djpretzel

Oh... Woooooow, guys, this is super dope. Such folk tunes are always love-or-hate for me, and this one is certainly what I can listen, listen and listen repeatedly for a loooong time   Very beatiful stuff with a smooth soothing vibe. Nailed it!

Listening back to the remix now, I have to agree with the comments about the mixing. I did this track way back in 2014/2015, and it's quite cool to listen back and hear the mistakes/not so great choices you made back then and how you've improved over time (and how much there's still to improve) .
 
 

Very nice, very pleasant. I see the point about harp and violin competing for the same sonic space, though I kind of perceive them as the same part rather than different parts I was needing to hear separately. Overall the mixing was impeccably balanced, background instruments in the background and leads alternating with clarity and variation. The bass sound is surprisingly treble-y, it kind of calls for attention to itself and made me expect it making some more active movements, like fills and what not here and there. That was a slightly missed opportunity I felt. Can't really think of anything else to criticize here. I like the fake string section taking lead in places, it's a mushy instrument but the rest of the arrangement ducks away to give it the space it needs. Violin sounds lovely, the (subdued) trumpet sounds lovely. Lots of participants in this mix but everyone is following the same shared vision. Nice game/series/platform pick as well for sure.

Right, but that's just for licensing the music. The permission to raise funds via Kickstarter is, at least according to some, a separate cost/right entirely, since it's not a fixed price-per-track licensing - backers can (and do) contribute more, for other types of benefits...
@GSO Grand plans usually require enthusiastic participants/collaborators, and you'll get more of those when you have a track record of successful projects, whether free or commercial. So yes, to echo what's been said several times, it feels like you're starting very large, and that your energies would be more productively directed at building up the type of successes that would lead to being able to put something like this together more effectively.

Only checking this out while prepping it for posting, but congratulations on producing what sounds like a super-authentic Japanese arrange album piece. Excellent sound to the guitar in particular for setting that tone, IMO, and all of the performances and part-writing were on point. A bit cluttered, but the space was filled up well, and certainly nothing dinging this on any meaningful level. Beautiful work, gentlemen!
YES

I have to agree with ACO here; usually big dreams start small and he brings up some other good points. You might want to reconsider your approach here.
Also not sure when/if/how law should be involved here, of course the law firm has their own agenda (and bank account) and personally I would just try to inquire how, for example, OCR or Materia Collective did those albums and maybe release it there in stead of going full Indie on it. Just $0.02.

Honestly, you seem to have a great many of grand plans, but none pan out — just my observation. 
Perhaps you should take a moment to consider that the legal hurdles and the costs involved in producing a CD of video game remixes when no one even buys CDs anymore is a lofty goal that should maybe not be pursued further.
I also don't see why one would want to do this when OCR produces FF albums pretty regularly that get tons of promotion, lots of listeners, etc. Why not just get on one of those or try and start up one?
So yes, I think you're going about it the wrong way and dreaming to big compared to what you've proven you can do. Start small.
 

The page is now live!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludomusicology
Should be a decent start, and it's been up for several days without being deleted this time

@Bahamut I've been chipping in on album eval and am through the first two discs - I don't think you'll be disappointed, @Jorito's taken the ball and run with it, sounding great so far!

I'm down for it. My life isn't so damn hectic anymore so I should be able to go through them in a timely manner.

A tricky source to work with, not a whole lot there.  And this arrangement is definitely on the repetitive side as a result.  But it never quite repeats exactly, with different, creative accompaniment each time, and there's lots of extra padding to break up the repetitions.  I definitely think Rebecca could have erred more on the side of originality here, transforming the lead more and doing more with the other parts of the source, but I think it's adequate as it is.  Production is up to her usual standards, so I'm good giving this a
YES

OCR has been the site that I have frequented the most consistently over the past 17 years or so.  I have many mp3s that still reflect a "last modified" date in 2000 and 2001. 
Speaking from experience, I know that these forums are probably a lot less active because we oldtimers are having kids, jobs with more responsibilities, etc. -- so just less free time in general.  But I still visit OCR at least once a day to check for newly posted remixes and any WIPs in the forums.  Being someone that isn't involved in the creation of music in any way, OCR has definitely expanded my horizons in terms of musical tastes and experiences.
So, indeed, thank you and good job to the community for keeping things chugging along for the better part of two decades!

Download Heretic Sinphony: http://ocremix.org/info/Heretic_Sinphony Torrent: http://bt.ocremix.org/torrents/Heretic_Sinphony.torrent  
Heretic Sinphony is a 6-track commissioned album inspired by the music from the 1994 Raven Software classic Heretic. It was commissioned by Emmanuel EXE, with original artwork by Tedd Leger of Mehxôhorr Artworks.
This project started out with an e-mail I received about two years ago. What began with a remix of "The Cathedral" soon turned into a full-blown remix album of Raven Software's Heretic. This game is a classic first-person shooter from the Doom era, with some really good, but overlooked music. I composed and produced this album while working a full-time job (sometimes 60+ hours a week), while putting together a recording/production studio at the same time. It's been a long two years, but I'm finally glad this album is finally coming together and getting released.
EastWest samples (HW Orchestra, Stormdrum, Ministry of Rock) were heavily used throughout this project, and also some 8Dio libraries (Requiem and Studio Sopranos). For the synths, I mosty used Native Instruments Massive and FM8, along with a few sounds from Sylenth1. FL Studio is the same DAW I have used for the last 15 or so years, and I still use to this day. It has great VST and sample library support and provides a super-easy-to-use interface for both arranging and automation.
- Thomas Nelson (Ghetto Lee Lewis)
 

It's a bit crazy, isn't it? Last time I met up with a djpretzel we both had that moment of "let's see, we've known each other... how many years now? OVER 15?!" A few of us insane ones from back then are still puttering and releasing new tracks too, and I'm one of 'em, so I guess on behalf of the OCR veterans... you're welcome.

The really awesome part is how many guys from this community have gone on to become actual game composers and are now making a living doing it. I'm not personally among those ranks - I found I'm a much better remixer than a composer - but just look at Big Giant Circles, Zircon... in fact right now I'm checking out the preview to Wilbert Roget's Call of Duty WW2 soundtrack! 
It's a cool feeling, being proud of your friends and their accomplishments. It's certainly an awesome community for that.
 

Today I found an old USB stick filled with OC remixes back from early 2007. Good to see that 10 years later the community is still alive and well. Very random topic but I just wanted to say thank you to all the people who created these fantastic remixes back in the day and are still doing it today! Keep up the good work!

@Bahamut I've been chipping in on album eval and am through the first two discs - I don't think you'll be disappointed, @Jorito's taken the ball and run with it, sounding great so far!

@Bahamut I've been chipping in on album eval and am through the first two discs - I don't think you'll be disappointed, @Jorito's taken the ball and run with it, sounding great so far!

Man, its been a while - first off I'd like to apologize for everyone for dropping the ball on this. I could not give this the attention it deserved ultimately, especially after embarking on my career almost 5 years ago. I'm in a good place now, but way too exhausted & busy to do much except maybe build websites, my domain of expertise.
I'm glad to see that it has sped up to completion over the past year! I am excited to see what everyone has whipped up  .

First and foremost, this arrangement is incredible.  Holy smokes, I'm not sure I'm going to have words to give voice to how much I like the solo soprano part, and the Debussy-esque floating just before the three-minute mark at 2:56 or so.  Tremendous work here that everyone needs to experience that reminds me of the vocal stylings of Eric Whitacre and Christopher Tin -- and I don't make comparisons to either of them very often.
I agree with the judges that the production brings it down some, however.  One of the problems of being compared to the great vocal arrangers of our time is that their work demands great vocal performers, and it's apparent that we don't have that in the choir here (save for the excellent soloists).  For me, the bass clef choir voices -- especially the few moments they have to carry us forward -- really stand out as artificial, which brings me out of the experience.  I'm a little surprised none of the judges had anything to say about 2:48 (the worst production moment for me after the initial vocal hold that's been discussed elsewhere), but will assume it's because the aforementioned pause is SO GOOD right after that.
That being said, it's one of the great vocal arrangements on the site, and we have precious few that make full use of a choir (largely for logistical reasons).  Absolutely incredible arranging skills here -- if you ever need voice parts recorded, I imagine that you'll have a number of volunteers (including me, fwiw) happy to step up and help your work shine as brightly as it might.
 
 

So we've sent the album off to OCR staff for evaluation last week. Now it's a matter of waiting for their feedback
In the background we're hard at work finishing off the track order, the artwork and miscellaneous bits 'n bobs. so that we can make the release as smooth as can be. No final confirmed release date as of yet, just stay tuned for any updates on the regular OCR channels!

Oh man.  Beneath a Steel Sky is such an underappreciated game.  It's one of the best adventure games of all time, with a markedly more adult approach than what we used to get from sierra at the time (with exceptions, like Gabriel Knight), oozing an oppressive, industrial-cyberpunk feel, striking art direction and excellent dialogue.  With a setting that I would say it's the perfect mix of 1984, fahrentheit 451, and Narshe.  Also a fitting soundtrack, which leads us to this remix:

Ninecoins here decided to not change much in terms of arrangement, but makes up for it by making an adaptation to a different style.  It succeeds in that regard, as this certainly sounds like a dub track.  It somewhat keeps the feeling of desolation and industrialization from the original, but overall the additions give it more dynamism while keeping the disconcerting cyberpunk ambiance.  The tempo slowdowns, while odd at first glance, do help in this matter.  The soundscape starts up rather simple but evolves when more complex textures are introduced as the track progresses.
This remix is kinda low-key, but I feel it makes it over the bar, just barely.  I think perhaps more could've been done with the source in terms of expansion, as well with the sound design.  But for me what I hear seems compelling enough.  Plus, I would be pretty happy to have this game represented in our library.

YES (borderline)
 

The minimalist nature of this track is a strong point, with a good balance of parts without crowding the soundscape. The choice of sounds is solid, with synths comprising of more basic waveforms. Drums and percussion have a nice hint of low-fi across them, giving off a nice sizzle in the highs. Production quality is good, parts are easily heard and not squashed, there is a good balance between punch and more open dynamics. The arrangement plods along fairly slowly, but manages to get through duration without boredom setting in. The tempo slow downs create a nice break effect when they're introduced and (most importantly) aren't overused. The ending is quite abrupt, with the song basically coming to a halt to allow for a sample to play. Arrangement could be stronger as it doesn't take a lot of chances away from the original. I didn't leave this feeling that it needed more however, but it would've been nice.
YES

Provided that your lines flow well (voice leading), and have a nice contour, it's mostly creative decisions.
One thing to consider, is that many instruments have a "golden register", a pitch range where they sound best. On the other side of the coin, some tend to sound awful in certain ranges. The only way to learn this is through familiarizing yourself with the instruments you want to use, as well as studying orchestration in general. So, be careful of that.
A great "trick", is to "lead in" to the melody from the previous bar. Say that the first real note of my theme is an A, in A minor. I could lead in to that from the previous bar with two eighth notes of E and G below it.
A good example, would be this piece:
So, it starts with that famous Celesta line, which is occasionally harmonized with itself. As the theme comes back "home", we get those fast string runs and that oboe trill @ 43 seconds that imitates an owl hoot for a few bars, and then the horns play the theme.
Note the second theme, starting at 1:35. It's played by the winds, and then is restated at 1:48 by the trumpets. 
You'll notice in each case, that there is just one note that leads in to restatement of the theme. In the first part, the horns play that fourth below the first beat of the bar where the theme really begins.
In the second example, it may sound like the trumpets just "start", but if you listen, the exact same thing is happening as in the first example. It's just that the woodwinds play that note (harmonized) before the trumpets begin; so you get the same effect.
The music theory term for this, is an "anacrusis"
 
 

YES. YES. YES. This hits every part of the "quality metal" checklist, and if anyone wants to cut to some serious sense of what this mix is about, head right for 1:42 and prepare to hold on from 2:05-2:43, where we vary from serious metal to some beautiful orchestral elements, and I'd argue 2:45-3:05 really just encapsulates the entire "metal meets epic orchestral" viewpoint. Look, this kind of thing may not be everyone's bag of tea (or cup of fun), but this was the perfect song for this kind of treatment, and this remix just crushes it. I cannot get enough of this.
Well, well, WELL done, and congratulations to what I thought really expanded the range (and my enjoyment!) of the album.
 

Part of me is flattered. Another part of me is worried that you guys know something I don't.
I don't usually go for the big metal-style stuff, but this was pretty cool.