and are very Mitsuda-seque, but are all original additions not derived from the actual source material. After 1:24, if you took out the harp here, you wouldn't find a trace of the source material elsewhere; just stylistic similarities. I can't vote YES on mostly stylistic similarities. I don't wanna seem as if I didn't take Jerad's detailed PM into account, as I certainly did, and appreciated his reply greatly, but I gotta go NO (borderline) . Personally, I really enjoyed the track, and perhaps no one else will have the same reservations I had on the minimalism of the arrangement post-1:24, but that's how I saw this one. Thanks again to Jerad for replying back to me so quickly, and best of luck to him on the rest of the vote.

http://www.zophar.net/usf/lozusf.rar - 57 "Windmill Hut" Gotta love blind optimism from submitters. And it's not like I or other panelists enjoy going "OMGHAHAHA NO WAY 2 U!", but when you submit and your skills aren't up to snuff, you'd better keep the very real prospect of rejection in your mind (or lack thereof). So yeah, fix the timing issues from :14-:33, as your drums don't synch up well with the other elements in play. The Windmill Hut melody at 2:06-2:21 also has timing issues relative to your beats, and I can't believe you wouldn't be able to hear the timing issues there as well. And name the track something at least: "Windmill" doesn't count. Basically reverbed piano and some glassy synth playing the melody verbatim with da dance b33tz underneath it. Enjoyable track on some level, especially if you like the source tune, but you've gotta have something more creative on the table when it comes to the treatment of the source material; not just a straight playthrough with some quiet breaks and bustling crowd noise. So um, NO way...2 u...

http://www.snesmusic.org/spcsets/sm.rsn - "Brinstar Red Soil Swampy Area" (sm-20.spc) I'm certainly a fan of the source material, but this was too straightfoward of an arrangement to me. The sounds were nice, but it seemed reliant on the samples to do the brunt of the work. 1:18-1:43 seemed to have something going on the arrangement side, until things switched back to the source tune melody, only at a louder volume and some military drumming. Somehow though, the track didn't pick up any real steam, since the samples still seemed to have the same attack style despite the volume increase. I liked the vibe hear, but any rearrangement ideas were really underveloped, and while things came off as airy and laid-back, none of the louder parts carried off the intensity or fullness it sounded like you were going for in the second half. It's a keeper for me though, so I hope to hear more from you as you flesh out compositional ideas further and articulate your sounds more. NO

You stay away from my girlfriend, Karl with a K!

http://www.tzone.org/~llin/psf/packs2/Megaman8_psf.rar - 06 Stage select The theme in question is a 12-second loop. Surely, you could have done something more creative here on the arrangement side. The potential was there, since I at least heard some small expansive ideas being put into play, but otherwise this was no more than a cover with a dance kick at :57. No dice on that front. Besides, a 64kbps/22khz will never pass anyway. Meh all around. Shake shit up next time. NO

No need for the source tune here. The piano was GM-ish and very unnatural sounding. ... Those are some butt ugly synth guitar tones. Ass ugly. Some of the screeching noises in there almost sounded like pure feedback, which I didn't think was possible working with synths. Hope to God that wasn't real. Um...yeah, that's enough honestly. Should have snagged the form. Improve your hand at everything please. NO

http://www.snesmusic.org/spcsets/ed2.rsn - "Final Battle" (ed2-207.spc) I'm already very familiar with the source tune, since it was mixed by Arkimides in his excellent VGMix "Ticking Clocks", which I bugged Jaron about submitting, but it looks like we'll never see it. In any case, I'm definitely a fan of the source tune. Terrible plucked string sounds along with the drum programming and synth choices. No sound balance here as the source melody is totally obscured, though I wouldn't have wanted to hear it louder based on that awful electric guiar synth chosen for it. Whereas Ark's take on this theme was mostly a cover, there were lyrics and original section as well to provide expansion and interpretation. Unfortunately there were no creative or interpretive liberties taken on the arrangement whatsoever, and the added instrumentation was awful. Doesn't have a thing going for it. NO

http://www.zophar.net/nsf/ff1.zip - Track 1 Nah. It's the Prelude played in a straightforward manner on piano with some light drums, strings, as well as some like guitar and winds. I don't hate it, but it brings nothing interpretive to the table and isn't expansive enough. The sedate/laid back vibe was alright; somewhat enjoyable and the light guitar work reminded me of Ailsean's stuff on some level. Not bad though. Go for rearrangement in future submissions. And, you know...name the damn thing next time. NO

Everyone pay me $. Often. On account of the DJ training scheduled for this past Saturday being cancelled, I've decided to run that stuff from 5-8PM Monday night. Gotta put the station first. I'm definitely gonna be physically spent at the end of all that, since I'll be up for a while with no sleep, so I figure I have a better shot going for Tuesday, when I know I'll be well rested. So I'll be shooting for Tuesday at 6PM EST for VGF46. (Rescheduling always equals excitement.)

If y'all have a more workable suggestion for tomorrow's time, lay it on me, sirs and/or madames.

Sorry, sorry. Won't be a habit. Monday / 4PM EST.

http://www.zophar.net/nsf/castle~1.zip - Track 2 ("Bloody Tears") So fucking sick! Played this back on VGF43, and yea it was good. Just a nasty metal arrangement going full throttle with a good amount of energy and some welcome turns in the performance at 1:57 & especially at 2:14 going for the chorus and 2:46 with the arranged freestyle work. If you're not a VGMix regular, you're really missing out on Dennis's shit. My main gripe for this one was that Dennis's vocals were too soft compared to the music. Maybe the instrumentation is intended to take center stage here, but the vocals should have been louder to really pimp out the lyrics, not to mention the POWER! While this song played on VG Frequency, I recalled someone commenting that doing metal vocals doesn't require any talent, so someone's bound to say that in a review on this, but you try belting these lyrics out yourself and not destroying your vocal chords. It's not easy. I could have went for something new on the lyrics at 3:18, but the composition was nice and cyclical regardless; very nice structure and excellent ideas. Love it or hate it, it will kick you in the face. Not for the weak at heart. Always a pleasure talking to Dennis, and I hope this isn't the last mix we get from him. Keep 'em coming! YES

Well don't I look like a braggart. So the afformentioned ice storm managed to cause a lengthy power outage over at my apartment as well as much of the Atlanta area. So I didn't have time to prep a show. Let's do a late lunch tomorrow, as we do VGF46 at 4 PM EST. Hope to see j00 there.

6Y please. I'm not opposed to it passing, but don't wanna hear bitching about it without an extension.

U so hawt, Filk [sic]. But what's not so hawt? A 1 1/2-inch ice storm! Atlanta is covered in ice, so everything at Emory is cancelled...EXCEPT VG Frequency since I'm the fuckin' man. Tune in at 10PM EST for some radio show by some guy with some music. I heard it's good!

True he'd like to fix things, but he also needs help on doing it. Not that we're a referral service, so I don't mean we have to direct what he does next, but what's to be done with the mix in the meantime? I suppose we could withdraw it if Jean wanted to, just post the votes that were there, and wait for a resub. Stuff's been withdrawn from consideration before.

http://www.ttlg.com/other/jukebox/ss2.htm - MedSci1: Science Sector (:09-2:00), Operations D (2:11-2:45), Hydroponics B/C (2:34-4:03) & Engineering A: Coolant Tubes (4:03-4:37) Played this one on VGF39, so I was waiting for it to come our way for a while. I hate to come across as flippant and mean Dain zero disrespect, since I thought this was a good track for what it was, but this had absolutely no chance to meet guidelines as is, from my view. The arrangement was way too conservative and suffered from total medley-itis here, as this was nothing more to me than a stylized cover most of the time. Not creatively expansive enough with the additions and certainly not interpretive enough with the source material whatsoever. Not gonna bitch much about the sounds as they're weren't so bad, but it could definitely get grating at points. Gotta go beyond a mere genre adaptation, especially give the similar style of these originals; hell, you know that. I'm sure you feel this track went beyond that, but in all honesty, I'm not sure why you'd feel this could pass like this. Sorry, bro. Looking forward to whatever you've got next however. NO

Though the guitar synth will grate on some people, I had no big complaints on the sounds. I felt 2:22-3:18 was a little too gimmicky and felt somewhat sparse, relying on the voice to fill things out, which it didn't quite do. Small problem, ultimately. My main complaint was on the level of arrangement and the source tune usage. I'm gonna cobble together my observations from #judges with some additional thoughts. I didn't even hear the original in most of this. 2:22-3:47, I recognized the source use; the rest seemed 95% original/inspired by the style of the source tune. I would have thought I chose the wrong source tune somehow if Jimmy hadn't sent us a low-bitrate version of it himself. I tried to look for very liberal arrangement in there. I didn't find it, though I heard some notes from the opening of the source borrowed in a couple of places and placed in the back (:33-:35, :40-:42, :54-:56, 1:01-1:03, 1:08-1:10, 1:22-1:24, with more uses in the fuller section going until 2:22 though you can barely hear it at that point). In regards to the first 2:22 of BGC's mix, I listened to both the mix and the original and didn't hear one track's ideas present in the other. 2:22-3:18 of the mix compared right to 1:11-1:54 of the source; you can easily hear the connection there at least. Same with 3:19-3:47 to 1:54-2:44. Conservative arrangement for those sections yet pretty expansive in my opinion, which basically falls under the style of Jimmy last two OC mixes. I was just very confused as to where the overt source usage was for the opening 2+ minutes; I was looking for liberal arrangement as some sort of way to justify the first half here, and the connection just ain't there like it should be. If it's even there, it's not overt enough. Find a way to identifiably incorporate "Go Down" in the first 2 minutes of the track and resubmit. NO (rework/resubmit)

Having a fairly split vote on the mix certainly indicates that some aspects should be better, but as for cherry-picking an argument like "groove bias" just because this passed, it's bullshit. Groove-type tracks aren't a shoe-in here. Though they generally encourage debate, some submissions are taken, and some are not. Several issues criticizing "Dirty Sam" on 1) the level of source arrangement, 2) the reliance on beats to make the track, and 3) repetition were also levied on "Drop and Roll", yet many of panelists who voted on both were on different sides of YES & NO. "Groove bias," Ari says. Judgez luv tekno 2! I'm not the one who voted on tefnek's first mix with... If you wanna criticize the panel on groove bias, the least you could have done back when you were on it was to not write flimsy votes that LOOK like groove bias. Pick your battles when you actually have a case, Ari. Don't be such a hypocrite.

Well I'll be damned.

Compyfox is seeding both VGF44.99 & VGF45 together over at the VGF Torrent page, so I encourage you to please pick up the episodes that way and seed them if you can. Sorry for the wait on the playlist, chat log & MP3 (199MB/4hr50min). Pretty busy over here and so forth. Thanks to everyone who called in and those of you who stuck around to catch the full show especially. VGF44.99 & VGF45 couldn't literally cover everything I would have played in the last 6 weeks if I had been on the air at that time, but I hope I provided a fairly good representation of what came out. Props to Flik for providing the name of this week's ep as he signed off the air. Ha! Same time next week, boyz and/or girlz. VG Frequency #45: Touching My Soul with Your Manhood Larry Oji - WMRE (Emory University Student Radio; Atlanta, GA) Saturday, January 22, 2005 / 10:15 PM - 3:05 AM EST Liontamer f/Xerol Oplan, Compyfox, Daniel Baranowsky, Leifo, Flik & SgtRama ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. CHz f/Liontamer & D-Lux - VG Frequency "Glimmering Facade" Bumper 2. Kazunori Miyake & The New Japan Philharmonic - Resident Evil 1 "Special End Title" [bio Hazard Orchestra Album AST] 3. Capcom Sound Team - "Pints and Punks" [Final Fight 3 OST] 4. Taika - Shining in the Darkness "Down in the Dungeon Just Creatures and Me" [OC ReMix #1301] 5. DJ Potatoe f/The Crazy Crakaz - "Funk Out" [The DJ Potatoe Super Collection] 6. Ellywu - Chrono Trigger "Soaring Across Eternity" [VGMix2 #2910] 7. Corran - Megaman X6 "Forest of Shadows" [VGMix2 #3092] 8. Big Giant Circles - Metroid 2 "Anthem of a Metroid Hunter" [OC ReMix #1291] 9. Capcom Sound Team - "Smeared Graffiti" [Final Fight 3 OST] 10. Xerol Oplan goes over aspects of the in-progress Final Fantasy Tactics Remix Project, rough plans for Xerol's Quest, prospective remix submissions for OC ReMix including a resubmission of Final Fantasy II "Peace and Pandemonium" as well as a Final Fantasy X piano mix, plans for a Washington, DC OCR get-together, and the very practical reason for the creation of the FFT Remix Project [http://www.lggaming.com] 11. Fatty Acid - Final Fantasy 1 "Matoya no Fuuketsu" [VGMix2 #3150] 12. Darangen - Lufia 1 "Hero's Solace" [VGMix2 #3095] 13. Kevin Lau - Final Fantasy 7 "Aeris Lives" [OC ReMix #1295] 14. kLuTz - "A Fresh Start" [http://klutz.vgmidi.com] 15. OverCoat - "Boyhood Wish" [ubo's Restaurant] 16. Ziwtra - Final Fantasy Adventure "Gifts of Mana" [OC ReMix #1303] 17. Capcom Sound Team - "Law and Disorder" [Final Fight 3 OST] 18. Compyfox braves a cold as he calls in really, really (really) early in the morning from Germany to plug the VG Frequency torrent collection, his post-production work for the SoundTempest original thematic album "Aura & Omen" (as well as Trenthian's OC ReMixes), a tentative release date for Aura & Omen, and a request for copies of older VGF episodes [http://www.studio-compyfox.de] 19. BT & Jan Johnston f/SuperGreenX - "Communicate (SGX Mix)" [http://www.supergreenx.com] 20. DarkeSword - Metroid Prime 2 "Torvus Clockwork" [VGMix2 #3124] 21. Shael Riley - VG Frequency "Reaching Out To The Ethnics" Bumper 22. Gwilym Wogan - "then she realises it's midnight and she's locked herself out" [the meinpenis zeitgeist] 23. Captain Tortilla - "Oblivion Hunter Zee" [Cold] 24. zircon - "Arsenal" [http://www.zirconstudios.com] 25. Capcom Sound Team - "Explosive Situation" [Final Fight 3 OST] 26. "Uncle Martin" from Joisey reminds Larry not to forget his family before revealing himself as the street smart Daniel Baranowsky; Dan's clears up the confusion for those out there who thought he was Beatdrop, and proceeds to profess his...um...affection for Aurora before telling some classy jokes, mentioning his new website, quoting Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, singing Katamari Damacy's "Lonely Rolling Star", disavowing knowledge of [censored], and asking Larry to be more proactive on controversial issues [http://www.therighteous.net] 27. Star Slazman - Xenogears "Odin's Wrath" [VGMix2 #3080] 28. zykO - Crack Down "4:20 AM" [OC ReMix #1294] 29. Ziwtra - Soukaigi "Aftershock" [OC ReMix #1284] 30. The Fat Man & Team Fat - Wing Commander 1 "Wing Theme Surf" [OC ReMix #1296] 31. Capcom Sound Team - "Heavy Hitters" [Final Fight 3 OST] 32. Leifo's trapped in Joisey under a foot and a half of snow, but he's coasting and goes over how easily his latest original "Enter My World" came together, along with some talk on other material out on both Leifo.com & bLiNd's TheBrailRoom.com, "In the Distance" appealing to the ladies, and hunkering down in the blizzard with a 24-pack [http://www.leifo.com] 33. Kentarou Haneda - Sorcerian "Where We Meet ~ Underworld ~ The Dark Swamp" [symphony Sorcerian AST] 34. GrayLightning - Chrono Trigger "Sacratus Bellator" [OC ReMix #1288] 35. Israfel - Pac-Man 1 "Glass Cage" [VGMix2 #3065] 36. po! - My Neighbor Totoro "totoro's groove" [http://www.wushuplaya.com] 37. Capcom Sound Team - "For Metro City" [Final Fight 3 OST] 38. Flik is in full Detective mode as he prepares to record part 2 of his self-produced audio drama series "The Detective", but he stops to reminisces on the brief glory of his Zelda 3 mix "Kakariko Prom" and the lengthy misery of everything going wrong over at North Dakota's Fox affiliate station KVRR earlier in the week ("King of the Hill - Tonight at 5:30 on FOX!"), along with the inactivity of his website; "Damn that Dr. P!" [http://www.vagstudios.com] 39. Joshua Morse - Parasite Eve 1 "Mitochondriatic Phase" [http://www.joshuamorse.com] 40. Shnabubula - "Naughty Oaf Isle" [P Senior] 41. Suzumebachi - "Industry of Paradox" [http://www.liquidhive.tk] 42. EgM - Golden Sun "Sol Sanctum Guitar" [VGMix2 #3028] 43. Philip Ulrich & Stéphane Picq - "Wake Up" [Dune Spice Opera: Exxos OST] 44. Capcom Sound Team - "Inner Sanctum" [Final Fight 3 OST] 45. "Grandpa Joe" is suffering some interesting ailments, so enjoy his senile antics as he acts all crotchety [http://www.therighteous.net] 46. Trademark f/RichBRF & Binster - "Burn (Fire Escape Mix)" [http://www.brfuk.com/rich & http://www.abandonedsheep.com] 47. jdproject - "Wake Up" [The Ken Song EP] 48. Leifo - "Enter My World" [http://www.leifo.com] 49. Capcom Sound Team - "Straight to the Top" [Final Fight 3 OST] 50. SgtRama pitchs ideas for pr0n; the upcoming Duck Hunt: RoFL show was brought up, but let's not forget the real selling point of this call: "Pirate Dick" & "Dick on Dick Action"; Yarrrrr, matey! [http://sgtrama.no-ip.com] 51. Captain Tortilla - "Stay Frosty" [Cold] 52. TO - Lagoon "Tropic Lodge Lagoon" [The People's Remix Competition v2-6] 53. Malcos - "You Cannot Have Both of Us" [http://urbanizm.thebigshot.com] 54. The C64 Mafia - "I'd Like to Be Your Enemy" [R:K:O #2552] 55. Dale North - Super Hang-On "Outride a Crisis" [The Very Best of Sega] 56. Capcom Sound Team - "Down and Out" [Final Fight 3 OST] 57. po! & zykO - Metal Gear 1 "Venom" [VGMix2 #2930] 58. goat - CastleVania 3 "Kick That Sinking Feeling" [unchosen Paths / Dwelling of Duels: Free Month (December 2004) / VGMix2 #2660] 59. Ryan8bit - King's Quest 5 "Forlorn Dream" [Dwelling of Duels: Free Month (December 2004) / VGMix2 #3068] 60. Capcom Sound Team - "Sunny Skies" [Final Fight 3 OST] 61. Capcom Sound Team - "Free and Clear" [Final Fight 3 OST] 62. CHz f/D-Lux - VG Frequency "Purple Monkey Dishwasher (Take 2)" Bumper

Been contacting Jean re: the submission. Anyone have a recommendation as to where we could/should go from here? Perhaps someone would want to touch it up via a collab if Dave & us absolutely won't take it in this form. Also need more votes.

The inclusion of vocal clips (George H. W. Bush and a Russian anchorwoman speaking) is gonna be hit or miss depening on who you ask. It was a miss with me, though I appreciate the Russian clip. Moving more along :32 where the music seems to get started, I liked the ambient strings and female vox here. Things stayed pretty lush until 1:14 when that pipe entered in. Still retaining a good vibe, though nothing really dealing with the source material yet. Source finally comes in at 1:46. Pretty interesting cover of it, before moving into some new (though very liberal) rearrangement at 2:10. The track continues with the liberal rearrangement approach at 2:34, and I'm just not hearing enough of a direct connection with the source material. Heard a brief reference at 2:56, but otherwise, this didn't pick back up on the source material until 3:15. The track consists of original material to open things, then verbatim coverage of the source tune melody, followed by arrangement that's actually too liberal, in my opinion, to pass. The sounds are all pretty good anyway. Sans the opening vocals, it sounds like a very logical fit in a Metal Gear Solid game as an ending theme nonetheless. Binnie's right in that the female vocals are mixed low, and the track in general should be a bit louder. I agree with Israfel on the track seeming too short. The dropoff at 3:38 came about very suddenly, and it actually felt as if though several minutes were lopped out of the track before the very end, which also closed very quickly. Didn't mind the linear development of the piece, but I ask that more interpretive yet recognizable things be done with the source tune for the arrangement here. Don't just create a MGS-style track with brief usage of the theme. Please don't lose site of the big picture of substantially reinterpreting the Metal Gear Solid Main Theme. A lot of the reviews at VGMix had great things to say about this, but I hope you're not discouraged over the NOs here. At this rate, Chris, you'll be posted eventually, as you've been attempting to develop your skills further. Keep up the progress, and feel free to resubmit this one with any revisions you feel would benefit the piece. NO (revise/resubmit)