Archangel

I have a question regarding the proper procedure to submit an arrangement of an "unknown" or "less popular" source. If someone were to remix a source tune from an extremely ancient or obscure videogame, with no original soundtrack or MIDI files available on Youtube or any other site, what would be the advisable course of action? I suppose the remixer would be obligated to provide the source tune together with the arrangement. Would it be OK if they recorded the source tune directly from the game (in mp3 format), hosted a ZIP file with both the arrangement and the source mp3, and provided the link in the submission e-mail? The submission instructions don't address this issue, and I think you should add a paragraph explaining the proper way to do it. I realize that most arrangements have their original counterparts available on the internet, but this problem is bound to arise sometime (hint hint).

Congratulations on your first OCRemix mix! This is a wonderful arrangement of a spectacular source. The soundtrack of Final Fantasy VIII has always been one of my absolute favorites, and Compression of Time is one of its most underrated songs, so this piece was extremely welcome as far as I'm concerned. Like a lot of people have mentioned before me, the slow build-up really adds to the innate atmosphere of the song. Very well done, indeed, I can't wait to hear more remixes from you.

I also use EWQL Symphonic Orchestra in my compositions and remixes. I'm not really a professional musician, but I have to say I'm quite satisfied with the Gold Edition. If you're interested, you can listen to some of my work by clicking the link in my signature.

I agree with Fishy, there shouldn't be so many mistakes, it's not to be expected at this level. I really hoped we'd beat the Yanks. Our team got a bit sloppy in the second half though. Congratulations to both teams, although in my opinion they both deserve a few fair-play lessons. =P And the referee seemed somewhat fishy (no offense, Fishy! XD).

I've just received the following message from a user named turing: There was also a strange link in the user's signature, I'm not going to post it here as it seems unnecessary.Off with his head, I say! Edit: Forgot the link to his profile: http://ocremix.org/forums/member.php?u=20927

I agree with Joe, very enjoyable indeed, perfect for a pensive, rainy day! How come the title of the song is Sansa? It doesn't have anything to do with the Sansa from Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, does it? =D Thank you for this piece, I liked it very much. Keep up with the good work!

Fishy's the right address for auditions. Just be patient, he's very busy as he has exams at the moment. He'll reply eventually. =)

I don't know, I haven't tried it yet, perhaps I should. =P Unfortunately, I'm not at home right now, so music-making will have to wait a few days. I am, however, pondering and contemplating my future remixes in my mind, I hope that counts too. Edit: One more thing!!! Does this still apply? Do I need to send a bio and some of my thoughts on the remix when I send in the .wav file?

Another oopsie-daisy! Spring is definitely in full swing here! Thanks a lot! Now I'll go lock myself in my shame crate and cry because I'm obviously an illiterate idiot.

Oopsie-daisy, I apologize if that's the case! I could give you a lame excuse that I'm fairly new to the project (and OCRemix in general), but I won't. =P So there's a private forum too? Is it here on OCRemix or is it somewhere beyond the far reaches of the online universe, and you have to be blindfolded before someone takes you there, and then you're never allowed to leave, and you're doomed to live there and count WIPs forever and ever and EVER?! In that case, I want in, please.

Just a question - do we have a list of songs and remixers or something to show the progress of the project (like Fishy's list in the Final Fantasy IX project thread)? It might motivate people to see the number of finished songs, and create some hype for the release. Just a suggestion.

I'm doing a soundtrackish rendition of Immoral Melody/Footsteps of Desire. I might claim another track or two later, but I only have time for this one right now (I'm also doing a couple of tracks for the Secret of Mana 2 project, and beside the remixing I have some serious university business to take care of, otherwise I'll be skinned alive and eaten). Not sure how many orchestral mixes are in the works overall, though.

I'm really sorry if this counts as spam, but I really have to say that I'm looking forward to this song, it's spectacular even as it is, but adding vocals to it will make it even better. Good job, Joe, and I can't wait to hear Brandon's vocals.

This is more than awesome! Unfortunately, I don't have the skills to do a metal song, but I'm really looking forward to this! Do your best, everyone, and good luck!

Keiiii, your artwork is nothing short of breathtaking. It's so great, actually, that it inspired me to stop learning Japanese for the big test I have in a few weeks and continue working on the remixes for this project. XD I just love the way your colors look so spectacularly vibrant, it makes the pictures look so incredibly alive. You've got a lot of talent there, be sure to use it as much as you can! I really look forward to seeing more of your work in the future. Here in Slovenia, all the flights have been cancelled this weekend. The dust cloud is supposed to stop bugging us on Wednesday. I've got a trip to Stockholm planned soon, so I hope the volcano won't cause any more problems. Sorry to hear that you're stuck.

I agree with Emunator, it's getting a lot better! Just a few suggestions - it's what I would do, you're welcome to accept or reject them: 1) At the beginning, I'd repeat the first 10 seconds, and make the last note a bit longer, maybe try a ritardando, it makes it sound more grand, this way it's a bit rushed. 2) I'd adjust the volumes in the part from 0:11 to 0:30 so that the playful piano part is more audible, it sounds great, but it's a little too quiet, the organ is drowning it a bit (like luciana07 said). 3) Again, I would use some tempo changes in the part from 0:30 to 0:39. 4) I think the transition between 0:39 and 0:40 is too sudden. I think you can improve it just by making the break a bit longer, just a second or maybe two. If you make the last organ note a bit longer and stretched (tempo change) and then immediately continue with a longer break, the 0:40 part will have a greater effect after the suspense created by the break. 5) Tubular bells are a nice addition, I wonder why you didn't use them in the first two parts too? If I were you, I'd use them in the beginning too, at least a few times. 5) Lastly, the last part might be a little too calm to finish off a song like this. Maybe if you turned it into a sort of bridge? I'd definitely finish this song with the refrain, plus if you repeat the part from 1:07 to 1:43, you get some extra time for the song. 6) I'd also recommend a bit of instrument variation. You don't necessarily need to add any new instruments, you could use the ones you have now, but let them interchange a little bit, like a sort of dialogue. For example, the melody between 0:50 and 1:07 can be played by the organ (like now), but at 1:07, the harpsichord or the piano could take the lead. And at 1:12, another instrument could take over. There are all these little pieces of melody, and all are played by the organ. I'd let the harpsichord get some more attention too. =D That's it, I suppose, I really hope you improve this, it sounds very neat, just a little more tweaking and you're done. =D Congratulations!

Hey hey, everyone, I just finished a short soundtrackish piece and thought I could share it with you. I hope you guys (and gals? Are there any girls around here? I don't mean to be sexist, just a harmless question. =D ) enjoy it. You can listen to it here: http://www.reverbnation.com/jakacibejarchangel Toodles, J.

The theme from Owzer's House has always been one of my favorites, it's so nice to hear it remixed so well! But why such a short piece? I think you should definitely expand it a little bit, maybe add slower build-up intro and an ending part, and you've got three minutes right there! I love the overall sound of the mix, it sounds like an insane supervillain's victory rock dance. =D Very nice indeed, I hope you intend to do a longer version too. And congratulations on beating XIII, I hear it's rather difficult. =D

I like where this is going, especially the piano part! I'm a real sucker for piano with delay, so that's definitely a plus in my book. =D It's still a bit too short to really comment on it, but still, I like the instruments you chose. I personally wouldn't have chosen the organ for this piece (just because it feels a bit too sinister for this particular song), but that's just what I would do, I don't mean to say it sounds bad or anything. Just a few suggestions, though: - Add some percussion, at least a cymbal or a gong when one part finishes and another one starts (you're probably planning on doing that, just a reminder). - You could make sure the piano doesn't get too repetitive by adding some grace notes or by playing octaves - the current mix repeats the same pattern three times, and while it is pleasant to hear, it would be better to make it less repetitive. - At the beginning (the organ part), adjust the volumes a little bit, sometimes the melody is a bit quiet compared to other organ notes. That's about it for now. I think you did a wonderful job, it sounds very good considering you're only using soundfonts (I think I know exactly which, I think I used the same ones before I got some better samples XD ). Keep at it and it'll get better and better, you'll see. =)

Thanks a lot for your comments, guys, I really appreciate it. =) Yeah, to be honest, I don't think it will pass either, I didn't really follow the OCRemix guidelines when I was remixing, but then I said to myself that there was probably no harm in trying, so I submitted it. We all know the result, I guess, we'll just have to wait until, I don't know, MAY or JUNE to confirm it. =D Not to worry, though, I'll do something more OCRemix-friendly the next time I remix something. Any requests? =D

Thanks a lot, it's always nice to get some tips from a pro. =) I agree the mix needs some polishing, still have to wait to get some new headphones though, turns out my current ones distort the sound somehow. I'm surprised the mix is not total crap. As far as the delayed piano is concerned, it's basically my signature instrument and you can hear it in practically all of my songs. It's not completely alone, though, there's quite a lot of other artificial stuff in there (wind effects, (slightly) electronic percussion, low kicks, etc.). Thanks again for the tips, everyone, I really appreciate it!

Thanks a lot, Iliad, I really appreciate your comment!

This was lovely, I actually like country music and to be honest I was half expecting to hear Dolly Parton after a few bars. XD Very nice, it's so simple and relaxing. As a pianist I'm especially fond of the piano. Finish this, it would be a crime if you didn't. =D I think the overall volume's a bit low, though, but I'm not sure about that since my headphones and speakers seem to be a little off. What do others think?