djpretzel

I think perhaps some people draw a strong line between web ads & YouTube ads, but I'm waiting to hear why that is - it definitely deserves to be talked about, and I'm going to apologize in advance to any artists who feel we should have informed them first BEFORE even testing the waters. We see these ads as equivalent to the existing web ads, as being preferable to them, and as not representing a change in our existing policy, and we wanted a "dry run" & to measure their impact as scientifically as possible. I'm interested in where this thread goes, and eager to answer any questions. Depending on the outcome, an official announcement will be made & sent out to artists in case folks don't monitor the forums. Some quick points: @Brandon Strader's right in that we started testing this on June 13th of this year Since that date, $130.99 in ad revenue was generated from ALL YouTube ads combined, a portion of which goes to our channel network This is considerably less than what web ads USED to make, but ever since we tweaked them to get rid of obnoxious & irrelevant content, web ads have tanked... so this is more than they ARE making at present. It's worth noting that it took two months for anyone to really notice... in my mind this is a successful experiment JUST in terms of gauging the impact to the average viewer/listener. Ads have NOT yet been enabled for the 3000+ video back catalog - we are waiting to do that based on the outcome of this conversation and after an official announcement. At that point the ad $$$ would obviously be more, but it won't be one video, or even one artist's videos, making a huge contribution to that - it's the aggregate. We were also hoping to time that announcement with a parallel announcement of filing for 501c3 status and debuting new artist pages which do a better job of promoting the artist than our current layout. So, why would we do this at all when the Patreon is completely covering the site's operating costs, with SURPLUS? An extremely fair question. To be honest, I hate managing the money side of OCR, I didn't sign up for this, and it's not something I derive joy in even contemplating. For the 501c3 I'm hoping someone on staff can take on the role of treasurer so I can free myself of it. Nevertheless, answers to the above question: I'm an IT guy. I have backups for my backups. I don't like having a single point of failure, and without a meaningful form of ad revenue, the site's existence would rest solely with Patreon. Membership in a YT network has other benefits... increased reach, an extra level of protection from content matches, etc. Mainly, at least for me, I saw that our web ads completely tanked after we tweaked them to exclude annoying/irrelevant content. I don't think Google's ad model for websites is as good as their model for videos. I'd love to remove most if not all Google ads from this site, and only feature completely relevant stuff like Super Audio Cart, OverClocked Records, and also use that space to promote our existing/upcoming albums. It absolutely is; our content policy still applies, and always will. For the 501c3 filing, there would be additional clarity required surrounding what specifically counts as an operational or promotional cost, tying our hands a bit further, in addition to more specific IRS documentation requirements.

We were testing the waters, getting an idea of how it would work, the different settings involved, how obtrusive it would be, etc. We did legitimately want to see whether people would notice, and when. The community definitely deserves to know and provide input, and if a majority (or potentially a plurality) of artists are uncomfortable with it, we can reassess, but I'll lay out the general thinking below and you can see what you think. We can use this thread to discuss; just need to keep things civil & productive. This is not civil or productive; I'm confused why you're still registered and taking the time to chime in, if you're so convinced that the music is mediocre, which is kind of an insult to all artists contributing to this thread, either way... So this is surprising to me, because the way we see it, ads on videos are not materially different from ads on the website, all of which go directly towards funding the site. Nothing has changed, policy-wise. From http://ocremix.org/info/Content_Policy This remains 100% true; the only difference is that the ads are on YouTube instead of the website. We'd like to minimize or even eliminate ads on the website in favor of YouTube, primarily because they're more annoying, less relevant, affect layout/usability, and don't accomplish much. Based on @bLiNd's reaction, and perhaps others, it seems like people are drawing a major distinction between YouTube ads and ads on this website, and that's what this conversation needs to focus on, because from a policy perspective, again, nothing has changed - any $$$ goes towards operation & promotion, and the net effect is just that ads are offloaded from the site and onto videos, where we feel they make a bit more sense. No unskippable ads, FYI. There are other benefits to being a partner channel, including enhanced reach and protection from instant takedowns, that seem to make this a smart move for us, but nothing is concrete - let's talk it through, but let's focus on the core question: how is this different from the status quo?

Otakon 2016 August 12-14, Baltimore MD Come join us on Friday, August 12th, from 8:15 PM - 9:15 PM in Panel 6 (Hilton Key 7,9,10) @Arrow, @DarkeSword, @djpretzel will be there!

Yup, little bit of history. It's taken time to fully crystallize, but the real intent was to prevent stuff where lack of consideration for panning, soundscape, mixing, mastering, etc. was written off as "just part of the genre" and a whole suite of decisions mooted as a result, which we didn't want. Namely, at the time (perhaps still?) people were taking 16-bit SNES sources and "demaking" them into NES versions that were, in addition to not being particularly interpretive from an arrangement perspective, not indicative of what chiptune as a genre is capable of. That's more or less what I meant about "straight" chiptunes, but the phrasing wasn't as clear as it could & should have been.

What became commonly misinterpreted as "OCR doesn't allow chiptunes!" really just boiled down to our looking for a level of complexity in ALL submissions - including chiptune-oriented mixes - that goes beyond what are commonly referred to as "demakes" - where a 16-bit or newer song is converted almost verbatim to chip textures. In addition to not passing arrangement muster, these types of conversions often (not always!) don't really employ the full range of capabilities of the chip(s) being utilized, and defer a lot of decisions about panning, modulation, texture, DSP, etc. to default values. We need submissions to illustrate creativity AND decision-making in arrangement AND production, more or less. The latter is entirely possible within a primarily chiptune paradigm, as previous featured mixes have illustrated and as this mix illustrates as well. No issues.

Good stuff, Amy! Picked it up, ditto @OA on "Second Chances" - in particular dig the vocal backing harmony parts throughout.

VERY unlikely this is an issue with SAC (99% sure it's not), as opposed to an issue with Kontakt/Kontakt Player. Some links that might be helpful: https://www.native-instruments.com/en/support/knowledge-base/show/1153/one-of-my-kontakt-libraries-keeps-disappearing-from-the-library-tab/ https://www.native-instruments.com/forum/threads/kontakt-library-disappearing.191795/ https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=376258

This is a largely semantic misunderstanding between y'all... it's the difference between an assertion that cannot be disproven *now,* with current tools & technology, or at least has not been disproven *yet*, as compared to an assertion that is framed as being inherently unfalsifiable, independent of ANY obtainable knowledge, e.g. "we are living in an undetectable computer simulation." or "purple is prettier than blue"... or "women make better leaders than men"... the last example being unfalsifiable due to the subjectivity (better how?) of the language employed, which I believe was the original complaint in this case... And yet, religion

Moving to "Site Issues & Feedback" since we've now been on IPS 4.X for a good bit.... THANKS to everyone who chimed in with issues, and we can still use this thread for the same purpose, just doesn't need to be pinned in community anymore!

Necro-bump? Well, kinda... saw this on my Facebook feed and thought it did a damn good job of handling some of the topics we've discussed here, WITHOUT stumbling into the same obvious, tired traps that Anita and others do:

This one's helped along a bit by some nice modulation/sequencing on the leads. - djp --- --- Greetings, OCR Judges! This is actually a revisit of a previous arrangement I did a few years back. I've learned a bit more about music production, and though the arrangement was solid enough to warrant a redo. The structure is mostly the same, but it was reconstructed from scratch using the feedback from the panel and the knowledge I've picked up since then. Hope you all enjoy! Game arranged: Mega Man Battle Network 4 Song arranged: Battle Pressure (AKA the tournament battle theme). Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33CR9ab8RCs Arrangement Title: Program Advance OCR Name: Skyline Drop Real Name: Ike Elele User ID: 22951

Note: mix title is a play on source so I GUESS it would fly. Production seems solid, arrangement might be too conservative? -djp Eternal Legend Michael T. Healy Guilty Gear Isuka Drunkard Does Make Wise ReMix Drunkard Does Make Wise Remarks England Stage Theme Music I have been covering Video Game/Anime/random songs under the Eternal Legend moniker for a few years now. It's a fun process taking songs that I love, rearranging the parts, reworking the drums/guitar/bass/keyboards/effects, and intensifying them to my style. ProgPower Metal! I like to keep them as true as possible meaning no tangents where you may not even remember what you were listening to, due to a long solo or something that completely disrupts the flow of the song. That doesn't mean that I don't throw an Easter Egg in into a song here and there to catch people off guard. I'll also add some guitar fills, rearrange/improvise a solo, and so forth. I like to keep the song progressing. Eternal Legend is taken from a Ninja Gaiden Mission Phase. Please let me know if there's anything wrong with this submission. Hope you guys enjoy this even if not accepted. Thanks

Well, this is certainly different... there are parts, like the intro, that don't inspire confidence, but then there are some pretty cool percussive things going on further in... see what you think. -djp --- Contact Information Remixer name : VisiOn Real name : Charles Rheault Website : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBseldaXOVqBa-S7pQFLzbg Name of the game :Donkey Kong Country Name of the remix: Nueva Selva Name of the original Song: Aquatic Ambiance Additional information about game including composer, system, etc. : David Wise is the original composer of most of the Donkey Kong series soundtrack and joined Rare in 1985. He quit the company in 2009 since he said he didn't see any more opportunities to make memorable video game music like he did in the past. He is known for his atmospheric style which can be heard in titles such as Aquatic Ambiance from DKC or even Mine Theme from DKC 2 (Donkey Kong Country 2). Rare was the video game company that released Donkey Kong Coyntry on the SNES inNovember 20, 1995. Link to the original soundtrack, Aquatic Ambiance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAPpVplHiD I've always been a DonkeyKong fan: I would the game characters and I had the game on my Game Boy Advance SP. I remember I always loved the music of the levels, I remember having goosebumps as I was jumping over a Zinger (the bees) and listening to the epic Donkey Kong OST. The DK series have always inspired me to discover new passions and to go on adventures. Behind the name: Nueva Selva, It means New Jungle in spanish, I was just look for another way to say ''New Jungle'' since that wasn't original. So my friend google translate helped me for that. If you look at the Music Video I made for this song, you will see that Donkey Kong is on a quest to bring back life to his jungle and to find a new place to live. Donkey Kong is the guardian of the light and the life and this is why the jungle is in black and white while he is slowly becoming colored again. Also, Nueva Selva makes me think of an adventure where there is a new place to discover and the Donkey Kong games are all a big adventure. Why remixing video game music? Video game music is such an amazing thing; when you play a videogame, you're living a virtual reality and that new reality is given a sountrack. Real life dosen't have a musical soundtrack and that's what makes the virtual reality of a game like DKcountry an upgrade from our reality. Imagine if everywhere you went, there was not only a physical world to feel, to see, an olfactory world to smell, a sonic world to hear the noises of nature, but also a musical world where every location has it's own music. This song is an orchestral ambient song was made in Fl studio with Kontakt, Battery and synthesized sounds I made myself as well as a few sound effects I designed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAPpVplHiD

Seemed solid on first listen. -djp --- Hello, I would be very grateful if you would consider my song for evaluation. I have attached a file and have a download link, just in case.Download Link: Remixer name: SoaralotReal name: Nick HowardEmail address: website: https://www.youtube.com/user/SoaralotMusicuser id: 33428Song information:Length: 6:52Game Arranged: Final Fantasy XName of Arrangement: The Mountain's RoarName of Individual song(s) arranged: People of the North Pole (A.k.a. Mt. Gagazet's Theme)Thank you for your time and consideration.

Remix: GROAN ver.T7 Source(s): Groan [Gouki theme type-2] and Akuma Theme SSFII Remixer Name:Rukunetsu Email Addy: Website: http://youtube.com/Rukunetsu User ID: 39313 Game: Street Fighter Zero/Alpha 3 (Arcade/Console) Name of Arrangement: Groan ver.T7 (Gouki/Akuma Concept) Name of Original Song: Groan Original Composer(s): akayuki Iwai, Yuki Iwai, Isao Abe, Hideki Okugawa, & Tetsuya Shibata A remix of Groan done in a style that would fit within the Tekken world, being that 'ol Gouki's making an appearance in Fated Retribution. Tried to retain that ominous feel of the original but add more an electronic/updated sound to it...while mixing in just a TOUCH of his original theme from SSFII.

Pretty cool concept/arrangement... seemed like it clipped at one point, may not develop enough... - djp --- My ReMixer name: TCHLE My real name: Eric Fausto My website: https://ericfausto.bandcamp.com/ My userid: 33391 This is my first submission to OCR! Hope you like it ^-^ It is a mashup of "Moog City" (Minecraft) and "Zelda's Lullaby" I named it "Moog Lullaby" One day my brother woke up with these two songs playing over each other, but with Zelda's Lullaby in 4/4 time to fit over Moog City's background. I actually did most of it on a notation software called Notion, for some of it I used an iOS app called Figure, and I mixed it together on Audacity. If not accepted, feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Contact Details: ReMixer name: Gray Fox Gaming Real name: Gray Fox Email address: Website: www.youtube.com/c/GrayFoxキツネ灰色 userid 33361 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged : Metal Gear Name of arrangement : Opera Lady Name of individual song(s) arranged :Red Alert Additional information about game : Released on the MSX system in 1983. Composed by produced by Iku Mizutani, Shigehiro Takenouchi and Motoaki Furukawa Link to the original soundtrack : https://youtu.be/6YQm2M-v4l0 I wanted to give the original 8 bit tunes a new flair. I decided to give it a slower theatrical wild west feel with an opera lady harmonizing to the tune. (Hence the name of the remix)

Would need a different title. - djp --- Dear friends, first of all let me introduce myself. My name is Galih Lintang Satuhu, i`m from Surabaya, Indonesia This is my first time try to submit a remix soundtrack from video game. Hope it won`t disappoint you guys. This is a remix from video game OST Breath of FIre IV "Thousand WInds", or "Thousand WIngs" in another title, which originally composed by Yoshino Aoki. This remis is originally made by myself, (Galih), using FL Studio to create it. This song has set in 192kbps and 16-bit. If there`s some decay in my sutff, hope you won`t be disappointed cause this is my first time. Thanks for your time Sincerely

Rel. conservative but some changes, would need new title. - djp --- Remixer Name: Ithirial Real Name: Brian Edwards Website: https://soundcloud.com/ithirial Userid: 33362 Arrangement: Dragonborn Theme (Metal cover) from TESV: Skyrim Original composer: Jeremy Soule I know everyone and their grandmothers have made a metal cover of Skyrim's theme by now but my arrangement, although changing very little from the original source, has a rhythmic difference which stands out from the standard "power metal" type drum pattern so many are keen to add. My favorite part especially is the slight change I made from around the one-minute mark 3/4 to 4/4. Sounds like Stormcloaks on the march!

Contact Information ReMixer name : Necko Email address : Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged : Final Fantasy VIII Name of arrangement : The World Within Name of individual song(s) arranged : Compression of Time Composer: Nobuo Uematsu System: PlayStation Developer: Squaresoft Publisher: Squaresoft Link to the original soundtrack : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l75zjpDpAWs Remix link : Hello, This is the first time I submit something on OCRemix, and it's also the first time I remix something or even use a music software. So, I decided to remix a song to train myself. As many, I always loved Final Fantasy soundtracks. I feel like FFVIII lack some recognition, so I wanted to honor it. I choosed to remix Compression of Time, that i find ambiantic and also melodic. I figured it would be a good exercise to try and do something different with it, maybe more "actual", but with the same atmosphere. Anyway, i hope you'll like it.

Contact Information ReMixer name: deusdiapente userid: 29756 Submission Information Game arranged: Ninja Gaiden II (NES) Name of arrangement: Eisegesis Songs arranged: Act 1-1 theme, act 3-2 theme This is an acoustic guitar / EDM/dubstep-ish mix of the act 1-1 theme with some additional riffing off of the act 3-2 theme.

Dayum son, you gonna give yourself a heart attack! - djp --- Contact Information Cyril the Wolf Connor Pelkey https://cyrilthewolf.com 14582 Submission Information Pokémon Silver Version Seeing Red Battle! Champion I've literally thought about doing a metal remix of this tune for a looong time... I wanted something straightforward and clean, but matching the imagined intensity I felt was in the original. I couldn't help myself by using the synths for the leads to help differentiate the melody and chaos from the equally chaotic, chromatic guitar solo. I wanted to push the limits for how clean I could make chugging guitars at this tempo. The variation is definitely slight in terms of the second repeat of the main melody, mostly in how I present the guitars. Enjoy.

Some twisted & dark ideas here, but also some repetition/stasis... hard to judge, see what you think. -djp --- Contact Information NoTuX Damon Campbell https://soundcloud.com/notux-1 Your userid: Not sure Submission Information Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Castle/Fortress Theme. Original: https://youtu.be/nLjUsntvBds?list=PLCE8727E41623DF97 Composer: Koji Kondo This is a mix that is part of my little solo project called "My Happy Place." Basically, this project is my attempt at being comfortable with being uncomfortable as I try to tackle a few tracks from the SMW2 soundtrack and remix them in various styles that I'm not all that familiar with. At the time of this writing, I have finished 6 tracks. I'm not sure how many I will end up doing, but I'm hoping to get a least 5 more done. Anyway, this particular remix is sort of a dark, glitchy, twisted take on the Castle/Fortress theme. It's quite different from the other mixes on the project, as they are more upbeat and happy. It was a crazy experiment for me, but I really like how it came out. I normally don't even listen to my own music, but I found myself listening to this on repeat just trying to figure out how the hell I pulled this one off (LOL). This song was inspired by a crazy dream my wife had of strange people following her around town with a crazy big smile on their faces. One was even crying, but still had a gigantic, fake smile on her face. And they never spoke to her in the dream, just stared, and smiled... The glitchy sounds and overall feel of the song was inspired by the intro for American Horror Story. I love that creepy, unsettling feeling portrayed in the song and I wanted to replicate that in my own way. I felt that the Castle theme would be perfect for this effect. Though, the instruments that I chose aren't the best in the world, I felt that they do add to the overall feeling I was going for in this mix. Their fakeness just kinda works, ya know? The project can be found on my SoundCloud page above, and here is a direct link to the song:

Sounds lovely... might need a different mix title... - djp --- RebeccaETripp Rebecca Tripp http://www.crystalechosound.com/ ID: 48262 Game: Final Fantasy 12Song's Remixed: SalikawoodSong Title: Dream of Salikawood

Picks up nicely, production pretty clean... will sink or swim based on arrangement perhaps being too conservative? -djp --- --- Your ReMixer name : NiCkeD Your real name: Nick Basis Your website: www.iamretro.gr, https://soundcloud.com/nicked-431734196, https://www.facebook.com/nick.positive Your userid (number, not name): 21129 Submission Details Name of game(s) arranged: DOOM II Name of arrangement: The Demon's Head Name of individual song(s) arranged: The Demon's Dead Additional information about game: DOOM II from iD Software, Composer: Robert Prince Link to the original soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffl2ShaWyGM Your own comments about the mix: I love DOOM and i think the game's music is a huge part of the original atmosphere. I wanted to make a new arrangement of this track using only real instumrents (including the drums) and at the same time try to add funky-rock feel. I hope i made it! I made the first try to re arrange this song in 2011. Now i decided to use re record the drums and make a better mix. Thanks for listening!