Gario

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.

I wouldn't want people's mixes to have a review system, either, nor would OCR ever implement one (it kind of defeats the purpose of a judging system, if popular review ends up dictating whether or not people listen to the music, anyway). Sorry if I wasn't clear, but I was suggesting a sort of "likes-on-average" statistic to apply to a persons reviewing quality, not mix quality, so to encourage more thorough reviews than "Cool mix, bro!".

If you want a "reward" as simple as possible, make "reviews given" a statistic that's easily visible for the forum user. Bragging rights are actually worth something to plenty of people. Past that, including how many likes the person's reviews have received in their profile somewhere would encourage the user to create useful reviews. It's not much, but it would allow some people to shine in their reviewing abilities in a way that isn't possible, as it is now.

Welcome to OCR! Always great to see fresh faces, in here. Ah, Bomberman 64, quite the underrated soundtrack, I'd have to say, and this is a great track from that game. I do hear the source in here, so that's good. Sounds like you're going for some hip-hop or pop style sounds in here, but it sounds like it's missing something. I swear, it's like you just need the solid male pop singer to give it life above what you've already got going in here. In the section past 1:52, there are a few parts that clash with that harmonization in the theme, so be careful with either the melody or harmonization. Hope this gets more love on here, and I hope you find the WIP boards helpful!

We do indeed check for Mod Review. The issues today are the same as when we missed reviews in the past: we might be busy, or we might just have missed reviewing the track in one of our passes. Considering I just did a large sweep of reviews a week ago, you just might've missed it by a hair. Here we go! MOD REVIEW Nice source, fresh off of the VG scene. Got a lot of flavor, and you don't shy away from it in your arrangement. It's safe to say that this will pass on the arrangement front. I would argue that the production is pretty good, as well, but I do feel the high EQ is a bit too subdued overall - it gives the entire track an almost 'muffled' sound. In this case I think it could be easily touched up with a slight boost to the high end on the master track, just to give it more clarity. Regardless, I think this will pass just fine - it's just a little last minute advice to make it sound even better. Nice work!

A quick recommendation: If you want feedback, giving it a WIP status improves your chances. I'm going to give it one for you, here, but 'Finished' implies 'I don't plan on working on it, but you can give it a listen if you want'. Just an FYI.

MOD REVIEW Oh wow, nice samples used for this one. Nice flavor from the drums - it really brings out the track. The flute was very well done, and it takes the theme in some very interesting directions, and that choir... damn, it's just awesome. It's a little bit short, and a touch repetitive (due to the same harmonic pattern playing throughout), but it's pretty well done otherwise. I would say this is a borderline pass, overall, but if you play with the structure a little more and expand it a bit I could really see this one being posted. Great work, overall.

Aw crap, seems you slipped through the cracks a little bit. C'mon, peeps, give this guy some love! In the meantime... MOD REVIEW Mmm, like the opening synth, there. Really sets an ethereal mood, there. The 80's sound is perfect for this, overall, though it may be just a touch subdued. Nice synth work throughout. The voice work needs to be played out straight. The panning and the gating takes away from the track. It's just distracting when it's like that. From what I gather, the singing has some tuning issues, but it's hard to tell with the panning and such. Please fix that, as it would sound much better without the panning & gating. The drums sound a little boring, and that snare really needs to sound more... 80's. I mean, you've got the synths down, so you need to go BALLS TO THE WALL 80's. The bass drum simply playing on the beat throughout the song really is a lost opportunity in giving the track some much needed variety. Change up the drum patterns from time to time. The addition of the hats mid-song helps, but it needs more overall. Great song, though - you really nailed the style, for sure, and the words are quite good. Hopefully what I said helps a bit. Good luck, and keep it up!

MOD REVIEW Mmm, nice smooth sound to this one. Liking the overall atmosphere to it - salsa Sonic is a great idea. Some of the instruments themselves are a little lower quality than OCR would accept (The brass leads, in particular), and it's a bit on the conservative side for acceptance on the panel, as it stands. However, a salsa remix IS a pretty sweet idea, so if you wanted to expand on that idea more and play with the material more liberally I could see this working its way to a posted mix. Good luck, and nice arrangement in general. I enjoyed it.

MOD REVIEW Neat source! I might have to try out a game, like that. Haven't heard of it before, but it sounds great. The piano sounds spot on. A very good idea for where to take the theme, though it sounds like you could take it in so many more directions than what you've done with it. It's close, as the piano is great, but right now it sounds slightly repetitive with that arpeggio playing quite consistently throughout. It's a pretty conservative track, as it stands - be more adventurous with it, and take the track to new heights and I could see this being posted. Right now I'd say it's in the NO-RESUB range, bordering close to a YES, so keep at it!

Oh hey, I remember when you made this some time ago. Let's see what you've done since, I remember liking the last iteration of it. MOD REVIEW Lots of neat sound design on this one. If I recall correctly, the last rendition had some pretty cool sound design, too, so I'm glad that aspect remained. The guitar, however, has a poor tone, when introduced at 0:34. It just sounds muddy and non-distinct. Considering how clear the other instruments are, it's quite noticeable how messy the tone is for the guitar. At 1:08 the tone sounds much better for the lead, but the performance could use quite a bit of clean-up. Hearing the fingers scratch as they slide is distracting for every note, and every note sounds disconnected, due to being deliberately re-struck for every note change. The performance needs some considerable tune-up before it'll be considered on OCR. I'd suggest PM'ing one of the many guitarists on the boards for some advice on this, as my expertise is limited in that area. At 1:08 and 2:38, I'm not sure that doubling works great, for the leads. Contrapuntally, 6ths & 3rds would give a richer sound than pure 4ths and 5ths. You likely won't get nailed too hard for that on the panel, but it could be better than what is present here. I'll have to say the guitar work on this is holding this back from being posted, as of yet - I recommend getting in touch with other guitarists and garnering some advice from them. Glad to hear a new rendition of this, though!

Well, my girlfriend is actually a HUGE fan of the series, so I will probably get into it at some point. Just got the 'Dancing All Night' game for her a little while back, and the music seems to actually be really, really good, to boot. Personally I recently beat Shin Megami Tensei IV for the 3DS, and I loved it. Persona is a sub-series of SMT (both utilize similar mechanics & conventions, and are made by Atlus), so I guess I'm somewhat a fan.

2015 Moseph still could, indeed.

Under 'References' on the side tab there's a link to the current KNGI homepage that has a download link to both the first and second Vampire Variations albums. Or you can click here and find the download from there, for now. I'll let staff know about the current broken download link, thanks for the heads up.

Ooo, I'm liking where you're taking this. Calm, but fairly potent. I'll add a quick note and say the high string in the arpeggio portion that plays throughout sounds a little flat. Be sure everything is tuned pretty tight with one another, rather than use a tuner for each note, if that's what you use. Otherwise, I like it.

Funny you should bring this one up. I actually addressed this very thing in great detail in the VG Analysis thread that's up here many years ago, it might be relevant. TL;DR, the form for a solid majority of jRPG town music follows as such: A - A' - B, or some variation thereof (such as an intro preceding the "A" section). A is relatively soft, A' is an elaboration of A, and B is fresh material. The Lufia theme follows this structure, as well, if you listen for it. The beginning of the Ragnarok theme also begins this way, though it takes an admitted turn by continuing to expand rather than repeat to the beginning. Soft instruments help evoke the mood, as well, but I feel that form really contributes to the whole thing. Those are my thoughts on it.

Sadness. It was a good run, though, and I completely understand where you're coming from. Surprised my track did so well this round, too - glad y'all liked it!

Gario Ghetto Lee Lewis feat. Jason Covenant & WillRock - Myth Lab (Rainy Turtloid in Gate's Laboratory [X6]) Usa - Gate's Secret Dream Lab (Shield Sheldon in Gate's Laboratory [X6]) Jorito feat. Tuberz McGee - You Know The Game (Gravity Beetle in Gate's Laboratory [X6]) Sigma's Enigma

Sorry for your loss, Trism. I'm submitting mine real soon, just in the process of exporting & submitting, myself. Just giving the heads up!

If you get started on it, send me a sample and I'll let you know if you're on board. For the project status: Almost moving again, since I almost have a whole bunch of backlogged things finished + gaining more stable work. I'd like this one to be finished as much as anyone, and I'm really REALLY close to being in a position where I can dedicate my full attention to it again. I insist, keep an eye out on this one, and the wheels will start moving once again...