Emunator   Judges ⚖️

Yeah, I'm really liking the arrangement here. You've got a great base to work with. However, I don't think this track quite nails down the level of nuance and dynamics that are needed for a solo piano mix. The sample quality itself definitely has a tinny-sounding quality to the mid/high-range notes, but that is probably a surmountable issue on its own. To get around that, you'll need to really work on your velocities, which are hammering away much too forcefully and consistently even for a hard-hitting piano track like this. This issue is most noticeable when you have the same key being struck several times in successful - even the most technical of performers would still show subtle differences in how they strike the key with each repetition. Basically, you need to scale back your velocity levels overall and save the max velocity hits for the most powerful moments in the song, and work on crafting something that has a little bit more flow and sounds more like it's actually being performed. In addition, I'll also agree with OA that the strings sound too out of place, though they might be a really nice fit if you were to bring them back in later in the arrangement. Truthfully, for OCR's standards, a 1:44 song would usually need some more expansion anyway in order to pass the bar, so if you feel like reworking this it might be cool to work in additional material that utilizes the orchestral elements in a more fleshed out way. Just some food for thought there NO

I'm listening to this one fresh for the first time, so here's my first impressions. The intro is cool and sets up a nice mood, but overall the track feels like it's mastered too quietly and a lot of the individual elements are either weak samples outright, or nice sound choices that aren't mixed quite right. Your bassline is mostly pretty good, but at times like 1:30 the notes just seem to blend together too much and lose definition, since your sample is pushed almost entirely into sub-bass frequencies. The same can be said for your kick, which could definitely stand to be run through some compression and EQ the mids/highs just a bit to give it a more full-bodied sound. The same advice could be applied for a lot of your synth sounds in this mix, though it's hard to tell if that would still be necessary after the overall mastering is brought up more. Additionally, the rain sfx seems like it drops off a bit too early/suddenly, it would be a lot more seamless to fade it out more gradually and finally drop it out completely once you've built up a little bit more ambiance so the change in soundscape isn't so sudden. This isn't a dealbreaker or anything, but it's something worth touching up. Also, watch the delay/sequencing on your piano riff at the end, the timing on that sounds rather awkward. You've got some really cool arrangement stuff going on here and I'd like to hear this again, but the production needs to be reworked significantly. Good luck! NO (resub)

Yeah, I'm totally on board with this one, as well. The production is extremely tight and actually much punchier than most happy hardcore I've heard on the site, and the frantic chopped-up drum loops and insanity-inducing synths/fx are all really clicking for me. The dissonant section that Deia was talking about feels very thin, but I've known Mike to use that technique to make the following section sound even more intense by comparison, and it really works well here. The section at 2:05 felt very tongue in-cheek with the absurdly overpowered kick and the silly clap sound that, while the production wouldn't be suitable for an entire track, does not overstay its welcome at all, and before you know it it's right back to top-notch Flexstyle production levels again. All in all, that section that Deia took issue with feels more like a humorous stylistic cameo than anything, and it doesn't take up enough of the mix to really counteract the untouchable-ness the rest of it. I found this track really amusing and very appropriate for the source, and the quality production/arrangement really helps lock this one in for me. Way to raise the bar for a genre that I haven't heard around here in ages, keep doing that! YES

Initially when I voted on this track, I NO'd it on the basis of it being too liberal. However, now that I can actually see Gui's breakdown, it makes a bit more sense. I still feel like the source takes a backseat to original writing a lot of the time and I'd like the usage to be a bit more overt when it IS there, but I'm willing to give it the nod since it's a very borderline call and the rest of the track is absolutely fantastic. I didn't have a problem with the obviously fake-sounding brass at all, I felt like it fit within the context of a quirky "little-bit-of-everything" arrangement that clearly doesn't take itself too seriously. If Gui was trying to go for a realistic jazz/orchestral arrangement those stabs obviously wouldn't cut it, but here it fits in just fine. It's a tough call regarding source usage, but at the end of the day it seems like most people are able to recognize Stalker in here so it's good to go for me. YES

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!