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djpretzel

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Posts posted by djpretzel

    OCR01561 - Great Giana Sisters "Synthpop Mix"

    in ReMix Reviews & Comments

    Posted

    Recently dove into some C64 and Amiga retro gaming and pointed a friend to one of my favorite remixes. I was very disappointed in the description blurb. The entire writeup is a downer. Why write several paragraphs going on and on and on about how a song almost didn't make the cut and how bad it is? It's almost unbelievable. You ought to consider differentiating the internal discussions full of negativity, from what you decide to place in your outward facing descriptions where users land.

    Generally speaking, I do exactly that - cover the best aspects of a piece and don't dwell too long on the negatives. In this instance the vote was close and the panel was divided, and it seemed worth pointing out how even completely enjoyable tracks can sometimes be close calls, because we're looking at a few different things when we evaluate submissions, not just whether people will like them. It's important to communicate - in small doses, and in representative cases - how our process really works, and brushing that under the rug in this instance would have felt downright dishonest...

    Incidentally, we've historically gotten more complaints that mix writeups are TOO positive, so you're actually representing a minority opinion relative to the other feedback we've received. That's cool, and I'm glad you bothered to chime in... I don't really agree that the writeups are too positive, and I think I agree even less that they are too critical, but it's something I'll think about based on your comments, which are appreciated.

    Super Mario 64: Portrait of a Plumber ART CONTEST!! Congrats to the winners!!

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by djpretzel

    sm64needzarts.jpg

    INTRO

    For our upcoming Super Mario 64 album, "Portrait of a Plumber", we really want to go all out on the art & make our first Mario-themed album’s visuals match the amazing ReMixes!

    In keeping with the album title and the concept of Mario jumping into paintings inside Peach Castle to enter corresponding stages, we are asking the community to provide artwork for use on the album cover, website, and trailer - we NEED YOUR HELP to make this album the best it can be!!

    PRIZES

    • FIRST PRIZE - Album Cover (logo is optional): Win a physical copy of Final Fantasy VI: Balance and Ruin, a physical copy of Final Fantasy VII: Voices of the Lifestream, and a physical copy of For Everlasting Peace: 25 Years of Mega Man!! Plus we’ll pimp your artist name + URL in our album press release, forum mailout, on the back cover, on the trailer, and on the album website.
    • SECOND PRIZE - Album Cover Runner-up: For Everlasting Peace: 25 Years of Mega Man download code, listed on album liner notes, website w/ URL, trailer
    • STAGE ARTWORK WINNERS- For Everlasting Peace: 25 Years of Mega Man download code, listed on album liner notes, website w/ URL, trailer

    REQUIREMENTS: FRONT COVER ARTWORK

    • Subject: A “Portrait” of Mario, of course! This is open to some interpretation, but generally speaking a painted depiction of Mario in some form is suggested, looking at us, i.e. not an action shot.
    • Format: Square dimensions required, as well as a minimum resolution of 2000 pixels. The album design may call for the work to be scaled a bit to acommodate. A Photoshop PSD file with separate layers is highly preferred.
    • Limitations: The work MUST be your own and must not incorporate outside assets, including any official Nintendo artwork.
    • BONUS: Feel free to include an album title/logo layer, or as a separate file, for “Super Mario 64: Portrait of a Plumber” - it’s optional, but if we love it & use it, we’ll try and throw a little something extra in!

    REQUIREMENTS: STAGE ARTWORK (8 STAGES TOTAL)

    • Subject: These paintings should be just like the ones inside the Peach castle, representing 8 of the game's stages, but this time featuring Mario engaging/interacting with the depicted stage. For example, one painting where Mario makes his way up Whomp's Fortress, another where he battles the giant Bob-omb, one where he gets his ass fried within Lethal Lava Land, etc. A high level of detail is not necessary, but each work should at least look like it was painted (oil, watercolor, airbrushed, and so on), and feel free to emulate the style of famous artists from history - Picasso, Magritte, Van Gogh, etc. :)
      The eight stages are as follows:

      • Cool, Cool Mountain
      • Whomp's Fortress
      • Bob-omb Battlefield
      • Lethal Lava Land
      • Jolly Roger Bay
      • Tiny-Huge Island
      • Tall, Tall Mountain
      • Wet-Dry World

      [*]Format: Square dimensions required, as well as a minimum resolution of 1200 pixels. The album design may call for the work to be scaled a bit to acommodate. A Photoshop PSD file with separate layers is highly preferred.

      [*]Limitations: The work MUST be your own and must not incorporate outside assets, including any official Nintendo artwork.

    SUBMIT YOUR ENTRIES VIA EMAIL BY MARCH 31st, 2014!!

    Submit your artwork entries via email to projects@ocremix.org by 3/31/2014 to be considered - for large files, please consider using Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.!!

    QUESTIONS? ASK ‘EM HERE!!

    OC ReMix Presents Audio Engineering: A Tribute to Cid!

    in Announcements

    Posted

    Awesome idea! Why is this album labelled OCRI-0001. And why is it' website part of OCR's template instead of its own page? Is there some different type of classification for this album?

    Yep - good eye for detail!

    From first mixpost:

    "This is our FIRST album in the new "OCRI-XXXX" catalog series.
    The "I" is for "independent"; generally speaking, this album series will focus more on smaller albums, EPs, individual artist releases, and will also allow for re-releases of content already published elsewhere."

    OC ReMix Presents Audio Engineering: A Tribute to Cid!

    in Announcements

    Posted

    44476-1392875663.png

    OC ReMix Presents Audio Engineering: A Tribute to Cid!

    February 20, 2014

    Contact: press@ocremix.org

    FAIRFAX, VA...CID!!! OverClocked ReMix pays homage to the ubiquitous, polymorphous, recurring Final Fantasy engineer we all know & love with our latest album, Audio Engineering: A Tribute to Cid!!

    Big vocabulary words... for a big man!! Paying tribute to the various incarnations of Cid that have appeared over decades of Final Fantasy lore, Audio Engineering: A Tribute to Cid features thirteen arrangements of themes associated with him, from FF2 through FF12, PLUS Type-0 and Mystic Quest! Led by director Taylor "Mirby" Brown, twelve arrangers and ten visual artists contributed their unique visions to ensure that ENGINEERS EVERYWHERE will be done GREAT JUSTICE!! Never before has SO MUCH CID been concentrated into one musical & artwork explosion of AWESOME!

    Audio Engineering is available for free download at http://ocremix.org/info/Audio_Engineering:_A_Tribute_to_Cid. This album was produced to help promote the music of the Final Fantasy series, was made by fans, for fans, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Square Enix; all original compositions and characters are copyright their respective owners.

    "The first BadAss album made me realize that themed albums worked just as well as those based on whole game soundtracks," said album director Taylor "Mirby" Brown. "Much like BadAss was boss themes, Audio Engineering is Cid themes. Of course, not all Cids have their own de facto themes, so I opened it up a bit more: themes that could be linked to that Cid, such as airship themes or area themes, were permissible. It worked quite well and, a little over two years later, the finished product stands before you."

    Audio Engineering is OC ReMix's first community album honoring Final Fantasy as a series, following game-specific tributes to Final Fantasy VII, IV, V, I & VI.

    About OverClocked ReMix

    Founded in 1999, OverClocked ReMix is an organization dedicated to the appreciation and promotion of video game music as an art form. Its primary focus is ocremix.org, a website featuring thousands of free fan arrangements, information on game music and composers, resources for aspiring artists, and a thriving community of video game music fans.

    ###

    OCRI-0001 - Audio Engineering: A Tribute to Cid

    in Album Reviews & Comments

    Posted

    Hey, Mirby here, and, as you can guess, I'm the director of Audio Engineering.

    This album started in 2012 shortly after MAGFest ended, and was quite a simple idea. The first BadAss album had been recently released, and it made me realize that themed albums worked just as well as those based on whole game soundtracks. Much like BadAss was boss themes, Audio Engineering is Cid themes. More specifically, the themes of the many Cids of the Final Fantasy games. Of course, not all Cids have their own de facto themes, so I opened it up a bit more: themes that could be linked to that Cid, such as airship themes or area themes, were permissible. It worked quite well and, a little over two years later, the finished product stands before you.

    Thirteen tracks by twelve talented artists showcasing all different Cids, in addition to a sampling of artwork by several different folks representing a small handful of those same Cids, are available for your listening, and viewing, pleasure.

    - Taylor Brown (Mirby)

    44476-1392875663.png

    OCRA-0045 - Sonic CD: Temporal Duality

    in Album Reviews & Comments

    Posted

    One of the things I LOVE about our community is that it is amorphous and difficult to pin down... I never would have expected a Sonic CD album featuring so much funk & hip-hop, but I'm so damn glad it turned out that way. From album to album, there's so much diversity, with artists from all over the place chipping in, that comments about circle-jerks or exclusivity or self-sameness are just downright bizarre to anyone who knows the facts & takes the time to listen. Some people would rather blabber definitively about music than listen openly to it - can't relate to that, don't want to. I say & write quite a bit, but I do try and go for specifics, and I can say... mix to mix, album to album, each artist has their own style, each mix is its own thing, each album has its own flavor, and if you can't tell them apart, that's a damn shame for YOU, but doesn't change MY perception one bit :nicework:

    "Has Video Game Music Lost Its Way?"

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I'm glad this generated some discussion, but...

    Well, in my opinion, it just kinda seemed like clickbait.

    • "Has X lost its way??"
    • "Is this the end of Y??"
    • "Top 10 reasons Z is doomed!!"

    The idea of measuring whether VGM has "lost its way" has only become increasingly preposterous, because the games industry is now so diverse, segmented, and prolific that even attempting to take its temperature is a gargantuan & highly subjective task.

    Also: No, it hasn't :-D

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