Nutritious

Ok, last post on this one. Finished it out and also tried out the FL Visualizer plugin for the first time. Thing is stupid fun to use and results came out pretty good!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2vXGW-rxcYfd0k1YVdKZEtQUkU Some tweaks and first mastering pass complete. Pretty much finished, though I need to re-render to fix the initial note cut-off and do some EQ tweaks. EDIT: Now with remix title Thanks for the comment. Yeah, I know it's an oft-used pattern, but it's the core of the classic dnb rhythm, sans the 16th notes that lead into the second snare. I do try and give enough fill variation to keep it interesting.

The votes above really echo my thoughts on the piece, so I'll try to keep it relatively brief when rehashing stuff already mentioned. Dry strings need some 'verb. Doesn't have to be much, no need to over do it. Also, I'm not sure how the performers would do a pizzicato glissando like they do at 1:21 & 5:33. (But hey maybe it's possible...somehow? Just trying to visualize string players doing some sort of sweep-picking with their fingers is a bit humorous to me ) The change at 1:55 was SO stark it was super unexpected and a bit jarring to me. That doesn't mean it can't work, but transition could be more effective in introducing it. The volume jump for this compared to the initial section also doesn't help and could use a bit of normalization between both parts. The ending transition to piano was also sudden, but it doesn't jump out as much, probably because we've heard that type of tone/energy already. Still, it could be more effective than just a sudden drop to piano. The dance part sounded oddly EQ'd to my ears. It sounded like it was missing high end on several (if not pretty much all) the parts. It was most noticeable for me on the drums and bass synth. It causes everything to have a dull tone. Also, it's very busy in these sections, so cutting out some frequencies from supporting parts could reduce some sonic clutter. That said, the writing in this section was fun and had a ton of energy. I really dig what you've done with it, I just want to hear a more cohesive track in general with a few production fixes. NO resubmit, please

Man what's with the weird bendy lead on the OST? Anyway, it's my first time listening to this song, so here goes. Off the bat, writing on the organ already feels overly simplistic and repetitive. It's omni-presence throughout the song, lack of dynamics, and tendency dwell on chorded whole notes (or sometimes half-notes) the entire song makes it feel like it's way overstaying its welcome. There is a lot more you could do with the writing patterns (and giving it a break when appropriate) to make it more interesting for the listener. 2:48-2:57 breakdown felt underdeveloped and a bit underwhelming after the track builds a bit up to it. I think it could be much more effective by going beyond instrument drop offs and a few tom hits. Drum tone sounds good, but the wide panning between the kit pieces while the track overall sounds like it's going for more of a throwback style throws me off a bit - though I view this as a personal nitpick. Nice variation on the drum writing to keep it fresh throughout. Note: have you considered trying a more classic pattern on the drums, like kick on 1 & 3.5 and snare on 2, 2.5, & 4? Seems like it would fit better with the style than some of the more modern-sounding writing that sometimes appears here. 1:30 started feeling like the track was starting to click with me with the added rhythm guitars making it feel more fully-realized after the block chords + lead. I honestly wish it wouldn't have taken this long to get to a section that felt sufficiently developed & more interesting to me. Note, sounds like some flubs/clashing notes in the lead notes at :38, :58, & 1:18 that clash with backing chords. I can hear the arguments on both sides above. I've listened to this track a couple of extra times beyond what I'd normally do for a vote to make sure I'm sufficiently comfortable with my vote on it. I'm not ready to pass it as-is, but I don't think it's far. With some further writing (like organ) and a bit more development to prevent the track from feeling "samey" for long stretches I'd be ready to give it a go. NO resubmit, please

Thanks, I appreciate it. New version: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2vXGW-rxcYfX2EtTWRITGRtbWs Almost done, but still unmastered and needs some polish in transitions, needs ending, synth solo is placeholder etc.

Edit3, final: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2vXGW-rxcYfaHhGOFBZSWJxNmM Remix Video: OST: Been getting back into streaming my composing process and thought I'd share the track I'm currently working on. Still pretty rough in stuff like transitions & writing and it's completely unmastered. Also, if you want to see previous sessions or watch it being made live, you can tune in at https://www.twitch.tv/nutritiousmusic

Man, I'm not sure there's any other vgm tune that's more nostalgic for me than this one. DA's vote echos much of my thoughts on the mix as well. There were several sections where it felt like patterns were overly repeated needlessly instead of the song driving forward to something meaningful. Organ didn't really bother me either. 3:30 definitely sounded like this got a little unfocused on the arrangement side, fortunately only briefly. I'll add a personal nitpick that I'm not a huge fan of the snare tone as it's very dirty/"slappy/thwappy" (is that even a thing?). I wish it had a bit more body to it, but that's really personal preference. PS what was the purpose of the vinyl dust effects at the intro and outro? Track clearly isn't going for a vintage feel to it, so the added effect seemed a bit non-sequitur. YES

Added!

Friday, August 25 to Sunday, August 27 Santa Clara Hyatt Regency, Santa Clara, CA http://magwest.org OCR heads to the west coast for the inaugural MAGWest 2017! For the first time, the Music and Games Festival is coming to the western US at the Hyatt Regency in Santa Clara. Join us as we discuss VGM, current site news, and participate in the traditional terrible game tourney for prizes! Come for the panel, stay for the convention! OC ReMix: Slicing & Dicing, Booming & Tss-ing VGM Since 1999! Panel Date/Time: Saturday, August 26, 4-5PM Location: TBA Panelists: Bahamut Gario MindWanderer Nutritious zykO

OK, setting aside personal feelings on the vocal SFX (not a fan, personally), the mix is overall well produced, has lots of style to it, progresses nicely, and incorporates a ton of source. I'm cool with this one on it's own merits 2:29 dissonance didn't bother me, I'm honestly more concerned about the clutter there and elsewhere than the notes themselves. Some cleanup on the busier sections would be nice, but not a dealbreaker. YES

Such a SWEET arrangement. I really with the production was up to the same level. Gonna keep it brief, but this definitely needs a mixing rework. Mix is mid heavy and missing a lot of low end. Kick is pretty much non-existent. The leads aren't as prominent as they should be and are sometimes straight-up sidelined. There is SO much awesome shredding and soloing here that I really want to hear a version that lets them shine out as much as they should. NO PLEASE resubmit!

Nice instrument choices here. Off the bat, I'll say the spacing between the instruments (panning, wetness, etc) sounds like they're not necessarily playing together in the same space. Once more elements came in, though, this didn't sound like as much of an issue. Solo woodwind around :13 is a bit dull on the tone and is stretching the realism on the octave jump. Solo cello sounds pretty fakey as well being exposed and with how the vibrato is handled on the sample, it's a very short part though. Lots of mid range presence here in the mix, making it sound cluttered when the woodwinds are more prominent. I'd cut some mids from them to balance it better. The arrangement is somewhat busy, so that also lends to the clutter as it doesn't let up much at all for the majority of the piece with parts overlapping throughout. I think there's more room to vary up dynamics in each of the parts so that supporting parts can get out of the way of the melodic parts and let them shine through. Arrangement ideas on display here were very nice and show a creative take on the classic theme. No real complaints there. OK, so that ALL said, when it comes to an arrangement like this, I don't it's necessary for an artist to pursue live performances necessarily given the obvious hurdles in getting various performers to do so for a free arrangement and the production "bar" doesn't preclude the use of samples as long as they're of sufficient quality and adequately produced. I was feeling a bit torn here, so I let this one sit for a few hours since writing the above and coming back I feel despite humanization issues, this one just squeaks by for me. Honestly, I'd hate for the production bar to get so high that someone has to invest in super high quality samples or employ live performers for an arrangement like this to be viable. YES (borderline)

Shovel Knight OST is soooo goooood. Liking the 80's synthwave approach here. Parts are pretty well balanced, though it does get a bit busy in sections with a lot of elements playing simultaneously (some with longer reverb tails). 2:30 - 2:44 is a good example of this; 3:35 as well. Breakdown to melody at 1:30 felt a bit underwhelming to me due to the drop in energy and some overlapping writing distracting from the melody (that plucked synth thing in the back specifically). I think it would be better served if you established an even more stark contrast from the previous section and solo'd the lead (or with minimal backing). More contrast between the two would create better drama IMO. 2:50 was a nice change to the B section of Strike The Earth. Effective writing as well with l. Coming to the last quarter of the mix, I feel like I've heard all the sounds here throughout most the mix, so a bit more part contrast (or perhaps a little less utilization of SOME synths) would help alleviate this. The robo voice felt spot-on to me for the track. The only drawback to me is I swear it sounds like it's saying "Chocobo" instead of "Shovel Power." I can't unhear it! Reading some previous J's votes now, I do hear the static arrangement issues in the NO camp, but not feeling that alone here is a dealbreaker for me. I didn't hear the empty/thin texture issue though, really, so I can't identify there. Overall production is solid (despite some mixing clutter), OST arrangement is solid, and though writing/flow could be improved, I don't feel it's enough to bring this one down. YES

Man, dat smooth guitar lead. Minute or so in I was ready to give this one a stamp of approval. Then some nagging issues crop up that are giving me pause. I know it's been mentioned but I'll sign off on the flimsy kick remark. The drums overall aren't super strong tone-wise, but the kick in particular is oddly almost non-present. Toms have a similar tone issue when they play on the fills (and it sounds weird to me when they do because of it). They both sound like high-pitched indistinct thud/click sounds rather than having any meat to them. I don't have as much issue with the low end vs. high end issue (though it could be balanced better) as I do with the cluttered mix in the busier parts. Areas to focus on for this would be 1:30 & 6:25. I like the arrangement a lot and I never felt it overstayed its welcome.I can definitely understand the yes votes here and could see it being posted as is. If I was the artist personally, though, I'd like to have the opportunity to tighten things up first. NO (borderline)

Great metal take on the original here (holy cow the OST has a lot of energy too). Clever adaptation of the bass synth into the guitar riff. Expansive yet well connected. Overall, production is clear throughout. I'll say the genre isn't really my forte, but I had a few minor gut issues with production I should mention. Kick tone felt a bit thin & lacking in low presence. I get you're trying to get out of the way of other things like bass & guitars, but I felt it was perhaps gutted a bit too much. Drums also were spread pretty far out in the soundfield with panning and spacing, though I can chalk that up to a stylistic decision as I've heard it done before - I just found it a bit distracting as it sorta sounds like the various kit pieces are coming from different directions. Anyway, moving beyond my nitpicks, this is a great track. Good stuff. YES

Apparently I'm the only Zelda player on the planet who couldn't get into Ocarina of Time. LTTP was and always will be the pinnacle of the series for me. Man, tough source. Sounds like something I would've tried to take on years back. Very creative and enjoyable arrangement. Liking the delicate orchestration work, which is really hard to do when the parts are this exposed. A few parts sound a bit dry like the harp, but not a big deal. Strings at :45 felt a bit behind on the attacks, but again minor nitpick. Impressive work expanding the theme so effectively. YES

OK, interesting intro for a dnb type mix. Strings would probably have a hard time with fast, repeated pizzicato like that, but I'm not if you're going for realism with the orchestra parts. Liking the songs energy when things kick in. Repetition does bother me a bit with this mix. The arp in the background is fairly omni-present throughout. It also has some sort of off-tone resonance - probably caused by reverb - from :22 to 1:17 that got a little irritating to me, even on the first listen. The beat also has room for more variance beyond the occasional glitched snare hit (it does in the breakdown, but not in the main beat sections). 2:45 sounds like the immediately preceding 2:24 section, which could do with some additional elements or changes to keep listener more engaged. Production is pretty clear throughout. I was a bit concerned on song balance in the intro due to some quiet elements, but once the drums come in, mixing sounded fine to me. Arrangement is clear on connections to source melody and backing patterns as well as plenty of creativity on the adaptation. For me personally, I can understand if I end up in the minority, but the issues above don't quite bring it down to "no" territory for me. It's creative and well produced with some room for improvement in things like repetition. YES

Wow, this OST is groovy. I like. Off the bat on the mix, the bass/fuzz synths sound offset on their timing, which is a little odd sounding to me. Once the vocals kick in the mix gets pretty loud, especially claps, vocals, and the chippy synth lead. Vocals are creative, funny, and well executed. Arrangement connections are clear with the bass holding down the source connection whenever the lead drops out, but it's really been relegated to the background because of the much louder elements playing over it for most of the track. Plenty of creativity here. Personally, I would've liked to hear some sort of change-up to the flow beyond adding/dropping parts, like a bridge-type section or something else to change things up, because there are long stretches with just repeated beat loop + vocal flow, which could use more variation. I think this is really, really close and I wouldn't be mad if this one was to pass, I would just like to hear some better part balancing and variation. NO (borderline) resubmit, please

Chimp really nailed what I'm hearing on this one. The execution on the orchestra sequencing is hurting this. Also, the mixing on the "louder" sections with guitars and drums actually feel like there's a volume drop and loss in clarity. Then, louder orchestral backing parts join in and are louder than the rock parts. Arrangement is excellent. I don't have any complaints here. I'd say this needs some work to humanize the orchestra, then a redo on the mixing front to get things better balanced and parts not feeling relegated to the background in what are supposed to be the more energetic sections. NO resubmit, please

Sounding pretty solid as the track opens up. The lead at :45 feels weak and a bit bland to me for holding the melody. It wasn't too impactful in the original either, I suppose. 1:09 kicks in with sawtooth synth repeating sequence. It was a bit noticeable before, but at this point the track really feels like it's plodding and lacking in energy. Like the track is slowed down a bit too much. The snare coming in at 1:36 does help it feel a bit more energetic, however. The constant, unchanging shaker noise got annoying to me after a while. We have a brief respite from it, but a few seconds later it returns for the rest of the track. In general, though, the beatwork was very static, without much in the way of changes or even fills at the end of phrases. At times elements came and went, but overall there's much more room for additional variation. The added elements around the 3 minute mark start cluttering up the soundscape until the hit at 3:14, which sounds like it's overcompressed or distorted from pushing the limits too hard. This happens as well, to a lesser extent, around the 2 minute mark as well. The arrangement doesn't really take much risk here, but incorporates the theme clearly and also puts your own personal stamp on it. Musically, I think there's room for more development in things like part-writing, flow, building tension, etc. to give the mix a bit more excitement for the listener. Minor gripe: the sawtooth sequence lead had a few odd notes, specifically in the more freestyle-y section near the end. May want to check these out and change to the correct key if needed. I can see the point of the yes votes on this one, but the cumulative issues I have with writing, repetitive drums, and other minor issues drag this a bit below the bar for me. It's a good mix and close IMO, so I'd like to hear the artist give it one more pass to get it there. NO resubmit, please

Hey, you can go ahead and add me on the first post if it's still being updated: Nutritious#1973 I don't get to play a whole lot (this is basically the only thing I DO play when I have a few minutes before bed :)), but I'd be happy to hit a few quick plays or something once in a while. I've been diamond the last couple seasons, but stopped playing Comp when they changed the rank decay to 7 matches a week. Since it's pretty much impossible for me to do that on a weekly basis, I'll never rank past 3K anyway.

I'm really digging how this opens up with nice groove established and bass. Sounds used in general are a bit of a mixed bag. I like the kit, bass is a bit uninteresting but works, like the plucky synth. However, in contrast the leads sound bland and flat, tone-wise. Man 1:30 the lead comes up so loud out of nowhere. It's really overpowering everything else to the point where it sounds like a sequencing mistake (duplicated layers or something). 2:30 plucks are pretty loud in relation to the rest of the track as well, though only briefly. 3:00 has some more over-loud elements that sound like they're causing overcompression or distortion artifacts. Personally, I'd probably hold the mix up for these balancing issues alone due to how prominent they are. Arrangement is varied enough to keep me interested, though I'd like to hear some more variety in the backing parts like the bass. Overall, the mixing & balance needs to be addressed. I'd also like to hear lead synths that are more nuanced and interesting. Good stuff here, though, keep at it NO resubmit, please

Yeah, echoing crits on the strings being too exposed/in your face with a pretty fakey tone. The flute that briefly enters in has the same problems, though it isn't nearly featured as much as the strings. Mixing bothered me as well. It doesn't feel like everything is occupying the same space and the mix in general has a distant/lossy sound to it. It's hard to articulate exact causes with something like this without being hands on with the mix, but in general it feels like elements should be coming through with more clarity but still balanced and gelling together sonically. I like the arrangement a lot. Really liking the drum work featured here as well. With some tightening up on the production side I could definitely be on board. NO resubmit, please

Ahh, old school dnb here. This sounds similar to the stuff that got me into the genre back in the 90's. That said, I'm gonna leave some comments below without reading other judgements for now. Atmosphere is on point with the ethereal synths, synth bass, and frenetic breakbeat. What's hurting it for me is rooted in how the beat is handled and repetition in the backing elements. I don't really feel like the four on the floor kick is working here. Given that the loop already has a built-in kick, which frequently does not align on each beat like the kick you added, it leaves the beat sounding unnecessarily jumbled. Also, regarding the beat, one of the staples of the old school dnb genre was how the artist would take a commonly-used beat pattern and slice it up in a unique and unexpected way, usually evolving it over time to keep it sounding fresh. Here, there are long stretches in the track where the same 8-bar pattern plays on repeat with little or no variation. I think there's a lot of potential there for improvement on sequencing to improve the track and avoid unnecessary repetition. Minor point: the beginning of the track sounds cut off - probably a rendering error. I used to get this a lot with FL Studio, so I made a habit of moving out the whole song a beat or so to make sure it renders the first note properly. I don't know why it happens, but it's one of those things you gotta work around. Arrangement-wise, this sounds like it's depending a lot on connecting the backing chords to the original track for the first minute or so. Around :48 is where I first hear a more solid reference to the piano lead on the original and I'm solid on arrangement after this part. I've said it many times that I don't like fade-out endings. I never consider it a straight up deal-breaker, but I feel that I must mention it generally comes off as lazy and ineffective at leaving the listener with a good final impression of the song. Reading above now, I can see there are varied opinions on how much the repetition detracts from the piece, but for me, when the majority of the track is literally playing the same 8-bar pattern (despite it being pretty complex) with a few fills & drop offs here and there, I feel it needs to be addressed - especially given how central the beatwork is to the genre. Beyond that issue, the others are more minor issues for me. NO resubmit, please

Really liking the cheesy 80's intro synth goodness. Gonna keep this to the point here. Production sounds solid to me. Clear mix. Source connection is quite clear along with your additions. The main drawback is the repetition here. I wouldn't say the beat is full copy/paste mode as there's some variation in the underlying elements. That snare, though, is almost omni-present throughout. I really feel like Sir Nuts nailed what I'm feeling here, regarding the beat and the ending. It's close to the point where some tweaks to repetition would do it for me, though I wouldn't mind the key change fadeout section getting chopped as well as it feels really unecessary. NO resubmit, please.