anosou

Cool instrument choices in the intro. The almost granular pad is a nice sophisticated texture, me like! The bass is a bit on the generic side but the superb writing (really!) outweighs that. Actually this is full of interesting writing. The main chromatic percussion is well handled and so's the electric piano. I think the beats and pad are a bit on the loud side, just like Larry pointed out. Tweak 'em! Otherwise the production is quite ace. As I said, very cool choice of sounds that works well together. I don't really agree with Larry that the cut-paste hurts the track. What's there is absolutely interesting enough to be repeated and you've added strings on the left hand that gives it that extra flair. The ending was pretty cool too. I say this is good enough for a yes if you fix the slight volume issues. If you want to do some changes in the final section while you're at it, be my guest, but it's not necessary to get my yes. YES(conditional on volume fixes)

This boy's got beef. Juicy fat beef. Very cool intro but it lacks one important factor, Ice Cap zone. Add some subtle hints to the original in terms of small arpeggios, melodies or bassline spasms. That could easily make the intro more relevant and give you a good reason to keep it, otherwise it rocks my socks. I think the bell-type sound you chose to lead the song at 2:00 is a bit flat compared to the energy of the rest of the track. Something with a bit more high-frequency content could probably cut through better and sound more relevant. The drop-off at 2:27 was a nice touch but when everything kicks back in it could definitely use a reverse cymbal or some kind of sweep to make it less awkward. Now it's suddenly just kind of there. The melodic arrangement is very much like the original, almost verbatim. Making changes in the melody from time to time or adding clever counter melodies and chord changes is a good way too make the source your own. BGC gave some great tips about how to push the main melody over the top tooo, take his advice. As it is now this is very solid but sadly a bit lacking in the arrangement area. More source interpretation and this one should be an OCR hit. NO(resubmit)

Mmm.. electro pop. While it is a pretty cool concept this falls short in a number of areas. Some of the sounds are very very basic, while they could've worked with some better processing they end up sounding very thin. A good example is the melodic lead at 0:56. Overall the soundscape is very empty and could probably be fleshed out with some clever use of reverb and some richer sounds. The arrangement is still quite good. There are many quirks and melodic interpretation. I didn't think the strings/horns worked in this setting though, especially not with samples like that. Consider making a pure-electro remix, I feel you have a flair for that if you find some fuller sounds. As it is now, this isn't there yet but keep working and you'll get there some day. Good luck with your next submission! NO

So, right of the bat the main chords bleed into eachother. Probably because of the delay. It makes it sound a lot more cluttered than it has to be. The choice of instruments is questionable too. You have one synth holding the track up and it's very thin. The mix is very lacking in low-frequencies too. The lead is both too quiet and in the same frequency as the main synth, this makes the soundscape even more cluttered. Arrangement-wise this has some way to go. It's very repetitive because of the static use of instruments and lack of counter melodies. The break at 2:21 was quite cool but not enough to really lift this track above the bar. The beats also feels repetitive and plodding. Try to really evolve the original track, arrange the source in a more sophisticated way. Try adding some counter-melodies, changes in textures/instrumentation and hooks. Good luck with your next submission! NO

I lol'd Honestly though, this is very good. Production is absolutely good enough and the arrangement is sweet. Get this performed and submit that version too! OCR needs more of this.

Is that Juicer II? I think it is :3 I have to agree with the other judges regarding the melodic changes. If you arranged them more to fit your chords and the mood it would probably sound a lot better. Experiment with alterations of the melody until you find that perfect fit. I enjoyed the breakdown at 3:27 a lot. Very cool. I also agree with Larry about the counter-melody at 5:14, it doesn't really fit with the rest of the track and it's most certainly not goa trance if that's what you're after Production-wise I think you're over the bar. I still have some stuff you might want to consider reworking to really make this shine. The leads lack punch and that hurts their ability to carry the track melodically, and that's exactly what this track needs. Also, the automation on some of the synths (bass at 2:43 and onwards for example) is a bit over the top. Maybe tone it down when it's coupled with other instruments and turn it up only for breaks like 2:43. All these crazy synths can easily make it sound cluttered when they're this many and fighting over roughly the same frequencies. Check out the band Total Eclipse, especially the album Violent Relaxation (CD1) for some wicked goa and pointers on how to make the soundscape interesting without making it cluttered. As it is now, the melodic part of the arrangement isn't quite there yet. It would probably have a chance of passing if you improve the arrangement only but I know some production touch-ups can take this to the next level so I urge you to at least try. Remember to save often! NO(resubmit)

Don't be that way, they're wicked :3 The drums are a weak spot in your remix. They sound very weak and far back in the mix. The guitar is a cool addition but could use some high frequencies to sound less muddy. Actually it seems the mix in general sounds muddy. Brighten some stuff up here and there but be gentle with the EQ. Treat it like a woman. Aww yeaaahhh. The arrangement is quite cool but I too have to echo on this one. This needs some more melodic interpretation to really shine. To get the drums and guitars on the same intensity-level as the orchestra (like larry pointed out) would also help a lot. More interpretation and some production fixes and this will surely pass. NO(resubmit)

Ah yeah. Lounge-y. The intro was a pretty cool idea, could've been less conservative though like Larry pointed out. It's a bit drawn out, introducing some more elements sooner or making the arrangement a bit more bold during this part would help it a lot and give you a good excuse to keep the cool sound. After the intro, the brass samples are ugly. Consider changing them to another instrument, maybe some cheesy polysynth-patch or something that can't suffer as much from low quality samples. The arrangement during this part of the mix was good though. Ending had a purpose but it wasn't handled very well. The fade-out/ins sounds like a cheap way to introduce the idea. It sounds strange the way the previous instruments just drop out. Keeping the original instrumentation and then adding the dramatic strings and so on would probably make the track feel more cohesive. The ending was also very loud compared to the rest of the track. The production was decent enough but I would like some more bite in the snare, some hi/mid-frequencies could help it achieve that. This one needs a couple of fixes before I can give it the big 'ol yes. I'm certain you can push this up to the next level though, so keep at it! NO

Sweet, thought you forgot about this I'll probably rip some more achievement logos later, xbox.com is a goldmine for nice avatars.

As Larry said the beats are quite basic, but I didn't see that as a big issue. I didn't think filtering them helps the already muddy soundscape though. The different parts need to be separated better in terms of frequencies and even panning. Go in there and adjust the levels to perfection! Also check out the instruments, the piano and drums especially, they sound like they're missing some high-frequencies and thus muddies up the soundscape a lot. The arrangement is quite creative. I like the general mood of this. The piano sounds a bit bland at times and the playing doesn't sound as tight as it could be. A bit of variation in the drumline could probably help too. I didn't have a big problem with the strings but it does sound like they're slightly off and that it could be fix'd. The big issue for me is the mixing. Clean stuff up and separate the instruments better. You should also take a look at the piano and drum sequencing while your at it. Check it out and resubmit and this has a much higher chance of getting accepted. NO(resubmit)

I think Point of View is fantastic even though it has a cheesy hollywood-sound to it. Otherwise Carnaval (or some other strange spelling) is pretty good.

I sometimes breathe Jaco and Weather Report but I also like the cheesier Spyro Gyra. Now you know.

This kinda caught me off-guard in a good way. Moar rap plz. So yeah, the mixing is not great. The voice pushes the background down a few dBs for sure! I know it's hard to work with voice, I'm a whole lot of suck at it myself, but try to work with the compression on the voice instead of just making it really loud and compressing everything at the master output. Work with the levels without any kind of mastering and then master it to give it that extra oompfh. Now go fix this, because the rest was cool. Though, I didn't really like the strings because of the long release and reverb-pool it's not a major issue, just something I'd appreciate if you looked at. The vocal performance was ace most of the time, no need for re-records. So.. fix mixing and let's get posting remix. NO(resubmit)

Pretty nice mood to this. While the rhythmic alterations are pretty cool the patterns basically repeat over and over again with melodic content very much like the source. Some more interpretation wouldn't have hurt, like Larry said. I also agree with the effects muddying up the soundscape even though the idea was cool. I think the beats are very cool. However they seem a bit out of place in the mix. Processing parts of the drums with the same reverb as another instrument can help glue stuff together. I didn't think this was a very big issue though. Most instruments could use a little bit more high-frequency content though. The resolution at 3:53 does indeed sound a tad strange, finishing at the same chord you started is a good idea. It let's the listener feel they've finally come home again. My main problem is the lack of variation and melodic interpretation, much like Larry. I do however like the general feel of this and I believe you're on the right way. Try varying up the chords and melody from time to time, maybe a beat break with some even more advanced drumwriting since that seems to be your forte. Evolve the source more melodically and I think this could pass. NO(resubmit)

Happy b-day b-LiNd Enjoy life

Yes I would D: They would be Kilik and that in itself is lame, in other words you're lame (even though I kinda like you)

It's hard to see who's a spammer but if it's a spammer I've already met, I do the same. Too bad the level 1's spam too. I mean dude, how can people actually know they should choose kilik!? It's like 90% kilik!

Your handwriting is total crap, welcome to the club! So yeah, this is hard stuff to work with and a remix that could be quite hard to listen to. I will be honest with you though, I love it. Very Steve Reich albeit no real phasing The playing is just loose enough to give off the right vibe and a lot of attention has been paid to details. The arrangement is pretty much exactly like Larry's breakdown. Very easy to spot too. Nice work in really capturing the source, especially with this kind of material. I think the cymbal swells were fantastic and really gave you that wtf-awesome-feeeling. Full of fantastic writing in this one. The production is great too, the instruments sound just close enough. The only thing that bothers me a bit is the timpani-style drum in the left ear, it kinda disrupts the soundscape panning it like that but that's highly personal. Otherwise everything is clear and with a pleasing ammount of reverb. Doug. You are now an international VGM-arrangement hero and will continue to be just that until the end of time. And JESUS CHRIST, you deserve it. YES

Level 32 at the moment and I'm starting to doubt the matching system. I've met only level 1 characters for the last 15 or so matches maybe because of the timezone but europe ain't THAT bad? bah.

*Slaps Malaki-LEGEND.sys* Bad Malaki-LEGEND.sys, BAD!

Pressure can be hard but mostly it's a question of 4K, GI or 8-way run ~ launch/bull rush ~ mix ~ repeat. Haven't really met any good xianghua's so I can't comment on that but I'm pretty sure she can. Luckily AB is a good space keeper along with bull rush. Asta's ring-out game is insane in SCIV actually, bull rush is still incredible and he has a vast array of far-reaching ring-outing lows to boot. Even his fastest attack (4K , hell yeah) has decent ring-out stats. so yeah, I like astaroth. Sadly I've got no xbox intarwebs at dad's place so I can't play a lot atm but I'm about to fix that. Then I'll see you all online! >

Astaroth's 6K ~ Grabs, Combos, Pressure > Everything low, fast or annoying :3

Interesting instrumentation. Not a fan of the bass-sound though, sounds lo-fi and strange, what is that anyway? As Larry said the execution is quite sloppy, especially on the guitar side. Practice makes perfect here. Overall a lo-fi sound on the guitars too and quite an ugly distortion, sounds like a cheap digital distortion unit or just bad recording. Cool FX-usage as 1:10 indeed, that's a creative. The acoustic guitar sounded a bit flimsy but it was a nice touch with vinyl crackle. As Larry pointed out, the backing was really repetitive and it hurts the track a lot. Try varying stuff up both in terms of chords and patterns to make it interesting. The track ends quite abruptly and could use a better ending. The arrangement in general could use some more interpretation of the source and could be fleshed out. You have some interesting ideas, now you just have to get it all to the next level. Good luck with your next submission. NO

Changing stuff to C-Minor is pretty much how you make a remix. 'Nuff said. I checked with Larry's connections and they all seem just right from what I can hear. Even if it might be borderline source-usage the production and execution outweighs this by far. Great stuff all around. YES

Great source tunes. Red Wings is major kick-ass and I hate you for claiming it before I had the chance. Very nice intro indeed. Transitions well into the Red Wings theme. Drums sit a bit in the back (and left) and could be a bit more upfront to add some additional movement to this strong mix of themes. Otherwise the arrangement is both smart, dynamic and creative. Nothing bothered me about 1:19 and I enjoyed the ending except for maybe the final chord ;P Production-wise it all clicks. The samples are well handled for the most part. Could probably be pushed up another notch to sound really fantastic but it's definitely good enough. Didn't hear the pop Larry was talking about at 3:23 but that's mainly because he meant 3:32, and yeah that should be fix'd. Overall, neat-o, go team, blast-off! YES