FireSlash

I had a few loose ideas on how to use the tiles, some may have been suggested already, but whatever. Also, by proposing these, i hearby offer myself to program any of them. 1) A system where people can select their favorite mixes, and they could be rotated in a signature style image, either randomly on load, or via some animooted magic. If not animated, clicking it could take the user to that remix's OCR page, or perhaps a summary page containing all of the "favorite" mixes for that person. 2) A signature system that combines several tiles from a list randomly, and perhaps adds some text as an overlay with some information. 3) A 'guess the remixer' game, where a tile is shown, and the user must guess the remixer from a short list of 5. Variations of this could work. 4) a 'random remix of the day' widget that displays the tile as a link to it's OCR page. This could be adapted into most HTML based widget systems such as Windows Vista, or as a website include and/or signature. I was also thinking about some kind of tile breaking game, but time investment would be high, and it's hard to do much with tiles this large. Oh, and if you want me to write up a system for submitting these into a database, let me know.

I hacked up this little script for #ocrwip, but I figured I'd extend it for use in the forums as well. http://ocrwip.fireslash.net/ I'm still tweaking the layout and such, but the general functionality should be there. This script will take care of hosting your wips, without dealing with annoying services, registrations, or download timers. Files are automagically purged after 3 weeks. If this is a problem, I can extend it. No registration is required. It's pretty straightforward and simple. Also let me know if there are any quirks or things you'd like added. I know it's ugly, but I'm still working on a proper layout. I threw up a couple files so you can play around with it, I'll clean them up once a few actual wips go up.

Dug up link via youtube. gEEC54ywaxA

The new version of Tor sounds... bad

You've got an interesting mix rolling here, but it doesn't really seem to go anywhere. It feels like someone just was dicking around and sliced a bunch of random bits together. If anything, it almost feels to progress backwards. I think a bit of reorganization would really help this song out. Also, while the variation is there, it's too subtle. You've got some interesting chord movements here and there, but squeezed into a tiny instrument set; It doesn't feel like it's really changing at all.

Please read the WIP Hosting thread at the top of this forum. Many of us wouldn't mind giving you some feedback, but would rather not be force fed your myspace profile in the process

Working link: http://www.cagedrabbit.com/crash.mp3

Source link (that doesn't suck) L2-89XZTBOE

Nice all around. Good tracks, good diversity... Can't wait.

Chain of events today: - Browse OCR forums - Find this WIP - Listen - View source - Download game - Lose 3 hours - Spend rest of day resurrecting old game design docs and writing base code under stupid amounts of inspiration while looping WIP Things left to do - Kill Robotaki

I can clearly hear the RA influence; it has a very RA1 feel to it. I have mixed feelings on the intro vocals. I don't hate them, but they don't seem to fit well with the rest of the song... On the other hand, removing them makes for a rather boring intro. Perhaps you can find a middle ground somewhere.

This has a great feel to it. I can't wait to hear the finished piece. Do want moar.

Nice to see some tyrian remixes! However, the instrumentation just doesn't sit well with me at all. It's very muddy and hard to follow. The background effect stands in the foreground while the actual melody is set as more of a bassline. It's also fairly plain. There seems to be some texture but it's hard to discern and gets washed away in the melody. Also way too close to source. Source: http://moi.renard.free.fr/tyrianjukebox/ (NOTE: It's incorrectly listed here as part 1. In Alexander Brandon's defense, he wrote this soundtrack bloody ages ago )

Needs a bit of final polish here and there (Instrument balancing plz, violin work after the break, ending), then a winner is you. I'd write out a more detailed response but audio fidelity pretty much nailed it.

Wow. I had written up 3 or 4 paragraphs about how this felt too much like the original music from Raptor, only to check the source and realize it's a far stand from what this game actually came with. It's one thing to create a remix that feels like a specific song, it's a whole new ballpark to create a remix that feels so much like the game's music style that you mistake it for the source itself! There is a pulsing sound in the intro that hits twice then stops. I noticed it has some background noise in it, which makes the end of the pulsing seem unnatural to the quietly building intro. You might try adding a second set of pulses that fade out to fix this, or maybe try cleaning the noise up a bit. Other than that, I can't find any technical or acoustic issues that you're not already aware of. *Adds to library*

Zeal wasn't about a culture fading out, it was about greed and prejudice. Using your logic, the vocals would apply to every time in the game since they all have markedly different cultures. The major cultural movement in Zeal was in integration of the Enlightened Ones and the Earthbound Ones, who had grown up hating/looking down on each other. While I can see how a connection could be drawn, it's a stretch at best. But to each his own I suppose.

PRODUCTION [X] Low-quality samples [X] Drums have no energy STRUCTURE [X] Abrupt ending PERSONAL COMMENTS (positive feedback, specifics on checklist criticisms, any other thoughts) I'll admit to being guilty to using 5.1 speakers here. Anyway, here we go. Drums are loud, but they don't have any bite. I don't agree with some of the same use... the percussion is nice yet the guitars are so poorly synthesized I'd be attacking them even from a genesis. The ending flies, but it's rough. I think you might do well to start winding down a bit sooner. This mix has a nice feel to it, but the solos just don't feel right. Most of your synth work has a nice raw feel to it, but the solos feel soft and slurred, they just don't work.

The biggest problem I find with this mix is there's just too much going on. A very complex piece like this is great when using a simple and static synth like the one used in the source, but when you apply a stronger mixer and better samples, it just turns into a trainwreck of sound. That being said, I think it's still quite well done, but you should either hide some of the more subtle undertones better, or scrap them altogether and upgrade the samples to more realistic instruments.

PRODUCTION [X] Low-quality samples [X] Generic/cliche sound choices [X] Drums have no energy STRUCTURE [X] Abrupt ending PERSONAL COMMENTS (positive feedback, specifics on checklist criticisms, any other thoughts) I like the mix, I don't like the production. Some parts stick a bit too close to source where others spin off into their own tangent, but this is more of a stylistic choice than a problem, none of the sections really stuck out badly. In the second stanza, there's a weird warpy instrument that really ruins the intro. It has no place along side the instrumentation of the rest of the song. Overall it matches the instrumentation of the original song fairly well, stepping slightly out of the 8-bit box with some effects. I personally would have liked to see some more space between this mix and the original, but this doesn't break the song. I see what you were shooting for in the ending, but there's no foundation for it. It worked for the game, but it won't fly in a remix. Add a transition and extend the ending theme a bit, or scrap it and start over with the ending.

ARRANGEMENT / INTERPRETATION [X] Too conservative - sticks too close to the source PRODUCTION [X] Too loud [X] Low-quality samples (Or maybe just bad compression) PERFORMANCE (live recorded audio/MIDI parts) [X] Wrong notes, general sloppiness STRUCTURE [X] Not enough changes in sounds (eg. static texture, not dynamic enough) [X] Too repetitive [X] Abrupt ending PERSONAL COMMENTS (positive feedback, specifics on checklist criticisms, any other thoughts) This is pretty good for your second project, but there are some major technical issues. The drums are way too loud, and it sounds like they're not sampling right and cutting out. The into melody feels like it has a note or two off key; it might just be your selection in octaves vs piano samples. It's hard to comment on the structure since most of the melodic work is stomped on by the drums. The intro had some motion to it but after that, it didn't seem to have a lot of change to it. Add some more original content, clean the drums up, and do a bit of of work on then dynamics; this should make an enjoyable song.

The structure has some serious potential. I love what you've done with this, it's a well arranged bit that clearly references source, makes clear and well thought out modifications, and still is faithful enough to retain the "Chrono Trigger" feel. As others have stated, production needs some love. The samples come off as a bit dry and stale; I know you don't want to hear this, but I could imagine this coming from a midi file in more or less the same shape. I agree with some other posts here, a bit more variation would be nice, the second half feels a bit like a copy/paste job; though I disagree with lowering the bass. While the low octaves are hung out to dry, I think lowering it would ruin the style. Either way, I encourage some experimentation. Worst case scenario you fuck it up and we beat you senseless Don't take any of this as harsh criticism; it's not. It's a plea for you to continue work on this. I can't stress how much I think this piece has amazing potential, it just needs a bit of love.

Bass is too loud. I suggest you get a 2.1 set of speakers to do your EQing on, anything with a subwoofer will drive the bass into the ground. There isn't a lot of unique content in this piece, but what is there has a nice build, the instruments just don't carry it. Try swapping out samples, or adding an effect to remove the flat feel it has. Add some more content! What I see, I like, but there isn't much there. You've covered the source nicely, but it's time to add some creative bits and 'overclock' it. Push it past tribute into the remix territory. Also, the overall feel seems bland, probably due to the limited number of instruments used. There are multiple ways to attack this, but it's up to you. Experiment with it, play around. If you fuck it up, we'll let ya know

I'm not familiar with the source material, so here we go. I'll be blunt. The ambient ringing and repetition of the melody wreck this. The drum work is nice, and the structure has some merit, but I just can't get over how the high notes are stomping over everything. Turn them DOWN. Reduce repetition of the melody, by at least masking it with instrument shifts, if not reducing it's use all together. The effects on the melody produce an ear piercing echo stack that makes me want to turn it off and walk away. There isn't a lot of change up in this piece. It could use some more creative juices, but the melodic work is nice. I think this still needs some heavy work, but it's a good start. If you can't hear what I and other people are talking about, I suggest you try a different pair of speakers, or headphones. Some can really toss out certain ranges, and this might be what's happening. Other than that, try to spice it up with some interesting changeovers and I think this can be made into a nice piece.

I agree with the previous post on this being a tough cookie. The repetition of the theme is a bit excessive. There is some original content mixed in, but it does not seem to fit particularly well with the theme in some spots; otherwise it's just a cover or the original with some altered instrumentation and a weaker build. I think this has a lot of potential, but it needs more original content, and the content that's there could use some tweaking and construction. It also doesn't help that you haven't traveled far in genres, so a lot of the instrumentation closely matches the original. For example, a drum and bass remix of the same song would allow much more creative room to build on, since you have access to effects and instruments not used already by the multiple variations already made of this theme. Either way, I hope you continue work on this. It has a lot of potential, and I can see you have the talent to pull this kind of thing off if you apply a bit more effort.

I'd checked out the earlier version, very nice turn around. I still disagree with the vocals; they don't fit with the song's feel or the original content, and feel out of place and unwelcome. It's a deal breaker for me, the only thing preventing me from downloading it.