Emunator

Just to clarify, all of the NO votes were meant for the original version of this submission. After the song was passed by the panel, Sir Jordanius resubmitted an entirely different version of the arrangement that didn't really sound like the first one at all. That's the version that actually got posted on the site, and that one was passed with 4 unconditional YES's

Personally, I'm swayed toward the NO's on this, too. I love your arrangement and performances, and the vocal effects are really neat, but the production here does not feel as full as it could. Like Larry said, it sounds distant and rough all-around, though I agree that the vocals particularly sounded lo-fi. I also concur with the points that Vig brought up and definitely feel like you should take those suggestions into consideration. I don't have much to add here, but the overall production quality on the track isn't where it needs to be for me. Great arrangement ideas though, this would definitely be worth the time to revamp and polish the production side of things. Sorry NO (resub)

I lie somewhere in between halc and Larry on this one. The string stabs bother me only when they're playing the highest notes. The sample you're using just doesn't have a natural articulation in such high octaves. The riff at 1:43 is the worst offender. I like the arrangement here, it may not necessarily be an improvement on the source, but it has a firm grasp on what made the original theme so great and utilizes those great melodies well. There's some aspects that take this above and beyond the source, though, such as the drum programming or the adaptation for a more energetic style. Despite some weaker samples and and an overall-thin soundscape, I feel like this is a worthy take on the source that can stand on its own merits. I'm cool with this! YES

Okay, before I get into any critiques I want to commend you guys on an extremely creative, unique arrangement that is unlike anything I've heard on the panel before. There's a lot of creative energy flowing through the song here. I'm finding some faults right off the bat with the hand percussion loop. The way it currently sits in the mix, it feels like it's competing for space with the acoustic guitar and later the vocals. It might just need some EQ cuts or perhaps some panning adjustments so it's not sitting in the same spot as those other elements in the song. I completely echo Deia's criticisms about the production regarding the bass levels and the overall mixing on the guitars, there needs to be some work with those sections so that everything is less washed-out in the presence of the distorted guitars. The vocals too sound oddly-mixed. They seem awfully quiet and weak, not necessarily as a result of a poor performance but more just in terms of how they're produced. They seem like they could use a boost in volume or some compression, and maybe some other layered effects to get a smoother tone on the vox. The performance was strong and appropriate for the style, so good job there! Some sloppy detail work that I noticed, too: be sure to get clean cutoffs on the front/end of your guitar tracks. The electric guitar chord at 3:32 fades out too quickly and the switch at 3:43 is also not smoothed out. Overall, I think there's a lot of not-so-small issues with this track that don't necessarily have a huge impact on its overall quality, but still are definitely noticeable and detract somewhat from the experience in my opinion. You've got an incredibly creative take on the source here, but it still needs another coat of polish in my opinion. Good luck with the vote either way! NO (please resubmit!!)

Ahhh, DDRKirby... nice to finally see you submitting something to the site. I've noticed your incredible speed-composing skills thanks to the One-Hour Compo, I'm always blown away by your infectious harmonies and catchy riffs. This mix is no exception, I for one found it pretty enjoyable all the way throughout. Production-wise, everything sounds strong and smooth, reverb levels were tasteful... Sounds solid to me. I'm not even timestamping this, so I'm not sure which part Deia is talking about, but nothing stood out as "placeholder" to me during my listen. Each part in the mix seems to contribute something to the overall arrangement, IMO. Either way, I feel like this would be a fantastic addition to OCR's library, and given recent discussions on chiptune remixes and their status with regards to the standards, I feel much more comfortable passing something like this. Good luck! YES

I've repeatedly had issues with Sir J's tracks doing that same thing, I think you need to take a look at your encoder, bro

Pretty cute combination of sources here, I'm feeling your inspiration! However, the synth work on this is far too basic. To be honest, every sound in here seems like it could have been pulled from the same default Soundfont. There's plenty of free synths out there that are just a Google search away (or you can get usable demos for products like Zebra2) that can easily exceed the sample quality that you're using currently. You've got quite the groove here and I like what you did with the sources, but the fact of the matter is that you just need some better-quality samples to work with in order to take this to the next level. There's more to be said but I feel like that is the main dealbreaker with this song that would need to be addressed. This idea has potential though, with a bit of an overhaul this might be worth taking a second listen to. Good luck! NO

I'm finding that the same critiques I have of your electronic tracks also apply to your acoustic ones, Gui When the instruments are exposed, they're hardly convincing (though I gotta commend you on the sequencing for the guitar) and overall the mastering feels pretty mid-high dominant. The strings are probably the most noticeably unrealistic of the bunch, but fortunately there's only a few moments where they're playing without accompaniment. Fortunately, though, many of the strengths of your dance tunes carry over here too, and the result of this genre transition is really special. Your eclectic choice of instruments always brings some unique spice to OCR's library, and the complex melody writing feels nothing short of magical. The peaks and valleys of the arrangement are very strong and pronounced thanks to some great transition writing. Clearly I love this mix a lot. Looking at it objectively, there's issues with samples and sequencing, but honestly they don't affect my enjoyment of the track at all, really. Excellent work, friend! YES

I sort of know what halc is talking about, and I think for me it boils down to a certain aesthetic the remix has... it's very aggressive, yet at the same time it feels like it's veiled in a layer of intense reverb and filtering. Knowing Mike, I'm pretty sure the sound achieved here is 100% intentional, but it is a little jarring at first. I love the unique sound here, personally. Some highlights: the bassline is intense and the way it cuts through the rest of the song really helps keep things grounded. The use of those acoustic drum fills is really awesome. Dig this very much YES

Wow, this is actually closer of a call than I expected it to be based on the other votes. This is a really catchy, interesting song with some great textures. I feel very chilled out despite the fact that a lot of the rhythms/melodies are rather active. I feel like your background writing is pretty much solid, it's got a kind of choppy, futuristic jazz sound to it that I enjoy very much. I don't agree with Shariq about the sound choices/soundscape personally, I think this accomplished exactly what it set out to. The only sore spot, like Deia and Shariq mentioned, is the lead, which is not carrying its weight. The articulation on the synth doesn't really allow for much expressiveness, and the writing itself feels like it's on autopilot to be honest. I think revamping the lead synth line would do wonders to this track. In addition, the bassline is really cool but it's mixed a little too loudly. Last thing, I like the drum writing a lot but the sequencing could still be improved, particularly during fills where there are numerous snare/bassdrum hits in a row, it sounds like the timing is too rigid. The same goes for the ride cymbals, they sound pretty static in the velocities. This is really enjoyable but I think there's some fixes that need to be made first. NO (resub!)

I have to side with the NO's on this one, I feel like overall the various elements in the song are not balanced right, particularly the non-guitar instruments. Things like your synth flute, strings, and piano are barely audible over the drums and guitars. In addition, the aforementioned instruments are also poorly sequenced and lack any expressiveness. That's a bit of a dealbreaker for me, as the song sounds noticeably weaker when those parts are playing. As a side note, the ending here is killer! Really loved that part. I feel like you've got a strong arrangement and sound pallet here, there just needs to be a better balance struck between all of your different sounds in order for this to click. Good candidate for a resub! NO (resub!)

While I am definitely a fan of this arrangement (and shame on you Deia for ragging on the source, this is one of my favorites from the OST!) there's no reason for me to stall this vote. I'd like to see some of the aforementioned changes made, too. The distortion could be easily fixed up and there's some production tweaks that could be made, and I also agree that the lead synth is a little plain and unexpressive a lot of the time and sounds more like a super-fake guitar than anything, and could be improved. The bass and drum writing is already killer, and the atmosphere is solid too. Just the lead writing and the overall production could use some punching up, IMO. I'd like to get this fixed up in time for the album release if you're interested, so get to it! This should be super-easy for you. NO(resub!!)

Also, to Retnuhytnuob, DJ Mokram, DJ Vertical, DJ Sonic Hicky (holy crap, a lot of DJ's submitting stuff all of a sudden!) we got your songs/PMs and we're still deliberating internally on them, so give us just a little while longer while we come to a consensus. Cheers!

Got some new blood on the project here Scaredsim and Harjawaldar are joining on to claim Kakariko Village, and a megacollab between Sixto Sounds, Level 99 and Jeff Ball is forming for Gerudo Valley! There's some really amazing stuff going on behind the scenes and hopefully it'll continue to pick up the pace. I'll be doing a bit of recruitment for some of the remaining tracks this week, and touching base with those of you who still need to get WIPs in. I'm very excited about where this project is headed, here's to a lot more productivity in the near future now that summer is upon us!

So amazing. I was listening to this the other night and it felt like a 6 minute remix to me, it blew my mind when I downloaded the song and realized it was only 3:30. It feels like you cover a lot of territory in such a short time. I can't find any serious flaws here, I'd honestly say this is submission-ready as soon as you feel happy with the level of polish.

http://tindeck.com/listen/ibfp Try this.

Alright guys, first off, I REALLY apologize for the long period of radio silence lately. That's not really fair to anybody who's been anticipating this for so long, and really we've waited more than enough on these last few tracks. So, I'll be chatting with Flexstyle (I've already spoken with Theophany) about getting a game plan together to finish this project within 2 weeks at the MOST, hopefully sooner. Not sure exactly how we're going to tackle these remaining two tracks but somehow or another, we'll get them wrapped up so we can move forward with the release of the project. Thanks all for your patience and I apologize for being a sucky director as of late. Life's fallen on top of me and lately I've just been too busy to devote any time to the site. Now that summer time is here, I expect that to change substantially. Let's get this done, I'll be asking around shortly if we end up needing any outside help to get the remaining remixes finished.

Honestly, I don't think this is really a step up or down from the previous version. The bad sequencing on the strings stands out even more. I feel like this is gonna need an overhaul on certain elements of the song, a quick fix like this isn't going to cut it for me either :\ On the plus side, this is still a SICK arrangement that deserves to be heard in its full glory. I'd say take this one back to the WIP forums and see what can be done with it. NO (resub!)

So good dude Makes me want to hear more of Claire around OCR, her unique voice and strong delivery really makes this song. And, of course, the rest of the instrumentation built up around that centerpiece is tasteful and well-written, as always. Definitely one of my favorites from you, hope you can maintain this pace for a long time to come!

I really love this arrangement. I would strongly urge you to get a live guitar/violin performance on here. Finding those performers shouldn't be difficult but in this case I feel like it would be REALLY worth it, considering how good the arrangement is. Your vocal mixes lately have been an absolute goldmine, hope this one gets finished!

This is gorgeous, instant favorite for me Might even be OCR worthy, there's potentially just enough interpretation going on with the performance and effects to warrant it. It would be a tough call but I feel like when the performance is this emotive and sounds as nice as it does, it would be worth a shot to submit it (maybe with a more polished performance? I dunno.) Either way, I like it a lot and I'll be spreading this around

Hey guys, finals week for me. I haven't had a chance to respond to any PMs or do much of anything this last week, and that won't subside until the end of the week. After that it's summer vacation though, so I expect my free time to ramp up a lot and things will get back on track here. Thanks all for your patience

Wow, this is a blast from the past! I almost forgot about this one a long time ago. Listening back on it with a much more critical pair of ears than I had a year and a half ago, I'm noticing a handful of timing/performance issues that I didn't really pick up on when I first listened. They seem most prominent in the beginning of the song; certain rhythms just aren't lining up quite right. However, as you get further into the performance, it's clear that you all get into the groove and it all begins to click better. However, what hasn't changed since I first listened to it is how much I enjoy the concept, arrangement, and performance you've crafted here. I think it's incredibly unique and fitting for the source, and I love how you blended various iterations of the Jungle Hijinx theme into one arrangement. Despite any flaws in the performance, you got a very clean recording and a very fun result that I think would be a mistake to pass over. People are going to enjoy this one, I'm positive of that. I'm still on board with this, good luck with the rest of the vote! YES

Honestly, this one's so close that it could seriously swing either way for me. I hear what everyone is saying about the production and the drums, but I can also respect that a lot of that might have been an intentional choice, given the aggressive breakbeat style you're going for. I do agree with OA on the repetitiveness, it would be really nice to have something to keep that main riff fresh like a keychange or more alterations to the underlying chord progression. I feel like this one's headed towards a NO (resub) and I can certainly see why, so I'm not going to hold it up. I think some additional cleanup would help this out in the long run, as long as you can do so in a way that doesn't compromise the intensity of the song. Really hope to see this one again, it's got a ton of promise and it's fun to listen to. NO (boderline/resub!)

Sweet guys, I know I'm excited to hear what you all have in store Things are starting to pick up, activity-wise, which makes me very happy. We're slowly advancing toward a more complete tracklist here!