djpretzel

I like the drastic amount of swing rhythm on the mix as a whole, though the apparent delay/echo on the drums (particularly the kick) is a bit weird for me. A bit busy in the midrange, but hard to avoid that with simple waveforms. Overall, I liked how the sources were well-blended together, and the shifts in rhythmic style (main rhythm <-> just kick <-> drumless) were smooth as well.

@prophetik music Confirmed, this is currently a hard limit for users of the "Members" group; relevant settings:
Conversations allowed to start per day = 5 Conversations allowed to start per minute = 1 Maximum recipients per conversation = 5 These are intended to mitigate any spambots that might make it through (or, I suppose, overzealous users?) from abusing the PM system.
Do you need more & why? If so, and perhaps regardless, we may create an "elevated" group above regular members for users who have been around a good while, made numerous contributions, etc., and we could bump these settings for these ELITE SPECIAL PEEPS...

@prophetik music Confirmed, this is currently a hard limit for users of the "Members" group; relevant settings:
Conversations allowed to start per day = 5 Conversations allowed to start per minute = 1 Maximum recipients per conversation = 5 These are intended to mitigate any spambots that might make it through (or, I suppose, overzealous users?) from abusing the PM system.
Do you need more & why? If so, and perhaps regardless, we may create an "elevated" group above regular members for users who have been around a good while, made numerous contributions, etc., and we could bump these settings for these ELITE SPECIAL PEEPS...

@prophetik music Confirmed, this is currently a hard limit for users of the "Members" group; relevant settings:
Conversations allowed to start per day = 5 Conversations allowed to start per minute = 1 Maximum recipients per conversation = 5 These are intended to mitigate any spambots that might make it through (or, I suppose, overzealous users?) from abusing the PM system.
Do you need more & why? If so, and perhaps regardless, we may create an "elevated" group above regular members for users who have been around a good while, made numerous contributions, etc., and we could bump these settings for these ELITE SPECIAL PEEPS...

Another nice pick from VV3!

Okay so first off, I agree that the sample work could be improved, but I don't think it's that bad at all. Mechanical harpsichord don't bother me, because I personally think that's how the instrument is meant to be played most of the time. The violin is the most noticeable one, and could have used more expression in the sequencing, but the writing is great. Also, the drums didn't bother me. The kick and snare could have a tad more presence, but are definitely easily audible even in the busy sections.
I don't think those issues are dealbreakers, especially with such an awesome arrangement. The progression is excellent, and the source is handled very skillfully. No hesitation from me even with the aforementioned issues. I think this is still an easy
YES

I've been visiting OCremix for as long as i remember, well before the decade.  Well before i Joined the navy in 2010, i know that for sure.  I love coming back here and seeing that everything is going on still.  I still listen to rainwave.cc when I can.  It's awesome to see how far OCR has come.  I remember having to DL songs or looking them up on youtube in order to listen to the remixes.  Makes me sad that some of the artists that i loved like The Wingless don't make and post music on here anymore but i guess that's what it is.  Keep going strong.

i'll be sending out update requests again fairly soon. still trucking along =)

Don't mind @Liontamer, he's just cranky after years & years of seeing people pass by AMAZING music due to vocal content; I don't think it's a "dumb" preference, but it can certainly be closed-minded.

Fair enough; to each their own, I say.
And hey, I'm open to vocal remixes...I still listen to all of the new releases to give each a chance and judge them on their individual merits, and in this case, that openness was rewarded. LOVED this one
Great work all around. ::thumbs up::

You have got to be kidding me.
*throws hands in the air*
 

I'm getting sort of an 80s, early 90s vibe, which I'm really enjoying. The lyrics are amazing, which is saying something, because I'm not really a fan of lyrics thrown into video game music that didn't originally have any. I also feel like if you took this to a club or wherever, it wouldn't immediately come off as sounding like a video game remix. Great job!

Sweet mother of god...

At first, I was taken back by the artist's interpretations, especially when I heard "You Dirty, You Nasty, But You Mine". At this point, I had to understand that these are true Remix's. They are interpretations of more than a musical score, they also represent the settings and emotions linked directly to the overall narrative of SMRPG. On this point I have to say, well done.
As usual, I ended up late to the party and have recently become aware of MSU1's and the ability to apply Cd quality music to Snes Roms. In my curiosity, I wanted to see how OCRemix's "Super Mega Ultra Pipe House" would fit over the intro to Super Mario Rpg. I don't currently have the knowledge to hack a rom to induce the MSU1, but IMO, I can press play on two applications, pretty damn fast. Sure enough, if you sync the jump in the game intro, with the jump sound in the song intro, it not only captures the essence of the game, it can actually be perceived to "introduce" members of the cast.  Now that I've seen and heard the two together, and can't get it out of my head, it assures me that you all took great care in capturing the uniqueness of SMRPG and the wide variety of ideas thrown into the game.
SMRPG was destined to have a unique tone being that it was a Square Rpg conceptualized in Nintendo's nest egg, The Mushroom Kingdom. The biggest name in Rpg's, at the time, with the most cherished character in gaming history, Mario. This was the first, and the last time that Square would produce a Mario Rpg. It was also the 2nd to last game produced by Square before their big break up with Nintendo. Surely, Square and Sony had already been in talks to make Final Fantasy VII exclusively on the Playstation. The music, as well as the themes, were the product of two gaming giants trying to get their personal themes to fit into one cartridge, sometimes remarkably, sometimes to their detriment. Now, as we look back at some of these more unique games, that came from unique circumstances, a unique interpretation of the 100+ songs and sounds from the original rom is fitting.
Pipe Funk (Hello from Inside the Earthen Pipe) was almost a direct interpretation, the core of the original SMRPG track offset the first beat of the melody that most of us recognize as the OG Mario "Underworld" score. This inflection on the up-beat gave the Smrpg track a funky, almost Micheal Jackson feel. OCRemix took that idea and turned their track into a Halloween themed 80's dance party, and the DJ just started spinning Thriller.
Still the Road is Full of Klezmorim.... Skyrim Remix please?
The remix for "The Dungeon is Full of Monsters" is one of the most out of place tracks, but quickly became a track I wanted to hear more of. Then I wanted to hear a little bit more, then just wanted to hear a little bit more. 5 times in a row? at some point I lost count. Rockos and Danton Freitas did well at replicating a style of music that reminds me of Genghis Tron with a more deliberate style choice. There is probably a better comparison, but I haven't listened to anything like that in a while(aka i'm old), and honestly, the arrangement is weirdly refreshing. Perhaps the juxtaposition of SMRpg sound effects with Electronic Blip Bloops(ie Flip Florps, WubWubs) and Guitar Djent-rification created a compelling soundscape of our hero in danger, battling shadows and emerging victorious.
Thank you for creating this ear candy. Considering that OCRemix is consistently producing quality engineered albums on the regular, while also maintaining an environment for creators to collaborate, I have to commend you all on your dedication and I hope you all continue to work together to produce this wonderful music.
Cheers.

I made this video in anticipation of this song one day being posted, in case anybody was curious where the title of the remix comes from:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQS2_Mt6_Lc

Well, I'm not a musician, I don't perform, so take my advice with a grain of salt or three:
If you're not being challenged & you're not growing from the performance opportunities, is it really that much of a risk/loss? That being said, if you know these folks & have a relationship, I'd try to assert yourself, propose some changes that would make the whole thing better (seems like having arrangements would be a good start!), volunteer to put in the effort to make these changes happen, and see if you get anywhere. If you do, great! If you don't... do you want to be a part of something you know is fundamentally flawed but which resists any efforts on your part to address those flaws? I'd tend to say no... in which case, maybe commute to Amarillo and see what's happening there, meet some new people, go on some adventures, etc. until something clicks?

Well, I'm not a musician, I don't perform, so take my advice with a grain of salt or three:
If you're not being challenged & you're not growing from the performance opportunities, is it really that much of a risk/loss? That being said, if you know these folks & have a relationship, I'd try to assert yourself, propose some changes that would make the whole thing better (seems like having arrangements would be a good start!), volunteer to put in the effort to make these changes happen, and see if you get anywhere. If you do, great! If you don't... do you want to be a part of something you know is fundamentally flawed but which resists any efforts on your part to address those flaws? I'd tend to say no... in which case, maybe commute to Amarillo and see what's happening there, meet some new people, go on some adventures, etc. until something clicks?

Nice job. Glad some people still put care and thought into album titles that actually cause us to reflect on stale genre norms and force us to confront the Other inside each of us.

Also happy to see it finally released. It was a lot of fun writing some music for this album, hope y'all appreciate the hard work that went into it

This is the new soundtrack to my Legend of Zelda/Pulp Fiction crossover fanfic. "Know what they call a quarter-pounder in Gerudo?"

Gario pretty much nailed it, I think.  The connection to "Through the Valleys" is iffy, but it's a minuscule amount of the arrangement. Everything else plays out exactly as Gario said, including the sections of the main theme that appear in Skyrim but not Oblivion.  The melodies chosen are clear throughout, which doesn't always happen when working when either the source or the arrangement contains this much other stuff going on.  Even being borderline on the 50% stopwatch test, it's very clearly based on at least one of at least 3 sources throughout.  And the return to the main theme at the end was a beautiful, effective touch.
Strings are a tiny bit mechanical for a few brief moments, with some odd swells especially in the Watchman's Ease section, but it's barely worth mentioning.  Otherwise this pretty much nails the production.
Great arrangement with some powerful inspiration behind it.  I love it.
YES

Beautiful.  Top notch orchestration here.  As mentioned, some stops, but they seem to fit the arrangement.  A few Grave sections that felt a bit meandering, but when the Watchman's Ease melody hits at 4:00 I was brought right back home.  The humanization overall was very natural-sounding, loved it.  On the production side of things I have no qualms either, everything is clear and I didn't hear any issues.
Overall this is as solid as it gets.  On my first listen I thought the track was meandering a bit too much, but on the second I could get a grip of the pace you were going for and I observed many details that I had missed, making the experience much more enjoyable.  Great work here.
YES

HyperDuck Soundworks, yay! Love your work, in general, so it's a real treat to be hearing more from you.
The orchestration seems to be very well put together in this. Great humanization utilized throughout, and there's a great sense of space throughout the track. It takes its time with the sources, often opting to go for a slower, more atmospheric sound, though I can still hear some of the sources in the backing material.
It's going to take some time to parse the source from this in detail, though - the track is seven minutes long, and there are four sources, to boot. While this will pass on orchestration, humanization and overall production quality, it's going to take some time to parse the sources, unless the arranger is willing to help us a little, on that front.
EDIT: Alright, so this is what I've got from this. It's a bit tricky, as there are parts where there's quite a few sources meshed together as a wash of sound, and they're broken up into many pieces. I list a few moments in this source check, but... well, you'll know the parts when you hear them.
Arrangement    ||    Source
(Reign of the Septims / 0:51 - 1:06    ||    0:16 - 0:26
Dragonborne Theme)   1:06 - 1:19    ||    0:16 - 0:26
                                 1:46 - 1:58    ||    0:16 - 0:26
                                 2:07 - 2:21    ||    Elder Scrolls 5 Theme
                                 2:21 - 2:37    ||    Elder Scrolls 5 Theme
                                 3:02 - 3:32    ||    (Chords are 0:16 - 0:26 source)
                                 6:37 - 7:14    ||    0:16 - 0:26, Elder Scrolls 5 Theme
Through the Valleys     0:20 - 0:38    ||    0:00 - 0:06
                                 1:36 - 1:39    ||    0:00 - 0:06

Watchman's Ease        3:45 - 4:36    ||    0:00 - 0:47
                                 4:43 - 5:08    ||    0:48 - 1:12
Auriel's Ascention        5:14 - 5:16    ||    0:30 - 0:33
                                 5:27 - 5:29    ||    0:35 - 0:37
                                 6:00 - 6:25    ||    1:43 - 1:50
                                 6:25 - 6:35    ||    0:30 - 0:38
~248s Source
~447s Length
= ~55% Source usage
This is a very strict interpretation - only listing parts where I can directly hear the source. Again, there are a lot of moments that sound like there's source in it that I can't identify due to my lack of familiarity, and due to how it's integrated into the background texture. It LOOKS like a close case, but I think it has more than enough source, overall.
One thing that I have to point out is that the "Reign of the Spetims" source portions that are used sound quite close to the Skyrim version of the song - some of the portions only appearing in the Skyrim version. While it's pretty neat to see that Skyrim was borrowing it's themes from prior installments (I never played any game in the series), I think it is much more accurate to list the Skyrim version as the source instead.
Yeah, the source is used sufficiently, and it's used cleverly throughout. Great work, Chris! I always look forward to the music you produce and arrange.
YES

@TheChargingRhino This wasn't really helpful in any way, or relevant to the topic, and came off as arrogant. Best to chime in with something relevant to the thread; if it's a tangent of some kind, it shouldn't just be objecting to someone's claim made on the side, and then dropping your asserted perfect pitch in. I'm not sure you're aware of how that comes off, but it doesn't come off well.

I sure hope so. It's directly mentioned in the submission guidelines....
If you read the remainder, you can infer that a ReMix with minimal distortion, clipping, etc. are generally acceptable. There are many ocremixes with great dynamics. Several examples...
Orchestral:
 
Atmospheric (shameless plug for mine!)
 
Acoustic:
 
Cinematic:
 
Drum & Bass:
 
That covers many different genres of varying dynamics, each with considerably different mastering considerations. As long as your track reaches normal volumes, and the dynamic range is not really drastic (that your volume has to be adjusted mid-song) or really minimal or pushed (that distortion, clipping, overcompression, etc occurs), it's probably acceptable.