GrayLightning
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Posts posted by GrayLightning
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DJP has reservations about this - Vig and DJP need to weigh in on this.
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No, but I mean, we used to have a sticky specifically titled "What hardware/software should I start out with," and it no longer exists.
Blame the one who truncated the board!
GT, board was accidentally pruned by djp a while ago in preparation for the forum migration.
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Moved to the remixing forum.
The forum was designed to be all inclusive with regards to actual music related discussion.
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This is probably one of the best Mazedude mixes I've heard in a while.
I still have some issues with the bland production, but this is a lot more sophisticated and better presented than the other stuff he's sent in as of late.
I thought the ending was a bit cheap though - and I don't care much for the voice over effects throughout in general.
All in all though, very capable arrangement and interesting sound choices (inspite of the hit or miss quality issues). Quality mix. YES
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This is above our file size requirements. Please read the submission page: http://www.ocremix.org/about/?artid=4
First of all, OutRun and it's music were awesome. GT fans can suck it.
As far as the mix, kudos for mixing this theme. But there's a laundry list of issues here.
It sounds like you had fun cooking this mix up, and that's all well and good, but from the OCR standards perspective this definitely needs more expansion, personalization. The structure here is too similar to the original other than the steel drum section. That part is ridiculously robotic and quantized sounding. I do love what you were doing at that part though, very fun stuff.
It's also overly long and repetitive.
Yeah everything is over-reverbed. Everything sounds like it's in the back of the hall. The sound quality is lacking big time, as are the samples. The effects processing isn't very high quality either.
Generic and basic mix, that's not anywhere ready to see primetime status on OCR I'm afraid. But it's a pretty fun and decent mix. You beat your brother so I'm sure mission accomplished as far as that goes.
If you want to continue to progress and get posted at OCR though, this needs a lot of work. As suggested and let me reiterate, you should visit and lurk at least in our WIP/Completed forums as well as the Remixing forum.
NO
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This is above our file size requirements. Please read the submission page: http://www.ocremix.org/about/?artid=4
Very mechanical and robotic sequencing. Much of the sounds lack any definition even when isolated. It sounds almost lofi. There are better free soundfonts than this.
The first two minutes were really problematic. But I did like it a lot more once the string ensemble/pads started to enter the picture.
As to be expected, I love the synth bells and chromatic bells in this mix. I wish you sequenced them a bit better though. They and the other elements sound so jerky due to the mechanical sequencing.
I did really like how you segued from that to the electronic section though. Nice processing start to finish. But beyond that it was a little messy both compositionally and in production. I do love the retro lead synths in this too, especially near the end parts..
Neat ideas that unfortunately aren't capitalized on due to poor sequencing and lack of polish. I really wish you'd consider resubmitting this with major work done to clean this up.
Keep working at it. NO
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I wonder, I think Israfel might enjoy that source tune.
I actually like it, it has a neat middle ages sound to it.
The arrangement itself is really straightforward with some minor embellishments in the composition. This really needs more personalization and expansion.
Production is plain jane too - but it's serviceable.
But really without the arrangement work or production edge, I'm not sure where this generally excels at. Not bad, but not up to the bar either. Hope to hear more from you though, possibly with a major rework of this mix if that is agreeable to you. But NO as is.
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Voted at the same time.
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The mix is too straight-forward. I'd like to hear more evolution done to the piece.
This is also incredibly repetitive and is riddled with questionable notes.
I hear some production issues too with either clipping or crackling. This thing is swamped in delay and reverb.
Sorry but this is a downgrade of the original. It's decent mind you, but more work needs to be paid to the complexity, direction, and production. I really like the style and instrumentation you have here. The ambient/soundscape nature is nice, but please work on the polish of this mix. It's just sloppy at this point.
Keep at it. NO
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I don't think it's as uninterpretive as larry suggests, but I do agree it's way too straight-forward and conservative.
This needs more personal interpretation brought into the mix. Also the sequencing of most of the instruments need work.
I did enjoy the section at 1:55, but otherwise it goes back to the same passages as before.
There's some minor work done here, but to pass the standards bar this needs significant work.
Production in general is very basic. Basic samples, no production values, poor reverb design. etc.
Ending was a bit of a cop-out too.
Decent work. I suggest you post this in our WIP/Completed forum to get further feedback on this mix or future mixes before submitting. Keep at it.
NO
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There's a difference between dynamics and just plain low mixing.
This is too quiet.
Yeah I know. But I've heard a lot of classical pieces where the entire piece is not only lacking in dynamics but also very very quiet, depending on the recording/mic distance etc.
If one looks at the waveform, a majority of this mix hovers in the -22 db RMS range. A lot of classical recordings can actually be far quieter. It's not unusual for a lot of classical recordings to hover in the -30 to -40 db range.
I remember listening to one Chicago Symphony Orchestra recording where I had to raise my volume level 3-4x to even barely hear the entire thing.
I want to know who they hired to master that one.I too would have mixed this louder as I said in my vote, but, what's here doesn't bother me enough considering my above statement.
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That's one sub rule, but DJP's main rule on the topic is what I quoted above, secondarily djp just told me now when I brought this mix up "<djpretzel> I don't think people are getting the 50% production 50% arrangement thing." We've discussed this before. What's so hard to get?
These are the site's mission statements.
Anyway, I've asked DJP to weigh in on this topic finally, as once again the panel seems to be in disarray.
Not disarray; disagreement.
Diction ftw.
From my perspective people are confused as how to interpret djp's guideline - especially larry.
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F4T4L pissed on himself? No wonder he keeps losing at poker.
I must say I didn't enjoy this one at first blush at all, but after going back and forth with the source file I appreciated this one a lot more.
I think you had some good ideas brought to the able, but I still think overall it's a simple arrangement as even noted by zircon. I actually thought your last submission was stronger than this one. This just sounds vanilla to me. The synths, synth design, processing, automation and production just sound generic.
I'd have loved to have heard this with further work done on that aspect, as well as more work done on the composition and arrangement side of things.
I also thought the drumwork lent itself to the mix sounding more repetitive, even due to the genre restrictions and style you're going for.
For me there's no hook in this mix, no escalation, no evolution. It's not a bad mix by any means, but run of the mill comes to mind. I know you're a lot better than this personally. I've heard some good material out of you and have seen how you've improved some of SirNuts' mixes to a great degree, but this just comes off as basic to me. It's a NO I'm afraid.
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That's one sub rule, but DJP's main rule on the topic is what I quoted above, secondarily djp just told me now when I brought this mix up "<djpretzel> I don't think people are getting the 50% production 50% arrangement thing." We've discussed this before. What's so hard to get?
These are the site's mission statements.
Anyway, I've asked DJP to weigh in on this topic finally, as once again the panel seems to be in disarray.
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Well I think this is a bit too loud. I'm starting to think Roe's ears are either damaged from listening to overly loud music or his volume settings are messed up and his monitoring equipment are giving him a false impression, because all his stuff is OVER THE TOP LOUD.
However it's better handled here, and in this context it does work better. I still think it's a bit much, but unlike his other mixes it's not that problematic. I still think it's too much, but then again, so is this syle.
The cyms that larry is complaining about are fine on my side. The treble issue has reared its ugly head again for larry.
My main beef here is the guitar. It sounds ugly. The sample itself is good, but whatever Roe did as far as processing ruins it... But I suppose that could be personal taste. The distortion on it also sounds ugly. Sounds very cheap and crunchy. UGLY! I have a feeling Vig might throw up if he heard this.
But the sequencing and concepts are generally ace here. The bass and drum work is great! Close, very close. But I'd like to hear this tweaked. A bit less compressed, levels reduced a bit and better processing done on the guitar which is such a star role of this mix that it deserves better treatment than say Chronodyne Marine where the guitars weren't as much of a focal point.
Shifting from b-yes to Very borderline NO.
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I still don't reconcile a sophisticated 2A03 chiptune approach with being a guidelines violation. If production somehow leaves "much to be desired" (which I don't even remotely agree with here as it is), then a stellar arrangement should be able to get by regardless and that's what this is.
Yes but how is this different than the precedent set by Figaro which was a no? And the law of the land as far as this genre is concerned, given what djp said?
Also your statement about mere sound choices is absolutely wrong. It's not mere sound choices that is the problem. It's the total lack of production.
To quote DJP in our Figaro vote:
Alright, here's the deal: arrangement and production both boil down to a number of decisions, good or bad, an individual ReMixer has to make when putting together a mix. When you choose genres like gabber, happy hardcore, and in this case chiptune, you place a limit on the number of decisions you can make. Period. No one's saying you can't like the sound of NSFs, but part of ReMixing as we've defined it is instrumentation, panning, mixing, DSP, etc., and regardless of whether it sounds pleasing or not, the control and decisions a mixer makes when working with chiptunes are greatly reduced.So in this Espergirl mix, beyond it's many production , etc issues it's in MONO. And this is all fine with you?
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This has a lot more intricacies and complexities than figaro from an execution standpoint. But compositionally I don't think this is even in the same league, nor in the league of your SOM Dueling Consoles mix which even though I no'd, I did like.
While the chiptune aspect of this is definitely improved in some ways, I still feel this is unbalanced as far as the OCR standards go, as per my Figaro vote. Overall I don't think this is as complex, interesting or as spirited as your SOM mix from the actual core composition. If this had the same panache and execution, I'd be more inclined towards this despite the production issues.
If I had to pick which of the two was stronger, I think overall Figaro was the better of these two. Even though it's obvious you are learning more about the style/genre per your letter. Kudos for that, at the end of the day that is the most important thing.
Still, some nice ideas being expressed here. But the limitations, precedents, and imbalance between the two main categories - I don't see enough here to outweigh the other concerns so it's a NO from me I'm afraid.
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Loudness can be a bad thing, but it depends on the context and how it was compressed/etc details. Honestly I could write a book on it but don't feel like it right now.
I suggest checking electronicmusician.com and other sites on this topic. But the short answer is it depends. My main concern is I hope you all at least double checked against the source file to compare. I'm getting a vibe that only larry did...
Anyway listening to it now... will edit shortly.
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Ok so where's the sourcetune? Is it me or was larry the only one who mentioned anything about the arrangement comparison?
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Yeah StarWars stuff would be mixed far stronger than this one. This sounds more classical than anything with the quietness. Although the one strong dynamic build towards the end was a good one, the climax could have been stronger and bolder.
This mix has a lot of flaws, the orchestration isn't all there, but this was put together expertly and despite what it's missing in my book is as good, if not better than some of what we have in our latest 10 on the frontpage.
Flawed, but admirable. Great ideas and thoughtful execution. I wouldn't feel comfortable noing this. YES
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Hmm, we have NO'd some mixers like Bladiator for problematic recordings or production. Granted the arrangement in this compensates.
I think Vig summed up my feelings on this perfectly as far as the content of what he said.
I don't think it's there yet personally and I will however vote NO due to my reservations and to be the dissenting vote, but as I was borderline I won't comment further or have an issue if it passes.
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This is definitely on the right track.
I too still feel the instrumentation and sequencing is too rigid with really no humanization.
Piano sounds nice, I'd add just a little more reverb on that.
The sax is bland! This needs delay or reverb to give it some more interesting color, also it has no tail. I'd like to see some processing on that.
Some parts of the mix feel really, really sparse. I'd like to hear more supporting instrumentation outside the piano. During the piano only sections (outside the middle parts which is fine) things sounded very vacant and one dimensional in my view.
I thought the structure and pacing felt very repetitive though. It felt like I was listening to small sections over and over and over and over. Maybe I'm imagining things. Also the mix is still lacking dynamics for this genre it would help. It's like flatline all the way through.
Great ideas and arrangement, keep working on the polish though. Borderline NO.
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Uh, you posted this in the public Judge Decisions forum as an announcement. Moved to the to the to-be-judged forum.
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Hmm, I'm very borderline on this. Probably borderline NO. Some great ideas here but I don't know about the execution. I'm really borderline on this.
The production is definitely nothing to write home about though. It sounds monoish, distant and over-reverbed by some cheap reverb. The sample itself is ok though.
I'd like to see what you guys think and perhaps can convice me otherwise.
Further vote later.
#ocrwip - Get real-time feedback on your tracks via IRC
in Post Your Game ReMixes!
Posted
Ok, I made this a sticky and a poll so hopefully the autoprune won't touch it.