Pope

I posted this over on VGMix in the "Currently Playing" thread. I thought you guys might find it interesting as well. Final Fantasy Tactics Complete Beta v.50 http://www.ffhacktics.com/ So here's the deal: A friend of mine told me about Final Fantasy Tactics 1.3 -It is a patch for FFT that attempts to re-balance the game and make it more difficult (see video). It sounded interesting, but what caught my eye even more was the FFT: Complete patch, which takes the vastly improved translation from the PSP version of the game, and applies it to the PS1 version. Too bad I couldn't find the download. So I ripped an image of my copy of FFT (don't pirate, kids), applied the 1.3 patch, and was on my way to check it out, but I got tired of fiddling with ePSXe (PS1 emulator), so I did a quick search for PS2 slim modding/hacking/whatever it is you do to let you play backup PS1 games on your PS2 slim. Found out it's dead simple. Did it (though I did mine slightly differently than everyone else in every video I've seen. I get the same result, but I did it in a less stupid way). Started playing, but quickly discovered I don't like 1.3 all that much. I really just want to go through the story again, and not play through battles that take 4x as long. SO. I looked and looked and emailed and messaged the guys behind Final Fantasy Tactics Complete, and could not find the link to download the patch anywhere. Finally, I signed up for the forums at ffhacktics, went to post my question "WHERE THE HELL IS IT?!" and finally found it. It was attached to this forum post, but you can't see the link unless you're signed in... Victory I can now play Tactics with an amazing translation without buying a PSP. I am pumped. They are planning another release soon, which will most likely add the PSP intro and cutscenes into the PS1 version of the game. I can't wait.

Got that Tascam DP-008 from Sam Ash. Anything over $225 gets $50 off. boo-ya

Apparently Microsoft Bing is doing this cash back thing if you buy make purchases through them: http://www.bing.com/cashback I keep hoping to find a good deal on a Tascam DP-008. Doesn't seem likely though, since it's new to the market.

WELL IN THAT CASE I liked the rest of the song too.

I actually just found out about this (I somehow missed the original announcement in July). I'm pumped. It's going on my netbook as soon as it's available. Windows 7 is stay on my desktop, obviously.

I like it. That is a very 80's sounding snare drum. I don't even know if that makes sense... but it does to me.

Track 1: Interesting. I really like what you do with it during the second half. It could be awesomely retooled for someone to rap over. Great string samples. Track 2: I little bit repetitive there in the middle, but otherwise great. Track 3: I've got the fever.

It is fun. I'm picturing this being played in the background of an RPG set in a cartoon cyperpunk fantasy world, during the "oh shi..." moment just after you've realized the bad guy is actually Sepheroth, and you're all about to die. UNLESS you can make it to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber in time, and train for years during the few hours which remain on the outside. SAVE THE WORLDDDD!

The vocal song is very interesting. It's got a good light mix of electronic stuff. I like it. The vocals are well performed as well. Not stunning, but very good. I wish there was slightly more singing/additional lyrics in the song. Love the chiptune. It's like Mega Man meets Pokemon... or something. Very cool.

Hesitation: Doesn't sound like a real piano, but if that's okay with you, it's okay with me. I don't have a whole lot else to say, but I like it. It doesn't blow my mind. But I like it. I'd have something constructive to add, but I am not a pianist. ANotBoW: Sounds promising, generally. Though again, it's not outstanding. That percussive device you have panned far right for the first 2 and a half minutes is a little irritating. It becomes much more tolerable when it's panned center. I think the levels could probably benefit from some more tweaking. Specifically, some of the percussion could be sent a little further into the background, in my opinion. I'd say more, but again, I've got little expertise with this kind of music. Keep working at it.

Very nice. The vocals need some more practice, but you are going to get there, no question. You have good pitch. It's mostly just technique and control you need to master.

I see that this is your only post. I hope you will keep coming around and contributing to the community. This music is quite good, and I hope you make a lot more of it soon. Maybe even a remix or two?

While I listen to a lot of electronic music, I do not create it, so just take this for what it's worth to you. I liked the melody you brought in at 1:56. I didn't like that I kept hearing it for the remainder of the song. To put it bluntly: I think the song is boring. I would like more variety in pretty much everything, especially with it being 7+ minutes. The beat is basically the same throughout, as is the melody. You did do a couple of drop out things, but rather than offering a refreshing change in the music, and alleviating the monotony, it simply postponed more if it. I don't mean for that to sound harsh. It is by no means a horrible song. It's not painful to listen to. It's just not interesting to me. Maybe practice a little on creating some shorter songs with at least 2-3 very distinct parts to them? Just an idea. But if that's not what you want to do, then by all means don't. It's your art just as much as mine is mine, and I'm sure as hell not going to change the way I do things for some random dude on the internet who didn't like my song. Keep at it.

oh, I get it now

Haha, like I just posted in the other thread, I'm really enjoying some of your other stuff on SoundCloud, and this is one of them. Good work. I did get a little bored in a few spots, but that's probably to be expected when you think of the intended application of this kind of song. So... did you create all of this music, or is this more of a mashup of other people's stuff? The tracklist thing is throwing me off.

Wow, I really like this song. You are definitely a talented rapping artist. Great lyrics. Moving. Got to be honest though, I did not care for the choir sample. -Take that for what you will. Also, it sounds like the levels are clipping at the beginning. If not, there is something going on that, uh... sounds like it. I look forward to hearing more of this kind of thing from you. The other stuff you've got posted on SoundCloud is quite good as well.

I'm not particularly a fan of this style of rap/hip-hip. It seems more chill/old school that the overproduced modern stuff I like to listen to. Therefore, I'm probably not the best for feedback, but here's what I think anyway: I liked the vinyl scratch sound at the beginning and the end (though I almost always like when people do that). I'm not sure how I feel about the radio station change thing, as it seems sort of overdone. But then again, it kind of fits in this context, as you're taking the listener from the light world to the dark world. Gives a reason for the transition. I like the background music. It's simple, but I would say effective. I would like to hear what this song sounds like if you were to reduce or even remove the reverb on the vocals altogether. It might not be good, but it would be worth it to at least see how it sounded with crisp, dry vocals, rather than with the reverb. Speaking of the vocals, from what I could clearly understand, I think the lyrics are quite good. Could you post the lyrics on here so we can pick up on some things which are a little more challenging to the ear? That would rule. Keep it up.

Oh man, that's got really a good intro and build up. I really really want it to explode right at 1:00 and continue on being intense/hardcore/crazy for a good while. I will dance so hard if this is finished up right ("right" meaning "something that is tailored to my personal tastes," and not at all "empirically correct"). I have good taste though.

Haha, that's pretty fun. I like the bass. I like the beats. I especially enjoy when the claps come in. I have nothing constructive to add in regard to your use of sidechaining, as I have never used it, despite recently learning what it is. I was convinced for the first 4 seconds of the song that my left headphone was cutting out, however. Jerk.

I'm running a Mackie Onyx Satellite FireWire audio interface in Windows 7 64 bit. I had to switch my FireWire driver to the legacy version to get it working, however. No big deal. I don't know if you can really buy these new anymore. From what I understand, the product was kind of a bomb for Mackie, despite being awesome.

Oh Nario... I love you. Aside from DoD, I feel generally the same way about having no motivation to mix. Not that I have ever participated in DoD, but because my style of music fits their criteria. I've always kept the idea of it in the back of my mind. VGMix 2.5 was indeed great. It felt like a living thing, rather than the desolate wasteland VGMix X has become, as you mentioned. Again, it's draw was it's community, and people's eagerness to learn from each other. That, and insanity.

Hey there. This post adds nothing new to the discussion. I just wanted to parrot everyone else in my own words, basically. I probably ramble a lot. I am definitely one of those people who was exclusive to VGMix back in the day, and have continued to be until now. In fact, I only found out about this thread because someone posted about it in the nigh barren VGMix X forum, home of the few remaining active VGMix enthusiasts. My exclusivity with VGMix had nothing to do with disliking OCR or djp (I know very very little about him, so why dislike him?). It really was that I loved the RPG stat system for site participation, and the "everyone is accepted, even if your mix is going to get brutally reviewed" mentality of VGMix 2. That, and I just never bothered with expanding my online social circle to include the OCR community, even as I was enjoying some fantastic albums put out by you guys. I look forward to being a part of this now, however. But for the time being, more about VGMix. I loved that site. I have never finished recording a mix myself, though I always wanted to, and still plan to. I only wrote 2 reviews on VGMix 2, but they were good ones. I loved being able to help others improve in their craft. The thing I loved the most however, even more than the fantastic music that came out of the guys over at VGMix (many of which, as previously noted, are also OCR remixers), was the sense of community. I hope I can find the same thing here, and I especially hope that if a new VGMix initiative take off, that a similar community of crazies develops at the new incarnation of the site. I know the point has already been made, but just to reiterate, the thing that made VGMix shine was it's alternative approach to managing mixes. OCR has it's judges. Now, I'm not going to pretend I know anything about how things are run here other than that because... well, that's all I know at this point, but I imagine, like others have stated, that there are times when some songs are not accepted here, despite the fact that they are fantastic songs, simply because they don't fit OCR's criteria. While that is by no means a flaw of OCR, but simply a defining trait of how you run things, it is one of the reasons why VGMix had such a big draw for mixing newcomers, and listeners alike. There was some crazy stuff on VGMix that I expect you just wouldn't find many other places. The thing that excited me most about the prospect of VGMix 3 as it was described at the Magfest 5 panel, was the fact that virt and the boys were planning to take the whole idea of the RPG stat system, and a community based on all-inclusiveness and assisting others in honing their musical craft, and drilling even further down into that niche. They explicitly stated at the panel that VGMix 3 was going to be a site for mixers, and that was pretty much the only focus they would have. There are plenty of site out there catering to listeners, but VGMix 3 was going to be for the musicians. It was (and perhaps still is, I haven't lost hope completely yet) going to be a place for getting feedback. It was going to be an MMO where you gain experience for helping others learn and grow, and gain reputation by being awesome at what you do, and showing others how to be as incredible as you are. BAH! This needs to happen. I don't care who does it. If anyone knows where to find that Magfest 5 VGMix 3 panel video, and would post it up here, I think that could start a whole lot of new discussion of what a new VGMix-type site could be, rather than simply a recreation of VGMix 2. I know some people think that some of the new ideas presented were superfluous, but personally I got a little bit aroused when I heard about everything virt and the team had/have planned for 3. ok... that's all for now.