Gario

I third this challenge; the music from the series is amazing. It's great to hear the arrangements that Atlus came up with in Arena and Dancing All Night, but it WOULD be great to hear some substantial OCR arrangements pop up before the P5 release.

Oh shit, a name drop. Can't say that doesn't swell my ego at least a little. ANYHOO! Going to concur on the static nature of the arrangement. What is happening in the soundscape isn't necessarily bad (though the synths are a bit plain, especially the delay'd saw synth), it simply doesn't change very much. 0:44 - 3:25 has virtually all of the instruments doing all of the same things, save for the drums dropping out periodically (which helped, by the way). Drop out instruments, bring in a fresh synth, use a synth in a different manner, etc.; anything to shift the soundscape around, the better, as it gets tiring listening to the whole track. The arrangement is fine - it covers the source well enough, but it has a nice build-up, and overall the sound design is pretty different from the source. The production is adequate, though the lead at 1:19 sounds pretty hollow. It could use some layering or distortion to give it a more complex EQ range (and therefore some more presence). A few other instruments are pretty plain (like the other lead and saw synth, as mentioned before), but in addressing the static arrangement issue you can make what you have work. It's not bad - I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's just not there yet. Hopefully you'll find the advice helpful - good luck! NO

Definitely with MindWanderer on this one - strange source, but it's definitely there. Some of the strings are mechanical; the attack swell on it is unrealistic. Probably not for everyone, but definitely a pass in my book - It gets some real mileage with the abstract source. I personally like it, though - kind of reminds me of NIN, for some strange reason. Great work! -- EDIT (04/14): Hmm... Okay, looking at this again with an open mind after Sir_nutS mentioned it in chat, I'm really having a really tough time identifying the source on this. The bells in the background seem to be a clear source connection (0:00 - 0:16), but the additional material does not seem to connect to the source in a meaningful way. I think I was caught up with those bells connecting with the source and didn't vet the sources properly. If anyone else can find the source connections I'll flip my vote right back, but I can't justify my initial YES on this upon a closer look (even looking at the OTHER source, which I neglected to include). It's a shame, because I really enjoy this track on it's own merits. NO

Yeah, it's DEFINITELY pretty conservative, though it does play with some of the elements. While I agree with my fellow judges that this is really conservative, I'm not 100% sure this is TOO conservative - there are some changes to shake things up past the 1:34 mark, namely using that motif to build continuously into the source looping point - as repetitive as it can get, it DOES represent a sizable break from the source. As Sir_NutS points out, the vocal clips are used pretty spectacularly, and I especially enjoyed how they were used to bookend the track. The mixing is a bit of a mixed bag (pun may or may not be intended). Some of the elements really just shoot out of the mix (like the vocal clips in general, and the square at 0:32). These things should match the levels of the mix better overall. This is a tough call, but if the mixing was perfect on this OR if the arrangement had some more interesting diversions from the source I'd consider passing it. Those two things together inch it away from a passing vote on my end, but I think it's close. Do send it back our way! NO

Well, THIS was an interesting approach. As yet ANOTHER person who didn't evaluate it the first time around, I'm coming in with some fresh ears. I really like the arrangement and general soundscape - it takes something filled with cheese and silliness and turns it into something darker, more foreboding - I dig. It takes some time to really get to the source material (1:09 is when it's prominent), but that didn't bother me too much. The ending fizzles, but I wouldn't call that a deal-breaker - it lets the music ring, and it closes off all the musical ideas that it was presenting well enough. Not the best, but certainly not grounds for an immediate NO. While I like the soundscape, there's a bit of an issue with it being static. The pads that hold throughout the track really wears on you over time, as it really doesn't change. Listening to this all the way through is pretty exausting for that reason - don't be afraid to drop out that pad from time to time, to give the listener a break, and to help keep it fresh when it comes back. The overall mix also has an issue where the leading, interesting elements don't come through very well, as the pads really take up all your space. Mix the pads down a bit, bring you melodies to the front, layer, etc. There's quite a few ways you can improve your mix to bring things out properly, so be sure to do that. I think it's close, but not quite. Another pass on the mixing and taking another look at the pad and you'll be good to go. A suggestion, too: if you're resubmitting, I highly recommend putting that in the title of your e-mail! We look at those immediately, if it's in the title. NO

Huh, this was borderline liberal? There was a lot that clamped this down as relating to the source for me, especially the harmonies that follow the source precisely. The small snippets of actual theme does bring it all together in a pretty tight manner. I also notice a whole lot of segments that pull from the source that are not included in your numbers up there (2:28-2:30, 2:36-2:37 have a direct yet truncated relation to the source, for example, in the piano and sax portions). Otherwise, I thought this was a pretty tasteful arrangement. Really nice acoustic guitar (though it is a little tinn-y), great little background piano and pads, and that sax is oh-so tasty. The lighter choices for the percussion really brings it all together in a manner that just works. I for one would've been happy as hell to hear this in a real smash game's choose your character screen. Awesome work! As Larry pointed out, though, this DOES need a new name, due to naming conflicts from a prior submission on OCR. YES

Link to remix: ReMixer name: Sleepycoaster Real name: Orion Guan Email address: Website: https://www.youtube.com/user/AquariusCyclone userid: 33419 Game arranged: Sonic Rush Adventure Arrangement name: Blazing Through the Haunted Ship Name of arranged song: Haunted Ship Act 1 Composer: Mariko Nanba Game info: Published by Sega, developed by Sonic Team and Dimps for the Nintendo DS only, in 2007 Link to OST track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ikxxwyI2oI Comments: I started this remix because I thought Blaze the Cat is the best Sonic character, and once I finished it, I realized I was 100% right. This is a remix of Haunted Ship, the stage almost everyone picks Blaze for, since at that point you have just unlocked her and there are many shortcuts that only she can nab. A few months ago, I sat down at my computer in my PJs and thought that this track needs about 50% more action. I wanted to depict a princess doing something about the local robot pirate problem. What would that sound like? This remix is my best guess. I upped the pace, put in some Sonic soundtrack tropes like slap and wah guitars, and spliced in Eggman's machine-like percussion style for some sections. The hand percussion got amped because that tends to happen in the Blazy Mixes in Sonic Rush. Not much more to say, other than weird stuff started happening when I was close to finishing this remix. Some effects would disappear, the tempo began to fluctuate between playbacks, and I had to render it several times to get it to sound like I planned for it to. I think my project file might be Haunted.

Prior Decision ReMixer Name: Tonalysis Real Name: Jeff Morrow Email: User ID: 31683 Name of game(s): Beatmania, Dance Dance Revolution Name of arrangement: Epic Steps Name of original song: Sync Composer: Outphase (Taku "TaQ" Sakakibara and Takayuki "dj Taka" Ishikawa) Link to original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-UxUJ6P8nU Link to remix: Comments: Frequently, fans discover artists through OC Remix. In my case, I discovered OC Remix by first discovering zircon through Pandora. After learning the basics of how to use FL Studio, and taking a few lessons from zircon himself, I decided to try my hand at remixing. I'm a long-time DDR fan, so I decided to pick my favorite DDR tune as my first submission. My goal was to take the track and make it even more epic. Thanks for considering my remix. EDIT: this is a resubmission based on previous comments by OC Remix judges

Contact Information Your ReMixer name: Smooth4Lyfe Your real name: Joey Ofori Your website: http://www.youtube.com/smooth4lyfe Your userid (number, not name): 33213 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged: Sonic Mania Name of arrangement: Club Sonic Mania Name of individual song(s) arranged: Invincibility Theme from Sonic Mania Link to the original soundtrack: https://youtu.be/UUMIfExEcSs Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc.: Love the theme, so I wanted to make a club/EDM variation of the track. I do a lot of EDM tracks. Smooth4Lyfe Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/smooth4lyfemusic YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/smooth4lyfe CDBaby: http://www.cdbaby.com/artist/smooth4lyfe NOTE: If accepted, this CANNOT be posted until it's confirmed that the track is in the game after its release.

Hi OC ReMix staff, I'm submitting the following remix. It will be commercially released on Sept. 15, 2016 on Materia Collective's "FALLEN" album, but I have permission to submit it here. Artist byline: Sauraen (feat. Rugal) ReMixer: Sauraen, , Community #27167, Artist #13854 ReMixer: Rugal, , Community #19463 Game: Undertale (2015, PC/Mac) Remix Title: For Good! Original Composer: Toby Fox Songs Arranged: His Theme, Hopes and Dreams, SAVE the World, Last Goodbye, Final Power Comments: The remix is attached. It's also available at , and will be un-privated once the album releases. Enjoy!

Remixer name: Marshall ArtEmail: Website: http://marshallart.bandcamp.com/members: jmr (Jeffrey Roberts), streifig (Mikhail Ivanov)Remixer name: Jer RoqueEmail: Website: http://www.jeremiahroque.com/ Song title: Long Way to New Home Sources: Undertale - Another Mediumhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLsuam9o9BA Undertale - Waterfall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v712NiVK5uY Undertale - Core https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDuEWw648jo MP3: FLAC: *THIS SONG IS SCHEDULED TO BE RELEASED ON AN UNDERTALE ALBUM RELEASED BY THE MATERIA COLLECTIVE. ESTIMATED RELEASE DATE IS SEPT 15 2016. DO NOT POST THIS SONG PRIOR TO THIS ALBUM RELEASE.* When we found out that Doug Perry was organizing an Undertale arrangement album for the Materia Collective, we jumped at the opportunity to be a part of it. I first played the game earlier this year at the insistence of Mikhail, Cory, a couple friends at work, and pretty much the entire internet. RPGs are very hit or miss for me, but Undertale's unique battle system and quirky branching storyline hooked me quickly. I'd consider it one of my top-five favorite video games. We started this track with the goal of combining three themes with a common motif; using Another Medium (streifig's favorite) as a base to mix in elements of Waterall and CORE. Mikhail handled the bulk of the song arrangement. On top of recording 6 distinct guitar tracks, he even sequenced some of the chiptune elements used in the CORE parts (the lines of who is the chiptuner and who is the guitarist in Marshall Art continue to blur in the most wonderful way possible). The chip sounds, in addition to the NES's 2A03, use the Namco 163 expansion, a memory mapper chip with wavetable synth used in a dozen or so Famicom games. Because of the way the chip multiplexes its multiple audio channels together, it has a characteristic high-frequency noise which worsens depending on the number of channels used. Some low-passing and notch filtering was used to reduce the noise in the mix but it is still somewhat apparent... deliberately. If we wanted a perfectly clean sound I don't think we'd be using chiptune hardware. Mikhail's arrangement of the Waterfall sections which bookend the song called for a piano, and while I was able to craft some decent chiptune approximations with the N163, there's no substitute for real human playing. We invited our friend (and past collaborator) Jer to tickle the ivories, and on real short notice, he delivered the parts you hear in the final song. Endless thanks to him for that! Enjoy! All the best, -Jeff / jmr Marshall Art

Six syllables, man. If you're going to Haiku, Don't muck the attempt!

Note: I discussed this with DjP, he agrees with the overall consensus of the judges here - the track sounds like multiple tracks on the same sound file, so either the arrangement should be handled more like a single song, like Kris observed (without distinct pauses), or separated into four submissions and handled as four different tracks. I'm sure this can be discussed further in the future if a more cohesive variations form track comes into play, but in this case it's a closed deal.

The guitar parts do sound dissonant - he applies power chords to the lead, which causes conflicts with the harmonies all around it. I very much do not recommend applying power chords to the leads at 0:34, as it creates painful dissonance. The acoustic guitar playing the arpeggios in the background also sounds like it's in major in short spurts, which REALLY clashes with everything being in minor above it, so watch your key clashing. I had little issue with the runs at 1:38, though - they're just wankin' some scales. Nothing wrong with that, other than being a scale wanker. Reading the analysis from MW, I think it's accurate - it's a little bit lacking in source, as it stands. The performances are not bad, the production isn't bad, and when it's not playing that kind of lead it's actually pretty catchy. But yeah, those leads reeeeally hurt the viability of this track, and the lack of source pushes this out of OCR territory.. I think the arrangement has potential, but some of the note choices should be re-evaluated. NO

I loved it when I heard it in the WIP boards, and I love it here. I hear none of the (slight!) issues I had with it in eval, so it's a pretty darn easy pass, in my book. It's conservative, but man does that Hollywood orchestral flair really shine in this. The title will likely need... well, a title, but I think he'll be able to come up with something. Great work! YES

Not going to lie, this one caught me off guard. The beginning has some very exposed, mechanical instrumentation, but when 0:30 comes in MAN, it has some delicious big band jazz goin' down. The subtle approach in the beginning works great, arrangement-wise, and when everything is playing at once it sounds pretty convincing. That's on the arrangement side, that is. The parts that are relatively exposed in the beginning do give away that this isn't a real performance. The clarinet, for example, whenever it holds a note it just plays it straight. No vibrato, which makes it sound hollow. These are less an issue when everything is together, but with long notes this is still a problem (like at 0:58 - those long notes are pretty unnatural). As an aside, while it isn't TOO quiet, I will mention that there is a lot of room in your waveform that could be utilized if you use some limiting. There is one or two spikes that peak, which limits your ability to amplify the track further, that limiting would fix right away. It's not a HUGE deal, but it would certainly finish off your track better. This is a tough call, since the orchestration is absolutely great, and the arrangement, while short, is tastefully crafted. The mechanical instrumentation, especially when exposed, is a problem, but I'm not 100% sure that's enough to justify a NO, as it's really only notable when it's exposed. I can see the shovel swingin' either way on this, but I think I'll give it my blessing. If it doesn't pass, though, pay attention to the humanization of the exposed sequenced instruments. YES

Remixer name: Zoned Real name: Hans-Kristian Arntzen Email: Website: themaister.net User ID: 27745 Remix Title: Inspector Bawz Game: Final Fantasy VI (III US) Source: Strago's Theme Comments: So this is a very, very different track to "Silence Before Repentance", a track I made which starts to feel like ages ago. I used to make EDM way back, moved on more piano-heavy music, but I've tried to back into the same creative loop I was in back in those days, because I had a lot of fun with it. While jamming I "accidentally" found Strago's theme, but after messing around with it, I found that it kinda works with a dancy groove after making the first bass line, so I had to make a fun dance tune out of it. I tried to keep it fresh by mixing up the rhythms. I wasn't quite sure if I should submit this as there's more EDM remixes of FF already than you can shake your stick at, but I think the source material choice should make this an interesting listen. Cheers, Hans-Kristian

Sheesh, this is a large sounding piece. The orchestra really feels like a professional recording in this case - the space, the dynamics, the orchestration, and the overall soundscape is absolutely great. You do some great work with the humanization in this, and the fact that you really utilize the full orchestra just adds so much to the overall impact. I'm not sure I hear the bowing issues that Larry is at 1:12, but if there are small humanization issues they're nearly non-existent. As I've done the source checking prior on the WIP boards, and since the timestamps are there for everyone else, I don't think I need to check again - the source is there. One thing that I get a kick out of is that this just oozes with the style of Strauss and the Blue Danube. Getting compared to the king of waltz is no small praise - excellent arrangement. The production is really solid. There still sounds like there's a lack of upper EQ, which does impact how clear it sounds overall, but it doesn't hurt this piece too much. Really great stuff! YES

Whoopseedoodle is the best thing on the forums now, currently. Just saying.

I balanced the lead a bit, adjusted the levels to accommodate. Original link reflects these changes, have at it.

I don't see why MW considers this too liberal. 0:00 - 0:35 is a variation of the opening of Magus' theme, adding an arpeggio to the mix to keep it interesting. I can see where it's going from 0:35 - 1:04 (taking the melody, reharmonizing it, varying the rhythm, etc.), but that's definitely a more tenative connection to the source. The connection is stronger at the reprise at 2:29, since the lead punches through better at that point. Looking at the timestamps, this is how I would see it: 0:00 - 0:34 Magus (intro) 0:34 - 1:00 Magus (Section A, hard to hear though) 1:04 - 1:26 Magus (Section B ) 1:53 - 2:14 Lavos 2:28 - 2:38 Magus (Section A) 2:45 - 3:06 Magus (Section B ) For a 196s track we'd need roughly 98s of recognizable source, and I hear 108s (more like ~120s, if 0:34 - 1:00 is included) - enough source to get on OCR, in my book. The production does certainly have overcompression issues, though (especially where MW says - the bass and crash), and I feel the reverb between the instruments is a little inconsistently mixed (again, like the guitar in the beginning, like MW said). I'll also add that I feel the reverb is a bit too heavy on this one throughout. Lighten up on the reverb, and fix the overcompression and I'd be okay with this one. The arrangement is unconventional, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing - I thought it was cleverly arranged. NO

Ha! I finally have access to the track, so I can share my thoughts on it (Hello, 2017!). Kris is spot on, as far as the difference between this track and the classical form of variations: variations as a form sounds like one cohesive piece which transforms over time as it repeats. A very clever... er, variation of the variation form can be set so that it's nearly imperceptible that it's actually a variations form at all - Brahms did this, for example, for his Symphony no. 4, 4th movement. If there is perceptible space between the tracks then this is NOT variations as a form, but rather it's a series of songs that are variations of one source. This is not the same thing, and it's where the argument that we're discriminating against a genre or form goes flat. If they want to create multiple well produced tracks that are indeed variations of the same source they should be posted individually. If Wiesty and XPRTNovice wanted to correct this and transform it into one track, they could do so easily: don't lose the beat, keep playing through each variation without pause. The overall composition of the setup would sew the tracks together, and the fact that the source is very recognizable would mitigate the lack of transition for the most part. That's how variations as a form works, after all. It's not a difficult fix, though posting these as multiple tracks would work alright, as well. As for Mike's concern over how multi-movement concertos and symphonies work, we already have a precedent on the site as to how we handle it in the Cantata for Dancing series of tracks: we post each movement as a stand alone track. People perform individual movements all the time without performing the entirety of the song (Moonlight Sonata is famous for this - the first movement is performed all of the time without the other two movements), so I see absolutely no issue with handling tracks like this in a similar manner. Those are my thoughts on it, based on my knowledge of the form. For what it's worth, due to prior observations from the judges... NO

I actually do like the arrangement on this one - the harmonizations are legitimately very interesting, and I feel the sax sample was handled well (with one or two exceptions). If the style was more RnB or hip hop where the fake string stabs make more sense I'd say they were alright, but for all intents and purposes this track should try to breath some more realism into its strings by giving them some more dynamics. The part writing for the instruments is pretty slick, though. As I said before, the sax is alright, but the slides on that sax are too extreme at 0:24 (and all parts similar). A slide into your note is fine, and you handle most of them like a champ, but honestly that wobble just sounds like it hits the wrong note. The section Larry hears as problematic (0:44) has to do with how precisely the slides line up - for one part it may make sense, but that may not apply to the backing instrument. When two instruments line up that perfectly it takes the realism down a notch. If I make two instruments accompany one another I more likely than not utilize two samplers or synths in order to be able to separate the envelopes, as necessary. I hear the copy pasta that Larry is mentioning, but I will note that there ARE faint backing elements that are different the second go around (like the xylophone coming in earlier, for example), but those differentiating elements are faint and nearly unnoticeable. We've heard the part that you play most prominently, either give some room in the mix for the elements that make it different come out more, or change up some of the copied elements to keep the listener interested. Love the bass work underneath, it does add a whole lot to the track as a whole. Yeah, lots to like about this, but the instrument realism and copy paste are noticeable issues with it. I did get a kick out of the harmonies and small changes you made from the source - lots of subtle love went into this. Hope to see the issues fixed up and have this resubmit at some point. NO

I really like this arrangement, and I find it a shame that the FF3 project couldn't be completed on OCR. But I'll say it again, I REALLY like this arrangement.

Contact Information ReMixer name: Almighty_Arceus Real name: Jordan Website: www.youtube.com/user/AlmightyArceus UserID: 33542 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged: Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum Name of arrangement: "Wibbly Wobbly Time and Space" Name of individual song(s) arranged: Battle! Vs Dialga/Palkia! LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALbsX5oXHc8 Comments: It's been quite a while since I've submitted anything to the site, so I thought I'd try my hand with some of my own signature time signature rearrangements. What better mix to do that on than on a theme literally dealing with PokeGods of time and space? This arrangement takes a theme primarily in 4/4 and turns it into 7/4, with a small 5/4 ending (fun fact, part of the original arrangement actually is in 7/4; that part was especially simple to make lol). Since this a bit of a quirkier arrangement, with some elements of Dubstep while certainly not staying strictly within that genre at all, I made the title a bit quirky as well, using the Dr. Who references to "Wibbly wobbly, timey wimey...stuff" cuz that's basically what this arrangement is. Overall this was fun to create, so I truly hope you enjoy!