DragonAvenger

I can hear what some of the others are mentioning, but I thing the arrangement and personalization are really carrying this mix really well. Very good stylistic changes of the melodies, and great backing parts to support the track as a whole. I do agree with Justin about 1:31 in particular sounding a bit awkward, but again I'm not finding it to be a deal breaker. Yes

Got it working! The Oath definitely lends itself very well to orchestration, and I think a lot of your approach here is a pretty good start. In terms of arrangement I only had a few quibbles; the opening third of the mix is pretty empty and is really accentuating some other flaws of the mix. I also felt like the chord progression at 1:00 sounds a bit off, and I'd consider adjusting some of the notes there. The production is definitely the area that needs the most work. The instruments have very little humanization and feel blocky (really emphasized in that opening). Similarly, there are times when the attacks between the instruments are slow or fast and are not matching up well, making things sound out of time. That is more apparent in the end between the brass and strings especially. The samples themselves are another big issue. Most of the instruments are sounding pretty fakey, and the higher notes of the strings are very thin and screeching at times. To some extent you could massage some life into the samples and they will sound better, but it would also be good to consider finding some more realistic samples. I think you're on the right track in terms of practicing your orchestration, but the mix itself has a ways to go before it is ready for OCR. Hit up our WIP forums to get some more feedback. No (resubmit)

Kris says the arrangement checks out, so I'm just listening to the mix. Nice use of the vocals here, you really did a good job of playing to their strengths and weaknesses. The guitars work really well to add that anxiety to the mix, and overall the emotion in the piece is really good. Not much to add here, nice work. Yes

Kris has got this right; the repetition is definitely an issue to be addressed here. I'd take a look at some of the more recently posted mixes to see how they arranged and personalized the mixes. Adding some variations and change-ups will help diversify your mix and keep things fresh. The mixing is also a bit off. Kris mentioned the chugs being pretty up front and that's the first thing I noticed as well. Id look into cleaning up done of those issues. I really like your concept here, but currently it doesn't feel like it's in a finished state for OCR. Both the arrangement and the mixing need some work here, but I think you're off to a good start. Hit up our WIP forums to get some further feedback. Hope to hear more from you in the future! No (resubmit)

Nice style change from the original! Really adds a nice flair here, and I like your overall approach to the arrangement. A couple things I noticed in the intro are that the brass crescendos could be a little louder when there is less going on in the mix, as they sound like they're holding back for no reason, and that particular sound clip is used a lot throughout the mix. That's a bit minor overall, but my bigger issue comes with some sections feeling really cluttered at times, like when the melody first comes in. There's so much going on I don't really know what to focus on. I think some adjustments to the balance on those sections might help, or maybe dropping some parts to clear up a little more space. After a second listen I felt it wasn't quite as bad as my first impression, though I do feel that you should keep that in mind for future mixes. I'll also throw out there that I do agree with Kris that the transition at 1:47 is a little wonky, but it's a pretty brief thing that I'm willing to look past. I'm good with giving this a pass, though I'd say it's a bit tight overall. Good luck with Tver rest of the vote! Yes (borderline)

Definitely has that disco feel to it, and I think you did a great job achieving the groove you we're looking for. The original definitely translates well here! My two main issues with the track are the same as Kris's, though I think they are enough that I'd like you to polish this one a little more. The repetitiveness is the biggest thing. Aside from the parts that come back very similar or the same as before, you have the section from 1:25-2:29 that uses the same motif without much change too it. I feel like this section in particular is going on for too long. With that is the notes at 1:28 and 1:30 that aren't fitting into the key signature and are repeated throughout this section. Someone else is likely to mention is the synth lead at 2:43. I like the sound choice in theory but I feel like it is too weak in the track and there is a loss of energy. Maybe some doubling with something else or some layering will help. The vocoded part at 3:16 is also out of key, and the section after that is a pretty long wind-down. I think that section can also be shortened, as it feels like it loses direction before the fade out finally hits. Definitely on the right track here, but it's not ready yet to me. No (resubmit)

Vinnie really explained this one nicely, I'm pretty much in full agreement with him. To add a bit yo what he said, there are sections where it feels like a lot or all of the instruments are just noodling around, which I think might be the underlying issue of the directionless feel. Maybe adjust done if the writing to have a sting lead melody playing will help, though I don't know if that would lose your ambiance here. Regardless, it is super obvious that you put a lot of work into this mix, and I really hope you either resub it with some tweaks or send us something new, would love to hear you again! No (resubmit)

Yup, fun mix to listen to! The instrument chives melded well with each other stylistically, and aside from the bass I wasn't hearing any major issues. Nice work! Yes

Alright guys, got a chance to look at this further. Looking at just the vocal melody that shows up at 0:07 in the source we have these notes: La Mi Re Ti Do Re La Listening in the mix I'm hearing that used quite a bit, most especially the first 4 or 5 notes. Most notably; 0:16-0:30 0:34-0:38 1:06-1:13 - in the chorus 1:14-1:18 - backing staccato strings 1:36-2:01 - female vocals and strings 2:06-2-16 - strings So that stuff alone comes to 47% with 73 seconds to me. I'll admit the rhythm is often changed and 4-5 notes is a bit small to work with, but I felt like it was iconic and strong enough to be recognizable. I can also see some nitpickers saying the big section has some variation I included that isn't straight source, but I'd argue it's variation and fits well enough with the source. I do wish the first half had a bit more of a connection to it, which would totally seal the deal 100% for me, but I honestly feel like there's enough there that is recognizable as source usage/personalization that I am fine with giving this a Yes. I encourage Kris and Dain to look at this again. By the way if anyone picks up any other source usage point it out! Also maybe a reach out to the mixer would help too?

I'm hearing a lot of the very first vocal motif spread out throughout the mix. It's using the first 5-10ish notes. I'll come back to this one when I have more time

I can see where the source is lacking, but I'm of the opinion that whenever you start to really lose it in your mind/ear the source comes back and centers you again. I think that combines with Dave's reasoning is enough for me to go with it. Yes

Yeah, gonna have to side with the other joojes here, the drumming is really strange, and it really is messing with the flow here. On top of that, the drum loop is also pretty repetitive, so when you change them up make sure you don't fall into that trap. Send it back to us! No (resubmit)

There are a lot of sections that I'm hearing what the mixer is going for in term of source usage, but I'm pretty torn on if the intent is clear enough. Sections like 1:03-1:38, 2:24-4:13, 4:56-5:39, and 6:52-8:01. I am leaning towards this just being too much of a stretch in those sections, and I'm going to have to say no on this because of it. The track is a really cool concept, and I think if the source can be made clearer in those sections I'd be all for passing this! No (resubmit)

I found a lot of Breath of Fire 2's soundtrack tone fairly bland, and this track is no exception. I think your approach is definitely a more interesting take of the melody, and it was much more fun to listen to than the source. You added some near embellishments to the melody that I think overall work pretty well here, and I have no fault with the arrangement side of things. I found the transition at 0:45 to be pretty smooth, nice work there. I also think I'm hearing some sort of whispering or moaning on the left side around 2:42. It's a nice touch and could actually be a little louder. I can't say I'm as on board with the production here. A lot of the synths feel really blocky, which definitely pulls me away from being immersed in the track. To some extent the blockiness is forgivable since the original has some similar sections, but I think here that following that style choice clashes with the other elements you added to your track. The others also mentioned the timing on the choral patch, but I'd also like to make a note that the sample itself really stands out as being fake. Some of the other synths also stand out a bit, but the choral ample is the biggest issue. I think you're really on the right track here. The arrangement is good, but I think the blockiness and the samples are bringing this down below the bar. I'd love to hear you revise this a bit. Good luck on the rest of the vote! No (resubmit)

This sounds like it could fit into a movie soundtrack. Really enjoying the instrumentation and the genre approach here. Unfortunately I'm also not hearing the connections we need to give this a pass in regards to source usage. I'd definitely like to hear some revisions to make the usage more overt. Please send this one back! No (resubmit)

Going to also agree with Justun here. I think the mix does a great job of being pretty ambient and wandering, but I felt like there is enough variations and approaches that prevent the mix from being too repetitive. Also going to agree that the mix works despite or even because of the strong lack of direction. It floats along and gets where it needs to go eventually, and you get to float along for the ride. I love that mixers are still able to approach often mixed songs and still find a way to make it unique! Yes

The arrangement is really a great interpretation of the original song. I really enjoyed your approach here, and I think it fits the original well. The biggest issue to me was the piano sound; I personally felt that it was a detracting feature. I don't think it brings the mix below the bar here, but I definitely would have liked a different sound used. There's plenty to make up for it, though, and I'm glad to have heard it! Yes

Definitely agree with the others that the over compression is a bit of an issue. Overall I feel it's pretty borderline in terms of the degree and whether it puts the mix below the bar. I do think, however, that the synth issue nudges it just to the point where I'd like to see it revised. I think the adjustments will make the mix that much better, and I'm excited to hear it on the front page then! No (resubmit)

Yeah, going to have to agree that this needs to be pulled back a bit. The loud sections are definitely WAY up there! I think you'll be good once you make a couple adjustments to the volume. Send this back! NO (resubmit)

Going with what most of the guys said here: the arrangement is really great with a lot of harmonic variations and adaptions. It feels almost like a theme and variations, which is a nice touch. I'm pretty borderline on the sound quality here, and I think Larry is right in the end that it needs a bit more polish to smooth out some of the sections that are still feeling too stiff. Please get this one back to us! No

I like the slow, deliberate tempo. Really sets the mood you are going for. There's a sense of dread in the arrangement, and I again like the changes in tempo and rhythms you used to alter the melody. I think this is ultimately going to come down to the sounds here, which I think aren't full enough for a solo piano arrangement. I'm hoping another judge will have some good feedback on how to improve the sounds here, though I'm not sure if you'll be able to fix it if the original files are lost NO (resubmit?)

Re mixer Name: Wiesty Real Name: Dylan Wiest Email Address: User ID: 11643 Name of game(s) arranged: Final Fantasy VII Name of arrangement: Shrouded Reactor Name of individual song(s) arranged: Mako Reactor Hello! This is a simple piano arrangement of Mako Reactor from FF7 I arranged. This was originally to be part of the FF7 Web series project until it came to halt. The concept was to arrange the reactor theme in a way that reflected the mystery/eeriness of the Mt. Nibel Mako Reactor. I think this piece captures the unpleasant feeling of walking through Mt. Nibel and discovering the Mako reactor quite well. I hope you enjoy! *Note* I was unable to find the original files for this remix. This has a bitrate of 160kbps. ------------

For real, the flow is sweet here. Gonna agree with the rest of the votes here, not sure on the source! Hope you guys can get back to us with some connections! NO

Hey, if I'm not on in terms of the arrangement going on here, sweet. The track is a lot of fun to listen to, and I'm up for it being posted. I'm cool with changing my vote. YES

No problem of source usage here, almost everything is related to the source! Overall I think this is fairly nicely produced, the sounds are realistic, though I think overall there's a bit too much reverb going on at times. My issue comes down to the arrangement. I'm tempted to call this a medley of sorts, but it feels more like an rondo, with the main theme interspersed with quotes from other themes from the game. There really isn't any development of any of the sources used, which ultimately is bringing this below the bar for me. I'd love to hear you work some personalization into your work, and add more development/arrangement. I think in regards to this mix that would be starting pretty much from scratch, which would be quite a bit of work. The mix is really nice to listen to overall, and I enjoyed hearing it! Ultimately it's not something really for OCR, though. NO (changed below)