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Well, this is certainly... odd. I've gotta give props for creativity here, Matt, but the source usage here is marginalized due to the way the arrangement is tackled and the clunky nature of the source in the first place. Like you said, it's an experimental track, and it achieves a great deal of success exploring a range of different percussive sounds/sfx, but I sort of agree with OA that it's too disjointed and lacking in structure to really pass as an OCRemix. I might be willing to forgive that if the original was more present, but when you factor in the 38% source usage it's a definite no-go by OCR's standards. I highly encourage you to go pimp this out as much as you can on R:TS, OverLooked Remix, the workshop forums... wherever you can, because it's a really cool experiment that people will really enjoy, but I don't think it's suitable for the site for multiple reasons. Sorry bro NO

I remember this mix very fondly from the GRMRB, the level of effort and detail really stood out to me back then, and it does now, too. The arrangement, piano writing, and use of sound effects are all high points in the song that feel especially well done. In fact, I can't sing enough praises about the arrangement itself, which I feel totally justifies the 6 minute runtime by constantly changing up but keeping the classic Jakesnke chiptune flavor present almost all of the time. I'm very impressed! I'll agree that the soundscape is pretty thin throughout most of the mix, and it does become an issue at times since the samples you're working with are not very full. I know I've pointed this out several times while listening to your mixes; When you've got strings/pads or sustained synths going on in the background it helps fill out the soundscape a lot. I think this song clicks best at times like 1:20 or 2:35, and while the rest of it is not bad by any means at all, I'd take note of what you did in those sections of the song and see if you can't apply that to some of your future submissions. All advice aside though, this one feels like a pass to me. It feels like there's just enough direction to the mix that it doesn't become plodding and aimless, and there's plenty of flair to the transitions/effects/melodies to compensate for the weaker samples. Definitely the most impressive arrangement I've heard from you yet, keep honing the production side of things and you'll be an OCR all-star in no time dude YES PS: Let's have someone trim off the near 20-seconds of silence at the end of the song before this gets posted, if it passes.

Here's something I remember critiquing a fair amount back when it first hit the workshop. It totally reminds me of the orchestral Kid Icarus arrangements featured in Smash Bros Brawl! This level of production/arrangement quality is solid by ANYONE's standards, but when you consider that this is Alex's first attempt at making an orchestral remix with a brand new set of unfamiliar samples, this track becomes all the more impressive. It's a masterful arrangement from a guy who obviously knows his music theory, and the samples are used quite adeptly. This final version addresses pretty much all of the issues I had with the WIPs I've heard in the past, although I will say that the piccolo sample does wear thin when it hits the highest of high notes, but what can you do? I don't even remember suggesting the addition of strings in here but I'm glad it worked This is a definite pass in my book. Do more stuff like this! YES

I remember when this one was first rejected, I sincerely hoped for a chance to hear it since O2's theme is in DESPERATE need of some mixing love, and fortunately this delivers! It's a production powerhouse with some absolutely beastly drum writing, and a very cool arrangement overall. I haven't heard the original submission so I'm taking this on an as-is basis, but reading over some of the older comments, this version seems to have almost the opposite problem with the strings. Now, they feel way too mechanical and sound way more like a synth lead than any sort of organic instrument. I can see why you'd choose to go with them instead of a bona-fide synth sound, since the string tone does fit with the epic soundscape. But, I'm not going to lie, it's definitely the weakest aspect of the track, as well. The piano feels fairly humanized and works for the track, but again the tone and sequencing is a bit unrealistic (and mixed a little quietly at times, too.) I've thought a lot about this, and in the end I feel like it comes down to a matter of personal preference - the unrealistic sequencing on the strings (and, to a lesser extent, the piano) still bothers me, but at least this seems to fix any timing issues that might have been present earlier. They don't sound bad in the mix overall, they just don't sound like well-sequenced strings, either. If the rest of the mix weren't rock-solid, I think I'd be inclined to go with a NO (resub), but because the soundscape, arrangement, and production is so amazing, I think the good parts of the song outweigh the weaker aspects. I'm gonna cite the decision on Ziwtra's 'Seasons' mix as a precedent, which also had a fantastic arrangement that featured even weaker-sequenced samples than this mix, but still made it past the panel okay. It's something to definitely watch out for and hopefully improve in your future submissions, but fortunately for everyone involved in the submission process, OCR's guidelines don't stipulate perfection from every mix Great work, I think people will enjoy this! YES

I'm down for this again, Will

And, I'm uploading now. And I want to be clear ahead of time, I'm only submitting anything at all because I don't want to cost the team any points by being a no-show. This is f'ing shameful, sorry guys I literally had no time this week at all, and when I finally did sit down I had the most frustrating music making experience of my life just trying to find any inspiration at all. It's breaking my heart that I couldn't come up with something for two of the best Mega Man themes out there, I tried my best but I didn't realize how impossible it would be to make a mix this week until I'd already committed. So yeah, apologies in advance.

Starting on my mix now...

It's probably giving a malware warning because the beats on his site are so siiick. ... I'll be leaving now.

I've got my hands on his kit, I'll send it to anyone who wants it ;D

You're absolutely right, but I haven't even had a chance to start, so there's not much my team can help with yet >__> That said, I've been arranging a combination of Bubble Man and Wily 2-1 for piano (in my head, of course) for many months/years before this compo even started, so a piano remix might be the best route. In fact, I don't think a solo instrumental arrangement has ever been attempted for one of these Megaman compos before. I might end up being the first one

I'm really struggling to find available time to work on my song this week, I've been working on school-related work for the last 5 days straight and haven't had more than half an hour of free time to even think about how I'm gonna approach my song. I still think I'll be able to get something done, but I may have to default to piano solo mode to get a finished product in. Hope I don't disappoint everybody here

Oh wow, yeah. I'm right with you there, this sounds SO much better. Punchier drums, more changeups, a much more cohesive bassline and soundscape... I dig this. That just further confirms my suspicion that this mix had the unfortunate luck of being submitted right when dubstep was a budding genre that probably had not been explored by anyone on the site... but then during the year or so that it was in limbo waiting to be posted, the genre evolved at such a rapid pace that the mix ended up sounding WAY more dated than it would have at the time it was created. I still don't feel like it's a strong mix even with that taken into consideration, but I'd definitely like to hear another submission in this style from Teagan that sounds more like the Fire Emblem mix that CC Ricers linked. I think it would go over a lot better. It's nice to know that Teagan's got it in him to make something a little bit more in line with the kind of quality expected from modern dubstep.

I can confirm on behalf of Ben (and I'm serious here, not just grubbing for team votes ) that the sample is from the Doobie Brothers (chipmunkified) saying "Snake Man's on my t®ail!"

I'm honestly so glad I ended up with this theme because that MM2 Wily theme and Bubble Man are the only two themes from any Megaman game that I know how to play. Lucked out here, haha

looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooolllll I totally lost it when the chicken voices started harmonizing. I thought I heard some Zeppelin in there, though that's probably just my imagination. Either way... winner!

You shut your whore mouth. Mario Kart 64 was awesome. Also, I'll be laying down some serious sound for the Hard Men this week.

Great job on the successful Japanese translation ProtoDome, thanks for making it! (I love this album so much, it's probably the most unique dubstep material I've heard in ages. Way to singlehandedly evolve a stagnant genre bro )

This is how you dubstep One of the most tasteful excursions into the genre that I've ever heard, period, and probably the best dubstep song on OCR. Like all of zircon's music, what makes it so enjoyable is not simply the genre adaptation and the great production, but how it goes so far off-the-rails and doesn't fall in line with the kinds of tropes that you'd expect from whatever genre he's tackling. Also, as is the case with all of his other mixes, this one gets better and better as it goes along, Andy doesn't use all of his tricks right off the bat, which I immensely appreciate. A lot of electronic music is structured in a way that you can fast forward through the first minute of the song and cut it short after the first chorus and you don't feel like you've missed anything of worth. That's not the case here. Creative, detailed, and expertly-crafted. That's what I like to hear

Yeah, I've listened to your covers a lot and I really like your voice, I too would love to see you on a remix in some form. Definitely need to get better at vocal arranging... you're the first person I'll call when that day comes Great to see there's some new blood coming into a community that's so desperately short of talented vocalists.

Fishy never disappoints, even when he's doing off-the-wall stuff like this. You can always tell he's had his hand it in it from the wacky melodies and unconventional instrument choices mixed seamlessly with prog rock shenanigans. Wasn't much of a fan of the source but this mix hit home

This has to take the cake for Best Mix of 2011, man. It perfectly nails a downright-beautiful combination of melancholy and nostalgia, an emotion that few songs ever truly touch on. I can see myself coming back to this mix a million times over simply because it's a perfect piece for coping with the kind of situation that led you to make the song in the first place. We've all got crappy days or months or years, but music like this is a huge help. The acoustic section about 4 minutes in particularly tugs at the heartstrings Thanks for making and submitting this Jordan, it's a very cathartic piece for me as a listener, and a downright brilliant piece of music on its own!

To be honest, the production and effects sound really nice here, but the sounds you're working with are just too vanilla, even with the cool reverse-synth treatments you've got going on I don't think this'd pass OCR for that reason alone. You've done a great job touching you an old WIP and it's clear you've improved your sound design a LOT since this was made, but unless you switch up the sound palette almost entirely I don't think this would really get by. But yeah, as far as getting a clean EQ and great production, then bravo You did great there, this is sounding much improved from your past work man, so you should be proud of that!

Huge improvement here from what I remember hearing, though I still don't think it's quite ready to go back. The piano you've got in here is REALLY dry and blocky on the sequencing, and the sample itself is really detracting from the overall quality of the piece. The same thing can be said for the electronic kit at the end of the song, it just isn't jiving with me. As for the arrangement overall, it feels like it's a little bit too short and has too many drastic changes in style, and therefore never really concludes or properly expands on any of the ideas that are presented. Part of this is the transition, which still doesn't feel like it's quite there yet... it's close, but I think the blocky sequencing/performance on the piano needs to be cleaned up a little bit. I'm also really disappointed that the really amazing guitar that's going on in the intro never makes a return, I felt like that was by far the strongest aspect of the track. If you need a hand with the piano sample itself, just say the word. I can't work any sequencing miracles but if you get to the point where you're happy with that, I can certainly render parts for you. I do like a lot of the ideas you've presented here but the arrangement needs to be a bit more cohesive and flowing to take full advantage of those shifts in style. I'd also recommend revisiting some of the classical guitar ideas you introduced early on later in the song. Great work though, this is an improvement but there's still a lot of work that can be done.

I've listened to your remix and can't possibly put it better than Avaris did. He's got some great feedback, I'd try and incorporate as much of that as you can and really experiment with creating a more dynamic arrangement with more peaks and valleys, and see what you can come up with You've got some cool melodies and ideas going on here, and a great adaptation of the source, but it needs something a little bit more to pass as a remix. Shoot me a message when you get around to updating this, I actually really like the vibe of your arrangement and your solos sound really nice, let's see how far you can take this one

Finally able to get around to mod reviews now that I've got headphones, but... your link is broken! What's up?