Palpable

Very inspired take on the FTL track (which was cool, I wasn't familiar with it before). James took a warm, sparse, synthy track and made it funky and heavy, while keeping a lot of that same sparseness and warmness. The shift works great, and though there was a little bit of reliance on a few source patterns (Chimpa mentioned this repetitiveness), the concept and live playing added a lot of listenability. I didn't have a problem with the rhythm guitars except during the 0:57-1:16 section, and that's mostly because the instrument(s) carrying the backing pattern aren't very present against the rhythm guitars' higher range. Contrast with 1:34 when the guitar lead enters - it's very easy to hear and the guitar balance is perfect. Even the 1:16-1:34 section sounds pretty good, because the rhythm guitars drop down a bit, carving some space for the lead instrument. I won't say this is perfect, but it's an ambitious arrangement that mostly gets there and I think it's a pass! YES

It was pretty heavy on the vamping, but as Larry pointed out, it follows some of the structure of the original and definitely keeps a connection. Overall, great stuff. I like the bright, candy-coated synths; it felt like a juiced-up version of the original song. A lot smoother on the ears, and a lot more soloing to dazzle the listener. A pass! YES

This is my first time hearing this, but I am such a sucker for time signature adaptations, that I'm tempted to give people the YES just for trying. Luckily, this is a very easy pass. Production is great - without realizing it, I was doing Carlton from Fresh Prince-like moves while listening. The writing is quite melodic and fits the new groove perfectly. It's one of those seemingly effortless tracks (I said seemingly, I know this was a resub) where the concept and instrument set is so sound that the remix is gonna be great no matter what you do with it. YES

Very classic OCR feel to this. Melodies are pretty conservative, with some subtle changes. Most of the changes are in the style and backing instrumentation. Love the chilling, synthy instrument set. I can even see a YES on this, but I felt like it stayed in the same gear for too long. My main criticism is what Larry said, that the track is underdeveloped. Not by much - I think if you chopped it down to four minutes, I'd give you the YES. To keep a five-minute length, this would need something more drastically new. One thing I did disagree with Larry on is the crowd noise. It was pretty subtle and in the context of an electronic track that is not necessarily going for realism, I think it's not a problem. I didn't notice it at all until I read his vote, but even hearing the loop, it sounds more like a triggered sample for texture, rather than something realistic. NO (resubmit)

Larry's vote is completely on point here. Arrangement is awesome. I love the original song and this is high-energy and hard-hitting, or it can be with the proper mixing. The intro is great, but as soon as the orchestral elements enter, it's just a mush, and things sound too washed out. The strings are taking up too much of the low-end space that the accompanying instruments need to use; beyond that, it's hard to pinpoint the fixes. Granted, I think many remixers would have trouble mixing a track like this correctly (including myself) but that's the downside of going for something this ambitious. Sixto probably has some tips to get the production sounding better, since he's done tracks along these lines before. Hope you take another look at this to get it sounding right, because it's such a strong arrangement. NO (resubmit)

Whoa, those drums are weak sauce. I know all the other judges mentioned them, but with three YESes, I was expecting something not that bad. To me, it was very distracting and it took me out of the moment pretty hard. There were a few other issues that hampered my enjoyment of the track, including an energy drop in the first drum section, a disjointed feel between the drum sections and the non-drum sections, and some issues with the instruments not sounding like they are in the same space. Let me elaborate a little bit on those points. The first half of the song is pretty sparse and ominous, going for more of a creepy movie vibe. When it breaks into the drum section, it's more of a Monster Mash fun Halloween vibe. You've got some instruments that carry over, and I can even see other people digging the contrast, but it was jarring to me, especially because the drum section starts off so weakly, with only the thin synth melody and the drums and pads. At 2:22, when the cinematic strings are brought back, they sound like they are in a different space to me, like a different song is playing over top yours. Again, this is contributing to an overall uncohesive vibe to me. I liked many of the ideas here (especially that string run at 1:15 - that's sick) but it never felt like a fully cohesive piece. Improving the production might be the only fix you need honestly, but as it stands, it's not gelling for me. NO (resubmit)

The way this arrangement approaches changing the original is pretty subtle, mostly revolving around modifying patterns from the source, and adding flourishes here and there. It's immediately reminiscent of "Omen" but I think kosher with our standards. I enjoyed it too, FWIW. The bassy reverb is unorthodox and I can see people jumping to point it out as a flaw (in fact, it probably wasn't intentional), but with little else going on in that range, like Clem, I didn't mind it. Everything else sounded on point to me except maybe some of the higher string articulations. There was a little realism loss there, but not a big issue. Seems like a solid pass to me. YES

Definitely not a fan of that snare. It doesn't sound very strong, and I think needed to be layered with something bigger in a track like this. When it's first used in the halftime section or in emptier sections, it's especially weak. With lots of other instruments in play, the snare isn't as bad, and I think it sounds perfect on fills, but it's not great overall. Everything else was solid. I didn't think the instrumentation was particularly inspired or out-there, but serviceable. Mixing of the two themes was good but the solo section was the only section that really captured my attention. I also wasn't bothered by any repetitiveness of the drums because it seemed like there were enough other elements to focus on. A little bit of a tough decision because the snare isn't a huge deal, but at the same time I'm not particularly wowed by anything here except the solo, so it stands out more. I think a great production can make up for a decent arrangement, and a great arrangement can make up for a decent production, but what I hear here is decent arrangement and production and it doesn't feel right to pass it. Sorry Corey. NO (resubmit)

Great arrangement. I heard one of Rebecca's other subs and this one was more solidly produced and written. The medley structure is not a problem because the track flows extremely well and is of one piece. I almost wish I hadn't read the comments about the chimes because I don't think I would have noticed if it weren't pointed out. For one-shot instruments, it can be helpful to have a few different sounds to round robin with, or at least alter the volume as the dynamics of the track dictate. That said, it was a minor annoyance, not a dealbreaker. There are some things that could be done to make this track even better - add some larger dynamics, fix the chimes, improve string articulations so it's not so blocky, add some reverb to the dry percussion - but I think this was good enough to pass. YES

Great concept, but I think the song is relying too much on certain patterns and ideas to the point where the song gets repetitive. The drums stay at the same intensity for too long throughout the song, it really kills the builds you want to make. 1:06 is long for an intro too - I think I would cut a few of the repetitions and make the song take off sooner. The energy is also kind of weird after that big intro, dips really far off. Very much agreed with Kris that 1:55-2:54 drags. You need more focus there; can't hold on that the same groove for so long with subtle changes. There's detail, but not enough meaty changes, not enough focus. I also would come down on the production more than the last two votes. Lots of notes that sound late (mostly strings and brass), some abrupt volume changes for certain notes, and I thought the violin lead was way too fake to be used. The production didn't sound tight at all, and drew me out of the picture you were painting. Honestly, I think this one will need a lot of work but the general concept is promising enough to I would encourage you to work keeping on it. Get some more ears on this and let's make something that can pass. NO (resubmit)

Can't disagree with what's been said about the lead at 0:35: doesn't not work. A thin lead can do the trick sometimes, especially if you load on effects, or it's used in a song that is sparse, but here it it's too thin and dry given the lush bg. Second lead was awesome. The third lead is probably a better choice to replace the first lead if you want to use a thin lead to contrast the second lead. Apart from that lead, I liked the instrumentation. Chill vibe, and the drums suit it. The mixing is not good enough though. Drums need to be heavier on the bottom, bass needs to be quieter. Third lead was too quiet in the mix. I did like the pad, that seemed to be sitting pretty well, and was a cool way to end the song. The other problem was that the bg instrumentation is way too static. Add some more substantial change-ups rather than removing just one layer for a new section. The lead writing is pretty cool so if you can improve the bg writing so that it's on the same level, I think this has a chance to pass. NO (resubmit)

Source song has some strange harmonies. Huh. Ivan's track is more straightforward, ditching everything but the melody for an upbeat synth-rock instrumentation. Sounds great - not a lot to say about it given how straightforward and well-adapted it is. I sort of agree with Joel about the first half, though I think the problem is more that the synth lead and rhythm guitar are on the static side, rather than the arrangement needing to deviate from the source more. I like the detail work that the non-rhythm guitar adds, but I would have liked the melody to deviate a little more, have a couple high notes or vibrato or slides or something for more energy. The solo section was much-needed and gave me what I was missing. I'm not against fadeout endings per se, but here it felt a little easy, again. In all, my opinion is that this is solidly above the bar but could have been a grand slam with some more effort. YES

A more detailed breakdown would help us (you've already given us a breakdown), but I think this is a NO either way. I don't think it's a very cohesive piece at all, even though the execution may be the best I've heard from Guillaume yet. Sure, there are transitions, but it's still very abrupt when the source song changes. Actually, the transitions tend to highlight the segmented nature of the song rather than hide it. The transition at 1:08 draws out that last note and really calls attention that something is changing. The transition at 1:32 changes the time signature, which is also very attention-getting. Keys change, tempos change. All-in-all, very medley-like. There were many places were the writing also sounded awkward to me. The low brass at 1:02 sounded very late, while the off-rhythm stabs at 2:20 didn't mesh well with the other writing. The 2:40 section was directionless and felt like it needed one instrument to take more focus, rather than have so many playing essentially background parts. The Slide Show runs at 3:11 really didn't work well, clashed melodically (perhaps intentionally). At 3:30, the Love Grows melody hits a low note that I don't think works well. Production is serviceable but not perfect. There's lots that can be tightened up, but the sample quality is the first thing that comes to mind. Big problem here is the medley structure followed by the bits of writing that aren't that great. NO (resubmit)

Jeez, this is nuts. So much weird stuff going on in this song, but it maintains a steady direction and ultimately is cohesive enough, I think. The "Bonds of Sea and Fire" is the only section that lost me - it sounds great, but is strange leading from the dubby rock weirdness before it. I did like that you brought back the rock instruments. It helped tie everything together. Really ambitious arrangement, awesome work. The production though... not selling your vision well enough. The "Bonds" section was well-produced, but the harder sections didn't have the same strength. The drum samples were on the weak side, especially the snare, and the guitars never sounded as thick as they should have been. It sounded ok, not awful, but I don't think enough to get over the bar. I would highly, highly recommend taking this to someone who knows rock/metal production a little better to help you with those problem sections. This deserves to get polished and posted. NO (resubmit)

Remix Submission: MP3 Link: WAV Link: Contact Information: FFmusic DJ Haroon Piracha https://soundcloud.com/ffmusicdj userid = 4324 Title: Ragnarok Remixers: Geoffrey Taucer and FFMusic Dj Game: Xenogears Source tracks: Omen, One Who Bares Fangs at God, Awakening, Bonds of Sea and Fire Taucer says: When I first made a WIP for this idea, it was intended for the Xenogears project, which tells you how long I've been sitting on this idea. I didn't finish it because I couldn't get the "Awakening" section to sound right; no matter what I tried, it didn't sound harsh enough or intense enough, and eventually the mix just fell on the backburner. Fast forward to a month or so ago. After finishing up "Dire on the Rocks," Haroon and I wanted to do a longer mix in a different style. I mentioned that I had a WIP for a metal Xenogears medley, but I no longer had the project tracks, so we had to start from scratch. When we got to the "Awakening" section, I told Haroon to just go crazy with it, and he absolutely knocked it out of the park. He also did a fantastic job of processing the vocals, making me sound like a deep Gregorian chorus in the "Omen" sections and a Slavic women's choir in the "Awakening" section. FFMusic Dj says: I like music like this, I like the ability to make music that extend on for longer than a couple of minutes and Taucer had the vision and the drive to get this to extend. When Taucer showed me the song, I didn't know what I was getting into, but I jumped in on the idea of doing some Prog Rock. I learned a lot from the experience. There were many new ideas I had never thought of. Many of the engineering aspects were things I had never done before in music. A lot of tracks are quaded giving a wider sound than I usually produce in my trance remixes. I could not believe some of the vocal effects we got to achieve in this mix, it's remarkable. Keep in mind that besides the roar at the end of the "Awakening" section (which is me), and the female choir patch, the majority of vocals are done by Jeremy, including the vocals in the "Awakening" section. When it comes to the Awakening section, Jeremy just let me do whatever I wanted in the 15/4 timing. The challenge was trying to get a drum pattern going. I'm so happy to have worked on such an awesome mix with such a talented person as Taucer. Couldn't have been possible without his assistance through every inch of this song. Omen - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzhWuriX9Ws One Who Bares Fangs at God - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dKpeTEBYIA Awakening - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqqNi5_NPe0 Bonds of Sea and Fire - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFbVhFlqt3k

I didn't go over the source tune with a fine-tooth comb, but this sounded a lot more "inspired by" than "arrangement of". I'll admit I typically have trouble following how Alex uses the source tune in his remixes, and would appreciate some help. But I also didn't think the production was quite good enough to get over the bar. The intro was weaker than Alex's usual, with the string swells dipping in volume too much from note to note. When the melody comes in at 1:07 on low strings, it had a similar problem with not sounding that fluid. 1:55 and the last minute of the song have the same problem again. 2:49 has two staccato instruments playing 16th notes that sound out-of-time with each other, which really didn't sound good. Overall, it wasn't as tight as what I regularly think Alex can do, and it fell just short for me. NO (resubmit)

ReMixer - RoeTaKa Name - Alex Roe Email - UserID - 9374 Games Arranged - Batman Arkham Asylum, Batman Arkham City, Batman Arkham Knight (if it is out when this is judged, although gameplay footage has the theme I'm using so I know it is in this game) Arrangement Name - Into Oblivion Songs Arranged - The main theme of the Arkham series. It is peppered throughout most of the songs, particularly in Arkham City (a short motif). There are little nods to parts of the Arkham City soundtrack as well. If I had to pick a particular song that is arranged then I guess it would be the Arkham City Main Theme. Game info - Batman Arkham Asylum, Batman Arkham City, Batman Arkham Knight Composers - Nick Arundel, Ron Fish (Arkham City only, not sure if he will return for Knight) Systems - Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC (Arkham Knight PS4, XBOne, PC) Comments: Something I've always wanted to do is write a Batman song. Not just any Batman song, an Arkham one. I remember fondly buying Arkham City and starting it up on my PS3. I couldn't remember the last time I just sat and watched the title screen listening to that awesome awesome song. Arkham City's soundtrack is just incredible and Nick Arundel did a fantastic job of it. I'm looking forward to Arkham Knight's soundtrack just as much as the game itself. This remix came about because of the E3 gameplay footage of Arkham Knight after hearing the theme again in its music. I wanted to do something that felt like it could've been in the soundtrack. I used the theme as much as I could but it was difficult to remix other parts of the soundtrack, mostly I took inspiration from parts of the music I really liked and went with that. In that respect I hope it matches the criteria. Thanks! ---------------------------------------------------

There's a lot to like about this arrangement: great mood and instrumentation, and a lot of ideas for the leads and writing. But the overall execution was lacking a bit. The drums stay static for most of the song, and it's really not that exciting. The 808 clap also sounds out of place. Many of the string instruments, especially the low strings, sound out-of-time, delayed. There was a plodding feel to the arrangement despite the constant change-ups with the lead and interesting partwriting. I think this could be made passable but it would need some hard work. The drums are the biggest problem and really need an overhaul. The other instruments just need more attention to detail to get them sounding good. Would like to see another version of this. NO (resubmit)

RebeccaETripp Rebecca Tripp http://www.crystalechosound.com/ ID: 48262 Game: Majora's Mask Song's Remixed: Stone Tower Temple/Inverted Stone Tower Temple Song Title: "Inside the Stone Tower Temple" Comments: I made this with Ableton Live, Garritan, Eastwest and Project Sam. Here is a YouTube link: --------------------------------------------------------

This is, like, a hair away from being a pass for me. The overall volume on the song is low and should definitely be increased - it underwhelmed me on first listen because I was listening to it next to much louder songs. The fadeout at the end just doesn't cut it. Full-energy then drift away? Cut back to one of the quieter sections, then fade. I guarantee your song will have a much better flow that way. The piano also sounded a little low in the mix and could maybe be brought out more and sound more realistic. Other than that, I liked what I heard. Good arrangement ideas (maybe a little liberal at times), solid production. Instrumentation is standard trance/EDM but with good buildups and flow. I wouldn't have minded another section with some crazy programming like the awesome section at 2:06: moments like that are what make the song memorable. If you make another version, I'd love to see these issues addressed. NO (resubmit)

Hi! My remixer name: Zid Morin My real name: Zid Morin My email adress: Name of Game: Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Name of arrangement: Dancerat Name of song arranged: Laboratory Level I have done everything except for mastering. A friend of mine, Viktor Lindgren, did the mastering of the song and should be credited as such. Additional comments: Ever since I found OC Remix when I was about 12 or 13 years of age (I am now 22) I have wanted to submit my own remix to the site. There was one year in particular, which I now think when I was 13, when the only music I listened to was downloaded from this site. I’m so in love with the soundtrack of all the Jazz Jackrabbit games, and especially the song I have remixed, „Laboratory Level“, since it was the first stage in the Jazz Jackrabbit 2 demo that I used to play at my friends house (before I got myself a copy of the full game). It was the first song I decided that I wanted to remix. I thought it would fit perfectly as a dance track of some kind, but I knew I hadn‘t the skill nor the knowledge to make it happen. I could only wait until I was good enough. Here I am, 9 years later with my first remix worthy of OCRemix. Enjoy!

Pretty unique combination of sounds here: lo-fi Cure-style guitar, bitcrushed beats, and chip sounds. It's amazing how many songs I listen to as a part of my job as a judge, yet still hear some new combinations. The sound isn't perfect - there's a little too much distortion and the guitar doesn't slot into the soundscape as nicely as it could - but I like what I'm hearing. The creative instrumentation coupled with a cool arrangement adds up to a pass despite the issues I hear. YES

Hello, here's a submission of an arrangement from the Game Boy 25th Anniversary EP project for consideration as an individual release. ReMixer & real name: Eino Keskitalo forum id: 20708 ReMixer name: Tuberz McGee Real name: Callum Kennedy forum id: 44165 Names of games arranged: Batman: The Video Game (Game Boy) Name of Arrangement: Kaikuluotain Names of individual songs arranged: Title screen music Source: Showroom Dummy picked the title screen music from Game Boy Batman for People's Remix Compo round 259. It was completely nuts for me to take part in PRC in December 2013, since the Final Fantasy Crystal Clash tournament was ongoing at the same time and I basically had to skip sleep to participate in that already. The thing was, I was inspired by the source to pick up the guitar and learn the riffs, they were easy and fun to play. I offered to collab with my modest playing ability. Then it seemed there would be no entries otherwise, I thought screw it, I'll make a track. I used my FFCC round 2 tune as a template to speed things up and ended up with a remarkably different sounding tune. I also tried to save time by recording the guitar directly to the mic jack of the laptop thinking "it'll be nice and lo-fi!" Garbage. I did feel I got some The Cure influence in there with all the chorus stuff going on. Anyway, I got some good feedback from the compo, mainly about clarity in mixing & arrangement. Then I took the track to the workshop forum and got absolutely amazingly great feedback from TheReverend, which I can't thank for enough (just look at this: http://ocremix.org/forums/showpost.php?p=950191&postcount=2). The overall structure basically needed an additional part to be complete. When the Game Boy 25th Anniversary Project was re-started as a quick completion EP production, I thought "this is the opportunity to get that track finished!" I mean, deadlines are great: compo deadlines help me get started on arrangements, and album deadlines make me finish them. Why not combine the two? Genius. Ahem. I added the part TheReverend had suggested, with now much greater recording fidelity. As always, I can't really play the guitar - I only assemble guitar parts, and especially the solo at 1:45-2:19 is spliced up from the best bits of four different takes, making up new phrases from the combinations of what I actually played. Major cheating (at least would be in DoD), but I'm quite proud of it none the less. The old guitars also took a lot of editing for timing & EQ:ing for clarity. I got great steering and feedback from the directors mr. Strader & mr. Mourey; Alex suggested asking Tuberz to come on board for some additional guitar: our third (or fourth, if you count Shell Shockers) collab has him delivering some absolutely searing superfuzz soloing at 1:11 & 3:08, plus some padding/doubling work at 1:28-1:44 & 2:19-2:52. Oh and the starting mooing noise is also his playing slowed way down. Big thanks once again to Callum for excellent contributions on a short notice! Again thanks to Rondo and Pleiade for borrowing me recording & guitar equipment; also thanks once again to my fiancé Pirjo, ever my creative advisor, for the best insights and zero-sugared critique, for this and all other music I make. I'm glad I got pretty big thumbs up for this from her. And now a word from mr. McGee: "Eino approached me to work on the track and given our excellent track record I happily accepted. I threw some leedle leeds and meedle meeds and it somehow worked out." I dare say it worked out fantabulously, as always! Source breakdown: 0:00-0:05 starting noises 0:05-0:38 intro from source (source 0:00-0:20; the chord changes/bass used) 0:38-0:46 main riff introduced (source 0:21-0:34; the "guitar" riff used) 0:46-1:03 main melody as a guitar solo (source 0:34-1:00; the lead & chord changes used) 1:04-1:11 main riff an octave higher 1:11-1:28 original soloing I guess! a small bit of the main riff at 1:26-1:28 (also uses the same chord changes as the main melody has) 1:28-1:45 back to intro 1:45-2:02 main riff -based solo with the guitar chords following intro 2:02-2:18 solo goes original; guitar chords still from intro 2:18-2:52 back to intro 2:52-3:00 main riff 3:00-3:17 main riff continues; guitar lead to the right based on the main melody 3:17-3:18 main riff still plays a bit 3:18-3:25 no source That's all! Cheers, --Eino

I don't like to reject songs without having a good explanation, but here I struggle a little bit. The original song isn't really that melodic, mostly built around a simple riff. There's not much focus, it's more of a background track. Analogstik keeps the same spirit in his remix, keeping the riff but changing the other things around it. Honestly, it's pretty well put-together. Production is solid if generic, details pop in and out, song changes up several times. 1:09-2:44 is probably the best place to describe the problem I have. What changes in this section is subtle bg instruments and filtering on the lead instrument. It gets pretty tiring - this section could be cut in half easily. Other sections are a little more distinguished, but still not far from it. So while your song has a good flow and solid production, it's really just lacking ideas. Not necessarily arrangement ideas, just something new to capture attention. Maybe others can articulate it better. NO (resubmit)

Hi there! I would like to submit my remix of "Streets" by Graeme Norgate. You can download it from my SoundCloud page here: Remixer name - Analogstik Real name - John Montoya Email - Website - http://analogstikmusic.com User ID - 53088 Game title - TimeSplitters 2 Name of original song - Streets Name of original composer - Graeme Norgate Link to the original soundtrack: http://graemenorgate.bandcamp.com/album/timesplitters-2-ost About Graeme Norgate - (From Wikipedia) "Graeme Norgate (born 20 March 1971) is an English video game music composer who has composed music for a variety of video games developed by Rare. His first project at Rare was writing music for the Game Boy game, Donkey Kong Land. He also contributed to the soundtracks of Blast Corps and GoldenEye 007. Graeme was later an employee of Free Radical Design, the company was eventually bought out by Crytek and renamed to Crytek UK; Norgate retained the position of audio director after the company's buyout. Originally working at a bank before joining Rare in 1994, Norgate worked on the music of such games as GoldenEye 007 and Blast Corps. A friend of fellow Rare composer Robin Beanland, the two worked on the original soundtrack to Killer Instinct in the 1990s. He also composed music (but was not fully credited)[citation needed] for other Rareware games such as Diddy Kong Racing, Jet Force Gemini, and Perfect Dark. Norgate played synthesizer and programmed drums for the bands 'FWNT' and 'The Catch' between 1991 and 1992. He also works under the alias of Virez when remixing, he has remixed several songs for bands such as Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Goteki, Code 64, Seize and Illumina." Graeme's website: http://www.graemenorgate.com/ Some fun information - Graeme Norgate himself even praised this remix. At the time, I was going by the handle "8bit Riot". http://gyazo.com/f7949fbe9f9cb1bbb33aec52457f974d --------------------------------------------------------------------------