Flexstyle

Ah, a "source tune with drums over it" submission -- haven't seen one of those for a while! OK, that's a little bit unfair of me. The drums are chopped up in interesting ways, and it's not a straight audio rip, but it sounds very much like mostly a MIDI rip for the most part. With a source tune like this that's so simple (just a lead and some long bass notes), I'd expect to hear some reharmonization, perhaps some embellishment and variation on the melody, stuff like that, but there's hardly anything here to differentiate from the simplicity of the original. Let's talk a bit about the audio engineering side of this, too: most of the elements are loud, midrange-heavy, and distorted. That makes them hard to differentiate from each other, and fatiguing to hear for a long time. You've got some cool individual sounds that might work well in other contexts, but combined together, it's struggling to work. The beat fights for space with the lead synths which fight for space against the gated chords, etc. Each sound needs to have its own place in the frequency spectrum, at least to a degree, and with these, everything's in the same place. So what does all that mean? Here's some takeaways: - You'll need to probably do more arrangement of the source, not just play it back while adding layers on top. - You'll need to improve your sound design and mixing so that sounds aren't fighting for space in your mix. - I recommend spending some time in the workshop forums and maybe in a competition or two so you can get feedback from other folks at OCR and hone your craft further! NO

I'll keep this one short: I agree that this track isn't transformative enough. If the instruments were arranged to be a significant embellishment of the original melodies, if there was variation and playing with different presentations of the motifs, if there was a significant change in instrument choice...all of those would help this on the way to being a OC ReMix. As it is, it's a really beautiful cover, but not substantially transformative for this site. I'd love to hear this back with a new, fresh approach to the tune, because this is certainly well-done -- the mix is clean, the sounds work well in their context, and that MIDI string lead is sequenced quite well. Can't wait to hear a new approach to this one soon, I hope! NO (resubmit)

I'm hearing what everyone else is hearing -- I can definitely see why the NO votes exist, and I can definitely see why the YES votes exist. I believe this is just barely over the bar as-is, because of this: it's mixed well enough, it's a FUN arrangement, it's got very clear source connection, and it's a pretty good genre execution. Energy flows well enough, even with the repetitiveness. Like Emu said, the "vibe check" is there. This wouldn't be out of place in our catalog, IMO. If it gets rejected, I'd really love to see a bit more variation and embellishment on the repetitive sections -- give them each their own personality so the track moves along better -- and maybe some risers to help transition through certain sections (although probably with the mid frequencies cut out pretty aggressively so as to not overwhelm the already-busy midrange). Heck, if you want to REALLY turbocharge this one, I could see a collab working out...this is pretty solidly in my wheelhouse of sound profile.... ...anyways. All that to say: YES

Easy vote for me -- the stylistic choices don't bother me one bit, and this is a creative, well-executed arrangement. Now, I'm a sucker for the oldschool tracker/keygen sound (cTrix, Fearofdark, etc. are some of my favorite artists), so you're getting a bit of personal bias here, but regardless, I think it's easily within boundaries for a post-able arrangement. Overall sound is clean, the link to the source is there, love the concept. Far more enjoyable than the original, for sure. No need to expound further -- we've gotten good pushback from MW and good counterpoints from other Js, so no need to drag it out IMO. YUSSSS

Aww man. This track is rad as heck. Love the sound design, love the sectional approach, love how it's never boring as the song progresses, even with the short little licks and riffs. My studio subwoofer is very happy with all the bass and my feet were tapping along the entire time! (Also, Acid was my first DAW. Glad to see it's still getting some love!) Here's the thing. This has a very clear SPIRITUAL connection to the original -- that is, I can hear where the influences are. This is not an ARRANGEMENT of that source tune(s), though. It's INSPIRED by the original. That's great if you're trying to release this -- I'm pretty sure even Robin Thicke's jury wouldn't hold the way this sounds against you compared to the original -- but it's a problem here at OC ReMix. No blurred lines, there are very clear lines that this doesn't cross over. I'd expect to hear the main bass riff from the original repeated clearly throughout, since that's the meat of the source tune. I'd expect to hear the octave-jumping acid line played with in some way. Those don't show up, at least not clearly enough to make this obvious to an average listener, IMO. If I were this ReMixer and I really wanted to see this posted, I'd find ANOTHER source tune with a really obvious melody to pull from and incorporate that as well. Have a lead line that plays over the top of what's here in some way. That way, you can keep the spiritual connection to the Remy track, but then also present a discernible melody line from another tune as the source tune. For now, very sadly, I must vote... NO

Woof. All down to me now, eh? What a first day back on the job! After listening through this one carefully, here's where I'm going to land: this is not different enough from the source tune to make a difference to the average listener. It's a sound upgrade, as some have stated, and while it's an enjoyable one (my AirPods Pros didn't show the frequency issues some were pointing out), it's not DOING anything other than what the source tune did: be minimal, foreboding, and ominous. OCR, as I understand it, requires a level of interpretation and embellishment that isn't obvious enough in this case for me to want to pass it through. I'd love to hear someone take a crack at this source tune with, say, using those dueling arpeggios as part of a build to an industrial-dubstep-metal song, or something along those lines. Or, y'know, whatever. What do I know, I'm just the basshead around here . If Rebecca (or another artist in the future) were to handle the source in a way where you can separate out the various musical elements and then rebuild them, and do it in a way that allows for a discernible ebb and flow of musical energy, that would be wonderful to see. For now, my verdict on this one is.... NO

First track back on the j00jtrain! I read the above opinions and came in here expecting to hear something wildly off key and rough, vocally, but that's not what I heard. Yeah, this is definitely not going to be everyone's cup of tea (hi, vocal haters!), but I think the performance is given with a great amount of intentionality and drive behind it. The B-section of this thing totally rocks -- that bass is doing fun things to my posterior movements and the guitars chug with appropriate amounts of [[insert METAL HORNS here]]. Drums are obviously sequenced/grid-locked but effective and cut through well enough. Loving the hand percussion throughout. The vocal mix doesn't bother me -- this is clearly a "vocal as instrument" sort of application here and I'm not fussed about being able to decipher the lyrics when the *feel* of the song works so well. This is OC ReMix front page material if I ever heard it! I clearly heard source tune material woven throughout the track -- nothing terribly ground-breaking here, but the connection is there. 'Scuse me while I go charge at some enemies with this blasting over the loudspeakers.... YES

Finally! I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting to see this site align with my values as a professional musician. Looking forward to my payouts in that sweet, sweet bitcoin.

just gonna chime in here and list what I use: MAIN RIG: Neumann KH120 + KRK Rokit 10s sub (medium sized room with a bit of treatment and a lot of odd angles) SECONDARY RIG: Kali Audio LP-6 (small, boxy bedroom, but lots of furniture so is reasonably dead) The Kali Audio LP-6 set is some of the VERY BEST bang-for-buck I've heard, at least from my initial listens. Super clean for the price. I love my Neumanns, and I plan on never getting rid of them. I've been able to mix some great stuff on em. My Kali set is brand-new and I'm still evaluating them, but the sales rep who steered me away from Genelec and into the Neumann set -- who has turned out to be completely correct -- was singing the praises of these Kalis quite effusively, and thus far I'm finding that they sound great. Have yet to do a proper mix, so I'll report back on that whenever that happens. Here's some example tracks from my Neumann+KRK setup:

@Chernabogue Cheers for checking in! I'm looking for stuff that would fit alongside releases on Monstercat Records, Tasty Network, and TinyWaves, predominantly. Your stuff is super neat, but not exactly the same sort of genre.

Howdy, OCR forums. I'm directing a project for OverClocked Records that is similar to OCR's Super Cartography Bros album, in that it's working with short, recognizable themes and turning them into EDM tracks. I need someone who thinks they have the killer studio chops to take a short theme and turn it into an EDM (house, dubstep, future bass, riddim, etc.) banger. What's more, you need to be able to pull this off in the span of a few weeks. If you think you're up to it, send me a sample of your work, and let's talk! There is no payment up front, but this will be a commercially-released album with royalty payments.

I missed the comic launch, since I hadn't been checking the forums for quite a while, but I'm all caught up and it's bookmarked, ready to go! Good to see you at MAGFest too, sir Hudson.

Hey gang, I had the privilege of playing a set during MAGFest this year for OCR's Community Showcase. If you missed MAG (or heck, if you just want to hear this set again), then here ya go! TRACKLIST: 01. Flexstyle - Optimist Prime 02. Flexstyle - Do Yoshi What I See 03. Flexstyle - Crypt of the Necrodancer Lobby Theme 04. Desert Catz - Greedbuilt (Flexstyle & @KingTiger) 05. @PrototypeRaptor - Deep Sea Bass 06. Instant Remedy - IR-Type 07. Flexstyle feat. @Nutritious - Unfinished Legend of Zelda remix 08. @DDRKirby(ISQ) - Fortitude (Flexstyle Remix) 09. PrototypeRaptor - Last Dance 10. Disstopia - It's The End of the World As We Know It, And I Feel Fine 11. Dan Bull - You're Special! 12. PrototypeRaptor - C.H.E.E.T.A.H. 13. Tyrone Hapi - Cantina Band

Texas would be SO MUCH MORE DOABLE for me than the MD/DC area currently is. Could potentially even just be a long road trip for me, forget flying, haha. Color me interested for sure.

Oh gosh, this thing is pretty old -- my youngest sister is going to be 11 this month, haha. Still really glad to see it show up on the front page, though!

What I'd call the "base usable" version of FL is a mere $199 (Producer Edition). This will get you several usable plugins (including flagships Sytrus and Maximus, plus GMS, etc.) and the entirety of mixing and sequencing capabilities. With what's included in here, you'll have more than enough to get started making music with a wide palette of tools.

No. Don't wait until you're educated in music theory. Just start making music, and then read up on some basic music theory so you can know what you're doing wrong and what you're doing right. If you've never created music digitally before, just focus on making your DAW make some sound. Put some loops in there, learn how to record a MIDI sequence (or just draw it in the piano roll), learn how to record yourself if you're an instrumentalist. Start from there. Welcome to the rewarding world of music creation!

The Meat Circus in Psychonauts. Still haven't beaten that game.

FWIW. http://www.soundsonline.com/composercloud-students

Before you do, check out our FAQ: http://ocremix.org/info/Frequently_Asked_Questions

1: The RAM is probably going to be more of a deciding factor than the processor for most of your use case. Do you happen to have actual model numbers of those iMacs? Sometimes the processors on the 21" iMacs are lower tier than the ones on the 27" iMacs. You're right that the i7 will probably give you more processing power (assuming it's the same tier of processor), but the i5 is also no slouch, and will actually handle certain tasks better due to the slightly higher speed. 2: I usually caution users against ProTools if they have no other contact with people who use it on a regular basis, because it's really not fun to work with as an individual composer/producer, and a lot of folks go for it because "herp derp, the pros use it!" However, if you're working on a regular basis with other people/studios who have it as their mainstay, then absolutely, go for what'll make that interaction easier.

I noticed you mentioned you use FL Studio. I'm sure you're already aware, but you can't properly run FL on a Mac without installing Windows on the thing anyways. If you're okay with the learning curve for a new piece of software, see what else is out there -- Pro Tools really isn't going to help you as much as you think it is, unless you *MUST* work with others who also use it -- try Logic or Ableton instead, perhaps. They'll even save you money in the long run, and have better plugin support, since they don't use a proprietary, Pro Tools-only plugin type.

I've got a bunch of projects that use various EWQL (multiple patches) and various Kontakt (multiple patches) all the time. No issues. Win10 pro, updates, drivers, all good to go.

+1 recommendation for this! Good vidjagame remixes, good drinks, and lots of excellent arcade cabinets.

I just got home to a ThinkGeek package that I definitely didn't order myself sitting near my desk. It contained these! Dunno how good the detail in that pic is, but that's a Batman travel mug (which will get LOTS AND LOTS of use because I drink a LOT of coffee on the go), and a Batarang letter opener! How did you know that Batman is my favorite super hero? As a side note, I was feeling pretty down today about being a Miserable Excuse For An Adult (tm), but now I own a letter opener. You have no idea how much that has cheered me up -- I can do a Very Adult Thing (opening mail) in style now! Thank you so very much, Secret Santa! (I know your name but not your forum handle, so might as well be anonymous )