Palpable

A lot to like here. I love the intro which opens on some great war FX before kicking in the guitars and drums. The arrangement itself is pretty cool, picking and choosing various bits of the game music and creating something new. I thought it flowed reasonably well. Like CHz has mentioned, production needs improvement. The drums sound overly compressed, so that's a good place to start. I'd remove that compression, try to get the levels and EQ more balanced and then maybe add some of that compression back. Though this is really pushed, the high-end is not all that filled, which might be another side effect of the compression. You might have too much competing in the lows. I'd like to pass this one, so please take another stab at the production, Dustin! NO (resubmit)

Excellent take here, not a huge stretch from the original, but more fleshed out and humanized. The bittersweet emotion of the original is more pronounced. The arrangement is pretty much perfect - there's nothing I would change, it says what it intends to. The production... I would raise the levels of the backing instrumentation and probably adjust the EQ of the lead guitar. It's hard to hear the backing instrumentation when the guitar is going, there's no reason it needs to be so much more present than everything else. That's the only issue I've got and as such I feel fine passing this, but I would have liked it more with some tweaks amd maybe I'll suggest you guys make those if others agree. YES

Wow, don't even know where to start with this one. The arrangement is too simple, doesn't feel cohesive, and the new elements don't actually add that much interpretation; part of the piano melody is written wrong and doesn't work with the chords you've got; the piano is played mechanically; the low-end is incredibly overpowered with too much reverb; the mixing levels are off; the parts crowd each other. I guess I just earned that douchebag status back, huh? NO

I had no idea this source was so long. I only remember the first five seconds of this from playing it as a kid. Hmm, I'm sort of feeling Jesse's criticisms but at the same time, I did enjoy this. I definitely agree with him that the harmonies get muddy, there should have been a better way to write that or to use the damper differently. But in spite of the fact that the rhythmic complexity is not high, I still want to say YES. I really liked some of the new chords, and the simplicity worked in your favor to make this moving. Every time I felt it was about to drag, you introduced something new in the left hand. Good luck with the vote, I dunno if others will see it my way. YES

I really like the mood and instrumentation of this. Vocoding was creative and mellow, and the guitar/piano combo really works. There might have been one too many sections where there wasn't much of a focus, but overall, as a short mood piece, I was groovin'. But I do have to agree with OA that the source usage is pretty much non-existent. Maybe we're wrong about this, and feel free to call us out on it via PM, but I'm barely hearing any Pokemon in this. 0:31-0:50 is pretty much everything I would count, bar a cameo or two. Edit (2/10): I did miss the source usage from 1:12-1:40, though the melody has been somewhat altered there and it's not a strong tie. Counting it still only puts the usage up to 35%. Anything else, guys? It's still too liberal to me. NO

You've got good ideas here, I'll give you that. I like the way the instruments stay mostly the same, but the genre changes as it gets more frantic. Very creative! But the production is not selling your ideas. Some of the articulations are off, and it's especially noticeable in the intro. The velocities also remain pretty consistent, and that makes this sound pretty static and unrealistic. I also think the reverb is a little overdone, there could be more space in here. The whole soundscape is crowded. Not bad for a start though. I'd stick with this one, Nabeel. NO (resubmit)

A lot of personalization going on in the clever orchestral/electronic instrumentation and new dynamics, but this is very conservative for the first 1:46. Follows the melodies of the original almost exactly, with some minor change-ups in structure. Same with 2:17-2:46. The other minute and a half of this has some cool riffing with the melodies and soloing and felt more interpretive. Close call on account of the conservative arrangement, but I think I'll go YES. I liked the creative genre mixing, and the last minute added some much needed interpretation. Probably would have liked it more with some changed-up backing parts. YES

I was ambivalent about the premiere. I loved that they solved a few mysteries for us in a way that wasn't too expository, and the story seems to be taking some real direction with the fake Locke trying to get home. I wonder if the island is a prison for him, and he was held there by Jacob. Seems like things are shaping up nicely for a showdown between fake Locke and the Others (plus Jack, Kate, et al). But the alternate timeline stuff seems like it could be a drag that takes away momentum from the main story. I didn't care about it that much, though I think it will eventually dovetail into the other timeline (just like how the flash forwards eventually did, which ALSO didn't hold my interest until I knew they were going back to the island). Overall, some good, some bad. I am optimistic that the writers know what they're doing.

Yeah, you're a little late on getting on that project. But check out the Projects forum for other projects still in the works. Many of them need people.

Damn, you all are way too quick. Making me look bad here. Happy birthday to my awesome girlfriend/bandmate!

Aw man, that sucks that she's leaving the band. If I were anywhere near Phoenix, I'd definitely go. They were awesome when they swung by DC, one of the most energetic shows I've seen.

I think Anso summed up the drums best. The high-end sounds loud, but they also sound hollow. It's a sizable problem, but that's my biggest beef with what is a GREAT arrangement. Will, I am soooooo glad you stepped out of your comfort zone for this, this is a great variation on your usual style. Maybe not my favorite track of yours, but I know as you continue to refine the production on these new skills you're picking up, you will make some really awesome stuff. Not to say that what's here is problematic, but it doesn't have the polished fullness of your best synth tracks. Guitar solo is damn cool, and you worked those new instruments into your rock drums + synth palette nicely. I'm calling it a borderline YES. There are some clear production problems, and I am close to saying the drums are a dealbreaker, but like Anso, I feel it squeaks by because of the arrangement. YES (borderline)

This has got a whole host of problems, starting with the fact that there isn't a whole lot of arrangement going on. It does sound like a sound upgrade, with some cookie cutter synths added. The drum patterns get repetitive, and even the break sounds like you just filtered it. I like the fills you have going, those add to the mix, but some more drastic variety in pattern would have improved this, I feel. Then the production. The overall soundscape is thin, and the snare is weak. Something needs to fill that void. Sequencing is very rigid. There's a lot you can improve here. Keep working at it. NO

Yeah arrangement is very cool. The classic original doesn't have a lot to it, so the variations here really do it justice. I like the rough, raw sound you've got, but the mixing could have been better. That low-end gets really crowded - by the end of the song, you can barely hear the kick. I can't imagine it's that big a fix, might just be cutting out the mud. I'll call it a conditional YES, I think some of that needs to be cleaned up before I'd YES it. YES (conditional on mixing)

OA hit most everything on this. The drums were pushed too high, they really started getting in the way of the guitars, and the sound wasn't very clean. I liked the guitars a lot more in comparison, the playing was cool, a lot of expression and tricks thrown in. But again, OA was right that they didn't quite fill out the track. This song felt sluggish and I think that comes down to not properly filling out the track. Careful with the tuning in the intro too, that sounded slightly out of tune with the rest of the song. I thought the arrangement was fine - on the conservative side, but didn't exactly use the melodies straight. The soloing was very cool. Production is a killer, unfortunately. Please fix it up! NO (resubmit)

Fine, we are.

This sounded really conservative. First half has some parts that sound almost identical to the original, and I think except for some minor flourishes, there's no real interpretation. Even when more instruments come in, the writing either comes from the original or it's so tucked back that it's hard to make out. I heard some chord changes in the second half, that was cool. More stuff like that, please! The production also wasn't totally there. There's some slow string attacks, an unnatural sounding wind instrument at 1:26, and as mentioned, the background instruments are too tucked back. Conceptually, I love the piece and the piano playing in this was very good. There's some real strengths there. But it falls down in the interpretation and execution. I can't pass on it, sorry. NO (resubmit)

No, you. 10char

I wasn't as crazy about this as the first three votes, but I don't get where you're coming from thinking this is too conservative, Jesse. There's a ton of little places where the melodies change, harmonies added, new stuff in the background. My unchaste mother just raised me to think that way, damn it! It's a pass. I don't think this is really Sebastian's best - the instrumentation is a little blunt, but there's a lot of little details and it's a good interpretation. YES

I didn't hear a lot of source in this either, except for the chorus. With OA's helpful cheat, I can see how the melody line follows the original, but feeling that connection is solid is another thing entirely. Gonna have to say NO on that basis, sorry everyone. Most everything to do with the arrangement is well-done - I liked the singing, the moody production. Even the synth-work had a little bit of movement, it wasn't completely static, and it was backed up by some jazzy chords and bass that drew some attention away from the staticness. Pretty much it's only the source usage I feel uncomfortable about. NO

Happy birthday dude!

She's a dragon?? I thought she just avenged them. Well in that case, I better damn well wish her happy birthday. Happy birthday, DA!

I believe we have a panel though I can't confirm. djp or Larry can confirm it.

More emphasis on spectacle than MAGFest or Otakon - tons of game company booths all trying to catch your attention with crazy stuff, probably like most video game expos. But there was also a lot of room for tabletop gaming and DS gaming which made it seem more personal, like MAGFest. It has elements of Otakon and MAGFest, but doesn't quite compare to either. I had a ton of fun at PAX and I will try to make it up for PAX East.

Alright, then I'm a more solid YES. The middle section had the same style and offered some creative new variations. It flowed into it from the source well, the transition back wasn't that bad either, even for an intentionally jarring switch.