Sweendrix

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm thinking a Djembe rythm section? Anyone agree?

Musical arrangement and visual interpretation -

Original musical arrangement and visual interpretation of "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's - Gerudo Valley"

Fellow Remixers..... I would greatly appreciate it if you could vote for my entry in ABC's "Lost: Ultimate Fan" video editing contest. John Sweeney AKA Sweendrix entry "Going Home" can be found here: http://abc.go.com/shows/lost/fan-promo-contest-vote Thanks...

I'm looking for feedback on this Halo remix which was inspired by the raw emotion found in many of the Halo trailers, including but not limited to: Halo Wars and the Halo live action trailer for ODST. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S4mlzEybIA

Yes...it is repetitive...the drumbeat does go on and on and on and on. To understand what I was trying to say...why don't you fire up a classic version of the original "Legend of Zelda" and tell me what the overworld theme does. I'll give you a hint... It repeats...over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over. The Crazy thing is...that the song doesn't get annoying...it grows on you. Try leaving my track in the cd player for a few repeats. It will grow on you. (At least that what's i've been told) I'm not saying that my song is god's gift to songwriting or remixing...I'm just saying that the reasons I have been told it was rejected...are a lot of the same reasons MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY people have told me they love it...that it's soothing...driving...and epic...all at the same time. As for loops... Listen to Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" ...and you will hear a very repetitive loop. Then again...this album is said to line up with "The Wizard of Oz" perfectly. So I'm sure there is a reason they kept the loop going even though it could have gotten a little repetitive. Wouldn't it be crazy...if I used my knowledge of TIMECODE from my work as a Video Professional, coupled with 33,331 frames of an EXTENDED PRE RENDERED cut scene from "OCARINA OF TIME" to sync my 18:31.01 second Zelda Tribute up perfectly to what's going on...on the screen? Now...that would be awesome. CHEERS!

Trust me when I say: "I know that I suck at using looping software"...however...I also know that while I consider drums to be the most important element of music, I know that they are not always the driving force of a song. That's all I'm trying to say. With that said... Maybe someone familiar with drum looping software could help me out? I no longer have access to a good drummer...and I am not familiar with looping software to bring out all the dynamics in the rythm section that I would like to... Prior to OCRemix I had always had real drums in my songs. Example: The Breakdown:

Gerudo Valley Remix with images of my life. (Including Woodstock 99...I was 17)

I just wanted to point out one other thing... There is quite a bit of stuff on the site that is completely sampled from other works...with no original work being applied (in some cases). No performance whatsoever. Then I get drilled for having a drumbeat that I personally created...along with completely original guitar parts (not sampled)... All this while upwards of 90 percent of people who have heard the song have given positive feedback... Just seems kinda shallow to me....MAYBE I SHOULD JUST COPY AND PASTE ESTABLISHED MUSIC...why even mix it? Isn't that where your heading? Seems that way. Then again...I came from the old school...I was mixing at 13 years old on DATs and Tascam D88s. There was a warmth and feeling to music in those days...that's no longer present. But hey...we can create songs with the push of a button these days right?

I didn't promote it at all actually. Just signed on one day to find out that everybody and their mom in Japan was downloading my Gerudo Valley remix.

I'm not pissed about the rejections....seriously. So...about this software you speak of. Where can I find it? LOL... Cheers

Not pissed...I'm really just trying to point out that a song should not be rejected because of technical reasons or because a drum loop repeats. Did anyone notice the time signature of the song changing from the original? NOPE. What i'm saying is...repeating musical ideas are noted in the history of music. The Legend of Zelda IS A REPEATING MUSICAL IDEA...so is a song called CANON...and so on and so on. I'm just saying that rejecting a mix because it repeats a musical idea is stupid. And by the way...I haven't promoted any of the Zelda stuff I've done. As a matter of fact, I was invited to submit it for Rock Band 3. (Gerudo Valley) I'm just making a statement here...about the judging process. It's too rigid. Not everyone appreciates the same music...and I think that's something that the Judge's miss. There are plenty of good songs on this site being rejected for all the wrong reasons... To anyone making music for the masses...remember this quote... "Not everyone is a musician...Not everyone is gonna care that you slid in 8 32nd notes over 9/8 8/8 7/8 time signature...mostly...they are just gonna remember how they feel when listening to it."

Maybe I should sample other people's work more often? I haven't sampled anyone's work and seem to have no luck. It would probably be easier that way.

I just want to say that I have great respect for the judging process here. It's tough, and I like tough. Really pushes the emphasis on quality. Unfortunately, all I have is a PODXT live, a guitar, and my computer. After just a few short months, my Zelda - Oracle of the Sun series has already: 1. Has been downloaded 237,000 times (and the average per day is increasing) 2. Has shown up on user and commercial websites in at least 4 countries. (by googling sweendrix) 3. Has a high level of positive feedback. 4. Has been rejected by OCremix. These numbers would make most lazy, including myself. But OCRemix is giving me the motivation to improve it even more, even though I am a complete amateur at audio engineering. (I can play the guitar though!) Tips...MAKE SURE YOU FINISH BEFORE SUBMITTING! (I learned this the hard way) Maybe "Gerudo Valley" (from the Oracle of the Sun series) will make it... http://ocrwip.fireslash.net/?fid=391