K.B.

AH haha yeah, that was a hilarious interchange. Serious beatdownage right there. Edit: menu theme for MP2!

Yes. Lord help us should someone named May sign on. It'd be the sporking apocalypse.

http://ocremix.org/forums/member.php?u=31293

Everything slows down when I put this on. Discovered this about a week ago. Went straight to repeat and has stayed there for well over an hour a day since. K.B.'s dictionary now has the perfect audio track to exemplify the word 'chill'. I can hear the complaints that this doesn't do a lot. After all, the melody is fairly close to the source's, about a quarter of the source isn't used, and things are kept low-key the entire way. But I don't have any of those qualms. The style is drastically different, the bit that was left off was synth-riffage that obviously wouldn't have fit the mood, and keeping things mellow is this track's distinguishing feature... that it also happens to nail. The snare sticks out a bit because of its abrupt decay (wish this had Army Girl's snare, which was hot), but aside from that the sounds are perfect. That string-keyboard mashup is the best thing ever. Hooked me right from the first chord. Everything else works just as well: upright bass is sexy, bass drum gets the head nodding, hi-hat paces the groove, and the piano is fantab... whisks those worries away. This is my newest sit back, have a brew, and unwind track. Thanks, Malcos. I'll be enjoying this one for a long time to come.

Oh no OA, tell me you didn't just steal my terrible pun. Actually, we've been beaten thrice to it, and Snapple did it a touch more wittingly. Even if I did cross-artist it! For the sake of great talliness, put me at ten. I'm at nine (THOUSAND), but I'll get there soon enough. Edit: I'm now officially at ten. We legit.

I remember when I first heard this. "The Day The World Revives? Pffft. No way." Took me several comparisons before I finally caught it. It's all there, but rather than being the obvious lead in the mix, it's the foundation. And it couldn't work any better. The original is mournful, and here it's similarly somber in the lower-end organ and chilling in the higher-end, synthy strings. That gives the entire soundscape a distinctly melancholic feel, and the bass and keyboard tones are mellow enough to avoid jarring the mood. But juxtapose that with energetic drums and grooving bass and keyboard lines and you've got the Saturday night track for the hopeless. Hungry people get down. But that fusion of infectious groove into a bleak atmosphere is just one of the ways that this track gets its depth. The layering is superb, the drumwork is disgusting, and the alterations of the melody for each instrument are fantastic. And it's the lattermost that really makes this click: having that focus in each layer - and keeping even the highly interpretive keyboard lines grounded in the melody - unites the track. Speaking of, I have to comment on the keyboard work. Keeping left hand restrained while the right goes wild... damn that's hot. But it's those slightly delayed double-notes afterward that really tops it off. Air-plink them every time. As if that's not enough, this is one of the most repeatable tracks ever created. Because that final fade-to-intro instrumentation, you don't simply have one of the best remixes ever, you have one of the best remixes that never has to end. Part of me feels silly, though, for commenting on a djp track, even one that's a favorite of mine and is this sorely under-reviewed. I mean, his work is consistently excellent, and telling someone on ocr that they should listen to djp's mixes is like telling a tourist visiting Paris that they might want to check out the Louvre. Then again, if you're looking for a specific exhibit, this might very well be the Mona Lisa.

So you're all saying they should be...

I could flight clichebots with contrived party with formulaic mechanics all day if I had kickass music to do it to. I'm serious. Originality in plot is great, but it's overrated. Music, character likability, character interaction, and character development all come before plot. But hey I'm all about the human factor. I have no idea what this might or might not have to do with MC2 but them's my thoughts. She wasn't showcasing them enough. Took a little prodding.

Right. I'm with zircon. I don't understand the Sirlin hate at all; though folks say they've read him, this disgust seems to be founded in heresay, not from his words. As to Sirlin not nailing down objective criteria for techs that go to far: why the hell would that be his job? Why would you even assume there's objective criteria for something so obviously subjective? People get together, find things that detract from the game when used, and then they don't allow them in their competition. It doesn't matter how or where they draw the line; it's their line. What Sirlin says is essentially that there are rules of the game and of any given competition/situation: if you play within them, you are not wrong. And really, the only way competitions know to ban certain techs is when they're overused and become obvious. Want to "foster the health of the community"? Foster a competitive environment where whining is ignored. And spam the shit out of that winning tech: if it's shown to be fair, it's fair; if not, you've brought it to the attention of the rule-makers and you've bettered the entire scene by highlighting it for a ban. Rules are the very thing that are designed to prevent unfair techs; if there's something wrong then it's with the rules, not with the player. If you don't like the rules, change the existing rules. Or don't play and create your own game with your own rules. It's really that simple. Also, Bardic and Durr. But really, none of that, NONE of it at all is unsportsmanlike. To something closer to what is unsportsmanlike, head games: you should be able to see them for what they are. Trash talk is meant to get into your head. If you let this happen, your opponent has won. If you see how silly it is to get pissed about it, you can get a good chuckle at such a feeble attempt to get an edge. And, though I don't do it or advocate it, a little bit of trash talk can still fit within the realm of good sportsmanship. It's when it switches to vulgarity or being mean-spirited that it crosses the line. Going with the sports thing: Muhammad Ali was not a poor sport. Saying that he was the greatest and giving witty taunts on tv were simply head games; in fact, they were head games he was more playing with himself than with his opponents. Now, if he had been lewd, made serious threats, or gone and taken off an ear, then he would have been a poor sport. But in the end, even if someone does cross the line and doesn't get caught by the rules, you can always offer to meet them outside afterward. This post brought to you with a little TLC.

Hithertofore is not a word. Hitherto is, heretofore is, and they mean essentially the same thing. But hithertofore is basically saying 'until now, before'. Well ok, technically that would be hithertotofore, but I assumed portmanteau action rather than skirt action. That line sounds like it was created in an attempt to say something a bit stilted to give a slightly archaic feel. But either the writer/reviewer team wasn't well-versed enough in old-world language or they went over that part too hastily. Maybe that's not an oops that a lot of folks would catch or even care about, but it stuck out badly to me.

Ah... so dreamy...... I absolutely love this sort of sound: heavy, simple beat pattern with bright, airy instrumentation. I was accordingly whisked away by this mix and immersed in its soundscape. The exits/reentries of the beat interrupted the mood a bit, but I'm not going to complain - some of the most delightful sections were the breaks where the instruments were made to sound as if they're being played underwater. Which fits perfectly with the Antiquity stage. And the frog sounds: heh, they were a nice touch. As has been said, there's a lot going on here even if the arrangement was relatively straightforward (notwithstanding a seamless blending-in of the first part of Emerald Forest, that is). The soundscape is full, both with layering and with a... breezy... wind sound in the background that fills in any gaps. Of course, it's not just layering, but a host of different sounds/instruments being used with varying effects on each. I can't do much more than smile and nod when folks like Disco Dan laud a track's production, but I can definitely say that end result sounds beautiful. So, it has that light, ambient feel that you can drift off to, but it also has plenty of depth that can keep you engaged... whichever you're in the mood to do. Plus, most of all, it's feel-good. And that's good in any age.

Not in the pros, but the NCAA Football series still has it.

Also, http://ocremix.org/forums/member.php?u=31214

Now that is nice. Edit: also thanks posting those two in this thread. I had somehow missed your non-ocr remixes until now, and enjoying those two caused me to check out what else was on your homepage. Very glad I made the trip. Psssst change your homepage link on your remixer page! It's dead.

I love it when I make people irate. Reminds me of me when I... But I shouldn't poke. That comparison was clutch. I'm now sold on the remake translation. Thanks for the elaboration... the many hours I shall invest in this game will be better from your assistance. And I sure as hell wouldn't have typed out all that. If you copy-pasted, you're cool, but if you typed from scratch then you are awesome. Though... hithertofore? Methinks the inherent redundancy gives that translation a big wet 'no'. Overall though, it definitely sounds like the definitive version (yum redundancy).

Ready, set, jazz? Ha, I can't believe it took me until just now to realize the beeps were grounded in the source. Which is shameful considering I've played both CV4 and its soundtrack to death. That aside... That's a small example of what's so cool about this piece: even with the complete, stylistic overhaul and numerous subtle alterations, you can hear the source the entire way through. Not that it can't be enjoyable to hear a complete deconstruction, but doing it like Blak_Omen's done here really gets those nostalgia juices flowing. The instrumentation here is ace. The selection is perfect for the mood - which strikes a nice balance between chill and swingin' - and everything sounds damned good. And the intro: stupendous. The source has two different intros - one for the beginning and one for each loop - and they're both used here. Sets up the groove marvelously. And that piano at 0:20 is swanky as all get-out. Then that bass-work during the break. Tasty. And that's just the first 35 seconds! Another favorite is the bit right after 1:02 - some nifty piano plinking comes in and is accented by a held, slowly loudening, low note from the organ - with already established bass and light drum/cymbal work - sexy indeed. And gotta love that piano solo. Then again, the entire arrangement is phenomenal. Speakeasy Simon. I dig it.

OK. Timeout. Which is the better translation? The dialogue in Gollgagh's screenshots is sexy, but is that indicative of the entire game? Does the PSP translation have more horrid screw-ups in the vein of 'their' vs 'they're'? I don't want to waste my time with this nonsense if it's not worth it.

What are your goals, musically, for the following year? Do you want to master a new instrument? Do you intend to be signed to a commercial label? Do you strive to get posted on ocr (or to do so x# of times)? Do you want to improve your production skills enough so your sampled instrumentation sounds realistic? Do you desire to do something entirely groundbreaking within (or without) the known musical world? Do you want to be able to finally play Bloody Tears on the piano at full speed? (yeah, that last one is mine) Yes, I know this thread is strange coming from me, as I've capitalized on right about zilch of any innate musical talent I might have (and since I rarely post in comm). But a quest for quantification and associated curiosity wouldn't let me be. I'm curious how individuals of such varying levels of talent, experience, chutzpah, and luck gauge themselves. Are your goals professional? Or personal? Have certain types of goals worked for you while other types haven't? Have any hard/good luck stories to share with insight that stands to benefit others? And most importantly: -how to you plan to achieve your goal(s)? -how will you measure your progression? My thought is for this to be open for anyone who cares to thoughtfully post, regardless of ability level. This is not a self-help thread. This is a declaration and explanation of goals (with, if you desire, reasons for past successes/failures). And it does not matter what your affiliation (or lack thereof) with ocr is, so long as your goals are musical in nature. We're early for New Year's, but Christmas break is fast approaching for many, so I figured it'd be best to get them noggins working early.

Hooray for shower epiphanies! Passed by a shampooed hair's breadth. Per the title (clever!), this is very much chiptune-ish; but more than anything it's Mazedude-ish. If you don't like the screaming synths he employs in many of his remixes, then I venture you're not going to like this either. But if you're like me and you dig that sound, you'll probably dig this as well. That is to say: this remix isn't so much about the chiptune aesthetic as it is the processing. Which is also to say: Mazedude takes the chip and makes it his bitch. There are a small handful of mixes that, at some point while listening, I instinctively have to crank up the volume. This is one of them. 0:20. Hard intro, slow buildup, then explosion. Hell. Yes. Fistpumping for several measures. And then 2:10 = fullblown headbanging or shadowboxing time... as you will. That's not to say I don't, or can't, appreciate the entire thing - I groove to the entire piece and do so syncopatedly during the breakdowns - but I love me some energy. You'll hear the source, if you're familiar with it, but what's been done here will blow you away. There's the glorious wickedization that's been done stylistically, though that's just scratching the surface. For instance: the held notes in the melody are now manually pitch-oscillated instead of set to a constant sine wave. That might just sound like spice, but these alterations end up becoming more new notes than mere tremolo, effectively expanding on the melody for a good half of the measures that were simply 'dead' in the source. Also, the breakdown at 1:27 uses the source's bass line as melody, slowly drowns it layer upon layer of texture, and sneaks it back to the chip playing bass line... which then acts as the melody, carrying the piece for several measures. Sure, when a source focuses this much on the bass line it's begging to have it highlighted in a remix, but going for the complete switchup - and then crafting it in with the mix so it builds tension, and then volume, for the climax - is taking a good pitch and knocking it to next Tuesday. Hey, if it ain't your thing then it ain't your thing. But for what it does - and for what some of us drool at it for doing - this is one sick remix.

Indeed, Bahamut. Severely underrated remix alert! Utterly dominates the source, it does. This strikes me as the first part of a suite. Or a prelude to an adventure (a final, fantasic one punhaps?). Not that this is an incomplete work, but rather it is a moving one that remains unresolved, evocative of something more to come. Dig the earthy sounds; that is, the bowed string work and the tuned drums each have a distinctly... natural feel to them. Not that they're perfectly emulated, but their sound and usage paint an unfolding landscape of rolling hills with mountains in the distance. Or maybe AnSo nailed it and I've just seen one too many movies with stellar soundtracks - and that this track would fit right in place amongst them! The keyboard, shimmering effects, flute, oboe, and whatnot all give this a delicate, uplifting feel. And plucked strings... always a fan. The guitar works well to offset this: it's short appearance gives a little power behind the music without drowning out the softer side. A view of the long road ahead, with appreciation of all the experiences to be gained in the journey but a resolute determination to overcome any roadblocks that might arise. Yep, soundtrack material right here. Also, nice triangle! (I hope I just did to this remix what Christopher Walken did to [Don't Fear] The Reaper).

Nah man, I was just joking. Far as ocr albums go, ain't a one that can beat it.

It's bad, it's bad, it's really really bad.

That, I like. Target locked.

http://ocremix.org/forums/member.php?u=31251 Are they getting more prevalent? Sure seems that way.