Liontamer   Judges ⚖️

From :15-1:10, the choir felt like it was flooding the soundscape and the orchestration didn't cut through as much as it should have, IMO. That said, those are minor things for what's ultimately a tour de force rock epic. The three sources themes combined seamlessly and Ivan's definitely crafted a grandiose interpretation per his objective, rather than just a straightforward medley like he was trying to avoid. Definitely a well-deserved trip to the top of the DoD podium this month. Just paneling this to share the love. Awesome stuff! I'm floored. The fandom will ALL be floored. YES

Hello, I know I haven't submitted anything in a while but here I am again. Link to the song: Remixer: Ivan Hakštok Game arranged: Chrono Trigger Name of arrangement: Find the Frozen Flame Names of songs arranged: - Lavos' Theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4umiefkLgk) - World Revolution (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvAsObDi2uk) - The Final Battle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqC_3Sm7PXg) This was the winning entry in July 2023 Silent Protagonist Month on Dwelling of Duels. I have to be honest, I've listened to a ton of metal remixes of Chrono Trigger's final boss gauntlet, but none of them really clicked for me, either because they were straightforward medleys, had bad production, didn't add anything to the original, or because they went too metal with it. I've been thinking of doing my own take on World Revolution for years now, but I didn't have a clear vision of what to do, that was until I played FF16 and heard a small part in Find the Flame which immediately reminded me of World Revolution. I got inspired and I wanted to mix that style with some hard rock/metal. I think the sources are recognizable, but here's a rough breakdown: - Intro is Lavos' Theme, background synth that enters at 00:15 plays the synth lick from Final Battle (this lick is played throughout the song on various instruments). - After that it's pretty much just World Revolution, with some changes to the time signature after the first "chorus". - At 2:50, it's the second half of Final Battle, but in 7/4. - Then it transitions back into Lavos' Theme/World Revolution, with some bass soloing. - The mellow part is just the "chorus" section from World Revolution, with the chords changed a bit when the choirs enter. - The ending is World Revolution once again.

Contact Information Username: H36T UserID:37144 Website: https://www.youtube.com/@H36TRemasters Submission Information Arrangement Game: Final Fantasy VII Name of Arrangement: Dreams; Nightmares Song Being Arranged: The Nightmare begins "How often have you turned through the night. Each turn of your body turns a new page in your dream. The doors to the Dreamworld make no sense and the rooms even less. You can't find your footing though there is something beautiful to it all, something deep, maybe even precious . As the night grows old however things become more...blurry and muffled. Tainted with confusion, your dreams twist and bend. They rot into a vile, distorted mess. The nightmare...begins." Qualitatively, that is what the song means to me and was its inspiration. From a more critical standpoint, I've had a lot of feedback back and forth concerning stylistic choices and some of the writing. Especially concerning balance between instruments, usage choice, and the like. Perhaps the biggest controversy was this song originally ended abruptly and later I attached a free sample of a guy waking up (as if waking up from a dream). However, it seemed hit or miss. I always wanted to do something like Dream Theater did with "Pull Me Under" or as I've heard in a few other songs (Utada Hikaru maybe?). Well, for this submission I decided I'll just compromise and fade out instead. Other than that...I think YMMV on the percussion at the end as well. Anywho, hope you enjoy my take on The Nightmare begins.

Remixer name: VintageModernRemixes Real name: Douglas R. Bell Email: Website: http://vintagemodernremixes.com Userid: 38721 Game arranged: Deus Ex GOTY (2000) Name of arrangement: VersaLife (Nanotech Upgrade Remix) Name of song arranged: VersaLife (Main Ambient Theme) Composer: Alexander Brandon You can listen to my submission via file attachment or hear my submission via this YouTube video: Thanks!

The source usage breakdown was very helpful, so thanks for that! Dunno what I heard, but I dig it. Loved the female vocal snippets used in the intro and was glad they were so involved for the first couple of minutes; there's a ton of other creative sound design here to bask in and enjoy, and you never know where you're going to end up, but you know it'll be interesting and intriguing along the way. Nice work, Angélique & crew! YES

The string lead at :11 has the right sense of somber, foreboding sadness before things shift to rock. Great stuff. The direct reference to TSO's track (the piano lead at 1:40 of that piece, the 8-note "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" melody) is around from 1:31-2:14, and is in tandem with arranging "The Landing". I've always been a big fan of this theme, so it's great to hear how ever-present it is in the arrangement. I didn't pick up on the minor panning critiques MW had mentioned, although I felt the final swelling section from 3:43-3:57 was muddy and lacked sharpness, just not poorly enough that it would cause any concerns with the vote. Wonderful concept in arranging "The Landing" this way by Zack, with Chromatic Apparatus, Zack's better half Pearl Pixel, Cyril the Wolf, and Masikus all breathing tons of life into it! YES

It wasn't slowed down to a point where I had any trouble recognizing it, so I'm not sure where prophetik was coming from there. The "Tears in Rain" style homage was apparent, yet without seeming slavish or uninspired, so I'm down. I'm actually disappointed that this arrangement's title isn't "Tears in Motion" , "Silence in Rain", or some other way to combine & acknowledge the two inspirations together. Oh well, still good stuff, Zack! YES

The piano from 2:44-3:25 was my personal highlight, so I'm really glad that soft touch was there to change up the energy of the track and prevent it from feeling too similar over time. Solid dance transformation with some more tricks beneath the surface. YES

The track was 4:03-long, so I needed to hear the source tune invoked for at least 121.5 seconds. 1:40.75-3:18.75 = 98 seconds or 40.32% overt source usage There's not much to the original theme, so I could see approaching it this way, similar to the melodically conservatively yet instrumentally expansive approach of your FF8 arrangement. I don't inherently mind the track being an original/arrangement/original structure either. But MW's right that we need more VGM used throughout the arrangement to ensure the source usage dominates the arrangement. Good concept here. There's got to be some subtle ways to reference it in the beginning and/or ending sections, so see what you can do. As MW also said, if there's another Silent Hill theme involved that wasn't cited or something we're overlooking, let us know, and we can revisit this for sure. NO (resubmit) EDIT (8/13): Alright, I listened again with H36T's additional comments in mind re: the beginning connection. It's liberal, but I hear that 3-note rhythm from :07-:10 of the source in several places via the strings, then a last usage with the choir vox in the transition to the more straightforward rendition of the theme. :14.5-:20.5 (3-note pattern plays twice), :56.75-1:12 (plays several times, slower at the end), 1:25.5-1:28, 1:38.5-1:40.75 (choir vox actually lasted until 1:50, same rhythm, just slowed down; overlapped the start of the straightfoward arrangement) That added another 26 seconds for me, which pushes it to 124 seconds or 51.02% overt source use. This was an instance where, IMO, the invoking of the source in this way isn't obvious at all, so it feels disconnected, but it's there. I'm on board. YES

Wow, this source theme isn't catchy at all, so I'm certainly intrigued to discover how it got its hooks into Chris. What an impressive concept in terms of adapting this for the instrumentation and mood of "Full Sail" (including the crucial shakuhachi). I'm just floored at how much more melodious this rendition was, with great beats and textures surrounding this slowing down of the theme. This track's not sharp at all, yet it's so vibrant. Amazing stuff from a true master! YES

Interesting treatment of the theme, and I liked the "Water World" usage brought in at 3:06 as well. Marissa's violin performance added a dimension to the source that I'm surprised I'd never heard before. It'll come across as not trusting Wes and Kris's ears; this was too loud for my tastes though; I had to put on a control track to ensure I wasn't just being nitpicky. It's piercing and crowded for a ton of the second half and shouldn't be (e.g. 2:52, 3:20, 3:36-4:18, 4:33-5:25). If that's toned down, I'm down; if it's not, I'm a NO. YES (conditional) EDIT (8/18): The new master fixes everything. Perfection! YES

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:

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

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