OceansAndrew

I generally am feeling this one, and the sound is well treated to sound very natural. I think the volume could be bumped up slightly, as long as the dynamic curve isn't affected at all. It really sounds like it is a live performance in a concert hall. The arrangement worked pretty well, but as Larry already said, some of the backing drum parts are unexciting. Spice those up! BAM! Also, some of the transitions just weren't there. With all the care that went into the other aspects of the arrangement, the transitions need to be solid, and especially as a medley. There were also a few minor balance issue, like the melody for the gerudo theme was a little buried. All of this stuff is a bit nitpicky, but it adds up. I think this is a really strong base, and I'd love to hear you polish it up and resub. no, please resubmit

I liked the concept of this one a lot, but I don't think the execution is 100% there. It started out pretty nice, with the guitar sample behaving pretty predictably in relation to how a guitar is played, but as it progressed, the slides got out of hand, to the point where you'd need 3 hands to reliably play those specific articulations. Production was decent but not astounding, and really seemed to be missing a solid bottom end when everything came in, as well as a little bit of muddiness when everything was going on. I think the backing synths were very well chosen, however. The arrangement followed things pretty closely, but was definitely personalized. I think the production and sequencing are just holding this one back. It's close, so a little bit more bass and some midi touchup should put this one over. No, please resubmit

This is a really nice feeling track that takes a few detours from the source, including a pretty extended passage, but in my opinion, still remains pretty grounded in the source. Also, the Mario 2 cameo at the end was cute. The bass is pretty low in the mix, but it's still audible, and I feel the choice to push it back works out to make this even more breezy and fun. This is the ultimate seaside cafe music, and i can already imagine a warm breeze blowing while i'm served a refreshing beverage. Everything else is audible, well panned, and nicely balanced. Performance was strong, and everything is clicking for me. Some judges might have an issue with the extended original section in the middle, but this track checks out ok by my estimation; excellent work! Yes

There is some really nice stuff going on here, specifically the opening run, and the emotive playing, and I thought once the saxes and drums came in, it was working pretty nicely, but the synth lead that came in later was a little too wet and crazy, and it caused everything else to bleed. It's appearance was pretty brief, but I think it should be cleaned up. The other issue is the ending and the pacing- it kind of feels like you got bored with the arrangement and halfheartedly tacked on an ending. It doesn't feel decisive or strong, and it also doesn't feel off-the-cuff either. It's a little of both, and sounds sortof sloppy. Production got a little muddy at points with some of the piano chords, so possibly EQing a bit of the low mids out would help, but really the only pressing issues with this are the ending, and that overly verbed and delayed synth. Cleaning up the piano sound certainly wouldn't hurt though. Very close, but not quite there. No, please resubmit

The panning in the mix matches the panning in the source almost exactly, so I am certain it is a specific decision, but i'm not really sure about the choice even for the source. I think it was done that way due to the super-close speakers on the Game Boy itself, and if it had come out on any other system, it would have been panned differently. That being said, the soundscape on both doesn't really hold up that well on speakers or headphones. The arrangement itself and treatment was really nice, with a lot of creative dips and dives, and though the beats start out matching the melodic content really well, as the song progresses, it starts to feel like the percussive elements end up ad nauseum'd. The bass breakdown worked well, and i thought all of the string work was good, though near the end, when the brass elements came in, I felt things fell apart a bit. It was like a really intricate etching suddenly got covered with a huge glob of varnish; what started out as very purposeful and controlled choices just got smeared. Overall there is a lot to love in this mix, but I feel that it's not quite there. I think making the beats slightly more punchy, and in some cases, playing more unison with the strings (even if just for brief instances, before going back to doing their own thing), and making the ending more focused, and this one is good to go. I can respect the panning choices made as well, but I think a more balanced approach would also improve this. It's really close, but i'm leaning No, please resubmit

Great transitions between the themes, and some really good sound choices make this a track that has a lot of replay value, and the constant evolution gives it good direction. It does feel like a medley, but it's very capably done, and has a distinct Anosou feel to it. Good stuff.

Definitely light on melody, but there is still a lot of exciting stuff going on. The percussion was excellent, specifically those crazy hi hats, and i liked the synths. It did feel like a buildup to an actual melodic piece, which didn't happen ( ;_; ), but I can really appreciate the care that went into this.

If you aren't finding anything interesting going on until 1:08, you are doing it wrong. I was completely rocking for the entire time, and I absolutely love the track. Sure, it's lofi, but it's an intentional choice, and it works really well. I wish there was a bigger ending, but overall this track is sick.

Really nice stuff, It's fun and rocking, and is definitely going on my upcoming BBQ playlist. I loved the solo, and It's about time this game got some love on OCR.

Because he starts out as a whiny little bitch. He does get better though, which is cool. I am about 38 hours into the game, and just got everyone's Eidolon, and there are missions and stuff now, which are pretty fun. I still love the art in this. <3

now it is birthday time for new people in this thread! SIMUUUULL

I'm impressed you addressed some random troll by kicking even more ass. You should go up on stage at MAG with the smash bros and play through some games on those projection screens.

I think if there was 1 song i'd pick to give someone an idea of what Echoes was all about, it'd be this one. It's sweeping, bombastic, and instantly recognizable. Add to it that Jay made it sound effortless to pull off, and it's a real standout. I'll be listening to this song for years and years. Thanks, Jay.

happy birthday dude, i hope you have a fun party!

I second Sazh.

Wow this one takes awhile to get moving. You'd be better served cutting the first 47 seconds off completely, IMO. I mean, the sounds used are pretty good, but when the drums (which are great) aren't going, it was pretty dull and tended to drag. The lack of vibrato on the trumpet was a bit off-setting too, especially for something that was legato the entire time. I am really trying to get into this one, and there are parts where it is working super well (1:20 comes to mind), but there's a ton of fat that could be trimmed here. My suggestions would be to make the drums hit harder or do something to mix up the different levels so there is a more defined dynamic curve. Because everything is pretty much legato or super verbed with some drums that come in sometimes. This has some great ideas, and some great sounds, but there needs to be more substance to the style, and that just needs some additional work to writing in some more exciting transitions, maybe some parts where instead of a bunch of different parts going at once, but some unison stuff to punctuate things, and a more concise telling of it all. Sorry bro, but I don't think it's quite there. :-( no, please resubmit

There is nothing Nario can't do if he puts his mind (and feet) to it. CSV3 hooooo!!!

if anyone tops Moseph's, I will be completely astounded. The others are really good, but damn.

The clout you are attributing to the director title is way off base. Even someone in a director position can't just "take their ball and go home" if they: A: Prefer a specific console so much as to exclude everything else. B: Are told by the corporate heads to make something multi-platform if it's estimated that a port to an additional system would bring an increase in profits. Being a director doesn't make them able to make any personal decision they want in regards to distribution, marketing, or (depending on how the internal company structure is organized) potentially even the individual team members. They are tasked with creating a product that will sell, and while directors do have a good deal of autonomy, they don't have the final say on everything.

I have no comment on whether or not the games go multi-platform, but this statement is beyond ridiculous. Nomura isn't the president of the company, nor is he the majority shareholder. It is most certainly not "entirely his call". More educated speculation would be along the lines that the SE accounting team will run the numbers and see if a port of the games would bring in a profit. Depending on how FF13 sold for the 360, that may or may not happen.

happy birthday!

Happy birthday bro, I hope you do something fun.

Pretty much any early 3d game for sure, but stuff like space harrier is completely unplayable by today's standards due to the terrible framerate issues. I tried it awhile back and it was so bad.

r.i.p. \m/

My heart is all warm and fuzzy, and I have abs of steel thanks to this amazing track! I love the massive sound, and it's completely epic. Thanks, bLiNd, you can be my personal trainer if you want!