Emunator

I'm right on board with Rexy's assessment here - both the good and the bad. The mixing on this is surprisingly well done and rich sounding, with an excellent frequency balance from lows to highs. I think the shortcomings of this remix can be chalked up to a lack of variety in velocities, which ends up giving the track a robotic feel that doesn't match the richness of the arrangement itself. The piano section at 1:42 is by far the most noticeable offender, but I'm picking up on the same effect basically any time you have an exposed or repeated staccato riff. Bev's suggestion about performing parts in via MIDI controller, if you can, is an excellent way to naturally introduce some variation in velocity and timing, but the effect can also be achieved by tapping into the different articulations/keyswitches in your sample libraries and manually adjusting velocities and note timings, too. Either way, this shows a great amount of promise, and your arrangement is plenty expansive, but the sequencing side is not fully there yet. NO (resubmit)

Sounding great! This nicely addressed my minor qualms with the original submission without introducing any new unintended errors. I will say that I wish the filter envelope allowed a little more high-end bite to come through on the lead synth, but this approach is already leaps and bounds better. The drums feel much more lively, I appreciate how you kept the core rhythm the same while adding some subtle variations to prevent it from growing stale. This was already so close during my initial vote, so I'm glad you took the time to push it over the bar! YES

Right off the bat, I love the ambiance you've created, and there's enough evolution going on to warrant the extended intro, even with the lack of source connection during that time. The initial kick drum sounds very dry compared to the rest of the lush soundscape around it. When the full drums kick in, it blends more naturally because the live bass fills out the low-end better, but I would consider revisiting how the kick is used during the intro and later sections when the sample is more exposed. When we get to the meat of things, this is pretty solid. I like the mix of acoustic tonal instruments and the digital ambiance and crunchy drums. I do think this track relies a little too heavily on the DiZi plugin - for such a long runtime, it's hard to justify using the same lead instrument for the entire duration. Even though it's a really nice sound on its own, and there's a lot of changes going on in your backing instrumentation to keep the track fresh, I can't help but think how much stronger this would be with a second lead instrument serving as a counterpoint. I hate to say this, but the glitching from 3:41 through 5:14 felt superfluous and overly long. This may be some degree of personal preference at play, but it came across as a way to pad the length of the track. I think you could have easily gotten the same ideas across in about half the time. I would suggest either curtailing the length of that section, or leaning fully in the other direction and getting a bit wilder with your drum rhythms and glitching and leaning fully into the concept. Right now, that section is stuck in a limbo state where the lead is wilding out but the rest of the groove stays relatively static. Past that, the rest of the arrangement is pretty solid and things really clicked when the additional percussion came in around the 6 minute mark. Very dramatic way to close the arrangement. @prophetik music @Rexy I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the chord structure at 6:25 - I understand that you were trying to transition into a different tonality for the last stretch, but there sounds like there's a lot of unpleasant dissonance going on here. Maybe you guys can elaborate on this. Overall, your approach is ambitious and there's a lot of effort put in to justify the length. There's no wholesale copy/paste repetition, thankfully, but there's some staleness that feels baked in because of certain sections that go on longer than necessary, and due to the lack of variation in tone throughout the arrangement. I think the bones of the arrangement are very strong, but it could benefit from some reworking and editing to make the overall product tighter. NO (resubmit!)

I know I already gushed over this in my judge comment from the writeup, but this is truly a brilliant, warm, understatedly-beautiful arrangement. It's catchy like a pop song, but also extremely heady and cerebral. I still don't understand how you were able to extract all of these feelings from such an unassuming source with such minimal instrumentation. This feels like a fully-realized version of the concepts you've teased and experimented with in your previous remixes, and I'm so glad to see it posted. Bravo!!

Oh my lord I LOVE this. This combines everything I've always loved about Ivan's past arrangements - the unabashedly-happy major key melodies, meaty guitar tones, and ambitious soloing - with a few new tricks I haven't heard before, such as the various new synth patches (I LOVE that synth-flute lead) piano riffs, and more in-your face drumming. I love the diversity of instruments and ideas across the board, and the way you expanded on the instrumentation and depth of the source material without really reinventing the wheel. From a production/performance standpoint, this is easily one of the tightest, most engaging tracks I've ever heard from you yet. Although this is definitely structured more like a medley, things flow pretty seamlessly. The transition at 4:00 stood out as a sole sore spot where things felt a little clunky, but this hit the mark FAR more often than it stumbled. Count me in! YES

This is a thick soundscape, with lots of little flourishes and fills that keep throwing bits of ear candy to the listener to keep them hooked. There's really so much going on overall, I can't even begin to pick out highlights. You say that it took you "far too long" to finish this, but I can't imagine how something of this caliber could have been done without a LOT of attention to detail and persistence with trying new ideas. One of the best things I've heard from you to date, really excellent work! YES

This is a really nifty fusion track that marries some of the signature 80's and 90's synth and drum sounds that are distinctly R&B with a mixdown and pacing that evokes the same lazy, hazy qualities I'd expect from a vaporwave arrangement. I was skeptical about how you would stretch this out to nearly 5 minutes, but just on gut intuition, it never felt like things were repetitive just for the sake of padding, and it felt like the length was justified. The lead synth solos kept the melodies fresh, despite being too forward in the mix, and the rest of the supporting instrumentation all brings something warm and nostalgic to the mix. Love those chiffed synths especially! I'm not going to make these showstoppers, but before we post this track, I'd love to hear: 1.) The overall track volume brought up to normal levels 2.) The tail at the end of the track cut down - there's no reason for over 15 seconds of near silence. Otherwise, this checks all the boxes for me. Nice work! YES

My fellow judges have far more eloquently expressed the beauty of this track, so this is just going to be a quick cosign from me. The piano tone is warm and absolutely well suited for the performance, and the sample quality holds up even during the more dramatic dynamic jumps. There's so many rhythmic changeups throughout the duration of the track, it's really stunning that you managed to weave it all together so seamlessly like you did. Bravo! YES

While I wasn't sold on this concept from the intro, the simple kalimba arpeggio laid the groundwork for a much more developed arrangement to come. The accordion and acoustic guitar combo is one I'm quite fond of myself, and it's well used here. I strongly support the Stardew Valley comparison. The bass and light percussion give the track some movement and breaks up the repetitive arpeggio rhythm. Not a ton to say here - it's certainly not the most fleshed out or complex track, but it's a pleasant, well-produced jam that you can sit back and relax to. I'd say this accomplishes its purpose nicely! YES

Just a quick co-sign to clear this one out. I love the arrangement and instrumentation to death and your boldness in adapting such a dramatic sounding source into this genre. Bravo for the concept and execution! Mixing is not quite as tight as the actual performances, leaving this sounding more like pre-mix demo without much attention paid to compression or reverb. Improving at this will come with time and practice, and it's hard to hold this too much against you when the end result is strong in so many other ways, but a splash of reverb would go a long way in the future to glue your different instrumentalists together. Also seconding Brad's critique that a more present bass would have been much appreciated, but again... not a dealbreaker. All in all, definitely a passable product that I thoroughly enjoyed, despite the underwhelming mixing. Looking forward to hearing you level up from here! YES

I'm going to quickly rubber stamp this one as well - the source is lovely and the submission is extremely pleasant (special shoutouts to the harp, which sounds fantastic throughout) but I'm not hearing a connection between the two. NO

Immediately finding myself in agreement with the nays here - the tonal balance between left and right is very lopsided and distracting, and ultimately disqualifying on its own. Also, the lack of any song bass presence until nearly the end of the track, when a bass drum briefly enters, ends up leaving this imbalanced not just in a panning sense, but also in terms of the overall mixdown. The brief bassdrum presence at the very end really drives home the lack of punch that the rest of the track had been missing thus far. The percussion elements that are present for most of the duration are so quiet... ultimately, there's no punctuation to the arrangement, which leaves things feeling flat. I also want to highlight the robotic orchestration throughout, which isn't helping the lack of dynamics. I appreciate how you evolved the instrumentation from the source and introduced some unconventional choices like the harpsichord, which works really well with the original writing. I'm sorry to say, however, that I'm just not sold on the execution here. NO

I don't think I can access this - can you re-link this to somewhere like Soundcloud or enable public sharing through Google Drive?

Gorgeous, uplifting, dynamic, transcendent... I'm finding no shortage of adjectives to describe the impeccable work you've done here! The variety of instruments, moods, and ideas is mind-boggling! The fusion of electronic and orchestral instruments felt totally natural and never shoehorned in, and both sides were equally well-executed. My only complaint is that many of your ideas truly had the potential to be fleshed out into their own arrangement, and each time you transitioned to a new idea, I found myself a little sad because I was so caught up in each individual moment. I didn't want them to end. That's not a knock at you, but rather a testament to how great your individual ideas are! I'm sure this will get a lot of repeat listens from me

This has such a nice vintage OCR quality to it Really takes me back to the early 2010's. As someone who can get hung up on production in my own work, I appreciate the challenge you set for yourself to work with a simpler palette and focus primarily on the arrangement. At the end of the day, I'd argue that both aspects of the remix came out strong!

I'm consistently amazed by the number of ways that different artists approach this source. If I'm being totally honest, I've never liked the Lost Woods theme because (in my opinion, anyway) it doesn't capture the sense of wonder and mystery that I would expect from an endless forest maze. This is one of the reasons I so deeply appreciate remixing as an art form - it gives you a chance to re-contextualize a particular theme in a way that, to some listeners, might fit the mood of the original game even better than the original composition. I think that's exactly what you've done here - it borrows some of the rhythmic bombast of later Zelda tracks like Deku Palace, but fleshes out the soundscape with a wide array of unique instruments and rhythms that shake up the Lost Woods theme and give it new life! I constantly find myself picking up on new rhythms and riffs that I didn't catch on the first or second listen - there's a lot to love here! Kris hit the nail on the head with the mixing, which does indeed feel needlessly flat for such a dynamic arrangement, but I also ultimately agree with her final assessment that the ambitious arrangement is greater than any perceived weaknesses. While I do think you would be well-served by looking at which instruments you want to highlight at any given time, and automating your volume and EQ accordingly to highlight those focal points, I feel like it would be a mistake to pass on this as it is. Good luck with the rest of the vote! YES

This starts out just like a scene out of Bladerunner 2049, I love the bass swells, even if they are slightly on the loud and overcompressed side. Despite eventually rooting itself in a more traditional electronic style, there's a lot of small cinematic details that really sell me on this concept. I appreciated your delicate approach to building up the arrangement, and thankfully, once Kraid's theme enters the mix, it stays put so I don't have any issues with source usage overall. The dynamic curve subtly builds up to a very satisfying conclusion - when the string/choir accompaniment came in at 3:09, everything fell nicely into place, climaxing with some excellent reharmonization at 4:03. I would have liked to hear a more textured patch used for the lead - it stuck out as vanilla compared to some of the more richly textured analog sounds featured elsewhere in the arrangement, but not a huge deal. I didn't pick up on any balance issues with the leads, although as I mentioned before, some of the bass sounds did stand out as overcompressed and loud. Ultimately, while the mixing is not perfect, I do believe that the arrangement and concept is certainly strong enough to get by in its current form! YES

I totally see where Jivemaster is coming from on his vote, but I can't say I've reached the same conclusion. While it is true that most of the lead elements are quieter in the mix, I got the impression that the rhythm guitars were kind of the point here. The main objective here seemed to be transforming the Bombing Mission riffs into an unapologetic onslaught of rhythmic fury, and everything else felt secondary to that goal. None of the lead motifs ever stick around for more than a measure or two, but the rhythm guitars were deliberately placed front and center for most of the arrangement, so I'm inclined to judge this on the merits of what you chose to highlight in your mix. By that standard, this feels pretty damn successful. Your guitar tone is one of the heaviest I've heard in recent memory, the drums are extremely well-recorded and performed (special shoutouts to the bone-rattling toms in the introduction) and the overall production feels on-par with a professional metal track. Not sure how this one is going to swing, but I sure do hope to hear this one hit the front page. Good luck with the rest of the vote! YES \m/

There's no shortage of Golden Sun remixes to have graced the site lately, but what harm could one more do? Let's see what you've got here. Right off the bat, I'm loving your piano tone and the subtle string articulations. You're clearly working with some powerhouse sample libraries here, but you've wielded them to great effect. As things progress, you continue to develop a lush soundscape that transforms the Elemental Stars motif into something stirring and transcendent. The high string legatos particularly gave me chills, and the use of kit drums along with orchestral percussion was unexpected but very cool. This is a short arrangement, but what you do in a limited time is actually staggering - this would feel right at home in the extended cinematic trailer for a hypothetical big-screen Golden Sun adaptation. Extremely professional sounding take that should be right at home on our site. Fabulous job! YES

Wow, this is a stunning pallet of instruments! I've only ever heard your work in context of others' arrangements, but you're definitely no slouch yourself! Though this never strays far from the original source, you took it in a decidedly more meditative, new age direction, sacrificing some of the source's staccato playfulness in exchange for something far more plaintive. The rhythmic interplay of the piano and marimba, along with an array of soothing string and pad tones, sets the stage perfectly to support but never overpower your dynamic flute performances, which of course are a highlight! Assuming the rest of the panel agrees, I'm looking forward to finally seeing you make your solo OCR debut. Nice work! YES

Yessss. I know I can always count on Faseeh to lay down high-energy electronic bangers with just the right amount of smooth. This is no different - the mix of various organic timbres with a pounding D&B beat makes for quite a satisfying soundscape. The live guitar adds an appropriate level of expressiveness to the melody. Conceptually, this feels quite natural despite taking some detours off the beaten path, so great work there! If I had to ding this track for anything, it's that the elements in the track feel largely unglued from each other. I feel that stronger compression overall would help flesh out your mix. The levels, as Joel alluded to, also feel imbalanced to a certain degree - I found myself wanting to hear more in the way of high-frequency percussion as the track went on to ramp up the energy level, and the guitar lead feels relatively quiet compared to the rest of the track. In general, it doesn't feel like you're fully optimizing the space you have in the mix. That said, I acknowledge that I might be judging this by a higher-energy standard, whereas something like this might be totally appropriate when viewed from the lens of a liquid D&B track, for example, where negative space is a staple of the genre. To answer your rhetorical statement from the submission letter, I think this could have been even more of an unapologetic banger, but what you have here is still quite enjoyable and I'm okay signing off as-is. Nice job! YES

This reminds me of UV Sir J in the absolute best way. I thought I had this arrangement pegged from the first minute, but you managed to throw something unexpected in at every turn, and I couldn't help but smile as I listened through and heard everything you had to offer! I always found the original Ecruteak theme to be somewhat melancholy, but this amplified a level of playfulness I didn't know was there! The vocal harmonies at 1:15 were a standout moment, and I can't go through a vote without mentioning that kickass guitar solo that follows. The rest of the arrangement retreads many of the same ideas, but never in a way that overstays its welcome, and finds a lot of ways to keep it fresh til the very end through additional layering and some clever cameos. I disagree with Joel about the clashing notes - I think that's just Pokémon music. As someone familiar with this source, it all sounds like it's the way it's supposed to be. I definitely do agree, however, that the master track is pumped pretty hard, which causes some of the drums and cymbals to really work the limiter hard. That said, there's no true clipping anywhere to be found, and although the mixdown is crunchy, I can still hear everything I need to and the frequency balance seems fairly level. Next time, I'd advise using a less aggressive mastering chain, but this clicks in its current form for me. Good luck with the rest of the vote! YES

I have voted NO on most of Karol's recent submissions mainly due to the weakness of the lead guitar, so let's see where this one lands. I'll get the negative part out of the way first - the lead guitar still sounds very unnatural here. I'd go so far as to say that it doesn't always register as a lead guitar at all due to the way that it's sequenced - it somewhat fits the role of a lead synth, so in a strange way it kind of works better here, I think? Aside from that, the rest of the track is mighty strong! Immediately, I'm noticing that there's more in the way of instrumental variety, which goes a long way in offsetting the weakness of the lead guitar. The harpsichord and piano are a great foil to the traditional metal instruments. As usual, the rhythm guitar sounds much more natural. I'm especially captivated by the drums here, which are easily some of the best I've heard from you to date! Exceptional use of fills. And Jivemaster is right, that cable buzz transition was choice! I still think you have a ways to go before you're going to be fooling listeners with your lead guitar sequencing, but the rest of this track is so strong that I think it edges over the bar for me. Excited to see where you go from here! YES

Lovely source, one of my favorites from Skyward Sword! Your arrangement checks all the right boxes, there's some excellent rhythmic variations and expansions over the original source. Unfortunately, the sequencing and sample dynamics are simply not cutting it in its current form. There's a rigidity to the whole performance that is quite evident in the velocity layers, note timing, and note sustains. It starts off noticeable but not too egregious because most of the notes are played at a lower velocity range, but as your part writing becomes more energetic, the sequencing issues are amplified. I'm not much of a pianist myself, but for example, take a listen to the left-hand rhythms starting around the 2 minute mark up til 2:35. The notes all seem like they are played at the exact same duration and intensity each time, and they sound like they're nearly maxed out at the highest velocity. It comes across very aggressive and unnatural. The biggest issue, however, is the fact that nearly every note sounds rigidly quantized to the grid, where a live piano player would have a more natural cadence and would never be able to hit every note perfectly on the beat. I'm not saying it's impossible to successfully sequence a piano solo such as this, but given the resources available in the community, I think the path of least resistance, if you chose to revisit and resubmit this track, would be to find a live pianist to help bring this arrangement to live. There are a number of talented individuals in the OCRemix or Pixel Mixers Discord channels that might take an interest. If you were to tackle it solo, a good first step would be to revisit the timing and velocity of your notes and re-introduce some of the imperfections that a live pianist would naturally include in the performance. Great arrangement, but the sequencing doesn't cut the mustard just yet. Thanks for the submission! NO

I remember being borderline on this when I evaluated this as part of the BadAss project, so let's see how I'm feeling with a more critical ear. The mixdown sounds good here, the volume level is much more appropriate for the genre, though I agree that it needs a bit more compression overall. Weirdly enough, I'm not feeling as much of an issue with the brass as Larry, even though sample quality and sequencing is usually my sticking point with Rebecca's arrangements. There seems to be some deliberate articulation going on with the breath of the instrument, and it elevates the level of realism even if the tone of the sample sticks out somewhat poorly. 1:04 was probably the biggest offender but I honestly didn't feel like it was that big of a deal. The flute sample was also not exceptional, but there's enough tradeoff between the different instruments that it never lingers on a weak link for long enough to be concerning. All the auxiliary instrumentation is good in my book, so that's not a concern. I wish there was a bit more to grasp onto here, but upon re-evaluation, I think it's solid enough to pass muster, even for a short arrangement. YES (borderline)