Liontamer   Judges ⚖️

Lovely arrangement, conservatively structured with an expansive instrumentation approach, including the vocals. Anything reminiscent of a Yoko Kanno/Ghost in the Shell style is all good with me. I could see how the glitching would make someone feel it wasn't necessary, but to me it's a minor and fleeting element, and you can hear the music maintain its integrity while it's happening, so I'm surprised MW would reject it for that. Glitch away, chief! YES

You can still vote on it.

The track was 5:15-long, so I needed to identify the theme for at least 157.5 seconds for the source material to be considered dominant in the arrangement. :14.25-:32.5, :34-1:00.5, 1:02-1:25.5, 2:15-3:03.75, 3:29.5-3:40.5, 4:27-4:59, 5:03.5-5:05, 5:09.5-5:14 The timestamping was way over for me, so no qualms there. prophetik mentioned leaning on the soloing to invoke the source; I don’t mind how referencing the source is done as long as it’s observable and dominant. Something about the drums felt plain; I liked the kicks having a meatier sound, but they were too loud compared to everything else, which probably made them sound a bit plainer than intended. Sounds like all the high-end sharpness was gone, and the performance sounds distant. That said, the performances are otherwise very expressive, the arrangement’s very interpretive and personalized, and the mixing's still solid in that I can make out the parts fairly cleanly, so I'm down. Hell of a party here! YES

Thanks for the arrangement breakdown, Guillaume. How elegant! YES

Extra vote, but wanted to throw my stamp of approval on it. The sampled vocals added a nice level of complexity to the arranged theme, and was a nice way to also personalize an otherwise conservative arrangement approach, certainly a valid technique here. You could argue the vocals were noodling around, yet the combination worked well. 1:50 got a little more expansive with the strings brightening up and more ornamentation being brought in before taking a darker turn at 2:15. I do wish the bass writing and the source melody would have cut through more from 2:15-on, but both parts did at least quietly register, and then cut through better starting around 3:15. Feels very much like an approach HoboKa could have taken with this theme, a nice example on how to effectively retain the structure of a source tune and personalize the soundscape with new instrumentation and vocal additions. Maybe H36T didn't bring the literally heat, because this isn't some super intense take, but they've got the pensive game down! YES

Link to the Submission: Contact Information: Submission Information: Source breakdown: Song Comments:

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ReMixer name: jnWake, minusworld. Name of game(s) arranged: Gunman Clive 2. Name of arrangement: High Clive. Name of individual song(s) arranged: Fight On, from here https://arnehrberg.bandcamp.com/album/gunman-clive-2-original-soundtrack . Link to arrangement: . More stuff from Dwelling of Duels! This one is a remix I wrote for Wild West month in June 2023. The point of that month was to make a theme from a wild west theme and I figured almost everyone would make something that sounded very wild west-ish so I went in the opposite direction and just did a prog. metal track. I recruited minusworld from DoD to play guitars and bass and his parts added a lot to make this mix more powerful. The guitar solos in particular are sick! Anyway, regarding the arrangement, it's mostly very similar to the source. The original song is extremely frantic, high tempo and rarely stays on the same section for too long. I kept the parts more or less the same than the original but took the tempo down and gave each section more time to breathe, which changed the vibe to a more "epic" one rather than the frantic vibe of the original. Gunman Clive series is a pretty unknown one so it was fun to cover it and give it some deserved spotlight. DoD liked this track so I hope you guys do as well! Source usage: 0:00-0:11: This is directly based on the source's intro, with a repetition and slight changes. 0:11-0:22: Surprise chiptune! I thought it'd be funny to start very metal and shift to this. This section is directly based on the part that comes right after the intro in the original. 0:22-0:33: The same but now with the "metal" instruments. 0:33-0:55: This is based on the section that comes right after on the source. The main changes I did where two: first, I heavily slowed the main melody, giving it a more epic feel (obligatory strings help that); second, I slightly altered the melody on the second repetition for more variation. 0:55-1:07: Once again, I followed the source's order and this section is based on what comes after the previous section. I didn't really change the melodies chords here. 1:07-1:11: As usual, just the next section of the source but with my interpretation. 1:11-1:18: Intro repeat! 1:18-1:45: I got more creative here with source reinterpretation here. The guitar riff is based on the intro riff, keeping the F-E-higher E "melody" and using it to create a new riff with a fun (IMO) rhytm. Brass and chiptunes enter later to transition into the next section. 1:45-2:37: Solos! The backing riff on the guitars is another variation of the intro, but it's now high E-F-E and each 4 bars end with a phrase from the intro as well. This section is heavily Symphony X inspired so I did my best Michael Pinella impression with the synth patch. 2:37-3:00: This section is based on the same melody as the chiptune part, but the chord progression is changed for more of a "build-up" feel. 3:00-3:22: This is a repetition of the 0:33 section, but the second repetition ups the tempo and changes the chord progression to become the "climax" of the song. There's also some differences in the lead guitar to accomodate for the new chord progression. 3:22-3:33: Basically a repetition of 0:55. 3:33-3:40: Basically a repetition of 1:07 but with an additional chiptune part. 3:40-3:46: Ending, based on the part of the source that plays before it loops.

Just have the YouTube of 2010's original version of the source; if we can find it, we'll update it with 2021's v.122 version, but this should be enough to compare with the arrangement -LT OCR judges, I’ve been sitting on this one for too long. It’s time to submit it! Contact Information • ReMixer name: heymagurany • Real name: Matt Magurany • Email: • Website: http://matt.magurany.us • User ID: 34365 Submission Information • Game arranged: NieR Replicant Ver. 122474487139... • Name of arrangement: The Forest of Roc • Songs arranged: The Lost Forest • Composer: Keiichi Okabe This is my track from the excellent Pixel Mixers NieR tribute album, NieR:Rearranged. Don’t tell anyone, but I forgot that I signed up for this song until a week before it was due! I was determined to meet that deadline so I learned, arranged, tracked, and mixed this song in a single week! I need to channel that “deadline energy” more often! To be fair, I had the arrangement in my head from the first moment I heard the song and it’s a pretty straight-forward one so there you go. Oh and the deadline was extended, so I had a little more time to mix it. This was the first time that I listened to an OST for a game that I never played. I think Spotify randomly shuffled one of the songs into a playlist and I immediately queued the OST for both NieR Gestalt/Replicant and Automata. I had to make an arrangement of one of the songs, but I just didn’t know how to take something so perfect and shape it into a rock song (since that’s my thing). When NieR Replicant Ver. 122... was released, it was at the same time that I finally got a PS5 and decided it would be the first game I would play to break in the system. You know - a remake of a 10-year old game is perfect for state-of-the-art hardware, right? It wasn’t until I entered the desert area and I heard “The Lost Forest” in-game (yeah it’s in the desert area - if you played the game, you know) that I could hear a rock arrangement in my head. So here it is! Oh right. I did spell “Roc” correctly. Again, play the game. Matt Magurany

ReMixer Name: zackparrish Real Name: Zack Parrish Email Address: Website: zackparrish.com User ID: 29013 Name of game(s) arranged: Yoshi's Island DS Name of arrangement: Sunny Side Up Name of individual song(s) arranged: Wildlands Composer: Yutaka Minobe Original Track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1WRdT8n5AQ Comments: This track is kind of old now... and was done for Harmony of Heroes. I... don't remember much about the inspiration for the direction I went either. I know it was fun to write this arrangement and I put a lot of effort into the programming of all the parts. Anyway... the style is way out of left field for me so hopefully you enjoy hearing something different from me.

Hello OCR. I tried submitting in the past (we're talking 17 years ago here) and my stuff was judged not good enough. In retrospect, it wasn't. I like to think that I've gained some experience since. Since then, I've been doing my own thing on my Youtube channel and I've gained quite the little following, considering I'm pretty focused on the same franchise (Phantasy Star). Time and again, people have been telling me "Man, you need to submit your stuff to OCR". So let's try this again, maybe we'll connect this time. If we do, I'll have some 15 more pieces to submit for your archives. If it doesn't work, well, at least we'll have tried. Here's my second latest. (My latest is 23 mins long so I don't think you want to evaluate that) Contact Information Your ReMixer name: Aeroprism Your real name: Sébastien Your email address: Your website(s): www.nekoprism.com Your userid: aeroprism Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged: Phantasy Star 4 Name of arrangement: One last time Name of individual song(s) arranged: "End of the Millennium" (mainly) and "Age of Fables" (support) Additional information about game including composer, system, etc: Pretty sure you got all this covered by now. If not: System is Sega Genesis, Composers are Izuho Numata (End of the Millennium) and Masaki Nakagaki (Age of Fables). Link to the original soundtrack (if it is not one of the sound archives already available on the site): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kwXB_S5oYc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r4Ms3eE-k0 Your own comments about the mix: PS4 is turning 30 years old this year, considering I'm intensely involved in the PS fandom, I wanted to celebrate and make something special, so I remixed the intro and somewhere along the way, inspiration led to emotions and this lovely piece came to life. I personally love it very, very much. I wish you an excellent day, I look forward to your experienced feedback. -Aeroprism

Your ReMixer name: Crashlander Your real name: Attila Geczy Your email address: Your website(s): https://linktr.ee/crashlander Your userid: 38711 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged: Super Hexagon Name of arrangement: Crashlander: Focus [Chipzel cover] Name of individual song(s) arranged: Focus Additional information about game including composer, system, etc.. game is available on PC, Android, iOS, cult-hit from Terry Cavanagh, music is from Chipzel, legendary Irish chiptune producer. Link to the original soundtrack (if it is not one of the sound archives already available on the site): https://chipzelmusic.bandcamp.com/album/super-hexagon-ep 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. Post-hardcore cover of Super Hexagon's Focus with vocals in style of Funeral for a Friend, Thrice, etc. Happy 10th anniversary SH, cheers for Niamh! As Super Hexagon is in it's 10th anniversary, and Chipzel's banger (Focus) screamed for this, we covered the song in style of our favourite post hardcore bands with Crashlander (project modern rock band from Hungary). As a local friend from the scene told: "it is more usual to do a chiptune cover from punk rock/post hc songs, you guys did exactly the opposite". We hope the chiptune/Game OST Remix audience likes it. Yours, Attila / Crashlander [VERSE1] The chase just started But many won't pursue It feels like floating, Carried by the flow There's goals and progress The wheel never stops Structure and direction As the focus never drops [SCREAM1] Connected, unsuspected Tessellated and plain symmetric Intersected, injected Collated and downright electric [CHORUS1] Without a will to form it right Without-it working like a glue The strenght will offer nothing The flow just can't come through [REFRAIN1] Fading fabrics of our lives Wawing fingers like sharp knives Holding on To what we can't follow As we focus on the flow [SCREAM2 BRIDGE] Walls closing in six lines of symmetry Changing direction Pulsating affection SOLO: Sanyi [VERSE2] Cant hold the progress The stream will only grow It's like the flood now I’m carried by the flow [CHORUS2] Without a will to form it right without-it working like a glue the strenght will offer nothing the flow just can't come through [REFRAIN2] Fading fabrics of our fate Weawing fingers tight and straight Holding on to what we know As we focus on the flow <<JUST FOCUS>> <<JUST FOCUS>> <<JUST FOCUS>>

Remixer name: Bluelighter (ID 21840); Bowlerhat (ID 30366); Dewey Newt (https://ocremix.org/artist/18034/dewey-newt); Tsori(ID 2960) Real Name: Guillaume SAUMANDE; Jorik BERGMAN; Matthew Moore; Logan Thomas Mail: Game & Songs: Final Fantasy VII & Debut Composer: Nobuo UEMATSU Interpreter: Bowlerhat: Flute Dewey Newt: Trombone Tsori: Trumpet Comment: Hi OCR, Here is an orchestral arrangement of "Debut" from ff7, with collaboration of Bowlerhat (flute), Dewey Newt (Trombone) and Tsori (Trumpet). Thanks to them! These three instruments reinforce what I want for this mix, alternating delicate and heroic mood! I really enjoy the original track, simply but effective; like a lot of jewels of the OST. In the game, it matches with a play acted by two important characters. Distinct parts of this arrangement can represent different acts of this play. The beginning is close to the original and announces the main melody. At part 1b (cf. breakdown), the March band instrumentation starts. It continues at part 2 with some madcap harmonies, notably with trumpet. For these, I’ve taken my inspiration notably of the French composer Gerard CALVI who made The Twelve Tasks of Asterix Part 3 makes a contrast with the precedent. It’s played by flute in a sad mood, with arpeggios of harp. I’ve played with the time signature to accentuate the hesitating mood of this part, with breaks more of less long after each phrase. The harmony is also different of the original, contributing to the sad mood. Return to March band rhythm at parts 4 and 5. Part 5 gives variations of melodic line 2 (ML2), with some heroic harmonies. The arrangement concludes by the flute playing ML1 in a peaceful mood. Enjoy Guillaume Breakdown Original 0’00 Melodic Line 1 (ML1) 0’21 ML2 0’45 ML3 1’00 Repeated Arrangement ML1 0’00 Soft 0’24 March Band ML2 Madcap 0’45 Intro 1’03 ML2 1’29 Transition ML1 Soft 1’37 ML1 Variation 2’06 ML3 2’15 ML1 Variation 2’23 Transition ML3 2’29 ML1 March Band ML2 March Band 2’50 Heroic 3’14 Madcap variation 3’38 Soft ML1

I could see the sound palette not appealing to some, whether judges or listeners, but I'm cool with this. Opening groove seemed like it was going to drag out, but then shifted at :35. At 1:14's section, I'm liking the energy, but something's sounding missing from the soundscape. 2:03 repeated the intro, then 2:15 repeated 1:14's section. 2:39 had a very brief original piece, just a few seconds before ending. Didn't like the copy-pasta of that chunk of the last minute, but this was a different enough textural take on the source that, unlike Parker's shorter Sonic 2 piece, this could bear some of that repetition. I'm on board. YES

Short run-time, so it better distinguish itself from the original and also not retread stuff. The lead at :02's not hitting me right, but I'd need to have a musician judge weigh in; to me, it feels very generic, even though I like most of the other sounds used here. Because this is so short, anything cut-and-pasted allows this to feel underdeveloped, even the retread with slight variation at :47. Would have also liked 1:51 to not repeat anything, even so briefly. The shift at 1:03 was cool too, though I'd argue, even with so much going on, something felt incomplete, possibly due to the energy of this feeling stilted. The ending at 2:06 definitely feels like a sudden non-resolution, like you gave up, which was unfortunate. I like the concept, but could use 15-30 seconds of added material at the end (or elsewhere), a real ending of some sort, and perhaps (if I'm not off-base), something to help this not feel so stilted. I don't need this to sound speedier like the original, Parker, but something's still missing. NO (resubmit)

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