Gario

Yeah, don't take it the wrong way, though - it was a great song. The only problem was that it wasn't 'video game' enough for a video game music site. It's a shame, but there's nothing you can do about that. I don't think you wrote it for that purpose, right? You wrote it to create a great song, and to that purpose you did a fine job. I'm surprised you say that the source doesn't have enough in it to keep it going. That particular source (Chrono's theme, right? I forgot, atm, and my headphones are not plugged in) is quite complex melodically and has quite a varying harmonic structure. Hmm... When you write your next song when you move on to parts that are full of original material try to base the new music on the source (melodically take tidbits from the source and move it around to make your own related themes; harmonically perhaps use some more related substitution). Now you know, though - when you look for another source to remix try to keep in mind how much source you'll need in the mix itself if your gonna write to get posted . I wish you the best!

Well, newbie - Welcome to the WIP boards (actually, I see you've been doin' some reviews and such here - great!). Listening to your mix... Very nice soundscape. I enjoy the genre, and effect you've got going here. The instrument choice is pretty good, for the most part (although there is this one instrument in the texture that bugs me a little - not that much, though ), and the form is easy enough to follow. Mixing is very nice, etc. etc. However, at the same time I'm pretty sure this wouldn't stand a chance in OCR. Musically it's wonderful, but there isn't nearly enough source in here. Generally speaking, the rule of thumb for the judges is 50 - 70% source material is the requirement - this has something close to 20%. Mind you, I really like the other 80% that you have - it just won't do for OCR, that's all. Write more, though - I like your stuff, and if you put more source in it you should do well, here!

'Blaise' = bland. The instruments are pretty common and don't allow the mix to stand out. You'll need to find some different instruments to use, if your shooting for OCR (of course, don't worry about it if not ). They just don't catch the listener's ears well enough, atm.It's a picky detail, but I try to tell people everything when I critique. Notice that I say it's generally fine - it's just not spectacular (you know what I mean?).

WOOT! I was waitin' for you to get this out, damnit! Alright, now I've got to download it immediately and enjoy some more of your guitar goodness... ...and for anyone else, just get the stuff. Don't ask stupid questions, just do it. Edit: Alright, I just listened to your finished medley of the SS/MM1 song you posted earlier. Gold. Just... pure... fucking... gold. Those additional tidbits of pure awesomeness you've added are incredibly... well, awesome (so much so I'm giving cyclic reasoning, here). I'm downloading the rest of your socialist CD now...

UPDATE v4. More cool stuff! I'm really starting to see where this is going to end, now. It feels like it needs another minute or so of music in order to close it properly (it's begging for an orchestral recap with the guitar playing off of the horns). In fact, it's almost torture now listening to it without that final part added to it. I like where the song is going now, though - it sounds very nice! The mixing & EQing is quite nice - now that you've got that taken care of I think the whole mix could be turned up a little bit. I still feel that the panning is a bit hard, though (not like before, but at this point it may be personal taste in panning...). Yup, not as much harrassment as normal - I'm finding fewer things to complain about (that's a good thing ). Finish this and I'll be a happy person.

Was anyone else thinking 'Metalman meets Mechanical Man from CC'? I couldn't think of anything else in that beginning part, lol. The mixing is pretty good, and I don't see anything technically wrong with it. However, Spakku basically said it - it's boring. There isn't anything here that catches the listener at all. You need to make the music pull at the listener - the bass, while fun for the beginning seems to just drag us along for the rest of the song. Change the texture up throughout the song; you'll find that will make us more interested in it for the long haul. Mind you, I actually find it to be pretty good - just hard to sit through three minutes of, as it is. We Americans have very short attention spans... keep us entertained!

Umm... clipping? Everything is very, very loud at the moment. My recommendation would be to turn everything down about 10 dbls then turn things up one channel at a time until the sound is right. The bass drum actually makes everything get quiet whenever it plays - try to fix that. The soundscape is a bit too full - it sounds like a giant muddy mess. The background harmonies are just... well, I can't distinguish anything interesting out of them. They just seem to be there playing the same open chord throughout. I'd just get rid of them and find something to replace it with. By the way, this song doesn't seem to do much more than play the source (with a few little decorations). For OCR it really needs to be rearranged a lot more than you have here. Best of luck.

Yeah... wait, HEY!!! Read the thread - put it in context and it isn't so wrong. I'm not referring to an age, I'm referring to the guy's attitude.

Thanks Evktalo for that information. Interesting, for sure - I really was curious about those details. I think OCR doesn't infringe on copyrights due to the claim that this is a non-profit organization (it's one of the exceptions of copyright infringement).

Alright, buddy, that's just harsh. IF the actual mix was terrible then perhaps that analogy would be alright, but the fact is that it's a good mix, atm, and he is curious to see where another person would take it. He is very capable of making the rest of it (as he has shown with the material he has up, now), he's merely curious to see how another persons interpretation of it would change the sound. I've done things like this before - the results are often entertaining for both parties. If someone agrees to do what this guy wants then it is a collaboration - it's a bit unorthodox but both parties will be complying with each other (in fact, because of the very specific demand he made he would still be quite involved with it - he just wouldn't be writing the music right next to the collaborator, he'd be more of an organizer). He's asking for a collaboration; if you don't like his idea then don't collaborate with him - stop making bad analogies and trying to stop others that might be willing to help this guy out.

I know what your doing with this, dude - don't worry, it could be interesting if anyone bites (I can't - I'm a 'Reason' mixer, so I'm afraid I can't collab with FL Studio). Critiquing the mix, though (I can't help it), I like where you've taken the original (it's one of those sources that I don't need the actual source posted to know what it is - it's classic, but for those who don't know I've posted a link for it). The techno/orchestra combo you've got is one of those things that rarely work well together (but you seem to have down pretty well, here). The strings and percussion combine well with the rest of the music. The synth is rather weak, but it works, at the moment. IF you were thinking of ever subbing this to OC, though, the synths would need to use less cliche electronic instruments. If you keep the sample you may be able to get away with it if you automate the sounds like crazy - that normally keeps them J's happy . The static harmonization does wonders for the piece (then it starts playing the actual harmonies later). Harmonizing as you have, it makes the source harmonies sound fresh and new when they come in. Now if no one takes a stab at this effort (and I personally think this would be better if you finished it yourself so you could keep a consistent sound throughout, but that's not my call ), I'd say the motion needs to change, where you've left it. We were awed by the synth/orchestra rendition of the material at first - now it needs to break from the source a bit in order to avoid sounding repetitious (always a bad thing). Compose something that is vaguely related to the source (taking bits and pieces and making something new out of them), then bring it back to the source stuff you've already been doing. I wish you luck in finding a partner in crime on this. If (or when) you get someone else on it, do you plan on leaving it for the other person to do as he wants with it (allowing free compositional reign for the second composer) or are you going to tell them if something works and something doesn't (leaving you as the lead creative artist)? I'd be fascinated to see what someone else could do with this with option #1 (and be equally fascinated to see how you'd finish it on your own). Hey, why don't you do both and see which one people like better? That would take the best of both worlds - we'd love it, here . Source - Golden Axe 1 Boss http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t711UFuxZ8s Personally, I liked Golden Axe 2's boss music way better, but they're both good in their own way...

Willrock, glad your mix was finally posted! Funny, I thought this would be your Windfish trance. I was sorely mistaken - very awesome mix. My synth-lead-starvation has now been satiated; Thank you, Will. I'll admit I didn't see the direction that you took with this source coming and it always seemed to surprise me. It's ver-nice, through and through.

lol, I don't think writing on their level is ever my intention when arranging. If I wanted something to preserve the original feel I'd just listen to the original . Of course, this is a very subjective topic, so everyone's gonna have a different method of arranging (none of which will be better or worse). Atenza, just do it - you'll find out 'how to do it' by just throwing yourself into the fray. I don't think we can help you with this topic much - we all have varying, different (and sometimes contradicting) opinions on the subject, so you'll really need to find your own method and stick with it. Yoozer probably has the best advice on the subject...

Suzumebachi, that was pure awesome. I never cared for DNF, but the hype it creates from time to time is priceless.

There lies the problem. I certainly wouldn't have any copyrights on the music (I'd probably just write it and send it off, trusting you'd give me credit), so there would be nothing I could do if Facebook did as it liked with the stuff... I appreciate the effort you've put into investigating the matter, though. It looks like your putting in some hard work trying to get the answers you (and I) need. I might be making a bigger deal out of it than I need to, so I'll see if I could do something for you, regardless (it's not like I've got publishing rights on anything, yet ). I'm sure you'll still want some answers about all that, though. I'll try to make a dungeon theme for you (just give me a list of the dungeons - I'll pick one that I could whip up a song for you). As for OCR's music, I don't think it breaks copyright laws (as it is fan work - believe me, for a site this large the VG Companies would certainly bring down the hammer if they were breaking the law). I don't know the why not, though - I'm still learning about all that, myself.

Eastern realm, right? I'll try to join you, but I can't guarantee anything, right now. Make a channel at that time (channel 'OCR' works for that purpose) and I'll see if I can join you. EDIT: I just looked at the time again... I'm pretty sure I won't be able to join tonight. Sorry, GLL .

Added something up there to help clarify it. Actually, posting copyrighted material on Facebook is strictly forbidden, according to Facebook's TOA, so you probably couldn't get away with inserting copyrighted music in your game, if that was your intention (probably not, seeing as your asking us to help write music for you ). Ya, it sucks that Weird Al gets a free ride, but I think that in general if a musician wants to use something that's copyrighted then they need explicit permission to use the material (with the exceptions listed there as exceptions ). Basically, if you use material that's not yours (and anyone finds out... sneaky) your subject to the copyright infringement laws. Now that you mention it, though, I am a bit curious to see how many rights posted musicians have on this site. I know the posted people get really upset at those that blatantly steal work from them here (for good reason), but I wonder what kind of rights they have to their work by law... I honestly don't know - they can't exactly copyright it, can they? Bleh, a bit off topic... When you figure out that Facebook thing I'll let you know if I will dedicate some stuff for you .

The primary difference, though, is that remixing video game music wouldn't allow for the remixer to take full advantage of the business possibilities behind the music they're writing (as the sources being used, with few exceptions, are copyrighted material - we could get in trouble trying to make money off of it), whereas making original music for a game could lead to some real value being attributed to the song in question that the writer could benefit from (your game is probably free, but I may or may not feel like letting others use my music without permission, at least). Facebook takes the material, regardless of if it making you money or not, whereas in order to submit on OC the material really couldn't make you any profit, so exposing the music through OC actually helps more than it hurts (Look at Beatdrop - OC helped him get recognized even though he was using copyrighted material). If your hosting off of facebook that might not cause a problem. The link implied otherwise for me, though... I'd ask Facebook about it, to be sure - you don't want this to be taken and used as they see fit, right? I can't be certain - but this may still be considered Intellectual Property posted on Facebook (even if it is run through an external server, it's still posted, I believe). Please ask them about it - I'm sure you'd like to know, too.If I'm not too busy (and if Facebook won't be taking random stuff from your work) I may check it out and see if I can help you out. Tell me what you need and I'll see what I can whip up. Of course, like Zephyr said before, though - some samples of your game work will help (I'm going to the link you've posted, right now... lol, I hit back and now I can't make a guy... My bad).

I'm refering specifically to that clause that occurs in the Terms of Agreement. I was going to join, except that little snag caught me. The debate on the news was about how they possibly held all information posted on Facebook on a private database after the user unsubscribed (needless to say unethical, if they ever did), but I don't know if that was true.I'm pretty sure I'm reading that correctly, though - ask them about it... If I'm wrong I may think about it (although I'm a bit busy, atm, so I can't guarantee it).

Very unique. And likable. And in-the-pool-y. At the end it felt as if it should move on to a new section, but then it ends . It works as an ending, I guess, but I feel it has potential to continue in a very awesome manner. Bringing out the highs for the percussion may work, just be careful not to muddy what you've got going, there. I'd also like to hear a bit more bass in it, overall. Otherwise, it's very interesting (and good). I like.

Sounds like a good idea to me. If I have anything for you I'll let you know (and hopefully I will ).

Helloooooo~! I didn't see this one back when it was originally being worked on (I was busy with my own project, at the time... ages ago ). I listened to the first WIP and the most recent submission, here - I'm frankly amazed how far it's come, since then. No, not OCR worthy, but certainly a vast, vast improvement. It went from a complete 'Meh' factor to a 'Wow, this was nice' outlook (Just not quite 'Holy shit, that was INCREDIBLE' yet; that's the OCR standard that I've seen ). Many mixers don't get out of the 'meh' outlook, for me, so great job on that. Now, for a little critiquing... The original WIP had too much source - now I feel it suffers ever so slightly in the opposite direction. The original sections that you've added don't have any sort of reference to the source that I can hear. Broken parts of the melody, source harmonies, rhythm, etc. would be nice to refer the listener to the source while not necessarily repeating anything. It keeps originality and continuity in one nice happy bundle. While using the stereo spreading... plugin thingy (name slips my mind, atm) to fill the channels better is generally good, you've got too much going on, as it is. Try centering the music a bit more when you master the thing. The instrument choice is fine, albiet blaise. None-the-less, I really did enjoy myself while listening to this. If not for OCR, try submiting this to other sites when you finish (VGMix, OLR, ThaSauce - I'm sure one of these places would be more than happy to accept this and give you even more feedback on it). It certainly can't hurt, and the feedback you'll get from a variety of places could certainly help. When your done mastering, that is .

It comes from 'Man, it would be better if they did this...', then try the idea out yourself, for me. Listen to the music and ask yourself 'Wouldn't it be awesome if they did [fill in the blank] with this song?' and try it out. Sometimes it's the genre/style, sometimes it's something that's implied in the source but couldn't be filled out on the original hardware (this C64 or NES remixes, here), perhaps it's a reharmonization of the melody. Whatever it is, that's often the best place to start. New ideas will come as you work on it. Like DJ SymBiotiX said below, if you don't feel it (eg the song is perfect as it is ) then don't remix it. If you feel it, don't hesitate. Personally I say stay away from midi ripping, if you can help it. Try to put the music down by ear (or base it off the track itself, as you said) - more often than not you'll put stuff that you didn't know you wanted to do in the music (which contributes to the personality of the remix). Personal preference, though; some people would fight me on this.

The down sides of living in the middle of nowhere... Alas, tell me how it goes - it sucks I'll have to miss it (C'mon, Gamer Symphony - hurry up and go on tour in New Mexico)!