anosou

Reason-chan would kick major ammounts of ass. She'd lack a pussy, the makers didn't want her to be like other "-chans". Instead she gets pregnant with a strange protocol called ReBaby. It works, but it's just not the same. Also, she can't change clothes. You have to go with what they gave her. :3

Yeah, got a solid base for a trance main theme-remix. His amazing trance remixes is part of how I first found the amazing variety and talant on OCR. Will work on it the coming days. This is for you bLiNd.

Ah, Jahan, you're my knight in shining armor. This is exactly what OCR needs. Even though I hate the genre! Anyway, the arrangement is solid and not the issue here so I won't elaborate more than that. Thanks for the breakdown though! The production is another story though. The mix in general seems muddy and lacking in high-frequencies. The background guitars sounds like you low-passed them which is going in the entirely wrong direction in such a bass-heavy mix. The drums weren't bad all the time but I'd like to see a bit more punch in the kick drum. More bass there, less bass everywhere else except the bass. The "ride" did sound horrible though, sample-wise, especially at 3.07. Sounds like an old drum machine (which is cool, but not here). Try finding some fuller cymbal samples in general but mainly the ride. Compressing the whole kit and while EQing pretty much every element of it will help you have complete control over the sound and what's audible, try it. Separating the guitars some more in terms of equalization AND panning would also help this track. The vocals are very audible though. Sometimes they sound like they're clipping a bit from recording but it's not horrible and kinda fits the style. The vocal performance is pretty awesome although I feel some parts could've been a bit better. The singing style at 0.58 is the one I fancy the least. It sounds too strained and distorted. 2:12 was VERY good. Use that mixing some more to really add some power to some sections, it's a welcome change in the soundscape. Yeah, this needs to be on OCR. Yes, the mixing is holding it way back at the moment. Yes, ask sixto to try and mix this too. Yes, resubmit. Yes, NO(resubmit)

Okay, so the minor key arpeggios at 00.12-00.16 are really off, like Larry said. I'm not that good a music theory-wiz (yet!) but it sounds very strange like that. I also agree with CHz that the piano lead was a bit too soft. Just a little push would bring it to the front and really help it stand out. I didn't find the transition into this part is a problem at all, rather the oppossite. I think it works well and as a surprise for the listener. I also think the transition into the 1:38 part was pretty okay. The part in itself sounds a bit strange compared to what came before, I agree, but it sounds very intentional and doesn't disrupt as much as it creates a personal flavor. It would probably sound better with not only chromatic movement in chords though. the high piano at 2.25 is a bit too high. It exposes the sample in a bad way. If you played it one octave down it would sound so much better imo. The drums at 3.00 seems out of place, mainly because they also seem quite "out of tune" and too dark for the rest of the mix. A snare drum would've worked a lot better. The ending leaves a lot too be desired too, a real crescendo at 3.00 and a bombastic finish with a real you know.. ending, would make this track shine. Make use of cymbals and brass. They work well to give that 'great' feeling. The rest of the arrangement is absolutely good enough and the instrumentation is in general very pleasing. The mood is also close to the general mood of the game which for me is a good thing. Production is also pretty damn good, everything's clean and except for the balance issues CHz mentioned (that to me is pretty minor, but still issues) I have nothing to complain about. My main concern is, like Larry's, the ending. After really thinking this through I think it's too big of a concern for a yes or even a conditional yes. With this, I really hope you'll work on the issues we pointed out but most of all write a new ending. This would make a great addition to OCR and I'm looking forward to giving it a big, size 7 HELL YES. NO (resubmit/rewrite ending)

lol, Liontamer. Expect something from me in a few minutes. Think he appreciates trance?

Okay, the new version had overall better production. Even though it seems the instruments are the same this does help the track and the intro a lot. It certainly puts this baby over the bar. YES

and if it doesn't work there's probably an app to fix it! FreeMacWare.com has helped me out in some tight spots Also, pretty much everything with a wi-fi or bluetooth signal will work wonders as MIDI controllers with an app or two. But yeah, if you dig it get it. But only if you really prefer it to Windows. Otherwise it's just a waste of money

Yeah the randomness can suck but it's also part of the fun. Actually, a few XBLA games has gotten expansions and addons. They even have 50 extra gamerpoints to put in expansions of XBLA titles according to their agreement. Carcassonne for one has an expansion. Undertow too. Gripshift, that crappy minigolf game, Outpost Kaloki X and Boom Boom Rocket has some kind of expansion, lumines has quite a few too!

My sister has a MacBook (not Pro) with Leopard and it has some serious issues which involves rebooting every so often because it freezes up with a black text in 4 languages telling you to reboot. :/ We left it in for repair but it seemed to be a software issue. This might've been fix in an update, she still has the earliest version. Otherwise it's mainly the general compatibility. Tiger is still a safe bet in that area. Some mac-specific software are slowly moving towards leopard-only but nothing worth noting, at least not for me. Also, you're not buying a MBP for the hardware. Buy it for the software. It's like with Nintendo. Or it's like it was with nintendo ;p The hardware is decent, absolutely, but you're buying a mac because you love the OS and the design philosophy in their software. I for one does. I can't really sit here describing exactly why I think Mac OS X is superior to Windows XP or Vista, it's just my personal opinion and the way I work. Nowadays pretty much all software ('cept a lot of games ofc) can be run on both platforms. If not, there is always a counter-part that works better on that OS. Since you can dual-boot a MBP if needed I'll play PC games if I want to but I'm really more of a console-person so I have not need of a virtual machine or bootcamp. anyway, you should try out Mac OS X a lot before you buy it. Learn to do common stuff, hopefully learn how to fix the general hiccups any OS has and try out the workflow. Don't believe the hype and just get into it because. Do it because you want to. I can understand how people hate Mac. Paying this huge ammount of money for a computer they don't really care for (or haven't tried properly) in the first place ;P Don't do that. PC's ain't bad. Mac's ain't bad. It's a matter of personal preference and what how you work (and with what).

I'd never

First off, I thought I still had an SPC file on when playing this. The sounds used here are not sophisticated enough, especially compared to the source. Look into upgrading your sound library or finding ways to make your sounds more interesting and with an edge. EQ together with free samples or a softsynth or two could do the trick if you take the time to learn how to use them. Not too bad of an arrangement but not very adventurous either. Look into really evolving the source, not just alter it slightly. Also, as Larry said, the track really needs to be going somewhere and be more dynamic. Follow his advice and check out TO's mix. You might also benefit from visiting #ocrwip on irc.enterthegame.com or checking out the WIP forums here at OCR. Good luck with your next submission. NO

Spoke to Joren today, he has lost the project file so it's YES or NO on this one since he can't meet the conditionals.

I love my MBP I've made every single one of my remixes on it without need for any additional hardware. Logic Studio, Reason and Ableton Live is a sick set of DAWs that I want to work with together so that also means mac is the only option. The only issue I've had is once where my discdrive stopped reading CDs but that was fixed with a simple software update. Also, I'm a rabid OS X fan. I love tit becuase it's so self-explanatory and sleek but you can still go deep and tinker with pretty much whatever if that's what you're into. It's just that it's quite different from Windows so you might get bummed out if you're used to Windows and how to solve issues in that OS. I've had both a PC and many Macs and I'm more comfortable with Mac. I, personally, have had more serious issues with PCs but then again I'm more used to Mac so it might just be my skill at handling problems. Also, a quick advice, don't get Leopard. Not yet. It's just not stable enough and it's not compatible with some music software/hardware. Tiger however is the best cat around. (PS: I like iTunes, kill me)

Nekofrog? So many times have I heard that name but never been able to place it somewhere, now I can! And way to make a first impression Arrangement is sweet with some nice original riffin' to boot. Not the most exciting arrangement but it works very well. Nice playing all around too, very tight. Although the ending leaves a lot to be desired. At least let the guitar ring out and fade or something. Production is more of a problem area though. The mix has a fairly low volume, especially for such an high-energy piece. Some mastering (limiter and final EQ, you know?) could probably fix this with great success. If you have access to a stereo-widener it might help this too since it sounds very mono at the moment. Drop by #ocrwip and ask some of the veterans (zircon especially knows his processing) if you need some pointers on how to improve your mixes in the future. It's also rather muddy, some separation of the instruments could've worked wonders together with some EQ. I think there are too many small fixes in the production holding this mix back from being the epic masterpiece it could've been. If you could just pump up the volume, fix the ending and maaaybe some general EQing I'd YES this in a heartbeat. Soo..I think those are small enough for a conditional yes, yes? yes. (vote change, see below) EDIT 19/8: So, the new version improves the production. Everything's louder and bigger. It could probably be even louder but that's a highly personal opinion. I still don't like the snare, it's a bit worse this time around actually, but most of the other stuff is above the bar and I think it outweighs this. For your next submission Justin, and I trust you'll submit a lot, work with the drums and think about investing in a $$$-drum library. That would REALLY take your stuff to the next level. Because damn man, your playing is hot. Level up. YES

Not a lot to add here. The main concern is that your version is very close to the original in terms of structure, just like Larry said. You did choose some pretty pleasing instruments though, sounds like a cozy old PSX RPG. The soloing was a step in the right direction but you need to develop the arrangement more. Bring in some original chord writing, maybe a counter melody, a break or just a change in instrumentation. Try #ocrwip on irc.enterthegame.com or the WIP-boards for some feedback and tips. NO

Very nice choice of sourcetunes. I personally can't deal with these happy-go-lucky sources so I'm glad you shine a light on them So, potent arrangement this one. Keeps the feel from the original 'Training Grounds' song and weaves it in with 'Place of Peace' in a very pleasing way. Arranged material is arranged enough and instrument choices were overall pleasing and very 80s :3 The production is good too. Most of the instruments sounds good but a little bit weak compared to how punchy the drums sound, especially the snare as Larry pointed out. I think some of the sounds have a certain GM-quality to them but absolutely the passable kind. So, the production is up to par with our standards.. The arrangement is over the bar.. Keep it up Simon! YES

Ah, this was interesting. Shimomura's soundtrack is at times fantastic and at times not-so-fantastic. Luckily this is the former. Interesting arrangement. Not very quirky or unexpected but pleasing nonetheless. Some dissonant harmonic content but nothing that didn't sound very intentional and served as a pinch in the butt for the listener. The production however is another story. While the general tone of the samples isn't bad at all, the processing hurts it. It's very muddy and way 'back' in the mix. It feels like important high frequencies are missing. I don't know if it's partially the hall reverb but you need to at least EQ the pianos a bit differently (or use a different sample alltogether) to separate the pianos more. Just panning doesn't help if the pianos sound identical. I, like Larry and 'Ili, feels this could use some production touch-ups before it achieves it's fullest potential. It's probably not more than a couple of hours work and it will be very much worth it. Fix it and this will be a fantastic addition to OCR. YES(conditional on contrast + EQ touch-up)

That's incredibly awesome. Also, Uematsu has two copies. One official and one custom made by me and AeroZ from the PLAY! Concerts in Stockholm. Sure, he likes the official the most but still!

It's both. The Galactrix version is going to be released sometime soon and the expansion to Challenge of the Warlords (named Revenge of the Plague Lord) is coming even sooner.

Nah, I'll buy this release. I'm waiting for the big one > thanks tho #11? Sweetums.

My thoughts are with you. I really hope you get better.

Congraturations! A winner is you! You owe me a free CD, too bad this is digital > Sweet remixes though, really sweet.

"Remixers who participated", not "Remixers who made crappy technoez." :3

God I love the Kirby soundtracks. Too bad I don't have the patience to tackle the highly melodic and major (not minor!? WTF!?) ones. So yeah, the important things have been pointed out. There isn't much arrangement to speak of and it's not a surprise with a 5 second source. What you have here is quite good but it's not an arrangement up to our standards. Try choosing another source and you'll have a much better chance of getting accepted. My production crits are pretty much the same as CHz's and Larry's so I'm not going to waste time writing them down. Good luck with your next submission! NO

Interesting take, I give you that. Very electronic and fresh. Very Ableton Live When you pitch up the drums, at :30 you leave them at a note that is very out of tune and doesn't match the rest of the song at all. Since this goes on for a while it really hurts the track (and my brain). The glitchy drums coupled with the 'traditional' drum sounds really works. The pad-combination used for the main chords is pretty sweet too. As Larry pointed out the 8th note synth entering at 1:45 just isn't cutting it. It's slightly (VERY SLIGHTLY!) behind the beat and the sound itself sounds quite cheap. It doesn't really need to be repeating as much, at least change it the chords up from time to time. The try at a melody at 2:05 was a try indeed. Too bad it's both off-key (2:16-2:21) and with a sound that is very difficult to make out in the soft synth soundscape you've created. 3:05 was really cool. Though some slight variation in the melody as it loops wouldn't hurt. The synth from 2:05 comes back and is still off-key at places. If only you'd fix that it would've been a pretty cool counter-melody. Another thing that struck me is that the piece is pretty repetitive. If you introduced one or two more elements, maybe the source melody but with another instrument, earlier in the song it would really help. Even some chord changes for 4 bars or something. As it is now, this is really cool and a unique concept. Sadly the execution isn't really up to par with that just yet. If you work a bit more on varying the piece and fixing the other issues this would be an easy YES. So please, resubmit this! NO(resubmit)