OceansAndrew

First off, excellent guitar chops, that solo was sick! Arrangement is pretty close to being a straight up cover, but there are some additional sections and such. I think Vinnie nailed it when there should be a little more bleed of source into the solo sections, maybe add some counterpoint in there, and for some more variation of the source when you are playing through. The ending was also kindof weak, either a smoother fade or a proper ending would be much better than how it pans out right now. Production is indeed the real issue though. The drums are overpowering a lot of stuff, and the other elements sound puny compared to them. The rhythm guitars need to be brought up, and I can't hear if they are being doubled and hard panned, but that would really help beef this up. The synth playing could stand to be humanized a bit as well, right now it is pretty rigid. The leads sounded good, and the rhythm tone was ok, but the levels were all off. I'd refine the soundfield a bit and spice up the arrangement a little more, and then give it a second submission, I think this has some promise. no, resub

Good, if generic synths, imo. I think the arrangement is a little too basic and straightforward, with little in the way of expansion or additions to the source. You've done a little, but it needs to be brought out even more. The main thing that struck me as needing the most work was how weak the transitions were and how cheesy the voices were. The transitions were so abrupt and killed the momentum, when they should have ramped up to the next section. Don't get me wrong, it was a pretty fun track to listen to, but it doesn't fit within the OCR guidelines too well. My advice OCR-wise is to spice up that arrangement, add some huge snare rolls to increase the intensity of the transitions, and cut out the vocal samples. It's a lot of work, but I think that's what it'd take to get onto OCR. no

I agree with Vinnie on the repetition aspects; it's a well-chosen source that just gets a little overplayed. Some additional details added and changed up would make this feel fresh a lot longer. Production was decent but could use some of the smoothing out that was previously mentioned. Drums should come forward a bit, and a few synths should go back. A pretty good start, and with some additional work and a little less cut and paste, this could do pretty well. no

Take that, Rama! PWNT! >

Arrangement is too close to the original, but the production is pretty strong, though in the more intense section, the anvils are overpowering and the high strings and brass seem pushed way back. It made the section feel pretty weak when it needed to be bombastic. In the more quiet sections it was well balanced and sounded great, though. The arrangement is pretty much verbatim, however, and needs a lot more expansion or addition. You have the production end pretty well taken care of, so focus on making the arrangement more personalized for OCR. As is, it's a pretty cool cover, but it's not quite what OCR is looking for. no

Beautiful playing and tone- I absolutely love what you've done here. This is one of my favorite songs ever, and you've performed it amazingly well, with some great minor bits added in. I wish I could play something like this so bad that it aches. Unfortunately, this arrangement is really too coverish for OCR as-is, and the delay is a little too strong for my tastes on the production side. You are incredibly talented, and I would love to hear more from you. Sorry dude. no

A few minor balance issues, like the hand percussion being a little too upfront, but overall I was really feeling it. Sounds clicked together well, and the amount of creativity in the arrangement was incredible. Speaking of awesome arrangement, there's a great attention to detail, especially with the percussion and on the bass. The melodic additions were really well thought out, and there is a lot to love here, with multiple cool takes on the theme. I'm really glad you stuck with this, dude, it sounds awesome, and I think you really stepped up as an artist. yes

where is the file? ;_;

This is a pretty creative and full-formed arrangement that adds a lot of expanded ideas onto the source base. I think the drums are far too heavily delayed, even with the feel you are going for, and it hurts the piece throughout most with the exception of the breakdown. I think this style of production on them works when they are more for texture rather than driving the piece. The water drips were a bit distracting as well (mainly the delay used again), and the choir sample started to wear thin a bit through, due to a lot of use. It doesn't need to sound realistic at all, but a drone like that should have a bit more character. I think if you massaged it a bit, so that the notes would crescendo and decrescendo, it'd feel smoother to me, and wouldn't feel so drawn out. This mix definitely has promise, but I don't think it's quite there yet. no

That bass was really up in front- a little too much so, and it was distracting until a lot more elements entered. Other than that, i think the production was passable. The lofi thunder i'm not totally sold on, but it didn't affect the piece negatively, and the theme of it was a cool idea. Arrangement is where it gets tricky. Considering you added a ton to the original, there's plenty of interpretation and expansion, but i think in a lot of sections, the 6 note melody gets lost in all your additions. I think even mixing in some subtle motifs from the game as additional elements would make this a lot more clear cut, and less repetitive. As is, it is pretty close, but I think making a few minor tweaks would get this one in. no, please resub

The arrangement is really hot, but the leads are a bit on the rigid side, and the gated synth is a little overpowering, frequency-wise. It's a tough call for me, as it is a negligible issue most of the time, but there are a few times where it really sticks out as something that gets me out of the mix itself. The samples themselves I am ok with, as they feel like they have had a lot of care put into the effects, and they are arranged intelligently. I guess ideally i'd prefer the leads to be humanized a bit more, and for the gated lowend to be brought down, or EQ'ed a little more narrow, but I would be ok with this passing as-is. yes

I take it back about the keychange being a little weak- it works pretty well, though i think the pitchbend should have gone to a higher pitch. Nice textures for the most part, and though some samples seems a little lo fi or flat, things were arranged really nicely. I dig this one, especially the second half.

updated with an improved version!

http://oceansend.com/5502/ocr/rock/BGC%20version%20party.mp3 i live to please you fools. <3

i emailed Justin- he is going to rework this one and hit me up with a new version.

production starts out awesome and does take a bit of a dive, mainly in the areas Vinnie mentioned, but The concept and arrangement are super awesome. I'd say overall that the production in the middle section is the only thing truly holding this back- i don't think the synth is as important as the vocals being crystal clear. In a mix like this, it's crucial. If you can clean up or re-record the middle section vocals, i'd be happy giving this track a yes. Until then, and in the interest of making this song as good as it can be, I gotta give it up to no, resubmit

Not to totally diss Vinnie, since music is subjective, but I thought the melodic adjustments were pretty awesome. Good balance and panning, and a lot of creative additions to the source. Percussion was chilled but had a good amount of tonal variation and some cool rhythmic phrases. The sounds chosen fit very well together, and I was a big fan of the snare rolls and some of the incidental parts. Great textures throughout. I'm a fan. yes

I still think the vocals are a bit over-processed, but this is way nicer. Things sit a lot more evenly and the emphasis is where it should be. Thanks for taking a second look, Brad. You da best mayne. yes

I don't think I can get much more descriptive than on the actual judging of this, but I gotta say this mix is completely badass. Phenomenal work, dude.

This is a tough call, as it is super similar to the original. Production-wise, the solo violin melody sequencing was especially rough, and the ensemble was better but not flawless. The synth sounded fine, and the backing parts were solid, but the melodic aspects need a little more finesse. As for the arrangement- the melody is really really close, there is a lot of unique backing stuff near the end, but with the main melody really solidly planted in the forefront, and super repeating, it might not be enough for all the judges. There were a few new ensemble bits that were pretty cool, and the call and response stuff was an exceptionally nice touch, and for me personally, it's scraping the bar on arrangement, but clearing it. There is no danger of this being too liberal in most cases, so Maybe play with the melody a bit. It's already a soaring and lyrical passage, so you could really alter it slightly in some places and it'd fit right in, and maybe even take us on a new journey across the cosmos. ^____________^ I could easily see this one go either way. I think the arrangement is passable as is, but it took around 10 listens to start to take in the subtleties. The sequencing though, especially the solo violin is way too raw, and needs to be smoothed out. I wish you luck with the other judges! no, please resub

I agree with Larry that the weaknesses here are production clarity and sequencing. It sounds like you are pushing things too hard or something, but it's lacking any sort of brilliance. The arrangement, however, is rockin, and very creative. Great expansion on the theme, and some good original writing as well. Instruments were well chosen and i'm not as concerned as Larry is about the use of the "T2" rhythmic motif. Polish up that sound and let's hear it again. no, resub

Some awesome processing, but I am seriously not hearing much dominant source in this at all. :/ There are very cool ideas here, but i'm just not seeing how it ties into the source for most of the track. no

just some quick notes- intro: *wah'ed synth is doing the 4 chord pattern that the strings use in the chorus *marcato strings playing a variation of the pizzicato strings of the original. verse: *bass is the original bass part but smooshed together with the rests removed. (so hopefully Larry will like it more ) chorus: *main bell melody in the strings solo: *marcato string counterpoint is the pizzicato from the source, with the upbeat notes removed bridge: near verbatim of :50 of the original

Nice work gentlemen! Well played!

The production sounds super dated compared to the pro level stuff we are used to now, but the arrangement is still pretty rocking. I think if the drum sounds and guitar tones were beefed up sufficiently, this would hold up pretty well today. I dig it.