OceansAndrew

I'm not even going to listen, i'm just going to vote. Yes Just joking! It was very good, I think you guys did a nice job! Excellent variation, lots of creative and interesting ideas, and you both smell nice.

Literally, the only thing stopping me from Yessing this, is the piano sound. Pretty nice dynamics, good flow, some tasteful rubato, and good transitions. A few mechanical spots, but overall I was feeling this. I wish I could assist with the piano sound, as it sounds like all you'd need to do is swap out the sample, but maybe someone will be able to. No, please resubmit

There are some parts that really sound nice, but it ends up feeling pretty repetitive by the end of the track. There are some nice small details throughout, but overall it kindof blends a little too much. The stutters were a very nice touch, and stuff like that definitely helps the track feel more exciting and cohesive. The main issue is that things are pressed so hard, it's hard for the track to breathe, and the dynamics are really reduced. The sounds created are nice, and this is really close, but I think to pass it needs a little bit of the fat trimmed, and the dynamics to be more exciting. Keep it up! No, please resubmit

purple pantsssss... This is a really nice soundscape and is solidly put together. Good track regression, transitions, and some nice dynamics as well. The source itself is in need of a sound upgrade, and this definitely fits the bill. the ending is slightly anticlimactic, but otherwise the song is amazing. Yes

RMS is pretty intense here, but the feel of the track is nice, very upbeat, and the triplets are fun, and give the beat a different feel than i'd expect from a typical dance piece. The bass is pushing too much into the space occupied by the melody, making the balance feel pretty off in spots. The transitions weren't seamless, but considering how they were handled, it worked pretty well. I think based on the modulation inherent in the sources, it was a good choice. The vocoded part was cool too, and fit the song. Arrangement-wise, it seemed pretty conservative in spots, and I think the track ran a little long. A little polish and this one is good, you have a nice start! No, please resubmit

Yeah, runs a little long, but overall this has a lot of great variations, and stays interesting. Big Ben bells at the end was cute. Performance was nice with some good drums, and the sounds were pretty clear. No issue with me passing this. Yes

It starts out good immediately, but it does even up having too many unrelated textures fighting for limited space, and the guitar is the worst offender, missing some frequencies to be really audible, and taking up a lot of bandwidth in the process. A bit of trimming would also be good, focusing the arrangement. It sounds like you have plenty of ideas, you just need to pick the best ones and run with them, as opposed to trying to add every spice into your soup. Keep at it! No, please resubmit

Basically fix the notes that go way off key, and i'll pass this so hard. No, please resubmit it'll never dieeeeeeeeeeeee

The intro was pretty great, nice performances everyone. Production is a little heavy handed, with noticeable pumping from the compressor, and some mixing issues, like the keyboards on the left side halfway through being buried. The guitar performance ranges from being dead on, to pretty loose. You seem to have issues lining up the more syncopated stuff, and I know it's been a consistent issue for you. I know we discussed your guitar latency recently, which might help things out. I hope it does, because when you have these super-precise drums, and guitars that aren't on the beat, it doesn't sound that great. Overall bring down the compression and adjust the performances in some spots so it's tighter, mainly the section with a lot of upbeats. Not a ton of work and this one is passable, IMO. No, please resubmit

happy birthdays!

super birthday wishes to my bro! <3

i second the sexy incentives idea, please.

happy birthday dude, i hope you come to next mag so we can hang out more <3

I think this is some of Stevo's best studio guitar tone yet, where he doesn't cover up his playing nuances with a ton of distortion. The arrangement is nice, and the sounds mesh well together, and it stays true to the source while adding lots of little bonuses. It also helps that I love the source. Unfortunately, I am sick of hearing both of you two make music, so I am going to no this out of spite. HELL NO ok fine, yes

the high end is slightly over-hyped, but otherwise, things seem good. Nice lead guitars, some of your best, i'd say. Nice tasteful playing, though in a few spots it gets buried. Might want to ease up a little on the reverb. ;-) Drums could be a little more exciting, and a little more powerful, but they serve the track well enough, and there is a lot of good arrangement happening to carry this over the bar. Yes

The intro is nice and dramatic, but drags just a little - i think a bit of trimming would be the best bet there. There is something to be said for going 8 measures a time and adding a single element each time, but I think the mix would be better served if you cut out the second-to-last repetition and added the arp and the drum pattern at the same time, instead of drums for a repetition, then arp. When the main melody comes in, It should hit a little harder, and maybe have a little more high end, to help it stand out. You have this super long intro - brief main melody, and then right a way a breakdown. It's like you stop the momentum before it even gets there. Detail-wise, you keep the song very interesting with a lot of little variations and ornaments, though some are a little obscured. The ending was also a bit static, and could have used a bit more excitement. So, definitely a good start, but needs some polish- some tips- - trim the arrangement down to feature more variation for the duration - add a little more high end in the mix, to give it a bit more shimmer. It doesn't need a lot, just a touch. - emphasize the builds better. You have some great breakdowns, but they would be even more epic if you had some MASSIVE builds right before, to really show the contrast. No, please resubmit

Samplewise, the lead guitar does feel pretty weak and sits somewhere in the uncanny valley. I also think the kick could use a touch more beater to cut through, especially with some of those nice double bass flourishes. The snare was nice and punchy, and the balance of the track was pretty solid, as well. The drums could definitely use some more exciting fills, but I think the patterns worked. Mixing up the snare from the 2 and 4 a little more would be cool. The tom breakdown was a good changeup, and though there is a kernel of truth to Deia's assessment that themes are established and then solos are added, there are some really nice arrangement ideas and linking of themes. My main concern is that lead guitar sample. It's well sequenced, but the instrument itself is just so nuanced, that it is sticking out. If you'd like, I'd be happy to record the lead for you. Just let me know. Other than that, some 'it'd be nice' would be a little more telegraphed transition to the tom fill section, and a little more bite to the kick. No, please resubmit

It just looks extra full because we have been doing that much better with the inbox. Though for whatever reason, since mid-January, the number of submissions got cranked way up. Right now there are about 100 tracks in the queue, and about 150 more tracks in the inbox.

Pretty much in agreement here. The arrangement has a lot of variety, but things tend to drag a little. The rhythm guitar tone is good, but is mad overcompressed. THe lead tone sounds good as well, but some of the solos sound like they are outside of your comfort level and don't quite click. THere are also some parts that sound really loose rhythmwise, and when you are going for this super heavy sound, it is crucial that the rhythm section locks together, or it doesn't sound heavy at all. Good start, but needs more polish. No, please resubmit

agree with Deia here, this is pretty great, but damn, is it short, and a lot of parts have a tenuous relationship with the source. The trumpet sounds pretty good, but the bass is lacking a certain warmth that could be fixed with EQ. I think the idea is fantastic, but it needs a little bit more polish to pass. No, please resubmit

I think Deia said things pretty well here, there is some good interpretation, and the mix takes the strengths of the original and improves upon them, but it needs to go a little bit further. It felt like there was a good deal of repetition that could have been trimmed or expanded on, and the sounds used were pretty solid, with some nice filtering effects, but seemed a little vanilla, which when combined with the repetitive nature of the track, made it seem old long before it's time. It's a great start, and a solid foundation, but it could use a little bit more going on in the later sections, and a little more variety. No, please resubmit

Some pretty nice ideas here, but the arrangement really drags; I think you could edit about 1.3 of it out total to have a more cohesive and succinct piece. I think the feel was really nice and this definitely has promise, but the arrangement feels spread a little too thin. The sound itself was warm, but sounded muffled. I think boosting the high end slightly would give this a better sound. The performance overall was very nice, but there were a few minor flubs here and there. They were subtle, but noticeable enough for me. I think this definitely has promise though, but needs a little more polish for OCR. No, please resubmit

they had better be judging lots of tracks, but we'll be hitting the inbox this saturday evening during the inbox party*! *it's not really a party, but it sounds more fun to do if we call it this.

i'll third this vote - even adding some small embellishments would help this out, but I think it could be taken even further. The foundation is ther, now to build on it. No, please resubmit

yeah, dude, give us credit and it should be good to go