Liontamer

http://www.snesmusic.org/spcsets/ff6.rsn - "Kefka" (ff6-108.spc) & "Wild West" (ff6-117.spc) [1:42-1:52] Good stuff that I played for VGF44. Definitely with Israfel here; pretty academic decision. Digging the constant thematic changes at 1:12, 2:03, 2:23 & 3:06. Nice reference to "Wild West" at 1:42 as well. Good job going for the Elfman vibe once again, though I'm interested in hearing some more electronic stuff in the future, since I like that stuff from you as well. Trite lil' ending there, but otherwise I'm feelin' it. Excellently varied rearrangement with quality imagery that fits the mix title well. I see where Izz is coming from on the structure being disorienting, as this doesn't stay in one place for too long, though I liked it. YES

http://www.snesmusic.org/spcsets/ct.rsn - "Peaceful Day" (ct-1-04.spc) http://www.ocremix.org/detailmix.php?mixid=OCR00873 - "Town Life in Piano" I compared this with kLuTz's version just to make sure the differences in arrangement were there. The mix here is in mono, but it doesn't matter. Just pointing that out as well. The performance style was the same from :46 until the end and the arrangement just meandered around until the end, making it hard to grasp the direction of things. I felt it needed more focus there. The lack of variation in the performance beyond :46 also kept the arrangement too similar for too long, especially for so short of a track. By 1:33, I felt like the piece was just retreading itself thematically. Change the flow with another subtle alteration in your playing style, like you did with the switch in tempo at :46. It's one of the same strategies kLuTz used in his own mix to keep things fresh. I'm hoping something can be done to eliminate some of the hissing as well with a little post-production, as well. Geoffrey's a name I've been hearing more and more about in the past few months. I don't doubt he has the skills to make it here, but I don't feel this is the piece that'll do it. NO

Rise of the Star; good choice, bros. Keep up the progress so I have stuff to play on the air soon.

HAHAHAHAHA! I have to admit, that's one of the most interesting reviews I've ever read for a remix. "This made me physically ill." Yeesh.

I've heard some of Vurez's material before off VGMix and have played it on VGF. I'm sure we'll see him posted one day, but it won't be with this. I think the opening lead synth (:00-:18) was really poorly chosen, despite the fact that Don was trying to emulate the Turbo style as it were. Wasn't a big fan of the synth electric guitar here, but that may be a personal choice, so it didn't affect my judgement. Most of the elements here lacked enough clarity and distinction; the sound was pretty cluttered most of the time. It was mostly reinstrumentation that I heard, though I'd hazard to say if it were a sound "upgrade"; I honestly felt the original was better. Heard some brand new ideas at 2:15 finally, and those basically lasted until the end. This still came off as too conservative of an arrangement. It retained the tempo and feel of the original so much that there was nothing present that particularly distinguished it from the source tune itself. This needs more personal flair and interpretation that what you've got right now, as well as clearer sounds. NO

Season 4 will soon kick off. I plan on taking a bunch of material from the past 5 weeks of my winter break and doing episodes #44.99 & #45. I've been reminded that I need to do the Duck Hunt: RoFL show still, and that's definitely something I still wanted to do. Certainly looking for bumpers to open up season 4 with. I've got a great one from Shael Riley in particular that's pretty hot. Keep an eye out for a show a little bit later in the week, as episode #44.99 will be the Season 4 preview show. Hope to see a bunch of you there.

Don't have the source tune available to me, but I recognize it from Fray's take on the theme, "Fear Not". Once more elements come in at 1:00, this sounded like a cluttered mess. I'd have given it the form letter myself because of the lack of arrangement. Didn't do a damn thing to incorporate much of the source tune, that's for sure. A huge letdown after the first 30 seconds. It was just the same couple of bars repeating over and over again with various generic trance material stapled on. You're young; you'll look back on this one and laugh, that's about all I can say. NO

http://www.snesmusic.org/spcsets/sd2.rsn - "What the Forest Taught Me" (sd2-15.spc) Vig gave an excellent breakdown of the problems. Definite beginner sounds to it the whole way through. Retreading your steps with new instrumentation won't get you very far. The arrangement wasn't very engaging; I'm probably biased because I hate the original (ugh, so bad), but the fact is that this could have been half as long given the amount of ideas presented. The notes from 2:42-3:19 didn't sound right at all. Keep on learning. NO

http://www.snesmusic.org/spcsets/sd3.rsn - "Female Turbulence" (sd3-2-05.spc) First impression - too much reverb. It thickened up the sound, but the track was washed out to me. Despite the reverb, the presentation oftentimes felt empty, as the instruments didn't do a great job of filling the space. Just as I said that, an electric guitar synth and a new lead came in at 1:52 and everything got very cluttered and messy. Can't articulate it well enough, but I did NOT like how the guitar is attempted to be used as an integral part of the background. The note movements are very unnatural and it sounds like a different instrument would have functioned better in its place. I liked the synth choice for the breakdown at 2:34. With the strings filling the space in the back, this was a nice way to fill things out yet remain minimalist. The pattern there dragged on too long though. Hearing this track shifting around between ethnic style instrumentation, orchestration, and faux-metal guitar, it seemed like it has an identity crisis. When some of the styles were combined, it definitely wasn't workin'. Too long, too muddy, too unfocused. The arrangement effort was there, but it doesn't come across as structured enough. Keep on improving, Dan. NO

http://www.noderunner.net/~llin/psf/packs/FFX-2_psf2.rar - 101 "Eternity ~Memory of Lightwaves~" Pretty cool stuff for what it's worth. A little too subdued for my tastes, but it offered something different. Not really my thing, as I don't really go for the boom-tss stuff, but that doesn't affect my judgement. Some of the sounds were basic/generic, but the combinations worked fairly well. I could see why DarkeSword wanted a stronger lead than the belltones here, as they sometimes struggle to be heard prominently during fuller parts of the track. Nonetheless, the sound balance was where it needed to be. Very stylish arrangement here; the length of the intro given the overall length of the track was excellent. I wouldn't have let the track come to a complete stop at 3:33 as it exposes your samples. Pretty much my only real nitpick there. Good effort, Andrew, and a good introductory mix if you make it. I could certainly see this one get challenged though. Nonetheless, your persistence in enhancing your skills has been paying off. You've certainly been improving, and I hope you keep it up beyond this mix. YES

http://www.zophar.net/gbs/ffa.zip - Track 1 [:00-:50] http://www.snesmusic.org/spcsets/sd3.rsn - "Angel's Fear" (sd3-3-12.spc) [:51-2:07] I don't know/recognize the second half of the mix, but it's probably safe to say that this has medley cover-itis. I'd appreciate if another judge that's more familiar could verify that, but I can't say it's necessary in order to judge this. The percussion was too basic for the most part, and wasn't really integrated with the rest of the music. It functioned more as a beatkeeper, but that wasn't a particularly interesting role. You just gotta provide more with the overall package nowadays. Sorry, Steve. NO

http://exotica.fix.no/tunes/archive/C64Music/Hubbard_Rob/Zoids.sid - Subtune 1/3 The SID lasts about 3:45 if you guys wanna listen to it the whole way through before it repeats. Basically a cover at a slightly faster tempo. I'd say submit it to R:K:O instead. This had the same problem I also had with your previous submission from Thrust. The structure was the same for the most part, and the arrangement was too conservative. You changed up the feel a little bit compared to the source and presented some new ideas in places, but this was still basically a cover. That doesn't mean it's a crappy track, but there aren't many creative liberties taken here. NO

http://exotica.fix.no/tunes/archive/C64Music/Follin_Tim/Gauntlet_III.sid - Subtune 2/2 Dammit. I loved this track to death on VGMix and played it on VGF33 when I was doing makeup shows. I figured whatever changes made here would be an improvement, but I'm gonna have to say NO on this. The arrangement of the source tune is excellent. I like most of the additions, and the beats are hot. But the source melody, which was somewhat muted but more apparent in the the VGMix version, is really driven to the back of the track here; even the new synth that handles the mix's melody isn't enough of a presence to me. Rather, the beatwork seems to dominate over the top of everything else. From :19-:37, you can barely even hear it. A new synth joins in at :37 to handle melody as well, but again, it doesn't register much with me. The melody of the breakdown from :57-1:13, which I thought was the coolest part of the mix, got obscured by the additions put in. Not really feeling the new section from 1:33-1:50. 1:50-2:09 was the same style of thick stuff that Binster used in ICO "Icon", which I would have NOed on those grounds and asked for a resubmission if I was on the panel way back when. Maybe others may have the same problem as me, maybe not; this works for its style, sure. I'd certainly contact Martin and ask him to adjust the balance here if desired. I don't wanna seem as if I don't like the track or am NOing simply because it's different from the VGMix version. Martin, though infrequent with releases, is one of the more exciting members of the community to listen to. But I've gotta push for a resubmission here to make the melody, as done in the first version, a more prominent & integral part of the track. I don't use emoticons much, but damn. NO (borderline/please resubmit)

http://www.zophar.net/gym/SK+SONIC3.RAR - 18 Flying Battery Zone 1 Though the ending was very trite, the arrangement was pretty good; good vibe and nice ideas, though conservative in some places. Unfortunately, the performance here was excessively mechanical with a lack of attention to velocities. This MIDI-grade stuff doesn't sound realisitic in the slightest. You seem to have the theory knowledge, but need to learn how to apply realism to a sequenced piece. I'll leave it to the musicians to tell you how to go about improving the presentation here, but you can certainly turn to the ReMixing forum for help on that as well. If it's too daunting at the moment to get more knowledgeable & fix the problems here yourself, you may want to develop sheet music for the piece and contact a pianist to perform it if you don't play yourself or don't have access to actually recording a live performance. NO

The arrangement was too conservative and repetitive, the percussion samples came off as too basic and beginner-ish (nice substitution for "very amateur," yes?), and the multiple cymbal shots and orchestral stabs were really tacky. I liked the sound used for the lead though. Stay dedicated toward improvement and you'll come up with better material in the future. NO

The other NOs covered it, especially DarkeSword who gave an excellent checklist. YESing this mix would have been a mess. This was a great performance by Jilly on the vocals, but we're looking for more interpretive ideas beyond a cover with minor instrumental additions and the verbatim Grand Finale arrangement lyrics. I'm looking forward to hearing Jilly's Zelda 64: Ocarina of Time mix, which offhand I couldn't say would be accepted in the WIP stage I heard it in. But it'll certainly be interesting for us nonetheless. And I wanna remind everyone out there, including M1lesTeg, that when you pick a remixer handle, don't pick some stupid nickname you'll be ashamed of in a few years time. C'mon, you're basically stuck with it if you get posted here. Better luck next crime, young lovers. NO

http://www.zophar.net/gbs/tetris.zip - Track 2 ("Korobushka") Just judging from the sound of it (which is actually pretty good anyway), this may have been recorded off a tape, not unlike Jaroban's classic Super Mario Bros. Medley (LIVE). Perhaps not, but reasonable sound quality all things considered. I'm all for giving these guys the best likelihood to be noticed if they're posted. List them as the "East Haven High School Yellow Jacket Marching Band". Research on 'em checks out, though I'm surprised there isn't more information about them around. The track title should be different from the source tune name, BTW, which it isn't. Pretty short (about 2 mins of actual performance), and the recording could be more balanced regarding the instrument levels. Good arrangement ideas as well as original additions that work well, and the performance is generally good, but could be better. The brass from 1:16-1:39 was tepid (1:26-1:27 in particular sounded flat). I didn't mind the overall intensity there being low so as to provide contrast. Just saying that the performance for that portion could have been a little tighter and more energetic. Overall though, I liked the arrangement ideas and a major majority of the performance came off well. I wish the ending didn't cut off so quickly after the performance was over, as the crowd reaction would have been good to hear. Heh. Never thought I'd YES something from...'Staven. Shit, do I feel dirty. New Haven, baby. Represent. YES

http://www.zophar.net/gym/SK+SONIC3.RAR - 34 "Special Stage" The sounds came off pretty flat and could have been fuller and more expressive. The arrangement effort was there, but was too conservative. The original composition ideas were good, but I would have liked to have heard other additional ideas like that interwoven with the source tune arrangement. As it stands, there's no interplay between source arrangement and your own additions. The ending was incredibly lame & "I-give-up"-ish. Make a real one please. This would be worth a resubmission if more solid time is invested. NO

http://exotica.fix.no/tunes/archive/C64Music/Daglish_Ben/Terramex.sid - Subtune 1/9 The first 2 minutes or so was a sound upgrade with additions. Fine approach for a SIDtune, but it needs to be a hell of an upgrade to make it here. Arrangement was decent on the whole, I suppose. The drum support had nothing behind it at some points. 3:25-onward was a good example. The changeup at 1:53 nearly sounded like indiscriminant notes, and the organ-style synth joining in at 2:17 was just as aimless. Some will bitch at me, but just because the source tune was structured like this doesn't mean you should retain that structure. The new lead joining at 2:29 was terrible. Great...SMASH THE CYMBALS A LOT AT 2:41 IN ORDER 2 RAWK! It's tacky. I heard the rest, but that's basically enough commentary for now. I haven't heard mixing and production this sloppy in a long time on the panel. I've heard worse, mind you, but this was still frustrating. The potential's there for the artist to improve, but this was just poorly put together. NO

http://www.zophar.net/nsf/megaman3.zip - Track 13 ("Woodman Stage") Make the track longer. If and when you do, be sure to develop further arrangement ideas instead of just repeating the same ones. Like Dan mentioned, the drum kick becomes annoying after a while. Production is alright, though most of the instruments moosh together, while the melody lack clarity at times. Go for the resubmission. NO

http://www.snesmusic.org/spcsets/ff6.rsn - "Aria de Mezzo Carattere" (ff6-208.spc) Have to check arrange albums and so forth before we get hasty on this. Where did they obtain the lyrics? The fact that they found them on the internet screams out that they're taken from some sort of arranged version. We need more information than what they gave. We'll be checking out the Final Fantasy: Grand Finale & Orchestral Game Concert 4 versions to see how close this is to those arranged tracks.

http://www.snesmusic.org/spcsets/ff6.rsn - "Battle Theme" (ff6-105.spc) Yep. This absolutely got dumbed down for the genre, and the samples are weak; no power behind these sounds at all. Not much done on the arrangement side; obviously some things there, but not enough. Doesn't need to be 5:29 that's for sure, as it's not even remotely creative enough. When the piano and string work (beyond the 4 minute mark) is the highlight of a trance track, that's poorly-made trance. It's nice that you just started making music and all, but you won't be good enough to submit stuff until you subtantially improve for an extended period of time. NO

http://www.snesmusic.org/spcsets/ct.rsn - "Corridors of Time" (ct-3-04.spc) & "Chrono Trigger (part 1)" (ct-1-02a.spc) [1:16-1:43] The arrangement of the source melody itself is way too basic. This track changes some notes/keys, but beyond that, it feels like the original plus drums, effects & etc from :36 onward. The performance, in regards to the acoustic guitar synth, needs some work. Not enough dynamics here, as coming out of the string solo area at 3:48, the intensity is the same as what was started at 1:45. Arrangement needs a ton of work relative to the site standards; direct your energy toward making the arrangement more creative & unique compared to the original. NO

http://www.zophar.net/gbs/cv1.zip - Track 1 Heard WIPs of this one a while back. The sounds were pretty basic on the whole. The drums entering in :07 lacked any power behind them and sounded too fake; they didn't fill up the space particularly well, so as you listen to the mix, it sounded somewhat empty. There were only 2 alternating patterns for the percussion; needed more thought put into it. The synth on melody at :30 was generic as well and a poor choice. The sound choices at large turned me off to the track as a whole; not to just bag on the track, as it wasn't absolutely terrible, but this was an example where a lot of elements could be in play, yet the track felt empty-sounding despite the clutter. If you want to make the best of generic sounds and samples, the arrangement is really going to have to be exceptional, and the production and performance have to be well executed. I could hear arrangement here, but in terms of the melodic progressions, it was pretty conservative. 6:19? Y'all are getting pretty zealous for a remix here that doesn't have that many ideas in it. Needed much more variation and dynamic contrast if it was gonna go this long. This could easily have been half that length. The breakdown at 5:39 could been much earlier. Keep learning, bros. NO

Just pointing out that all these suggestions so far are lame.