djpretzel

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

I like both types of arrangements, for the record. Here are my personal opinions, which more or less echo the thinking behind our site standards: If a ReMix is on the liberal side of things, I still want to be able draw lines and hear how the source was taken in a new direction. I don't mind having to do a little work to make that happen, as I appreciate arrangers being both creative & "crafty" in re-purposing things - that's part of the art of arrangement. If a ReMix is on the conservative side of things, I still want to hear that the arranger thought about each decision s/he made with regard to tempo, chord progression, structure, instrumentation, etc. If those are all identical or there are large swaths that are identical, I have to ask: Where was the arrangement? What decisions were made? Making the decision to keep an individual component intact, verbatim, is a PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE choice, but it still needs to be a choice, not a foregone conclusion... if tempo, progression, AND structure are all left intact verbatim, there are two possibilities: the arranger thought about each of those aspects at length and decided that, for their specific vision, they needed to remain the same... or the arranger didn't think about them at all. Usually you CAN tell, because of other aspects of the arrangement that come into play as far as addition/subtraction, interpretive performances, melodic modifications, etc. This delineation is nevertheless one of the most subjective and challenging aspects of evaluating submissions. It is not our job to read the minds of submitting artists and divine the thought process involved, but we DO have to be able to analyze whether there's interpretation going on, and to what extent. I object to the word "faithful" in the topic title - it's the "glass half full" adjective to describe near-verbatim arrangements. The "glass half empty" adjective would be "lazy"... I'd object to that adjective too, though, because it's not a glass half full/empty situation... if arrangement is conservative or, in extreme cases, almost verbatim, I don't think of it as a question of "fidelity" or "faithfulness" to the original, nor do I think of it as pure laziness on the part of the artist involved (unless they are explicitly claiming otherwise - that they really "made it their own"). It's just an inquiry that speaks to suitability for being posted on OCR, where we explicitly value arrangements that are interpretive to a certain extent, because we DO want artists to make it their own...

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Let's resolve this conclusively... Comparing with the audio... is it being used verbatim, or has the piano been re-programmed? The guitar and strings, ditto? Let's get scientific here To me, it sounds like the original isn't JUST sped up, but that the actual timings are altered... however, this CAN be done w/ variaudio and time-stretching, etc. BETTER CALL SAUL... err... zircon. Let's see what he thinks. Reopening. All artist claims should be dealt with in good faith, trust but verify, etc.

We're going to be reaching out to the community for assistance with this, this month or next - there's a LOT of work to be done!

WES TO RESCUE!! WESCUE?? New script is live & SEEMS to do the trick - let us know if you have issues, and clear your cache before verifying!

It's supposed to be against AdSense (Google ads, i.e. what we us) terms, but somehow things seem to get through their system... if you can get us the domain name of the offending ad(s), we can block them from appearing again.

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

We'll be migrating off vBulletin in the first half of this year, one way or another... they really killed the software off with version 5, which almost everyone agrees is terrible. New forums will be responsive/mobile-friendly!

If, by the end of this year, the site redesign is not yet live, it will represent an unacceptable delay on my part as administrator & head honcho 'round these parts. I have other specific goals I need to think about more, but as far as OCR is concerned, V6 of the site is an absolute must. If I can't make it happen, I will personally feel that I have failed you all. Patreon resources will be used as stated to ensure that this does not occur. I'm focusing on the frontend stuff and should have something to show at MAG. The functional stuff will come later, as part of a forum migration. At a bare minimum, the new front-end needs to go live in 2015. SO IT IS!!

Hope I've done this, but I can't be the judge Not yet, but soon... Well, uh... one out of five ain't... bad? Ah crap, yes it is... Funny story, here. As of last week, there was no hope in hell of this happening. Then, day after xmas, norovirus hits. Can't eat anything except toast and cereal and bananas and apple sauce. Checked weight THIS MORNING... mission accomplished! Gastrointestinal crisis to the rescue! Kinda.

http://www.prodyon-virtual-gear.com/goodbuy.html Some issues with VAT... insane prices on same great libraries; I bought shortnoise 2 for much more and still thought it was worth it.

I'm gonna start editing in Bonk as people's first pick using the amazing powers of FORUM ADMINISTRATOR....

Bonk Knuckles Banjo & Kazooie C'moooonnnnnnnn Bonk!

http://ocremix.org/forums/tags.php?tag=ambient This may help. Note that as of two months ago, we have abandoned tagging mix threads in vbulletin in favor of our internal database, but these tags are not YET exposed on the frontend. This is planned for 2015, along with a community effort to help fill in genre, instrumentation, & mood tags for ALL mixes on the site - LOTS of work.

Thanks, Bev - really appreciated. I know everyone out there has probably had their fair share of people telling them how life-changing and amazing and what not becoming a parent is - along with all the trials & tribulations, of course - but it really HAS been a wonderful year, made exponentially brighter by Esther Fiona Lloyd. This calls for some pics!! From January: Six Months Old!! First Halloween!! Jazz Hands!! From last week, w/ grandmom:

OC REMIX CELEBRATES ITS 15TH ANNIVERSARY!! Today marks 15 YEARS since djpretzel posted the very first OC ReMix! For our birthday, the presents are all for you! Celebrate with us as we post FIFTEEN new OC ReMixes arranging games from FIFTEEN different systems! Over 1 HOUR of new mixes! GET! We've also got a great piece up on The Onion A.V. Club today! 25 personal ReMix selections from djpretzel, Big Giant Circles, Chimpazilla, Danny Baranowsky, DarkeSword, Liontamer, Mazedude & zircon to get you combing through the archives! ● You smell that? It's THE ONION! http://www.avclub.com/article/staff-and-artists-overclocked-remix-make-us-list-t-212621 For arrangers & listeners alike, whether you've been an OCR fan for 15 minutes or all 15 years, THANK YOU ALL for believing in video game music as an art form! Enjoy our anniversary tracks representing games from 15 different systems!! Mega Man Battle Network 1-2 & 4-6 'Let's Bust Some Viruses!' by timaeus222 http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03036 (Game Boy Advance) - A bubbly, upbeat EDM/dance jam of the original Mega Man Battle Network! [*]Pokémon Red Version 'Dream Eater Mix' by Solkrieg http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03037 (Game Boy) - A creepy, unsettling wallop of "SPOOKYSTEP"! Hold on to your sanity! [*]Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & 2 'SZRC Anthem (Busiest Days of My Life)' by Flexstyle & OverClocked University http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03038 (Sega Genesis) - Flexstyle & OCU's vocal punk-pop take on the Ice Cap & Aquatic Ruin zones! [*]Puella Magi Madoka Magica Portable 'Meus Caligo Hora' by urdailywater http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03039 (PSP) - urdailywater adds a little more mystique to a sugary-sweet source tune! [*]Xenophobe 'Audiophobe' by Showroom Dummy http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03040 (Amiga) - A crunchier, bitcrushed take on electro, with some sweet modulation that gets in your head! [*]Kirby 64 'Aqua Tides' by jdaster64 http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03041 (Nintendo 64) - Jazzy, impeccably-performed solo piano. Buoyant, confident, flowing... [*]Akumajo Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight 'Bloody Mayhem' by BONKERS http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03042 (Sega Saturn) - BONKERS goes ham on a Saturn-exclusive version of Castlevania's "Bloody Tears"! [*]Demon's Souls 'Epitaph for Boletaria' by RoeTaKa http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03043 (PS3) - Wonderfully atmospheric & dramatic orchestral that puts strings front & center and uses them WELL! [*]3-D Ultra Pinball: Creep Night 'Welcome to Our Castle' by Chernabogue http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03044 (Windows) - Fan of Danny Elfman's work, especially Beetlejuice-era stuff? You're PROBABLY gonna dig this! [*]Super Mario Sunshine 'Tutti I Frutti: The Ballad of Piantee Joe' by MC Final Sigma & Sir Jordanius http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03045 (GameCube) - Badass narrative hip-hop with a funky cadence, svelte synths, funky brass, and a large-and-in-charge dynamic duo! [*]Supremacy 'Pixel Storm in the Planetary System' by Sir_NutS http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03046 (Commodore 64) - Invigorating chip & dubstep -- highlights include LUDICROUS SPEED @ 1'24", and DAT BASS! [*]Kingdom Hearts 'Simply Be-groove-ed' by Tetrimino http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03047 (PS2) - A jazz ensemble performance that really hinges on the synergy between musicians and only gets stronger as it progresses! [*]Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess 'Wistful' by Chimpazilla http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03048 (Wii) - Meditation, contemplation, introspection, reflection -- if you've got any of these on your agenda, here's your perfect mood music! [*]Detana!! TwinBee 'BUTTS' by prozax http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03049 (X68000) - TwinBee has been kicking butts for a long time. Today, it's ready to rock your butts in a similar fashion. BUTTS. [*]Chrono Trigger 'Cosmic Whispers' by DrumUltimA http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03050 (SNES) - "Secret of the Forest" beautifully improvised live on vibraphone by percussion guru DrumUltimA! ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Thanks to our super-baller sponsors on Patreon for their heavy lifting to help OC ReMix keep on chugging! (http://patreon.com/ocremix) As fellow game music superfans, please show these folks your love & support! We're 15 years strong thanks to everyone helping us on Patreon! • Bart Verbeek • Cynicalbrit (http://youtube.com/cynicalbrit) • Dave Oshry (http://bloggalog.com) • From the Mind of Klink (http://youtube.com/fromthemindofklink) • Matt (aka Antidragon) • Michael Beauchamp • TFBgaming (http://twitch.tv/tfbgaming) • VinnyMac (http://vinnymacradio.com) • Wesley Cho (Bahamut) OverClocked ReMix http://ocremix.org • http://patreon.com/ocremix • http://twitter.com/ocremix • http://facebook.com/ocremix • http://youtube.com/ocremix P.S. https://twitter.com/ocremix/status/542938268246233089 @ocremix Video game music IS real music. RT @bug_deal "video game music is better than real music"

Thanks for the catch; fixed.

This is the type of straightforward arrangement that almost REQUIRES humanized, emotive performances on real instruments to really sell it & make it work. Unfortunately, this is the opposite - both the acoustic guitar and the wind lead are a little static and also feel a little robotic. The quantizing isn't helping, but the dynamics are also a little flat. It's a shame, because it's a nice melody & I could really see this resonating if it were produced more like Jay's Secret of Evermore mix (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02377), for example. NO

Can we do a "YES CONDITIONAL"??? Shariq & I are both down with this, interpretation is there, sounds great... but Kris is right, it SHOULD be a bit louder. I'm hoping we can get a louder master OR a WAV with permission to increase volume. If we can't, or the artist insists on keeping it at this level, we HAVE posted stuff this quiet, so the answer would still be: YES

I somewhat agree with most of the production crits but: Damn tough source tune to mix - great to begin with, but difficult to take in a different direction... Txai's done just that, slowed it down & funked it out, but still recognizable... very smart approach, big props for that Nothing struck me as super-super problematic, and I was nodding my head & tapping my toes the whole time I'm not saying I think the mix can't be improved on the production front, but I also don't hear anything that would give me serious pause, and now that we've sorted out some of the source usage issues, I'mma gonna go: YES

OA & Beatdrop's judgments sum things up pretty well - I love this theme, and I think this is a creative take on it, but the execution isn't quite matching the concept at the moment. What type of reverb is applied? It sounds like a room, and when applied to the orchestral components in particular, it has the effect of making it sound like an orchestra has been crammed into a cafeteria. A hall verb, or just something with a longer tail, might widen things up a bit & help things blend. Most of the issues are production related, I'd say - even the decision to use the in-game vocal FX is more of a production issue than an arrangement issue; I think it can work, and I think it comes close to working here, but just needs to be a little slicker/edgier. Like I said, I love this theme, this is an unexpected take on it, and I'd love to see some revisions to fully realize the vision. NO (RESUB)

Lack of bass didn't bother me, actually.... BUT... I do think it could make things better Shariq's comment above regarding repetition holds true - it starts hitting up against that threshold where it's getting noticeably repetitive without anything else changing to differentiate. Another close call; I think this mix ultimately belongs on OCR with a few minor tweaks and perhaps even a reduction in length, if there aren't any other ways to give the repeating sections a bit more life. I think there should be though, and I hope the artist explores all the options! NO (RESUB)

The Lavender theme didn't fit in too well, imo; feels like a big non-sequitir to me and kinda brings up the specter of medleyitis. The rest of the mix, though... really interesting groove. The timing feels all sorts of odd, almost like some of the super-quick & tight stuff Nase has done. I think it MOSTLY works and comes off sounding controlled & intentional, but there are some moments where it feels like stuff just got quantized weird or something. Hopefully that makes sense. At any rate, very close... some excellent ideas, whole lotta swagger... I think a little clean-up on aisle 3 & some more focus, with perhaps a rethinking of how Lavender fits in (if at all) is needed. NO (plllllease RESUB)