GrayLightning
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Posts posted by GrayLightning
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5. Donkey Kong Country 'Strolling The Mines'
YES - samples original instruments playing original notes verbatim; mostly original song otherwise
I need to get these mp3s this weekend. But I heard this before DJP posted it. Someone explain exactly what "samples original instruments means." I know what it means literally, but what does it mean in this context? Granted it's been 6 or something months since I heard it, but I don't remember such violations.
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Really annoying audio crackle at 2:58, especially on headphones. Though I suppose that's nitpicking. As long as it doesn't affect the whole mix or in too many instances it's passable.
This is quite good overall. Good orchestration all around. Production values are well above passable. I have no reason to decline this.
YES
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I love this, it reminds me of sting/police. Will comment more on this later. Without a question, YES.
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As someone who loves and does very liberal arrangements, I have to say this is way beyond any bounds of an OC arrangement. It's too drastic a change. The chords and melody is just way too different, and difficult to follow. If even we in the panel have a hard time distinguishing it, then there's very little chance for the average listener.
I found the style of this piece brilliant though. It reminds me of Mario Kart music. Production here is very average also.
Cool piece, but too different for me. NO
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Well I think protricity and liontamer have pretty much summed up my views on this mix. (Except the notation term part).
Nice mix, but way too overdrawn, especially in the beginning and there's too many questionable notes for my taste. I do like the trance section later on when it develops. I suggest building on that or making the piece shorter and focusing on the best parts of the mix. Also I found the mix really muddy - especially those saws.
Borderline No.
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I have some issues with this mix. For a mix of this style it feels really plodding especially in the beginning. Second main issue is the lack of presence of the vocals. It seems to wash with the background. This is personal taste, but I just wish it stood out better, with it being drier, and some more compression and better EQ.
Yeah there's problems here, but the interesting arrangement and the way it's all put together is still solid in my book. I really like the instrument selection. The koto is particularly a cool one for this type of mix. Cool bassline. Fun.
YES
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Prot: Alex sent you his sheet music?
Here we go again.
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Public Service Announcement
Beware of OCR's lolita lover, the Wingless.
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I kind of wish there was more emotion and soul in this piece, but that's a personal opinion. The standards of OCR are quite high when it comes to piano solos and this definitely is one of the best submitted this year. Well done arrangement, performance and execution.
YES
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There's so much clipping going on here. I agree with the mess in the early parts of the mix. The strings early on have so much decay, way too much.
I actually quite like the arrangement, drumwork is nice too. But again I come back to the clipping issues. This isn't just one or two little instances - it happens throughout the mix and it's annoying on headphones.
Fix the volume levels a bit per protricity/vig's comments and fix the clipping/crackling issues and resubmit then it gets a YES from me, but for now NO.
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I didn't think it was as bad as the prior votes. It's average in my book. There's nothing terribly wrong here, but there's nothing that stands out.
The appearance of the male voice until the end was definitely the strongest section of the mix.
Decent, but there's not enough hooks, complexity or uniqueness. Sorry, but it's a NO from me.
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This is definitely stronger work. The whole piece is more cohesive now. My main gripe is the snare line - at times it really clutters the piece. Minor issue, and enough of the original's problems have been solved for me. Although, I do agree with Vigilante's wise opinions on this topic - the overall improvement here is definitely passable for me.
Borderline, YES.
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I'm voting on the new edited version submitted. I haven't heard the prior versions.
This reminds me strongly of Japanese synth compositions in the late 80s and early 90s. Very enjoyable, nice instrumentation, interesting combination of sounds. Really my only gripe here is some sections sound really cluttered.
It is nice to see more diversity with mixers doing synth work outside traditional techno/trance styles that we see so often in the panel.
Unique, enjoyable, and definitely passable. YES.
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Danny B is right about this. The arrangement is not very daring, and not arranged enough for OCR standards. It's just too conservative. Soundquality and production sound barely a step above SNES type sounds. I don't hold others to high production standards, but this is just below the bar to pass. There's much better GM soundfonts available for free than what's in here.
Not bad by any means, but it needs more work in the arrangement and production department. I liked the ending sections.
NO
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There's way too many iffy, unpleasant, unintentional notes going on here. I actually like the synths going on here, I wish more effects processing was done on them.
There's too much reverb with some of the instruments here, there's way too much mud in the bottom frequencies.
Not bad, but not enough either. Keep at it.
NO
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Pretty much agree with the other judges here. This type of music is not easy to pull of as is shown here. There needs to be more instrumentation here. I think this needs some more reverb too. The flute is indeed very mechanical. I would put some chorus and delay on it, to add more dimension to the sound.
The mix as a whole is a little too repetitive. I like the synth bells - try layering it with more bells to get a thicker sound. I also would move the shaker. Maybe it's a personal taste, but shaker action of this nature sounds better with headphone listening, if it was left of center.
Post this in the WIP/Completed forum at OC. A number of people will enjoy this. Neat mix. I do like the mood here, but more is needed on various aspects. NO
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Thanks for the comments everyone on my 15th OCR mix.
Onputz, you have a good memory.
It was great to be part of the Kong in Concert project. Thanks to Digital Coma and everyone else involved. Be sure to check out the other mixes in the project.
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Peer review is a good idea in theory. The problem as we've seen with the DKC project is it can get out of hand and political. If there were such a process some ideas might need to be implemented so it doesn't go out of control as that did.
Like AB said, if there's a way to avoid it, that might be a better way.
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GrayLightnings Fear Factory mix is probably the best example of this. It's just an AMAZING song, and it's such a different style from the original. The original would probably be most suited to a techno/trance remix, and that would be pretty boring compared to what GrayLightning has done.
Thanks!
DJPretzel is also posting my Machina mix next as the second mix for the DKC spotlight. Expect it at OCR within a week.
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The truth is a great majority of listeners enjoy conservative things, and mixer's on the other end of the spectrum really like to push the envelope and get more liberal with their mixes. Most listeners, especially those who aren't too familiar with OCR probably like covers more. There's definitely a balance, but OCR as a community more than any other promotes the idea of less conservative mixes and that's why I personally choose to mix. I don't find it at all interesting to do very conservative mixes/covers.
My Machina mix is definitely a liberal take on the mix at least on first impression. However if you listen closely 80% of the chord progressions and melody is there in some form. A lot has been taken out, mangled or introduced as well as it is rearranged quite a lot structurally, in form and in rhythm.
I thought the project as a whole was thoroughly successful in scope, diversity and quality. Take it or leave it.
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Wingless has been going to http://www.ilovebees.com/ one too many times.
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Really nothing to add here that the other judges didn't cover. For me there was way too much of the simple pad and simple beat going on and on during the sparser sections.
This needs more arrangement - mess with the tempo, change up the beats more, add more processing, change the structure or form more. Not a bad mix, but definitely lacking.
NO
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Who says you can only do trance in Reason? Exemplary showcase of what reason can do.
This mix can be described as Authentic. I enjoyed this a great deal. Very good sequencing, arrangement and production.
Without a doubt, easy YES.
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I was listening to this one again and remembered when I first heard this around two years ago. Still amazing. Timeless.
OCR01251 - *YES* Terranigma 'Blue (Shooting Star Mix)'
in Judges Decisions
Posted
I hate to so brief but the other judges have covered it enough to a point where I would just be repeating their comments.
Good mix overall. I have no reason to decline this.
YES