Fishy

Arrangement is for the most part fine, source is there relatively conservatively with some nice additions; but really the problems are in the mixing and the general production (which is pretty good anyway for a first sub). The drums aren't good on the whole. The shakers/hats do their job okay, but the rest of the kit just doesn't fit well. I'm hearing two different snares and sometimes one and not the other plays and it just sounds bizarre. Imma disagree with larry and say the cymbal focus part was no better, everything else thats going on is epic, that should be the loudest section as far as drums are concerned imo. Needs more crash. Whatever bass drum is there is inaudible, and you can't get away with not having a proper kick. The levels are a bit strange, and I'm hearing lo-mid conflict quite often and the bass is quite greedy with the soundscape. Generally speaking, the leads - while simple - sound okay and they fit together well enough, as does the piano. Imo some nice new fitting drums with a bit more presence, a more interesting ending and a general clean up of the soundscape will have you on the right track so keep at it and good luck with a resub. NO resub plz

I don't think projects should have anything more then a few public sketches at most. Most commercial CD's have maybe one or two singles out before hand to promote them, so thats obviously the tried and tested method for hype, but you can do whatever you want really.

I want the pokemon project the most at the moment. My first OCR accepted remix (passed way back in march 2007 or some shit) won't come out until that project is out.

A lot of FF music does this for these reasons, it reminds me of a scene where the music played a big part in an emotional response. Two scenes in particular from 7 get me most times (not aeris funnily enough, i never found that to be THAT sad...) Red XIII with his daddy, and barret going mental after the plate falls on sector 6. So that's Great Warrior and Anxious Hearts. Great Warrior especially gets me these days cause of the whole Reuben Kee thing . But for songs being simply so good that they make me cry... I think a context or something to relate it to is what tips the scale for me. Oh and a live performance helps too.

Why don't you post it to Fanfiction.net and then just link it here instead of posting the whole thing?

Well for just composing with guitar, you can try Guitar Pro or Power Tab. They won't make anything past MIDI quality but for just composing that shouldn't matter. About a program to extract the back drop, do you mean to create a backing track? Either way you can't just take one instrument out of a wav or an mp3, no program has been able to do this convincingly. BUT I'm assuming you want guitar backing tracks or something, in which case you could try www.guitarbt.com.

Ok so either: Its been turned into a shtty typical action movie. OR The trailer just makes it look that way so typical action movie fans will go. I seriously hope its the latter... and who the fuck is Mai? Don't add new characters for no reason other then leather and breasts.

All of your questions have at least basic answers already in the site info but eh: 1. Its possible with Sonar just by itself and free samples/soundfonts but don't expect to be able to make something passable straight away. You need to learn how to use what you have to a fairly good standard and no one will walk you through that process. There are many free tutorials around the internet on basics. Just google for Sonar tutorials. 2. Upload your music at Tindeck or some other free hosting site and post it here http://www.ocremix.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=16 3. Its not based solely on your talent or equipment. Someone who uses a free program like Reaper like a god has a way bigger chance then someone new to music with something expensive like Pro Tools. Likewise just because we know you have talent doesn't mean we'll accept everything you do. Every submission is judged individually on both arrangement and production. Arrangement meaning it should take the original source and add to it in a meaningful way (not just a cover) and Production basically meaning it should have a relatively good sound quality with a clean mix and attention to detail. A lot of newer musicians struggle with production techniques so try not to be discouraged, it takes most people (myself included) a fairly long time to learn this. You're right in avoiding a direct cover for the purposes of submitting to OCR, but really, if you've never remixed before, ever, chances are you're not going to get passed soon. I don't mean to be harsh, but OCR rejects a majority of submissions based on the criteria here: http://www.ocremix.org/info/Submission_Standards_and_Instructions I don't mean to say don't even try, I'm just letting you know it might be a while before you get to that standard. Listen to the music and the front page, and if you think you can make something comparable to that quality, then go for it. Otherwise, just keep posting music you've made in the forum section linked above and learn from the feedback you get. You can also learn a lot about the judging process (and maybe get some random tips too) by reading the judges decision forum.

Promising intro, thats a cool guitar tone, pretty trippy soundscape there. Those drums don't really fit the sound of the rest of the track. Nothing much really happens beyond idea looping until about 1:37 when the distortion kicks in at which point I noticed the over-compression. The cymbals are being totally mangled trying to cut through. Lots of crazy harmonies going on in the background though, there must be like 10-15 guitar tracks at once, which is probably why everything is fighting for the same sample space. Try not to be so focused on being loud and do some EQ cutting to make sure there's room for everything in the mix. Less is probably more in this case, give the instruments some breathing space. Agreed on getting rid of those drums, or at least find something that blends a little better with the sounds. Less compression, more balance. Nothing much further to add, other then good luck with further submissions. NO resub plz

Okay, something is definitely missing from this. I actually rechecked I had downloaded the right remix, because I know for a fact you guys can do better then the first half of this. The arrangement ideas are nice, but the execution just felt dry and just generally not as intimate as I can hear it potentially being. You can hear the stylistic interpretation of the melody, and I'm totally feeling the japanese ornamentation but it doesn't sustain itself. For example 1:55 has this really tender feel with lots of smooth layers, and then suddenly at 2:05 they just cut out and leave behind one really dry string line that just doesn't come close to a realistic violin sound when its that exposed. Whatever reverb is there is too little. Every time there's a nice build its cuts it all down and becomes exposed at which point the samples just suffer. There's more inconsistency with the choir sounds, really generic oohs and ahs at 2:25 are in a totally different league to the ones at 5:03 which are just plain awesome. It actually sounds like two separate pieces of music by two people put together, there isn't even a transition. The second half is great, its very engaging and epic and I can hear a lot of work put into that just isn't present in the first half. I listened to the quieter sections of Valse Aeris and I'm blown away by the intimacy every time, so at the very least Jeremy knows how to pull that off so I'm confused as to why it isn't here. Definitely with Larry on this one, whilst the arrangement is great no doubt, the attention to detail in the production of the first half just isn't as good is it could and should be compared to the second half. This is one of those mixes that I really do hate rejecting because the potential is awesome, but there's an issue I just can't ignore. NO resub plz

I would suggest that's a bold but unfeasible move. Basically what you've done there is disappear for months, come back and finish your track when it suits you then set a cutoff date for a few weeks after. Not to mention we have 4 unclaimed tracks and 4 without wips. I'm really not bothered who's ultimately running the project, but I've been on enough of them to know that what you've set just isn't going to happen AND is totally pointless. We're not gonna be the next project out so what is the point of cutting off all tracks that soon? All Fratto was basically annoyed at was that the project leader was slacking and acting as though it wasn't damaging the project. Getting all "strict" all of a sudden doesn't change the current state of the project. Also to both of you: Public forums aren't the place for drama, and neither is proposing a date. Its not my decision, but I'd rethink your date and edit that out of your post pocket.

who do the judges even think they are?

Its way too quiet, its supposed to be the lead. The whole thing is very compressed aswell. Addictive drums is great, but 90% of the presets have way too much compression. It doesn't sound like the rhythm has been doubled either. You should always record two rhythm takes and pan them hard left and right when possible. This is better production wise then a lot of rock submissions I've judged though, and its much better then my early attempts. Keep it up, post some more wips.

Not enough Scenes from a Memory.

This is a sad day for prog indeed. RIP.

Steam is just about the best format for buying games I know of. The only thing that might annoy people is you need the internet, but i don't know of anyone who has a computer but not internet access.

Sure why not.

Some people can't create something great. So they do the next best thing.

They're similar in that they both use the Jenova theme, they're not similar in any other way.

I don't recognize any of the ff mixes. But you're right, too many too quickly, in too many styles and with too much variance in quality. Some of these are epic, some of them sound like rushed MIDI rips. Perhaps these are old vgmix remixes, but I never heard any of them.

According to ye olde judges when I spoke to them a while ago, he's literally dissapeared entirely. No ones been able to get a hold of him at all, and he supposedly doesn't even have internet access anymore. I think it was Dave and Larry who told me this, who I'd guess would be the most likely to know.

Check forum for super lulz.

Haha, this is one of the most awesome arrangements I've had the good pleasure of judging. The way it playfully speeds up and bounces around so cheekily. Starts very cautiously but immediately the staccato fever takes over, this is about as enjoyable as an orchestration can be and the production is more the strong enough to convey it. The only notable issue has already been brought up and conditioned already, and I really have nothing further to add in terms of criticism, so YES

I really enjoyed listening to this. It is a bit on the simple side, but its still got lots of energy and the source definitely works in the style. AnSo does have a point though, for the length, there really aren't many change ups in what's going on, you can argue that what's there overstays its welcome. Also you'd expect something this length in this genre to build up a few times or at least at the end for en epic finish, but it just kind of stops without warning. I think if you condensed this to about 4 minutes or so keeping the more interpretive counter-melodies etc, and sorted out a nice epic ending, this would be an easy yes from me. I'd like to go with Larry but the points brought up do stand. There isn't really enough going on to justify the length and putting it in danger of being "boring" by the end of it. Hope you resub, cause this is obviously going to be a nice OCR addition. NO resub plz

What is it with you and projects?