DragonAvenger

Last day for your reviews to be counted in the raffle! Get 'em in!

Looking at Larry's crits, I have to unfortunately agree with what he said. I love the arrangement personally, and the lyrics, but overall this is just a little too rough around the edges. Really hope you fix this up and resub it, though, I want to see this on the front page! NO (resubmit, please)

I considered DPing this, but some of the stranger sections made me think it might be a good idea to panel just in case. He'll get his DP upcomin's. But yeah, this is fantastic, I love it, and the 'stranger' sections are used very effectively to set the mood. Easy vote. YES

Exactly what I as thinking! Can I yes this just for that? Anyways, I will agree that the opening section had me worried as well, mostly due to the timing issues, but as it went on things smoothed out, and I'm comfortable giving this a sign off with the amount of personalization and fun this is! I love xylo/marimba groups, they tend to be pretty awesome. YES

Emu lays down a solid vote, and makes things easy for me here. I was tempted at first to call this more of a medley due to how things start out, but Will brings back all the themes and develops on them, so I was able to drop that quickly enough. I'll agree that the instruments aren't totally realistic, and 'dem glissandos need work (). Aside and despite the not totally real sounds, everything was sequenced with care and it really shows. Nice work. YES

Sounds pretty good. YES

Alrighty, I'm not gonna let this sit any longer here. Listening again, I can hear what the gentlemen are saying on the other side of the fence, and hearing your work improve, I think you could take a look back at this one as well. I do think the arrangement is great, and there's some really cool ideas here. I look forward to hearing your submissions, and hope you fix this one up, specifically on Larry's advice. NO (resubmit, please!)

Remixer Names: TheGuitahHeroe, Tuberz McGee Real Names: Jamison Randall, Callum Kennedy User ID: 31907, 44165 Game Arranged: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red and Blue Rescue Team Name of Arrangement: Farewell Does Not Mean Goodbye Songs Arranged: Farewell Additional Info about Game (For Database): For Nintendo DS and Gameboy Advanced. Red being GBA and Blue being DS. The composers were Arata Iiyoshi and Atsuhiro Ishizuna. Link to Original Source: Comments on the Mix: TheGuitahHeroe: "First of all I’d like to thank Callum for being so fricken’ fantastic. The guitar performances, absolutely beautiful, REALLY make the mix what it is. Without him, this mix wouldn’t have happened at all. : D I’m REALLY glad I was able to take part in this, because of what this song means to Callum; and because it’s easily one of the most memorably emotional and fantastic pieces of Video game music I’ve heard. Overall, I consider it one of the greatest creations, if not THE greatest creation, that I’ve ever been involved with. : ) Hope you guys dig : D Tuberz McGee: I originally approached Jamison about doing this mix after being a fan of his work for a LONG time. I love it! When we agreed on this source tune, I immediately felt connected on a personal level. I am 17 and have lived in New Zealand or most of my life (bar when I was a baby). I have a good group of friends that I can trust completely. My parents decided not too long ago that we would move to Australia in 2012. This is my last year of High School. I'm leaving behind my friends and my comfort of "home". My best friend Daniel and I often played these games together. We enjoyed those games a lot. At the very end of the story in the first one, the main character and his partner are forced to say farewell. I felt this was very akin to my situation. So instead of getting all mushy with him... I've dedicated this mix to him. Because he's the partner that I must say farewell to. But Farewell Does Not Mean Goodbye.

Original Decision Contact Information ---------- Your ReMixer name: ZhayTee Your real name: Joe Toscano Your e-mail address: jtoscano42@gmail.com Your website: http://musicbyjt.com/ Your userid: 4457 Submission Information ----------- Name of game arranged: Chrono Trigger Name of arrangement: Underwater Enigma Name of individual song arranged: Ocean Palace Thanks! -----------

Remix Title: Jammin' with my NES Remixer Name: Shnabubula Songs Remixed: Underwater from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (diffuse the bomb level) SO yeah, please don't give this a form letter, it's not JUST the NES. Personally I believe writing music for the 2a03 [NES 5 channels.. no expansions] is every bit as deep in terms of production as it is in composition. The argument that pure NES chiptunes should be rejected because they have zero production value shows a lack of understanding of a HUGE amount of music... not only that, it shames the pioneers who developed some of the techniques we chiptune artists study and use, Tim Follin for example. The heroes who wrote the very music Overclocked ReMix's mission statement is claiming to want held on the same level as all other forms of music. To dismiss all NES chiptunes as having zero production, means that aside from the notes chosen, they are all alike. Mario Bros. Level 1 ( ) and The title screen solstice ( )... one and the same. THAT is deeply disrepectful of the heritage of game music.ANYWAY... that's not why we're here, this song is formed around Live Piano.. the NES is only half the equation, and I recorded the out put of the 2 squares individually the NES and panned them apart therefore, adding further "production" value. I understand this won't be an easy decision as it is 50% chiptune and 50% acoustic, which in itself might be deemed reason for rejection, mixing of two possibly incompatible pallets. But great care was taken to create synnergy between the two timbres, both in the composition and the production, from the EQing of the piano, to the utterly detailed and intricate process of programming of the 2a03. If by some miracle this manages to make it onto the site, I ask that it take the place of Trigger Please in the queue so that it can be posted when the album is released, that should be some time in March. Thank you for your patience in reading this and hopefully giving this mix a chance. ----------------

ReMixer Name: LightUmbreon Real Name: Tara Vaughan-Smith Email: anathema138@hotmail.co.uk UserID: 31617 Name of game arranged: Sonic CD [JP/EU version] Name of arrangement: Sunset on the Speedway Name of individual song arranged: Stardust Speedway Good Future Link to the original soundtrack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVSsP9O9Q8Q Comments: I have always been a fan of the Japanese/European soundtrack to this game, not only due to my own interest in techno but simply because it evokes a very 90's nostalgia within me! I made this arrangement from scratch in FL Studio 9, paying attention to particular details such as the warm Rhodes style piano to keep the nostalgic feel that this song provides.

Original Decision Contact Information * Your ReMixer name: elzfernomusic * Your real name: Elliot Newman * Your website: http://elzfernomusic.bandcamp.com/ * Your userid: 29760 Submission Information * Name of game(s) arranged: Sonic & Knuckles * Name of individual song(s) arranged: The Doomsday Zone * Link to the original soundtrack (if it is not one of the sound archives already available on the site): The Doomsday Zone: * Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc.: Have always loved the source track, and although I knew that Sonic 3 & Knuckles has been remixed a lot in the past, I got an idea for this remix and just sort of ran with it. I've heard a lot of straight metal covers of Doomsday Zone in the past and figured it'd be an interesting experiment to slow the tempo and take away some of the "thrash" elements and replace it with groove based elements.

Contact Information Your ReMixer name - The Dual Dragons Your real name - Dan and Frank Johansen Your email address - lunarheartheaven@yahoo.com Your website - www.thedualdragons.com Your userid (number, not name) http://ocremix.org/forums/member.php?u=11976 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged - Ys II Name of arrangement - Demonic Bell Name of individual song(s) arranged - Companile of Lane Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc. The Ys series, what can I say, it's one of the most adrenaline packed franchises to ever hit any screen. From running around beating beasts until their bones fly or taking on gigantic bosses that scream until you pee your pants, the music behind all of these moments have been awesome throughout the years and it's been consistent with every release ever released by Falcom. Ys = awesome music to awesome action. End of story. We wanted to get in close with this track and make it how we would have it if we ever got a chance at arranging music for a Ys II re-release. Enjoy and don't forgot to change your underwear later on. lol ---------------- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeYSJ0SWhdg

My remixer name: Jonah-B Forum user id#: 38805 Game: Shadowgate Platform: NES Name of original composition(s): Title Screen Castle Halls Hero of Stormhaven (Ending) Game Over (Makes a brief appearence at the end of the mix) Composer(s): The game's composer was never credited and is technically unknown. Kouji Nishikawa is generally assumed by the fans to be the composer. Name of my arrangement: Shadowgate Nightmare My email and website: jabackf@yahoo.com http://jonahsmusic.leadhoster.com Youtube links to the original songs: Title Screen: Castle Halls: Hero of Stormhaven (Ending) Game Over My Comments: This remix is definitely a bit of a departure from my last OCR submission. I've been wanting to remix this game for quiet awhile but I've been hesitant about it. I wasn't sure if I would be able to accomplish what I wanted to do with it. I felt that nothing short of an epic orchestrated masterpiece would do justice to the original soundtrack for me. Well, I gave it my best shot and this is the result. It might not be the masterpiece that I wish I could compose but I think it came out nicely. The game itself is an absolute classic in my book and this is my homage to it. My remix uses four tracks from the game to tell a dramatic story about world of Shadowgate. The original version of this remix also included the Subterranean Caverns theme. I cut this section out of the OCRemix submission to improve it's chances on the judges panel. I felt this section was a bit weak and the song over-all was too long, so it got snipped. Here is a link to the original extended version for anyone interested. http://soundcloud.com/jonah-b/shadowgate-nightmare-v2 -Thanks for listening and I hope you guys enjoy it!

Original Decision Remix title: Canopy Crawl Contact Information ReMixer name: evory, gintokipianist Real name: Jeremy Ng, Tom Egan Email: jeremyngyd@hotmail.com, gintokipianist@hotmail.co.uk User ID: 31417, 41307 Submission Information Game arranged: Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! Song arranged: Jungle Jitters Source: [GBA] and a little bit of [sNES] Original thread: ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=33168 Additional information Tom: This piece seemed to me to be a study on different genres/musical styles with this in mind frequent tempo and dynamic changes are were used to animate the piece. Jeremy: This was one of my few moments of really improvisatory writing -- I didn't really have a structure in mind when I set out writing this piece. Heck, I wasn't even that familiar with the source. So what happened was I listened to the source a few times through, took note of small sections that jumped out at me and modified them to fit the piece, went back to the source, and repeated the process until a suitable ending popped up. I guess it shows in that the arrangement may sound a little ragtag at times, and seems to flit between different styles of writing, but most of the piece remains centred on the I and V chords that are dominant in the piece, and that the piece is rooted in, puns certainly intended. Tom brilliantly learned the piece and performed it in a couple of days, adding a few jazzy flourishes here and there to really spice up the piece, which I think worked quite well. With what is (to me) a better piano sample, hopefully this'll make it past you judges the second time around. Oh, and this piece is a bonus track on the DKC3 remix project, and here's hoping that it does the whole album justice.

Or...ganize....?

Hey, I've been working on a song of mine that got no'd and I was wondering if you could take a quick listen and let me know if it's ready to resub. Here's the original judge's decision's thread: http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=32449 Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Can't say I'm feeling this as much as Andrew here. The opening bass riff sounds like it's not quite in time, and when the vocals come in they don't feel very blended with the rest of the soundscape. I'll definitely agree that when the chorus kicks in things feel a lot better, but I'd still say the vocals feel a little too much like they're sitting on top and not fitting in the way they should. Not really feeling the stop transitions personally, the first one feels most awkward to me of the two. The beginning verse needs to have some re-timing takes to clean things up, and possibly have something else going on to fill out the soundscape a little more, and the vocals need to be brought a little more into the mix. I think it's close, but isn't quite where it needs to be yet. I do like the vocal delivery (minus that 'yeah'), and the layered vocals are a nice touch. Lyrics are nice, too. NO (resubmit)

Emu swooping in with a great vote. Overall the performance is really good, and I like the little personalizations you put on the melody throughout the mix. Some areas do feel a little loose, either timing, or just feeling not exactly comfortable, but they are pretty minor in the long run. The two things I'm worried about are the piano sound and the string attack/sound. The slow attack on the strings is noticeable, and probably the thing I would want changed most. The piano sound is decent to good, and I personally don't mind it, but someone like Vinnie would be a better judge of it. In the end I think the arrangement itself is super nice, and a good way to treat this source. This isn't anything out of the box for Pieter, but it is super personalized, and overall a nice listen. I think this fits PU's style quite well, and is a good addition to his repertoire, and our library. Good luck with the rest of the vote. YES

I think there is literally nothing I can add to what Wes has already said here. I'd love to hear this with some more variation overall; soundscape, melody, the works! Along with that, reproducing it to allow more volume (which will help equate to awesomeness). The idea is great, just needs some lovin's. Keep at it! NO (resubmit)

Easily my favorite source from the game, too! I like the groove you've set up, it's chill, but there's plenty of movement as well. Arrangementally (I guess that's not really a word, but meh) there are some great ideas going on, but there are a few things that aren't working for me. The first is the drum loops; without any fills or variation, they're killing the mood. I'd take a hard look at your percussion and see what you can do to have it really reflect what's going on. They can help support the soundscape or they can detract. The second issue I'm having is the breakdown section at 1:29 isn't working for me, but is just stopping the flow. I think it might be suited better towards the end of the mix rather than in the front end. You also need to look into a better ending. Fade-outs are tough, and in this case it feels more of a cop-out. Production is overall good to me, but I'd bring up the bass a bit, and maybe the drums down just a tad. Some elements could use a touch of humanization, as well (drums, I'm looking at you). There's something else I can't quite put my finger on, maybe the other judges can pick it out. I think you've got a solid foundation on this, and need to go into the reworking stage. Try moving some stuff around, and adding those details to bring this up! NO (resubmit)

I like the bassline idea, it's really bouncy, and I think it works with the harp and main melody. From there, though, things get a bit strange. Some of your ideas are pretty neat, and then they get a bit weirder and weirder. Moreso than things being weird is the fact that your solo parts are pretty distinctly separate from the source sections. I'd like a better connection, like you do at 1:51 with the brief countermelody. I'm also noticing that there isn't much in the way of development. I don't feel like there's much of a build or a climax. Adding or subtracting instruments will help, and the use of dynamics will help as well. Production is not great, to be honest. The sounds are all pretty fake sounding and mechanical. Humanizing the parts will be a good first step, and upgrading the samples would be a good second step. Gonna be honest, there's a lot that needs to be done here. I'd tone down the solos a lot, and see about adding more of a connection between your original material and the source itself. There's also plenty of production, and I'd work on giving the piece some build. Good luck! NO

I think I'll adopt that for every sub from now on.

Don't know the original sub, but this has a lot of really cool variation on the theme, which is great. I also love that the bass line was varied up as well, which is not something you'd think about as often. Plenty of original material, but not overpowering. I'm liking this. YES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYlJOu8uHDI