Nutritious

Some good crits from the above J's here. I wouldn't go as far to say that everything sounds bandpassed, but I would agree there are some EQ and panning/stereo separation issues here. I'm gonna break down what I'm hearing instrument by instrument: -EP/Rhodes at the beginning sounding good -Synth bass sounds pretty weak as soon as it comes in. It's one of the parts that sounds like the freqs are chopped off in the top and bottom. It also sounds like a mono synth, which isn't helping it's presence. Either beef it up with a stereo bass synth with more low and/or high presence or look into fixing the above mentioned issues. Nice writing on it though, I like the groove. -Acoustic drums are sounding good overall. They're a bit subdued, but I think it works in the funk context. I think they could use some more variation to follow the action, rather than the standard groove/fill/groove/fill/switch to next groove/etc. -String stabs are sounding pretty muffled and mono as well. Not as big of a deal because this can be an intentional effect for a background supporting part such as this. -Right panned lead IS a little distracting as mentioned before. The synth itself doesn't have a stellar tone, but it works pretty good here. May want to try and do some subtle variation via some phasing or LFO conntrolled effects to give it a little more life. -1:49 is a bit strong in the 2khz ish range, and could use some more high end presence. It also sounds a bit static in the tone. -Synth stabs at 2:29 are in a similar boat with the strings as occupying mostly midrange eq spectrum and don't have much presence. Ending felt a bit anticlimactic. I think you could've extended it by a few bars to have a more effective wind down to the track. Not a big issue, though. Overall, the writing is really good here. There's a lot of creativity throughout and a good blending of the sources. Some production love, focusing on eq, spacing, and presence could push this one over. NO resubmit, please

Yeah, I'm really liking this approach. It slows down the tempo of the original I was a bit disappointed that 1:26 was essentially a rehash of :08, except with a background counterpoint added in. There's some sonic room on the low end to fill out this section a bit more (the intro is fine being slightly more on the sparse side, but the second time around is the opportunity to bring the full power). An added low bass presence either with sustained notes or following the 16th note pattern would've helped for sure. Hmm, 2:12 is another rehash, this time of the B section from :30, but without much noticable different from the first time around. Pretty much original material from 2:45 - 3:35 (end), which is actually quite a chunk of the track if you think about it (50 seconds of a 215 second track). It probably could be trimmed down without losing the effect you're going for. I was ready to give this one the nod halfway through, as the crunchy beats and synths are really hot here, but copy-pasta issue is bugging me a bit here. Overall, there's enough variation in here (the middle sections definitely helped) for me to give the nod, but some more variation in the main A & B sections, plus, to a lesser extent, a trimmed down ending are areas of potential improvement. YES borderline (repetition)

Sweet idea Out of curiosity, what are the rules regarding vocal production & manipulation? (i.e. autotuning, vocoding)

Very cool take on Death Mountain. The OST is quite under-represented IMO, and I'm always glad to hear more LTTP. Andrew/Kristina make some good points on how to improve the humanization, so I won't beat a dead horse there. Good ostenato patterns with the supporting instruments. Volume levels got a bit hot on some of the sections to the point of possible slight distortion. For example, 1:10, 1:34, & 2:07 start pushing the envelope with the high strings coming in so hot. Just gotta watch those levels - there's plenty of good dynamics without having to push it QUITE that hard. Great transition at 2:42. This section, while super awesomely epic, is pushing the volume/compression to the point where I'm starting to get a bit uncomfortable giving this one a nod. Thankfully, it's a relatively short portion of the mix, so I can live with it. YES (Note: I'm not hearing the Dark World theme either, so given that it passes, I'm not sure it should be credited)

Yup, I'm hearing a lot of what's been mentioned in both camps here. The rhythm guitar did sound a bit off tone-wise when it came in (like some frequencies were cut or something). Drums also could use a little more presence in the mid-low range). But yeah, I really love this arrangement. You're getting maximum mileage from a limited source tune. The leads didn't have the awesomist evar tone, but are very nicely nuanced to keep them fresh. There are some production issues, but they were relatively minor in my book. The energy is great and the arrangement is fantastic. YES

I'm having weird deja vu here where I feel like I've critiqued this one already. Anyway! As Larry loves to point out, I have pretty extensive experience working with the samplesets you're utilizing here. Off the bat, the brass is sounding pretty blocky in the way it's sequenced, despite the use of reverb to smooth it out (:21-:29 especially). I'm not sure you can pull off a soft-section at that register with the trumpets (at least with EWQLSO), so you may want to consider some woodwind substitutions or rewriting the part. Wrong note in the low strings and/or low brass at :53. Fix dat up . This whole section from :54 - 1:22 feels underdeveloped and exposed to me. It's supposed to be building up the action to the heavy 1:22 section, but there isn't enough instrumental support to fill things out. At 1:22 (later, 2:03, 3:27!), everything starts getting overcompressed and cluttered with the addition of the drums, electric guitar, voices, & glock. I know from experience that it's difficult to mix so many elements well, so extra care needs to be taken to try to get it right. The glock gets a bit hard on the ears after a while, because it's being boosted to be heard above everything else. On the positive end, the guitar is well exectued here. Drum writing is varied and appropriately instense for the genre. I guess I'm not feeling this one is quite as close (or ready) as my fellow j's. Main points would be to develop some of the orchestra sections to properly support the partwriting & work on the mixing on the louder sections to declutter and get things more clean sounding. Good luck to you, whichever way this goes. NO resubmit, please

Wow, yeah, this is quite a change of pace from the original. Source connections are a bit understated (really held down by the backing elements like the EP). Super skillfully performed parts here. Very impressive, Sean. The backing elements take an appropriate position in the back seat, letting the trumpet take the stage. I think some listeners could get hung up on the fact that the most prominent instrument isn't really featuring source material, but listening to the two pieces side-by-side really cements the connections for me. I didn't really hear note choices outside of the bounds of what I'd expect from a jazz piece. I have some limited experience playing in jazz band in high school, so perhaps that helps my perspective a bit. Bottom-line, nothing really felt like it was clashing or out of place IMO so I'm cool there. Good stuff. Moar plz. YES

Liking the relaxing take on this. Clear connection to the source throughout, but a lot of additional complimentary parts added. Good attention to detail. Production is solid. Nice synth bass presence. Drums are appropriately laid back with good variation. More organic instruments like the flute lead are nicely implemented. As mentioned above, the big concern here is whether this is developed far enough as a song. I can see Andrew's point of view on this, but personally, this felt fleshed out enough to stand on its own (keeping in mind the source, also, which doesn't have a lot of material to work with). YES

Nice energy intro buildup. Synths are a mixed bag for me at this point. Despite the filter automation, the initial 1/8 note repeating synth is pretty bland sounding. Breakdown to the saw around :45 sounded more like a cheesy trance dropoff than a stark prelude to the coming melody line. On the other hand, the backing chip chord stabs and wubble bass are pretty nice. Beat is hot when it arrives at 1:06. This section is cool and plenty intense, but it feels like somethings missing or off. I think a big part of it is that bassline is static on the same note and isn't supporting the melody line. If you disagree with that, at the very least, I really felt like the second iteration of the melody at 1:30 could've used more padding or something to fully realize the potential energy/excitment from this part. Don't get me wrong, this part is pretty strong, but if you simply move the bassline/chords to a nice progression to support the melody line it'd make a big difference. Like chimp said, this mix is suffering from empty sections and repetition. I'd argue this is a function of not quite developing a mix far enough, rather than an issue with writing per se. By 3:00 we've heard this saw lead melody verbatum quite a few times already and it's getting stale. 3:45 is copy-pasta from earlier. I'll also echo Kristina that the ending was very abrupt and pretty ineffective (again, a symptom of underdevelopment). Sorry if this sounds overly harsh. This really is one of my main genres, so I feel like I have a lot to say in it's regards. Don't get me wrong, though. You've got a very solid base here and I feel like this mix is very close to being over the bar. I'd recommend you take a little extra time in developing empty sections, giving it a proper ending, and look into making your main melody section even stronger with some chord work. Great stuff here, just work on it a bit and bring it back quick! NO resubmit, please

Gonna keep this short: +drums sounding strong and appropriate for genre +strong arrangement +Cool individual part writing with synths and elements -Mixing could definitely be stronger. Melodic & supporting elements too low. Drums are in a good spot I think. -complex synth writing gets buried under other elements (both from mixing imbalance previously mentioned and delay effects mucking them together) Neutral: SFX seemed superflous, but not a detriment per se I could see this going either way, but personally, the weaker mixed sections like :21, 1:02, 1:57, 2:19, etc really just sound like noise underneath the beat with some melodic parts popping up and it's striking me in a bad way. I really think this could use one more go to clean up & balance production better. I think it would make a big improvement to the mix as a whole. NO resubmit, please

Wow, very interesting mix here. It sounds a bit in the style of Daft Punk's Tron:L soundtrack, but with a much more dirty, distorted sound. I can dig what you're going for here. I'm finding myself nodding at Palp's source analysis. I think what's there skirts what's acceptable since a good portion is relying on a modified chord progression. At the very least, the distortion/harsh freqs need to be toned back a bit, and then perhaps some (not a lot) more source connection would seal the deal. NO resubmit, please

Nice arrangement work here. Hearing lots of source throughout, but it's creatively used. I'm a sucker for LP filtered synths, so I'm digging the synth intro. Plenty of power behind the beat, which is important for the genre. I liked the counterpoint synth that comes in at 1:09 to compliment the other elements. The big hit transition at 1:36 felt a bit forced to me, honestly. I think it could've built more into the hit, which would've made it much more effective. Hearing seemingly random cymbal crashes in some sections like 1:15, which is throwing me a bit. They're not too loud, fortunately, but it's a bit odd to hear in a dance genre. Changeup at 3:26 was a good idea to bring something different to the track and extend the life a bit. I'm finding myself somewhere between the Yes & No camps above. I'm hearing some of the same crits as Flex (kick is a bit overpowering, could use some more synth variety), but I guess they're not striking me as serious issues here. I also didn't feel like overall mixing was a big of an issue. Still, he's the dance genre pro, so you'll have to take my opinions with a grain . I think this has potential to improve, but what's here is solid enough for me on both production and arrangement fronts. YES

Lead synth is a little heavy on the brights - I'd recommend rolling off some of the 12khz-ish and above frequencies. Dubstep section was pretty unimpressive because the dub elements basically took a back seat to the soft parts already playing. You could try to bring it more in-your-face and develop it further, but honestly, I'm not sure if this section really adds anything to the track. You may wanna consider cutting it. 2:15 feels imbalanced with the loud, widely panned pluck synth and harsh guitar-ish sounding lead with no supporting instrumentation (like bass) underneath. The main melody sections sounded the strongest of the track to me. Palp has some really good, specific advice to improve on the leads. Personally, I think this is really close, just needs some TLC. NO resubmit, please

Really liked the approach with the slowed down electric guitar notes to start things off. Acoustic is fighting a bit to be heard against the electric with some of the notes, but not terribly so. 1:00 is where things start to get shaky. Very stiff drum pattern on top of looser guitar performances. Some of the choir notes sound like they're clashing with the rest of the track - specifically in the male voices. Even though it's not loud, it sounds cluttered to me. 2:00 sounded stronger to me, perhaps because it didn't have the backing parts that hurt 1:00. Minor point: felt like drums could be a tad brighter in tone as it comes off dull in relation to the other elements. Fadeout ending works as is, but personally would've liked to hear it actually resolve. Overall, I'm definitely digging the approach to the original you've taken here. I just think things need to be further tightened up. NO resubmit, please

Good arrangement ideas here. Drums felt pretty stiff for me, especially with the exposed, rigidly sequenced hihat. Starting hearing some distortion creep in at 1:46 & 1:56 when the piano chords come in on top of everything else in the same freq range. Ending hit also causes some distortion/overcompression. So yeah, reading up I just basically reiterated Flexstyle's vote. Good stuff here, but I think some tightening up is in order. NO resubmit, please

Really digging the unique style of this track. I really love the synth choices like the square bass and the chopped arps. It sounded like things got a bit cluttered with loud sustained notes and reverb, but not to the point where it was a big detriment to the track. Source arrangement checks out for me. Good stuff. YES Aaaahahahah. <3 u Larry

Oh I'm SO WIP2 gonna try to finish the track out really soon

This is really fun stuff. I dig the style and the creative arrangment work. Beat is thick and punchy. Kristina really sums up my thoughts on this track really well. The main issue here is balance and clarity. I don't think it's as much the wobble bass as the saw bass that plays throughout that's the main culprit. :57 is a good example where the bass is playing sustained notes and burying the melodic lines. What's here is very close IMO. I think if the balance is tweaked and perhaps some of the fuzz/buzz is scaled back this should be good to go. NO resubmit, please

Liking the synth choices here. Dat lead at :34. Good synth basswerk [sic] too. The mix felt a bit hot in some frequencies in the mid/high range I thought, but not a big deal. The groove really nails down the mood. I liked the beat crushed break at 1:09. Solid stuff. YES

I've heard a few tracks from Argle now and I still feel like I haven't nailed down his personal style. Perhaps a jack of all trades mixer? He certainly seems to be proficient in mulitple genres . This is a fun, upbeaty mix. Beat is crisp. Overall production is solid. The little variations and effects on the transitions are a very nice touch. Things felt a bit sonically crowded in places like 1:43 with the melodic percussion on top of the other elements, but no biggie there. Ending felt slightly cop out-ish with the slow-down effect, but I can roll with it as an overall package. Good stuff! YES

Liking the style here. I'm listening to both versions for the first time now and v2 definitely is more clear in the intro connections to the source. Good use of source parts and a good amount of personalization as well. I felt like the intro itself went on for quite a long time, encompassing 1:30 of a 3:30 song (really only hitting full melodic stride at 2:15). Hot beatz at 2:00. Love the energy from the percussion. Production on the whole is nice. Aforementioned drums are a little overpowering to other elements, but by no means a dealbreaker. Overall, the piece essentially is slowly evolving around the same motif until we get our first meaningful changeup/breakdown at 2:40. Given the fact that this section immediately precedes the outro makes the track come off as underdeveloped to me. If the track were longer and reprised the themes, I think this extended build could be justified. It felt like things should have come right back into it at 2:25, but instead the song just ends there. It's a close call for me. It hits the needed points on arrangement and production, I just think musicially it could've gone further. YES (borderline)

Excellent votes above by Andrew and Kristina above. Balance is the biggest issue to look at here, specifically the clean lead as mentioned before. I'll also add a minor issue that the snare sounded a bit overcompressed to my ears, but no big deal there. Close, just needs some tweaking. NO resubmit, please

Tough call here, I can definitely see the perspective of both Yes & No camps here. Pros: -Great performances and excellent musicianship. As a saxophone player, I can respect the playing skills on display here. -Nice fleshing out of the various themes used here. -Dat slap bass. Cons: -Drums are pretty quiet in relation to the horns - especially at the beginning. -It's a medley with abrupt transitions I can appreciate how good (and I mean really good) each individual section is developed and performed here. I just don't feel like I can sign off on something given: I have to admit, though, I kinda still want to see it pass regardless NO resubmit please

Yeah, looks that way. As of now, it seems more like the multiplayer aspect of a game like MechWarrior 4, rather than the MMO elements you might expect from an F2P game. Yeah, I just hit this income wall last night, so I can understand what you're coming from. Apparently, you get a hefty "cadet bonus" for your first 25 games, which gives you a big income boost when you first start. This gives you enough to buy a mech and some loadouts. Thing is, I bought a bunch of different components to try new things, thinking I'd just make the money back quickly. Well, after the bonus wore off, I could see it turning into a grindfest to build up enough cash for an engine or a new mech. I'll probably restart a new character to maximize the bonus at the beginning instead of spending the next few weeks trying to earn enough for something new. That brings it back to the point I made above where this game is really laid out like a classic multiplayer option of a retail game, rather than the deeper gameplay experience you'd expect from a F2P title. There are a handfull of maps and 3 battle options, which aren't that dissimilar from each other. So, the paid aspect essentially is to buy equipment and mechs to play in these limited scenarios. Don't get me wrong, it's still a ton of fun to play, just at a casual level. At this point it's too lacking in the content department to warrant much investment in time and/or money. They've slated several releases to come soon to make updates and add content, but it's a pretty small developer working on this, so it sounds like it'll take time.

http://mwomercs.com Is anyone on OCR playing this game? It's a F2P game based in the Mechwarrior universe. I just downloaded it a couple days ago and been enjoying it a lot so far. I'm a big fan of the old school mechwarrior pc games, so it's right up my alley. The timeline takes place right before the clan invasion of the inner sphere per battletech lore. That puts it at the end of Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries and a bit before Mechwarrior 2 (original). Interestingly, they're keeping the game timeline in direct corrolation with real time. So, 1 day IRL = 1 day game. Gameplay-wise, it's the standard mechwarrior simulation (FYI, the last one I played was MW4, so that's all I can compare it to), but with a few different scenarios played out in random multiplayer matchups. Games are 12 vs 12 and the game attempts to evenly balance teams with regards to mech weight class distrbution. Winning matches, getting kills, etc gains the player c-bills, which can be used to purchase mechs & components, allowing a pretty high degree of customization. Of course, there's a paid component as well, which allows the player to purchase different custom variants and other stuff. Fortunately, they're trying to steer clear of any sort of P2W scenario, so much of the stuff for sale is either cosmetic or won't give the player distinct advantages in combat. The main draw of paying seems to be unique mech variants and being able to purchase a pack of mechs. With the clan invasion coming, they're put all of those new upcoming mechs into preorder. This is the main drawback for me, though, because the high pricepoint (the big pack of all the clan mechs costs upwards of $200) pretty much puts me out of the market of any sort of purchases. Honestly, though, I'm satisfied with the options available as a free game. So anyway, it's pretty well implemented so far. I've only played it for a couple days, but I've been able to purchase a Catapult and do some limited loadout customization. They're planning on expanding functionality in the next month or so, which will give better matchup options and guild-type support. TL;DR if anyone is playing, add Nutritious as a friend