Unununium

This mix is built using only the first half (15 seconds) of the source (30 seconds total). The second half of the source is a bit more musically interesting than the first, and I wish it was represented in this mix. I think the process of integrating it could have inspired some original variations, but as it stands, the only original components of this mix are the beat (which is nice, don't get me wrong) and the instrument choices. Perhaps Stevie-Keyz could try revisiting this one...? The soundtrack has a lot of interesting stings and fanfares that may also be fun to incorporate and improvise upon. Just grab the NSF and listen all the way through.

The post format widgets (e.g. bold button, smilies) are misbehaving in Firefox (Aurora 17.0a2 (2012-09-12)). They worked fine the last time I checked (a few months ago). They do nothing when clicked, and the <textarea> appears unformatted using a fixed-width font. Did something change on the site, or is this a regression in the browser? The behavior in Chrome 21.0.1180.89 m is better but still not optimal. The <textarea> is unformatted, but the buttons work; they do so by inserting the markup (e.g. [ B ] sans spaces) directly in the displayed text. Chrome users, is it the same for you? Everything works fine in MSIE 9.0.8112.16421.

Works in Chrome 21.0.1180.89 m, but still not Aurora nor MSIE. I just checked.

I notice Geno is still there, so either it's an oversight or copyright isn't the entirety of the issue, that is to say, the sole criterion.

The "Play Preview" buttons on the song pages don't work at the moment, verified with Firefox 17.0a2 (a.k.a. Aurora) and MSIE 9. I checked several song pages, and they all had the same issue. Using Firebug to replace the <div id="divytplayer"> wrapper with the <object id="ytplayer"> itself makes it display and play right, so the issue appears to be in the way it's being hidden.

Maybe Square-Enix objects to us displaying a copyrighted image belonging to them and calling it a mascot since lawyer-types could construe that as us claiming Square is endorsing our site. Moreover, we collect revenue through banner advertisements and fundraisers, and the argument could be made that both are boosted by the presence of Square's imagery on our site, yet our use of said imagery is unauthorized and we don't share any of the revenue with them. Shrug! Maybe that all changes now. Maybe the removal of the images is temporary until a licensing agreement is in place, similar to the suspension of the Kickstarter fundraiser. Yeah yeah, speculation... We'll just have to wait and see. I'm just arguing that it's not really all that dumb to remove the images.

I believe what Derek is trying to say is,

To be fair to Kickstarter, the original deadline has already passed, so resurrecting the pledge drive now will surely confuse a lot of people who are expecting that their credit cards, etc. aren't going to be charged. All donors would have to be contacted individually to obtain their consent. The easiest and best way to do this would be to start a new Kickstarter drive, giving everyone an opportunity to "opt-in" again using the normal mechanism. However, it would be nice to send out a mass mailing or such to all previous donors to let them know that we're back in business. Kickstarter may not have this facility.

I imagine this will be itemized in the Kickstarter writeup so that people know what they're paying for.

Thanks for the update! I am SOOOO ready to donate again!

If I remember correctly, one or two thousand were to go to the project itself since some tracks were expected to cost some money to produce; maybe a choir needed to be hired or something. I dunno. The rest of the $15k was to go to the production and distribution of physical CDs as well as to any other prizes, perhaps a making-of DVD or whatever. But the ~$60k overflow beyond that? Where could it possibly go other than to the site itself?

If I may be so bold as to respond to my own post, let me hazard a guess about what it may be that I'm missing. Maybe the music isn't the issue at all; Fair Use covers it adequately, and it really is the case that no one is willing to sue us over our arrangement activities. The issue could be nothing more than the fact that we were fundraising in SE's name and using their properties to attract beaucoup donations to support our site. Again, nothing to do with the music. I dunno, just making a guess here. Like has been said repeatedly, the music will be made no matter what happens with the Kickstarter.

I know you're speaking in generalities here, not specifically about the FF6 project. So, generally speaking, would royalties/license fees apply only to distribution of physical media, or would they also be compelled for online distribution of music files? If the latter, would that restrict further redistribution? Let's say OCR has a fund for paying royalties per download, and the fund is periodically replenished by fundraisers and/or good investment strategies. That's all well and good for the initial download, but then fans share the downloaded music amongst themselves; include it in derivative works such as re-remixes, compilations, YouTube videos, and school projects; DJ it at clubs; and broadcast it on electromagnetic and Internet radio. Could fans be exposed to legal challenges for failure to pay license fees to the video game companies? If so, at first glance it would seem nice if they could also tap into the OCR fund, but I fear there's potential for abuse, plus it would be burdensome to tally the number of times any given track has been redistributed across all forms of media. Consider the torrents. I see absolutely no way to monitor their use aside from logging *.torrent downloads from bt.ocremix.org and guessing that each such download amounts to one download of each file in the torrent and that no one will ever mirror or otherwise redistribute the *.torrent files or make magnet links. Also, might it be possible that these restrictions apply only to tracks that include music from certain game companies? That could further complicate matters. Would OCR have to make arrangements with every game company, or only with those who contact OCR first? (Might this current episode with SE encourage others to come knocking?) Some tracks contain only brief quotations, and some tracks arrange work from multiple game companies (e.g. Livin' Large! softly plays around a dozen notes from FF9; the rest is from a VERY different game, incidentally from a company that no longer exists); how's that counted? Determining where the money needs to go could become a chore as difficult as obtaining the money in the first place or deciding how much of it needs to be disbursed. Do you happen to know how these concerns apply outside of music? I'm thinking of cosplay, web comics, fan fiction, fan artwork, and dōjinshi featuring video game characters. OCR and myriad others hope original copyright holders decline to sue and instead prefer to reap free publicity and goodwill. Our current situation suggests that tossing gobs of money into the mix upsets that fragile dynamic. We claim to be protected by Fair Use, but as ebuch says, it's a defense; even though we may prevail in court, we still have to get the lawyers involved. I find it rather telling that many fan sites say "please don't sue" in their "legal" disclaimer. I'd prefer to have a stronger legal foundation than trusting the copyright holders' kindness and PR sense. I really hope I'm just blowing this out of proportion. If so, please explain to me what I'm missing.

Hey Brandon, remember when katethegreat19's YouTube account was hacked and everyone said nothing could be done about it? But then Liontamer and friends were able to work directly with YouTube to restore everything? Yeah. Just hold tight.

If you'll permit my speculation, let me build on this by saying that it's very likely Kickstarter pulled the fundraiser on their own without having received any contact from Square in order to avoid any legal exposure. If this is indeed the case, resuming the Kickstarter fundraiser would require convincing them that this project isn't violating copyright. One way to do that would be to get Square to endorse the project (even at a very low level, sending a letter saying it's okay), but I would not want to establish the precedent that such endorsement (either free or paid-for) is required for rearrangement. The other way is to directly persuade Kickstarter that this is a legal thing to do. I'm not a lawyer, but I fear OCReMix's FAQ statement on this matter isn't sufficiently convincing. If anyone has a better way to legally justify what we do here, I'd love to see it, and I think it should go in the FAQ.

I'd rather not establish a precedent whereby we have to pay for rights in order to arrange music which we post online for free. Hasn't this ground already been covered?

The page for "Cutman's Lullaby" (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01953/) is broken. Accessing it results in this error: Other pages work fine, as far as I can tell.

Old bug. This works now. Typing "Command & Conquer" goes to this page, which works: http://ocremix.org/quicksearch/game/?qs_query=command+%26+conquer

Cool, thanks for the update! I'll be sure to mark my calendar. ;^) Regarding the name, don't you mean Trauermärsche?

Thank you for turning your attention to ! I always liked that track, such power, such menace! In my opinion, any treatment of Kefka is incomplete without it. Kefka's is an expression of his twisted personality, showing his whimsy and his malice as two sides of the same coin, evoking both sympathy and revulsion. Last Dungeon bypasses any such apology and goes straight for the reality: his very existence is an unmitigated disaster of incomparable proportions, and he must be eradicated without hesitation. As such, it also speaks of the bravery of his opposition's champions. The two interpretations are inseparable, since the main characters are molded into heroes by the conflict between their individual qualities and Kefka's madness. In a sense, Kefka created them so they could destroy him for the good of all.Enough about my interpretation of the original... Your track seems to take things in a slightly different direction, which is of course a big part of OCReMix. The wild strings and the variable pacing create a moaning, wailing quality, like the screams of the tortured, though you temporarily resolve this back to the measured, militaristic cadence of the original, about which I've already written. So your version perhaps combines both aspects, which is appropriate because this isn't a video game, it's pure music. It has to say more, it explains itself without visual aids. It's also free to move between themes in a way that a video game can only do in a cutscene. As for the performance (let's call it that)... to my uneducated ears, it's as good as live. I know from your previous work that it's all samples shaped by hand, but that's just knowledge. As I listen, what I feel is entirely at odds with what I know, and what I feel is that it's live, that you have a private symphony orchestra, exceptionally talented and disciplined, and they're being played for all they're worth by a director who doesn't hesitate to make them sweat blood and lay bare their souls. In conclusion:

I love this mix very very much, but I have one question. What happened to the high note at 1:31?

Boba Fett originated in the Holiday Special.

Strobe light + attic + nature + disco = Das Birdhaüs

NOOOOOO! (Well, maybe now I can win.) Absolutely! I had an amazing time last year, not only because I got to meet djpretzel, Bladiator, liontamer, Israfel and sis, and Rey Jimenez, but also from all the indescribable non-OCR SGC'ness. I'm especially looking forward to seeing Keith Apicary again. :^) Also, brentalfloss will be there, for a different brand of VGM wizardry. Nolan Bushnell!