Palpable

I didn't have the same qualms that the other judges had, though I guess I understand their rationale. I heard a lot that differentiated this from the original(s), many new written parts and harmonies, changed chords, and a lot of ebb and flow. I really enjoyed it and this was a huge step-up in improvement for the younger Sword. The only two weak parts to me were the total stop in the middle, and the ending. Apart from those, I thought this was fine work, and the gorgeous meat of the track more than covered for those weak spots. YES

Toughie. I don't think this goes as smoothly as it could have if it stuck to less sources, but I am impressed how many of the transitions sound natural. There are some cool volume and tempo changes to keep it interesting, gives it its own flow. Yeah, I guess I'm good with this. Most of it sticks to Song of Storms and Song of Healing, with the other songs thrown in as cameos. It felt like it had enough cohesiveness. Didn't hear that clipping OA was talking about, but it might be something very soft. YES

I really enjoyed this, it had a low-key charm. Even the brass towards the end, which was the fakest thing to ever fake, fit the 90's midtempo track vibe because you reverbed it into silk. You really did hear that kind of stuff back then (and sometimes still today). The acoustic and electric guitars were beautiful leads and the live feel to them helped make up for the other leads which weren't as dynamic. Great track, I likey. YES

Your production has really taken off recently, Jewbei - this is smooth as butter. I like the lead sounds a lot, they're interesting without being ostentatious. Sometimes I see trance as a layer cake, and in this one, all the delicious layers of chocolate, frosting, and cake are working together to make something yummier than the individual parts. YES

This has got some cool ideas but I have to agree that the mixing is pretty weak. The drums and accompanying work are barely audible, totally robbing the song of power. I really like the guitar playing, but the guitars in the intro were either cut-and-pasted or had the same squeaky sound each time. As far as the arrangement goes, I felt it went back to the same ideas too many times. Like Larry said, nothing terrible here, but the overall song was underwhelming. The good news is this is a good candidate for a resubmit. NO (resubmit)

Is there source I'm missing beyond: 0:28-0:58 1:05-1:13 1:20-1:28 1:42-2:43 This seemed pretty light, guys. Edit (4/13): If Larry can't pick the source out of this, I don't think I'm likely missing anything more. NO

Have not heard back from Michael on this in two months since I first e-mailed him, so I'm gonna close it. We can fast-track a resub if Michael wants to give us one.

Finally checked this bad boy out. I love the style you used on this album, really funky and hard-hitting, very unique blend of influences. Hyper Monkey is soooo damn good.

Right now, we've got a sizable backlog, we're looking at stuff from last November. It could take a while. You should have gotten an automated e-mail right as you submitted; double-check your e-mail to make sure you got that. If you did get that e-mail, you just got to wait...

Heh, had no clue you were there, would have liked to meet you. Such is Magfest.

Yeah, that's fine, though if you have a link to an external source, that's preferable. Just so we know that you didn't create a MIDI yourself.

Whoa, who was recording this? Had no idea. Also, actually be there next year.

As always, MAG rocked my face off. I was super happy that we decided to get a room this year, because in addition to having a place to leave our stuff, the jamming/gaming party in our room on Saturday night made me the happiest I've been in a long time. I could have used another day or two to see people, but part of why MAG is so fun is because we don't get to see each other that often.

Even a two-note melody is remixable, IMO, as long as it's recognizable as the source, and the source isn't marginalized. Parts of this song do both those things for me, namely: 0:00-0:43 1:15-1:27 2:31-3:06 4:07-4:20 4:24-4:35 5:13-5:48 I intellectually see the connections you're making with the source in the other places but when you change the rhythm of a four-note source, it doesn't sound like that source anymore. The rhythm is almost everything defining it. Above, I only counted the parts where it played straight. Though you used the source straight at 0:43-1:15 and 3:06-3:18, I didn't count those because the source was buried under other synths. That puts this at about 43% source usage, which is pretty close but hard to say YES to. I bet you could make some quick modifications to this and get my vote. But as the other two votes show, it may not be that easy to get four people who think this is an acceptable arrangement. By the way, if you do another version, you really should do some tempo increases as the song progresses. NO (resubmit)

Man, Jewbei, why you gotta do this to us? This song is tight, but you gotta work the source in there more. From 1:41-3:23, the source is there the whole time, but the intro and outro, nothing. Even some hints at the melodies at those sections might be enough to push my vote to a YES. As is we're looking at a 65% original song. EDIT (1/26): Reopening this because halc pointed out some usage that I had missed. The arpeggios from 0:43-1:12 in Jewbei's track, while not 1-to-1 with the source, sound very similar and I would count that source usage. Not sure why I missed this the first time, as I remember looking into that arp. It pushes this just below 50% which is ok by me. halc also thought there was some melody usage starting at 0:30 in the arrangement, arranging something at 0:03 of the source, but that seemed too loose. Just wanted to see if you guys agreed with me. No worries if not. YES

No, but that would be interesting. Mainly, they host meetings and talks there for groups working towards social justice.

I am happy to say I totally disagree with the previous votes. I reckon this song will split along the lines of Breathe Deep, because the trick is pretty similar. It takes one snippet of the original (0:01-0:04) and makes that the basis for a mostly new track, except here the song harkens back to the source more than that song did (0:44-1:07, 1:07-1:30, and others). Not sure if DA and OA want to revisit their vote given how Breathe Deep went, but this was pretty much the same thing and had more connection to the source IMO. By the way, I don't think Alex is using a sample of here, I think he means he cribbed the same trick of filtering the strings and making them cut off before the end of the measure. It didn't sound like a direct sample to me, anyway; not sure I'm bothered even if it is.How gorgeous is that 1:07 section? Kisses to Alex, whether he wants them or not. YES

Theeeeeeeyy willl notttt foooooooorce uuuuusssss I saw the similarity to the Muse track, but this really didn't have the same energy level. The first time I listened through it seemed like you had some good variations, but the second time, a lot of it felt like wheel-spinning and it dragged. Production might be a factor too. The mid-low range sounded hollow, maybe you EQ'ed too much out of the instruments. The piano is pretty weak for a lead, compressed and mechanical. When you switched over to your favored guitar, it was a lot more enjoyable. Source usage was fine, but I think this one needs more work. NO (resubmit)

Really nice drums, love the sound of 'em. I wouldn't say the blend of disparate styles and instruments totally works for me - halc's usual chippy stuff seemed a little out-of-place - but for the most part, I admire the ideas here and enjoyed the arrangement. The mixing was slightly weak though. The elements didn't quite gel together in terms of sounding like they are in the same space, and the volume levels could have been tweaked. Not a dealbreaker, but I think it could be improved. Overall, adds up to a and a . YES

Sorry that you don't feel happy with how this turned out, Brandon. Some might be wondering why you submitted a song you weren't happy with, but I understand the impulse to just get the finished product out there, even it's morphed from what you intended. For the record, I enjoyed it. But as far as accepting it, I have to side with Shariq. By only using the chords for so much of this, the connection isn't very strong. It's not the most distinctive chord progression. I liked the variations on the melody, and there were a couple twists there, it wasn't straight playing. I wish there had been more of that, it was only there about a minute and a half. The intro and outro seemed out of place even though they are a riff on the original. Finally, the song is too loud, it needs to come down. It adds up to a resubmit for me. The source usage is the biggest issue, and that would make this a borderline call. The other issues push this to a NO. NO (resubmit)

This'll get you started: http://ocremix.org/forums/tags.php?tag=lyrics-original

Contact Information Your ReMixer name: NashX Your real name: Nash Sibanda Your email address: nashx90@gmail.com Your website: abitofnash.blogspot.com Your userid (number, not name) on our forums: 20437 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged: Final Fantasy X Name of individual song(s) arranged: People Of The North Pole Your own comments about the mix: Essentially I was hoping to experiment in drum n' bass and ambient music, two genres that have long fascinated me; I think that the best way of expressing your love for a kind of music is to make your own. At the same time, I had an old piano arrangement of POTNP that I'd been meaning to submit for, literally, years. As such, I collided these two strands together and came up with something which works. Made in Reason 5, with some sequencing done many moons ago on Sibelius 4. Much obliged, Nash "NashX" Sibanda ---------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6YMf4x16eY

We've got the amended version, but yeah sometimes when we're waiting on a new version, we don't pick it up immediately. Thanks for letting us know, I've added it to the queue. The usage has got to be minimal. Even in Pachelbel's Ganon, it's more the Canon style and sequence that is being used rather than the melodies. We have to look at songs case-by-case.

Even I was complaining. You should have been playing with me!

First con?