Gario

Interesting, almost old-school sound to the whole thing. Not like NES-chiptune old-school, but more like old-school electronic music in general. There's a lot to like about it. The repeating portions of the track do grate after a short period, though - just too many stabbing notes going for too long, there. The NES (kind of) pulled it off since the notes were not as pronounced, though it was still kind of bad in the source. Some variation in the note velocities and/or volumes would add some much needed variety in this. Overall it overwhelms you with a wall of sound, which doesn't leave much room for varying the sound space. You do good with what you got by dropping instruments and such, but I think you'll find it much easier to create an interesting track if you vary the volumes to a greater degree. Not a bad track, though. I hope to hear more from you

I've talked to Dave about this very thing, and from what I understand the lack of labeling is an artifact of the site switch to v6. When he's able to get to it he'll implement the tagging system again. Other things have taken priority though, unfortunately (Magfest, album releases, music releases, etc.), so it may be a little while. They are nice, though, and they make the whole eval process a lot easier, as well as making it easy to find WIPs, finished products, etc.

Hmm... Well, whatever comes of this, it'll be VERY interesting. I hope I can bring it together cohesively by Wednesday, though.

I had to work on some project stuff first, so until yesterday I wasn't able to work on this one. My track will be really fun, though. So far all I have is a riff and the instruments set, but let's be real - once those things are set up, all you gotta do then is let the music FLOW, maaaan. Got two days left, which is better than my average time spent on a compo track, so let's do this! Edit: Also, "This Wicked Heart of Mine" sounds like "This Sweet Guitar of Mine"... Which totally works. You will hear nothing else once you hear this, I promise.

Mmm... I like this revision. It's smooth and clean as hell, here. As presented here it would most likely be a pass on the panel. I will say that the bass end is a little low throughout, but overall that's not too big of a deal considering how clear everything else is. Pass or resub, you should certainly give the judges this version of the track. I don't think you can switch out a track when it's already been submit, so you'll likely need to give the judges this version once your older version gets through... Unless you use something like Box.net to host, in which you sneakily switch the source before they download it, mwahaha... Er, don't tell them my sneaky secrets... Great work on it, I think it sounds great.

Sick playing, man. Once you get the bass in there it should be a damn solid arrangement. Welcome to the WIP boards, by the way, here's hoping to hear more from you! Moar Shovel Knight would be perfect

YESSSSS yes yes yes yes No amounts of likes can go out to this that would ever do it justice. OH by the way if anyone needs any chiptunage for a track they're doing I will be very happy to contribute. I mean, Sam won't need it, of course, but if anyone else needs some chippin' for their studio, my chops are killer.

Something is very wrong with this post, here... Y'know, Liberi Fatali is a very crucial track for the album. I think making it into a super collab centerpiece for the album would be a very good idea (something like Black Metamorphosis for the FFVII album years back). I may regret it later, but I'd be super on board with helping on a collaboration of that nature for that track, Heaven permitting.

I'm making a claim for Man with the Machine Gun. FFVIII arguably has the best soundtrack in the series, so if I finish this one in a timely manner I may do more. Let's do this.

Yeah, same issue for me, too. I kind of like the system, though, so if it's not fixed by next week I suggest people who are participants for that week to vote for their own track. It balances out as long as both people vote, and as an unexpected bonus it punishes a few people who don't vote (participants who don't vote miss that point they give themselves), pushing out at least a few votes. That's good for compos like this. My two cents.

The end of Hoboka's track actually incorporated both sources quite well, so here's to giving credit where it's due. The first few minutes did just sound like butting two sources together, though, which isn't a good thing. A shame, since it is produced quite well, overall, and that last minute does some really cool things with both sources. Edit: Mindwanderer ninja edited, catching what I said here on his own, lol.

Nope. Write a song in 980bpm if you want, as long as it sounds good.

Haha, I'm 99.99% sure you can submit a mix that used any medium you like - sequenced DAW is just the most accessible for a lot of us.

Mine will be incoming soon, couldn't (er, more like DIDN'T, lol) work on it on either weekend, spent two solid weeknights on it. Like a Vampire. It's thematic, goddamnit. EDIT: Aaaaand, sub'd. SURPRISE!

I imagine so - I don't think he wants to have people starting their songs before the competition officially begins. Also: Hope I get paired against you, Hoboka, your source is spectacular.

There was some movement trying to get a vgmix site back up a year or so ago... I don't think those responsible for it have finished, but they do have some mixes up there to check out, as well. https://vgremix.com

Shnabubula makes his own chiptunes (and is quite the chiptune maestro, to boot), and is an amazing pianist. This track absolutely showcases both of his amazing talents at once, and creates something amazing and unique. There isn't a person on the planet who's life wouldn't be enriched by listening to this track. What I'm trying to say it, it's pretty good.

I'm most certain there is one! @MindWanderer I would be careful with a "Losers Bracket". While it CAN work, it's better to keep it simple. If I recall correctly, Darke's first Mega Megaman compo some time ago had a loser's Bracket, and it pretty much fell to pieces by the end. Good music still came out of all of it, but the compo became quite muddled. Honestly, save for the first round, people who lose midway into the compo are mostly experiencing fatigue, so having an elimination style tourney keeps the quality relatively high (mostly allowing remixers who are pumped to keep going to move forward vs those that are out of steam). Elimination has its perks.

Too late, I switched mine to it. Mwahahahaha... I was actually thinking about switching today, but now that Mind Wanderer actually pointed it out I knew I had to move it from bottom to top (always did love the track, myself). @orlouge82 You can also pick a track you like that you KNOW would be crazy hard to remix for one reason or another, then watch others cry when they get paired up with you. Kind of a dick move, actually, but it always gave me a chuckle whenever I did it... Waitin' for someone to get down on Discolored Wall and watch everyone else suffer, lol.

Haha, Command and Conquer. You definitely get some points for taking a stab at this one - I don't hear enough C&C on here. Lots of fun sounds going at once, though I do find it has some balancing issues with the bass (just kind of sticks out like a sore thumb). I think there's some clipping in there, too (especially with that snare drum). Very nostalgic, though, so I'm gonna like it regardless

Oh neat, I almost missed this entirely. Sure, I'm in - there are some pretty sweet tracks I would love to remix, and I've been looking for an excuse to use my new headphones to make some music. I'll list my picks later today. 1. Dracula X - Stage 6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44u87NnaV4Q (Yeah, it's an arrangement of CV3 Stage 1, but I always like this version better...) 2. Dracula X - Stage 7 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGYEm_1MoOA 3. Symphony of the Night - The Tragic Prince https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuSa2k5UEXs 4. Bloodlines - Stage 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKJsfwHObvw 5. Bloodlines - Stage 6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BVFbBXuYtI Also, not a pick of mine, but I found it while searching and thought it was pretty cool. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_YIGdpVAAY Alright, let's do this. Nice to see an elimination compo come up in here - while it's sad to see good artists fall after a single round, it DOES significantly reduce remixing fatigue that occurs on the longer sort of compos. One of the big reasons I'm up for it, in fact.

Hmm... This seems a bit rough to be considered for a Mod Review / Eval. Remember, that tag signifies that you're ready to submit it, and you're looking for the final word from someone similar to the OCR judges. Just giving the heads up, here. The overall track quality sounds... muffled. It's like most of the tracks have a heavy low pass on them, which affects their quality (especially that piano carrying the theme). You need to let some more highs through, to help give this a crisper sound. I think I hear a little clipping or overcompression in the piano portion, especially when the complimentary tracks come in alongside it. Watch out for that. The drums sound a bit tame, when they're just playing the beat. The breaks and drops are really cool, but the running beat sounds plain. It's like it needs more hats, or sounds, or something. It just doesn't stand out enough, for me, as it is. The ending kind of just... happens. Hopefully you have more in mind for this track, or have a more fulfilling ending in mind, for it. Hope this helps

Throwing my hat into the mix, if no one else has suggested it, purchase/download a book that details orchestration techniques and practice. Half of getting orchestral music on a DAW to sound realistic is the knowledge of what an instrument can do, or how instruments are used idiomatically. The best sample libraries, for example, won't tell you when a downstroke will typically be performed in a string section, or how the woodwinds will breathe with a particular phrase, but they WILL supply you with better tools to emulate these techniques and sounds, when you do know. Snappleman is definitely right in the regard that proper use of the samples is key, and learning orchestration technique helps dramatically in that regard. Rimsky-Korsakov's "Principles of Orchestration" is a well known classic, in this regard, if you want a place to start.

Hmm, still no response, eh? Sorry 'bout that. Let's give you a proper review, now. MOD REVIEW / EVAL I forgot how 80's the whole thing sounded, and I love every bit of it - you really nail the atmosphere. The drums sound quite a bit better, overall, so awesome work improving them. All of the synth work, all of the balancing works great, especially as a backing for the vocal section. The vocals do need some work, though. Now that it's not panned and gated I can hear them more clearly. I get the style you're going for, which is prone to going flat. You need to be careful with that tendency, as you go flat quite consistently throughout the song (and it doesn't sound intentional). Due to how much breathiness you have in the vocals, the lyrics are a bit tricky to hear, but more importantly the vocals sound dominated by the synths. While the mixing is pristine throughout otherwise, you need to make sure that the vocals are not lost in the mix, as they are the centerpiece of the track. Right now I'd say this would get a NO/RESUB, in it's condition, but if you get the vocals fine tuned this will be an easy pass on the panel. I look forward to it, since I really like this remix. Also, Happy Thanksgiving!

Yeah, I saw these about a week ago. Listened to the album, it's legitimately good stuff.