Gario

Yup, that's true. Of course, you've got to be looking for that sound on purpose to have a chance at using it successfully. Casually, though, it doesn't sound too great.

Eh... It's just something that can ALWAYS be made to sound better. Parallel octaves aren't good, either, and I'm glad you opted for something else. Try using 3rds or 6ths (even if it's not in the original), or even using a counter harmony . Parallel 5ths are a nasty business.

woo woO wOO WOO... (That's the break ) Ya, I like the idea of a break there, but... not that. Perhaps you can break the melody apart and have a piece of it open that part there, leading into the melody that occurs right after. It'll connect better, and without the rest of the instruments there it'll still work as a break. The entire thing sounds very centered. That makes for too much sound in one area. Play with the panning - you'll find it much easier to hear everything and it'll make EQ and level work much easier. The bass is better in this version. It could be a little more prominent, but better than before. I've noticed that the swells are quieter sometimes. It helps the piece sound better overall You changed the polysynth, but it still has the parallel built into it... Listen to it - it sounds like two notes are playing at the same time for any note. Try to find an instrument that doesn't do that. If your adding the notes manually, understanding that some of those notes are in the source... well to be honest they sounded terrible there too. I'd just get rid of the top line altogether. If you want to add something to this piece, disect the original into tiny snipits. That often helps you get an idea as where to take the piece from there. One idea is to leave a lot of what you've got as it is and use it as a springboard to some more interpretive work, bringing the conservative stuff back in at the end. It'll create a closed system that'll sound complete in the end, and it'll make the piece longer. You'll also introduce more original material into the piece, so it takes care of a lot of issues and sounds cool at the same time It sounds better, but there's room for improvement, so keep at it!

I listened to your slightly older one (and liked it quite a bit, BTW), and tried to listen to the new one. Unfortunately, now I can't get the new one... Is anyone else experiencing trouble DLing it from Boxstr.com? Is it just me? Anyhow, sorry if you already fixed some of these things. Here's a critique anyway. The drums that open the intro up don't fit. They've just got too much realism behind them compared to the rest of the song. Using the drums you use throughout most of the song will be fine, as long as you play around with the EQ like you do in the beginning normally. Up to 1:48, the melody gets ever so slightly lost in the mix. It's not too serious, as I can still hear it, but if you can bring it out just a little bit without screwing the EQ up that would be great. This goes for other sections where this is the lead, like 2:29. At 2:01, it's great that the melody becomes a part of the texture rather than in the forefront. The variety that provides helps make it very enjoyable over all 2:18... I've never said anything about this before, but it's been there. The melody improve at this precise moment sounds weird. It moves down right there and sounds like it's gonna continue that motion, but breaks off and moves back up to the melody again. Let's see if my pitch is correct... I think it's a 'Bb' that plays there... Either make the improve move up before that note or complete the motion down and meet the melody later. It's nitpicky, but that's where we're at (that's a good thing). Make the sword thingy a little louder; it sounds so cool The key change at 2:29 is seamless. I love it. It's a difficult thing to do (and still have the piece move well), and you nail it on the head. Kudos. At 2:55, try moving the Oboe up an octave - the timbre is better up there, and it'll soar over the texture a little better. 3:09 needs the piano to be a little louder than it is. Again, it's drown by the texture at the moment. The echo at the end doesn't quite work for me right now. I'd lose the delay at the end there so it's just reverb. Otherwise, it sounds great. Something I'll keep on my playlist, for sure. I'd love to hear the new version(s) you have as soon as I can.

Well, not to be cruel or anything, but this is a perfect example of why people shouldn't complain about the standards benig raised so high here. We would consistantly be getting mixes like this, and the other great music that comes it's way here would be drown out. I don't even know if I need to say anything about this. It's an example of old OC (and why I don't really miss it too much). Even for the time, it's hard for me to sit through.

Interesting that this was for BliNd, 'cause he did this very song for his own album (and it's great... of course ). Interpretation is great, but it may just be a little bit on the liberal side. The chords are from the source, as well as some of the texture pieces that are there, but that's all I hear right now. The hats are a little grating in the begining. Turn them down and they'll be just fine. Perhaps it's just the style (as I'm no expert in DnB), but it doesn't sound like you fill the soundscape well enough. There are sections that fill it out, for sure, but in general it sounds empty to me. I'm missing the middle of the scape, in general, because the high and low portions are covered pretty well. Again, perhaps it's just the style... The synth sample that you use for the swells sounds odd... It may be the release on it. It's good for an effect, but not as much for something that carries the song all the way. Otherwise, sounds great. I like the beat to this, and the interpretation is very different (which is good for a song like this ). The singing at the end adds something that I can't describe, but it's good. Keep this one up - I'll be listening for updates

I've downloaded this on a different computer, so I have it, at least. Unfortunately, I didn't have the proper setup on that one to listen to this properly. Now that I moved, I can't DL it again... I'm gonna give feedback, just give me a day

Really? Can you script the battle system from RPG2K3 on XP (or VX, for that matter)? I've experimented on those systems and couldn't get around that whole 'one battle animation allowed on screen' thing (and I can't settle for anything less than the battle animation - those that I'm using are beautiful). If you have the links to those scripts let me know, you've caught my interest

Ha, it's a little on the conservative side (for you, Hoboka), which means the interpretation is probably just right Like I said before, though, it is a bit too static for me to wrap myself around right now. When I talk about texture, I'm speaking about how the instruments shape themselves arounds the notes... kind of hard to explain. If the choir is singing in block chords, then starts to arpeggiate the chords, then your changing the texture. I seriously recommend changing up the texture of this piece from time to time. The mix is muddy when all of the instruments are out. Seperate them using the powers of EQ or of panning. Right now, they sounds like one massive instrument. I actually like this one better than the original. Yay, keep up the good work. Sorry about the review that wasn't addressed to you earlier. He wouldn't have posted his stuff otherwise - Hope you all understand!

Hah! I got you! Seeing as you posted this in it's own forum, I feel obligated to give some more depth to my review ) First, the submission standards are... (More detail on that is here, http://www.ocremix.org/info/Submission_Standards_and_Instructions) Now, onto the music... Like I said before, the bassy swells are nice where they are (for now), but in the middle/end they get a little boring. Cut them out sometimes - that will keep them interesting while they are there. Also, the drums are very good right now, but there's no dynamics in them at all. Play around with the velocity to change the dynamics around for each part. When you play drums, each strike of the hats isn't the same, is it? When the melody comes in, the instruments and effects are neat, but it's too loud right now. Turn them down so they don't contrast the rest of the song so much. The bass instrument at 0:45 is bland. Use a different sample, add reverb or delay, or something to make it more striking - it carries the chord, but as is the swells dominate and make the chords sound weird there. The polysynth at 0:58 has a 5th parallel built into it. As it moves, it ends up sounding bad, due to parallel 5ths... Change the synth settings (not necessarily the synth) so there is no more line above the original line. The triplets at 1:23 work. Cool switch up there At 1:30, I don't think the swells should come back quite yet. It makes the part a bit stale. Try bringing them back at 1:56, instead; it'll make the two sections vary ever so slightly - variety is the spice of life Of course, it ends pretty quickly. It could be longer, so... ya. Like I said, neat interpretation of the mix. I never thought of this song sounding like this before - and it works well too (an added bonus, I'm sure). I'll restate that the EQ isn't too bad in the mix - it's the level issues I believe your hearing. Nice in general - now get to work on another mix BTW - I didn't want to post all of this in Hoboka's thread - it wouldn't've been polite Keep them coming )

Making RPGs are a lot of fun, but I never use the XP... I'm afraid that I'm stuck on 2k3. However, it's a choice. I'm fond of the battle system that's only used on that version (side view battles, like the FF series). It makes for much more colorful battles than the other makers can do (due to the single battle animation limit). Yup, I'm working on something with my brother right now, which will be very good if it ever gets finished... Well, I'm doin' the music for it right now (all MIDI for the sake of space, but I may change that later), and it was coming along great until I lost my program to write MIDI's on (and the free programs out there don't offer the options that I need). Someday, I'll post a link to it here ). Until then, I'll just send my music for it via submissions of ORC that I win

... 'Tis an oldie, all right Really, this game had some really GREAT tracks (this wasn't one of them, IMO, but still alright). People should be jumping in to mix more Dragon Seed! Ok, enough ranting; needless to say, the instrument quality was TERRIBLE! Then again, welcome to OCR 1 - 500 . The orchestration was a bit boring, even for the time. The interpretation of the original is interesting, as it was an upbeat piece originally, but it doesn't quite work for me. Meh, an interesting piece of history, for me, but that's about it, here. LOL, I just read the comment from the reviewer himself. I salute you, Juverna. You've got the right attitude on Reviews! I'll try to make a Dragon Seed Remix someday in your honor! This forum is old, but entertaining, nonetheless

I can't get to the link! You should probably fix that. oO (0)

Thanks for the source, dude, but now we can't listen to the track How sad. BTW Hewhoisiam, I just listened to your most recent track. You don't want it peer reviewed, but I'm going to anyway, so brace yourself! I don't see why you don't post up here - this isn't half bad, IMO. This is Norfair II from Super Metroid, right? The interpretation is slightly conservative, but the style is interesting enough niterpretation for this, so no problem there. The deep swells are interesting and keep the song together, but should be used a little more sparing than they are. Sometimes the harmony is odd, but tweeking the harmonies isn't too hard. I'd recommend sticking to the original harmonies a bit more until you get an ear for what works and what doesn't (which just takes time, practice and some peer reviews to guide you). The lead starting at 1:01 is odd, I'd change the instrument there to something with less built-in polyphony. Your drums are very well done - I'd recommend some dynamic work, but still very nice. The EQing is very well done, as well - something I don't normally say, so kudos Not OC material, but still an interesting interpretation of the piece. See, that didn't hurt, right? Post your stuff here on the WIP forums - it's what it's there for! Please, I love looking over other people's stuff and helping when I can... ..and sorry, Hoboka, for reviewing someone else's music on your thread. I'd love to give you more feedback when you fix the link. Post more, Hewhoisiam, and fix the link, Hoboka!

Well, I've sent my song in. I said I'd TRY to make it simpler, so I tried... the melody is catchy, at least See you all in ORC 116!

Understandably, it is your preference, though I do need to disagree, there. Changing the melody around in an improvising sort of way is a great way to keep to the original while adding some originality to the music. Just thought I'd throw a second opinion in here.

It sounds like you followed up with a piano ballad type song with synth, here, right? It works well here. The main melody is... not easy to hear most of the time, and when you do hear it, the dynamics vary too much (loud/soft/loud/... I either can't hear it or it is too loud ). Try to make the dynamics a little more static than this. The piano is nice, and I personally think the drums are good, too (although holding back a little bit in the earlier parts isn't a bad idea, either). The mix is muddy, so you'll need to work up the EQing and the volumes a lot to make things clearer. Sounds good, though. Keep it going! BTW - Hewhoisiam, your quote from Dom Famularo was originally a quote from Igor Stravinsky... I don't know who Dom is, but I thought I'd let you know where he got it

Hoboka... you have no source. How am I gonna yell at you for being too liberal (or conservative, but knowing you... lol)? You take the fun out of my life Anyhow, not bad at all. The swelling strings shouldn't swell for every note, as they are now, so I'd change the sample used. The drums are good, but not for the style your going for. I'd look for a more 'electronica' or 'techno' sounding drumset. The synths you use sound great. After a while, though, they get stale, so I would change the texture up every so often - it'll help. This is good, as it is, even though I can't compare to the source... Post the source and I can give some better feedback

It's sounding a lot better. The intro was a neat change, BTW, and keeps the listener engaged better. The lead is a bit loud, right now, but only a little. I'd turn it down 5 notches or so - having it drown by the other instruments is worse, so if you can't change it without losing it, don't I understand what you were doing with the fat oboe, but dropping the drums seemed to be enough to make that part work well. I liked the oboe the way it was before... Actually, if you want something a little more striking than the oboe, try using an English horn. Trust me, it's not a horn - it's an oboe with some bite if you need it. The fat oboe seems a little much in that part, though, so I'd change it around again. The violin at 3:22 splinter was talking about was a connection to earlier in the piece. I think you should use it still, but at this point amplify it (so you can hear it over the texture) and add someting like reverb or delay so it doesn't sound so dry against the rest of the music. Sounding great, keep it up!

It helps dramatically if you post the source in the thread; otherwise if people who haven't heard the soundtrack of the game (or, as in my case, of the game itself), we can still compare the source to the original... Anyhow... Listening to this, it is a verse/chorus structure with a standard solo in the middle, right? I can't say for sure without the source, but i think it might follow the original a little close. I only say that because you seem to repeat a lot of material without too much variation... and I'm going to assume that the material is the source, itself. Vary your verses - without singing and decent lyrics to boot, this form gets boring real fast. Play around with different textures, change the harmonies, do something different in the repetitions so they don't sound like repetitions. In the solo, it sound's like your using the wrong scale from 2:55 - 3:05. Try performing that part up a whole step from the scale you used previously. The EQ could use some brightening up, IMO, as well... It's ok, to be honest, but it's a little boring right now. It needs some spice to bring it to life as it is. Edit: Thanks for the source, dude. Listen to that intro in the game, before the melody comes in! It's in 7/8 meter! You don't come across that very often (in the VG world)... Try playing around with that meter with the intro and with the melody; it may help bring more life into this! I hope I don't come across as being an ass about your music; I feel it's more helpful to give criticism when needed than to send you off with nothing helpful. I hope this helps. Good luck!

The mix has gotten louder in general when you raised some of the EQ's, and clipage has resulted. Of course, this is what happens when dealing with EQ. Take a look at your levels and adjust them accordingly. The lead in the beginning, as it stands now, is a little bit 'punchy'. The attack env. should be tweaked so there isn't such a prominent strike for every note. The 'meow' sound mentioned by Orpheon sounds like an osillation option that is set on the sample. It gets in the way of the mix, so I'd change that, too (or follow Orpheon's advice and bring the original lead back in - we thought it was fine before...). I like the song, and I like your arrangement. PrototypeRaptor is right, however; the production is the killer. This will be a great piece to get a lot of practice with that, so take advantage of this! Wantin' to hear v10, now...

Thanks, Bundeslang. I'll be sending my song over to Doulifee as soon as I can. I'll try not to post something as complex as Sir Nuts' piece, so everyone can join in (lookin' at you Hoboka ). It'll still be good, don't worry

#1 I knew everything EXCEPT the irc channel... I'm gonna try to make it work ASAP; it sounds like something I'm missing out on right now. #2 That would depend on what I put up on the board, but if I have to choose, it would be criticism and advice over anything else. I may SEEM to go on the defensive every time someone gives any feedback, but it's just me making sure I understand what they are saying #3 Honestly, I'm just trying to help everyone. It also keeps me in musical shape - I've finished school for now, so reviewing keeps my ears musically fit. Think about it - if you look over successful music, you'll know what success sounds like in the end, but if you listen to music that needs work or is imperfect, then you know what mistakes to listen for in your own music. It's a win-win for everyone, isn't it? Can't say anything for #4 that will help any... #5 The biggest thing that bothers me is that people don't post NEARLY enough! Then again, what can I say? That's probably everyone's biggest biff against it. Personally, I think it needs some more advertisement. )

It's alright as it is. However, there are two things wrong right now that would be easy to fix and make it better. 1. The EQ is too dull. Bring up both the low and high ends of the spectrum. It'll help brighten the sound a lot. Raising the volumes in general will help, also, because it's a bit quite right now. Exporting the file at 196kb/s or bringing the hz to 44.1k would be good, too, if it isn't already. 2. The samples used are not very good. Look for some different samples to use, or enhance those that are used using reverb, delay, etc. I think you using a little already, but it's not enough to mask the sample quality right now... and don't just 'add more reverb' either! That will screw with what you've got! Just try to use some better samples. A final note is that this is very, very close to the source. Understandably, you aren't asking to be posted on OC, as you said you've been to other sites and just want feedback, so that isn't bad at all. However, if you wanted to make this more interesting, adding some more originality to this will help a lot I hope this helps! BTW - Descent was awesome. I only ever had the demo, but in 1995, that was the shit!

WHAT... THE... FUCK!!!?!?!? MY EARS BLEED TO THIS AWESOMENESS!!! ...Ok, seriously, what the fuck? Why did I ever think OCR was awesome ever before listening to THIS!?! At first it was... Ok, cool, twisting the themes and textures in original sf... then I was rick-rolled, then LAUGHED AT by the great KEFKA! From there, you lose it; it's like you were just holding EVERYTHING BACK up to that point, then orgasmed all over the listener with the sweet sound of SNES... ...I can't say anything. I must... have... this...