Gario

I don't even need to listen to the whole thing to tell this is great, that Out of this World voice clip at 1:03 sold it. Helps that Contra Hardcore has a highly underrated OST, ripe for some great and fun arrangin'. Great stuff!

I say we should give Netscape Navigator 9 another shot.

@Atomicfog It's pretty much up to OCR staff to get the albums they plan on releasing ahead of this out in a timely manner. XPRTNovice will likely release his track ahead of the album with a nice music video attached to it, so there will likely be some opportunity to hear at least one track ahead of the full release (and it's one heck of a track). The music itself is done, though, and the album does sound pretty darn good if I do say so myself, just gotta get the rest of the behind-the-scenes work finished for it. Sorry it's taking even more time, but it will be worth the wait, I promise!

Damn, wish I did my job and gave some judge commentary on it - it's literally my favorite Final Fantasy theme from the series, and they did a great job on it here. The steel string lead sounds like it's picked a bit too hard, makes the notes sound forced, but that's my only real criticism here (and it's really nit-picky) because this sounds really cool otherwise. Fun fact about how this theme integrates into the rest of the score, by the way: it's pretty obvious how it's blended into the first Overworld theme and the "Deception" theme of the OST, but did you know Lenna's theme is beat for beat, nearly note for note rehash of the second part of the main theme? It's got a completely different feel and is reharmonized to some degree, but it's the same lead - and then it uses the first section of the main theme as it's second section. Just another fun tidbit about my favorite main Final Fantasy theme - great choice for a track to arrange. Nice work, y'all. :)

Ha, someone's pretty bold to try and tackle the Pictionary theme. Sounds a bit like this was a MIDI file with an instrument replacement - not the most interesting arrangement ever, but it sounds like you had fun with it regardless. Yeah, Tim Follin kinda went nuts on this track for absolutely no reason, not gonna lie.

My favorite track from Undertale getting a chill arrangement? Don't mind if I do! Not that this impacts it's place on OCR, but it's funny how this arrangement does the opposite of what the source does and makes it sound more like the other tracks in the game, whereas the original takes the style everyone is used to and turns it on it's head with that loose live acoustic guitar. It's like you transformed the source back into an Undertale arrangement. Really neat. On to the arrangement itself, it's subtle in the beginning, but the way the source is implied by the synth textures is a great way to ease the listener into the meat of the arrangement. A great example of subtractive arranging - taking the source and removing elements, making it sound similar yet very different all at once. I appreciate good subtractive arranging when it's done well, like it's done here. It's shorter than the source so it doesn't get everything, but it doesn't have to; it's your arrangement, after all. Nice touch bringing up Hopes and Dreams at the end there (at 2:49), considering how closely related the "Undertale" track is to "His Theme". It's a solid arrangement. The production is great, for what it is. It's extra warm, as lo-fi should be. Just the right temperature to warm you up this holiday season, I'd say. Hope we don't keep folk waiting on this one, it's great. YES

I think we need to be careful when considering whether this is a performance vs a vocal arrangement, as when we've had similar material in the past that was considered a performance with a backing track we rejected it on the grounds that it was not in fact a video game arrangement but rather, y'know, a performance piece, and that's not what this site is about, fundamentally. I don't think the arrangement is a performance piece just because the vocals are often spoken, however - there's plenty of that in genres like rap, for example, and that's perfectly acceptable for the site - it's just a bit more... experimental with it's use of vocals. They're pretty rhythmic and are often sung with pitch, so I think this still works as a vocal track, personally - I think this is acceptable on the grounds that this is an arrangement and not a piece of performance. That all being said, concerning the arrangement itself while the source is a little tricky to hear in passing due to the rhythmic changes made to the texture it's still pretty apparent that it's there, when it's there. The production values in this are pretty nice, as well, and the instruments are pretty well blended. The vocals catch you off guard in the first pass, because they're raw. It's obvious that's also the intent, it doesn't sound unintentional or having amateur mistakes - it sounds more like Schoenberg's Sprechstimme (Speak-Singing). It's interesting. Not everyone is gonna "get it", especially at first, but give it a few listens. It'll grow on you, I promise. YES

Dang, this one hits the spot. The attentive listener is immediately grabbed by the meter change from the source, and the casual listener is happy to stick around for the change halfway through from a more atmospheric fare to something with more bite with that guitar. The source is obvious yet more implied than overt for much of the arrangement, a necessary exercise given the change in meter. Needless to say, the arrangement is great and I wouldn't touch a thing, there. I hear folk on the mixing, and I do thing some elements (particularly the melody carrying lead synth), but at the same time most elements are present and noticeable so it's a minor gripe, at best. The mixing is something that could be better, but it isn't bad, either - I doubt folk are gonna hear it and think it sinks an otherwise great take on Corridors of Time. Balancing hiccup aside I think the production values are solid. Yeah, easy pass, nice work Brad! YES

Not complainin', just giving advice as is our wont in this forum - take it as you please. As long as you're just sharing and not planning on submitting to the site you can feel free to let advice roll off your back. 'Course if you do plan on submitting that's a different story, but most folk on here are just vibing and having a good time, always happy to hear fresh music regardless. And yes, I actually do have a version of Silver Surfer music in the works, can't make it public yet though - album secrecy, and all.

Woof, took me a month too long to actually write up a review for this - sorry, y'all. The source is pretty clearly apparent in the arrangement, so there's no source usage concerns with the track. As far as the arrangement goes, while the style of the mixing (which I'll get to in a minute) often makes some sections sound the same as others, there's almost certainly *something* different going on in every similar section - a countermelody, some alteration to the texture, etc., that does keep it *just* out of range of being repetitive, though the last moment at 6:24 could use something more for it to stand out other than it's at the end of the arrangement. I think it could've used more variety and spice in the main theme whenever it's present, but I don't think it's below the bar. Concerning the production, yeah, it's a bit guitar soupy. It's not the worst offender I've heard, as the arrangement often opens up and does something great with the rest of the instrumentation, but when those guitars hang heavy they almost have no strike to them - it's all ring and little stroke, so to speak. That contributes to the mixing issues that folk have observed, since they're also pretty forward in the arrangement, and they sound like a wall of guitar. That being said, the instruments can still all be heard behind the guitar, and it's not the first time I've heard metal arrangements like this so I'm willing to chalk it up to some stylistic bias. I have my issues with the arrangement, but let's look at the good that's here - there are some really cool textures at work (especially at the opening of the arrangement), it's very well representative of the source, and when that main chorus isn't playing the arrangement keeps the listener guessing where it's going to go. I gave this a listen and forgot I was supposed to be evaluating it after a point - I was enjoying it. I think despite it's flaws it's plenty fine for a post, so nice work! YES

Gotta give you credit for tackling Silver Surfer - not at all an easy track to get a handle on. I like the synth-work on it, for sure (could probably do without the guitar sample, tho - too loud and out of place). Good game with a great soundtrack, can't complain when others take a stab at it!

Oh wow, pure chiptune, in the year of our Lord 2024? Don't mind if I do! Source is pretty catchy once you listen to it (not familiar with Odyssey's OST, myself), and this arrangement very clearly represents a version of it that could've perhaps been on a beefed up gameboy. The technical achievements in this remind me of the ol' chiptune work of Zef (a nice compliment, if you're at all familiar with his chiptunes!), and overall the soundscape makes nice use of the chips to give us a full and often dynamic arrangement (lookin' at that surprise drop at 1:00). As mentioned by Chimpzilla, this being 100% mono, while adding to some of the authenticity does cause issues of clarity. I'm feeling it hard at 0:22, where I can barely hear the lead when everything is playing - there are just too many instruments sharing similar timbres sharing the same EQ space playing at similar levels. Spreading the instruments out in the space would really help the listener pick out the parts without impacting the listening experience. And while I may be being a tad harsh, there are too many instruments for this to be 100% hardware accurate, so if we're going to compromise in that department why not provide us stereo sound so that we can hear what you crafted better? Even Rushjet1 settled with this compromise for his 2015 "Dark Depths of Wily's Castle" arrangement, and it sounds all the better for it. There are also issues of repetition in the arrangement that are hard to justify - the direct repetition of 1:51 at 2:04 is a pretty big example of it. Repeats like this sound like filler; if you need to use similar material to fill the space give the listener a reason to listen to it: embellish, play with expectations, etc.. Direct repetition turns the listener off and tires them out. Overall it's fantastic when it's firing on all cylinders, but it needs some polish on the areas that are less than it's fantastic highs. I suggest the stereo spread to help with the mixing clarity of the arrangement, otherwise you'll need to either work with the dynamics of the dense textures when the lead is drown or move the lead so it doesn't share the same space and timbre as the accompaniment. As for the more repetitive elements, either give the listener a reason to return to them with variations or leave em' on the cutting room floor, the arrangement will be a much better listening experience for it. Really enjoyed the arrangement, hope it comes back with the TLC it deserves so we can put it on the site! NO

Even at a cursory glance, I've got to hand it to you - not even familiar with the source and I can hear it as clearly as anything. The performances are pretty solid, as well, and the structure makes sense. On their own I don't think the sources used in this stray too far from the material, but making the whole soundtrack as a song that makes sense in it's own right does a good job keeping it interesting and not too rigidly close to the source material. The balance of the instruments are off, in my opinion. This really could use another look at the reverb levels of the different instruments - the guitars (particularly the leads) are really wet, the bass is in a pretty balanced place, and the drums (the snare, especially) are dry as a bone. I don't think the instruments gel together very well, because of this. Instruments should really sound like they're being performed in the same room, which these do not. Adjust those reverb levels so the drums better fit the space, which would likely also lead to those guitars having their reverb levels dried out a bit to give more space to the other instruments to have such reverb. I like it, it has a good spot on the album, but I don't think the production quality is up to our standards since that reverb issue is something that impacts the whole song. I think this could use a little TLC before we post it on the site on that front, because otherwise it's a pretty good track! NO

Oh hey, Super Metroid, and a bit of an odd ball track to boot (not too many people tackle the Crateria surface very often). Concerning source usage it's pretty unmistakeable in it's usage, and it's not a straightforward arrangement so props for that. The instrumentation is throwing my ear off in a few ways, though. There are some basic soundwaves used throughout (such as that sawtooth introduced at 0:14 used as a lead) that just don't punch through the mix enough due to their more pure nature. Sawtooth synths are a good starting point, but unless there's a specific reason to leave them alone they need some sound design work done to them to make them stand out - low-pass, delays, reverb, etc., something to make it stand out, because as it is the listener can't hear it well, and turning it up where it needs to be would end up sounding painful and piercing. The backing pad has a few issues of it's own - it sounds like there's a wide band-pass on it, making it sound hollow. I also recommend against using pads with automatically layered 5ths in arrangements that have a lot of harmonic motion in them, since they often hit notes that don't gel with the rest of the harmony when they move (and if the 5ths aren't automatically layering then I suggest cutting down on their use!). Overall there is an odd blending of instruments with some delay and others that are simply dry as a bone in this one. It doesn't sound like they're a part of the same song, rather they sound almost stitched together. Unfortunately the blending of instruments just doesn't work in this arrangement. The drums sound pretty cool, but the instrumentation is not doing this arrangement any favors. It's hard to point to any one change that would need to happen to fix this up for the panel, since redoing the instrumentation from nearly scratch is a tall order. Still, a bold choice in source, and some of the arrangement ideas were cool in this. It is nice to see you branching out of your comfort zone with a more dnb styled track that doesn't lean on your orchestral strengths, though, so don't take this too hard - it takes time to get the hang of new styles, and while not for OCR this isn't a bad effort. NO

Alright folks, got some news for this one - yes, the album is still moving along! Even better, it's been submitted in it's entirety! I've listened to the finished product with some of my fellow judge peers (as well as with Bahamut, the original director for the album) and it seems like it shouldn't have any issues under review, so I can finally say that this thing is happening, and it's happening soon. There will be some teasers and such in the coming months to get y'all excited about the album, but in the meantime I'll share what I think is the *second* most fun organ bit from the album. Ain't the whole song, but I did have a lot of fun making an organ part for one of my tracks so I figured why not spread the joy a little bit? Actually pretty excited to have this submitted, and not just because it'll be a decades-long endeavor coming to a close, but also because the album sounds great. Will it be worth the wait? ... well it was a long wait so I can't be sure, but it'll definitely be worth spending some time with, that's for sure!