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Posts posted by djpretzel

    *NO* Pokémon X 'POKÉMOTION'

    in Judges Decisions

    Posted

    Let's resolve this conclusively...

    As I worked, I felt this piece needed a larger sound that the sample could not provide. I re-programmed the piano line via MIDI, and sent it through Kontakt's a beautiful concert grand piano instrument. After that, the mix grew almost on it's own.

    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.

    Video Advertisements

    in Site Issues & Feedback

    Posted

    I've noticed a time or two that there have been ads on OCR that are audio-enabled/video ads. These will usually show up on pages that have ad areas that are a suitable size for video-type, with the latest one showing up on an OCR Mascot page (Shantae's).

    Is this just something that happens due to the advertisement system, or can it be controlled? It hasn't happened too much, so I guess it's not a problem, but I thought that I should bring it up.

    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.

    2015 New Year Resolutions!

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    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!!

    2014 New Year Resolutions!

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    1. GENERAL: Be an awesome father, an awesome husband, and an awesome site admin, in that order!!
    2. FINALLY modernize the site's look & feel and functionality AND update/migrate the forums (aka "V6")
    3. Finish 5 ReMixes, aka "get back on the musical horse". Just upgraded to Cubase 7.5 after my brief experiment with Reaper; going to focus on learning it and Sylenth1 and putting together some templates so I can be 5X more productive. Been wanting to do this for years, just needed to double-down on DAW choice after playing the field a bit...
    4. Lose 10 more pounds (lost ~10 this year)
    5. Fix/update landscaping around the house

    Still thinking about 2-3 good additions to the list, but these would be great!

    1. Hope I've done this, but I can't be the judge
    2. Not yet, but soon...
    3. Well, uh... one out of five ain't... bad? Ah crap, yes it is...
    4. 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!
    5. Kinda.

    A Happy 1st Birthday to djp's Little Girl! <3

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    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:

    me-and-ma-bebe.jpg

    Six Months Old!!

    SIX-MONTHS-OLD.jpg

    First Halloween!! Jazz Hands!!

    esthers-first-halloween.jpg

    From last week, w/ grandmom:

    esther-hat-gramom.jpg

    Celebrate 15 Years of OverClocked ReMix!!

    in Announcements

    Posted

    OC REMIX CELEBRATES ITS 15TH ANNIVERSARY!!

    15years.jpg

    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!

    â—Ź 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!!

    1. Mega Man Battle Network 1-2 & 4-6 'Let's Bust Some Viruses!' by timaeus222

    [*]Pokémon Red Version 'Dream Eater Mix' by Solkrieg

    [*]Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & 2 'SZRC Anthem (Busiest Days of My Life)' by Flexstyle & OverClocked University

    [*]Puella Magi Madoka Magica Portable 'Meus Caligo Hora' by urdailywater

    [*]Xenophobe 'Audiophobe' by Showroom Dummy

    [*]Kirby 64 'Aqua Tides' by jdaster64

    [*]Akumajo Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight 'Bloody Mayhem' by BONKERS

    [*]Demon's Souls 'Epitaph for Boletaria' by RoeTaKa

    [*]3-D Ultra Pinball: Creep Night 'Welcome to Our Castle' by Chernabogue

    [*]Super Mario Sunshine 'Tutti I Frutti: The Ballad of Piantee Joe' by MC Final Sigma & Sir Jordanius

    [*]Supremacy 'Pixel Storm in the Planetary System' by Sir_NutS

    [*]Kingdom Hearts 'Simply Be-groove-ed' by Tetrimino

    [*]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

    [*]Chrono Trigger 'Cosmic Whispers' by 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"

    *NO* Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney 'Tranquil Turnabout'

    in Judges Decisions

    Posted

    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

    OCR03041 - *YES* Kirby 64 'Aqua Tides'

    in Judges Decisions

    Posted

    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

    OCR03715 - *YES* Sega Rally Championship, Hybrid Front, Thunder Blade & Marvel vs. Capcom "Autos, Arps & Minimoogs" *PROJECT*

    in Judges Decisions

    Posted

    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

    *NO* Star Fox 'Saving This City'

    in Judges Decisions

    Posted

    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)

    *NO* Pokémon Gold Version 'Goldenrod Game Center'

    in Judges Decisions

    Posted

    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)

    *NO* Pokémon Red Version 'Cruisin Kanto'

    in Judges Decisions

    Posted

    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)

    *NO* Donkey Kong Country 2 'Asking Lockjaw'

    in Judges Decisions

    Posted

    I almost always tiebreak into a yes/approval, but in this case I'm going to have to side with the NO's.

    It's not that this is an absolutely verbatim cover, but it's VERY conservative, and when you couple that WITH the brevity of the piece, it makes it worse.

    Crunchy sound, good concept, but just needs to do a little... bit... more. Seems like this should be REALLY straightforward to expand a bit & add some original material to, or extend with a variation.

    NO

    Tropes vs. Women / #GamerGate Conspiracies

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Don't labels like "SJW" just contribute to the identity war that you've decried several times in this thread? It's not so different from calling someone a racist or sexist, which I think you've also said was too vague earlier on. So other than for convenience--i.e. laziness--why would you ever use a vague label when you can attack specific ideas?

    Labels can describe. How & where & when they are applied, and by whom, contributes to an identity war. If you call an action racist, you've got an obligation to explain why it is racist. If you call a person racist, you've got a much larger obligation to show a pattern of behavior. "SJW" can't really describe an individual action, per se, as it is almost always applied to people, not actions/statements. This is bad news, because it makes it less likely to be employed specifically, as you've pointed out. The obligation is larger; you'd need to show a pattern of hypersensitivity & knee-jerk reactions & going from 0 to 60 on myriad issues and conflating someone's worth with how much they agree with you & characterizing all of your opponents as biased, backward bigots without arguing the points.

    I think that demographic phenomenon does exist, just as I think real, actual, 110% certified racists and misogynists exist. I'm not really speaking to the productivity or counter-productivity of employing the label in conversation, I'm saying I think it DOES describe a certain cross-section of the population. Its usage is often every bit as lazy, if not moreso, than the overuse of identifying anything & everything as misogynist or patriarchal. I think we basically agree; these are charged, difficult words that are often counter-productive and applied without due diligence. The only difference is that, while almost everyone seems to agree that hardcore racists & misogynists exist, some folks seem to think that the construction of the "SJW" identity is completely fabricated. I do not.

    I don't think it's possible to attack someone's ideas without attacking their identity

    It depends on both parties - it depends on the "attacker" keeping things on topic and refraining from ad hominem attacks, and the defender being fair & not conflating their own identity with the topic. It's difficult but not impossible; I think we've seen it happen on this thread, which is something to be reasonably proud of.

    Tropes vs. Women / #GamerGate Conspiracies

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I'm not moving goalposts. Rush Limbaugh has a deal DIRECTLY with Cumulus and NOT a subsidiary.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/23/rush-limbaugh-cumulus-deal_n_3805674.html

    Email carpet bombing advertisers on Gamasutra is not the same scenario as boycotting Rush's advertisers in terms of scale, scope, etc.

    It feels a bit like splitting hairs, still, though... my only point was to be wary of situations where you're making value judgments about methods/tactics that either side of an ideological schism might ultimately employ.

    What's interesting to me is that motivating a collective response to these occurrences seems difficult... once an advertiser has become convinced that it should distance itself from a publisher due to their ideological stance on a topic, how do members of a competing ideology attempt to dissuade them of this notion? Has anyone organized an outreach to Intel to try and make a case?

    Are we to believe that all women, simply by being women, are full of virtue, honesty, and credibility? That would just be stupid. (And super-patronizing.) At the same time, I think the GG crowd has been overly vicious in implying the opposite. Basically, we need to treat whatever comes out of someone's mouth with appropriate skepticism, man or woman. And remember we're humans all: flawed.

    I don't have anything to add/ask, I'm just quoting this to say: VERY well said.

    I just got into it a bit w/ Star Salzman on Facebook over whether "SJW" is EVER a valid insult/label....

    He thinks that it isn't; I think that it is. I think there ARE people who fetishize the taking of offense, whose skins are phyllo dough-thin, who white knight at the drop of a hat, and who define themselves too much by what they can object to on any given day of the week. I think that as both a label and an insult, it CAN be accurate/descriptive of a certain personality type that the Internet has encouraged & emboldened, semi-legitimized by the pseudo-academics of bad sociology.

    That being said, as with almost any label, it CAN also be abused & applied far too widely. In other words:

    • If you think that EVERYONE arguing for equality or social change can be dismissed as an SJW, you're full of shit.
    • If you think that EVERYONE arguing for equality or social change is being reasonable, honest, and not making hypocritical and/or bad faith assumptions, you're ALSO full of shit.

    Thus the need for, you know, like, analysis. And stuff. "For a brighter, less-full-of-shit tomorrow!!"™

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