anosou
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Posts posted by anosou
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I have at least 5 other DAWs or sonic tools that should be there. And then like 20 other that shouldn't but I'd like to anyway
Reaper is not big enough yet but perhaps Dave is of another opinion, we'll see!
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There's a lot of small hints to the source in this (for example the figure at 0:00-0:01 that's 1:21-1:22) but they're heavily altered and not identifiable and dominant in my opinion. 1:15 had more audible source usage but it can't carry the whole track. Like previous judges have said, when you have a track this short you shouldn't repeat ideas. The ending was also very anti-climatic for an arrangement so rooted in traditional tonality, finish it on the root chord!
The main instrument, the guitar, was okay for a fake guitar but it needs to be more realistic to be able to carry the track. I can't expect you to learn to play it but this currently doesn't cut it. The production was generally crisp and clean but the guitar was a bit too loud in my opinion. The strings were also quite fake-sounding but being that far back in the soundscape it didn't bother me.
Overall the arrangement needs more substantial source-usage, preferably a bit longer or without repetitions. That's what's really holding this back but a more realistic guitar and perhaps strings would certainly help too. Make it shine!
NO
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Since gravedigging has already been done, I love this album. It's, in my humble opinion, the most cohesive and well thought out fan arrangement album in history. I <3 it. Thanks for taking the time guys.
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The list I had in mind would be something like:
Electronica
Dance
Trance
Drum 'n' Bass
Accoustic
Beep-boop
Vocal
Metal
Hip Hop
Ambient
Orchestral
Big Band
Mustin
...what now?
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This caught me off guard, very cool.
Nice arrangement approach. The change of the main theme to minor match with the typical 3-note DnB-bass was a good move and added some personalization. Even though most melodic elements are chip-tune based it's mostly c64-type sounds and they work together with the backing without feeling like a "rip". However the obvious issue is the lack of direct source usage. Looking at Larry's breakdown it seems correct, it's not like the Super Mario Bros. theme is hard to identify!
Production-wise you could've done more to emphasize the source here too, if this was 55% I still wouldn't feel comfortable passing it because the leads and most elements except drums and bass are WAY in the back. Overall you need to balance your levels while keeping the energy.
I'd love to see a resubmission of this with improved mixing and some more source usage. It's a good track that surely will be a hit once it reaches the front page! Good work, keep it up!
NO(resubmit)
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+1 for arranging this track -9000 for still hosting with googlepages.
Arrangement was clicking with me. Good use of imitation at 0;22-> and effective crescendo at 1:33. The dissonances at 2:05 were off-putting for me but that's a highly personal opinion. Overall this is a very dynamic arrangement with seamless transitions and good interpretive source usage.
Production was over the bar. Your instruments still sound a bit fake and exposed (2:40-2:55 being a good example) but it doesn't break the mix. Some additional lower frequencies in the timpanis and bass (where ARE the basses?) would also help flesh out the soundscape.
Overall, this is a solid arrangement with above-the-bar production. Good stuff Justin, keep doing what you're doing!
YES
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I came off a bit harsh last time. I think the arrangement is really quite cool and the general vibe is good. There could be some more alterations in the backing pattern, drums especially, to make it seem less repetitive. However, the production is worse this time. Pretty much every element sounds drowned in reverb and muffled. The piano is very quiet compared to the leads, the violin-like sound at for example 1:17 sounds fake and the snare (and drums in general) lacks any punch or high frequencies.
Overall, the arrangement has some cool ideas but the production is really holding this back. Like I said, focus on balancing and making sure everything sounds clear. Getting some feedback in the WIP-forums and #ocrwip on irc.enterthegame.net before submitting again is always a good idea, keep it up John!
NO(resubmit)
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This is pretty strong stuff! Solid beat even though the snare sounds a bit strange compared to the pumping bassdrum. The lead sounds were a bit weak mixing-wise compared to the loud backing which made the track lose some focus. You need to fill out the high/high-mid end of the remix a bit more and not let the boom-tiss take control
Getting a bit more interpretive, especially in the earlier melodic sections, would be preferable. The rhythmic alterations to the melody are good but the lack of melodic arrangement to the main hook ultimately makes it a bit repetitive. Even some changes to the chord structure or changes in the backing beat would be good. The piano was cool as an ending and intro, but making the ending even more glitchy and abrupt would add to the effect. Now it seems a bit weak to me.
Overall this is very close to passing. Just iron out the arrangement crits and fill up some space in the mix and you're good to go! Keep it up!
NO(resubmit)
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I agree with Vinnie that opening the track without any kind of introduction (even just some kind of roominess) is a bit jarring. Overall the arrangement was strong with clever writing and expanding while sticking relatively close to the source.
The production was quite strong in my opinion. Most instruments sound good and nothing strikes me as "bad" or "unrealistic". The snare worked but that reverb could've been applied a little bit on the instruments too to keep it glued together. I thought the bass could've been emphasized a bit more in the mix, especially since the writing really uses the bass to emphasis a beat (like in the intro). The major thing is the production downplaying the high-end instruments making the track a bit unfocused. More emphasis on the melodic content would be preferable here.
Overall, I think this is REALLY close. The arrangement is fantastic, clever and very energetic. The samples are generally a good bunch. The production is quite strong but the lack of low and high frequencies makes it sound unfocused. That's basically it, if you fix up the production this is an easy pass for me. Keep it up Alex, I really like your style!
NO(resubmit)
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Had no issues with the samples here. They could've been bettern integrated with some reverb like zircon mentioned but this is way above the bar for me, especially coupled with the strong backing section and percussion. Thought the melodic elements (piano and synth) at 1:44 were a bit weak compared to the backing, especially since they are an important part of the track arrangement-wise.
The arrangement was hot. Good energy and contextualizing. I don't agree with Larry regarding the stiff piano sequencing, I think it works very well. However I agree with 'Ili and Larry regarding the need for more dynamic contrast. This feels like it's in background music (which obviously isn't strange) and could use the extra variation in dynamics.
Overall though, this was above the bar both in terms of production and arrangement. Very nice!
YES
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ToN wins this thread.
^ this right here
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You actually encouraged us to do so... Just submitted a couple of tracks to OCR. Glad you like the tracks, have a link to your Lost Odyssey ReMake? I'd like to check it out.
It's not completed just yet but when it is I'll hook you up
One thing though... you didn't read the link I said you should read, huh? Submitting multiple tracks at once is not allowed because it would REALLY overflow the site. One every three weeks. PM Liontamer if you submitted more and tell him which one you pick as the one we'll check out.
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Touche. Now if only we could keep it that way.
I dislike you even more now compared to when I wrote that I strongly disliked you.
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Just popping in to mention that your arrangements are pretty damn awesome. The Lost Odyssey one especially (yeah, I know, not FF) but I might be biased since I love and remixed the same source.
You two should definitely considering submitting some of your work if you haven't already but be sure to read the submission instructions so you can avoid missunderstandings about what we accept. http://www.ocremix.org/info/Submission_Standards_and_Instructions
I don't see any issues with that though
keep up the good work! -
Definitely made my contribution seem like an insult to Jordan
Seriously though, this is fantastic and makes me love you even more than I already do. Keep being awesome Big Giant Jimmy.
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Your argument is fallacious. Purely instrumental music is far from mainstream. (and more fantastic quotes)
I strongly dislike you.
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The production has some issues. The piano is overshadowed by pretty much every other instrument and the leads are mostly too loud. There also seems to be a bit too much reverb and compression which makes most parts sound distant and muddy. Work on making each part sound clear and have it's own space to make the track feel more focused.
The arrangement is off to a good start. It took many parts directly from the source without any arrangement and that could be improved. Especially in the backing sections (that doesn't get so much space in the mix) you could've done different things. The playing is overall quite good but sometimes a bit too loose timing-wise, like at the parts Vinnie mentioned. The transitions were abrupt and could've been smoothed out but the general idea was good.
Overall this shows a lot of promise but needs to be polished before I can comfortably let it through. Work on making the mix clear and balanced while getting a bit more interpretive and cohesive in the arrangement. Keep it up!
NO(resubmit)
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I, like Vinnie, compared Larry's and Bobby's times and agree with Larry. If Vinnie's calculations are correct and this is as close as 49.6% I consider this a pass. It sounds like an arrangement of the source too which is obviously the actual criteria. The harmonies, playing and pacing are all excellent. There was a minor hiccup somewhere but not enough to require a re-record.
I say go. Awesome job.
YES
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Very unique.
The arrangement has a good vibe but as the previous judges said, it's repeating too much. There also could've been a lot more personalization of the source beyond the instrumentation.
The production is problematic because it's definitely partially intentional. However some important things can't be passed of as that. The vocals are distant and you can't make out the lyrics which takes away their purpose quite a bit. The mix lacks low-end AND high-end, it's basically all in the middle. The strings are a weak point when it comes to the instruments. The drums were interesting but could've been both more varied in playing and less noisy. The overall noisy sound could've been applied with wind-effects or similar AFTER recording instead of the low-quality recording sound which just makes it seem, well low-quality.
Interesting concept but lacking in execution. If you revisit this I urge you to, however wrong it may feel, try to get it more up to par with current music's mixing. You could definitely pull off the old goth-ish sound without having a recording that is, for lack of better words, bad.
NO
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The production really drags this down. It's VERY loud and lacks any real low end which makes it sound unfocused and distant (even though it's so loud). Some of the instruments also lacked realism (the organ and strings for example) which dragged the piece down in my opinion. Overall the choice of sounds were interesting though, you just have to balance them and keep everything from distorting too much. Distortion is a useful creative effect but if you overdo it the track can get too noisy.
Arrangement was definitely better and I liked the different styles. The way you switched between these styles were well thought out and I think not much else is needed here.
Overall the production really brings this down but with some careful re-mixing from the ground up this could be really good.
NO(resubmit)
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The piano sounds extremely unnatural. It's not just the way it's sequenced but the harmonies and phrasing too. I can appreciate a try at modifying the feeling of a track entirely but the dissonances clashes with the pad. Even if we removed the pad they're written very strangely, some notes sound extremely missplaced even if this would be a jazz-piano solo and half of it would be near unplayable. I'm not trying to be offensive here but since this is basically the main part of the track and it has so many issues I think it's important to point them out. Don't get me wrong, some of the writing in the piano is quite cool though, you obviously grasp theory and harmony. 2:12 and forward is an interesting section with some cool chords but the sequencing is brining these parts down.
The production lacks focus with the piano drowning out most other sounds for the first half of the song. The percussion was decent but suffered from the same stiff sequencing as the piano. The arrangement shares the productions lack of focus and the transitions made the piece sound even more disjointed.
I hear from most parts that you know what you're doing but you have to put more work into making the piece cohesive, focused and realistic.
NO
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With Jimmy's vote in mind I'm going to go conditional on bringing the melodic material a bit forward instead of a NO (resubmit). See above.
(also, welcome back to the panel. I missed you.)
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Maybe he should post in the forums more???
Definitely! That's a great idea!
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I didn't say it was easy. I was just wondering whether he'll ever have enough of it. If I had something that demanded this much of my time and that this many people depended on me doing well I'd probably build up so much pressure on myself I'd do nothing at all.
Yeah, in fact, OCR will close down June 2009. It's been a good run.
I don't think anyone realizes how much Dave is working on OCR in the background. That he still wants to write a write-up is obvious, it's basically his only communication with the site members and privelege as the creator. So, my point being: he can't post new mixes every day (even though he'd want to) to keep OCR alive and progressing because he's busy keeping OCR alive and progressing.
iGoogle - Game themes
in General Discussion
Posted
^ this (and10chars)