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I couldn't pick out the source. But, then again, it took me forever to find the source in djpretzel's Pachelbel's Ganon. Is there clipping on the crash around 0:15? I enjoy the Sonic spin noise early on and the dance beat around 1:15. Overall, very intricate and fun. Great stuff!

Great beat and very fun strings. You manage to work a ton of elements together by keeping them low-key. A very original, addictively catchy interpretation of the source. Not that I would expect anything less! Looking forward to an update with Neko-flavored guitar.

Yeah, I would say change stuff up around 0:35, especially the piano. I got that same feeling with the strings. 2:55 onwards really shines, but it feels like there should be some serious soloing or other audio action floating amidst the wah-wah-wah-wah, drifting where it will, unconstrained by the fixed beat or cyclical effect. The little variations with the piano after 4:30 should be present earlier, in my opinion. Very nice, so far. I need to re-educate myself on the sources, though.

Very clean. It's such an interesting mix. How close are you to submitting it? Thanks for the source info, btw.

It sounds tantalizingly familiar... Almost like a Sixto Sounds mix. The video was made by www.replays.net and the song might just be some instrumental rock. I watched the second half (where there was a Bryan Adams song?) but they did not include credits. Later: I found the video at its source page (again, no credits). The comments below it list off a few of the songs, including Bryan Adams. That makes me think that the song is listed in there. I tried translating the comments (they are in Chinese) but could not find anything useful (maybe it's called "dragonsnake"?). A bunch of people wrote in asking the same question. Sorry I'm not much more help... EDIT: here's that site.

Ha ha! Nice addition.

Reelmojo covered a lot of my favorites (Game Over are great examples). Any of these: Harmony: Live at the Springyard The Freedom of Zero Dragon Song Star Salzman: Forever Until Tomorrow Pillar of Salt Dreams Come True Hale-Bopp: Charade Anything by injury for vocals (try Permutation).

Any progress on this one, Willrock? I'm always surprised by this mix when I listen to it. I never played the game but I feel like I'm thrown into another world by the music itself. Excellent style and great energy throughout. The transition at 1:20 is the only one that I really notice, but even then, it's like a (laser) rock opera with different movements and not in the least worrisome. I love the whining synth from 1:12-1:21 and slick soloing thereafter. Sweet drums, too, with great usage of cymbals to vary the feel of the mix. Update?

(bump!) Any progress on this one? I really liked the unique take on the source.

Very nice. I would disagree about the intro, however. It seems like you only need about half of the material before 0:35, where there is a distinct change in the song. Most of the patterns before that are repeated twice, with little variation. Maybe give them only one run each or blend them together? Or start with the slide-in synth at 0:13? The "slide-in" effect occurs a few times, making the opening sound more repetetive than it actually is. That's my two cents' worth, anyway. The "chorus" is great. I would suggest adding some emphasis to the melody to bring it to the forefront. I look forward to hearing more.

Agreeing with Gario and Jewbei. If you're going to keep the intro, jazz it up with some snippets from later on (fade in/out quiet melody, for example). The key change before 4:00 needs something... different. Like a change in rhythm or energy. The ending is fine but not impressive. All that said, the mix is well constructed and balanced. I enjoyed the eventual layering around 2:00. Update, please!

Just about everything that Gario said. It started strong but got off-kilter. I didn't get a sense of direction or theme either. I'm sure you'll straighten it out in no time, though, considering how quickly you perfected the LoZ mix. Still, killer guitar work. I like the feel around 3:20 and the very raw ending. This will be awesome when the kinks are worked out. Kudos on the choice of source material!

This has really come a long way in a short period of time, jb23. A lot of the parts stand out on their own, as they should. You really balanced the sound well. I think your guitar work and mixing might earn you some collab requests. The string pitch bends after 3:00 sound new (and slick). It's a testament to your skills that you can bust out the metal soloing but bring things back to a solid rock guitar feel at the end. Oh and... (emphasis added)Say what?! Count me in!

Wow, I didn't know there was such a cool OCR-related backstory to the iGoogle game themes! Thanks! Here are the themes, for those interested.

I stumbled upon these today: Nintendo DS Music Apps Mario Paint Composer for PC (and an article on it). These are free.

Wow, the source takes me way back to my cousin's basement in summer. I was never very good at Sonic games, but I remember this level. As for the mix, you have good instrumentation. All the notes are right on. Very fun choice of style. I like the bells. Actually, with a change in tempo and a little variation, you might have a remix here... Either way, thanks for the nostalgia!

This is great! I didn't know what to expect, except I've always hoped that someone would remix this tune. The first 30 seconds could use a little more variation (an intro too) but I love the rhythm after 0:52 and the percussion and synth which creep in. They add a lot of depth. A breakdown would be cool. Very nice!

Thanks for the input, Lee. I appreciate that you put so much time into your post. I do think the vocals need a lot of work. It's been a long time since I've sung with any sort of technique and your suggestions will definitely be put to use. Actually, I had been thinking about starting with the lower pitch and then upping it for the rest of the song, and had added arpeggios to the opening (I removed them from the mix as I thought they were too obtrusive, probably just because of volume and rhythm). I'm hoping that the next updates will be created in a different program, using a better mic, with improved lyrics (and emotion), and perhaps adding additional instruments (I agree on keeping it acoustic, though). Thanks again!

Excellent balance around 1:20. It feels like you've spread out the sound, filling the soundscape, as it were. The solos stand out really well. I still love the sound effect break! The vocals are great. And I had thought that the ending was too abrupt but I like it now, mostly because it is different from the resolution I would expect. I don't know that I have any place telling you to submit this, but... it sounds awesome! Maybe Rozo or somebody with more experience on the site can give you better direction.

Yeah, I agree with LunarHeartHeaven in that the opening was not my style, but once it hit the 1 minute mark, I was sold. Really nice use of the source with well-balanced instrumentation. The parts don't get in the way of each other. Sure, as the others pointed out, it needs a little more variety but you have a pretty solid foundation. Thanks for giving Chrono Cross some much-needed representation.

This gets my vote for quote of the week. All I can say is, thank goodness for the Konami code.

Sounds much cleaner this time around, as far as rhythm and notation. Nice volume shift effect in the beginning (you really spiced up that part). I still can't get over the soloing. It might need a little more variation in volume throughout (in agreement with Rozo), as long as it doesn't detract from the raw power. For example, let those vocals around 3:00 shine a little brighter (and add some bass to them). I'm really liking the drum kit from 3:30 on out. Is that a harpsichord too? Great work!

Thanks for the feedback, LHH. I really appreciate you taking the time to comment, especially in such a positive way. I'm hoping to get a better mic soon. In the meantime, I've rerecorded at a lower pitch so I don't strain to hit those high notes. On that and all other issues, I'm open for suggestions. The update:

Hey, this is new! This is a great genre for Mario music. You have tied together quite a few sources here, which is great, especially since they don't detract from one another. You also managed to keep it from sounding like a medley. I like the hyper factor around 2:40. Nice work! Updates?

This is very interesting. Yes, I agree with the others so far in that it is repetetive but I think there is a lot of room for originality. Intertwining the LoZ main theme is a great start. I'd love to hear other OoT themes woven in as well (particularly the Ganon organ music, one of my favorites). You have a solid base here.