Gario

Gotta hand it, the piano sounds MUCH better this time around. The use of space on the piano by jumping the melody an octave, and the emphasis of counter-melodies sprinkled in it, moving in and out like waves hitting the shore of a beach... sounds much more convincing. Well, can't say too much more now. I hope to see this in OCR someday soon. Oh, and I like the bridge better this time around. It sounds atmospheric, almost mystifying. Also, it connects to the chorus better this way . The piano FO is effective at the end, but could be just a wee little bit longer, IMO. Really, I'd be very surprised if this didn't make it through the submission process. Great piece!

Huh, never knew there was this kind of competition on OC... I think its great! Good for working on those comp-chops! Ah, well, here's my mix! http://www.box.net/shared/oz9olku2g7#Gario-Off_the_Rails_(To_Infini xxx I felt it needed a different treatment than normal, so I changed the beat to 7/8... if anyone's wondering WTF is going on in the mix. Edit: No change to the mix, but I don't know if that link has the proper naming standards for this competition. This link hopefully will fix that. http://www.box.net/shared/tg2bgoe5ur#ORC114_Off_the_Rails_to_Infini ...perhaps I'm just a little paranoid, as well...

Oops! Sorry, I forgot this isn't the common BC song, so here's the source here. http://www.box.net/shared/hh4du65kzs As I said on my first post here, I personally agree that this is not OC material because of the direct quotations. However, I do need to address that the harmonies are DIRECTLY from the source, if you listen to it; it sounds like a direct Bond quote because I purposely used the same instrumentation as the Bond series (which is perfectly within the OC limits, I believe). The only direct quotes that don't correspond to BC at all are the Guitar (which I am debating right now as what I'm gonna do with it) and some of the background WWs and brass in 0:30 - 0:43 and 1:39 - 1:59. But ya, I do agree that some of it may be a bit too... Bond... right now. Its an active WIP - I'm still working on it Hopefully with the source you can here this, too.

I must say, great mix of Spark Mandrill... Most of the 'electronica' music in it is well balanced and mixed. Personally, I feel that the bass beat just doesn't have enough 'omph' behind it; it could be tweaked a little using the bass EQ. Thats just IMO, though, as there isn't technically anything wrong with the bass, either . The piano, though, does need a few tweaks. It could be a lot more dynamic... the sound is too static. Even though the source material is salient enough as it is, it just doesn't feel right without incorporating enough play with the dynamics. Otherwise, great piece, looking foward to it later, as I love Spark Mandrill yet cannot find any good mixes on here. Good luck!

OK EVERYONE... I've changed the server AND lowered the file size. Supposedly box.net is a pretty good server, so I hope there are no more problems with the dl process anymore... I admit that the file didn't change that much from the last post, but it seems no one could listen to it, anyhow, so here it is again. http://www.box.net/shared/n0ttuqhboc Til' next time, and comments are appreciated. Thanks!

Hey everyone, I knew coming into this that the file was too big... so here is the project cut down to 2.44 megs (and not to mention an extra 1:20mins). Again, let me know what you all think (which is easier now that you can dl it). http://www.savefile.com/files/1867264

I know, the file's like 15megs or something, right? This is a new comp for me, and I haven't downloaded the right compression tools yet. I'll make the file smaller upon my next update, just need to dl Super or something.

The names Commando... Bionic commando... Hey all, got some music for ya! I noticed that there isn't enough Bionic commando music, so I am taking a shot at something new, here. This is the music from Area 5 in BC, or level 3, if you prefer. Stylistically, I'm trying to make it sound like the soundtrack from a James Bond movie... it might be a bit too much 'Bond' for OC right now, but I'll make tweaks before calling it complete. BTW, this is a WIP around 1/3 - 1/2 done, so if it sounds incomplete... its because it is Comments are appreciated, thanks! http://www.savefile.com/files/1866702

Overall, the piece sounds coherent and moves along quite well. It feels like its going somewhere, and I can't wait to find out where (which isn't something I can say about all minimalist music). The orchestration sounds good so far, and the spacing is okay, although I personally would use a little more of the bass area every so often (The bassoon touching below C3 in the ostinato just doesn't feel like enough for me). I understand its not finished, so I can't critique any compositional ideas your incorporating as I can't know what they really are until its finished, although I have to say I love the oboes and flute in 2:35 - 3:33. It gives a very 'Ives' sound, the way you juxtapose it against the harmonic background. Beautiful. I don't know if you ever want this performed by live musicians or if you plan on having it remain self contained as a sound file. If you want it performed, then I'd look at how your using your winds. Understandably, with a few horns the line from 0:00 to 3:33 can be staggered, but more performers decreases the odds of it ever being performed, so giving it some place to breathe would be nice. The same thing can be said about the flutes that enter at 0:40... and any other ostinato wind instrument in this you plan on having. Its all possible, but you can increase the chances of a performance if you give places to breathe, allowing individuals to perform the parts instead of requiring groups of performers. I'd also advise giving the performers a little bit of variety in their individual lines; in my experience musicians hate performing long ostinatos, even if the piece sounds great as a whole with them. Orchestrating the ostinatos so multiple instruments share them, or having the repeated music move through different instruments is a way to retain the ostinato, yet give the musicians something interesting to play. Again, this is only if you want a live performance; these are not problems at all if you don't want one. I'll be watching for updates, as I like this piece so far!

Hey, OCR! I figure I'd share some original stuff with you. I'm better at this medium than remixing VG music, anyhow ... This is a piece I wrote for a RPG2K3 project. It sets the mood for a chase between the protagonist and antagonist in... well, its a combination of the FF4 Tower of Babil and the Ocean Palace (it makes sense in the story, trust me). This piece is really a combination of four songs, two of which are my own. The other two are the Ocean Palace from CT and the Giant of Babil from FF4. I've listed all of my source material here as both midi arrangements and wav files of the music as well as the piece itself. The wavs are better quality samples, but the midis have a better mix. If using SB Live, use the midis, otherwise use the wavs FF4 Wav http://www.savefile.com/files/1683116 Midi http://www.savefile.com/files/1683087 CT Wav http://www.savefile.com/files/1683115 Midi http://www.savefile.com/files/1683086 Original (Never Stop - Protagonist Theme) Wav http://www.savefile.com/files/1683110 Midi http://www.savefile.com/files/1683084 Original (Innocent Evil - Antagonist Theme) Wav http://www.savefile.com/files/1683112 Midi http://www.savefile.com/files/1683083 Lava Palace Wav http://www.savefile.com/files/1683114 Midi http://www.savefile.com/files/1683085 Tell me what you all think! Enjoy!

Hey, OCR world! Just want some feedback on this other than my own. I made this a few months ago, and I wanted to come back to it and give it a fresh look... Now that I have, I found the drums to be a bit repetitive and mixed a little too loud. I also find the synth that carries the tune perhaps is used a bit too much. Other than that, if anyone could give me some feedback, it would be appreciated. By the way, if the samples are not great... well, if could you direct me to a site or two that I could get better samples, I would appreciate it (I'm using what came with the program right now >P) http://www.savefile.com/files/1573124 Enjoy!

Ha, yes, the mastering is very sloppy; I'd even say it is none-existent. Its too loud and even cuts out in a lot of places. However, I'll have to fix it later - my speakers are not giving an accurate sound at the moment. I'll get to it later, though The beginning, though... heh, I really didn't expect it to go farther than a simple arrangement, as I'm trying to get the hang of a newer program, so I guess that shows. I'll take another look at it. Thanks for the input, Skrypnyk.

Hey all, Postin' a mix of the Hive from DKC2, as I don't see it on OCR. Haven't spent much time tweaking the levels yet as the speakers I have at the moment are popping a lot. Oh well. It is set as a heavy electronica mix... as of yet I haven't messed much with the EQ but I plan to do that before I submit . Let me know what you all think. http://www.savefile.com/files/1573124

Well Fantasy, I'll admit, I love the source material. Because of this, however, I will be forced to be more strict on my listening and possible criticism, so beware I really like that you've surprised us with a slow groove to chill to. Because it is considerably slower than the original, however, you must be careful with you sense of temporal space (in an arrangement like this, it is a potential killer). Ok... After a few listenings, I'll have to say that there is enough material in here to hold my interest for four minutes. There are a lot of neat tricks you use to keep it interesting (the echoes at 0:35 are awesome, those little arppegiations in the melody at 1:06 are sweet, and your method of transitioning at 1:28 is inspiring). However, these little doodads and modifications are short in comparison with the piece's length. These 2-3 second modifications are spread very thin along the entire four minutes of music. In reality, there are two real changes you must make compositionally to make this mix great. First, the repetition of material must never be just that in such a slow mix - a repetition. This encourages the listener to skip the music, and if the listeners are skipping music, then why is it there? Second, the drums, while being a great sample and a pretty neat groove, eventually drones over the listeners. In fact, I felt an enormous amount of relief at 2:47 when the drums dropped out for a while. That should not be so. I would recommend throwing a few changes to the pattern every once in a while (perhaps dropping a section like the hi hat, or the snare, or changing the pattern a touch). In a piece like this the drums are essential, but if they lull the listener into a stupor then it defeats the purpose of having them. A final note is the transition. I love it. I think it is very much needed when you use it. Repeating the melody in the Lydian mode, however, just doesn't cut it for me. It may be personal opinion here, but it just sounds odd. I would recommend changing the tune almost completely there; the texture and material before and after should keep the continuity of the piece. Also, I'd look at the Parallel 5ths at 2:59-3:00; in some music they can work, but in here they don't. I believe this has promise, as long as you adjust the arrangement accordingly. Of course, I can't comment the mix as you haven't dealt with it yet, so I'll trust you will change what needs to be changed . Really, I would love to hear more of 'you' in this! When I listen to it I am hunting for parts that sound personal rather than a simple iteration of the source. I shouldn't need to search for this; It should be pervasive throughout the mix. I wish you the best of luck with this (I hope to see this someday on the front page)!