Dj Mokram

Here's a little arrange of Silent Hill 2 'True', also containing short leitmotifs from 'Theme of Laura Reprise', 'Promise Reprise' as well as 'Silent Hill theme' from SH1. First time I'm using guitar prominently in a remix (please don't kill me) and attempting to mix it with proper panning, etc. Not trying to fool any of the talented guitarists here of course. Just having a go at putting the fine work of OCR resident Sages, Seph and Josh to good use with this fun learning experiment. Hope it's enjoyable somehow, and happy Halloween season to y'all! 🎃 The main source arranged:

Here's an uplifting Hip-Hop / Breakbeat / World arrangement of 'Japonesque' from Shinobi 3 aka Super Shinobi 2. Just a little project I had fun with and wanted to share. Hope y'all get some enjoyment out of it. (^-^)/ Remix based on this source, composed by Hirofumi Murasaki:

Still listening to PSO Mini Mix on the regular, so I'm happy to see ya revisit this classic. It's a nice change of pace to see you put an exposed guitar at the forefront without your usual processing/FX chain. It solidifies the relaxing summer vibe of this arrange while the voice clip adds that extra nostalgia anchor. Also partial to your wonderful artwork, as HUnewearl hunter was my fav chara design from the orginal PSO. \(^-^)/

The combination of jazz and asian-flavored melody/percussion is done with subtlety and style. FeiLong voice sample is a nice touch too. That bassline is so groovy as well. <3

Excluding the Seiken 2 and 3 remakes, this is the first new main entry Mana game since 2006. It does takes a good few pages from Granblue Fantasy Relink, but that's a good thing. As a fan of this series, I can't wait for Aug 29th! 🎇

As a Koshiro stan, how could I say no? 😉

'Dawn by the River' is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful character creation theme ever composed. Soothing, evocative, letting your mind wander strategizing about the adventures that awaits. As a sharp contrast, your arrange wastes no time and throws the listener into an intense, life or death battle. Your signature roaring guitar lead and frenetic backing leave no room for doubt as we embark on a role-playing journey of monumental proportions. Around the 1:00 mark things slowly wind down to a more mellow direction, with a soundscape reminiscent of the source, all the while switching to a more moody, almost melancholic style of metal. Then Starleeter makes her entrance with her own beautiful, haunting impression of the original lyrics and her own unique vocal performance. Soon, the time comes for our two heroes to join forces in a whirlwind of energy and emotion made all the more impactful by the sheer contrast of Ariane's mesmerizing voice and the return of Dustin's brutal shreddage. Like ice and fire, antipodes yet a perfect match. Just when you think the peak's of the remix's been reached, the duo goes yet further, in both intensity and range, concluding with a soaring guitar solo that places these two artist not down by the river, but atop the highest summit, towering above before a final accapella accompanies the last decaying guitar note, to let our minds wander to the far reaches of the Forgotten Realms. Thank you both for making and sharing your own vision of this tune. It truly made my day. :)

Glad you didn't waste any time turning that cool concept into a full remix. I can hear the melody much more clearly now, and the sidechaining is less aggressive without affecting low-end presence. Still digging the background voices that add character to the track. Overall this is a joy to listen to, tho I kept waiting for your signature chord-swap to roll-in. Wish you used a little more of the source, but this works wonders for the section you've chosen to arrange. Thanks for sharing as always Ruku. ✨

If life permits I'll jingle dem bells. 🎄

Ok, here's the edit with only 'Underground zone' parts, but some voice clips from Sonic Unleashed too (which original remix was choke full of): https://app.box.com/s/qgweqg79zhxstq9ue13xwixid3ds4to3 Btw, if you're interested in checking all the amazing mash-ups that came out of that compo, the album is here: http://www.darkesword.com/sonic/music/szrc-complete.zip

Dude, that paraglider level was something else. Rain above, spikes below, no rings, questionable controls. GOTY 1992. xD Aqua Lake had pretty great music and so did Sky High zone. Green Hill was a bit meh compared to the Megadrive version tho. I don't think Undaground Zone is hard to arrange in a modern way. Case in point I did a mash up of it with Chu Nan from Sonic Word like a decade ago for the Sonic Zone compo, in the style of Platinum's Vanquish by Masafumi Takada. If you're curious I can try to do an edit of it with only the Sonic 2 GG parts, and update this post with a link.

This sounds to me like you didn't need any help reaching that finish line after all. 👏 Time to airdrop this baby into the judge's den and wait for the fireworks. ✈️🎇

Hey Queenie. Glad your hiatus was brief and I hope you're feeling better today. ☺️ Last review I held back the stats, but there's an issue in this version I need to address right off the bat: you've got at least 14 instances of clipping and a sample peak of 0db ...on an unmastered track. Your master is gonna brick wall something fierce unless you do some gain-staging and leave headroom for dynamics, which are critical in an orchestra piece. I'd advise toning down the busy chorus part at 2:53, especially in relation to the previous section as the crescendo leading to it is pretty succinct/sudden. Speaking of, the Evil Glockenspiel was tamed but alas not vanquished. It remains overbearing during said chorus despite being noticeably quieter, yet still louder than everything else, detracting from the impact of that section. And while you took the time to make the composition less complex so every element can now shine, this also puts an additional spotlight on the Glock here. Easy fix tho: just drop a few dBs on it and let the orchestra be the dominant feature. I'd even suggest omitting some notes at intervals on that leitmotiv, to give it humanization. The last section still has some dissonance and note-clashing between 4:11~4:35, though I'd love for it to be entirely intentional, cause it adds a unique twist of uneasiness that confers character to the remix. Those small complaints aside, you pretty much addressed most gripes I had before, so props on the outstanding effort. 👍✨ Gotta say, I admire the pugnacity with which you fought for your creative ideas, but am also glad you went back and tinkered to fix issues pointed out by everyone. I respect your desire to claim this victory all by yourself and wear your crown with pride in front of the panel, but if you need help ironing out last kinks or with orch mastering, don't hesitate to hit me up. Good luck polishing this diamond to a shine. 👑💎

This goes hard! Direct sampling is gon' get ya the ire of judges, but I 100% get what you're going for. You flipped that mofo pretty gud, tho the sub is a bit outta control, accentuated by the machinegun triplet. Loving the Drill hats and lingering 808, grooving in sync with the source. It's a joint fo sho, but you already know it ain't gon' be to everyone's taste. Hope you keep working on this Seth. Peace.

This is quite a bold take on the source material, though a bit safe arrangement wise, which is fine by me. The instrument choice/craft give rise to an authentic Italo-disco experience. I wasn't shocked by the amount of bass, which imho is a-propos as a defining feature of the genre. Likewise with the sound quality/character of the synths, which are intently vintage, thus enhancing the feel you're going for. You might wanna introduce some variation as you expand the remix, as the source material gets repetitive like a lot of tunes from the era. But Italo-disco tend to also cruise on, so be extra careful not to make your arrangement redundant in the process. And of course have fun. :)

The metal/funk hybrid is an interesting direction and very fitting for the source. Loving the organs. The intro and early section appears to have an identity crisis of sorts, in spite of being quite fun to listen to. The arrangement seems to reach its most engaging and steady form starting from 2:15 onward, which if you're looking to extend/double the remix duration, could work as a gateway point between two halves of the arrangement. I won't comment on prod as I personally prefer to finish writing the song before focusing on the mixing process. But as mentioned I did enjoy this freeform jam of my favorite song from Sonic 2 GG, with the Boss Battle being a close second. Looking forward to where you take this next. (^-^)

Here's a Hip-Hop/Electro arrangement of mostly 'Wood' and a little bit of 'Ruby' (just the ending) from Blocks That Matter. Originally released on the official remix album 'Reworks That Matter' which was directed by the game's composer Morusque/Nurykabe. This version is an edit I did recently, slightly shorter than the original and focusing on the more rhythmical parts of the remix. The mixing has been redone and a few touch ups have been made. My inspiration for the first half was the soundtrack from the anime Full Metal Panic, and the second half was inspired by the soundtrack from ArtePiazza's Opoona. Hopefully it's enjoyable even if you're not familiar with this fun indie puzzler. ☺️ It's a really joyful and creative soundtrack. I'll link the sources below if you're interested. <3

Can't emphasis this nearly enough, this is worth more than a dozen paid online courses! Where else you gonna get tailored advice on your remixes by community veterans, judges and even the mighty LT, in live and direct? If you're enthusiastic about VGM, arrangement and music production, come hang with knowledgeable and kindhearted people, learn a thing or twenty and go home a winner. ?

Like many here, I owe so much to this compo. T'was a tremendous proving ground to help develop musicianship and meet amazing artists, but also a beacon of hope encouraging me to come back to music times and again in spite of hardships. ? If you feel like keeping the flame alive once a year, that would be awesome and mighty kind of you. I'll most definitely partake. ✨

There's not much that can be added on top of the stellar critiques you've received so far, and I won't bore you with technical FFT analysis and stats. Imma just tell ya how I feel about the arrange, and of course take it all with a bucket of salt cuz I'm nobody and this is just my unimportant opinion. ? It's refreshing to hear a take on 'Blizzard Buffy' that isn't the usual fast paced EDM or Metal. The 'meandering' nature of the piece is part of the charm, and I believe you've achieved a cohesive wintery aesthetic coherent with the theme of the album. The slow building intro and winding outro, on top of setting up the scene properly, also showcase an eye for worldbuilding and composition. As someone who both partake in and appreciate the work that goes into an audiodrama, I give ya props for going the extra mile and adding Buffy's stomps and groans to add context to the arrangement in a way that surely fits this 'filmscore' interpretation. Now let's talk address the elephant in the room, 3 times heavyweight champion: Mr Glockenspiel. While a fitting instrument choice to an Xmas theme, it has been processed in a way that boosts its natural resonance beyond what a human ear is designed to contain ?. It may or may not be due to the sample itself, but I suspect toning down the salad dressing on the ol' glock would remedy this small, if pivotal inconvenience. One thing that would greatly help this remix stand out, especially in regard to the genre you're going for, would be to work on strengthening bridges between parts of the track. The piece as a whole proves you've got the arrangement chops to make this a hit. But each transition feels like an afterthought, almost as if you were ice skating from one part of the source to the next. It's never jarring, but if you put the same care/thought into them as you did for the intro and outro, this could truly elevate the whole song. ? The bombastic middle section from 2:35 onwards sees the return of our favorite superhero, Captain Glockenspiel, which once again shatters my heart by dancing without a care on top of an entire orchestra that is trying its best to convey the source material. It's a bummer because you've clearly put all the stops for this part, and imho this is legitimately well done. But that repeating leitmotiv on glock should be a background dancer, not the vocaloid Diva it's trying to impersonate. I'd also push the thunderous percs back slightly, as they seem to impact overall dynamics, and to let the orchestra breathe so the source melody can properly dominate the soundscape during the fulcrum point, one of the only instance where the audience can hear your interpretation in an uninterrupted sequence. The last section before the outro features a kick that's (I'm guessing) intentionally simulating a heartbeat and its acceleration as the piece/fight reaches its conclusion. It feels estranged and anachronistic to the rest of the conventional orchestra instruments. Also its overpowering the lows, as any Trap kick should, except in this case the sample's character is clashing with an already busy composition while trying to compensate for the orch lows you didn't write. Otherwise, that section is a wonderful way to wind down before the outro. All in all, this is a captivating arrangement that confidently tells its story in a brave yet understated way. It only needs a little more love to reach its full potential, and I'm confident you'll get there in no time, with all the great feedback from remixers and staff alike. Gambare VQ! ?

Quoted for emphasis.This is pretty much a reality in the web/dev sector already. Now with voice cloning, music industry majors won't hesitate to copy-paste an artist voice and generate a fictional appearance to broadcast to billions for 1/100 of the cost. Fake AI-fluencers are already fooling hundred of thousand of 'perfectly sane' human beings. Likewise in the game industry. None of the execs cutting massive corners, firing humans in droves mass-exodus style, will think twice about pushing a button if it can instantly generate an entire game's soundtrack (or a full game, period) for a fraction of the cost/time it would take a philharmonic orchestra to do so. And they will still sell it full price. And people will still buy it. TLDR: let's all enjoy the 'good times' while AI drinks up the oceans and turns the planet into a giant desert, for fun and profit. ??

Same proverbial boat as Emu, Flex and CtW. It's a cool idea that might get me out of the retirement home for misunderstood remixers, hopefully before the next solar eclipse. ??? Gonna tentatively claim 'Onimusha Dawn of Dreams'.

Opening both the 2012 and 2024 versions side by side in an audio editor, you can tell from the waveform data alone how much extra effort had been poured into this remix for over a decade. Let's listen! ? On the prod aspect of things, I ran analysis with a Blackman-Harris function, both 128 and 512bins on linear and logarithmic scale, to positive results. Spectrum analysis didn't make me fall off my camel either, you've got nice stereo separation and likewise no alarming RMS. However I counted more than a 150 clipped samples throughout, which might be related to that enthusiastic -12.23db LUFS integrated with a 6LU loudness range (accounting for DC offset as well). Either slightly limit your master bus output just to be safe, or keep rocking the '0db sample peak' lifestyle. Up to you. ? Arrangement-wise, there's been massive improvements in texture, sound choices, dynamics and overall balance from your 2012 original, pioneering mashup. Melodies are less muted, the mix sounds clearer throughout and the soundscape is so much fuller now. Imho, your greatest success here is instilling new life and movement into the piece, making this revision much more engaging to listen to. Case in point the first section from 0:15 to 1:00, where the industrial percussions have increased in presence and intensity compared to the 2012 version. But conversely, the source's melody is also more prominent and distinct during that part, which creates an interesting contrast, rather than an irritating dichotomy. The second section from 1:15 has undergone a shocking transformation, where the melodic material used to timidly defer to the classic Roland drum kit, but is now emboldened and confidently riding shotgun with the rhythmic bed from 1:32 to 2:05, before the eerie, melancholic twist of the original remix metamorphoses into an array of decisive stabs complemented by surgical percussion hits, which now makes the 2:05-2:38 section hugely more climactic. As for the ending section from 2:40 onward, I applaud the pivotal choice to swap instruments for the lead which confers it an exotic yet contemporary quality, meshing beautifully with the thunderous drums in this dreamy yet tangible soundscape.? There's a lot of subtlety and detail about this arrangement that people hopefully will notice and appreciate. Like in spite of the whole remix being centered around a repeating leitmotif and written with a singular sound palette, you can distinguish the theme associated with each source in relation to its time period and cultural inclination. Which to this day remains a testament to your ability as an arranger to assimilate material from different sources, then interpret them with both cohesiveness and distinction. I can still revell in the care that went into creating this ambient/industrial tribute with delightful Deus Ex influences, yet I also realize that such flavor might not suit everyone's tastes, and might be looked down upon in some leet circles... In any case, it's wonderful to see you revisit and reinvigorate this old work in such an elegant fashion, so many years later. I can only commend your diligence and consistency in the pursuit of this ideal, in the spirit of Ryu Hayabusa. May this labour of love capture the judges' hearts and ears, just as it captured mine back on Game Duels. This truly made my day, thanks for sharing this Eino. ?✨

Would love to jingle the bell once more, if life permits.

Congrats to @Souperion and @TheVideoGamer! Amazing entries from everyone (Hleet included) and many thanks for the feedback as always. Now what delicious, third rate remixes am I gonna cook with the brand spanking new wooden spoon Bundeslang graciously awarded me? xD