Jivemaster

The sped up feel in the intro worked surprisingly well, with the harpsichord playing a regularly backing role throughout the mix. The quality of the brass at 0:32 sounded a bit basic in comparison to the rest of the ensemble. Production wise, the balance feels a bit off across the left and right channels, with the right being more bass heavy. This is occasionally counted by other instruments in the left channel, but not as often as I’d like to maintain a rough overall balance. The arrangement features regular changes with different instruments taking over lead duties, and although it doesn’t deviate much from the source, there’s certainly enough original backing additions to cover this. For me the balance is something I’d love to see fixed, otherwise I think the track is ok. I’ll borderline for now. YES (borderline)

Things start out with a piano with light string backing. At 0:47 things start to build up with a choir which becomes the main event that carries through the rest of the mix. The accompanying orchestral soundscape builds up over time, creating a different vibe to the original. It’s short and sweet, certainly leaving everyone wanting more. With decent mixing and solid additions, it’s a shame things couldn’t go longer, but a great little piece nonetheless. YES

Piano sounds a bit hot, particularly when it hits the louder/harder sections. There is a limiter or other kind of issue here that's causing some distortion that you need to check out. I felt the left/right channel balance was also a bit off. The playing also sounds quite robotic, which is very noticeable from 2:04. Give that a look to see what can be done to humanise it away from the grid. Arrangement seems ok with some playful extras added in, so really you just have the production issues holding this back. NO

Nice atmospheric boomy start, you’ve certainly got the makings of an 80’s sci-fi rendition of the original here. The lo-fi/distorted percussion adds to the soundscape. Bass comes in at 1:13, which is quite big, but not overpowering for now. At 1:32 we begin to get the main theme. The lead at 3:09 is a bit too loud and carries a bit of unnecessary bass that could be dialled back. The ending is short but winds up well. On the arrangement side, things take a while to get to the main theme, which apart from the aforementioned lead volume, is my main gripe with this — hitting the theme roughly a 1/3 of the way into a 4:34 mix seems a bit long. Certainly not a dealbreaker on its own, but it’s worth mentioning. Ultimately, I think the mixing in the final third should be cleaned up a bit, as the lead is a bit overpowering here which is affecting the balance of everything else. If it was for a shorter period of time it probably wouldn’t be as big of a deal, but I think it’s enough to warrant a resub. I’m certainly a fan of this, an otherwise solid original approach. NO

Things kick off with a delayed piano playing the main theme. Guitars come in and take over the main theme at 0:36. Rhythm guitar is ok, with some good riffing, and seems to carry the majority of the low end. Things build up until we hit 1:13, where suddenly we get an early guitar solo, with only light piano backing. This portion felt weird in its positioning in the arrangement, with the preceding build-up not really building to it. It also exposed the dryness of the guitars’, making them feel kind of separated from the rest of the mix, which is a shame as the playing here is quite good. Rhythm guitar comes back to help the lead at 1:31 which sounds ok. Conversely, the transition to rapid fire-kicks at 1:39 was muddy and could do with a revisit. There seems to be no dedicated bass instrument to speak of here, just guitar. We get a small breakdown with a filter fade in at 1:53, with a revised version of the main theme afterwards. Some interesting guitar squealing FX at 2:22. We get a repeat of the previous theme iterations to take us out, with some minor differences. I think the arrangement here is ok, but certainly could’ve been explored further, as we’re mainly getting different renditions of the theme over and over here. The soloing and rhythm riffing mostly make up for this, but it would’ve been great to hear the theme be taken into further original territory. My biggest gripe however is the production — the piano is a bit thin, while the guitars are bass heavy, causing problems when additional instrument layers are added. The guitars are dry and feel like they’re sitting on top of everything instead of integrated into the mix. I think a production pass is needed on this to take out some of this muffle and clean up the heavy layered sections. NO

Starts off quite suddenly with piano leading us in. Soon after guitar takes over, with a pretty good rendition of the theme. Things break down a bit at 1:20. The choir in this portion could be better, but is not a key instrument here. The guitar cable buzz was a nice touch for the transition. Lots of drum fills keep things moving along. The 1:54 harpsichord section was a good departure from the main approach. At 2:11 guitars return for the final section. The rhythm there is quite interesting. Things build up and end with a nice delay on the final note. On the arrangement side, things are a bit-coverish. There are a number of lead guitar flourishes that help to bring it into its own, and some sections are extended or moved around, but more original material would’ve been appreciated. The production value is decent enough, with most parts being generally audible and balanced ok, without the guitars becoming overbearing. Overall not a bad job on this high energy piece. YES

Mixing is decent, with the bass and drums having a nice level of separation from the guitars. Rhythm sounds fine. The phaser/flange on the lead guitar sounds a little muffled, pulling out a lot of the highs. Otherwise I think the production here is well done. The major problem I have with this is the arrangement — it’s very cover heavy, and while there are some subtle changes from the original, I didn’t think enough was done here to separate it from cover territory. Perhaps the others will feel differently. NO

An interesting approach. Bass is thick, with some nice de-tuning. Good use of subtle sounds, the siren like effects in particular are well done. Good used of stereo space/panning. The arrangement progresses well, with several changes made while retaining the vibe of the original. The breakdown at 3:06 before the outro was a nice surprise. The final outro section also featured its own original nuances, though it was shame things had to end on a fade (particularly with the creativity shown to that point). This is very much like a remix of a track sonically targeted to the old hardware, but with a fresh, expanded feel. Solid effort. YES

Quite an interesting idea here. The intro carrying Back to the future vibes works and sets the scene for what you’re going for throughout. The arrangement contains fairly consistent pacing, and a good amount of changes. As we get closer to the outro, I felt some notes sounded out of place at 3:23, 3:33, 3:36. I can certainly appreciate what you were going for here, but I felt it didn’t flow that greatly. Would like to see the other judges’ takes on this. Production wise, the mixing is ok. The piano sounds a bit tinny. The backing instruments — and in particular the choir — are a bit low in quality, I’m unsure if this is intentional or just a limitation you’re having to work with. Overall I think this piece is not bad, certainly a creative take on the original, but the outro felt a bit weird. Let’s see what the others say. YES (borderline)

Between the bass and piano, I felt a few clashing notes in the initial bars and dotted through the arrangement thereafter. Hoping other judges can chime in on that — perhaps the original is a bit quirky. I'm also hearing some harshness in the highs and/or clipping across the mix as well (though I've not run it through analysis). The section at 1:14 sounded a bit better, though there still feels like something wrong. The guitar solo at 1:32 was unexpected and sounded good, and fit in tightly, this section was quite well done. At 2:04 we get a change of pace which is nice. The harshness in the exposed crash symbols here do give the feeling of some clipping going on. At 2:52 things pick up again, with some guitar backing thrown in, which works well harmonically. The mix outro while short, is lead into well and ends things on a good note. Arrangement to me here seemed fine, main theme is present with a good amount of variation across the board. You have some production issues here to sort out. I'd look into your master bus first to see what is happening there... is there a limiter in there — if there is, check that it's set correctly, or if things are being brick walled too hard. NO

Things start off quite softly and at a fairly similar pace of the original. The flute has some differences too it, with various flourishes and riffing, which sound great. The backing tracks help expand the sound scape. The mix did feel cover-like initially, but while it does take the safe approach arrangement wise, there is a enough original material here to keep things fresh. The deeper flute in the second half was a good way to change things up. Mixing is ok for a minimal piece. A safe yet interesting take over the original. Not bad for a first mix. YES

Good to see this niche game get the attention it deserves. Guitars are played well. A fairly rhythm heavy piece with some nice chugs and wails. Arrangement is ok but could have been expanded further. Some parts are repeated a little too much. The mixing is also a little crowded, parts could do with some more separation, both they’re not terrible. There were also some missed opportunities here for a solo which would have fit in well (at 1:54 for example). That said, as humans, we’re not perfect. At 1:44 we get a vocal sample sending the message of sacrifice (that’s likely gone into making this piece). We should count ourselves blessed, as we are delivered this gift from the heavens. YES

Good to hear some Tekken action. Things start off with some thunder and an arp synth, then we get a big big kick. We hit the drop at 0:52, which is big, but things are a bit muffled there. The section directly after seems ok. At 1:24 we get a guitar solo that’s quite unexpected, and played well. At 1:41 we get into the 2nd drop, where things are a bit muffled again. The backing elements are blended/mushed up, with multiple parts sharing the same frequency space to their collective detriment. The guitar returns over the top as a lead at 1:57, and sounds great. Things wind up soon after as they started. You’ve got some great ideas here. This is a very short mix, but there are a ton of ideas packed in. My main concern is your mixing in the 2 drop sections, which are just too crowded. I think a revisit of the mixing will clean this up — it may be some backing instruments need to be removed, or bass-frequencies need to be HPF’d out of the non-essential instruments so everything can breathe rather that stepping on each other. I think this is very close, please drop a re-sub. NO

Good to see unleashed get some love, and nice choice in source. Things start off fairly minimal, with a solid kick and piano providing the main lead. The snare is a bit hollow. The guitar at 0:47 was a bit soft, but I understand it’s not the main event. Electric guitar takes over soon after at 0:59, which sounded nice, and didn’t overstay its welcome. Good work so far. The break at 1:22 was appreciated and a nice temporary change of pace. The arrangement here changes quite a lot over time, with a good variety of instruments taking over lead duties, with areas not feeling verbatim revisited. The guitar at 2:11 is quite soft again, but doesn’t play for too long on its own. The electric guitar solo at 2:36 sounded good, with some nice wails and variation in notes, as it mirrors the main theme to take us out. Production is ok, mixing could be improved on some parts (the leads were a little soft) but nothing alarming to me here. Nice neat little mix. Well done. YES

Interesting source. Things start off with a lo-fi phone introduction, leading into the main theme. While carrying similar vibes to the original, there are quite a few additional flourishes and instruments added in as the arrangement progresses. The lead that comes in at 1:57 creates more of a departure from the original, providing a nice accompanying melody. This evolves a couple times, including a solo at 2:39 which I found to be quite emotive (although I think it goes slightly too long). Drums pick up a bit at 3:00, as the lead continues to solo and riff, before fading away at 4:08, with a return to the original theme before closing out. Production is serviceable on this one — drums could certainly could be louder, and the lead at times is too loud compared to everything else, but no major concerns. I think the arrangement here is solid, once breaking away into it’s own material, I knew we were onto something. Good stuff. YES

In the initial stages, it feels like cover territory. Brass has nice stereo separation. Production wise, things are very dry making things feel unnatural. The progression of the arrangement borrows a lot from the original, even down to the stereo bouncing of the bass line. I also don’t think the chosen vocal samples fit this well, something more reggae inspired would’ve made far more sense. As things begin to wind up, I don’t feel this evolved enough throughout the arrangement to hit the mark personally, particularly with the relatively short 2:38 duration, not a lot of time was left for original material. While the upgraded instrumentation sounds nice, there is a distinct lack of difference from the original here which ultimately makes this fall short. It’s a great concept that I think needs expansion. NO

I’m in the same camp here as Kristina. There is a lot of distortion across the soundscape, of the non-pleasing variety. For this to work, there needs to be a focus on warm saturation without the harshness. The higher intermittent lead parts are particularly harsh and should be toned down. The arrangement also feels a bit jumpy, and while I’m sure there is a methodology at play here — notes are left feeling like they’re hit at random intervals. I think this one could do with a further rethink to bring it in-line production and arrangement wise. NO

Choir intro leading into the guitar worked well. Guitar tone is quite nice. Drums are very muffled, with only mild pops being audible. The bass feels mostly sub. This is a shame as the guitar performance is quite good, with a lot of licks throughout. Many changes occur across the arrangement. The break at the mid-point was well placed, but short lived, jumping back in for a solo of sorts. There are a couple weird notes during that portion, with odd notes occurring again a few times when the main chorus part of the theme is played. Not sure of the cause, either there is a clash somewhere underneath or something is slightly flat. Along with the muffled mixing, thing's aren't quite where I'd want them to be. I'd like to see a revisit to tidy some of these issues up. NO

Expands the original's soundscape quite well. Things start out similar to the original but with an added range of backing instruments. The chord section in the break at 1:16 leading into the chorus portion was enjoyable. There is a modern disco style feel to the layers here. We hit a more major breakdown at 2:15, bringing with it a change of pace. At 2:58 we're reintroduced to the chorus portion for a final run, but it's presented differently, with blippy fills. This was appreciated and made the end portion more unique, separating it from the earlier section. Things end in pretty standard fashion. The production here is handled well — parts are clean and have their place, and there is a good level of variation across the arrangement, while maintaining the original's vibe. Nice work. YES

Sounds like what Mega Man would sound like if it was crossed with Outrun or something. After getting into things fairly quickly, the pacing changes at 0:32, which sounded ok, although coming out of it at 0:42 felt a bit weird. The break and solo section starting early at 0:55 was a nice early surprise and sounded good. The pacing there worked ok. The drums sound a bit crazy and chaotic, but it is jazz I guess. The break at 2:08 differed from the earlier break which was good to hear. We revisit the slower paced piano portion before things start to wind up at 2:54 with a unique outro. The arrangement here is quite interesting, the solo’ing added a lot of uniqueness and personality to the mix. Production is decent enough with everything having a clear place. The main complaint I have is the pacing transitions did feel a bit abrupt, and there are quite a lot of them throughout the mix, each with varying degrees of cohesion. Not a bad performance overall though, you’ve certainly brought froward an original take on this piece. YES

Fresh. Vocals have an off-tune quality at times which adds a certain charm, and the chorused harmonies work well. The underlying musical parts here are quite basic, consisting of a few notes and a backing chord, but work well as a base for letting the vocals do their thing. The musical soundscape after the first vocal section between 1:16-1:58 doesn't really change however, except for the addition of an electric piano lead, which does sound great and genre connected, but plays a consistent melody line each time it's featured (apart from the occasional fill). This happens again at 2:42 until around 3:23 where things are changed up a little until the conclusion of the mix. Production wise, the drums have a lo-fi feel to them, which I think works well in this context, although they are incredibly basic and remain the same across the mix. Mixing is ok which I would expect for a minimal track such as this. I think this track has potential — it's a creative take and the vibe is there, but arrangement wise, the content contained is not really able to sustain a duration of almost 5 mins. The slower tempo and minimal soundscape exacerbates what little changes are present, making things largely feel static for extended periods. This certainly doesn't have far to go, but I recommend a revisit to strengthen the arrangement in some way, either through shortening the mix and/or implementing some creative note changes/random backing parts. Perhaps the other judges will feel differently. NO

Piano, sax, violin all sound a bit dry compared to the drums. The change in rhythm works well here. Good use of instrument panning. The violin and trumpet exchange at 1:09 was quite nice. The short fill at 1:37 was a nice touch to break things up a bit. The sax solo at 1:56 was well done, with instruments getting out the way as needed. More soloing occurs past the mid-point, the violin has its turn at 2:57, with the guitar getting a go at 3:16. Things return to normal to send us out, with a short and sweet outro to close stuff off. The arrangement contains a good amount of variety, and while it sticks with a fairly consistent base, there are a number of instrument exchanges and solos to keep things interesting. Production is clean with instruments having their own place. It would be nice for some of the parts to receive a touch of reverb to make them gel more together in the mix (they feel a bit separated), however it's a relatively small nitpick. Well done. YES

Things get started pretty quickly, without much build-up. The piano tone sounds decent. The pacing works well. At 1:32 we hit sections with a bit more emotion, with stronger velocity, which is appreciated. The transition at 2:32 was a bit abrupt and could have been built into more. The playful section at 3:06 also had a similar issue, though not as abrupt. The ending plays out well with it's on unique flavour. The arrangement here does take a while to get going at the beginning of the piece, with quite a lot of repetitiveness in the parts, though things develop nicely over time. Production is decent, with piano using the stereo space well. The quieter sections are worked in well. A good performance overall. YES

Cute take. I've not heard this tune before, solid choice. The piano is a nice touch and suits the theme well, but could do with some humanising. The portasynth lead does a fairly good job. The breakdown 1:07-1:15 was a bit strange, ending with an impactful bass hit but the rest of the music does not follow suit. We get another break at 1:41 with the instruments distorted. The arrangement here does feel a tad basic, the minimal parts work fine, but lack presence. The production is fairly basic as well — mixing of parts is ok, but each part appears to lack compression. Drums are not impactful. The bass boom hits are out of character with the rest of the mix, and there feels like there's a lack of mastering. The ending also fades off a little quickly. There is a bunch of potential in here, but things feel like they're in draft. Would be great to see this after some further refinement. NO

Nice opening and build-up. Decent level of clarity despite the fairly big bass and kick presence. Some of your highs are a tad harsh on the strings. The chorus portion at 2:24 is well done and quite an original take. The second half was a bit of a re-tread of the first half, but there were some original fills/SFX. The outro is short but gets the job done. The arrangement overall feels a little basic. While there is certainly a lot going on sonically, it feels like the main theme is kind of laid on top of everything else instead of cohesively integrated. It sounds ok, but the execution could be improved. Mixing is ok, there is the previously mentioned on-the-verge of harshness in the highs, but I think it’s passable (happy if you want to update that though). YES