Gario

Glad I could help a bit on this. Yeah, if you raise the dynamics for multiple instruments perfectly in sync it would definitely SOUND like the gain was being raised and lowered. Humanizing the dynamics a bit more would go a long way in fixing that issue. On the organ, though, it actually IS capable of raising and lowering dynamics mid-note - it's one of it's special features. Organists control how much air is being pushed through at any time using what they call a 'swell'. Ironically, what they CAN'T do is change notes individually (in contrast to a piano), so the organ dynamics tends to sound like... well, the gain knob is raising and lowering. The irony doesn't escape me, there - don't worry about your organ dynamics, they were actually alright. Changing the choir sample would be great, but if you can't another possibility is to have the sampler playback start a little ahead in the sample, then adding a small amount of attack to it (like 20ms attack) to soften the impact. If you have a better sample then use it, but that's an alternative you can use if you need to.

Glad I could help! No worries about the arrangement commentary - it was just a personal thought of mine. Good luck, and I hope to hear more from you.

Well hello there! Welcome to OCR! Seems like you want to send this in as a submission, right? Awesome, I'll give you an idea of how it'll fare on the panel if you submit it as is. Nice combination of instruments you've got going there - this works pretty darn well as a synthwave track. The overall soundscape is delicious, and the way that the track builds off of itself does a great job to progress the track. Your synths are well crafted, and when the drums come in they compliment the overall soundscape very well. In the beginning the production works well enough, but as the track progresses and more instruments are introduced the soundscape tends to get pretty muddy, due to how wet the synths are. The moments of clarity in this give me goosebumps, like at 0:45 (the introduction of that bass synth) and 2:12 (that drum over the bass), but 2:46 onward the instruments all bleed into one another and create a messy soundscape. The Sanctuary portion's main synth is also overly wet and would otherwise be problematic, but that section doesn't have nearly as many synths going at once to cause issue. Release heavy synths, delay and reverb are solid tools in the Synthwave genre, but there's too much of it in this track so tone it down to clean it up. Related to the issue above, when things get overly crowded the track takes a hit as far as having limiting artifacts. When everything is going down in the second have it sounds like there's a constant "buzzing". While I can't 100% confirm this to be a limiting issue, clipping or anything without uploading it to Audacity, it's very likely when this gets busy it also hits your limiter. Be careful with that. The drums in this, while great for the genre, suffer from being pretty static. Change it up from time to time, add a pattern, switch the beat a little in subtle ways, etc.. The fills are a good start, but the pattern drones on after 2:12, so you'd very likely be called out on it on the panel. If you were to send this to the inbox as is, I would likely pass it on to the panel, but it would very likely be rejected on production grounds, overly crowded soundscape and that static drumset. I'd suggest making your synths a bit more dry, and giving some more variety and life to those drums. Pay attention to your production levels, too, though they'd likely be almost automatically fixed once the soundscape is less crowded. ... On an unofficial note, I really like the arrangement, here. Personally, I feel there was a lot of potential to expand on the Sanctuary track after 2:12, but that's just my opinion. Most of your issues in this track come into play after you start the Castle theme, though, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a more rich and focused Sanctuary arrangement. This doesn't affect your track in any way as far as the panel goes, but I thought I'd add that suggestion in there a bit off the record. Best of luck, and thanks for sharing your track, here - it's a pretty cool track.

Yeah, that's about the goal for this album. Your track is in a safe place, so no worries on that - you have some time before I start grinding an axe toward members with nearly finished pieces.

The two judges above are absolutely correct on their concerns - repetitive and static writing is a concern. I will add that the mixing and EQ balance are issues as well - the EQ mids are excessive at the cost of a decent bass and any upper EQ, which makes the track sound muffled and lacking any base. The mix itself tends to lose the themes and melodic hooks behind the textures and (especially) the drums. Despite these issues I still enjoy what you have going here. The beat really does bring a new light to the source, and the part writing is nice, but there are too many issues with the track overall for us to take. Revisit this with our comments in mind and I think you can produce something great, but right now it isn't there yet. NO

It's a pretty simple and clean arrangement, and it represents the source very well. The keyboard backing works well with the steelstring guitar, though I agree with MindWanderer that it gets pretty muffled when everything is going at once. I will add that when the guitar is exposed in the beginning the fingers sliding could've been toned down in post production a bit so they weren't so piercing. These certainly aren't deal breakers by any stretch, but I'd be remiss to leavce those comments out. Definitely a keeper, though. Great work, you two! YES

Great concept, solid performances and just the right amount of production shine, this is a solid piano arrangement for the opening of Undertale. It does a lot to expand what is a shorter arrangement, yet it's very easy to connect it to the source throughout, so it'd be easy to pass this without any further comment (it's pretty good, is what I'm saying). However, the title intrigues me, as rather than giving it an emotive title, it gives a descriptive one like older music tended to do (actually naming pieces was uncommon, save for sung music, back in the day). It's not common knowledge, but a "Sonata" is actually referring to a specific layout of an arrangement, and it was an informative way to let the listeners know what they were in for. Absolutely for fun, I'll identify how that applies to this piece, since Jer Roque applies it just as it should (with a bit of a modern flair, to keep it relevant). A sonata is structurally a piece with three sections: the Exposition, the Development, and the Recapitulation. The Exposition is broken into two distinct parts, and traditionally the exposition was repeated with variation (though most modern performances normally skip the repeat). The Development was a distinct divergence from the exposition, meant to develop a new idea entirely in order to contrast the exposition. Eventually, this leads to the Recapitulation, which is a recap of the Exposition. This can either be a variation or a direct statement of the Exposition, but one way or another it's a return to the original idea. Over time, composers added introductions and codas to their sonatas in order to give them the option of making the opening and close of the songs sound more definitive, but the basic structure is always the same: AB(A'B')CA"B". I will say here that if Jer Roque titled the arrangement a 'Sonata' and didn't actually create a sonata I'd have been disappointed, but I'll give full credit and say that this is, indeed, a Sonata... well, almost (the Exposition A and B section are double the length of the Recapitulation section), but I can overlook some basic differences as the overall effect is the same. Intro: 0:00 - 0:22 EXPOSITION A: 0:22 - 2:17 B: 2:17 -3:13 DEVELOPMENT C: 3:13 - 4:17 RECAPITULATION A': 4:17 - 4:46 B': 4:46 - 5:18 Coda: 5:18 - 5:48 Sometimes compositional tricks and techniques go unrecognized by the listeners, so I figure why not point out something really cool that the arranger did and give credit where it's due? He used the Sonata form properly, and it helps shape his piece in a way that evokes late Romanticism, and that's really, really cool. Props to that, and full props for giving us a kickass Undertale piano arrangement. One doesn't need to go into this depth to appreciate a track like this, but it can certainly be interesting! YES

Link Contact Information Your ReMixer name - Jer Roque Your real name - Jer Roque Your email address - jer@jeremiahroque.com Your website - http://www.jeremiahroque.com Your userid (number, not name) on our forums, found by viewing your forum profile - 31938 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged - Undertale Name of arrangement - Once Upon a Piano Sonata No. 0 in F Major Name of individual song(s) arranged - Once Upon a Time Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc. I was bored one day, and decided to play “Once Upon a Time” in minor, and it eventually turned into this. I submitted this to the Pixel Mixers album “The Great Tale of the Little Ones: A Tribute to Indie Games”

Well then, being pretty unfamiliar with that source from P5 (I've only seen so much of the game so far) my intuition was incorrect - I simply assumed since so much of that source uses harmonies like that. Holdin' that arrangement in even higher regards then, kudos!

This is a great sound for you, Jorito! It reminds me a lot of what you did for the Skies of Arcadia track, with the flute, the vocals, the rock and overall epic, almost western feel to it all. It's clean, it's beefy, it's awesome. Also, is that title... Icelandic? Sheesh, really setting that mood with every aspect of this arrangement, even the title! Pretty much a slam dunk, for me! YES

I wasn't on the panel at the time of the previous decision, either, so this is a fresh listen for me. Overall, this is actually pretty good. While I hear some of the concern about the realism of the instruments in this, it didn't bother me too much as most of the piece uses synthesized elements. It would've been better had you handled the oboe's articulations so the attacks didn't swell on every note, and that slide at 2:37 isn't physically possible on the instrument(!), but the instrument is still a nice touch to the track. I'd be much more picky about it if it were an orchestral arrangement, but there's a little room for interpretation in something like this. It sounds like the poor notes have been addressed for the most part in this. I'm not hearing any sour notes, really (1:10 had some interesting chromaticism, but it's not necessarily bad). The only issue that I'm hearing in this that's holding this back is the use of that drum pattern. While percussion should carry the beat, certainly, it shouldn't be handled like the post office - through rain, hail, sleet or snow the beat shall persist. Fortunately there's a whole section in the middle that breaks it all up, which is a relief to hear when it comes in. Some more variety in the main drum part, some more fills to differentiate from the different sections, etc., would help take this to new heights. It's a very close call for me. I can see this being sent back due to the drums being pretty static and a few humanization concerns, but at the same time I think there was at least some variety in the middle to help alleviate this, and the humanization is downplayed by the fact that this isn't an orchestral track for me. If this is rejected give those drums some more variety and I think that would probably be enough, but I think it's good enough as it is. YES

So you don't see the 'Start new topic' button at the top right corner of the board? It's possible that you need to scroll the screen further to the right in order to see it, but as far as I can see the button is there. I see you've made posts in the past, so you've been able to do it before - it may be that you're not used to the new layout that's been rolled out on OCR yet. The button should be in the same place as it was when you started a new topic on here (except on the WIP boards, of course), so take another peak just in case. Otherwise, if there are any details of what is actually where the button should be that would certainly help.

Persona 5 has some great music. While I don't recall this source too accurately, I like the volume gating and pounding drums in this. The jazzy chords have a ton of flavor, to boot, though I'm sure that was straight from the source (not that it's a bad thing or anything - P5 uses some great harmonies in its soundtrack). I like it, thanks for giving us some Persona 5 love on here.

I will say, first and foremost, that this is quite an improvement from the version you had prior. The sample quality has improved quite a bit, and there is definitely some attention paid to the phrasing in this (moreso than the last version of this). The snare pops out better, and that trumpet is FAR more impressive this time around. This is on the panel right now, so I've gotten to hear a few points on it already. One point is how the dynamics are applied; at many points in the track it does sound like the overall gain is being turned up in order to produce dynamics (1:09 - 1:10 is a great example of this, but it occurs throughout the arrangement). In order to get around this issue, rather than using gain to create dynamics for the whole track (or section), utilize the volume envelop of the specific instruments that you want to swell. Many of the instruments really CAN swell in that fashion (strings, brass, woodwinds, etc.), but it's very strange sounding when all the instruments swell in exactly the same way at the same time - orchestras would never be able to so something like that as precisely as this track often does. I would argue that most of the articulations are at a decent place in this (though the choir sample at 1:36 - 2:13 still has an attack that swells into every note). The articulations aren't perfect, but I don't think they quite sink the arrangement like they did the first time around. The snare is still pretty dry in comparison to the rest of the instruments, though - a little bit of reverb would go a long way in making it sound like it's a part of the ensemble. It's not quite there yet, but it's much closer than it was. The sample issue was definitely solved (congrats on getting Kontact 11, by the way!), and the articulations and phrasing has been improved, but the use of mixing gain for dynamics at many points is very distracting. That's the big reason for rejection on my end, but if you could give the snare some reverb in order to match the wetness levels of the rest of the orchestra and fine tune some of the articulations so they don't have such a high attack envelope needlessly (the choir sample, some of the brass) that would put this in range of a solid pass for me. Thanks for revisiting it, and I hope more people will pay attention to tracks like this on the WIP boards, since it doesn't seem like it got any love on here yet.

I will say, first and foremost, that this is quite an improvement from the version you had prior. The sample quality has improved quite a bit, and there is definitely some attention paid to the phrasing in this (moreso than the last version of this). The snare pops out better, and that trumpet is FAR more impressive this time around. MindWanderer does have a point on how the dynamics are applied, though. At many points in the track it does sound like the overall gain is being turned up in order to produce dynamics (1:09 - 1:10 is a great example of this, but it occurs throughout the arrangement). In order to get around this issue, rather than using gain to create dynamics for the whole track (or section), utilize the volume envelop of the specific instruments that you want to swell. Many of the instruments really CAN swell in that fashion (strings, brass, woodwinds, etc.), but it's very strange sounding when all the instruments swell in exactly the same way at the same time - orchestras would never be able to so something like that as precisely as this track often does. I would argue that most of the articulations are at a decent place in this (though the choir sample at 1:36 - 2:13 still has an attack that swells into every note). The articulations aren't perfect, but I don't think they quite sink the arrangement. The snare is still pretty dry in comparison to the rest of the instruments, though - a little bit of reverb would go a long way in making it sound like it's a part of the ensemble. It's not quite there yet, but it's much closer than it was. The sample issue was definitely solved (congrats on getting Kontact 11, by the way!), and the articulations and phrasing has been improved, but the use of mixing gain for dynamics at many points is very distracting. That's the big reason for rejection on my end, but if you could give the snare some reverb in order to match the wetness levels of the rest of the orchestra and fine tune some of the articulations so they don't have such a high attack envelope needlessly (the choir sample, some of the brass) that would put this in range of a solid pass for me. Thanks for revisiting it, and I hope more people will pay attention on the WIP boards next time, since it seems they didn't give this any love the last time it was posted there. NO

Man, I really enjoy the direction that was take, here - making the soothing opening into an epic rock song works wonders, here. I hear the source pretty clearly, but it's definitely interpretive enough for OCR. One major factor sticks out to me as an issue, though, and unfortunately it's not negligible for me. First, the strings that are playing throughout the entire track do not sound realistic. There's quite a bit of dynamic work done on them in order to make them sound more human, but the sample itself sound stifled and hollow, like it's a set of synth strings. I hate to knock a track down because it's using something that's not as realistic as it should, but considering how realistic and well done the lions share of the mix is (guitar, drums), those strings sit in an uncanny valley that's impossible to ignore, like they're trying to be realistic, but just don't quite make it. Of course, better samples would solve this issue, but I hate telling an artist that; an alternative would be to get something that is more definitively a synth sample or pad. The issue is how realistic it sounds against the rest of the track, so if you get something that sounds more like a synth rather than an imitation set of strings there should be little issue. The track is otherwise quite good, but those strings are pervasive and distract me from the rest of the arrangement. Hopefully my suggestions help, because I would like to see this pass in one form or another sometime soon. Best of luck! NO

I've pretty much in line with MindWanderer on this one - it's decent electronica, fairly well produced, and that arp does get a bit old. I won't go as far as to say that it's a dealbreaking aspect of the arrangement, as there are attempts to change up the timbre of that arpeggio at various points in order to make it more interesting. Also, be careful with the release on some of your quicker synths (particularly the arpeggio synth), as when things are too wet it creates unnecessary mud. I enjoyed the Hopes and Dreams cameo in there, though it's strange that it wasn't labelled as part of the arrangement. No biggie, but we might need to include that in the song description if this passes. Some of the parts get stale in this, but overall there's quite a bit of life that keeps things interesting for the listener. I like it, let's post it. YES

This is a very calming arrangement. There's a lot of care that was taken in this arrangement to vary the source, but even at it's most varied it's easy to connect it to the source material. There are some odd places in the arrangement where it sounds like it's stop-and-go (namely, at 2:00 - 2:04 and 2:49-2:51), but it's not quite so extreme as to sound like a new piece is starting or anything so I can let it slide. It's still strange enough that I need to point it out, though. The performances are nice, though I agree that the strings are mechanical. It's not too noticeable for the background swells, but the lead holds a strange vibrato consistently throughout. Vibrato is designed to give life to longer sections without change, not to everything the violin plays, so it sounds strange when it's applied wholesale like that. The production is very quiet - applying a basic amplifier on Audacity on the master track gets me about 4.5 dB overall. It's a pretty significant amount of headroom just pushing the track down, so if this passes I'll need an amplified version sent this way. It's quiet, but there was care taken to keep the track interesting. I'm all for the track getting posted, as long as we have an amplified revision on it. YES (CONDITIONAL)

Archangel doing what he does best, as usual. It's calming, but it's definitely got some dark undertones (especially after reading what this is about - such a sad track!). I agree with MindWanderer on the levels - there's no need for that much headroom - but I don't think it's something I'd hold this back for. If this passes I'll ask if the levels could be raised a decibel or two, though, as that would indeed be a quick fix. The overall EQ balance on this is lacking in the upper range, which makes the piece sound a little muffled. It's not enough to sink the piece, but if you've got a lowpass on this I'd suggest lightening up on it in the future, even if it's supposed to be a melancholy piece. Other than that, I've got nothing but good things to say about the track. The orchestration is great, the humanization is right where it needs to be (the flute vibrato is alright - the pan flute does do that quick vibrato from time to time). Yeah, I like it, let's send it off to the front page. YES

Ah, I'm glad to see A Link Between Worlds getting more OCR love lately - it really does have a great standalone soundtrack. This arrangement takes a rather creepy, ambient source and arranges it in a more playful manner - it almost sounds like something Danny Elfman would write for the game with the gentle choir and glockenspiel sprinkled in there. The orchestration is great, as usual, and for the most part the instruments are humanized well. The oboe has a swelling attack on every note, which is a little distracting, but otherwise the instruments are well handled. The balance of the arrangement is just a hair messy when all the instruments are playing together, and the choir suddenly jumps out at 2:22, but otherwise the production is well done. What can I say, this is a solid arrangement otherwise. Rebecca's giving us some fantastic orchestral love on here, and I hope she keeps it up. YES

RebeccaETripp Rebecca Tripp http://www.crystalechosound.com/ ID: 48262 Game(s): A Link Between Worlds Song Title: Arrghus’s Lair Songs Remixed: Swamp Palace

Well, this is interesting. Although this is abrasive and pretty non-tonal, so was the source, so... Yeah, I can't fault you, there! Given what you're working with, you do get some mileage with the texture changes that you have throughout, so you definitely avoid having the track getting stale. Production is quite good, though, and the arrangement, while on the conservative side does shine a different light on the source by transforming it into a chuggy metal track. I'm not sure I agree with the mixing choice on the piano part. At 1:01 and more prominently at 1:35 the theme is push pretty hard into the background, even being as spacious as the soundscape is at those points. Because it's so open it's still easy enough to hear the part so it doesn't sink the track, but it's a strange mixing choice, for sure. That steelstring in the beginning has absolutely no release, which makes it sound fake (like General MIDI fake). Okay, maybe not THAT fake, but it's a very weak instrument to open the arrangement on. Some more release on the sample would help make it sound more realistic. It's well produced, the material remains fresh throughout the arrangement, and it's definitely interesting (even if I don't find this or the source that palatable). I don't think the issues it has (minor mixing quirks, fake sounding steelstring in the beginning) holds this back from being posted; it's not for everyone, but I think it'd be an interesting front page candidate -- EDIT (06/02): Going back on this, I can sign on to the idea that the thin instruments (steelstring, piano) really do drag this down below the bar. I mentally debated that point when giving it a before, and I think I stand on the other side of the fence now on re-listening. The distorted synths and guitar sound quite good, but those other samples really drag an otherwise cool arrangement down. Fix those up, balance them better in the mix and send this back our way! NO

Download link: Contact Information Your ReMixer name: Sebastien Skaf Your real name: Sebastien Skaf Your email address: Your website: http://sebastienskaf.bandcamp.com/ Your userid: 23598 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged: Final Fantasy V Name of arrangement: Machine Music Name of individual song(s) arranged: Musica Machina Link to the original soundtrack: Source Usage I sat on this one for a while before submitting it. It's shorter than I would have liked, but since the original track is something like a 40 second loop I didn't have a whole lot to work with. I managed to get it up to 2:45 mostly utilizing instrumental and textural changes in the arrangement. I was going for sort of a Nine Inch Nails vibe with this one, especially with the intro. The main riff is played first by the acoustic guitar, then the electric, then a synth. It builds up to a sort of nu-metal drop at 40 seconds. I used a piano with some distortion for the melody, and then again later without the distortion overtop a quiet bass groove. Thanks!

I hear the improvements made on this one (many of the humanization issues that I had have been addressed), so this is a pretty clear pass for me, too. I will nitpick a bit and say that the mixing is still not perfect (the strings are still mixed too far into the background when they carry the theme), but the arrangement is more than strong enough to carry this otherwise. Great work, and I'm glad you revisited this one until you got it just right! YES

By all means, I look forward to it.