Gario

Just popping in to point out that my review of this track was from the initial version that was posted - the newest version improves the overcompression issues that I had considerably. I just wanted to put that out there, in case anyone was wondering what I was blabbing about on overcompression. Kind of redundant at this point, but seeing that's more or less fixed in the newest version, I figure I'll give my approval, as well. YES

Honky tonky, and a little bit wonky. Taking such a dark, flavorful source and turning it into festival fair is amazing. Great arrangement of the source, here. The instruments are fairly disappointing, though. There is little humanization on the instruments present - no volume envelops to simulate how a performed would phrase their music, no tweaking the strikes of the notes (particularly the strings), and no vibrato on your accordion leads. This makes your instruments sound artificial. Really fun arrangement, but the mechanical instruments is a bit much. As much as I'd like to pass this, I'm afraid the instruments are going to need some more humanization before I can pass this. Good luck, and great work on this arrangement. NO

Well, this is a powerhouse of a track. Great arrangement of the sources, and some great performing. The layering of the two sources together in particular is great - using Knight Man's recognizeable intro as a rhythmic backing behind the Dr. Wily stage material was brilliant. There sounds like there's an off note at 2:07 in the synth part, like one of the notes is a half step lower than it should be. It's minor, but it's there. The synths are awesome, and things feel like they're where they're supposed to be, mixing-wise. The whole track sounds very overcompressed, though. Everything is loud and in your face, but the whole track sounds like things are dipping in and out of the mix, based on how dense the music is at any point. That overcompression isn't a dealbreaker, and the rest of the arrangement and performances really are amazing. I would actually love a cleaner submission of this, with the overcompression corrected (even if that means the arrangement will be a touch quieter), but this is a pass even if we don't get that. Awesome work! YES

Very space-y. This evokes a very other-worldly sound, even moreso than the source does. Nice synth choices on this one, as they really add flavor to the overall track. This does feel pretty close to the source, but I do hear some variation in the chord choices and such - it's conservative, but it has enough interpretation in it to distinguish it from the source. The drums are pretty weak in this. They don't have to be booming, but the garage band style of drums seems to clash with the overall mood of the track. I can't fault you too much for that - that could very well be personal taste - but the bass drum in this is nearly non-existent. It definitely needs some more presence in this, as I almost can't hear it, as it is now. Overall, the track seems to be lacking in the bass EQ levels. It's not too extreme of an issue, as the overall ethereal affect the track has compensates for this a little bit, but it does make the track feel like something is missing. The bass you have now is a quickly decaying FM synth that doesn't really carry any weight, and the bass drum has virtually no presence, so the bass frequency range is noteably lacking. For such a short track, there is an excessive amount of repeating, which wears on the listener pretty quickly. The primary portion of the track starting at 0:29 is alright, as it introduces a new element at 0:51 to break it up a little bit, but when it comes back at 1:28 it's virtually unchanged, and it repeats four times, to boot. It feels like padding, at that point, rather than expanding the music in any meaningful way. If you want to organize the music like this, you'll need to make the 1:28 section really stand out as something different from the 0:51 section. Considering how much of the mix these parts actually are (~1:30 min of a 2:30 min piece), this is a pretty big deal. The style is good, and the overall atmosphere is great, but I'm not feeling this one. The bass drum is weak, the bass range is lacking, and most important of all the song relies too much on straight repetition to pad it past the two minute mark. Introduce something more to the sections mentioned above to really differentiate the sections from one another (like you do between the sections from 0:29 and 0:51) - variety is the spice of life, after all. EDIT: I forgot to mention the levels of the volume - it's needlessly quiet. Without any other processing, I can raise this by nearly two decibels without clipping. No need to make something this quiet, but that's an easy fix. NO

Very nice orchestration, and nice attention to the detail on tempo and time signatures (that 11/16 shift in the middle is great!) - there's a lot going on in this track, which really helps this rise above the source its based on. The orchestration is on point, and the arrangement is solid. The mix has a few issues of clarity that make it easy to get lost. There are some great ideas that tie the whole piece together, but it can be easy to miss them the first time around. For example, the mixing of the horns at 0:26 makes them sound like background elements, but at 0:50 it becomes clear that they were the antecedent of the antecedent/consequence you have set up. If they're not prominent, the section doesn't make sense, which can lose the listener. The main elements of the mix are easy to lose against the background elements, unless one is listening carefully for them, so be careful to mix your defining elements more to the front of the mix. The samples aren't the best, but you get a lot of mileage out of them using volume envelops and the like. One more thing that could help push your samples even further would be to incorporate the appropriate amount of vibrato on your lead instruments, as they sound dry and mechanical when the notes are held for long periods of time without it. Other than that, I appreciate the level of detail that went into humanizing the instruments, even if the samples are merely serviceable. Overall, I think it's solid. Some elements could've been done better (mixing important elements to the front, use of vibrato), but nothing stands out as a really crushing issue, especially considering the cool aspects you introduce into the arrangement, such as the meter changes. I certainly think this is well within the bar at OCR - great work! YES

Damn, this is on point. Lyrics are amazing, and the vocals are perfect for the RnB style. The chorus at 1:14 and later doesn't really stand out compared to the rest of the track, which is a shame considering the rapping really builds up to that point. Some different processing of the vocals, or even some doubling in a different octave would've made that chorus more poignant. The background instruments are mixed just a little too far into the background, but they do give the space the voice needs. It would've been nice to hear them just a little more, though. The ending is a bit disappointing, fading out like that. It feels like it should've at least completed the line it was on when it faded out. Overall, though, the issues I have with this are minor - this really does a great job nailing that old school RnB rapping style. It's smooth, the lyrics are on point (even sending me chills as I listen to them), and it's a unique approach to this very popular source. Great work! YES

Wow, I like this. Very eerie sound, with all of the reversals and glitching all over the place. The little laughs that appear throughout really adds to the atmosphere, as well. The production, while loud, makes sense. It sounds grimy and dirty, but it sounds like it's SUPPOSED to be like that. Even so, it still sounds a little too overcompressed, but not quite a dealbreaker. The mixing seems a little hit-or-miss in this, too - it's very easy to lose the instruments that are playing the theme behind the string ostinato that is often in the background. Sometimes, the strings crescendo too much and overpower the theme carrying instrument, too (such as at 3:41). All that being said, that atmosphere is quite dominating, in a good way. It really gives me some CotMM vibes, with a touch of Elfman for good measure, and that is never a bad thing. While the mixing could be better, and the production is a little overcompressed, I think the overall atmosphere and character of this arrangement pushes this above the bar. It's not perfect, but I believe it would be well placed on the site. YES

Oh hey, Ninja Gaiden 2. oh HEY, it's the stage 1 music, awesome! It's not that damn stage 3-2 track that everyone remi... It's a combination of stage 1 and 3-2. *sigh* Nah, it's fine - 3-2 is certainly a good source, too - that's why people love to remix it, after all. The arrangement of these two sources feels a little like you play them back to back. The transitions between sources are pretty good, though, so I give props for that. The steelstring guitar is pretty well done, but it's overdone. The texture remains relatively the same throughout the entire track - one can drop the needle anywhere in the track and it'll sound very close to any other point. Change it up, drop some instruments, add some other instruments (the synth helps, but it's not enough). Hell, the drums don't change at all from 1:02 on, save for some fills. It all just starts to sound the same after the minute and a half mark. Now, I'm not saying that you don't do things differently throughout the track - you vary the themes in pretty cool ways. It's hard to carth that, though, when the texture remains nearly the exact same for four and a half minutes. At 3:26 there's a stutter in the track which sounds off, almost like it's some sort of looping point. Make that transition seemless - that stutter is distracting. At 1:33 the chord sounds pretty odd, due to that stray note in the steelstrings. It has no real preparation for the listener, and it's not really used again throughout the song, so it's really out of place - I would recommend lowering the offending steelstring note by a halfstep. The ending also cuts off suddenly. It sounds like it should've rang out at the end, rather than cut the ringing note short like it does - it sounds more like a mistake than intentional, so it should be fixed. Overall, the biggest issue is the static texture used throughout. Change it up, drop the steelstrings from time to time, utilize different beats, introduce new instruments, use new combinations of instruments. It needs variety if it's going to hold the listener's attention for four and a half minutes, so spice things up. There are a few other minor missteps that should be addressed, as well, if you decide to go back and adjust this track. Great to see someone approach another Ninja Gaiden II track, though, even if it IS tied in with the more commonly arranged source. NO

Well, for the most part the issues that I had with this prior were addressed properly. The vocals are easier to hear now, the mixing is pretty well balanced and the drums have a bit more presence than before. The drums are still quite boring overall, but that alone isn't a dealbreaking issue. I still would've liked the vocoded portions to have been more intelligible, but I think it'll be alright as it is. Nice work cleaning things up - I think it's above the bar, now. Great work! YES

Well, first and foremost congratulations on your first arrangement on a computer! Arranging VG music has always been my method of learning how to use a program, so I'm glad other adopt this same method, as well. The arrangement is pretty close to the source. Since the source is my favorite in that game (and one of my favorites in the series) I certainly appreciate it, but unfortunately it's too conservative for OCReMix to accept it. It's not really an issue with the track, per se, but more a quirk with OCR's policy - as OCR is a site dedicated to the reinterpretation of VG music, we don't accept arrangements that remain close to the source, even if they're pretty darn good. As far as the quality of the production, it seems to be mixed acceptably well. The samples are a little stiff at times (like the strings at the beginning - they sounded a little unnatural, for example), but overall they're handled pretty well. The longer stretches could certainly use more vibrato, as the straight notes being played for such long periods sound unnatural. The guitar that comes in at 3:06 shares the same range as the strings oscillating between the two notes, so they tend to fight for the same sound space. Overall it's pretty good, but I'm afraid it can't be accepted on OCR due to being too conservative. Very nice work, though, and I hope you become more familiar with the site standards and rules so you'll be able to submit something else that we can accept soon. Good luck! NO

Nice percussion on this one - it's easy to hear what's showcased in this track, and what plays more of a supporting role. Overall, the arrangement sounds like a way to showcase that percussion. The arrangement is pretty out there. I'm not sure I follow the structure of this, as it just seems to meander from idea to idea. Many of those ideas are good on their own, but they don't seem to make up a cohesive song, as a whole. I can't fault it for source usage, as it's clearly there, but I will drop the red flag on the arrangement not being cohesive. The strings are interesting - I hear how you're trying to humanize them (with the volume), but there are other elements that make them seem mechanical still. The instrument itself sounds too bright, and the swelling attack is overused in some of the notes, which makes some of your lines sound jerky. This sounds intentional, fortunately, so having that attack that sweeps in the middle of lines should be easy to fix, or at least reduce the affect as the sudden drops caused by this break the music up in a distracting way. The production could use some work, too. While there is no clipping in this, it sounds like the instruments start hitting the limiter hard when the strings and percussion are playing at once, causing distortion that way instead. When limiting, make sure your track isn't clipping without that limiter first; otherwise, the clipping that would've been there will come out as unintended distortion from the limiter, instead. The whole track seems to be lacking any bassline. This could really use some bass love in this, as it sounds hollow and incomplete, without it. Some great ideas, but the arrangement doesn't quite bring this together. The lack of bass, limiting distortion and slightly inhuman strings ultimately made me vote as I did. The percussion is awesome, though, and the guitar & synths are pretty good. You just need to create arrangements a bit more coherent of a direction, for the next time. NO EDIT: Sir_nutS brings up a very good point on the video production; the production sounds a LOT better in the Youtube link than it did as an Mp3. Honestly, the production sounded very good in the video, so my points on the overuse of limiting don't need to be addressed - just render it like you did for the youtube video and the production will pass just fine. My other points on the strings, bass and structure still stand in my judgment, though.

Ooo, an unusual source, and a decent approach to it - the whole 'Egyptian' feel to it works wonders. The arrangement takes it in an acceptable direction - there are no real direct repeats of the source, and while the arrangement has a sort of 'variations' feel to it as far as structure, it seems to shape nicely into a beginning, middle and end. The orchestration is clever enough, though the lack of instruments for the last thirty seconds seemed like a bit much. I'm afraid I respectfully disagree with Deia on the arrangement aspect - I think it takes enough liberties with the source material in the orchestration, and it has a nice middle section that plays a neat variation of the source to break it up. The instruments are pretty mechanical in this, though. The dynamics stay pretty static throughout the track. In the case of the instruments that play with the dynamics (like the ostinato strings), the shifts in dynamics sound like they're copy/pasted. The mixing throughout is pretty odd, too. While most of the time the melody is easy to hear, the background elements sound like they're all at the same quiet level, so it's difficult to pick out the rest of the orchestration. Not much else to say, I think - the instruments are mechanical, the dynamics are static and the mixing doesn't allow for the listener to hear the background elements clearly enough. While I think the arrangement is alright, those other elements still take this down below the bar. It's always great to hear someone attack a relatively unknown source, though, and you certainly did it some justice. NO

Great choice in soundtrack - not nearly enough BoFIV tracks on here, for sure. The source is very chill (save for those bells), and you chill out with this arrangement. I really like the direction taken - e-piano with piano leads, those pads and synths in the middle and a nice bookend to close it off. The harmonic choice was a solid one, as it fits the theme better than the source, IMO. It is a shame that you stick with it throughout the entire arrangement, though, as it wears on the listener over time. Considering you utilize original chords, it'd be very easy to switch to the source chords from time to time in order to change it up. However you want to approach it, you need to change up the chords from time to time. The synth work was very nice (though the lead could be mixed a little louder in the middle section). The e-piano and piano, though, are dry and a little inhuman. I hear the velocity adjustments in the piano, which helps, but you need to consider how the pianist would use sustain in that situation. Having the notes that dry without a stylistic reason sounds unnatural. The e-piano doesn't have the same attention to the dynamics as the piano has, which would help them a lot, and giving them some reverb would help them fill the space in a more believeable manner. The bass drum is a little bit weak. In this style it's not a dealbreaker, but it could stand out some more than it does, as it is nearly drown in the background. The drums overall have a sort of "drum machine" feel to them, due to the static dynamics of the hats and snare/clap. Utilize the velocity more for the hats, use a variety of samples for the hats, etc. These things will liven the drums up, making them sound more real. It's a bit of a shame that only a small portion of the source was arranged, but that's a personal gripe. The arrangement has a decent structure and acceptable production values, but the static chord usage, drum and keyboard humanization issues took this one below the bar for me. Hopefully some of my suggestions help you fix those issues up, and we can have another BoFIV track on OCR. NO

What the heck is that lead synthetic? Electric sax? Awesome.

Is this a legitimate issue, or is it personal taste? This sounds like a personal taste issue, and not an aspect that'll disqualify a track; lots of sound effects doesn't instantly bring a track below the bar, or at least there's nothing in the rules against them. There IS a rule against using the soundtrack itself and adding drums, or the like, and there is a rule against using Square Enix SFX due to legal reasons, but this doesn't come close to either of those. The critique about the drums and unfocused writing are legitimate, though. I just don't want people thinking it's against the rules to use SFX too much, or anything.

While I'm sure there are better samples out there, that one would probably be alright. You'd need to watch out for the reverb that likely comes with the sample, though - if it didn't match the reverb levels of the rest of your instruments it would sound out of place. Be sure that you study organ music a little bit so you know how that kind of music is idiomatically written; that's often what determines how "realistic" a sample is. Short answer, though: Yeah, that'd probably be passable as long as you did the additional footwork to make it sound like a real performance.

When it comes to classical music, 7ths normally should resolve in a downward fashion, so technically it misses the opportunity to be perfectly idiomatic with the period it's emulating. However, the 7ths that are introduced in that part make sense musically - they play the Celadon motif, blending it with the Pokecenter music. I found it rather clever, actually, and not at all dissonant enough to consider a mistake. It all remains in the same key (parallel minor, of course, but same signature), so it's actually rather difficult to make something that sounds wrong, in those conditions. I will add that the Violin and Viola samples sound thin, like the mid range of their EQ has been pushed forward. I don't know if you adjusted the EQ levels of those instruments for any reason, but they have an unnaturally high midrange EQ output, from what I hear. You should consider adjusting that.

Just want to point out at least one moment that refers to the source that DaMonz missed; 1:32 - 1:40 has the source being played by the upfront brass, which brings the usage up to 52.2%. Otherwise, nice breakdown from Emery - it's always appreciated. It's close, but I agree that there's enough source to pass I'm hearing a lot of dissent over the dynamic range from my fellow judges, but I must wholeheartedly disagree that this is a problem. This range of dynamics is quite normal for orchestral pieces of music that isn't written expressly as a soundtrack - without adjusting one's volume levels, go listen to some Mahler, Brahms, etc., and note just how quiet or how loud the music gets. Soundtrack orchestral music must have a more level dynamic range, but that's because a production must consider the other sounds that are used that will be over the soundtrack (voice, SFX, etc.), which a widely dynamic soundtrack would inconsistently disrupt at inopportune times. It would be a mistake to fault HeavenWraith for in this arrangement on dynamic range, as that is how orchestral music outside of soundtrack music normally works. I agree that the brass is not up to the par that HeavenWraith sets for the rest of the instruments (especially noticeable at 2:12 - 2:31), but overall the humanization is at acceptable levels. That alone isn't enough to throw this track under the bar. The loaded bottom end in this track that Sir_nutS mentions I feel is inherent to the style that he was going for. Orc music from the Lord of the Rings movie series (which HeavenWraith mentions is the direct inspiration to this arrangement) had a loaded bass end due to the heavy used of their percussion, as well as using the bass instruments to carry their themes. It's a little distracting, but it seems to be more of a design choice than a mistake. Hopefully some of the examples I gave can help give light to the dynamics concern to show that it's not a mistake at all, because otherwise this track is a pretty solid pass. The arrangement has just enough source to be postable on OCR, so the arrangement checks out. The brass has some humanization issues, but that shouldn't be nearly enough to bring it below the bar. Great work on this, and I hope it passes! YES

MOD REVIEW/EVAL Wow, this is quite a different approach. It almost sounds like a Gallant period piece, though I forget if that period had the two-emotion contrast (like Classical music does) or if it stuck with one emotion (like Baroque music tended to do). It was a strange hybrid, and I don't recall precisely their tendencies. Anyhow... There are two moments where I hear some distortion due to the sudden low-end that comes in at 0:30, 3:22 and 3:24. I'd be great if you could fix those moments of distortion, as otherwise this has some solid production. As far as the moment in the middle that's more "sad", I thought it was very idiomatic, considering the period that it's trying to emulate. I like the contrast, and there's plenty of music from the 18th century that did the same thing. The instruments are pretty realistic, so nice work on that. The style is underrepresented on this site, and the arrangement is clever, so if you fixed the few moments of distortion that I mentioned I could see this passing the panel, if you were to submit it. As far as the title goes, I actually kind of like "Celadon City for String Quartet". It kind of fits the style of the music in general - if you're going for that style, go balls out, I say.

I like this combination. Overall, the sources that are used seem to ultimately build into something - it really doesn't feel like it's pieced together at all. There is some nice source blending, especially toward the end. The track really feels teleocentric (goal-oriented), which is absolutely great for making a track feel like one long track. I feel the arrangement aspect is fine. The humanization of the track has its issues, but I don't think I can give anything more than the other six judges have provided. For me, it's good enough - the issues aren't bringing down the overall quality enough to justify a NO vote, but I hope Rebecca reads through the critiques and learns from them, for future pieces. There was one thing that wasn't mentioned that bugged me in the mixing, though; the lute at 4:47 is mixed just a little too loud and dry, in comparison to everything else. It's not too extreme, but it did strike me as out of balance. I understand the grievances, but I think this one is good enough to post. I'll close this one off with a pass - great work, Rebecca! YES

To be honest, as far as the arrangement goes it felt like a single song, for me. I made this assessment prior to listening to the sources, in order to check whether or not the segues from source to source were noticeable, and it felt like it flowed fairly naturally. I feel Chimp's opinion on the arrangement - I'd argue that this would be considered good enough, as it doesn't feel like a bunch of songs slapped together. After listening to the sources themselves, I feel the orchestration and overall pacing of the arrangement in comparison to the sources could arguably be different enough, but I understand where people are coming in and stating it's too conservative, too. On the conservative/medley end, I think it's passable, for the reasons I list, but it's certainly close. However, the production and handling of the instruments also needs to be considered, and I think this arrangement misses the mark on a few points - most of the instruments are stiff and mechanical. The strings don't vary their dynamics for long stretches of time (especially noticeable when it's playing the off beat chord strikes), and each note swells in the beginning (which is not how every note of a string'd instrument should be handled). The piano also doesn't have a very dynamic performance, either, and the sustain pedal is excessive at 1:23. The brass has similar issues to the strings - they're dynamically stiff and their attacks are all the same. The harpsichord is really dry in comparison to the other instruments at 1:38 - it doesn't sound like it was played in the same room as the other instruments, which is off putting. I do like how the mallets are handled in general, but there are a lot of issues with humanization on this one. While I understand where people are coming from with the medley-itis criticisms, I actually agree with Chris that the arrangement still fits the site standards. The humanization aspect of this, though, leaves too much to be desired for me to pass it. Hopefully some of my critiques help Rebecca clean this up, though. NO

Wow, this is a bit of an obscure track. It's very easy to pull the source out of this track regardless, and this arrangement transforms the source into something more light hearted and fun. The guitar part that comes in at various points in the track (such as at 0:10) is mixed a little too loud in the track, but otherwise I don't have much to critique on this one. It's a great little combination of instruments that just has a lot of fun with the source, and I love it. Short judgment, but there really isn't much to be said - it's great. YES

What a calming track. It certainly gets the coastline atmosphere across, even without the storm in the background/foreground. I really love this approach, especially considering how in-your-face the source is, in comparison. The storm sound effect, while fitting, is pretty loud in the track, to the point where it not only overpowers the acoustic music, but even takes up nearly all space available for amplification, due to the peaks that it has. Compressing the SFX down a little bit will give you a lot more room to make the mix louder (though I do understand you were avoiding this), and decreasing the overall volume of the storm will allow the listener to hear the arrangement more clearly. The section from 2:20 - 3:08 could easily be cut in half, as far as length goes, as it completely disrupts the flow of the song when you have nearly a minute of nothing but ambient noise right in the middle of the track. All of that being said, you did an amazing job recording that storm with such clarity - it's not easy to get such a clean recording of such an event. Kudos for that! The performances are pretty good. Some of the textures that are performed on the guitar are a little bit too loose, though - it's especially noticeable right at the beginning. It's not a dealbreaker, but tightening up the performance there would be wonderful. I feel that the arrangement gets a little bit repetitive toward the end, as well - after playing the theme for as long as this track goes on, the repetition becomes quite overbearing. You could probably cut out sections like 4:43 - 4:54, as that sounds like unnecessary padding, and add a little bit more variety in sections like 3:57 - 4:43 (to separate it from the earlier portion of the song that's similar). The changes that occur in these sections are far too subtle to really distinguish them from earlier portions of the arrangement. The repetition that occurs in the track, the balance of the storm SFX levels and the nearly minute long pause in the middle of the track bring this a little below the bar, for me. It's really a great arrangement, though, and I do hope you come back with those things fixed. NO

I like this approach, though I'd argue this hits more on the "Trap" genre than it does "House". I may be missing more subtle elements, but that bass drum sounds distinctly trap. That has very little impact on my view of the mix, though - whatever it is you did, you did a pretty darn good job of it. The arrangement is pretty simple, but it works well. The melody is generally played pretty straight, but the genre and atmosphere is certainly clever enough to carry it past the bar, in that regard. The samples that are used throughout are silly, but they're not problematic. Overall, the arrangement fit the standards of the site, and the overall arrangement is cohesive. The production is pretty good, but it has a few areas that could use some improvement. The percussion has a tendency to be mixed in the back of the mix. Aside from the trap bass drum, the percussion is barely present in the mix. From what I hear the percussion is pretty solid, so it'd be nice to hear it through everything else. The synth that first comes in at 1:21 is a bit loud in comparison to the rest of the mix - the appropriate level would be to roughly match the levels that the other synth that it trades off of throughout. It sticks out, at the levels it's at right now. I think this is very close, but the mixing leaves it just below the bar. Mix the percussion more up front and fix the mixing on the synth I mentioned and I could see this working out just fine. I could see this one passing anyway (it's a pretty close call for me), but the fact that these mixing issues affect the entire track edged me toward the vote I have. --

Someone make it happen, those games had some of the best soundtracks on the NES, bar none.