Gario

This is cheating a bit, but I'm going to use my evaluation from the album eval, as nothing has changed from that. A bit conservative, and a touch more realism on some of the instruments would've been nice, but I don't think it's enough to give this anything but a YES. YES

Jorito, you would be a great addition to the project. Just let me know what you've got an eye on and I'll mark it for you. Eitzpii, that's plenty to hold a claim for a 1st WIP, so the tracks are yours! I only request you send me some downloadable versions so I can store them properly, and once things get moving I'll give you some advice on where to go from what you've got. Welcome aboard! I've tweaked a few dates on the project, to account for the relatively slow start-up for the project (having no response until late January/early February counts as an extraordinary circumstance, to me), but seeing more people post in here with interest is a great thing to see. I moved the planned first compo to two weeks from now, but that WILL be when they start. For those that are less known, it's a great way to get something on the project easily and quickly, and for more experienced members there will be benefits to taking the compos by storm. Details on them in a week, where I will be announcing them on Discord and Facebook.

Hi OC Remix, I'm sending another music submission! I submitted an orchestral arrangement to the catalogue a long time back, but it wasn't accepted due to it being too short and not sufficiently developed. That was a few years ago, but I'm back with another submission, this time an electronic, D&B flavored remix of the main theme from the indie game Papers, Please by Lucas Pope. Contact Information: ReMixer name: Vonyco Your real name: Forest Muran Your email address: Your website: Vonyco.com Your userid: 52078 Source Game: Papers, Please Name of Arrangement: Red Anthem Name of Song Arranged: Papers, Please Main Theme System: PC Original Composer: Lucas Pope Personal Comments: In this remix my intention was to capture the drudging, yet militaristic energy of the original piece, as well as transmute the sardonic bitterness of the game's atmosphere into electronic sounds. The resulting remix remolds the form of the original, dividing its linear outgrowth into steel-hard electronic solos that playfully juggle the Slavic, folk-flavored themes of the original piece. I hope your judges enjoy the remix, and I look forward to hearing back from you guys! Thanks for your time, Forest Muran

Did I need to attach the artwork? Nope! Did I attach it anyway? Yup! EDIT: Alright, I guess I gotta vote on this too, so here we go. Ah, one of my favorite sources from one of my favorite games, and the arrangement is handled pretty solidly. As MW mentioned, the copy pasting is pretty minimal (to the point where I don't notice it, really), and while it follows the structure pretty conservatively there's more than enough interpretation in the instrumentation to consider this the artist's interpretation. I'm not sold on the production of this, though - it just sounds overly crowded throughout the track. The upper EQ range is thoroughly saturated throughout the track (really sounds like a lot of 'hissing' throughout), and overall the balancing act of keeping important elements to the front doesn't seem to be in play here. The bass at 0:30 and 1:13, for example, just shoots to the front of the mix, leaving the melody behind it (further obscured by the sidechaining, no less). Even the texture at 2:31 has more prominence at this point - the balance just isn't clicking on any cylinders, here. I understand the theme in this source isn't as dynamic as the texture, but one of the reasons the texture is as cool to listen to as it is would be because it's playing against such a strong, slow theme. If the theme is downplayed as it is here and relegated to the background then all of those textures sound repetitive and nonsensical (as the ear is catching them as the supposed melody of the track). The balance is working at odds with you, on this. The stereo spread on this is pretty excessive on the mid/higher EQ end of the track. A little stereo spread is good to give your bass space (as you did here), but too much makes the whole track sound hollowed out and thinner than normal. Lower the spread a bit to give a more even sound throughout. I like it, but I'm not feeling it yet. Rebalance the mix, balance the spread and work on fixing the crowding on the upper EQ range. I can see this being a great mix for OCR, but I think it needs a bit more TLC on the production end of things. NO

Hello OCRemix Team, my name is Patrick, aka SpreadFire, and I'm a hobby-musician who likes to play around with electronic music. I'm also a huge Metroid fan, and that is why I decided to make and submit to you a Remix of my favourite song of the franchise due to its 30th Anniversary. The song itself was completely made by me. I also go by the Metroid-related username of Black Falcon on forums and on Youtube, but SpreadFire is my music artist name to be used here. Song description: Biosphere is a more eletronic approach to Super Metroid's original Green Brinstar Theme. While staying mostly true to the original arrangement, slight adjustments were made to enhance the atmosphere and rythm of the song. Song is in 192kbit/s Mp3 and 3 minutes 24 seconds in length. I also attached the cover artwork I made for the song. I sincerely hope you enjoy listening to it as I enjoyed making it! Looking forward to your decision. :

Note: I did NOT post the version sent in the e-mail, but rather the version that he tweaked for the sake of the album he eventually released for the sake of consistency, as well as the fact that he sent this BEFORE making adjustments for the album posting. - Gario Old Decision 1) Remixer Name- Yoshiblade 2) D L Forum ID) 52832 1) Game Being Arranged- Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin 2) Name Of Arrangement- Hail to the Present 3) Name Of Arranged Song- Hail From the Past 4) Original Composer- Michiru Yamane 5) Oxford University, Suite 1987 Oxford, England Dec 5th, 1936"Esteemed colleges, I present to you the most peculiar occurrence I can recall in all my years. Approximately 10:31 P.M. I attempted to reach Cairo Relay Station. I felt it best to contact, Dr. Carter and report on our current situation, when as quickly as I have ever seen, an errant sandstorm blew in from the East. Our radio produced nothing but static on frequencies I know to be valid, until I heard the most haunting sounds that, I should think, have ever existed. My immediate reaction was to engage my personal wire recorder and capture these bizarre sounds. The wave like squelching seems to be a warped radio signal, yet I clearly hear a violin and drums that beat with a rhythm I found to be irresistible and drives with a spirit I have not yet encountered in my travels. There seem to be an interaction between a one Jonathan and Claire and a yet unknown female ( who’s voice is like that of a siren to my ears) The strange effects, which I can only deduce are of an electronic origin (which are of no discernible origin, at least no current origin) clip and stutter, twisting the waveform of these fantastical sounds, as if one were fumbling with a tuning knob, which is very apropos, due to the nature of my interaction with this eerie encounter, the likes of which may very well change not only how we Egyptologist understand this mysterious place, but our very understand of the past, present and future” Prof. Harker PhD. Esq. MD. Rev. LMNOP Beefed up the snare, fixed some levels and smoothed out some transitions. Ive got some spoopy Halloween themed remixes coming down the pipeline soon, I realize they probably wont get a listen until after Oct 31, but just a thought if you wanted them for the Halloween Season. Thank You for the Listen! Original https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg1PDaOnU2Q

ReMixer name: jnWake. Name of game(s) arranged: Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Name of arrangement: Chemical Fusion. Name of individual song(s) arranged: "Chemical Plant Zone". Note: This mix is included in the Sonic 25th album headed by Black_Doom. LINK TO ARRANGEMENT: Mix comments (same as the album ones): So, this'll be a slightly weird thing to say for a Sonic tribute album but I've actually never been a Sonic fan. Well, I guess that's because I never owned a Sega console so I didn't get many opportunities to actually play Sonic games as a kid. Despite that, I do have vivid memories of playing Sonic 2 and failing spectacularly and frequently at the Chemical Plant Zone stage. While the memory itself isn't particularly pleasant, it also comes with awesome background music!When the opportunity came to participate in this album, I immediately thought of covering one of Sonic 2's most obscure and less remixed tracks: Chemical Plant Zone! Uh, something's wrong with that affirmation... I tend to like covering tracks that aren't that popular but I couldn't help myself this time, since this track is simply phenomenal. So, when I started doing the mix I listened to the many (many) remixes of it that exist both here and on YouTube. To my "surprise", a large percent of them where what some people would call "technomanga". Ok, that isn't really surprising but this song is actually pretty funky so it surprised me a bit that nobody (that I could find) actually had done a more "conservative" remix, style-wise. With that in mind, I went for a more conservative take on the track inspired on its jazzier/funkier roots instead of the dance-oriented approach most other remixes went with.Talking about the remix, I also settled on a small goal: using FM patches. To get a bit of that Genesis feel I tried my hand at crafting some patches with FM8 for this remix. The bass patch and the two synth leads were born this way! I'm no expert at using FM8 but I like how they came out!On the arrangement, I didn't go for anything really complex but I'll detail it here anyway:- 0:00 - 0:30: Pretty straightforward take on the first section of the source.- 0:30 - 0:45: Based on the second melody of the source. Chord progression is "original".- 0:45 - 1:27: Synth/Guitar solo duel! Backing chords are an alteration of the first section. Also, drum solo!- 1:27 - 1:43: Straightforward take on the second section of the source.- 1:43 - 2:09: Based on the melody of the previous section.- 2:09 - 2:34: Based on the third section of the source (the transition that ends the loop). - 2:34 - End: Based on the first section of the source, taking some liberties here and thereHope you like it!Also, I should thank to timaeus since he gave some feedback when I was finishing the track and helped master it.

Holy CHRIST, that is some meaty guitar and drum work (sick gallops on them drums, to boot). So simple, so short, so goddamn elegant. This is a perfect little thrash arrangement; there's no reason to panel perfection. - Gario Contact Information - That Headband Guy Mike Stevenson www.youtube.com/c/thatheadbandguy 33437 Submission Information Street Fighter II "Burning Vigor" Ken's Theme - USA A typical "THG" metal arrangement - starts with the theme, builds to an original rhythm/solo (while keeping in the confines of the source material) and resolves back to theme. Production wise, no notable faults that are picked up by my ear. Your experience may vary, which is fine! For the solo section, I was going for a very 80's Yngwie Malmsteen keyboard versus guitar - typically operating around D Harmonic Minor which gives it a classical-esque flair. Kind regards, Mike

Hi guys, hope you're doing great! Contact Information Chernabogue Alexandre MOUREY ID: 17636 Submission Information Spelunky (PC) "Raiders of the Ark of Doom" "Caves" Composers: George Buzinkai, Jonathan Perry, Eirik Suhrke This remix was made as part of a project called "The Archaeologist's Journal" on OCR. It was a bit of a challenge because I never played Spelunky and thus never heard its soundtrack. A quick search and I was hooked to its main theme. I draw inspiration from epic movie soundtracks and trailer music. In the end, it sounds more like the credits theme for a morning cartoon starring Indiana Jones, but I'm proud of what I've done. OCR made me discover and appreaciate new music once again! LINK TO REMIX: Hope it's all good, as always!

The blending of sources in this is pretty superb; you definitely push both sources together while keeping them both sounding distinct enough to pull apart throughout the entire song. I consider that a job well done - Ground Dung beetle is a trickier source to work with. The production values are high, and the arrangement flows well. Listening to it through, it checks all of my boxes for what makes a good remix. It's not without a few things amiss, though they are minor. That rhythm guitar seems to be lacking some high end, which to my ear makes it sound dull. This gives space to your synth and other instruments later on so I can understand why that choice was made, but it feels like it went a little too far in the other direction and dulled the impact the guitar otherwise could've had. The piano throughout is pretty stiff and mechanical. It's not ever the center of attention of the piece so it has little impact, but when it's more expose playing those chords it has no dynamics, no life... nothin'. Little touches to breath life into background elements can transform a good song into a great one, so some more attention to the background would've been appreciated. As MW points out, the sine synth is pushed pretty far behind the mix. You get a bit more sympathy from me, considering I've used it in multiple arrangements of mine (Zeal Feels Good, and more recently Nimbus can Wait) - that is a super pain in the butt synth to work with that you can't just throw in anywhere and expect it to fit in. Your soundscape needs to be designed to fit it in, or else in an effort to make it heard it'll either make certain specific frequencies skyrocket, or it'll be super quiet (as it is here). Unless you're really going for the specific sound a sine gets you, I'd suggest either going for a flute next time (very similar sound, easier waveform to work with), or working with a different synth altogether. At 1:59 - 2:05 I'm not feeling those chord progressions. I get it - the melody does something similar for Ground Dung Beetle (can't spell the actual name, won't even try), but it doesn't do so harmonically, as it does here. I rarely rag on voice leading, but in this instance it just sounds like it's randomly jumping between two chords without any rhyme or reason. It's poor form to leap from one block chord to another, as it just sounds disconnected - be careful about that next time. It's a lot of little things, but they're very small things in the grand scheme of things. The two sources blend great, the themes are still catchy and the production is clean. It's not a hard choice to pass this one. YES

As many as you feel you can handle. If you can manage a good WIP for two tracks and keep up with deadlines, they'll be yours. And yes, Lufia's soundtrack is amazing.

Prior decision Re mixer Name: Wiesty Real Name: Dylan Wiest Email Address: User ID: 11643 Name of game(s) arranged: Final Fantasy VII Name of arrangement: Shrouded Reactor Name of individual song(s) arranged: Mako Reactor *Re-submission* This is a resub (as requested) of Shrouded Reactor. The panel felt the sample used on the piano and the overall loudness of the track needed some work. I've upgraded too a much better piano sample and have hopefully worked out some of the volume issues. I performed the track in one take so hopefully there shouldn't be any humanization issues. Hello! This is a simple piano arrangement of Mako Reactor from FF7 I arranged. This was originally to be part of the FF7 Web series project until it came to halt. The concept was to arrange the reactor theme in a way that reflected the mystery/eeriness of the Mt. Nibel Mako Reactor. I think this piece captures the unpleasant feeling of walking through Mt. Nibel and discovering the Mako reactor quite well. I hope you enjoy!

Alright! I will be marking it down as claimed, good sir! Also will be adjusting the deadlines a little tonight, considering the slow start this is getting, but a WIP would be amazing.

You son of a - I thought you were above us plebs on the panel! Anyhoo, it was certainly a very ecclectic arrangement on the album, and one I enjoyed. The good ol' harpsichord against the chips and trap beats mix in a way that makes it so the listener really can't turn away. The production is pretty solid (save for a moment or two where things come in all at once and get cluttered, like 0:23), from what I can hear, and the arrangement certainly has enough source (and very much has its own personality), though the ending leaves me hanging as it just sort of... ends. I'm not 100% sold on the mixing of this, as the harpsichord really pops to the front too much in comparison to the rest of the arrangement, making it almost sound piercing in comparison. It's not a crushing dealbreaker, but it IS something that just stands out throughout the mix in a less-than-positive way. Otherwise, it seems to be like a great future post for the front page. YES

Source ----------------- Your ReMixer name - Aubrey Hodges Your real name - Aubrey Hodges Your email address - Your website - aubreyhodges.bandcamp.com (album sales) and aubreyhodges.com (info, blog etc.) Your userid (number, not name) on our forums, found by viewing your forum profile - 33671 Name of game(s) arranged - Quest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness (QFG4) Name of arrangement - Quest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness - Official Soundtrack Name of individual song(s) arranged - Introduction-Prelude, Erana's Staff, Erana's Garden, Battle: Fairy, Battle: Chernovy, The Music Box 2 Additional information about game including composer, system, etc. (if it has not yet been added to the site) Original Composer: Aubrey Hodges, released in 1994 on PC, Mac, Amiga Link to the original soundtrack (if it is not one of the sound archives already available on the site) http://aubreyhodges.bandcamp.com/album/quest-for-glory-shadows-of-darkness-official-soundtrack Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc. - These arrangements are part of my recent official soundtrack release that includes 42 new arrangements. I wanted to revisit this music in order to raise the quality bar that simply wasn't attainable at the time the score was originally composed. Most everything is played live and some pieces were rearranged to increase length. I tried very hard to maintain the spirit of the music but wanted to create a more nuanced and emotional delivery. The end result is far more satisfying to me and I finally feel that the score has become what I heard internally while composing so many years ago

This was a tough source to find (In fact, I failed entirely - searching for Ma Ti nearly caused a direct rejection, due to that source being so different!). I'm glad the artist gave me some details on where the source was in the end, because this mix is absolutely great - the cheese of the 80's oozes through this, driving the theme like an old 80's show. If Captain Planet was just a little older this could've been a theme on the show, but I digress. While the synths are used in a predictable fashion, there's enough twists and turns in the arrangement to keep it fresh. Instruments drop, synths stack in slightly different ways throughout, the arrangement takes turns that are unexpected... it manages to stay fresh with such a limited soundscape. I've got to commend that I was never fatigued throughout, which I expected to be at first. The drums are pretty boring, but at least they're STYLISTICALLY boring. That doesn't give it a free pass, but it does help alleviate the issue a bit. The fade out ending was weak, but in an otherwise very strong arrangement I think we can let it slide. The production is slick, the arrangement checks out, and it has enough personality to keep any avid fan of the 80's bouncin'. Ship it off to the front page, I say. YES

Team robot? Hopin' for team Knight. Laaaaaame... My bitching aside, I'm ready when you are.

Oh shi-

I was looking for words to put the issues down, and I think MindWanderer got it down - with such a short source, it doesn't develop it enough, which leaves it sounding like it's repeating over and over again. Really more an issue with using a short source, but the fact is that it was your choice, so you're responsible for making it sound interesting and varied. The piano is certainly too muffled to be able to hear it once the synths come into effect, and the synth that's used throughout is very plain. I like the use of portamento, though, to give the synth some sliding flavor, but it's not quite enough to mask that you're using a basic trance lead throughout the track. Get some variety of samples and synths, design a synth or two, give us something that makes the track your own, as right now the sound design is very plain. The SFX aren't used too poorly, but MW is right that they shouldn't be used in leiu of developing the music. I will note that it's strange to hear the different levels of quality from the different Sonic sources - you can really tell when the voices are from something like a Sonic television show and from the video games. It's pretty disorienting, actually. Overall, there's little to keep the interest of the listener for even two minutes throughout. When picking a short source this is always a risk, so you must be extra vigilant in really developing the source in such a way where it doesn't repeat the source over and over again. Best of luck, and keep this in mind the next time you approach such a short source. NO

MindWanderer pretty much hits it on the head: static arrangement, liberal interpretation of source (that bass isn't source, nor is the improv - I checked). The drums are also very repetitive, but that ties into the whole 'static arrangement' part. Also, there is no ending - just a quick fade, which really just leaves us hanging. It's a lazy vote, but there isn't much to add. Listen to MindWanderer on this and you'll be solid. NO

Honestly, I've got to take the opposite approach from my esteemed colleague and say the authenticity and crunch from the hardware sounds absolutely great contrasting against the crisp guitar work. That was one of the features that really pulled this track together and made it into something new and interesting. I suppose it's not for everyone, but I dig it. The production, where it's not purposefully coming from the Namco 163 hardware (very interesting tidbit, by the way) is otherwise spot on, so it's very much apparent that it's a stylistic choice. I mean, we don't hammer on Mazedude for this amazing remix that technically has terrible production values, as it's utilized purposefully and artfully. Similar deal here, in my opinion. The arrangement is a touch on the conservative side, but the change in style and pace is enough for me to give it a moderate pass. It takes it into enough directions in the soundscape to keep it fresh, for me, but it is a touch on the conservative side. Going to point out that the piano is utilized in the beginning of the track (at 0:34 - 1:03), so it's indeed a bookend. This preps the listener sufficiently for the ending, as well, so I think it was handled exceptionally well. Drums are good, but I felt the track put too much low pass over it, which makes it sound dull in the background. It's understandable on the one hand, giving the other instruments their space, but on the other hand the drums remain hidden in the background a bit. Letting some highs through would've made them punch through better. Nitpicks aside, though, I thought this was great. I'd be happy to see this get some front page lovin'. YES

Megalovania, such a neat track overall (though admittedly doesn't fit the Undertale soundtrack that well, lol). Not a bad choice to give a crack at a cover, I'll say. The drumming is very interesting, in that you really change up the beats to keep things fresh. The relatively wet recording causes some conflict with the other instruments, though, since it makes the accompaniment sound like it was recorded in a different room. If you record, record dry and match whatever reverb levels you desire. If that's not an option, match your reverb levels in the other instruments to what you have in a recording. Overall, while accurate, the soundscape sounds hollow and empty, and the instrumentation sounds mechanical (especially the piano). There's melody, there's bass, but there really isn't any harmony filling out your space, so everything sounds unfinished, and the sequencing of instruments sounds like it's a skeleton of what you want to accomplish. As far as a cover goes, you've replicated the source accurately, which is good (no notable wrong or sour notes). You simply need to flesh out what you started - give it some harmonic meat, give some humanized life to the fake sounding samples, etc.. It's not a bad starting point, though, so keep at it!

Man, when it really gets going (0:43) it sounds really good. The choice to slide that main theme really adds something unique to the track that's just... tasty. While it takes a while to get off the ground, it's easy to follow, and damn if it doesn't have a ton of meat to it. The production could use some work, as the instruments do fight for space, especially among the synths and drums (like at 1:01). The heavy reliance on reverb throughout in the synths and drums limits where you can take the track. Leave things wet, but not THAT wet, and you'll have more space to mix and balance the track. The drums have a lot of strength in the right places, but be aware that the toms are mixed pretty close to the front when they don't need to be. The guitar is well placed, and honestly it would serve you well to utilize it a bit more often throughout. It both would prep the listener for it better when it takes them tasty licks, and it would give the soundscape some more variety (as it IS a touch on the static side). The arrangement itself does suffer a little from sounding copy-pasted for the last portion. The guitar does some things differently, but it doesn't take that feeling away. Give some more variety in the synthwork and drums in these portions, it would help alleviate this issue. Love it, though, and I think it has potential to go from a good track to a really great track with some cleaning up. Best of luck!

Ages ago, I requested Jurassic Park 2 remixes for the PRC, with a little success (thanks, Sir_NutS!). You can check out one arrangement of the Dark Jungle here. I agree, certainly a great, under-represented soundtrack. The ambient nature of the soundtrack makes it tricky to approach, but the material there is nearly all gold.

Some details can be found here, but the short end of it is that Brandon requested his music be removed from OCR due to a conflict between them. Fortunately, the album is under a different contract agreement entirely so you may still enjoy his music on there, but not individually on OCR. It's a shame, but there isn't much we can do about it.