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Everything posted by Gario
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This is a tough one. It's a very light arrangement of the source, but what's there is simply great. It's sort of an older style jam session that just takes the source and runs away with it. The bubbling sound that comes in from time to time sounds... well, out of place. The arrangement evokes "The Beach", but that bubbling sounds more like "In a lab". It's not technically wrong, per se, but I didn't feel it fit the piece very well. That lead guitar sounds incredibly clean, and it really shines as far as performance goes. The subtle background elements and soft change ups from the bass really help push this piece forward. Honestly, I think this track does exactly what it's supposed to do. It's incredibly relaxing because of it, too - the minimalist element to it just lets what's there shine through that much more. I think it's pretty damn good, myself. YES
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*NO* Pokémon Red Version 'Lavender Town (Woohoo Chant Mix)'
Gario replied to Chimpazilla's topic in Judges Decisions
Lavender town is always an interesting source to hear arrangements for - so creepy and dark, especially considering it's from Pokemon. The overall feel is similar to the source in this arrangement, but the track does some pretty daring things with the source in the middle and end that pay off, for the most part. The changeup at 1:27, for example, takes it in a new, more ethereal direction, and the new harmonies at 2:56 actually work well with the source. Those new harmonies would've served better had they been introduced earlier in the piece, though - they just sort of hit you, then the song ends. As a rule of thumb, introducing new elements at the very end of a track is disorienting, and it always sounds out of the blue and out of place. If you want to do something like end the piece with those chords, get the listener familiar with those chords first earlier in the arrangement. The production and mixing in this is questionable, at best. The drums from 0:00 to 0:35 sound like they're without any bottom end EQ. It sounds intentional, but with the other instruments having their normal EQ range, it just sounds... strange. Once the bass EQ returns to the drums, the bass drum sidechaining used throughout is incredibly distracting, as it affects every instrument equally. When sidechaining, be sure to only affect instruments that really conflict with the frequency range the bass utilizes. The synths used throughout seem to fight one another for priority in the mix - everything tries to be loud, so it's difficult to hear anything in particular. The arpeggio synth in the beginning is incredibly piercing in the range it's used (though it sounds alright when it drops an octave). I'd suggest lowering the volume of that synth in the beginning, so it doesn't pierce one's ears as much when listening to the arrangement. The production of this is pretty brutal - it will need some work. The balance of the instruments should make wach part clear (bringing out the important parts, subdueing the background elements, while allowing everything to still be heard). The drum EQ sounds offputting in the beginning; either drop the bottom for all the instruments (so it sounds intentional) or let the bass through a little more in that beginning area (perhaps simply dropping the bass drum altogether instead, if you want to hold something back for the 0:35 moment). As far as the arrangement goes, I suggest incorporating some of your ending chords into the piece earlier so they don't sound so out of place at the end. Hopefully some of this helps! NO -
7th Saga, Overworld Theme 2 Orchestral Remix
Gario replied to Slimy's topic in Post Your Game ReMixes!
EVAL Wow, this is a really subdued track, and that atmosphere really holds it together. In the beginning the woodblock seems to pierce a little bit, but otherwise I think this is a very well written and produced track. One suggestion before submission (if you haven't submit it already - it HAS been two weeks, after all ._.) would be to take the wave to something like Audacity and max the amplification option, in order to push out as much volume as you can. In Audacity, at least, if there are no points where the mix peaks the program will automatically max the output without introducing clipping, and from what I can tell there isn't really a place where this mix peaks - you could probably gain 0.5 dBs without introducing any distortion at all doing so (I can't tell exactly since it's a soundcloud file - can't do it myself). The overall arrangement is a little quiet, so it would only benefit you to do so. Yeah, otherwise this is a great arrangement to submit - I think it'll pass. Nice work on it! -
Damn, this is comparably more somber than the source is. That's what you were shooting for, so great work on that front. The source is certainly recognizeable, but you really took it in a whole new direction, and you get brownie points for having a story behind why the direction change (NOTE: Brownie points don't equate to a vote, but they are certainly delicious). I hear what Chimp is saying on the overall "dark" quality of the production (e.g. overloaded on low end at the cost of the upper end), but in this case I feel it adds to the heaviness of the track. It's a nice effect, though she's correct that the snare should not contribute as much to the bottom end as it does (e.g. highpass dat snare, baby). There are also a few moments where I found the lead to be mixed behind the rest of the arrangement, to my dismay (such as at 0:42). It's not nearly extreme enough to warrent a rejection from me alone, but it does take away from the overall experience a little bit. The arrangement is pretty damn slick, though, so minor mixing infractions certainly don't affect this mix too much. Seems like a solid pass for me - great work! YES
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EVAL Alrighty, the two sources you have seem well represented in the track - as far as I can tell, you're covered on that front. This is a very interesting track, overall - the sounds that it incorporates throughout keep it interesting, even with that relentless texture. The strings are a little bit dry in comparison with the other instruments at 1:35. The other instruments seem to have a little reverb to them, so it makes the strings stick out, in comparison. The instrument (is it a cello?) that comes in as a sort of lead at 1:56 has a swell for every attack, which makes it sound a bit unnatural. Normally I hammer on that more, but in this case it actually works alright - probably due to the mix of synths and non-live instruments with the more "live" instruments. The mix is good - the elements that are up front are up front, while the background elements are... er, in the background. If I see this on the panel, these are likely the things I'll comment on, though I'd still pass it. Nice work.
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Hey there, peeps! It's been quite a while since I've shared something I wanted to touch up for submission. I personally think this one is solid, but I wanted to put it out there, for the extra ears. This was something I submit for the Castlevania compo a while back, so I cleaned it up - brightened the sound, re-mixed the channels, added hints of reverb here and there to fill the space, etc. Literally have a whole community who can give this a listen, give some feedback if necessary, so why not use it, eh? Anyhow, this is an arrangement of Castlevania X Clocktower (nearly the same as Castlevania III: Beginning), Castlevania II Bloody Tears, and Castlevania II (GB) Mah track: The Bloodline Bounce Enjoy, and be sure to leave feedback if you got any.
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*NO* Sonic the Hedgehog 3 'Lakeside Racing'
Gario replied to Chimpazilla's topic in Judges Decisions
Mmm, the racing mode from Sonic 3. The arrangement is really good - metal with synths,with a peppy style that kind of reminds me of Rush. It holds the energy of the source while introducing plenty of interpretation on the leads. It's a solid arrangement. I think Chimp hits this one pretty solidly - the track is very overcompressed. The balance of the instruments is also pretty inconsistent. The lead is very often too loud when there isn't as much going on (such as at 0:40 - that synth is a big culprit, in general), but in other parts (such as 1:28) nothing stands out at all, so it ends up sounding cluttered and disorganized. The balance of the mix will need a lot of attention, in order to bring out the important portions appropriately without those parts sticking out like a sore thumb. The performances are solid in this, and the arrangement is great. The balance of the mix needs some attention, though, and the overcompression only compounds that issue. Re-balance the mix, adjust the compression so it doesn't smash everything into the same volume range and this should pass pretty easily. NO -
An Enjoyable Face Remodelling (SSF2 Cammy Theme Remix)
Gario replied to shaboogen's topic in Post Your Game ReMixes!
Well, I did give it a listen, so here are some thoughts on it. It's a pretty fun arrangement. I enjoy the instrumentation on this - the wubs, the slab bass, the pads and especially the lead work. The drums are meaty enough to act as a solid grounding for this track, too, so it has that going for it. The leads are mixed a bit quiet throughout, though - they get a little bit lost behind the rest of the track. They get pulled even farther behind the track purposefully at 2:49, which works, but they never really seem to come back to the front (even at 3:49, where it makes sense that they would). The vocal clips are a little loud in comparison to the music prior and after. It sticks out a little, but I don't think it sounds particularly poor. I think it'll do alright, on the panel. Sorry I didn't respond sooner - work, and all -
Well, this is a pretty fun arrangement. This is the first time I've heard this (well, my second time, actually - I did catch it in the WIP forums right before it popped up here!), so my ears are pretty fresh on this, as well. I enjoy the instrumentation on this - the wubs, the slab bass, the pads and especially the lead work. The drums are meaty enough to act as a solid grounding for this track, too, so it has that going for it. The leads are mixed a bit quiet throughout, though - they get a little bit lost behind the rest of the track. They get pulled even farther behind the track purposefully at 2:49, which works, but they never really seem to come back to the front (even at 3:49, where it makes sense that they would). The dry vocal clips didn't really bother me too much, other than they're a little loud in comparison to the music prior and after. It sticks out a little, but I don't think it sounds particularly poor. Overall, it seems to cover the source, while taking it in a new direction. The leads being as quiet as they are bothers me, but I don't think it's a dealbreaking issue. In the previous decision it seems that the groove didn't change enough, but that seems to have been corrected in this version. I think it's over the bar, myself. YES
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OCR03408 - *YES* Chrono Trigger 'But You're Still Hungry'
Gario replied to Chimpazilla's topic in Judges Decisions
Very rich interpretation of a pretty empty source. I really enjoy the overall re-interpretation of the chords that's present in this arrangement. Changing things from simple chords to 7ths, 9ths, etc., and reinterpreting just what each chord is allows you to expand on the source beautifully. The chiptunes and guitar blend quite well together. I'm not sure downgrading your drums through 2A03 was such a good idea - that bass drum has nearly no presence, which does affect the track negatively. The rest of the percussion is alright, but that bass drum is very weak. The end has about ten seconds of silence that should be sliced off, too - no reason to have that, there. Thanks for providing the sample that you used - I think that should cover you, as far as complying with site policy for SFX usage. This is a very powerful re-imagining of this source. The faults that this holds are pretty minor in comparison to what it brings to the table. It sends chills down my spine, so needless to say I love it. YES -
*NO* Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim 'Dragonborn (Metal Cover)'
Gario replied to djpretzel's topic in Judges Decisions
First and foremost, yeah, this track is arranged very often, but let's face it - it's a great source. The arrangement focuses on the real guts of the source (at least, the most recognizable part) before exploring the other elements present. It's a good idea, and a good way of putting your own spin on something like this. The guitar playing and drum work is spot on in this, but the other instruments sound pretty mechanical. The piano doesn't utilize any dynamic range from what I hear, which is atypical for that instrument. The strings, on the other hand, have the same attack swell for every note, the vibrato is ever present (string players will only use vibrato for longer notes), and are also pretty dynamically stagnant, like the piano part. When sequencing "real" instruments, it's always important to make them sound as close to a real performance as possible. Very often, the strings carry the theme, but it gets lost behind the attack swell every attack it has. This issue is compounded by the fact that the string part holds the same range as the guitar part, so it gets a little lost in the mix, as well. When everything is going all at once, it's wise to avoid having many instruments doing something in the same range - the violin part would be easier to pull out of the mix if it were playing at a higher range than the accompanying guitar. The Fus-Ro-Dah part at 2:24 gets drown out by whatever other sound effect you have there, as well as by the other instruments present. It would have a better impact if it were mixed closer to the front of the mix at that point. It's not bad, but I think it needs some real TLC involving the humanization of the instruments. The violin part especially needs some attention, as it often carries the theme. NO -
*NO* Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time & Minecraft 'Moog Lullaby'
Gario replied to djpretzel's topic in Judges Decisions
Holy shit, this combination works incredibly well - I was not expecting this at all. It changes the Zelda theme completely, and yet... it makes perfect sense. Granted, the first three notes of Zelda's theme occur in Moog town, as well, but kudos for expanding on that idea. I'm on the fence, as far as this being a track that doesn't develop enough. On the one hand, it presents a solid idea, and takes it a few places with that build-up. On the other hand, there's a second half to the Zelda theme that I know could be expanded on, here. There's also the fact that I hear the Moog portion being followed quite closely, as far as the form of the arrangement goes. Not to say this is too conservative (blending the themes like this alone means you took quite a liberty with it), but perhaps branching away from the structure of Moog Town a little may generate a few more ideas. At 1:49, there is some distortion that pops up. It's not technically clipping, as the track never gets above -0.5 dB, but it sounds a lot like it, as if there's a hard limiter that the track is hitting against. You should certainly look into that distortion and clean it up. Overall, I really like what is here, but at the same time I agree with Chimp on both the clipping and development of the track. I will also suggest breaking away a little from the form of Moog Town, in order to help generate ideas as far as developing the track goes, though that isn't mandatory. Great work, though - I still got a kick out of this. NO -
OCR03577 - *YES* Castlevania Legends "My Beautiful Vampire Hunter"
Gario replied to djpretzel's topic in Judges Decisions
Well, this is a pretty conservative arrangement. It's as Sir_nutS says, there are little changes all over that make it pretty distinct, but the source is unmistakeable. The pacing of this arrangement is also completely different - whereas the source is fast paced, this track takes a more chill'd pace. I hear tons of synths in the background of this, doing tiny little things in the background almost constantly. Unfortunately, many of the synths in the background are so wet that the smaller flourishes in the background become incredibly difficult to hear, which makes a lot of the song sound the same, from part to part (even though it actually isn't). I like the drums that you use in this, but the primary beat sounds like it has a little copy-patsa action going. The break in the middle changes it up, but overall the pattern is pretty similar throughout. I love the bass drum used, though I think it could punch through just a little bit more. The bass notes in the square seem to have a few odd choices throughout the song, which while they sound intentional, they also sound off. Since the bass repeats the moments I'm thinking of also repeat, so I'll point out the first time these bass notes come up. At 0:40 the chord is based on scale degrees 5/7/2, but the bass remains on scale degrees 1/3, so it sounds odd there. At 1:10 the bass does a little arpeggio of the root chord, but the third is raised for no reason that I am aware of, so it sounds very out of place in comparison to the rest of the track. The chord that's being played there is also 5/7/2, so it's strange (but not completely odd) that the bass arrpegiates 1/3/5 there. There are a few notes in the background that clash against the harmony as well, aside from the bass moments pointed out above. At 1:09 the bass does a cool thing with that 7th scale degree where it raises up, but there's a texture in the background that holds that lower'd 7th scale degree that clashes with the bass. It'd be best to simply drop the note in the background texture (or change it to something else completely), in order to resolve this conflict. At 2:06 there's a lowered 2nd in the harmony that doesn't sound good, nor does it sound intentional. It should be changed to a normal 2nd scale degree note. There are a lot of little issues with this track, but the overall feel of it is actually quite solid. A poor note here and there wouldn't affect me much, but having so many notes sound off is throwing me on this arrangement. The wet reverb levels of some of the instruments are also getting in the way of the cool background elements that you have to keep things fresh, so it ends up sounding like it's all the same (even though it isn't!), so it would be a good idea to decrease the reverb and/or release of your extra wet instruments. The drums also seem a little lacking in variety, in the overall pattern it uses - changing it up once or twice more would help get more mileage out of this. It's good stuff, but a lot of little things added up to my vote on this one. EDIT (04/20): This applied to v1; there were significant changes made that addressed many of my grievances. Apologies for not returning to this one in a timely manner. -- -
*NO* Kingdom Hearts 2 'The Xemnas Imperative'
Gario replied to djpretzel's topic in Judges Decisions
Well, I'm not familiar with the Kingdom Hearts series, but from what I gather it has a very solid soundtrack. Fortunately this source doesn't disappoint - nice, dark energy pulsing from it. The arrangement does a nice job transforming it into more of a rock ballade. The mix is generally a nice, balanced mix with clean production values. In the beginning the acoustic guitar sticks out in the mix, though it seems to correct itself at 0:34. Mixing the acoustic guitar from 0:00 to 0:34 like you do at 0:34 on, so the acoustic guitar doesn't punch through as much. The arrangement does a great job incorporating the source while adding it's own spin on it, but there's a single issue that dogs the arrangement consistently throughout - the bass doesn't seem to act like a bass in this. Functionally, there is no bass that holds the harmonies together - the bassist has a tendancy to follow what other instruments are doing, at the cost of giving the song a solid bottom line for the rest of the instruments to play off of. Moments like 1:25 - 1:59, for example, hold the bass at the 5th of the chord in question, which sounds incredibly odd. 2:11 - 2:33 sounds like the bass is following one of the accompanying parts rather than allowing the rest of the harmonies to build off of it. I'd detail more cases, but past the 1:25 mark the issue is consistently there. This isn't a slight against the bass performance - it's well played, certainly - but the part that it plays doesn't function well as a bass part. There are two ways to address this - either the bass could be performed again to function as the bottom of the chord (with embellishments, but still functional), or if a lower bass part is added to the track that can act as the functional bass. Either fix would work. Aside from the slight mixing issue in the beginning (which is an easy fix) the bass is the only issue I take with this song, but it's such an important part of any arrangement, and it's such a consistent issue throughout this track that I have to consider it a dealbreaker. With a more solid bass this would be an easy pass, but without that the chords simply don't sound right throughout the arrangement. NO -
Well, you can still submit to OCR on your own - as far as how you distribute your music otherwise we don't have a say. It's your music, after all. From OCR's content policy page (Submission agreement, point 7): However, if you're planning on having the music distributed via a label, be sure that OCR's policies do not conflict with their own (if they require being the sole distributor of your music, for example, that would be an issue for them). While other distributions shouldn't cause problems on this end - it's still your music, after all - it perhaps could cause some issue with your other distributors. This is OCR's content policy, so you can look this over and see if it will cause any issue with any other distributor you plan on utilizing. Hope that helps!
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*NO* Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker 'The Legend'
Gario replied to djpretzel's topic in Judges Decisions
Mmm, interesting approach to this, almost like Cusco on crack with the flute + electronics. Cusco is great, so you already have my attention. I like the pan flute in the beginning - it could use some vibrato, the lines could've sounded smoother (rather than like the pan flutist was restriking every note), but overall I liked the effect. The percussion at 0:27 is very well done, but that pan flute that I enjoyed earlier gets completely drown behind them. Changing the range of the flute would help significantly, but when everything comes in at 0:53 I don't see much you can do to bring the flute over everything else. By its nature the pan flute doesn't have the power to play above such a dense arrangement - for that portion perhaps utilize another instrument to cover the theme. At 1:46 the pan flute is once again too far behind the mix, which is a shame considering it carries the theme. At 2:15 you bring in the violin and piano combination. I agree with Emu that these are not very well humanized. The attacks all sound the same, rather than reducing the attack swell to tie the phrases properly, and they sound very dry in comparison to the rest of the instruments. The piano in the background also sounds too dry, and has no dynamic variation. I like the change from the beginning to 2:15, and you do some great things with the source past that point. After 3:05, however, it seems you repeat the same ideas over and over again until the end of the song (5:08). You build on it more and more, but that doesn't change the fact that after 3:05 the arrangement doesn't move anywhere, which gets pretty boring pretty quickly. Personally I was waiting for the original material from the beginning to return (it would've bookended the piece nicely), but any sensible change in direction would've been great rather than repeating the same idea nine times to close the piece off. The arrangement and instrument realism has issues, but I really do like the percussion and synth work in this. It really grabs your attention, and the power of the percussion really drives this piece well. If the pan flute was balanced properly in the mix, the strings and piano humanized better and the arrangement past 3:05 given more direction rather than repeating the same idea until the end, this would be a fantastic addition to OCR. However, for now there is still some work to be done, which I hope Noah does. NO -
OCR03427 - *YES* Sonic Colors "Misty Night" *RESUB*
Gario replied to Emunator's topic in Judges Decisions
Mmm, the soundscape on this one is very tasty. Those drums just have a whole lot of meat on them, and the complimentary instruments really do compliment one another. Great use of that funk guitar at 1:45, too - I am a real sucker for that. The lead synth you use throughout could use a softer attack, so there's less 'pop' on the attack for every note strike. It doesn't sound objectively bad, but due to the style you have (the more serene sound of the synth) it doesn't sound intentional, either. Not that this will affect my vote (as there isn't anything wrong with the synth, technically), but if you ever want a synth with the same amount of lead time but without that hard strike, just set the attack on the synth about two notches above zero - this will have the same lead time, but the attack will sound much softer. Just thought I'd point that one out. The instrument introduced at 0:46 is difficult to pull from the rest of the track. It would've ideally been put closer to the front of the mix. I'm not really feeling the ending on this one, either - it sort of dies down after repeating what it's been doing prior. A better ending would've done a lot of good, for this track. Honestly, there isn't more to say on this, though, as the rest of this is pretty slick. I'm digging this, overall, and I'm glad you stuck with it for as long as you have. Great work! YES -
OCR03593 - *YES* Banjo-Kazooie "Big Room Gobi"
Gario replied to Chimpazilla's topic in Judges Decisions
Man, lots of disagreement with me on this. I had to give this another listen, to double check... Ack, nah, my vote IS off. I can hear the most important drum pretty solidly throughout - I think the headphones I had prior were not catching the frequencies correctly. My bad on that. The other percussion was alright, though still a little on the quiet side. My point on the synth sticking out like a sore thumb still bugs me, but it's not something that I'd NO this for alone. It was close for me, so that change in perception alone is enough to sway me on this. Yeah, my vote was off, giving this another listen on a different setup. What you have works great, for the genre you have going (even if the production is still a bit hot). I rescind my prior vote on this - give this man the front page. YES -
I like it - lots of energy, and the mix sounds pretty clean. The violin at 0:22 really sounds like it should be at the front of the mix, though - sounds odd to hear it pushed so far back into the mix. That being said, with that violin part coming out a little, you should submit it on OCR, if you haven't already. It's pretty good.
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An Enjoyable Face Remodelling (SSF2 Cammy Theme Remix)
Gario replied to shaboogen's topic in Post Your Game ReMixes!
Oh no, your link is broken. I wanted to listen to it, too. Sadness. -
Well, it sounds pretty good, but it's difficult to evaluate it for the panel if there's no link to the source. From a (very) quick glance, though, it sounded pretty solid, so nice work. We can't really eval it without a source link, though, and since it's a weekend I'm too lazy to find it myself.
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*NO* Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney 'An Evening with Jake Marshall'
Gario replied to DragonAvenger's topic in Judges Decisions
This is a pretty soothing track. Interesting ideas in this - I really enjoyed the Gumshoe theme at the beginning, the section after that flows nicely and there's some more activity toward the end. Unfortunately, the parts really don't come together and form one piece - they sound like smaller songs, in their own right. Even the Gumshoe theme, while nice, does not transition into the other source. If you want to incorporate themes like that, you'll need to make the transition sound more cohesive, as if the multiple sources actually belong to a single song. Right now that's not what I'm getting out of it. I don't know if it's a filter of some sort, but the muted guitar sounds a bit muffled. If there's a low pass on the track, consider lightening up on it a little and letting more high end EQ through on it. The delay is a cool effect, but as Deia said it's a little too much, so it ends up sounding like a wash of sound. Lighten up on that delay. The whole song sounds very quiet. It's trivial to push another dB or two out of it, and with a little limiting on the master after it'd be easy to get another two dBs. There's no reason for the track to be this quiet. It's a good start, but I don't think this is there yet. The arrangement sounds like multiple songs strung together, the low pass on the guitars are a bit extreme, the delay is a little too heavy and the overall track is too quiet. Deia gave a great suggestion in getting even more feedback in the WIP forums - plenty of people would love to give you more advice on how to improve your music, and this track would benefit from people's advice in there. Good luck! NO -
More Guile! The one track it's impossible to have too much of. This arrangement takes a pretty conservative take on it, but the track knows when to pull back on the energy, and when to shift things around to spice it up (like at the second half of the track). The arrangement is fun, and it works. The bass has a pretty heavy stereo spread. I once heard a rule of thumb that one should lean toward spreading the upper mids to the highs for space, and keep the bass centered, and I think I can hear why in this - the bass takes up a LOT of acoustic space, and the overall effect is disorienting. I've spread the bass in a few songs, to make the music sound "warmer", but you need to be careful not to spread it more than necessary. The mix is pretty cluttered - it's really hard to pull some of the cool background elements from the supersaw pad you have through a good deal of the track. I disagree on the leads, too - they don't quite rise above everything enough when they're at their strongest, and there are enough moments like 1:56 where the lead gets completely drown in the mix. Making the mix cleaner will be difficult before you fix that bass, but there's another element that's putting heat on your production - your limiter on the master. That's causing quite a bit of heat throughout the track. You'll need to turn that thing off and mix your elements so they sound good together first, then use the limiter to give the track a little boost in overall volume. It shouldn't be used to mask clipping, as it seems to here. It's a start, but I'm not feeling this one. The mixing, bass spread and limiter are giving you a much less-than-ideal production of the track. I can see the arrangement working alright, but before we can pass it you'll need to focus on addressing these issues, which would improve the production considerably. NO
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*NO* Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 'Valley of Lights'
Gario replied to djpretzel's topic in Judges Decisions
Well, this arrangement goes pretty balls-to-the-walls all the way through, here. Four-to-the-floor, and proud of it, this really takes you for a ride, and it's a ride I actually enjoyed. As far as source usage, it stays pretty true to the source for the first half of the track (with little background flairs, to mix things up), and then it really opens up into some awesome material for the second half. Great use of subtractive arranging - dropping instruments can be just as effective as adding them, and you do a good job showing just how effective that can be. Arrangement aside, though, the production really drags this track down. From the get-go, the master is very likely too loud, and the limiter that you use to compensate for the clipping that would come out of it causes distortion because of it. A mix that's too loud doesn't give you any room to mix it properly, so there are many moments where just too much is trying to be the lead at once, which makes for a messy mix. Listen to 2:47, for example - listen to how no instrument can really be pulled out of that, and it ends up just sounding like a sound wash. Moments like 0:17 are better (though not perfect); the lead stands out enough, but the other elements are easier to pick apart, and nothing really clashes with the other instruments to the point where a listener cannot distinguish the instruments. The synths are very appropriate for the style, and you switch them up enough before any particular one gets boring. The drums sound repetitive, with the simple boom-tis throughout, but I suspect I'm actually missing something with them. The snare is virtually nonexistant, for example - I only caught it after a few listens. There could be a lot of cool things you're doing with the drums to keep things interesting, but other than the bass and a few snare fills and toms from time to time I simply don't hear the drums. You need to balance the other drum elements in the mix better. The end of the track isn't very conclusive, as it just plays the source a few times then ends. An ending should close the arrangement off more convincingly than that. The arrangement has a lot of good ideas, and the material is there for something really fun, but the production and mixing really prevent this from being everything that it could be. Remove the limiter and fix the levels so the mix doesn't redline, then push for volume with a limiter afterward. Also, mix your elements so the focal instruments are front and center, while the more supportive elements don't fight for space as much. Also, give this a more defined ending than it does. It's a lot of work, but I can see this being a decent resubmission, if the work to improve the production and mixing is put into it. NO -
Great performances all around, and solid sound to the production on this, too - very meaty. The arrangement sticks very, very close to the source. I can overlap the source and this song on top, and save for a moment or two where they get out of sync they line up perfectly (I literally did this). Even a lot of the backing instruments are of the same type (Strings in the beginning, piano for the arpeggio when the song picks up, etc.). It's a great cover, and there's nothing wrong with a great cover. However, OCR by design requires a little more interpretation of the source, as per site rules. While the production is great, the backing instruments are pretty mechanical. The dynamics have little variation, the attacks are all the same, no vibrato for longer notes, etc. Take a look at how performers play their respective instruments, and utilize the different parameters on your samples to emulate this for your instruments. The more you make the sampled instruments sound more like a live performer, the better, so I hope my advice in this area helps. Overall, it's a great cover with mechanical backing instruments, but the biggest reason we can't post it on OCR is due to the arrangement being too conservative. The performance is great, though - you guys continue to impress, as far as your musicianship is concerned. Rock on. NO