DragonAvenger

I can see what Gario's saying here, though I don't think it's below the bar. There's still some changes here and there that vary things up that I didn't feel like it was too much. I can see this going either way, but I'm good to do on this one! YES

I think both of the guys here have some pretty great suggestions, and I agree with Greg that it's overall a lot of small things that are adding up in the end for me. I'd love the wetness to be relaxed here, and definitely think the strings and chorus need to be massaged a bit more to get more of a live feel out of them, as they sound very mechanical right now. The arrangement is subtle but expressive, as per your norm. hope to hear this again NO (resubmit)

I'm on the fence here. I thought the track was pretty creative, especially considering how pretty much all of the vocal clips fit pretty well into the track. That being said, I do think they end up being overused here. Along with that, certain clips end up being a lot lower in volume compared to "I don't understand what's going on here" which was very prominent, to the point of being distracting. I think adjusting the volume on those clips might help bring a little more focus onto the music as well, while still being a focus. There's a lot of variation here, but I feel like there are a lot of elements here that add up to making the track sound pretty repetitive. I think the constant sound wall of words is the biggest factor, but a lot of the other elements are used gratuitously. I think it's pretty close here, but needs a few adjustments to bring down the repetitiveness a touch and to make the track a little more varied. Good luck on the rest of the vote! NO (resubmit)

Nice, definitely a great adaption of Wild West. As Gario said, the expansion and original material fits in and out of the source really well, and everything felt solidly connected. If I were to nitpick I'd say that the track felt a tiny bit muffled at times, but it wasn't anywhere where I couldn't make out parts or anything. Nice work! YES

Yeah, totally unexpected, and pretty awesome. Love the energy overall and the Gradius influence is solid. I agree with Gario that the synth gets a little stale towards the end, but that's a tiny nitpick. Rock on in SPAAAACCCEEEE, Link! YES

This is a fun arrangement, and not something I would have expected. I appreciate the changes between the dynamics and flow of the piece; it really keeps the track interesting. The sound quality isn't the best, but I agree with the others that it's getting the job done here. Nice work! YES

Not much too add here that hasn't already been mentioned. Some of the instruments and the chorus do feel a bit more on the mechanical side, but there's a lot of subtle work being done here as well. Similarly, the arrangement is more on the subtle side, but the personalizations are there and the track is a nice listen. I wasn't feeling the transition too much, but I didn't feel like that was a dealbreaker here either. Overall I do think this one's a bit close, but I'm good to give it a pass. YES (borderline)

Definitely a lot of interesting sounds that I didn't expect to hear considering this is only a bunch of french horns, that was a pleasant surprise. Overall this is really creative, and like Greg I only have a couple nitpicks that I don't feel are huge issues overall. I do think the first third or so is a bit empty in the soundscape before the track really starts to pick up. Some more backing chords played really lightly would have helped. The louder sections also feel like they're pushing just a tad too hard to me. Nothing major in the long run The arrangement is a bit of a slow burn, which adds a nice effect (along with the other nice effects going on here). I don't think this is going to be a fan favorite, but I definitely appreciate the different approach and creativity here. Nice work! YES

Absolutely nothing to add here, MW got this just right. Definitely not an easy source to work with, and while I would have appreciated more change-ups to keep things from getting into that repetitive feel, there is a lot of subtle stuff going on that makes a difference. Nice work! YES

Not too much to add here that hasn't been mentioned. Having listened to only this version, I felt like a lot of the instruments still need some work to sound more humanized, and I might suggest changing the velocities of the attacks in areas to help add some more realistic articulations as well. I do think this needs some more work, but I'm glad you're sticking with it; everything you improve here can be applied to future mixes! NO

Pretty much everything mentioned above is what I'm hearing, but I don't think fixing it is going to be as quick as the conditional guys think it will be. Might be some rerecording going on, and fooling with the levels to make a less muffled sound might take a bit. Going to go NO (resubmit) just because I think it's more than a 5 minute fix. Hope you get this one back to us though, there's some really nice arranging going on here!

Not too much to add here, except I'd like to point that there are also times that the drums also get a bit repetitive. In addition, I felt like the lead synth starts to feel a little plain by the end. I think some different production or switching out the lead could help, along with varying up some of the other parts. I'm just on the NO side of this, but I think it's close! NO (resubmit)

This is way more fun than I expected it to be. The jazz take here was a great fit with the source, and I thought the playing was all pretty great. Agreed that the sax is a tad shrill in that one spot, but not an issue overall. I wasn't as bothered by the transition as Greg, though I see his point as well. Overall a really fun track, lovely work! YES

Not at all what I expected here, and I was pleasantly surprised. The Jenova theme is pretty well transformed, and the hints of Find Your Way helped pull things together. My one nitpick here is that the soundscape overall feels a bit empty. I would have liked a little bit more on the backing pads to fill this in just a touch more. That being said, the track does have a lot of fun ideas. Nice work! YES

Yep, some songs can be arranged a million times and people will still find something new for it. The mix is nice and chill, and I appreciated the small details that gave a fresh take here. I'm with Larry in regards to the piano sound/velocites; I think they are somewhat problematic, but they manage to stay fairly unobtrusive and I didn't find it to be a dealbreaker in the long run. Definitely something to consider for the future, though. Curious to see where the vote goes here, good luck! YES

This track is a really fun take on the original. I appreciate that you didn't immediately go for a tango track, which seems like the obvious choice. Also enjoying that you don't go straight for the obvious connections throughout the piece, but the source is still in there. My small nitpick is that the track does feel like it goes on a tad long due to some elements remaining in play for most of the track, but that's just a minor point. Nice work! YES

Some really nice textures and harmonies you have going throughout here. Really well developed! Going to agree that the chorus is probably the lowest point of the mix, since they are sitting a bit in the uncanny valley here, but they aren't so bad in the big picture. Really lovely piece! YES

I do agree that there's a lot of this that uses a lot of simpler voice leading and chords, but I still felt the arrangement was fairly emotive. The story told is clearly presented as well. Greg does have some great advice that I think you should take note of for future arrangements, however. I'm good giving this a go-ahead as-is though! YES

Not much to add here that hasn't already been mentioned. The trumpet sequencing is pretty good here, and brass is usually one of those uncanny valley instruments. I think they could have been brought up just a tiny bit more in the balance, but that is also a tiny nitpick that doesn't affect my decision. The weird flute notes are the biggest detractor here, and while I'm going YES here, I certainly wouldn't mind if they were fixed up before posting. Nice work! YES

This is excellent; I am personally loving the soundscape, even with it being high-heavy. Really great choices of sounds, and the guitar fits in very nicely. The arrangement is thoughtful and fun while retaining an air of mystery at points. I don't have any big complaints here, aside that a touch more low end would have been nice, but not a dealbreaker to me. YES

I can see what the guys are saying, and I agree this ends up being closer than I'd have expected. That being said, I'm siding with Gario here, that I think this has just enough variety to get by. Curious what the other judges think! YES (borderline)

Oh man, I'm torn on this. Some of the execution is really great, and some of it I'm not not feeling. My biggest issue is that a lot of the lyrics sound really awkward because they are broken up strangely with the melody line. Along with that is that parts do tend to go a bit flat. However, the line in the chorus, "How many times has the world fell to war?" is excellent and gave me goosebumps, awesome work. A couple other areas come across really well, too, so it's a bit back and forth for me on the lyrics. I can also hear a bit of the guitar issue the guys are talking about. I'm not as bothered by it, but it is worth mentioning. After a couple listens I do think this gets the job done and the good aspects here outweigh the issues I have. Great energy overall and in your vocals as well, nice work! YES

Definitely not what I was expecting; I was pleasantly surprised when I started listening here! Pretty solid transition for both of the themes into jazz, and while I'm not blown away by the samples, I do think they squeak by in the end. I'll agree that the trumpet definitely could stand to be louder, and the entire track does come across a little quiet, but again they don't end up being dealbreakers though it is a bit close for me. I could see this one being a back and forth for other judges, so good luck on the rest of the vote! YES (borderline)

I didn't find the soundscape to be thin so much as intimate, and I think it works out just right for the style here. Really enjoying the combination of instruments here, it has a nice folk-feel and still captures that Dragon Quest style in the arrangement. I am going to second that a fade-out isn't really the best choice for an ending here, but I'm not finding it to be a dealbreaker in the end. I wouldn't be sad to hear the track cut after the second guitar repeat of the end for a more final ending, however. Nice work overall! YES

This is definitely a pretty successful and really fun mix of two genres. The beats are definitley snappy and I enjoyed the overall energy of the mix. I do agree at times it feels like there might be too much going on, but overall I didn't find it to be such and issue that it was worth revisiting. Gario has a good point on the harmonies going on a lot, but again not a big issue in the long run, just something to consider in the future. Nice work, hope to hear more from you! YES