OceansAndrew

Sick production, powerful and clean, a good flow, and a ton of very good original ideas added to.. um, a little bit of the source? I am pretty familiar with the source track, and there are several parts where it really clicks, but there is so much non-source in here, or it's so obscured, that I think this is more like a super cool original track with some FF2 cameos in it. I really like it, but it's going to need a lot more dominant and recognizable source for me to pass. No

Loved the performances on this, and I think the drums sound good, tonewise. Great performances really take this over the top for me, and pretty solid mixing makes sure that all the good stuff can be heard. The arrangement structure is conservative, but the different elements handed out to various instruments gives the piece it's own flavor, and the solo section in the middle was really well-executed. All the instrumentalists are very talented, and play well together. This is a really nice song. Yes

I think the lead needs a touch more high end to rise above the rest of the track, and while the reverb levels are a bit high on a lot of elements, I was definitely feeling this. Some super minor muddiness due to all the reverb once all the guitars were thrown in, but things are still clean enough to be separated. The breakdown section was really well handled and classy, and actually listening to it again, the instrumentation is really unique, but didn't seem strange to me at all on first listen, so nice work. It has a bit of gypsy feel in spots, some Doors-style organ soloing, and a bunch of cool elements. Very creative work. Yes

I definitely agree with the soundscape feeling thin in spots, I need some BEEF. I find myself unable to properly BRO OUT when there is no brotein in the soundscapes. The arrangement does a lot for carrying the track through, and the mood is pretty cool in the more sparse sections. Not really something to be banging in my car, but I appreciate the cerebral nature of this, and the attention to detail. If the samples were a bit thiker, it'd be even better, but this is definitely passable. Yes

It's like TMBG! Even Stevo sounds like one of their singers a bit, which is sweet. Really nice soundscape, wish there was a touch more bass, but it's very nice. Lyrics are great, harmonies are tight and the voices meld together well, and you guys are just both SO CUTE! This is probably DP-worthy, but I really wanted to make a rainbow road-inspired yes vote. YES SIR

This was really gelling for me on a lot of levels, and felt really polished as a cohesive effort. I gotta agree with Vinnie that the vocal sample wasn't really needed, but it's treated soundwise correctly in context of the song. I really enjoyed the more spread out arrangement, that wasn't in a rush to cram all it's ideas into the smallest space possible, and while that Is the right call. I'd like a touch more tone on the bass, but otherwise the sounds were really nice and breezy. I think this is a pretty easy pas, nice work! Yes

We've also played Wanderer on the Offensive (Double Live Edit), and WE MAY DO SO AGAIN! >_____>

haha this is hilariously fun. L O L. Creative ideas, and solid execution, with a huge swath of synth ideas makes this a winner in my book. The arrangement was good and had a nice mix of source and creative tomfoolery. YOLO

I think the samples are getting things done, in a charming old school way- It sounds to me like a really beefed up sound from earlier OCR history. I do feel the arrangement isn't as strong as previous submissions, but it's skirting the line really close for me. I think Deia's crits about increasing the dynamic range are great and should be focused on, and maybe some additional rhythmic changes, like a halftime feel for a section, or something similar. It's close, but polish it up, IMO! No, please resubmit

The guitars feel like they are lacking bite, and the drums are sounding muddy. There is a cool lead buried in there too, I can just barely hear it. The concept is pretty unique, and the performances range from being spot on, to missing the mark wildly. The more death growls were working more for me than the pitched stuff, which sometimes felt like it was being spoken rather than sung, but only partly. Like there were pitches, but they were independent of the song itself. Definitely had an Avenged Sevenfold vibe to the sections, and I think it could work, but the pitches need to be more on. Overall really creative but in need of a lot of polish productionwise. I think a Workshop visit could really tune this one up. Also, not sure about the woodman rape imagery. Could definitely do without that. No, please resubmit

Definitely agree that the high end is overhyped and the first minute was decent but not blowing me away. The genre conversion was good though, and the arrangement is solid. One thing the sticks out to me specifically is how weak the piano sounds compared to everything else. It definitely sufices, but feels like it sticks out a lot more. The glitchy stuff to close it out was cool, it was mostly the section at 2:32 where it felt like it was trying center stage, but was being crushed by that kick. Overall I think it's a good track and i'm inclined to learn toward a Yes

DAT AWKWARD STAGE BANTER. Deia putting out that guy's eye was the highlight of the show for me, and I wish we could see the Ragnarok video. Don't Touch Me!

Remixer Name: IanFitC Real Name: Ian Fraser Website: http://soundcloud.com/ian-fraser-1 UserID: 49933 Name of game arranged: Final Fantasy II Name of arrangement: Imperial Rapture Name of original song arranged: Last Battle Source Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZwYb5MP5Kc Additional Info: Arranged for the Final Fantasy II Project, c/o Brandon Strader. If all goes to plan, it should be appearing as the last track on the album. Brandon suggested I type up a source log, so I've attached that and a screen grab here: Source Log: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/45443182/Imperial%20Rapture%20Source%20Log.odt Screen Grab: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/45443182/Imperial%20Rapture%20Annotated%20Screen%20Grab.png --------------------------------------------------------------- 'Imperial Rapture' Source Log (22/8/12) – IanFitC Arrangement of 'Last Battle' from Final Fantasy II, for the Final Fantasy II Project. Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZwYb5MP5Kc 0:00 - 0:17 - Intro Drum intro, pattern from section A. 0:17 - 0:47 - Section A: Main theme on Lead Guitar (Bell+Bowl accompaniment) - Variation on source theme A (0:13-0:35) Rhythm guitars - Reduction on main theme, focussing on the D/Eb relationship in the first notes of the theme. 0:47 - 1:33 - Section A2 Secondary variation on Source Theme A (0:13-0:35) 1:33 -140 – Interlude A Chords and structure taken from the second half of the Intro in the source (0:07-0:13) 1:40 - 2:06 - Section A3 -More faithful rendition of source theme A (0:13-0:35) 2:06 – 2:21 – Section B Chords and melody from Source Theme B (0:35- 0:48) 2:21 -2:36 - Interlude B Variation on Interlude B from source (0:49-1:01)- The chromatic melodies are split between warped strings(descending), xylophone (descending) and harpsichord (ascending). 2:36 - 2:44 - Section C Relatively faithful representation of Source Theme C (1:01 - 1:08) 2:44-2:59 - Interlude B2 -Second variation on Interlude B from source (0:49-1:01). Now reduced to strings only. 2:59-3:34 - Section D This section is a heavily altered variation of the intro of the source (0:00-0:13) Rhythm Guitars - Playing a reduced version of the chromatically ascending chords from 0:00 to 0:07 in the source Horns and strings- Variation of the ascending (0:00-0:07) and descending (0:07-0:13) chromatic themes, rhythmically altered to suit the 9/4 time signature. Piano (1st Half), Choir/Celesta (2nd Half) - Focussing solely on the descending melody (0:07-0:13), including the rhythmic augmentation from the original. Synth Arpeggios - Using the same chords from the original string arpeggios, but tailored for the arrangements time signature. 3:34 - 4:08 - Section A4 As the other sections A's in the arrangement, this focusses on Source Theme A (0:13-0:35), again, emphasising the D/Eb relationship in the chords. 4:08 - 5:08 - Section A Reprise of section A, now with the inclusion of more melody lines. These melody lines are taken from Source Theme A's chromatic ascending/descending section, notably 0:16-0:17, however extended to allow it to become a melody. These are heard in the mellotron strings. 5:08 - 6:08 - Section A5 Essentially a musical reprise of Section A, however the rhythms have been changed to raise the tension towards the anti-climax at the end of this arrangement. The secondary melody has now been joined by a lead guitar. A further guitar is playing a variation on the descending motif from the end of the intro of the source (0:07-0:13), however it is extended to fall further down the scale. Annotated screen grab attached. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This track is a culmination of a huge melting pot of influences. Because it's due to appear on a predominantly metal album, I wanted a sludgy and powerful vibe akin to Alice In Chains and Gojira, but with the production sensibilities of someone like Dimmu Borgir or Devin Townsend and a little of Finntroll/Moonsorrow's arranging flair. I also wanted to explore and develop the source to see if I could take it to some weird places, initially notating themes and chord patterns to look at the relationships and arcs within melodies. This is almost a response to the verbatim metal mixes that crop up all over the place. As such, I've treated the themes in a similar context as to which a classical arranger might, but fitting it into a heavy metal context. To this extent, I have focussed on a theme in the source moreso than others, purely because of the relationship between the first few notes really opened up loads of possibilities for me in this mix, with regards to brewing a stormy disposition and creating almost a mantric tension. I also wanted to explore using some different time signatures in this piece to see if I could create a constant flow that didn't present itself as disjointed or fractured. I realise that I might have taken too many liberties with my developments of the source material, and I made a point to add some more recognisable parts to combat this, allowing each theme and section in the source to make an appearance in the piece. I often doubled important themes and gestures with synths and orchestral instruments in an attempt to bring them to prominence. I really enjoyed working on this mix. It allowed me to work in some areas I don't normally get the chance to in my band, and to try out some things I would normally discount. With help from Brandon and Bonkers, I managed to clear up a lot of gloop that was really holding this mix back initially, and ultimately learned a lot about EQ balances between instruments. At the very least, I hope you enjoy it! Thanks, Ian Fraser (IanFitC)

Song name: Radiance Contact Information: Your ReMixer name – Level 99, Benjamin Briggs Your real name - Stevo Bortz, Benjamin Briggs Your website – http://level99.thestuffoflegends.net/ Your userid – 13318 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged – Mario Kart 64 Name of individual song(s) arranged – Rainbow Road Composer: Kenta Nagata Comments on the song: If one were to sum up my feelings about how unjustly derided a number of vocals ReMixes are on this site, I'd only have to use three words: Haters gonna hate I started this song as an acoustic vocal arrangement of the ridiculously catchy, happy, upbeat Rainbow Road track from Mario Kart 64. The leads from the track have always felt like the instrumental equivalent of what should have been vocal lines. Where else could it have have gone besides a love song, likening the thrill of romance with that of a race taking place far up in the sky. Well, discounting the Game Cube version of Rainbow Road, which already has a definitive vocal version. So this originally was going to remain an all-acoustic and vocal song. However, along the way, an opportunity came up that seemed to crazy and exciting to turn down. As a result, the track employs a total of four acoustic guitars, two vocalists, and a number of wonderful synthetic additions from my main man, Benjamin Briggs. His comments: "Not TOO MUCH to say about this one; Stevo showed me the WIP of this track, which was originally just multi-track guitar and vocals. I begged him to let me put chiptunes in it, he asked me to add drums and stuff, and I wrote and sang all of the backup vocal parts as a surprise. I really freakin' love this track, and Stevo. Hope everyone else does too! (What's not to like??)" So the guitars, lead vocals, and lyrics were my doing, which his backing vocals, mixing, mastering, and all other additions in his court. The result feels unbelievably warm, despite the guitars being slightly thin and the usage of chiptunes which could have been harsh and jarring were it not in Ben's tender care. We both employed a slight amount of autotune in our voices, which I feel is more of an aesthetic choice than a corrective one. The chiptunes accompaniments are so dead-on in their note accuracy that previous versions without the tuning made the vocals unseated somewhat in the mix, which was unpleasant listening. I may have a track record for taking some unconventional approaches to making video game arrangements, but one thing I will never feel wrong about is adding vocals to songs. They have the ability to add an entirely new level, or multiple levels, of meaning and emotion to a song. Ponder this as you imagine Mario and Peach having a romantic race across a rainbow track beaming between the stars, where no matter who makes it across the finish line first, they both have each other and the incredible journey along the way. Lyrics: Up in the sky Where radiance abounds there is a luminous road Hearts race away suspended seemlessly it is a site to behold We're on our way, let's go today because we might be the only ones to ever be Up off the ground, with arms around holding me tightly there's no where else I'd want to be The path is paved with colors filled with light they cast a radiant glow no end in sight now that you're here with me let's chase the eternal rainbow Forever long You've held your hand in mine together journeys unfold we've crossed the line while we would love to stay our ride has come to a close it's not the end, so don't pretend we've solved the mystery there's so much else that's left to see across the stars, this world is ours the only reality there's no where else I'd want to be

just the ones they wanted to come back. i had to register on my own too.

happy birthdayyyy

To the second hottest judge on the panel, I hope all your birthday wishes come true! <3 Happy birthday!!

Killer album, check this out, guys!

it's 3:22 long, but feels a lot longer, and i'm not exactly sure why. I think the melding of a lot of the sounds is part of it. On closer listens there is actually a lot of cool stuff going on, with the breakdown section specifically being nice. I think the sounds blending is a bit with the type of delay used, and the bass and kick having a similar timbre. It has a sortof 80's police drama feel to it, and though it took me about 10 listens to wrap my head around it, i'm feeling comfortable passing this. yes

This is very nice but does seem to get stuck in the same mood and then doesn't develop, it just jams. Nothing wrong with that, as there are some great ideas in the synth solo, but the arrangement itself needs to develop further if it is going to follow the OCR guidelines. I think adding a second section with a slightly more sparse soundscape would be a great contrast and would help the track be even better. No, please resubmit

compression is a bit hot, but the honky tonk piano mixing I am definitely fine with. The source itself is really repetitive, which makes the mix's barroom blues rock structure feel pretty fine. There are nice change ups in the mix with breakdowns, and it seems to me like the source breakdown is about right. There isn't much of this southern fried stuff on the site, and while I think some vocals overall would have improved it, I think it's passable. Yes

I do think the song is upgraded, but the lead still lacks the super attitude it needs. The beats sound great, and there is some nice filtering and harmonies, cool effects, tempo shifts, and a good flow. I do think it could use some more lively sounds mixed in, but I think it clears the bar, though skims it a bit. Yes (borderline)

gotta agree with the rest of the crew, I enjoyed this one a lot, but the outside source is too prominent. I'm not really sure it can be removed to fit OCR standards without gutting the piece itself. Sorry to do it, but it's a NO

also, why is halc on the list of current judges but not on the overall chronological list? Seems like a mcrib conspiracy...

wow, there is finally a place for Sixto's Eternal Wind song he's been sandbagging for 4 years!