Palpable

Happy birthday dude. Hope it's a good one.

Pretty solid techno arrangement here. Love the beat, the high energy, and the supporting parts. The way the source is used definitely has some creativity to it, even if it stays pretty conservative. Like Larry, I think 4:45 was exactly the point where it needed a change-up. Dropping out some instruments and bringing in some new stuff could have maintained the creative flow - it was disappointing to hear it retread. That's pretty minor ultimately, as the arrangement is pretty bangin' for the first five minutes. The mixing is a huge thing though. You guys know how to put parts together, and I think the separation is decent for most of the song. But the strings that open the song are extremely loud, almost louder than the rest of the song at its peak! Definitely bring those down, and then try cutting some room out of them cause the drums that come in at 0:26 are barely audible. Maybe bring up those drums too; you guys could stand to go back and play with the faders a little to make the sound more balanced. Use more EQ whenever stuff conflicts. Your biggest problem to me is that the song needs to rise and fall more smoothly volume-wise. Other than that, I think this one is really solid. Good luck with the rest of the vote. NO (resubmit)

What you came up with was MUCH funnier than a rickroll. I thought it sounded pretty cool, actually!

10char

Nice work, AnSo. Keep rocking that clav. Source still sucks though.

'Ili has pretty much hit everything I would cover here. The arrangement is quite conservative, keeping most of the original parts, though transposing them to new instruments. The new percussion was a good addition, though I think this needs more melodic and structural variety, something to truly set it apart from the original song. And I think your production needs some work too. The instrument quality is good, but the articulations are very rigid, each note being played exactly the same, unrealistically. Smoother attacks and some variation on attacks and releases would help add the realism this lacks. Careful with your volume levels too. The percussion sounds thin, while the woodwinds coming in at 1:13 are overpowering. Keep working on your skills. I'd recommend experimenting with the parameters of your instruments to get more natural sounds. If your software has presets you can try, that may help a lot. NO

I know we didn't want to spill too many details on this but... Let's just say you all are really gonna dig Larry's first production.

Instead of "Echoes of Eternity", the subtitle for this project should have been "No, not the SNES one".

For my end-of-year piano recital, in front of several hundred people, I started my song an octave too high. Think I got like five measures into it before I realized, and started over. Not a bad worst mistake, to be honest. Quitting the piano was arguably a worse mistake.

Not bad for a first attempt. You've got some cool sounds and details, some intricate drum stuff here and there. I think it still has some ways to go to be truly personalized. You've got a big chunk of the song that basically keeps the original parts intact, shifting them onto new instruments. I think the later sections that incorporate improvisation are more what you should focus on, though as Larry pointed out, they could stand to be more melodic. He also mentioned that the beat gets repetitive, and I agree. The bass opening the song is quite plain - I'd suggest adding some effects like delay or filtering, and maybe using a stronger synth. There are actually a lot of instruments that could stand to be fuller and more texturally complex. I noticed the lead coming in at 0:43 has a really long attack; maybe think about using something tighter there, unless you had intended it be more of a background thing. A lot of improvement could be done here, but I think you have the right attitude, Raniero. Keep making mixes, trying things out, listening to the critique of others, and you'll get better as a writer/producer. NO

This takes the basic figures of the original and turns them into something much more intricate, using them in a variety of different ways. The interplay is excellent. My favorite moment is at 1:00, which has the pianos trying to outdo each other. When I hear it, I imagine a battle scene in a play, where swordfighters are taking turns dashing at each other. Suffice to say, the piano playing/arranging in this is great. A little more separation of the pianos would have helped this a bit. I also think I'd prefer one of the pianos to be a little brighter for contrast but that's more a personal preference. Really, this is great work. YES

How else could an Indian like me get on the panel? Little-known fact: I get 50 paisa for each mix I judge!

Definitely an underrated song from the Chrono Trigger soundtrack (which means we only have a couple mixes of it on the site already as opposed to 10 ). This was a tough one to make a decision on. I think the piano parts are quite expressive, and at its best, the mood created here is stunning. The acoustic guitar, vocals, and reversed effects add a lot. The switch to Prelude is a revelation in the midst of such darkness; a fantastic addition. The problem is that the flaws with the song really stick out. I don't think the drums are strong enough for the song, and 0:31 really doesn't have nearly the impact it should. A bass section may have added some depth there. The guitar part at 1:31 is jarringly unrealistic too, and the fade-in and out of the drums at 2:28 is strange. I think if there was more reliance on the drums I'd want this redone, but they aren't used that much, so I'll say YES. There's a lot merit in the rest of this song and I think it outweighs the minor though obvious problems it has. YES

Great sources. I wasn't familiar with the soundtrack - I'm definitely checking out the rest of it sometime. Very reminiscent of Enigma, down to the Sadeness-like beat of Rusty Ruin 2. Although these seem pretty slow for a Sonic soundtrack... Very chill arrangement. I loved the atmosphere you created here with the Spanish guitar, shakers, gentle synths, and rainforest FX. I don't think it's miles away from the original, but it's clearly personalized. The soundscape was a little thin, and I think some heavier bass and beats layered with what you have could have made this more well-rounded, but the sparser beats do set this apart from the original more. I guess it's just that the bass is lacking a little in comparison to other freq ranges. I don't think this is a dealbreaker, but other judges may. I liked how clean and clear this was. Some additional dynamic contrast at 1:24 would have really sold that change but it still has impact. Smooth work, Damon. YES

Very soulful arrangement, played with the same emotion. I think this is my favorite thing of yours I've ever heard, Jon.

It is the 90's, and there is time for a trance remix of Klax. This has some great ideas. The transition into the massive orchestral section is pretty awesome, and I think the glacial pace of that was blissful. Honestly, on paper, the combination of that with direct sampling of the source tune seems rough, but this makes it work. I did think for a six minute song this needed more going on, though. The beat especially needs some drop-outs every few measures or so, something to change it up. When this is going at full steam there's not much detail, and that's a large chunk of the song. Production had its problem spots too. When eveything starts playing together, the balancing is lost and the song starts to mush. It's tough, but I think you need to undo the compression, use EQ and volume controls to make the parts more distinct, and then maybe bring some of that compression back. I realize you're sort of creating an effect with the compression, but I think it goes a little far and the song needs better balancing for it to work. Give it another shot, Stephen. What you have here is really cool. NO (resubmit)

I love the Goemon OSTs and this song reminded me a bit of my own Oedo Hop, at least in spirit. This is really playful and funky, with some very memorable moments, like the phased tablas and the Hammond solo. I think some more light background parts could have filled it out more, but what's here is excellent. I actually had no problems on how liberal this was. I agree with your breakdown, Larry, but the chord progressions are there in every section except 2:51 and I thought they were distinct enough to keep this on track. Great overt uses of the source too. Production is smooth, light, and clean. Instrument levels might be a tad off at times, but this is easily a pass in my book. YES

Thought it was solid as a trance tune. Not very out there, but some interesting beat details and a good drive. This is definitely skirting the line of what is too liberal though. Break it down, y'all: 0:00-0:29 - original 0:30-0:58 - uses melody and countermelody 0:59-1:40 - original 1:41-1:55 - uses simplified melody 1:56-2:11 - original 2:12-3:50 - uses melody and countermelody 3:51-4:56 - original I think I can round the numbers in your favor, but I thought the treatment of the source was fairly uncreative given how only one line of the melody and countermelody are used. In your favor though, the simplification of the melody was not bad for a change-up, and the harmonies in the second-to-last section were an excellent addition. I also noticed there's a short arpeggiated riff that comes up a couple times that's pulled from the original - a decent touch. I'm willing to call this just over the line. Production was very skewed towards the highs and it got pretty loud up there. There's also not much clarity when the song reaches its peak, and EQ would help this out a lot, especially in making that piano clearer. That's gonna be what stops this for me, and I'd like to see those two things fixed before this goes up. I don't think anything necessarily needs to change on the arrangement side, but I think more could have been done. This is very close to a pass for me, so I hope you spend just a little more time on it, Mike. Keep hitting those WIP forums and try to enlist some of the production gurus' help for the finishing touchs. NO (resubmit)

Wow. This is epic. Morphs effortlessly into practically a different style for each song. The writing here is just awesome, Mark. I'm a huge fan of the OST and I think this really does it justice. Which makes this decision such a letdown. I do think you've got most of it where it needs to be, but there's some production issues that really hamper. In addition to what Larry and Jesse have pointed out, I thought the quality of that brass at 0:03 isn't great and only starts to work when it's accompanied by the strings. The drums starting at 1:38 sound a little thin and even when more come in, it never has quite the impact it feels like it should. More lower freq emphasis could give that more power. Especially at 2:34, when the drums come in full force, it sounds too thin. I know it's hard to fit everything in, but they need more presence than they have. If you can fix the production on this, I think it would be a classic mix. Please, please take the time to fix it up. NO (resubmit)

There wasn't much to this arrangement. It holds the same bland textures for a long time, with little in the way of changing the original parts. The new parts play predictably, apart from the minor freakout like at 1:52. Actually, I think more weird stuff like that would improve this. The way it's arranged and produced reminded me of Ween: the slightly-off timing and notes, the effects on the guitar, and the cheesy lead. I think it's difficult to make that cheap sound work in your favor, and they do it by being so out there with their vocals, effects, and other instrument choices. If that's the sound you're going for, you definitely need more weirdness and creativity. Otherwise, sound upgrades on the synth lead and drums would help. Pushing the lead up an octave would also make it stand out more. NO

Great atmosphere and mood here - very slinky. I never would have thought the originals in this style would work (well, maybe "Kefka") but this is totally cohesive. Good direction and a nice variety of sections. Some of the lines have great phrasing. If this mix has a failing, it's the quality of some of the instruments. Truth be told, the only part that I had some concern about was 1:10-1:44. The brass does sound a little exposed in the lead role. It comes back towards the end of the song, but at that point there's a lot going on and it doesn't sound out-of-place. Or perhaps by then my ears were used to it. There were some other minor things that aren't that big a deal. I'm going to say borderline YES to this one. In the end, I think the strong arrangement outweighs the production issues. YES (borderline)

Happy birthday Fishy! I suspect one day your rock will unite the planet, a la Bill and Ted.

I'd love to see something like this as a tutorial, as I've been having some EQ woes myself lately. Just seeing the finished EQ settings for any song would be really useful.

Happy birthday, dude, keep doing what you do. I'm gonna queue up some of your mixes at work to celebrate.

Great energy. After the little break at 0:20, the way it kicks back is really awesome. The attention to detail in this song is excellent and the individual drum hits give it realism. It adds a ton to the original, which was quite an underdeveloped song if you ask me (I'd NO it ). You made it into something. Your producing is definitely coming along, Andrew. I think the worst I can say is that some of the instruments in this have a slightly unnatural sound, like the acoustic guitar. Other instruments can use a touch more low-end, as the bass frequencies sounded a little empty. But for the most part, things are where they should be, everything is clear, and all is right with the world. Here's your YES