Palpable

I guess this is the stuff I miss when I don't judge as much as I used to. I'm not familiar with the main source, but this is a gorgeous arrangement and very well performed. Very reminiscent of the Stormlord ReMix that djp mentioned in terms of instrumentation, mood, and exotic appeal (if I can't understand it, it's all foreign to me - invented language or not). You keep getting better, Mansoor.

Hard to put my finger on what exactly didn't work in this one, but I think a lot of it comes down to the balance and mixing. The drums aren't that powerful and there wasn't a strong rhythm to the arrangement - case in point, the guitar felt compressed to the point of being flat. The lead guitar also could have been more present in the mix so that it wasn't competing with the background instruments. Apart from production, the synths weren't all that interesting to listen to and the song felt on the bland side. I like the additions you've made to the source, and generally, the concept is sound. It's very close to the bar, but I'd like to see one more try. Given how it looks like you improved on the last version, I think you can knock this out of the park next time, whether it's this song or something else. NO (resubmit)

This is a fantastic concept for an arrangement, pretty unique as far as what we get, and I didn't mind the length much at all. The quieter sections are simple but well-done, with just enough writing to keep pushing things forward. So I really enjoyed how this started, but once it got to the busier sections the execution wasn't matching the ideas. The rigid sequencing felt unnatural on most of the instruments, although it almost felt so chaotic that it wasn't striving for realism. It's close, but it bothered me enough that I too have to ask for another version of this. Please keep at this one, I would love to hear a really polished version of it. NO (resubmit)

Siding with Emu on this one. The first four minutes were so conservative that I didn't feel any amount of interpretation after that was gonna make up for it. You've clearly got a good ear for sounds and production, but we're looking for music that's more like the second half than the first. I also think that there could be more to catch your ear overall, some random details here and there. The instruments aren't static in themselves, but they become so after being used in the same way for minutes. Hope you can take another look at this for us. (P.S. No need to poop on other mixes in your write-up - at least be more constructive if you want to criticize a mix!) NO (resubmit)

I can go ahead and close this out. It's somewhat liberal, but the main boss rhythm is present most of the time. I like that you were able to take such a unmelodic source and turn it into something this fleshed out in that way. While not perfect, I think this was a lot crisper than the last production I heard from you, Connor, so keep up the good work! I did hear some clipping at 1:38 and other places though. That certainly should be fixed before this gets posted. YES (conditional on clipping fix)

This a hundred times. It's not just the bass, but also the drums in the intro and some other instruments. It mars what is otherwise a great production. Apart from the bass which didn't quite fit the vibe, this felt like a step up production-wise for you, Gui (I hope I can call you that). Fantastic instrument clarity - I hope you continue stepping things up. Sadly, I can't pass this as is, but you could turn this one around pretty quickly I bet, and get it passed. NO (resubmit)

Larry was on the nose here. It was a little medley-like but acceptable IMO; the mixing was a bigger problem. There were a lot of background instruments that didn't have much clarity. Bev, you probably need to take more of a look at the low-end of this mix and see if you can cut more of it away, possibly reduce reverb if that helps. Sections of this were fine, but others just sounded muddy. Some instruments like the drums were too loud. Definitely some good stuff going on here, great ending especially. Hope you can clear up some of the problems here and send it back to us. NO (resubmit)

According to all the articles I read, you're in the clear. Go for it!

I don't know if I'd go as far as scared, but writing outside my comfort zone makes me less likely to share the result with others. I'm sure the root of it is an ego thing - I know I can make good synth-based music, but I just don't have enough experience making rock songs or whatever to feel good about the result. Of course, you build that experience by simply doing it.

There's no need to unauthorize any donations in any scenario. Kickstarter's FAQ mentions that if there is a problem with a project, all backers are notified and all pledges are cancelled. The idea that they would just pocket the money is absurd - it'd be unethical, and insanely bad PR for them. So like you said, Brandon, let's all hold on until we get an update from the pretzident.

Very interesting arrangement. The original is sort of a tense, steady song that has an air of triumph beneath it. Your arrangement is a lot darker and you do some bold things with the melody line. I especially love the 3:20 section which has that unsettling arpeggiated guitar line just under the surface - that's a perfect use of dissonance for effect. Then out of nowhere, the sun comes out for a section and the melody line no longer sounds creepy. One of your best arrangements, Brandon, and I think it trumps the minor problems on production. I wasn't too bothered by the vocal problems because it never felt like they were taking center stage, even the lead. They sounded a bit reedy though and I think that comes down to how you produced them, because I feel like I've heard you done some bellowing stuff before (though maybe Biznut is doing those parts). Put some more low-end into it next time. I also think your production in general is a little dry so try experimenting with more reverb. YES

Wasn't feeling the breakdown that Alex provided. Since he provided a lot of info about the song's creation, it's obvious to see where his inspirations came from, but for me, there's too much lost across the iterations. Apart from the times when this song references the main melody and the 0:35-0:51 sections, I find it very hard to hear a connection. The main chord progression in Sakura is so basic that you really need something beyond that to make a connection - and I don't even hear that progression used much. Definitely couldn't hear the synths as a reference to the opening piano. You guys are obviously both very talented and the song is a fun listen. Transitions and ending aside, there's nothing I think could be improved. It needs to have more of a tie to Sakura. NO (resubmit)

Hmm kind of surprised that people thought this was problematic enough to go NO on it. Thought the production was fine for the most part, not especially thin except for a couple short sections. Snare tone was a little thuddy but serviceable. The arrangement is really creative too, a lot of variation built around a very simple song. Seems like a pass. YES

We had a little judges pow wow earlier this year and decided that conditional votes were being overapplied where they didn't make sense. In some cases, it was making the judging process take longer instead of shorter, because it would make the current count of votes unclear. For an experienced remixer, rebalancing a mix might not take long, but for many newer musicians, it would be a challenge. We're trying to start using conditional only for very quick fixes like fadeout or encoding problems. We do prioritize resubmits to some extent to make up for this change.

Not something I was keeping in mind when we made this, but certainly the same spirit.

Haha yeah - in fact, I'm gonna bet House of the Dead and Altered Beast came in a package deal with Eggman, because otherwise they're like the 912th and 913th villains I would think of.

I doubt they had to pay any money. I think most companies would be thrilled to have their character in a movie like this, it's free promotion. Think of Mr. Potato Head in the Toy Story movies and how it re-popularized the character. This does look pretty sweet, and I feel like I've seen that yellow robot before but can't place it.

Yeah after the first listen I really had no clue how to vote on this. Definitely a unique approach as far as subs we get - it's not even just pure spaghetti western because of the weirdo synths and the caveman drumming. It's neat. There was some production things that bothered me throughout and it's only on that basis that I'm rejecting this. The arpeggiated guitar and the bass were both too fake sounding for how they were used, and the heavier drums felt somewhat disconnected, maybe too dry. I also felt like I lost the source connection in the second half, and though I can hear the chords, including some of the melody would help strengthen it. Can't sign off on this, but please take another shot at it. NO (resubmit)

Great arrangement ideas, great execution. If this has a weakness, it's definitely the transitions. Certainly I've heard mainstream music that had abrupt transitions like this (seems to happen a lot in prog), but it makes it comes across almost like a medley. I also think sometimes the leads aren't that well-integrated and sound like they're floating on top of the rest of the song, but that wasn't as big a concern when the rest of the production is clicking. I'm gonna go ahead and pass it, but I think I would have loved this if the sections flowed together better. It felt more disjointed than I like. YES

This is fantastic. So much tension, so much control over the pace of the song. This is exactly what I look for in an orchestral arrangement. And there's these little creepy textural moments that make this a pitch perfect cinematic arrangement; there's really nothing I would change. I think anyone who knows the original song is gonna love the hell out of this, and the rest of us will love it anyway. YES

I love the aesthetic here, but I also came away feeling there was something lacking. I think part of the problem is that the drums seem dry compared to the rest of the tracks. Almost like you were mixing 70's drums with 80's synths - the combination seemed a little off to me, though not horrible or anything, just a little weak. I also agree with Deia that at 2:44 you added a lot of great ideas there, and the rest of the arrangement could have used a little more of that. I think even one more "layer" could have really spiced up the beginning of the song. Very close to a pass for me, but I'd like to see another go at it. I think you could easily make a passable song on your next attempt, and with some luck, you might even get the nod this time. NO (resubmit)

I like the spin you put on this. There's some solid rearranging going on (especially the double-time section later) while still keeping a lot of what makes the original good. The main problem I have is that the sounds are on the generic side without a lot of treatment. I don't think that your drum patterns need to change (you actually have a lot of variation) but the sounds themselves are a little plain. Experiment with some layering to get some more complex sounds. I also thought there was too much open space at times, and that might be a sign that you could use more complexity in instrumentation. Keep at it, there's a lot of promise here! NO (resubmit)

I could see some people finding this a little liberal, but I feel like there's enough hints of the original scattered throughout to make it plenty recognizable. I love the random departures mid-melody, almost as if you got bored with the original. Just a fun song to listen to. I think you could tighten up your balance just by doing some A-B comparisons with other songs in the genre, but this seems solid enough to pass. YES

C'mon Wes, don't just link to it. The songs can be updated, we might be voting on different versions. That's what we have an FTP for. I've updated the first post.

I listened to Angel's arrangement before the source tune as I've been doing lately, and I was disappointed that it was similar in instrumentation and mood during the harp sections. Larry was really right on the nose with that criticism. This is especially problematic to me because the original is arranged and produced so nicely, and this doesn't quite measure up. I think when you take that in conjunction with some production problems (the repeated string stabs being the biggest offender) I can't pass this. I like the ideas you've added but I think you need to go a little further, and tightening up the realism will help too. NO (resubmit)