Emunator   Judges ⚖️

There's some parts of this that I really like. The overall vibe is quite neat, very cheerful. A lot of your sound choices, like the flute and lo-fi strings would feel right at home in a classic N64 or GBA RPG. The huge range of instruments and styles represented in your mix is pretty great. I love the arrangement. However, by modern standards, your sample quality falls short of what we generally expect for OCR's bar. Across the board, it sounds like you're using some pretty low-quality soundfonts, and I think just about every sample in the mix could stand to be upgraded. To name a few though, the piano and the lead synth could definitely stand to be replaced. The humanization on the piano could stand to be taken up a notch too. One thing that did sound pretty great to me was the marimba, I thought that was very well executed, and the writing for that instrument is pretty charming. Sound effect usage won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I found it quaint, too Palpable is also right on the money about the ending being too abrupt. At the very least, leave a longer fadeout at the end of your track. Overall, there's a big need for sound quality improvement in this mix. I'm not going to beat around the bush, it would need a bit of an overhaul in my opinion to bring it up to OCR standards, but truthfully I enjoy the arrangement quite a bit. I'd say that it would be worth the effort to get this up to par. Hope to see it again! NO (resub!)

Really couldn't agree more with Deia's critiques on this. I get what you're going for, and the mix is definitely a strong idea in theory, but the execution feels rather lackluster and lifeless, mostly due to sample quality issues across the board. The synths, piano, and drums all fall a little bit flat unfortunately :\ I'm not sure how much of that could be solved by mixing your existing samples better, adding vibrato/other effects to certain notes, or just replacing them with livelier samples altogether, but I don't think there's very many issues with your actual writing/arrangement aside from the minor moments timestamped by the other judges. But I have to agree, this doesn't have the necessary energy or life to carry the arrangement. Send it back our way after you've given it another pass! NO (resubmit!)

As much as I want to sign off on this one, I agree with the NO's on this track. Very chill soundscape, solid lead writing (the flute isn't exactly realistic but it's got an excellent, full tone to it) and the synth soloing is pretty solid. However, this feels more like a jam than an arrangement, there's very little going on in the way of dynamics or structure, which is a prerequisite for OCRemixes. I'm keeping this either way because it's very pleasant to listen to and it'll go great on my chill playlist, but this needs just a little bit more to help push it over our bar. I hope you can send this back our way, but if not, I enjoyed listening regardless! NO (resubmit!!)

I'm not particularly sold on this one as a whole. There's some solid ideas that work well with the source, but overall, I feel like this is underdeveloped and too sparse. There just needs to be more going on... some sort of harmony/countermelody, and DEFINITELY some more percussive effects are in order to help flesh this one out. In addition, Vinne brought up an excellent point about the piano that was probably the first thing I noticed about the mix. The sample sounds pretty low-quality and overcompressed. Since it's taking center stage as the main lead element for most of the song, you'll need to iron out your mixing treatment on the piano or switch it out for a higher-quality sample. There's some attitude to this track that I really like, it's a cool take on the source tune but there's some critical elements that aren't clicking for me. Keep at it! NO (resub)

I remember evaluating this for the FF1 album, and this was one of my favorite tracks at the time. Great combination of riffs and different sounds that ends up being quite cohesive considering how long the arrangement goes for. The acoustic breakdowns are great. When I saw the runtime for this track with an artist I was largely unfamiliar with taking the reigns, I wasn't sure what to expect. However, this was one of the most pleasant surprises off of Random Encounter and even with a more critical listen as a judge, I'm not finding anything even remotely suspect about this. I'm VERY impressed guys You're on my radar now, Mithius! YES

Yeah, right off the bat the guitar tone is extremely thin and cheap sounding. It's a shame, because I really enjoy your guys' performance but the guitar tone is a dealbreaker for me, without even considering the medley aspect. Sorry guys :\ Not much more that can be said here. You've got some talent for sure, but this type of arrangement isn't really what OCR is looking for. Good luck with future subs! NO

Yep, unfortunately I'd say this falls under the territory of NO override. This would be a pass in my book otherwise but I think we need to get Larry/Dave to chime in on this one. Damn shame, I love this mix NO

It always seems like me and Vinnie are the ones hating on piano mixes together ( ) but I have to agree that this sounds SUPER flat. The lack of dynamics is a huge concern for me and I can't sign off on it for that reason alone. The timing is too robotic as well, it feels like there's a strong lack of life to the performance that's dragging it down. Sorry, this is gonna need another resub in my opinion! Good luck with the vote. NO (resub!)

I love the unique rhythms created from the interplay between your delay and your melody lines, especially in the intro. The whole mix is very easy to get lost in, your sounds all have a very retro edge to them (I particularly liked the guitar-style synth) but the production is extremely smooth and polished. It's an excellent combination that makes this track very, very listenable. Patrick, I'm convinced that you can do no wrong as an artist, and thus far you have yet to prove me wrong. Keep it up! YES

Very cool concept, you captured the aggression and tension that might come with being in the line of fire. The voice clips, while they may be a bit overdone and hackneyed, are a pretty solid idea, but the integration is distracting at times and doesn't always work with the flow of the music. It would be really cool if you could better sync them with the tempo/beat of the song. In addition, there's some problematic elements in the mix, particularly the drums, that sound low quality and poorly produced. Nutritious gave some excellent pointers on elements of the mix that need touchups, I generally agree with his critiques on this one. Some work to be done here, but it's not bad for a first submission! Lots of energy and a great concept, just needs some additional work. NO (resub!)

This is a pretty lively arrangement that's very reminiscent of Guifrog's work. I love what you've got going on here. However, the samples still sound very much like general MIDI-quality soundfonts and the mixing isn't helping. You need to work on balancing the levels of your various instruments/tracks so that all of your instruments aren't competing for space. Gui has been able to pull off similar-style arrangements with similar-quality samples, but to get to that level you need to give your mix some more breathing room in the production area. You're doing great so far but this needs some production help before it'll be passable. NO (resubmit please!)

Some very comprehensive votes from the previous two judges makes this pretty easy for me. I like the vibe you're going for here, the jungle-style beats work pretty well with the orchestral instruments you're using for melody/backing parts. It's a cool style fusion, but as mentioned, the samples are pretty low-quality without much expression, and the arrangement itself stays pretty static throughout. The lead string section is the only part that really changes up much throughout the song. Considering the runtime, I feel this warrants some additional variation and/or trimming the arrangement down. Some cool ideas here but it needs some additional time in the oven. Good luck, hit up the WIP forums if you need additional assistance from community members, or for suggestions on how to get more mileage from your samples. NO (resubmit!)

Haha, I'm glad I caught that extra source usage, it's kind of tucked away in the source tune. Really fantastic work here, I can't praise you enough for this remix. I've been terribly impressed with everything you've done lately, I'd love to work with you on a project someday

Hey man, just so you know it's generally considered a faux-pas to post a work in-progress from an upcoming album project on the forums without permission from the album directors. You might want to check with The Damned if you haven't yet and see if he's ok with you posting this here. Just some friendly advice. Nice choice of source, btw!

Not surprised, if memory serves it was OCR musician Vigilante who did a lot of the production/back-end on Zedd's latest album!

Everyone's reviews have been awesome thus far, keep it up! Except Brandon. Mirby, I owe you the WIPs package, as promised. I'll get that to you in the next couple of days, harass me if I slip up and forget!

Yup, I no can do no more Next year, hopefully!

Hahaha, awesome!

This is fucking awesome. YES

For some reason, the stereo/frequency balance in this mix really hurts my ears on headphones. I'm not sure if it's just a frequency range I'm overly sensitive to, or if there's something going on with the balance of elements in the track, but I physically can't make it through this track on headphones. Am I just high or something? Not sure what's going on here but I wasn't able to listen more than 1/4 of the way through on headphones. Can anyone corroborate or explain what might be going on? (I dug what I heard on the writing for the first part, for what it's worth!) ???

It's nice to see more of a return to classic Blue Magic style of fusing soft electronic elements with acoustic instruments, I've always been such a fan of your work. The sequencing on your lead instruments feels a bit mechanical at times, but in a weird way it actually works with the unconventional drum patterns you've employed. I'm feeling the same uneasiness that Larry pointed out, but for me it felt more deliberate and actually contributed to the overall effect. Instrumental samples are nothing special but you've worked with them well in the past, and that assessment still holds true with this track, as well. The vocal effects toward the end were really neat. I dig it! YES

Uhh, yeah Brent... this is pretty out there As usual, you demonstrate a lot of creativity, and as a fan of IDM I think you pretty much nailed the Aphex Twin sound here. However, speaking strictly from a ReMix perspective, things don't click quite as well. There's certain parts toward the end that felt more cohesive but overall I'm with OA on this, as much as I want to pass this! Really cool experimental track in a bubble, but overall I just wasn't really feeling this for the site. Sorry! NO

I'm still hearing lots of minor issues that trip this one up. I'm going to bullet point this one because a lot of it has already been covered by other judges: Piano sample doesn't jive with the soundscape, something brighter or more percussive would suit this a lot better. Drums sound hollow. Bass/rhythm guitar/drums combined create muddiness. The bass frequencies are overcrowded. Timing is very loose at times, e.g. :58 where none of the patterns seem to line up right. Acoustic guitar performance feels rough overall. It shouldn't have to be said that this arrangement is fantastically creative at this point, but I'll reiterate it again because I really do love that part of this track. One of the best arrangements I've heard from either of you. But these little niggling grievances are hurting my enjoyment of the track overall and need to be addressed before this is ready for primetime. One more pass should do it! NO (please resub!)

To any judges who are borderline on source usage, I'm also hearing source usage from this iteration of the track (for example, the drone in the intro of the remix seems to be referencing it.) Additionally, I'd also count :32 - :38 as a reference to 2:17 from the source originally linked in the OP... I think you missed that one Vinnie. Even if you don't count the intro drone or the chords, that's going to add the following timestamps to the source usage: :32 - :38 [6 sec] 1:37 - 1:58 [21 sec] 2:15 - 2:20 [5 sec] 4:22 - 4:40 [18 sec] Which puts it over the 50% mark for me, without even counting any non-melodic source usage. I can sign off on the original being plenty present in the mix. Source issues notwithstanding, I loved this. I've been waiting for a highly expansive, interpretive take on Chozo Ruins for a long time that still retains the iconic Metroid Prime sound, and you nailed it. You make the most of the limited melodic material in the very-atmospheric source track, and imbue it with direction and a more deliberate purpose. I strongly disagree with the judges that have said this is too plodding; in fact, I find it to be very driven and climactic, particularly thanks to the dynamic drum writing throughout the track. I feel like the percussion is very well-produced, well-written, and full of surprises throughout, and one of the strongest elements of this remix. Vinnie is right about the leads needing to come up during certain parts. Truthfully, I found the tapestop transitions to be the only painful part of the remix. I don't feel like those were executed very well, and 2:30 particularly could have been executed much better. Minor quibble, but that's really the only part about this mix that didn't quite click with me. I'm much less reserved than most of the other judges here, I really hope to see this on the site soon. Good luck! YES

Sci, I really love your music and I'm so pleasantly surprised to hear this on the front page. As someone who has never played any of the games you've remixed so far, your music still feels incredibly nostalgic and heartwarming nonetheless, as if it's been part of my life for ages. I can't say that about very many artists, but that kind of instant connection has drawn me to listen to this one over and over again. Incredibly fresh, unique, and comforting. A rare example of where the artist's motives resonate almost perfectly with me as a listener.