Nutritious

As a big drum 'n' bass fan, I'm really liking the concept and ideas here. So yeah, already mentioned, but that piano is very rigidly sequenced. Strings could use more humanization as well. The percussive hits at the beginning were actually distracting to me because they're really bright without much low end presence - they're actually counter-intuitive as is I think. For the urgency in the writing, the drums and synths actually felt pretty low energy. The snare specifically sounds like a lot of the body of the sound has been filtered out. Personally, when I'm going for a big dnb sound, I actually boost the mid-range on the snare (see my Cave Story mix for reference if you'd like). Good start, just gotta bring the energy in the drums and synths! I really want to see this one come back. NO resubmit, please

Yup, Larry & Deia are right on target here. You've got a nice groove and cool sounds/ideas here, it's just too far on the conservative side for what we're looking for. NO resubmit, please

FYI, as discussed with Larry in IRC, I'm on a new setup here and found an issue with a windows setting that was putting artificial compression on playback. I'm amending my vote above.

A huge thanks to everyone who attended the panel (I think we were in the 300-350 range). It really was a blast to get to be a part of it. I mentioned this before, but it's a strange feeling to be talking about video game music when you have vgm legends in the audience like Grant Kirkhope and Tommy Tallarico. It was great getting to meet you in person man! We should collab sometime.

Yeah, this arrangement is super good. Great use of a fairly repetative source with excellent ideas implimented. Gonna echo some of the sentiments on mixing with some suggestions. Not sure what strings you're using, but I think they could sound better (and cause less mud), but cutting back on some of the low-mids and brightening them up a bit. Tasteful panning of high & low strings away from each other can help as well. 3:33 felt pretty crowded & muddy without really being that loud. I'd look at getting your drums to play nice with other elements then trying to re-mix/balance it. The transition at 2:12 felt awkward. This section definitely felt like a weak point from a production aspect. Not trying to beat a dead horse, but the violin really needs some wetness and better balancing. This section also came off pretty empty/directionless to me - both because of having only two instruments going here and because they're panned opposite. I know it's a contrast, breakdown-type section, but it really feels like another element is needed to fill it out. To sum up, awesome arrangment, but Production needs some TLC. NO resubmit, please

EDIT: So, compression wasn't nearly as big of an issue as I thought it was due to a (super annoying!) setting on this computer. There still is a bit of distortion at places like 1:29 where the compressor is working overtime. Also, the leads are on the bright side for sure. The thing is, when I listened previously this stuff was accentuated to a much higher degree. Overall, though, production is much less an issue than when I first listened. While the arrangement execution is pretty straight-forward, the mixer brings some nice creativity - especially in the B section of the source. Good energy to this piece as well. I agree with the crits on repetativeness and the ending for sure, but I did personally enjoy the mix for what's here! I agree this is riding the edge on both the arrangement and production sides, but I'm OK with what we've got. YES

I remember when I first discovered psytrance many a year ago listening to streams on Digitally Imported. I was instantly hooked. This mix is a great example of why persistence pays off. Production is solid, if not perhaps a bit bright. Nuts pulls of the genre very nicely with the synth choices and writing. Arrangement is creative without losing sight of the source tune. It's too bad the project never came to fruition, but I'm glad that we are still enjoying some of the results nonetheless. YES PS: theres a subtle bassline at the very end that gets cut off at the end of the track. Not super noticable, but a render with a clean ending would be nice.

Not a ton to add here. Solid mix from Argle here. Great mix of instruments and textures here. Each section brings a fresh take to the source and I'm never bored listening to this. Solid production aside from a few mixing issues Larry already mentioned. Well done, easy call! YES

Looks interesting! Timeline is a bit short, so I'm a maybe, but we'll see...

Wow, this writing and sequencing is hawt. Really liking some of the backing texture choices to fill things out. Yeah, mixing could really use some help here. For me, it's not a dealbreaker like Larry, but it would be nice to have a cleaner version. I'm a big fan of the ganon theme from LTTP (along with the rest of the OST) to the point where I actually chose it for a PRC compo. The time signature is a toughie, but it's very well handled in this mix. Drum writing is fantastic - massive props. So yeah, assuming this passes, it wouldn't hurt to see if we can get a cleaner mixdown. Overall, though, nice work. YES

No, I'm Justin and this is one of my favorite chrono trigger tracks. Yeah, this is definitely a cool track to listen to. This OST really lends itself well to the dnb style (I've heard another dnb mix of the same piece, but I don't think it ever got on the site). However, this would need quite a bit more interpretation/personalization for the front page. It could be these headphones I'm having to use (regular ones broke AGAIN) but it also felt like the beat starts drowning out the piano, so watch your mixing levels. Also, I thought the piano could use a bit more variation on velocities or note writing on the repeated phrases. At the core, though, work on the arrangement and be sure to bring it back. NO resubmit, please

Yeah, gonna co-sign with my fellow Y judges on this one. I'm hearing the referenced issues below, but nothing stuck out as pulling this one below the proverbial bar. Cool collection of sounds here, showing Brandon's versatility. I think the loose timing worked in his favor for a mix in this style. Good stuff. YES

Classy snaps. [/vote] Ahem, I mean... Man, I pretty much play one instrument and Mr multi-talented Joe's sax sounds way more smexy than mine. Strings have a nice delicate feel. Nice leads on the synths and saxophone. Reverbed bells are a nice touch behind Joe's ad libs. Drums felt like the weak link here. The acoustic kit just doesn't have great presence - kick is pretty subby sounding without much mid-range/high end to it, snare tone is a bit dull. Still, the good definitely outweighs the bad here. YES

Cool approach here by Brandon. Starts with an eclectic mix of instruments, but later transitions to a bit more traditional rock style when the main themes come in. Very cool arrangement ideas here. Brandon's definitely come a long way in a relatively short time, especially on the performance end. Definitely do hear the complaints on the mixing, 3:12 - 3:47 being the weakest section in this regard, but it wasn't to the point where I felt it was an automatic no on my end. Brandon's always super pro-active on production fixes, so perhaps he'd want to take another pass at it anyway? YES

It passed eval a little while back. Slated for release late this year-ish!

I've always felt that for solo piano pieces, that being so exposed, the piano is going to need to be a step above what might normally be adequate. What we have here is an awesome arrangement that's hampered by a sample that's lacking body and some rigid/unrealistic sequencing in the first half. This would be easier if the second half didn't improve in the sequencing department. Still, this is fixable stuff and I'd really really really love to hear this track hit it's potential. Technically it has no bearing on my judgement, but as a remixer personally, I'd like to have another go at something so well written to get the production right. NO resubmit (borderline)

Not quite But yeah, I totally agree with you. I always hold that track as sampling done right.

OK, I admit. I listened to this a while back but didn't put down a vote then cause I knew it would be close. Looks like now I have no choice . As mentioned, intro does drag on pretty long. Pretty standard for a dance track, I suppose, but if you're trying to gauge source usage to original content, it hurts a bit. I'm concerned that for all the buildups and other sections, a compartively small amount of time is spent on source treatment. I did like the treatment of Sonic Zone once the main melodies do kick in. Production-wise, I guess I can't quite identify with the big detractors here. Yes, it could've been filled out further in the big sections, frequency-wise. Perhaps the builds and flow are nothing ground-breaking for the genre. But as far as what we're looking for on the site, I think what is here is adequate. So here's the thing. Source usage is borderline at best, leaning no. Production is arguably borderline, but I would lean yes. Close call for sure, but I've gotta side with the no camp on arrangement concerns. Tweaking that would be enough for me to pass. I could really see this one going either way if/when DJP chimes in. NO (borderline)

Yeah, I think both Cain and Larry have hit it right on here with the production issues. Piano especially felt like a big offender with rigid sequencing. Beats felt pasted on top and in general not gelling with the rest of the track. That's not to say all of the production wasn't working. I did like the drop around 2:45. Cool mood established and sort of ambient/distorted atmosphere is clicking as breakdown section for sure. Dub section following this has some very cool synth work, but in general, the soundscape is pretty sparse, despite how much is actually going on here. Just keep at it. You've got the basics covered, just gotta refine your craft. This isn't bad, just not there yet. NO Resubmit, please

Updated vote.

Hey, nice use of various percussion sounds here. To me, this mix is an great example of getting lots of mileage of what may not be super-high priced samples. Source was really streching it for me here, so I really focused in on connections. The source breakdown was definitely helpful here. Second half was much stronger than the first, connection wise IMO. I didn't have the sample impression that this was lacking direction/focus. There's good use of dynamics and variation throughout. Despite it being such a short source, Chimp has gotten super creative with the source treatment, so kudos there. YES

1. It's a filter, specifically a Low Pass filter. Basically, it allows only the frequencies below the cutoff frequency through, while filtering out the rest. In this track, there is automation to gradually raise the cutoff frequency so the frequencies allowed through gradually increase. In FL, you're going to want Fruity Free Filter from the mixer window. Right click the cutoff knob and select create automation clip. Now, you can change the cutoff frequency over time by adjusting the automation clip. 2. I'm not sure which effect you're specifically referencing from this track. In the very beginning of the track it sounds like a distortion effect and filter automation. If you're looking for something else in the track, please clarify . 3. Again, I'm not sure I understand what specifically you're asking here. Have an example?

I actually agree with you and I like how you specify using them as sound objects. I should probably clarify that by "heavily sampling", I was referring to examples of taking an existing song and adding a drum beat or perhaps vocals.

Great atmosphere established here. The extended intro works for the feel that he's trying to establish. Solid production work here. Everything's gelling nicely in the soundscape. Yeah, that lead at 4:15 was pretty underwhelming. I think something that cuts through more would've been more effective. Oh, hai there lead at 5:18, I guess you were saving the stronger lead for later . I'm hearing the crits on the simplicity of parts of the track, and agree it could be trimmed down without really hurting the arrangement. Still, I'm definitely digging what I'm hearing here, and it hits the mark on both the arrangement and production fronts. Nice job darksim. YES

I could be wrong, but I was always under the impression Daft Punk licensed the music they sampled. So, I'm curious, does this change anyones opinion on a track that samples other music if they pay the original artist? Is your main concern with whether the original artist gets credited or paid or the lack of creativity inherent when someone heavily samples a work? Personally, I'm only really for it if sampled content used in a creative way to make something new and different from the old. Liam Howlett from The Prodigy was