Liontamer   Judges ⚖️

Original Decision Artist Name: Lucas Guimaraes ft. TSori & TheManPF RESUB AW YEAH. Here's a link to the original thread. Please include my OG writeup if this is posted. I can pick out parts if needed. ANYWAYS, story time! I don't have much to talk about here. I finished this track back in 2023 during moving, went back, revisited it, made it sound better than the original PM submission. Got the feedback from the rejection, took a good chunk of time away from it, redid my entire production process to have it make sense (I wish this was a joke), and now I'm... here. I love talking shop on this stuff but feel like if I start writing, I'll end up with like nineteen paragraphs. So, for any fellow creators reading this, here are some neat takeaways: The first to my process is focusing more on the most important things, so you can 'half-ass' other background/etc elements. I had the epiphany where I was like "if I get my leads/bass/drums sounding good, that's 80% of the production process right there." It was also a part of simplifying feedback. The feedback I got on the original submission was pretty much in agreement: "This sounds great! Except the bass and drums need work" so instead of trying to chase down the original project files, I just worked with some of the old stems, rebuilt some new stuff with MIDI data, and here we are. The second is now I do tracking/producing and mixing separately and this has been a life saver. My process is literally now just Arranging -> Tracking/Produce -> Mix -> Master. By the time I get to Mastering, it's basically a five minute job. which I know professional mastering engineers cringe at the self-mastering bit but HEY. I'm making VIDEO GAME REMIXES here. Gotta save where I can. Finally, and I can not sing their praises enough: TSori and TheManPF rock. I look forward to working with them again. They really gave this track so much extra juice that really elevated it to the next level. Hope you all enjoy! And as usual, I love putting energy into revamping and addressing as many corrections as possible. It's funny cause, I used to get more bothered by rejections, but now I'm like "Cool, I love the process so much so this is just a bonus." Games & Sources In the Refugee Camp - Xenoblade Chronicles

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Resub 1 Original Decision Artist Name: Audiomancer, Aka Eric File upload failed, link provided above and below. This is another resubmission of this ReMix. Taking into consideration the feedback I got from the judges last time around, I have.. -Replaced the "dancy" piano with a celeste. The piano was Addicted Keys, for what it's worth. -Altered some of the articulations and notes on the flute part. Hopefully it sounds more organic. -Adjusted the EQ on the trumpet part, as well as adding a flute duet to that section. I hope that helps with the level of interpretation. -Added a soft knee compressor, threshold -15 db, ratio 1.1. I hope this brings up the perceived volume some, while maintaining the dynamic range of the piece. I then "normalized" the volume with a limiter, the loudest part of the song brings a -1.5 db reduction. -Changed the choir. The one I had in before, even with the attack set to nothing, still had a very noticeable swell. -Lowered the volume in context of the "heroic" horn at about :53 in. -Worked on the pizz. section. Hopefully it sounds more like how it would actually be able to be performed;) Also, I tried fiddling with the backing strings when the voice comes in towards the beginning. After many different chord changes I experimented with, I still like the dissonance that has been mentioned...I think it adds a little tension. I also have some dissonance on the flute duet part. That's intentional, I hope it's well received:) One of the judges mentioned something about "artifacting" on some of my vibrato notes. I took a listen at the sections mentioned, and that's my actual tone:) If you were in the same room as me while I was playing, you would hear the same thing. My private instructor in high school taught me, especially if playing solo or exposed, that your tone should sound like you are a hair's breadth away from jumping to the next higher harmonic. I've actually been scolded in an ensemble setting for playing too powerfully (the section of the song was Forte, even...Eric Whitacre tune), and to reign that s#^t in, Ha! As always, I appreciate the time taken for the feedback given. You know, in all of my years visiting the site, I always liked reading the split decisions the most, it pleases me to do the same thing, more feedback that way;) Respectfully and Semper Fi, Eric, aka Audiomancer Games & Sources Forever Rachel, FF6. Nobuo Uematsu

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Artist Name: L.T.H It's intended to be a lo-fi Remix of Justice - Park Avenue. It was my favourite song for a while before moving to Sunset Heights. I'm happy to make the first Sonic Forces piece on this site – if it gets accepted, of course. Games & Sources Original arrangement by Tomoya Othani for the SEGA video game by the name of Sonic Forces.

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Artist Name: Lucas Guimaraes Arrangement, Production, Mix, Master - Lucas Guimaraes Vocals - colorado weeks Bass, Additional Drums, most Guitar - Sly Man The source is plastered like, all over this 0:16-End - The rhythm that's played in the background on the bells 0:32-1:35 - Section A 1:36 - 2:08 - Section B 2:08 - 2:40 - Section C 2:41 - End - Section A I don't have a whole lot to say about this track. I'd been in the mood for making Vaporwave for a while thanks to Ridley Snipes. I've already been doing Synthwave for a while (with mixed results... but hey, I'm learning!). I was listening to some Vaporwave, heard this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYb57fJzV7k and thought "Wow, Thwomp Volcano fits with that!" So I worked on it in October... and then it hit my draft folder. DoD came up with DS/3DS Month and I was like "I guess I could finally release some songs I've been working on." so I recruited colorado for vocal chops and sly for bass. Honestly, it was one of the most fun collabs we had. We were a bit deadline tight, but I had a blast. I don't have much else to say about this track. If requested, I'd be glad to talk about the process in-depth more for the post, or to anyone interested in listening. The biggest thing I focused on here is making sure I got a good mix/the best sounding vaporwave *while* remaining true to the aesthetic... so some of the stuff you hear that might not be the cleanest mix (e.g. drowned in verb) are intentional Enjoy! Games & Sources

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Artist Name: Cyril the Wolf Guitar Solo: Zack Parrish No need for a stop watch that intro ostinato is present through the whole thing: but if you're worried about interp - the "verses" are completely original in terms of melody and many of the musical ideas are re-contextualized to fit in with the rock aesthetic without just being synth rock. Additionally --- I wrote some lyrics and sang' em. I'm back at it again writing way-too-serious lyrics about Mega Man! Dwelling of Duels had a theme month of Nintendo DS/3DS and while there's plenty of games and series that are appropriate I took another listen to Green Grass Gradation and something finally clicked. I actually have been taking vocal lessons over this last year and it change my approach to something like this in a lot of ways. For instance: instead of just keeping it in the original key of the song I explored other options to work around areas of the melodies that didn't work that well with my singing approach. Ultimately the tracking took next to no time because I didn't have to struggle aimlessly trying to find out what would work. The high powered vocal pyrotechnics at about 1:45 are a direct result of something coming out spontaneously and easily. Lyrics are about choosing to the do the right thing in the face of your own past and the history of the world (which is a primary theme of ZX and it's sequel) Thanks to Zack for doing the guitar solo because I am not that confident of a lead guitar player and I knew a solo section on a song of this style would be important to really pull it all together. It gave me more time to focus on ut outs to the feedback from the Dwelling of Duels community - the only change is some effects on the intro to make it fit a little bit better. Here's to returning to confidence - thanks for your time. Lyrics link: Games & Sources Mega Man ZX Green Grass Gradation (Area A)

Artists: Pixels & Paradiddles (pixelseph, paraddidlesjosh), Zack Parrish, Cyril the Wolf Okay this time this really is your Dracula's castle After swearing off of doing a main for Dwelling of Duels this year to focus on other projects, they went and hit us with a second-month-in-a-row of double-feature themes that cross-pollinate with Pixel Mixers - namely, Nintendo DS/3DS Month (PM's is Handheld Games month 😃). And, y'know, we simply must clown around with our fellow metalheads for some Castlevania after how fun GSM2 and David Wise month was last year! This is the cursed fruit of this month's labors: an 8-minute progressive metal journey, complete with vocals from Pixels and Cyril! Timestamps with source usage included after the obligatory Stats for Larry Nerds! STATS FOR NERDS: Key: E minor, E harmonic minor, A major Time/Tempo: 4/4 @ 142 BPM, 7/8 @ 172 BPM, 6/8 @ 74 BPM Credits: pixelseph - lead guitar, lead vocals, lyrics, arrangement paradiddlesjosh - drum programming zackparrish - rhythm guitar, acoustic guitars, organ, mixing, mastering cyrilthewolf - bass, backing vocals VSTi Used: Native Instruments Vintage Organs, BFD Drums BFD 3 (core library, Sabian Vault) VST Used: Nectar 4, Neoverb, Ozone 11, Sonitus Delay, Sonitus EQ, Heavyocity Gravity, SDRR2, Guitar Rig 7, Kontakt 8, Sonitus Compressor Pixelseph's guitars recorded using a Line 6 Variax JTV-59 through a Line 6 Helix LT interface; vocals recorded using a Scarlett CM25 mk-II through an SSL 2 interface. Zack Parrish's acoustic guitars recorded using a Taylor 224CE-K and Kremona Verea on two Shure SM81s through a Scarlett 18i20 interface; electric guitars recorded using a Schecter Hellraiser C-7 FRS through a Scarlett 18i20 interface. Cyril the Wolf's basses recorded using a Yamaha RBx765a through a MXR Bass Compressor -> Tech21 SansAmp VT Bass into an Audient id14 mk-II, clean DI recorded using a Rupert Neve Designs RNDI; vocals recorded using a Sennheiser 865e through a Saffire Pro40 ADAT into an Audient id14 mk-II SOURCE USAGE: Intro (:00 - :42) - Demon Castle Pinnacle D section [1:51 - 2:02] Interlude 1 [chorus riff] (:43 - 1:17) - DCP Theme [:04 - :11] Theme 1 (1:17 - 1:31) - DCP Theme [:04 - :11] Verse 1 (1:32 - 2:25) - DCP A section [:12 - :54] Prechorus 1 (2:26 - 2:35) - Cursed Clock Tower [:56 - 1:03] Chorus 1 (2:36 - 3:05) - DCP Theme [:04 - :11] Theme 2 (3:06 - 3:19) - DCP Theme [:04 - :11] Verse 2 (3:20 - 4:12) - DCP A section [:12 - :54] Solo 1 [organ] (4:13 - 4:42) - DCP B section [:54 - 1:23] Prechorus 2 (4:42 - 4:51) - Cursed Clock Tower [:56 - 1:03] Chorus 2 (4:52 - 5:20) - DCP Theme [:04 - :11] Bridge (5:21 - 6:44) - A Fleeting Respite B section [:54 - 1:26] Re-Intro (6:45 - 6:56) - DCP D section [1:51 - 2:02] Outro (6:57 - 8:32) - AFR A section [:10 - :54] LYRICS: Black, black out the sky now Storm clouds made of bats Hunters of blood, purging weakness Hide the light Hide in plain sight Hide on your own Still, still as a statue Gargoyles alive Harpies and gorgons On the war path Look away Medusa’s gaze Turn you to stone Take in darkness Dracula’s essence Beyond undeath Beyond judgment Belmonts, demons, Vampire heathens, Whip cracks, undead Hunter: hunted Souls, souls for the harvest Screams and gnashing of teeth Nothing but chaos everlasting Circle of moon A portrait of ruin The dawning of sorrow Death, death of the world Death of a selfish aristocrat And his lavish Castle halls Castle walls Castle falls Take in darkness Dracula’s essence Beyond undeath Beyond judgment Belmonts, demons Vampire heathens Whip cracks, undead Hunter: hunted Games & Sources Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow - Demon Castle Pinnacle (uses the Theme [:04 - :11] in 7/8 (choruses) and 12/8 (pre-verse/theme riff), the A section [:12 - :54] for the verses, the B section [:54 - 1:23] for the organ solo, and the D section [1:51 - 2:02] for the intro) Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow - A Fleeting Respite (uses the A section [:10 - :54] for the outro and the B section [:54 - 1:26] for the bridge) Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow - Cursed Clock Tower (only includes a brief quote of the CV3-inspired stabs @ :56 - 1:03)

Thanks! I've found a current link for the project at https://archive.cavestory.org/csrp/, so I've replaced the link with that. It should correct itself on the site in the next few hours.

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I had to 2X this to more readily ID the otherwise straightforward source usage. After a straightforward albeit slowed down intro, around 1:10-3:30 felt more abstract and disconnected from the source, but then the second half stayed based on the melody until nearly the end, so the overall approach was grounded and mostly recognizable to me despite the much slower tempo. Because I also listened to this at 200% speed, when you double-speed the lil' piano accents starting at 3:38, it sounds like the connecting SFX in Sokobond, and anything that makes me think of Dualryan is cool with me! (You should arrange of one his soundtracks, e.g. The Yawgh.) This definitely isn't for everyone, and it isn't even for me, but as a piece of sound design, it's dank, dark, and something to swim in. :-) YES

Artist Name: maiorano84 Years ago I had written an arrangement of the Megaman 3 Intro and submitted it to Newgrounds under the handle "italian-dragon84" (a terrible name in hindsight). This was created and posted in 2004: I'd always liked some of the elements from the original piece, and occasionally revisited it over the years with many failed attempts at a new arrangement. I wanted to continue using a very piano-forward piece, and felt that it suited the introduction much better. Unlike the original arrangement I had done, I wanted to incorporate more instruments and began experimenting heavily with electric guitar sounds. The biggest hurdle was mainly me not knowing how to actually play guitar and not finding any suitable preexisting electric guitar sounds, so I relied pretty heavily on distortion effects, auto-tuning, and using my own voice to fill in a lot of the gaps. Games & Sources Megaman 3 Intro by Yasuaki Fujita:

When are we getting to the theme, I say to myself, with this extended ambient build. Excellent, there we are at :29, and some impressive sound design to boot. Beats fade in after :50 and this just goes into the weird shit category with some funky beats, belltones for the melody, and lots of SFX mockery. 3:26 gets back into the source tune's chorus section. Nice lil' pointillist approach to the theme at 4:03, and a simple but effective adding of some thump beats at 4:31. Theme drops out at 5:00 and it's original beats with some quiet inclusion of the melody and chorus layered in. The track was 6:34-long, so I needed to identify source usage for at least 197 seconds to consider the source usage dominant in the arrangement. :29.5-59.75, 1:05.5-1:08.25, 1:13.5-1:15.25, 1:20.5-1:24.5, 1:28.5-1:32.5, 1:35.75-1:39.25, 1:43.25-1:55.5, 2:01-2:02.75, 2:05.5-2:09.5, 2:12.5-2:19.75, 2:27.75-2:56.75, 3:26.25-3:54, 4:03.5-5:05, 5:08.5-5:12.5, 5:17-6:00 236.75 seconds or 60.08% overt source usage I was just sanity-checking it for source usage since this has some longer gaps between the melodic notes in places, but just going off the feel, I wasn't expecting it would be a close call. Trust but verify. Awash with creativity. A sound design delight and a dynamic piece of business. :-) YES

The track was 3:40-long, so I needed to identify source usage for at least 110 seconds to consider the source usage dominant in the arrangement. 46.75-1:06.5, 1:16-2:33.5, 2:37.5-3:07.75 = 127.5 seconds or 57.95% overt source usage There could have been more I wasn't recognizing, I was just doing my due diligence to ensure it was over 50%. Normally, I'd mind the intro and outro both being unrelated to the source, but the middle was fully about arranging and expanding on the original VGM, so with the source usage handled and dominating the arrangement vis-a-vis our Standards, the sandbox was H36T's to play with as far as the overall structural approach. After an extended original intro, the source finally comes in from :46-1:06, and I like the added string writing underneath it. Switches over to some handdrums and metallic percussion. At 1:35, the melody's swung and staggered on the keys before going back to straightforward and doubled with nice choir vox from 1:55-2:33. Solidly done escalation at 2:33 into more grandiose orchestration and more forceful choir for a strong conclusion. Shifted at 3:07 into an original outro punctuated by the female vox. The brief hits of sampled female vox for both the intro and conclusion were tasteful. The textures were relatively simple yet effective, and every part registered while meaningfully contributing to the overall sound; this is a strong example to point to of something with only a few elements going on that nonetheless sounds spacious. Nice work! :-) YES

Artist Name: Roland (Noel) LM I haven't arranged anything from the Zelda series yet until very recently. This is the second Zelda arrangement I've written and recorded (titled Kalle Demos). It was written for the monthly contests on Pixel Mixers and Dwelling of Duels (both had very similar themes). I thought it was the perfect chance to do Zelda, but not a typical, well-known Zelda tune. It had to be weirder and more unknown. I have influences from many, many styles and genres of music, but this one is heavily influenced by the intensity, chaos, mathematical nature, and convolution of Panzerballett's music, and most importantly, my brain. In short, prog, jazz-metal, mathcore, avant-garde, all of that. I love extreme complexity. This is one of the most complex, yet THE most accessible arrangement I've written (I didn't have accessibility in mind - all I did was write and play). I consider this a jazz-metal arrangement. The arrangement goes like this... (7/16 tune is 2 3 2, at 110 bpm - also, the lead guitar is taking all of the melodies from the original tune, which different instruments take over the main melody. Sometimes, the hammond organ is playing exactly what the lead guitar is playing, or the rhythm guitar harmonizes with the lead guitar. There are lines that are very weird, but they are used for effects as part of the tune.) 0:00 - 0:34 (I must warn you... You won't stop hearing polymeters, polyrhythms, and complex syncopations from beginning to end.) - It's a 6-bar section that repeats 6 times, every repeat adding layers and instruments. - Bass is playing a repetitive yet grounded 7/16 bass line (taken from the 3/4 orff bass xylophone line in the original tune). - Piano is playing a repetitive, yet extremely complicated rhythmic line (first 4 bars within the 7/16 framework, and the last 2 bars playing 7:2 polyrhythms) (taken from the 3/4 contrabass line) - enters in the 2nd repeat, and plays until this timestamp ends. - String Synthesizers play in the 3rd repeat (until the section ends) (taken from the sweep synthesizers). - Electric Guitars join together in a harmonized manner (one playing main melodies and beautifully complex harmonies, second playing rhythmic stuff, exactly what the bass is playing). - Drums enter playing in strict 7/16 manner, but then plays 4/4 over 7/16 in the last repeat. 0:35 - 0:51 - 8-bar section (repeated twice). - Lead Guitar and Hammond Organ play the main melody in 7:2. - Bass Guitar stays consistent, grounding the entire band along with the drums and the rhythm guitar (with the rhythm guitar throwing little weird lines.) - Piano continue playing the weird 7/16 line. - Drums sound beautifully heavy here and appropriate for the sudden mood switches. - Weird transition at the end. :D 0:52 - 1:12 (One of the two weirdest sections in the entire arrangement.) Pay close attention... This will be confusing. On sheets, I had to write this in 5/16 to make this easily readable and understandable, but the entire section is still AND sounds in 7/16. - 28-bar section! - Lead Guitar plays a 5/8 dissonant clean line (E A B A#, all notes are ringing for that double minor 2nd interval clash - WOO!), then switches to distortion, playing the same line but in 16th notes. - Bass Guitar and Rhythm Guitar are playing in 7/16. HOWEVER, while the bass guitar remains consistent to keep the entire band grounded, the rhythm guitar plays in the spaces between the bass guitar line. Bass guitar plays notes on the 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 6th beats, and rhythm guitar plays notes on the 2nd, 5th, and 7th beats. It sounds like a 7-note 7/16 line, but it's split into two instruments. Also, 7/16 over 5/16. - Piano plays a slightly varied 7/16 extremely rhythmic line over the 5/16. - Drums are playing in 5/16, but the hi-hat pedal is doing hits every 4 sixteenth note beats. - Overall, the time signatures happening here (AT THE SAME TIME) are 7/16, 5/16, 5/8, and 4/16. - Another weird transition at the end! :D 1:13 - 1:20 - 4-bar section that repeats twice. - It calms things down for a short moment with harmonized guitars, consistent and grounded 7/16 rhythms, and piano going appropriately crazy with 7/16 and 7:2. 1:21 - 1:39 - 10-bar section that repeats twice. - This is more of an extension of the previous section, but we're adding some weird effects to this (not guitar effects or keyboard effects, but more fade-ins, fade-outs, and things that may sound inappropriate, but it's all part of the tune for maximum weirdness) on the lead guitar and hammond organ. - Bass Guitar and Rhythm Guitar stay consistent and grounded, drums switch to 5/16 whilst playing over 7/16, and piano is switching back and forth between 7/16 and 7:2. 1:40 - 1:54 - 8-bar section that repeats twice. - We can consider this the ''chorus'' of the song, but I don't think in terms of traditional song forms. I think in sections, nothing to do with interludes, choruses, verses, etc. - Lead Guitar and Rhythm Guitar harmonize together. - Hammond Organ provides open dissonant harmonies this first time. - Bass Guitar and Drums stay grounded and consistent (strict 2 3 2 subdivisions - 7/16). 1:55 - 2:02 - 8-bar section that repeats twice. - Things calm down again...until the next weird section! MORE WEIRDNESS! - Weird effects again (lead guitar, rhythm guitar, and synthesizers). - Piano plays 7/16 rhythmic lines. - Bass plays consistently. - Drums stop playing (then throw a fill at the end into the next section). 2:03 - 2:13 (THE weirdest section) - 12-bar section. - This section was written in 7/16, but it sounds like 6/16...because it is...but it ISN'T. Read carefully. - Lead Guitar and Hammond Organ are playing clean 7:2 harmonized melodies. - Rhythm Guitar is changing lines every 2 bars - 7:2 line, 7/16 line that the bass plays, and a weird effect at the end. - Piano plays this weird 7/16 line in the first 2 bars (and in the 7th and 8th bars). - Bass plays consistently, but THIS time, the notes change. Instead of D F A Eb like the REST of the tune, it plays E G C F#. - Drums play 6/16 over 7/16 while the pedal hi-hat does 4/16. - Overall, the time signatures and polyrhythms happening here are 7/16, 6/16, 4/16, and 7:2. This was questioned by many if all of this was intentional - YES! 2:14 - 2:21 - 8-bar transition. Nothing else. And now... The completely improvised bass solo. The bass solo is divided into 6 parts. The harmonies are somewhat taken from the melodic, harmonized, and rhythmic sections. Lead guitar is playing harmonies in 7/16, while drums are playing in different time signatures or simply 7/16. (Part 1) 2:22 - 2:44 (B13b9#9#11 voicings - B Double Diminished and B Atonal) (Drums are playing in 6/16 with the bass drum rhythm of 7/16.) (Part 2) 2:45 - 2:59 (Bmaj11b13 voicings - B Harmonic Major and B Atonal) (Drums play in 7/16.) (Part 3) 3:00 - 3:18 (E-7add11 and E-7add#11 voicings - E Minor Blues Scale) (Drums play in 5/16 with the bass drum rhythm of 7/16.) (Part 4) 3:19 - 3:33 (E7#9, B7#9, Bb7#9, F#7#9, G7#9, D7#9, Db7#9, A7#9, using minor blues scales from the augmented 2nd of each chord, and altered dominant scales) (Drums play in 7/16.) (Part 5) 3:34 - 3:43 (Bmaj11b13 voicings - B Harmonic Major) (Drums play in 5/16 with the bass drum rhythm of 7/16.) (Part 6) 3:44 - 3:47 (Free and Atonal) (Drums play in 7/16.) 3:48 - 4:03 - A very technical and confusing transition that I wrote. That's it. 4:04 - 4:18 - Same as 1:40 - 1:54, but with the additional dissonant harmonies on the string synthesizers taken from Part 4 of the Bass Solo. 4:19 - 4:40 - Almost the same as 2:03 - 2:13, but at the end, everyone is playing the 7:2 melody. Quick notes This complex jazz-prog-math-metal arrangement is probably the most accessible one that I've written so far. It's not the most complex one I've written, but it's definitely a fun one to listen to and play. This arrangement also had a lot of space for every instrument to shine without being right on top of another. Everyone is playing together without interrupting others. It's music that's heavy, but it also breathes very well. The collaborators are: Bass Guitar and Arrangement (Roland (Noel) LM) Lead Guitar (Pixels of Pixels & Paradiddles) Rhythm Guitar (minusworld) Programmed Drums (Paradiddles of Pixels & Paradiddles) Keyboards (Hammond Organ, String Synthesizers, Piano) (jnWake) Mixing/Mastering Engineer (Aimrys) Pun-tier: MAXIMUM Cursedness: HIGH-FUNCTIONING Musical: IMPLIED VIOLENCE IN 7/16 Botanical Accuracy: DEBATABLE BUT HILARIOUS Progressive Jazz-Metal Energy: CONFIRMED Games & Sources (Game) The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker GC/Wii-U (Song) Kalle Demos (Composers) Kenta Nagata, Hajima Wakai, Toru Minegishi, and Koji Kodo

Original Decision Artist Name: tibonev List of changes: - tried my best to reduce the amp sim noise, applied some subtractive eq (ReaFIR) and changed output levels on the amp sim itself, changed the noise gate settings aswell. - changed the sharp attack on the synth lead, made it stereo and added some chorus to it, to make it wider and softer. - added a new instrument, another synth line, playing a "broken" arpeggio in some parts, to add ear candy and some more dynamics. - added / recorded a new guitar line, its an original phrase not present in either of the sources, to add ear candy and dynamic movement. - rebalanced some of the instruments (like the loud rythym guitar at the final part / climax) - changed a couple of reverb settings to make it all gel togheter better. - shortened the end part a bit, with a faster fadeout. breakdown: 00:00 - 00:35 - original part based on msfs2020 chords, added some new guitar notes and partial arpeggioos. 00:35 - 00:52 - pilotwing chords with a new guitar phrase/line under it and arp riff 00:52 - 01:01 - original transition 01:01 - 01:36 - msfs2020 melody part A 01:36 - 01:45 - original transition based on the part A chords. 01:45 - 02:11 - pilotwings melody 02:11 - 02:46 - msfs2020 melody part B 02:46 - 03:22 - msfs2020 chords / with original radar ping over it. 03:22 - 03:35 - original part based on msfs2020 chords, this also have a new guitar line also playing. 03:35 - 03:48 - long fade out of last ringing chord. Games & Sources Game 1: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 (PC / Xbox Series X/S) Source Track: Color 1 (Menu Music) Youtube Link: Game 2: Pilotwings (SNES) Source Track: Bad Results / Bad Points Youtube Link:

Artist Name: drizzle rainwater Press Garden from Sonic Mania (act 1 specifically, I don't think it gets enough love), had been stuck in my head, so I decided to give myself a crack at it. My goal was to emphasize the funky elements and give it a more jazzy flair. I added in a piano and organ solo to switch things up a little bit, and I changed up the instrumentation to make it more groovy! I hope you enjoy! Games & Sources Sonic Mania - Press Garden Act 1 (Tabloid Jargon) Original Music by Tee Lopes

Interesting phasing/pumping going on. Good sound design, though I'd say the kicks at 1:04 felt very underwhelming and soft compared to the wilder energy of the other instrumentation and effects, which were all over the place in a good way. It can come off sounding unfocused, but I can follow it. I dug the DDRKirby-esque chip pivot at 2:03. Piano for the close sounded pretty fake; dunno why it also seemed to have a flat note at 2:57, I guess because of the one note behind it that was sliding down; would be nice to iron out, but minor anyway and I got used to it. That said, it was an effective close from the compositional level. The beats don't quite pack the expected punch and mixing sophistication, but that's my only meaningful ding on this. Very varied sound design and treatment of the source theme, and the lil voice clips were reasonably well integrated. No shock Treyt was able to bring it! YES

Lovely stuff from the start. Being able to hear things more closely in my headphones, the bowed strings are in the uncanny valley, but of course still well beyond the quality level we need for a mockup, and it's not like they're a weak link or causing a quality disparity vs. the other sounds. After a genteel intro, the beats were brought in at 1:08 and added good movement here. Snare that cameo'ed at 1:34 was too loud for me, but as a point of contrast, it was a great momentary rise in energy for the drums; all of the drum writing sounds intricate and varied, and these evolving textures are great as the energy level continued to gradually escalate. Nice little dropoff at 2:17 before changing the textures again at 2:30 with beautiful, understated support from the acoustic guitar. Electric guitar joined in at 2:55, then ratcheted things up with some quick soloing at 3:11 before taking over as the melodic lead. It seems like the ending cut out a moment too soon, so we can ask about that. Both the instrumentation and arrangement were very impressive. As a conceptual contrast, very fun to hear Zack go collaboration maximalist with his FF7 DoD entry compared to being a one-man army for this FF6 DoD entry. Talented in whatever musical direction he wants to go in, it's safe to say. :-) YES

Cool instrumentation choices. If you can get it sounding more fluid/humanized, the concept has legs. :-)