djpretzel
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Organ's weird but didn't seem downright off, at least to me. Plus there's an expected level of malevolence and chaos here that we'd be disappointed NOT to see
I'm closer to a YES than Larry & Kris as this feels like a relatively tight, short, sweet, and absolutely ANGRY mix, but I still agree that it's a little too rough around the edges on the production side. A little more clarity, air, and breathing room - obviously the whole point is to be chaotic, but it needs to be discernible, enjoyable chaos, and right now the mixing/mastering is preventing that.
NO (borderline)
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This mix dares to ask the question: How long can one lead synth sit on the same gated trance-style pattern and switch intervals without any pauses or drops?
I'm not entirely sure whether it answers that question or not, though... at a certain point, the gate pattern ALMOST becomes ironic and/or just fades from consideration due to the level of repetition, which is kinda what trance is all about, but the problem is that this isn't straightforwardly a trance track... it's like a downbeat track with some chip/lofi elements that trips, falls, becomes a trance track, and then regains its senses. That's NOT meant as a diss, just a metaphor - it's clear the artist knows what he's doing, it's just an unusual.... aesthetic.... to have so deliberately shot for.
If this had STAYED a downbeat jam and he'd brought in a really killer lead part, maybe even something acoustic, I think we'd all be pooping ourselves, more or less. Instead, he breaks out into some pseudo-trance and... well, it's NOT bad, it's just kinda there... I almost feel like I'd have to hear more of his work to even contextualize this properly. Thought of as a trance track, plain and simple, it actually has more variety than you often see, and frames things in a unique way in terms of pacing. I just have a hard time thinking of it that way.
I'm a little nonplussed, but there are enough good things going on and the overall package is enjoyably confusing to me that I'm gonna go against the tide on this one and see if anyone joins me.
YES
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The funny thing here is that the original SOUNDS LIKE WILL WROTE IT
I'll say something briefly about the 70's vs 80's thing - Mr. Harby has a LOT of eighties in him. His future's so bright, he's gotta wear shades, if you know what I mean. So when he says he's gonna dial it back a decade, I'm skeptical. I'll say this much: I think he pulled it off on the GUITARS and the overall arrangement, but the drums still feel like they fell off the time machine and stayed in the decade of greed, to me. That's just my two cents and it really doesn't have that much bearing on the mix itself, but I'd actually love to hear Will do more stuff in the style of 70's bands - there are a lot of great ones, to be sure - so perhaps it's useful information nonetheless.
Regardless of the 70s/80s thing, I DO think the drums sometimes sit a little too dead center and get overpowered by the guits, making them feel smaller than they should, but it only happens once or twice.
Some wicked soloing and a big fuzzy guitar tone definitely bring out the Deep Purple.
Fadeout ending, well... not gonna lie, I'm not an AUTOMATIC hater of all fadeout endings EVER (like some people), but in this case it didn't sit entirely right - would have ended this one with a bang, not a whimper.
Nitpicks aside, love to hear Will covering an unmixed game and putting some seventies in his walk & his talk. This could have been a LITTLE better than it was, but it was still quite good, and a very fun ride!
YES
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A spiritual successor to http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01395, at last!!
The laughing mumbles here REALLY remind me of the way Tom Servo would do fake laughs on MST3K back in the day, which adds an additional nostalgia factor.
For a mix like this to work on OCR, it has to be executed REALLY well - it can't JUST be the concept, however goofy and well-intended, there ALSO has to be something "there" in terms of the arrangement, performance, and production.
Happily, there is.
I'm gonna get drunk to this at some point. MAG? Anyone else down?
YES
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Larry & Kris literally covered every single aspect of why I would also vote NO on this. I feel no need to regurgitate what they've already covered, as I agree with all of it and have nothing to add. They both provided comprehensive analysis that I think should be helpful to the artist.
NO
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Them closing high notes is sweet like sugar; very purdy.
Certainly a classical but NOT contemporary classical approach to the arrangement - no real curveballs, just a very competent and heartfelt arrangement/performance of one of Nobuo's sweeter melodies. All very legato; it might have been nice to have some more mixed articulations, as that's one way string quartet pieces can get a lot of timbral mileage, but this opts for an overall smooth delivery, from beginning to end.
It's hard NOT to like this, but at the same time I DO think the arrangement could have used some more sparks & verve - even while retaining the very flowing, swaying vibe, there are plenty of ways to surprise the more jaded listener. Just some food for thought; still a
YES
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You have pieces from March 2013 in the 'to be judged' section and that doesn't worry you?
One thing to remember is that we are NOT a barrier to ANYONE getting their music heard on the Internet. There are zillions of high-profile, high-audience (at least potential audience) options out there in this wonderful 21st century of ours, like YouTube, SoundCloud, etc.. Manual review, group review... actual arrangement analysis... these things take time and cannot be thoroughly automated, in spite of our A1 prank to the contrary,
So the answer comes in three parts:
- As always, we're working on it. More than just lip service, we're taking some tangible steps to try and accelerate and catch things up ASAP.
- We're ALSO working on implementing an integrated workshop system that WILL be more of an instant-gratification type dealio, where WIPs and finished mixes alike will be integrated with our database and presented on the site alongside featured (i.e. judged & passed) mixes. Our Patreon should help fund some of these development efforts.
- In the meantime, keep your pantyhose on as much as possible and know that our uncompensated, completely pro-bono team of hard-working staff DO care and WILL make things better.
- As always, we're working on it. More than just lip service, we're taking some tangible steps to try and accelerate and catch things up ASAP.
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I thought this was pretty enjoyable as is. Definitely not the most inventive synth design, and my electro naivete is probably shining here but it just seems to work well on it's own level despite this.
Bad tings:
- Terrible remix name.
- Dubstep section.
- Dat guitar sample? What even is that?
YES, borderline.
I'd add the questionable "let's just stop things here, then, eh?" ending to that list.
The guitar sample didn't bother me because I've always felt like super fakey-guitar is its own sound and that verisimilitude or lack thereof is thus factored out.
Honestly, what I think the NO votes are expressing is some frustration with missed opportunities - some extra programming on the leads, for example, a twist or turn here or there, would have given this a bit more bite & attitude. There's more potential in the overall concept than is realized here. Nevertheless, I was tappin' my toes, it's a nice take on the source, and the overall work is coherent. I can't hold lost potential against it too awful much when the end result is STILL pretty solid.
I agree with a borderline
YES
However, we REALLY need a revised title from the artist, as the one provided is almost a standards violation in and of itself.
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I understand a lot of the concerns but this is far far too good and original to reject for being a bit medley-ey.
It's very medley-ey. More than a bit.
Flex was right to cite the Super Guitar Brothers mix for comparison, however, here's what I said in my writeup about THAT mix:
medleyitis is always mitigated with fewer instruments - plus transitions are handled intelligently.Can I say the same here? There are a few more instruments, but still few enough that I think smooth transitions could easily have been written. Just a few linking passages, really; something that sets the stage and draws some connections. Something that overlaps in a creative way, or even better, something that cross-references and cross-pollinates between the different pieces being used.
None of that happened.
Everything else that DID happen was great, and as a fan of jazz, brass, bone, & pretty much everything these guys are doing, I'm tempted to say that it compensates. And it does, to some extent. But the spirit of our standards SPEAKS to the quality of arrangement itself, and REALLY tries to avoid that feeling where it's like "oh man NOW they've playing BLOODY TEARS!! I hope they do VAMPIRE KILLER next!!"... it's not supposed to be Castlevania's "greatest hits" all packed into one track; there needs to be some thought, however minimal, to cohesion. I think there was a TON of thought put into this about almost every OTHER aspect, but sadly this point was overlooked.
I'm punching myself and crying, but I'm gonna have to agree with the pickers of nit & sticklers of standards, as there needs to be a line drawn SOMEWHERE on this specific point:
NO
Would absolutely kill for a resubmission with some thought put into transitions & the overall arrangement, as otherwise you guys are killing it on every level, and ALL of us respect that.
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Keep on WillRockin' in the free world!
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Ah heck, if I'd known people could make it we coulda submitted a panel...
We went to the VERY first SGC and it was a blast and we met Bladiator and had breakfast and Sixto failed to appear, further confirming conspiracy theories that he's GrayLightning.
Nowadays we can't go to as many cons due to $$ and time restrictions and RL and what not, but this one woulda been fun...
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We can't post things w/ squeenix direct sampling like this.
Needs to be re-created from scratch as closely as possible rather than sampled.
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Happy happy happy
birthday birthday birthday
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Awesome work everybody, thanks for making this happen!
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But be sure it's encypted or otherwise someone could listen
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/rds/archive/2009/03/12/top-10-rdp-protocol-misconceptions-part-2.aspx
"To be clear, this is totally false! RDP has always supported strong encryption and is by default encrypted!"
Some other good stuff on that post, too!
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I can confirm that the HTML & CSS were readjusted for the Patreon banner - should be fine if you clear cache. If anyone's seeing issues AFTER clearing cache, lemme know!
*NO* Mega Man 8 'Flash Bang Misery'
in Judges Decisions
Posted
TONS of potential here; reminds me in some ways of old Bubblegum Crisis tracks (original series)
Kris mentioned the hihat pattern - yeah, can't unhear. It sits there thwacking away at the same velocity and it's dead-on/quantized and it ends up feeling like a really fast metronome that someone accidentally left on. Don't mean to be harsh, here, but the REST of the sequencing is so good that this bit sticks out to me as well.
Don't be afraid to do more with the bass now and then - this is the type of genre/style that can really benefit from some funky bass solos or at least a flourish or two.
Guitar solo towards the end was great, spacing out the timing and taking a step back from the frenzied pace to ruminate on things a bit.
Larry cited the brass, but I wouldn't get too hung up on that - I don't think that's gonna make it or break it, and you could probably even use the exact same sound and just beef it up with DSP/EQ.
This is very CLOSE to being a superb rock/fusion arrangement; as Larry mentions, it plays things a little too close at time, so I think with a bit more personalization/interpretation on the arrangement, some adjustments to the drum line (specifically those running hats), and a rebalance/EQ that adds a bit more punch to the drums and bass, you'd be good to go. I'm hoping this feedback is valuable and you give implementing these changes a shot, because I think this arrangement has a lot of promise!
NO borderline