DragonAvenger

I do think this is hovering near the bar in terms of arrangement; it's pretty close to the source, but there is a good amount of personalization, and the second half has a nice mood change here. As Larry mentions, this is definitely intense, but the parts are pretty clear, which isn't easy to do in this style. While I'd have liked more part variation, I do think the personalization does make up for it. Nice work. YES

I think I am somewhere between Larry and Vig here. I think there are some solid ideas here, but at the same time the soundscape is sparse and repetitive. I'd love for you to hit a happy medium here of shortening up the mix and adding more variation to the parts. I don't think there needs to be major additions, but overall more variation to keep things interesting. Good luck! NO (resubmit)

Pretty fun mix you have going on here. I like the idea of making this into a march, and I think you have a lot of strong arrangement ideas here. The big issue is the production and the overall stiffness of the execution. Right now the instruments all are sounding pretty weak overall. I know you're going for a concert hall setting, but everything feels like it's being heard from a distance. Some greater clarity between the parts and getting them to pop a little more is the first step I think. The other aspect is the stiffness of the parts. For a march played by an orchestra/band you want to have a decent amount of humanization to make it sound like a live performance. Right now everything is very stiff. Try working with your velocities on attacks to make everything more lifelike. I think you have a pretty good start here, and I'd encourage you to keep working on it. Be sure to hit up Fishy for some more advice too, as a good project director should be around to do NO (resubmit)

A freakin' Pokémon MMO. As for who would make it, I'd imagine Blizzard would do a good job, but I'm sure you guys can think of a company that would do as good or better.

Yeah, definitely some great sections where there is great use of the source, and then there are sections that seem completely unrelated. Listening through without time-stamping I think the first half stays more connected to the source than the second half, and that's where things feel like they go off-course for too long. In terms of the production, I do think the highs are lacking a bit, but clarity with a dubstep mix is definitely difficult to do. I'd definitely like to hear you work on that, as well as bringing out a little more in the lows to get that dubstep rumble out a touch more. Bringing down the overall volume will probably give you more wiggle room for both of those things. Good luck! NO (resubmit)

I really like your approach here. It's super fun and has a lot of spirit to it. The first thing I noticed was the stiffness of the lead, and the piano sound overall. I'd say a lot of the sounds could be upgraded to have a little more luster and life to them. Aside from that, I felt like a couple of the sections get a bit repetitious, so I'd look into adding some subtle harmonies or countermelodies to add some more interest to those parts. Definitely on the right track here, but it needs some clean-up. NO (resubmit)

Larry put in a lot of good crits. I definitely think you should take what he said and see how you can fix these issues up. It will definitely be a learning experiance for you, but I know you can handle the feedback to keep coming at it. Larry's also right that the writing here has some good merits, and the mix overall is an interesting listen. Definitely look into clearing up your parts and expanding on your writing a little. NO (resubmit)

Not much to add to what the other two have already brought up. There's a lot of potential here, and I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it is to try to get the production right on this, but right now it's not there yet. There's definitely some balance shifts that are needed to make the parts a little cleaner and let the parts come through better. Definitely want to hear this again! NO (resubmit)

I love how you made a simple change to the original just by moving where the downbeat landed in the source and how effective it was at adding a new perspective to the melody. This was a pretty enjoyable listen in terms of arrangement, and I agree with Larry that the dynamic contrasts and leading of this mix are quite excellent. I can see Larry's nits, and I agree with him that they are slight improvements that you can look to work on. I also agree with him that they aren't in any way something that could cause this mix to be below the bar. Nice work. YES

I can join in on the yes side of the fence, if also just barely. I agree with everyone's point on the drums. They sound a bit odd at times, and after Cain pointed out the 2:57-3:06 I can't unhear it. That being said, I think you approach this style very well, although it is a bit repetitive. I would have liked some more obvious variation in the parts which could have been used to create a nice build-up throughout the track. The overall dark mood really sets the stage well for this track and reflects on the game as well. I think the flaws are something to work in in the future, but not enough to bring this below the bar. YES (borderline)

Birthdayyyyyy!!!!!

To be a real nitpick, the first transition was pretty blunt, but as the gentlemen have mentioned, the rest of the track is quite excellent in terms of the arrangement. I'm not as bothered by the piano sound as Larry, but I can see his crits. Good flow throughout, and nice use of the sources and yexpansion. YES

Yeah, I can see Jesse's crits, but I agree that overall this one is above the bar. I also agree with Larry about the CC transition seeming to be jumpy, but it's probably more of the familiarity issue than the actual transition. I'm down with this, it's a fun mix, although I think it is indeed more of a 'novelty' than something I would listen to on a regular basis. Personal choice, and I think people will dig it regardless. Good luck on the rest of the vote. YES

Yeah, agreeing with the gentlemen here. The arrangement itself has some great ideas, but the production end of things are the main factor bringing it down. The entire thing feels very rigid, and overall the lack of humanization makes the parts feel like they are dragging. Similarly, I felt like the volumes overall are a bit on the quiet side, and you're losing some energy that way. I really thumping bass, for example, might really help this track groove. The arrangement ideas are definitely on the right track, but you've gotta get the production up a little more to get this to shine. I'd love to hear this one again. NO (resubmit)

Really epic mood you've got going on here, and when this clicks with the source, it does so quite well. As the other judges mentioned, though, the mix veers a bit too far away from the source at times, and I think there's gotta be more connections overall for us. I would definitely love you to hit this one up again and tie it together for us, but I can understand you wanting to leave this done as-is. Regardless, good production throughout and a very nice listen! NO (resubmit, please)

Looooooove it. Really adds a lot of emotion to it when you break down the parts like that. Nice work, bro!

Birthdayyyyy!!!!

Man, Larry messed up the title of my mix. It's gonna take him at least a week to fix it. Sorry dudes, blame Larry.

In response to your question Larry did some inboxing last night and now we're up to Dec 29!

Had to listen to this one for a while. I really love the buildup you have going on here, especially as it reaches it's peak near the end. Really really good anticipation for that, so nice job there! I do have to agree with Jesse, though, in the end. This is really pretty close to the source in a lot of ways, and while there is some personalization going on, I think ultimately it stays a little too close for our standards. I think adding some more details lie you did with the strings, and maybe some other original sections and melodies will really help this out and get it where we would want it to be, but I also think as a stand-alone cover this is pretty good as well. Hope to hear this one again, but I would understand if you like it as-is. Good luck either way! NO (resubmit)

Really really cool approach to this mix. I'd LOVE to hear you clean this up. The one thing I have to add that Jesse didn't mention is to add some humanization to the string parts, which sound very blocky. Oh, and that ending is super sudden, and kinda awkward. That too Send this back! NO(resubmit, please)

I do think some ideas get a little on the long side, and/or could have used a bit more variation to add just that one more layer of interest, but I agree with Larry on this. The mix is pretty enjoyable overall, and the production is good. YES(borderline)

Yeah, I'm pretty much with Vinnie. In the big picture of this, it's a pretty fun track with a great vibe. I can see the crits of the NO voters, and think you should definitely heed them for future mixes, but I see this on the YES side of the fence. YES

Yeah, Jesse's vote her is pretty solid. You've got some solid production in the middle of the track, and the drums are definitely a good highlight in terms of sound, albeit they are repetitive. I think there are enough solid change-ups throughout the track that it is pretty interesting to listen to throughout. My biggest gripe is the opening and ending, with the slow attacks on instruments. I think experimenting more in your sounds, both the orchestral and electronic will really help you refine your sound. I'd say it's borderline, but I'm good for giving this a pass. YES