Gario

Mmm, I really like the direction you took this one. That acoustic guitar sounds great, and the elements that you add that aren't acoustic fit very well, as far as the source is concerned. I'm not sold on that ending - fade-outs are a bit boring - but it's not the worst crime in the world. Nice work

"Nick? NICK!" "Fuck me running..." ^ One of the great lines from metal, and it came from Nick. We'll miss you, man.

Well, I really enjoyed the arrangement of the source material - there's a lot of originality in the harmonization of the source. The vocals are quite well placed, and I kind of appreciate not using the original text (it's funny, but this sets the mood better). You kind of go for a more old-school electronic sound, which stylistically works pretty well. I'm not feeling this production at all, though. The mix is very overcompressed - virtually all the sound that you have gets lost behind the bass. Looking at the waveform, every peak of the bass just completely squishes the other sounds that are playing. On top of that, the mix is redlining throughout, so even while compressed there's still clipping throughout. Even without looking at the waveform, it's easy to hear that most of your instruments are just getting lost behind that bass. The vocal clips are impossible to distinguish once the music is in place, instead just sounding like washed out noise. I can't see any other fix other than mixing that bass down enough for the other instruments to come forward, or dropping some of the instruments when you want to go with that full bass sound - everything together simply doesn't work, as far as production goes. You need to get a good balance of sound before you compress everything. On a relatively smaller note, I felt the drums were on the weak side, when it was just bass and snare. They sound thin, like they're there just to fill the space. The toms were pretty cool, though, and sounded like they had a better presence, so I know you could probably find something with more definition than that. Before I can consider this for a post, you're going to need to fix the compression and clipping on this one - it's not at acceptable levels, as it stands. I would also suggest looking into defining the snare and bass better, as they just sound too thin, to me. NO

Slow and haunting in the beginning, builds to something big. This works very well - excellent wind writing (woodwinds sound fabulous in this - they're not easy to work with). Brass is powerful, and the piano really gives the rest something great to build off of. As far as orchestration goes, this is absolutely great. I giggled at the Xylophone at 0:32 - effective, yet subtle. That guitar is the weakest link in this arrangement. It doesn't seem to serve much purpose, and the tone is very bland. It's mixed so far into the background that I feel you could literally remove it completely and lose nothing in the piece. I would consider doing so, but it's not too important - it doesn't add much, but it doesn't detract too much, either. The arrangement is on the conservative side, but there are some really great parts that you write that builds off of what you have earlier (original trumpet writing at 1:36, chilling vibraphone at 2:14). The strings have some really nice part writing that's hidden behind the steady staccato in the beginning, too. Conservative, but has just enough interpretation to pass. Good thing, too, because I really like this one. The fade-out ending leaves me wanting more, and is a little bit disappointing considering how well it's built up. I really feel it makes the song sound incomplete, but I suppose it's better to leave the listener wanting more than it is to overstay your welcome. It's not good, but it doesn't ruin the experience too much. Yeah, it's great, despite the guitar and ending. Send it off, I say! YES

If you use an emulator, there is often the ability to separate the channels, in order to listen to each individual line on its own. It's very nifty, for dictating a source. Generally, it's in whatever sound options the emulator has. I'd give specifics, but I legitimately forgot exactly how the particulars work, since it's been forever since I've last worked with it. It's not difficult, though - find an emulator, get the ROM (if you own the game already, of course), and tinker with the options, and you'll eventually figure it out. As far as not remixing CD based soundtracks... C'mon, give em' some love, too! There's plenty of great music on that side of gaming that you'd otherwise miss out on, don't limit yourself if you don't need to

Legend of Dragoon love! Awesome! Big fan of the game, and I'm very glad to hear the soundtrack get some love on here. You have a very smooth, relaxed arrangement, and I absolutely love the lo-fi direction you went with the guitars and drums. It's chill, and it works great. The arrangement is very plain, and it has a pretty static soundscape. It relies quite a bit on the additional flourishes in the guitar portion and melody in order to set itself apart from the source, but I'm not entirely convinced that it's enough. The overall soundscape, while great, doesn't really develop - it stays in the same place throughout the entire song. Fortunately the song is short enough to where it doesn't create too much of an issue, but it would be a good idea to change up the texture once or twice in the track (drop a few instruments, perhaps utilize a new synth for a section, etc.). The ending is a bigger issue, though. It just sort of ends - that doesn't do this mix justice. This track really needs a more substantial ending than what you gave it, and it would be very helpful if the arrangement took a few more liberties with the source. The production is quite good. I know you're going for the lo-fi sound in the guitar, and it works for the most part. At 1:04, though, the guitar harmonies punch through too much - due to a combination of the poorer quality recording and mixing it louder than normal, it sounds jarring. Mix that part down, making it match the guitar levels of the rest of the track. I like it, but that ending kills it. While the conservative nature of the arrangement, static soundscape and the slip up on the guitar mixing at 1:04 affect it as well, that ending is what made me vote as I did - give it a more substantial ending, fix the mixing at 1:04 and play around with the source & soundscape a little more. If you do that, you'll easily have my vote, as I think this is a great track, and very close to being a pass. NO/RESUB

In all honesty, music from the 8-bit era tends to be a reasonable place to start (save for some exceptions). Search for music that you like from that era, and transcribe it. Liking it is key, though - since you're just starting out (presumably), it's best to start somewhere that inspires you to keep moving forward. Genesis music can be a bit tricky to start with some games, because a lot of the great music works from manipulating the timbres that the synth can produce. However, there's still music that can easily be transcribed from there, so if you are more of a Sega fan, feel free to give it a shot. SNES, in contrast, is a sample based music system, so it can be easier to parse each channel individually, if that's your thing. Prophetik has a great suggestion, for starters (silence the channels, work from there), and I suggest that as well. However, I would treat that technique as training wheels. It's not a bad thing, and I do it when I can, but be sure to practice dictating music when all the channels are active, as well - there's plenty of music (like CD based music, such as on the PS1) that you simply cannot break apart like that. You don't want to limit yourself to only being able to dictate music that can be parsed into single lines. Hopefully some of this helps!

Oh, I like this. It certainly has a very Mediterranean feel to it - that accordion and light percussion does some real good keeping the listener in that space. While the source is there quite consistently, I have to say you frame the structure in such a way that keeps things changing just enough to keep the listener on his or her toes. I listened to this before listening to the source, and it just all comes together well enough on its own, without losing me or making me feel it's lingering. That speaks volumes about its arrangement - I love it. The mixing is okay. Not perfect, but it's acceptable. The accordion sticks out a little too much in the beginning, and the overall sound is just a bit too wet (haha, irony). This would've benefited from a bit less reverb, considering the somewhat chamber orchestra feel it has throughout. The strings that carry the melody at 0:26 don't quite sound like strings. If they're not, I'm actually curious to what they ARE, because I can't identify them - it sounds like a synth imitation of a string section set in a range a little too low. I can't put my finger on it, exactly, but they don't sound real at all. Considering the nice work you did for the rest of the track, it's a bit jarring. However, I consider these to be minor points. The arrangement is absolutely great, and the humanization is pretty darn good overall (well within the bar, I think). Great work! YES

On it's own, I think it has a unique soundscape, which really drives a haunting tone that the original couldn't achieve. So much of it comes from both the use of the changed key and chords (which are ambiguous, interestingly enough - only two notes define the primary "chord"), that I can't justify making the artist change them directly. I agree with Larry that changing the chords themselves doesn't necessarily change the rest of the patterns that those two chords have that link it to the source. Those chords do move in a very different way than the source does, though, which does make it trickier to link it to the source. Whereas the contour of the source steps down, this arrangement has the chord step up. I know what you're going for, but it's still pretty tenuous particularly because of this point. That being said, if that chordal motion is considered source the arrangement is saturated with source. 0:00 - 0:51 - Chord motion from the source 0:52 - 1:09 - Same chord motion, but reduced to individual notes 1:10 - 1:26 - Arpeggiated chords, but it's the same chords, same motion, same source 1:27 - 2:20 - Melody placed on top of arpeggiation, albiet a bit broken up 2:21 - 3:34 - Theme on top of the prior chords That's prior to the update - you've added plenty of melodic riffs in the pure chordal sections that refer directly to the melody of the source (like at 0:35-0:51, for example). That helps this track considerably, as far as source usage goes. The mixing and production is impeccable, by the way - great work on that front. I'm a bit skeptical on the chord motions, but I feel that there is enough melody on top to consider it enough, for source usage. We'll see if the other judges feel it's enough, but I think it's acceptable. If it gets tossed back again, I would consider simply changing the direction the chord moves - that would make the connection far more obvious than it is, now. YES

Mmm, well this is a subtle take on the track. I didn't think it could be more light-hearted than the source, but it manages, and does a great job at it, to boot. In general, the arrangement sounds pretty close to the source - upgraded pizzicato strings, live violin over the string/woodwind melody, etc. The harpsichord is a great addition, though, and there are some pretty cool little licks going on in the background. I'm leaning toward this being a bit too conservative, but there is some really cool percussion in there (Glock, snare, wind chimes, etc.) that help give it some distinct flavor. Fortunately, the rest of the production and orchestration does pull this one very well - the mixing is well balanced, the production is clean and overall the orchestration is pretty clever. Jeff's violin sounds good, too - more little licks like at 1:48 would've been better rather than playing so much straight, in my opinion - it feels like a missed opportunity, since you're using a solid violinist to play the part. It's not bad or wrong, but it really feels like it could've been so much more. The note at 1:51 is a Neapolitan bII - a bit uncommon in arrangements, but not at all dissonant. It gives the passage some unexpected flavor - I liked it, myself, and more people should use it. The violin and arrangement don't match at 1:54, though - the violin plays a lower'd 7th while the arrangement plays a raised 7th. Either would sound fine, but they have to match. The arrangement would be the easier fix, but I personally would rather hear the violin match the arrangement, there. Entirely up to you, though, as either would be alright. The plodding feeling throughout this track wears on me after a while. While I like what's there, I agree that I wish there was more variety in pacing and texture. After a good two minutes, I was wondering when things were either going to change, or whether it was going to end soon. That's not a very good place for the listener to be. Mind you, it's not that it needs to be more exciting, but the overall density and dynamic changes very little throughout the piece. I have to go with Palpable on this one - there really wasn't much that made it captivate the listener past two minutes, due to the static dynamics you stick to throughout. Don't be afraid to make your quiet sections quieter (perhaps by dropping one more instrument out, for example), and your louder sections a pinch louder. I'd also argue that it leans just a little too conservative, due to the instrument choices very often lining up with the source, as I mentioned above - simply adding flourishes and the like would probably be enough in my book to make it distinct enough, though. There are some cool and original choices that are made in this, so it's almost good enough on that front, for me. You certainly need to fix the arrangement at 1:54, though, and I do suggest giving Jeff some more opportunity to spice it up with more of his flourishes (though again, that's up to you - it's not wrong as it stands, but it could be more interesting if you did so). NO/BORDERLINE

Oh, beautiful blending of the sources in this. The first time I listened to this I didn't know when one source ended and the other began - they just meshed so damn well together. I'm definitely with Deia and Larry, as far as transitions go, too, it's very well done. Robo-Rick certainly adds some unexpected flavor to the track, and it worked great. The arrangement just nails it so often, I loved it throughout. The production doesn't have anything that's dragging it down, that I can hear. The lead comes across as a bit too dry, overall, and the Megaman death sound is a bit of a tired cliche, at this point, but those are minor points against the great arrangement. Great track! YES

Ah, I do remember giving a shorter review on this for the album evaluation. The source is certainly there, and the arrangement itself was absolutely great. I can't say too much on that front that could be improved. The production is pretty good. There are some moments that could have been mixed in a manner where the instruments were more clear individually (such as at 1:36 and 2:24 - some really cool guitar stuff that gets lost in the background especially at 2:24). It's not terrible, but it's something that could use some improvement. The samples were not handled the best. I hear the effort that went into them, but it often sounds like the background textures were humanized for one line, then are copy/pasted from there. It doesn't take much to tweak your copy/paste moments just a hair from line to line to make the instruments sound more human, overall. It's minor, but it's noticeable. The solo violin sounds pretty good, but that vibrato sounds inhuman - people don't sustain the exact same vibrato for every note, for the exact same lengths of time. I suggest either tweaking your vibrato to sound different for long notes than for short notes however possible, even if that means adding vibrato using pitch bend yourself. Since the violin is such a central part of this arrangement, it's important that it sounds as good as possible. The organ bleeds into itself just a little bit too much at 1:36 - the release could be lessen'd just a little bit there. Also, it hits a funny note at 1:47, so you should correct it so it matches what the bass is doing. If you really want that major 3rd from the organ in that chord, make sure the bass isn't playing the minor 3rd at precisely the same time. Either fix would sound fine, but it does need a fix. Despite all the commentary that I gave, I actually REALLY like this track. You put out a whole lot of great effort with the live playing, and the arrangement itself sounds great. The synth work that's there too is just great - compliments the piece just perfectly. I would've given this a YES, if the samples used were used strictly as background elements (and thus less important to the piece overall), but the solo violin is simply too prominent for me to ignore. It's a close call, but I'd like to hear you address the sample issues present, and perhaps clean up the mixing when things get too cluttered. Also, that organ note - you should fix it. NO/RESUB

*Pops out of portal* Damn, I'd love to. *Looks at backlog of due and almost due projects an obligations* Shit, not this time - wouldn't be fair to a whole lot of people if I joined. I'll keep an ear out on this compo - it looks like a whole lot of fun. *Steps back in summoning portal*

Damn, now THIS is an intense track, and it just never stops. I checked the sources, and it does seem they're all there (arpeggio from PAST throughout, orchestra hits from BAD FUTURE, other background elements referring to PRESENT). It would take too long for a detailed breakdown, and I don't think this arrangement needs that - the source is very strong in this one, and the arrangement is very clever. The production is quite crisp, for most of the track. There are a few moments where everything comes in at once where the arrangement gets cluttered, making it a little difficult to parse every element out (such as at 3:41 - 5:52, for example). There aren't enough moments like that to take this below the bar, though. As far as the dissonance, any that I heard was handled properly throughout the track. Either it was inherent in the source and not clashing with other elements (such as at 2:22), or was used as a passing tone (like the backing lowered 2nd at 3:41). I thought they were fine. Cluttered mixing at some moments aside, this one was pretty damn amazing. YES

Smooth as shit. You really have a refined sound that just gives this arrangement class. Very nice arrangement. The accompaniment really is interesting and complex. It takes a few listens to really gather all the cool little bits that are continuously playing throughout. Most of the instruments are great, but the drums really stand out as amazing throughout. The arrangement, while great, does seem to last a little longer than it seems it should. It has to do with the fact that it really keeps the same pacing, rhythm and feel throughout the track. The track is broken up into distinct sections, but each one bleeds into the next in the style and pacing, so if you listen to it for a while it all starts to sound the same. It's not a big deal, though - it's certainly an easy pass otherwise, and that's not nearly enough to take it below the bar. Great work! YES

Sorry for the lack of timestamp - yeah, those sounds at 2:59 are ripped directly from the opening of the SNES Secret of Mana game. Here's a link to the SFX: that's precisely how it's presented in the game. If my vote were a YES I would've made it a conditional one, but I actually would've given the track a NO/RESUB or borderline even if that sound wasn't in there. I found the previously time stamped portions of my judgment to be too much a mistake to pass on it, for me. The other YES votes should probably make it conditional, though.

Mmm, a nice, subtle take on Guile's theme, and Ryu's theme blends in convincingly. Not much I can say other than the arrangement is great. Raising the track up a tone makes for a real escalated climax, so that was a nice touch. The samples did sound a little dull, but I think you gave it a great deal of humanization to bring out the best in them. The volume is a touch low, but in comparison to some other pure orchestral tracks on the site it's not significantly quieter, so I think it's still okay on that front. There are enough moments where the instruments drop out and come back to give it enough textural variety, for a piece of this length. What can I say, this works. Now go home and be a family man! YES

MOD REVIEW / EVAL Man, I've GOT to play Undertale sometime soon - so much good music coming out of it. This is a great arrangement, too - some real tasty ska action. If I had to make a comment, I'd say the judges would probably question the rhythm guitar tone a bit. The tone makes it difficult to distinguish when you strike, for rhythm - it creates a sort of 'guitar soup' that's just... there. That's not a very big complaint, though - otherwise it's a pretty tight arrangement. Loved it, you have my OK to submit it.

I don't follow it too much (just watched the movies, really), but from what I gather, Freeza never, EVER trained, and yet he was as strong as Goku (SS) in Z. With that in mind, look at what happened to Gohan, who used to be competitive with Majin Boo, now that he's merely been out of training for a few years - turns out if you don't train you become a pathetic shell of who you could be. To be honest, I thought that was very clever, how they wrote it off - basically, the difference between Gohan never training and SS2/Mystic is the implied difference between Freeza and Golden Freeza. Yeah, four months is a stretch, but y'know the power scaling of Dragonball has been messed up ever since after the Cell games. I liked that part. Now, a tournament arc RIGHT AFTER a tournament arc... That's stupid.

Oh, this is some ensemble. Is this a piece for wind orchestra + guitar? Very interesting idea, and I think it's incredibly fitting for the source. Mmm, this is a very conservative piece. It's quite good, but I'd argue the first half of the track is just a little bit too conservative. The second half is very well interpreted, and because it really opens up into something cool and unique in that second half, the arrangement is still a pass, but it'd be a stronger pass if there were a bit more that was done to make the first portion sound a little less cover-ish. The performance is very loose. Honestly, that's not a bad thing - I like the natural feel of a loose performance. However, there are sections where the loose-ness creates terrible dissonance - sections like the winds at 0:46 & 1:32 sound like a trainwreck. I'm pretty okay with the rest of the track, but those sections need to be tightened up considerably, as the winds sound completely off. I'd probably give this one a borderline NO, as it stands - it's very close to a YES - but there's one more important point that must be addressed before OCR could consider accepting this track - the SFX at the end of the track are from Secret of Mana, and as per site policy we cannot post any music that incorporates Square Enix sampled sounds. To quote submission rules: As I don't believe there are any exceptions to this rule anymore, you will need to change the samples at the end of this piece, before this can be accepted. I really hope you do, as this is a pretty cool piece of music. I personally recommend doing a little bit more to make the first half of this piece interesting and original, but more importantly tighten up the performances at the two sections that I mentioned above. Change the samples at the end as well and you'll have my vote easily. NO/RESUB

Nice use of the gated volume on that sample, in the beginning - it actually transforms that bit into something completely different, yet obviously connected to the source. The phasor may be just a little too much on top of that, but I don't see that as a crushing issue. It's just a little odd, is all. As far as the form goes, I can hear what you're going for - you introduce the Genesis version of Rusty Ruins, then segway into the Saturn version, sprinkling the Genesis version in there to keep the themes connected a bit. As the others have pointed out, I'm not sure how well that comes across, due to how much you omit from the Saturn version - all you have are the transposed melody and choir hits. In a good deal of that section, it doesn't seem to have nearly as many interesting things going on (3:00 - 3:30), and the more hip-hop portion after is pretty bare-bones (3:30 - end). This makes it feel incomplete, and leaves the listener feeling like the track drags on. I don't think the arrangement is unsalvageable, though. Again, you're going for the Genesis to Saturn form (AB), and connecting the themes with that genesis gated sample. You need to have something "more" to the saturn portion - those empty moments (3:00 - 3:30), and those bare bone hip hop portions (3:30 - end) just don't sound complete or coherent. Don't be afraid to incorporate some of the Saturn portions into earlier sections of the track, and give the listener more to grab onto in the latter portion - some more harmony, more solid references to the Genesis source, etc. As far as the production goes, I think Jivemaster covers that as well as I could - piano is stiff, and the choir part is a bit basic. Also, that flute (0:37) is very dry in comparison with the rest of the track, and its in a range where it doesn't come through very well. Since most of the accompaniment shares a similar range, you'd likely have a clearer flute if you raised it up an octave, and it'd have more meat if you gave it some reverb. Considering how it carries the theme, it's also imperative that you give it some better humanization - the articulations and attack swells all sound the same, which makes it sound mechanical and clunky. I see the potential here, though. It's a good idea for a track, and I could see this being a pretty cool track, with some adjustment to the arrangement making the ideas more clear and defined. The samples (choir, piano, flute) need some better humanization and clarity, as well. NO/RESUB

This really is a subtle arrangement of this theme, and it's quite impressive. It's not in-your-face, but it has a great atmosphere that really takes hold of you throughout. It's sparse, and that works well for this kind of piece. However, I will echo the opinion that the instruments are sometimes not sequenced well enough to be convincing. It's not a problem throughout the entire piece, but it comes up again and again at important points, especially in instruments that carry the theme. The oboe, for example, doesn't have any sort of phrasing when it carries the melody (0:29 - 0:46, 1:40 - 1:55, 2:15 - 2:37) - it sounds like it uses the default attack for the sample, which adds a little swell to each and every note. Realistically, an oboist may have that for the first note that they play, but to phrase properly they will play the rest of the notes legato. For sequencing, that means the attacks should have no swelling from note to note, until the phrase is finished. This applies also to the clarinet, strings and flute, when they carry the melody, play alongside the melody or are in the foreground. There's a lot of stacatto in this piece, too, where the effect is much less pronounced (there isn't enough time for the sample to play out fully, so it diminishes the effect). There IS a lot of velocity adjustment, as far as the volumes go, and that certainly helps the piece a lot. I think the reverb is just about right on this - too much and you'll lose the open sound that this track is trying to convey (I'd argue that even the piano and strings, as thin as they are, have the proper reverb in comparison to the rest of the instruments - it's just that kind of piece). Honestly, the only thing that this track needs is some tweaking on the attack values of the samples, for the sake of portraying the phrasing like a real musician would. Even though that's my only comment on the arrangement, because of how sparse & dry the piece is sequenced, and because of how often this issue is noticeable, I'm going to send it back, this time. Improve the phrasing so it sounds more human and you'll have an amazing arrangement. NO/RESUB

That's some solid, old-school techno. The overall samples sound like an "upgrade" of sorts to the source, but the arrangement has more than enough personal touches to make it stand out as his own interpretation. That being said, Palpable has a good point on the amount of sampling that's going on. From what I can gather, I don't think this breaks the official submission rules: It's certainly not the original with a drum loop under it, and there's no Square-Enix that I can identify. If there are any other rules involved in sampling the source material, a link to it would be great, but I think he's in the clear on that front based on the site rules. He samples, resamples, rearranges and makes it into something of his own. EDIT: Also, this: As I said before, the sampled elements do seem to be reasonably sophisticated - lots of gating, resampling and such to make it distinctly his own. "Reasonably sophisticated" is a loose term, though, so I could possibly see someone thinking differently, but I believe it's still within site parameters. The arrangement is quirky and interesting, and I don't think I can find too much fault otherwise. Yeah, it's repetitive, but it's stylistically repetitive - I don't hear much copy-paste going on with this. It has a whole lot of minimalistic, additive variation, which is pretty neat. I like it. I think it'd be nice to see on the front page. YES

Wow, talk about an improvement from the last version. The addition of the bass texture for the repeated sections is very welcome, mitigating the repetitive issues that the track had significantly, and the production pops seem to have been fixed, as well. I have to say good fixes, all around. I agree with DA on the little 'fairy noises' issue, though - the track seems just a little too inundated with them, when they're around. It just seems to add density for the sake of it, muddying up the track a little. One of the sounds, in particular (at 0:31, for example), sounds like it's mixed too loud on top of that, in comparison to the overall track - it just sticks out like a sore thumb every single time it's present. I don't think those are deal breakers for me, but it would be nice to tone down on those things a bit. The chords at 2:17 are just fine - there's nothing technically 'wrong' with them. They're cluster chords and 7ths, and they're clusters and 7ths that add a great deal of flavor to those passages. A lot of people like using chords like that (myself included), so I don't think we can ding the track on that premise - it's an artistic choice, not a mistake. As far as the arrangement goes, it was borderline varied enough for me even before the update, and I feel the interesting additions made to the arrangement pushed it above the bar. The fluttering synths aside, I think this one is good enough to post. Nice work! YES

I have to agree, certainly not enough Ninja Gaiden on here, and I'm glad to see someone else taking a stab at it. Very nice start with the pan flute, too - very ninja-esque. The whole feel of the arrangement gives a solid sense of determination, too, which reflects the source very well. That being said, the arrangement isn't as strong as it could be. There's variation in the theme, as far as instrumentation and pacing is concerned, and you do some very cool things with it in the middle, but the meat of it remains close. Granted, that part of the source is pretty repetitive, but that doesn't mean you can't change the chords a little bit, from variation to variation, in order to break it up yourself. There's also a whole first part of that intro sequence from Ninja Gaiden that you can draw some more material from, if you'd like. There's a lot that could've been done here to make it sound a bit less repetitive. As it stands, I'm pretty borderline on that arrangement. Other than the piano (which sounds fantastic where you use it, by the way), the samples do not sound realistically sequenced. Specifically, the strings and brass all have an issue with the attack of the sample. Each note has a 'swell' into it, which is problematic in lines where the phrase should sound connected (that is, when the brass/strings carry the melody). No person would play their lines like that - you need to fix the attack envelope on your strings and brass so that they don't swell like that for every strike, especially when they carry the melody. The snare, while properly sounding militaristic, also sounds like you copy/pasted them throughout the whole song. Even marches use snare fills to break things up a bit. Changing up the volume velocities from repeat to repeat would also make it sound more realistic, too. The relatively repetitive use of the chords throughout the arrangement would've put this as borderline for me, if that were the only thing that affected this, but the instrument sequencing knocks it a little below the bar. Fix the attack swells on the instruments carrying the melody, give the snare a little more of a human touch, and I recommend rethinking the use of the harmonies throughout the arrangement. NO/RESUB