Nutritious

I haven't even played the game, but man the Torvus Bog arrangement of Brinstar gives me the feels. I had some issues with the way the synth elements were presented here, but it took me a few listens to articulate it here beyond just saying synths were basic: The synthwork here doesn't feel nuanced at all. Elements generally enter in, play in a consistent volume & pattern, then drop out/new items enter in. In a vacuum, I think the synth tones can each work (why I didn't want to crit them specifically), but they need some TLC to add interest and have a better interplay together in the form of effects, fades, velocity changes, tasteful reverb/delay, etc. The cutting dubstep bass synth doesn't gel with the others and feels like it sticks out. Pushing it back with aforementioned effect work could help. Kick is too subby IMO, which is taking up a lot more sonic space than it may sound like. You can tell this because at 2:44 there's some compression ducking going on which I don't think is intentional. Lowering the almost inaudible bass sub frequencies on it and perhaps layering on a kick sound that compliments it well may give it better presence without the clashing frequencies. Won't go into the repetition issue as that's already been sufficiently explained for 2:46. Solid start here, but there's room for improvement NO resubmit, please

Not much to add to the NO votes above. The arrangement has solid connection to the original, and though it follows generally the same structure, has a lot in the way of added elements, modulations, and additional writing. I really like the synth work, the beat has a lot of good energy. There are plenty of varied parts, breakdowns, etc to keep the listener engaged with the piece. The only real complaint for me (as the others) is the mixing. There's a lot of fighting for space here, especially in the louder sections. I'll try to breakdown some specifics here: -Off the bat, the vocal pads sound a bit too loud, which sounds like it contributes to clutter when the beat kicks in. -:31 Bass synths are taking a lot of space in the low end, which sounds like it's competing with the bass-heavy kick. The backing pads are also very loud. You may be able to get away with this with side-chaining between kick and bass/pads, which would probably sound awesome, actually. -1:45 while not cluttered, the plucky bass synth just sounds arbitrarily loud and in your face. It really marginalizes the other elements in the following section(s) because of this. This continues on for until 2:30. I'll also mention that 2:32 sounds like a rehash of :46 without anything different until leading up to the transition at 3:00. It's not a big deal, but wouldn't mind hearing something to differentiate the two sections better. Minor nitpick: ending fadeout of the sfx sounded a bit too quick. Could let it stretch a bit longer if you wanted. Fixing up the mixing would make this a pass for me, but consider the side-chain idea to see if you like what pops out. It's a great track, keep at it :). NO resubmit, please

Ok, the intro (Edit: I don't even remember what I was writing here, so I'll just leave it at that :D) Wow, :20 really works well with vocals complimenting the track. Enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek lyrics treatment. Love the overall groove and feel of this. Breakdown at 1:00 was an excellent change-up. 1:33 volume level suddenly jumped a bit too high compared to previous section, though i'm not sure why. It ducks beneath the lyrics a few seconds later anyway, so not sure what was going on with that. 2:30 again felt like it got a bit on the loud side with leads cutting a bit too much for what I'd prefer to hear. Happens a couple more times with lead synths in the last :45 or so as well. Arrangement is on point here. I found the OST forgettable when playing the game, but you've done something special with it, here. Let's go. YES

Yeah, definitely agreed the intro is pretty messy. The sax sounds pasted on top of the other elements and isn't gelling with everything else. There are just too many things going on here to be cohesive. Kick has a dull, low-heavy tone which I'm not thrilled with. 1:14 really improves dramatically. Liking the energy from here on out. Mixing felt a bit off throughout for me. Drums tended to get a bit buried in the more busy section and there's a general lack of clarity in those parts as well. Cool note runs around 2:30. Nice performance work throughout here. There's room for improvement production and intro writing, but the horns/woodwinds are so darn catchy and the arrangement is super cool. In the end, it gets more right than wrong, though I wouldn't mind seeing the above issues tightened up if they wanted to. YES (borderline)

Short and sweet vote: Nice orchesration & arrangement work - feels like a cohesive piece for the most part, though the different sources are pretty distinct in their use. As mentioned, mastering sounds low and the bird chirps are too upfront and loud. While I'd like both of these addressed, and perhaps they can if passed, they're not dealbreakers for me personally. YES

This source took a while to grow on me, but I love it now. I also love this remix. Fantastic arrangement. Crispy chips. Clean production. Strings crit didn't really bother me in context of the track. 1:11 is stupidly cool. YES more plz

I also was really digging the first minute of this. Liking the beat and the elements behind, though somewhat basic in design, were clicking with me. With so many elements in play with a lot of reverb, the mix gets crowded pretty quick and parts start stepping on each other (good example is 1:30 before the break; 2:30 with the big stabs on top of the piano; 3:12 with piercing strings, music box, piano, and lower strings). By the end of the 3:12 section, I'm feeling some ear fatigue with so many reverbed parts in play at once for so long. Humanization is an issue as well. The piano, strings, & plucked lead could use variation on velocities at the vary least so they're not so robotic. I will acknowledge that given the context of the style, this piece isn't going for the organic/realistic approach, but it will still be enhanced by better sequencing for those elements. Arrangement-wise, this relies a lot on the connection of the repeated backing pattern to the original track. I hear what you're doing with interpreting the melody is well, but it felt like it was pushed a little too far away from the original, like at 1:42. I'll admit, it's possible I'm missing some connections in places or melodic writing behind the reverb wall. But if not, you may want to make some of the melody connections a bit more clear to the OST. Also gonna mention the repetitive nature of the drums in both the slower and fast section. Even if you're using a loop, there are ways to slice it up to rearrange for variation in most cases. Good start here for sure, keep at it! NO resubmit, please

Sweet intro. Sets the stage nicely. I'm not sold on that static effect though - it sounds a bit too drastic when it comes in and instantly pulls me out of the track. Liking the low synth undertones beneath the orchestra. Not gonna beat dead string horse, but I do agree with the above crits on them. A little more focus on humanizing and some reverb adjustments could make them blend better. 1:43 sounds like either overcompression or clipping distortion. Happens to a lesser extent in other places with big transition hits. Watch those levels. Arrangement is clear and creative. No qualms there. Very cool track. It has some production issues that could be tightened up, but good listen overall. YES

Pretty straightforward take on Ken's theme, though still very cool. Keeps it very conservative at the beginning, but the arrangement fleshes out more in the second section with the synth/guitar solos and some variation on the progression of the song. Would've liked to hear still more development on the arrangement side since the track is pretty short (2:33) and spends a good chunk of the time covering the original melody (though with different backing). Definitely hearing Larry's lofi comment. Perhaps with some mixing adjustment to the high end, this would have a crisper sound to it in general. Performance is excellent. Drum writing is energetic and varied. Ending was sadly a bit underwhelming, but this is fun take on a classic track. YES

Gonna keep it short. I do hear the balance & foreground vs background points made above. I think the woodwinds could be eq'd down a bit in the 2khz range and you'd have quite a bit more clarity with multiple parts playing together. There are some notes and phrases that stick out too loudly on some of the leads, but those are relatively few and far between. That said, the arrangement sounds on point. Lots of creativity and interesting partwriting on display here. Production could be tightened up, but I think this one gets by on the strengths it has on display. YES

Yup, very much in agreement with the above J's. The distorted rhythm guitars are taking up a huge amount of room, especially in the low end, which is making the whole mix crowded whenever it has sustained/fast repeating notes. Pause duration at 2:06 sounded a bit out to tempo with me, but I guess it could be intentional. Lead is really busy throughout a good chunk of the mix, which over the course of listening starts to get a bit tiring, honestly. Really, this applies to the sounds used in the mix as a whole because there's not much contrast in tone for all the of the instruments for the majority of the track. It's not a dealbreaker, but I'd like to hear more variation on writing, synths, tones, or any of the above to keep the mix fresh and avoid listener fatigue. Arrangement work is pretty straightforward, but with enough personalization for me to be comfortable with the level of interpretation, especially as the mix progresses. Definitely would like to hear this with the mixing cleaned up and possibly some better contrast in the writing to keep the listener interested. NO resubmit, please

Ahh Command & Conquer. My first online multiplayer experience. And by online I mean dialing out friend's Pretty in your face right off the bat. Definitely captures the C&C vibe - it's never in question what is being remixed here with lots of source usage throughout. Overall, production is pretty solid. Things do start to get cluttered in the bridge-type sections 1:15 & 1:54 with the heavy rhythm guitars competing with the sustained notes and lead for space. This gets compounded with the sequenced synths that also come in at 2:13, though this was a short section in the overall track. Personally, I would've traded a bit of volume from the rhythm guitars to try and achieve a bit more power and clarity of the drums. Overall, despite some mixing issues, solid powerful stuff here. Great job. YES

Dat 90's box art is amazing. Not gonna beat a dead horse on the piano sequencing; as mentioned, it's not nearly as noticable with other elements in play. Love the groove when it kicks in around :18. Nice bass work, though it's a bit obscured because it's very low-end/subby. Some higher end presence on it would allow it to shine out better. Also agreed on the high end sizzling a bit too much on the percs. Something that could be easily fixed in the future. Nice writing work. Good idea on changing the more rigid syncopation on the original piano(?) to something more swing-y. Clear adaptation of the original with a lot of great personalization. Nice work on the lead synth. This is just a super cool track, nothing else to say. YES

Honestly, 1:25 felt like a bit of a let down after the big build. Returning to the same basic core beat pattern here really sucked the energy out of the section IMO. Overall, the core beat is repetitive throughout much of the track, with an occasional extra hit thrown in or the drums just suddenly dropping out. The double-time was a welcome change, but it soon regresses back to the core beat again after the buildup. Overall mix is pretty clear, though I felt like the song had a general dull tone to it. Like the high end of the mix is toned down a bit too much. Minor nitpick there for me, though. Nice incorporation of the original into your mix. The use of the original melody feels pretty laid-back and unpretentious, but I like it for this mix. 2:25 felt like it's retreading what we've already heard near the beginning of the track. The section at 3:07 also is very similar to an earlier section, with the same elements in play, but different lead writing. I think there's room for more development to keep things more fresh as the track progresses. Definitely hearing the inspiration from VR in this track on the harmonized synth chords and even the beatwork in places. I've also taken inspiration from other tracks as well, but I always try to diversify myself much more than this to attempt a similar "feel" but never to the point where the listener would be tempted to say "hey he lifted this writing" from the original. I'll acknowledge there's a hefty amount of personal opinion in this and to be fair, this is by no means a copy of the VR track. Still, I'd recommend being very careful in how you incorporate your inspirations into your own music. This is a good solid base you've put together here. Ultimately, I think this could be a go with more varied/exciting beat work and some more development in the writing. On a personal level, I'd like a bit more "space" between what's your writing and what's from VR's Lunar as well. NO resubmit please

Really digging the creative arrangement here. Slick ideas through. Really liking how crisp the beat sounds when it kicks in. :59, the vocals are really fighting for room with the backing elements. Feels like the compressors are working a bit of overtime to tame things down. Same issue at 1:52. Listen to the beat when it plays without vocals on top and when the vocals and snare play at the same time? The clarity/crispiness of the beats from the intro are gone because the vocal levels are triggering the compressors too hard (IMO). Also agreed the gating felt a bit excessive on the second verse, but that's more personal taste. 2:20 the synth and guitar lead are really fighting for sonic room and, honestly, they sound like they're playing two different, non-compliant melody lines here. It's probably the section with the most glaring issues for me. I don't want to give the wrong impression - I really love this track. I really like what ideas you've brought here, I just think it could shine with better mixing clarity (and perhaps cleaning up the guitar/lead synth writing a bit). NO (borderline) resubmit, please

Hmm, tough call here. My initial impression was somewhat unimpactful beatwork and vanilla synths with pretty straightforward writing. Over time, the writing & complexity of arrangement improves significantly. I do agree there's some sections that lack clarity in the mixing and get cluttered. In particular, 1:13 & 2:08. More elements are getting added and some have reverb/delay effects that add to the noise level, like the high pitched two-note chippy sound that often plays. Nitpicks: filtering at :33 felt out of rhythm with the track. Personal opinion: I'd take the square-ish lead and dip the mid range a bit and boost the highs for more clarity and less of a dull tone on it. Ending was a bit abrupt, but not a huge deal. Overall, while this might not excite me a ton personally, it's a creative arrangement on the original and the production work felt strong enough to pass as is, although somewhat closely. YES (borderline)

(V2 judgement) Tough call here. I'm hearing the aforementioned clashing note combinations as well. Not a huge deal, but I can imagine it could get annoying on repeated listens (it actually is now because I'm looping it...). That shouldn't be a tough fix. Track cuts off way before the last note ends, so that needs to be fixed up. Overall, the track felt hot in the high EQ range and a bit undefined in the mid-low/lows. The synth leads especially have some frequencies that could be tamed with some narrow EQ cuts in the 4K-ish range. Repetition in the beat didn't bother me as much as Larry, but I would agree there is some for additional variation. I think this is pretty good as-is, but there are several easy fixes that could be put in place that would make me more enthusiastic about it. I can see it either way, but for me NO resubmit, please

Solid rock work here. Clean production and tight performances. Source is a bit on the conservative side, but plenty of personal touch as well for me. Nothing else really to add here. Good stuff. YES

Good start to the piece. Liking the level of arrangement here - nice attention to detail and lots of various part-writing. Need to be careful at times as due to some part-writing complexity, it's hard to figure out what to focus on at times as the listener, like at 1:36 & 2:33. Sometimes the lead melody gets lost behind the rest. As mentioned, samples may not be the best, but they work. I think the brass in particular has some issues carrying lead part writing effectively due to slow attacks on samples and articulations not quite matching up. In general, some parts feel exposed in the mix, which doesn't help the realism. Personally, I'm a bit liberal on the reverb to gloss over my weak sample set. I'm not necessarily suggesting that here, but it's really difficult to achieve realism with loud instruments sticking out at times. Rubato at 1:14 & 1:28 felt a bit forced. I know it's hard to sequence that effectively, so I'm not faulting you - just pointing it out. Not a big deal, but I also wasn't 100% sure what spacing the orchestra is occupying. For example, the solo flute manages to rise prominently at times over the whole orchestra (which, as a former flute player, would be pretty difficult as only a small percentage of your air actually goes through the instrument. Higher, more piercing notes may make it though). 2:19 definitely feels problematic. The lead trombone(?) sounds like it's stepping on top of it's own notes and sounds off when juxtaposed with the backing parts. The sequencing on this section sounds like it needs another pass to get the part writing to gel better and have cleaner note runs if possible (again, due to legato samples on fast note runs). A similar issue happens in the 2:00 ish section with writing preceding it with the messy sounding solo horn, but it's not as prominent. Overall, I'm liking what you've done here. There's really nice arrangement. Some production tightening up would do the job for me. NO resubmit, please

Gonna keep it short here. Listening to the remix, the foundational elements is based upon direct sampling of the original without (IMO) meaningful enough arrangement variation away from the original usage. Sure, it's sliced up a bit and things are moved/grooved differently, but overall it feels like an evolution/progression from the original, rather than an OC ReMix arrangement. Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but I feel like we used to be more restrictive on direct sampling and this would've been no override. I remember personally having to cut original sampling used in just the intros of one of my tracks years ago to make sure it was super limited. Could be that mine was verbatim (though effected) vs. this, which is a bit more arranged, I don't know. I'll also agree with the repetition comments as well. It's part of the old electro-genre, and I understand that, but I there's still room for additional variation within the track here. As stands, this makes me think of the old late 90's live DJ mixes that were intentionally extended/repeated for a long period of time beyond what the original tracks featured for the live dance audience (and not necessarily for listeners at home). Not necessarily a deal-breaker alone, but a point for improvement. It's a cool track for sure, but to me it's not to the point of fitting OCR's criteria for arrangement. NO

Hey, my first vote since baby leave! Clean-sounding production here. Source connections are pretty clear off the bat. Liking the bass writing after 1:00. Transition at 1:28 didn't necessarily feel drastic to me, but did come off as a bit weak. Drums felt a bit plodding to me, though it's hard to have specific recommendations to help them. Maybe they were a little too pinned to the 2 & 4 beat (between fills), so they didn't drive as much as they could. Ultimately, while not fully cohesive, the juxtaposition between both sources wasn't extreme enough to bring it under the bar for me. Production is clear and arrangement connections are good. Imma YES

I feel like I've judged multiple tracks with this same source in the past year or so. Seems to be a popular one? A bit depressing for my taste, but then again, I've never played the game. Anyway! Definitely feeling Gario's & MW votes above. Right off the bat, this is very cover-ish on the piano, with some backing elements and a bit of rearrangement thrown in. He makes a good point as well about getting everything in the same sonic space. If you can't route each item to the same reverb (for example, due to built-in verb on the samples or something), then you'll have to put some additional effort to unify the spacing on the various elements. Good start here, but would need more development, arrangement expansion and the aforementioned production love to be a pass from me. NO resubmit, please

Understood, just kidding around not srs bzns!

Super catchy mix. Creative arrangement work throughout. Lead felt a bit strong in the 2-4khz range throughout. As a whole, I think the track eq could've been balanced a bit more to bring down that general range and have more presence in the mid-low/low ranges. 1:30ish section in particular gets a bit piercing in some higher freqs. I'm a bit torn. The balance/piercing freqs is really the only concern I have and it's a relatively easy fix. I'm gonna go yes borderline and leave it up to Gars if he wants to give it another production pass to tighten it up. YES (borderline with eq)

@Meteo Xavier if you do end up getting it, let us know how it is. I've been seriously considering it for a while but wanted to wait until I actually et a tablet (vs iphone)..