DarkSim

First off, beautiful source tunes! The music-box instrument is lifted straight from Aurora's Theme, and although the mixing of the live instruments isn't the best, I found myself becoming immersed in the folksy performances. Sadly, as soon as the kick came in, my immersion was broken. The first hit of the kick sounds way out of time. You have this lovely, organic hand-drumming going on, and I find myself asking what the need for this unnatural-sounding extra percussion is? Particularly to introduce it on the off-beat as well, it's completely jarring. Add to that the kick has some crazy sub-bass content in it and it's easily enough to sink the track on its own. The other parts are beautiful - I'd probably pass this if the sequenced percussion was removed - but they definitely would benefit from some better mixing to make them sound more cohesive. Hopefully you can tidy this one up a bit and send it back soon, as it deserves those finishing touches! NO (resubmit)

Fantastic guitar and piano parts in this - was the piano played live too? Plenty of source usage in here, so no issues there. The arrangement sounded fine for me, if a little rambling at times. The intro in particular took a while to find its feet. I think part of this is the production, though - there's a restraint to it that I feel holds it back somewhat. The kick in particular sounds quite flat (in terms of energy), and I had a look at it and it seems like there's a peak at 57Hz, and no other peaks above that. It gives it a muted sort of sound, and could benefit from some sort of layering, particularly when it's playing faster. Similarly, the rhythm guitar could stand to have a bit more width and higher frequency content to fill out the space some more. The piano from 2:37 has a lovely clarity to it. Perhaps that was an intentional decision, but I do find myself wishing some other parts were as clean as this. Nothing major holding it back though! YES

Man, I played the hell out of Pokémon Pinball back when it came out! Great to see a remix of the title theme find its way into the inbox. And such a good one, too! Arrangement is really fun, keeping the upbeat nature and really cranking it up with tons of fast runs and filthy bass. Sound palette is a nod to the original but obviously a big upgrade from the Game Boy. The bitcrushed drums, sweet-sounding pulse waves and soaring saw leads work well together, as we know chiptune sounds do. The mixing is a mixed bag, going from sounding really clean in the intro, to an overcompressed chokehold from 2:09-2:25 due to that huge amount of low-end, which is stifling the highs there to the track's detriment. I hope those mixing issues can be fixed for the album's release, but they're not egregious enough to hold this one back from the front page as-is. Now, I wouldn't mind digging out my copy of Pokémon Pinball after that..! YES

Neat source tunes, and the way you've combined them is really clever. They work well together with "Dragon's Trap" providing verse/bridge sections, and "Vs Dragon" the chorus. That said, I was fully expecting the chorus section at 1:10 to come in again at 2:10, but the track ended! Not a fan of the mixing on this one - you can sort of tell that you've tried to rescue an old project because things are all over the place. It probably sounds a whole lot better than it used to, but with fresh ears then there are still a few issues that need addressing. The hard-left panned tambourine and toms stick out above the rest of the mix, as do the other toms and very unusual snare choice that's mid-right panned. The snare sound doesn't sound at all fitting for the style, and could benefit from some tuning. It's more like a tom at the moment. The bass is muffled, as is much of the guitar. I do really like the synths on show here, particularly the one from 0:06, and there's a really cool resonance effect on another one around 0:40. The whole ensemble feels disconnected though, and would benefit massively from re-recording the guitar and bass parts to get those higher frequencies in from the start, rather than trying to make them sound brighter in production. As for the arrangement, you should definitely get another chorus in there, maybe even after a solo. The transition back into it would be glorious! You've got a lot of stuttering rhythmns in this piece, so to go back into the much straighter "Vs Dragon" section would help give the listener something to bob their head to that the other sections don't quite give them. Looking forward to hearing what you do with this one if you decide to revisit it again. NO

Ooh, this one's almost there! It's borderline all the way through, however the ending falls flat on a few counts, and that sinks it for me. The flute from 1:48 is probably the wrong instrument choice here, and because the sample is being retriggered quickly and with the same articulation, it exposes its fakeness too much. It also doesn't sound like you're cutting the previous sample off when the next one is triggered, which is a big no-no when attempting to emulate a natural performance (as I assume you are). There will be a setting on your sampler to do this, and I would recommend turning it on for monophonic instruments such as woodwinds. Aside from the flute, the backing instrumentation is very sparse, and although the timbre of that detuned vibraphone does give it a spooky feel, it doesn't help it gel with the more natural-sounding instruments it's working with. Putting the lacklustre ending to one side, though, I enjoyed the rest of the track! It's a clever twist on the source, however you're relying on that twist throughout, and there's not a lot else beyond the genre switch that sets this one apart from the original. Humanisation of the instruments could be improved, there ought to be some more dynamics in the piece as well, and some more original writing to guide the listener through the piece would be welcome. It's very short at the moment, and I'm sure you could get at least another minute out of it. Mastering is a little on the quiet side, and I also noticed the bass string plucks are panned a little to the right-hand side. Not a huge deal for a short track, but if you do extend the length, make sure to bring them central so as not to fatigue the listener's right ear more than the left. NO

Interesting vocal treatment for the intro - the high vocoder and autotune sound quite sinister with the string drone behind them, then the flute lifts us out of that uneasiness, and leads into the pumping bass with accompanying sine arp. When the melody first comes in around 0:48, the whole soundscape sounds really thin, and the reverb is so noticeable that it's crying out for something to fill that low-mid space. The pad from 1:06 serves to fill out the sound though, and the mix benefits a lot from it. Some nice synths are presented throughout. I like the gated saws at 2:23, and the filtered, modulated pulse waves layering in the background. Not a huge fan of the first melody lead, mainly due to the reverb - it sounds much better later on when there's more going on in the mix. As a whole, the master is quite light on the low-end, which is a bit of a shame as that bass arp is doing some work, and the kick is punchy but could stand to be a little louder in the mix. It's got kind of an old-school production feeling to it, which I can understand as it was first submitted in 2010! Definitely good enough for 2023 though. Nice one Greg! YES

It's absolutely dripping in 90s aesthetic. Completely nailed the vision for the track, and it's great to get a resubbed version with the bass restored. The titular "Can't stop me" vocal line is mixed very strangely still - hard-right panned and very quiet - so it doesn't have the impact in the track it probably should. That "YEEEEAHHHH" at the end is kinda odd too - I think I'd have used it as the last note plays at 3:15, rather than waiting 2 more seconds, but there ya go. Regardless, it's a great track that accomplishes what it sets out to do. Thanks for the resub! YES

This is a brilliantly creative way to reimagine the source. Being so familiar with Shine On You Crazy Diamond, the minute-long intro actually feels a little rushed to me! It is very noisy from the outset, and I'd prefer more of a ramping up of the noise before the break, when the guitar comes in. Once the guitar starts playing the solo, the droning is way too loud and distracting for it to be as pleasant a listen as it should be. That needs turning down significantly for me to sign off on this one. Yes it's pretty much the only identifiable connection to the source material, but with such a long intro, and using those chords in the background almost throughout, that's enough source usage for it to take more of a back seat in the mix. Fix that droning and I'd love to hear this one back. Should hopefully be a quick fix, but if you wanted to revisit the intro as well that would be appreciated! NO (resubmit) Edit 25/11/23: If you're going to name your track after one of the most popular tracks from a band as uniquely identifiable as Pink Floyd, you'd better do it justice, and oh my word have you accomplished that! Such a massive improvement over the original version, so big thanks for taking the feedback on board and turning out a new version so quickly. YES

Mmm, this is so wistful and nostalgic. Takes me back to the first time I loaded the game and just watched the chill intro with Link riding Epona through Hyrule Field. The lofi aesthetic works for such a vibe, but it's not all detuned and crackly throughout - the melody lines are clear, and that lush pad at 0:52 is like breathing new life into those memories of the game we all have. The instrumentation in the Lost Woods section sounds very, very similar to the instrumentation in Zora's domain in the game. Intentional or not, it's another connection to the game's roots that's in there for the listener to enjoy subconsciously. Is that a bassoon at 1:55? Lovely choice of lead whatever it is, complemented nicely by the piano and bells. Outro moves back to the detuned, modulated piano and crackly lofi percussion to bookend the track. If I'm being hyper-critical, I might change some of the distorted crackles and pops at the beginning of the track to sound a little softer, but other than that it's a delightfully rose-tinted look back at one of the all-time classics of gaming. YES

THIS is what we want. More techno! You've got a couple of verse/chorus type runs through of the source material, a breakdown, then a final chorus and outro. Classic stuff, but with more modern production. Read: loud as hell. Immediately, it's a pumping groove. Love the synth tom fills, and the layered saw leads. That first 'chorus' at 0:41 sounds great, especially as the pad and arp begin to emerge around 0:55. The arp has some filter automation on it too, keeping the sound evolving as it plays through. The second verse/chorus run-through initially sounds similar, but there's a really nice countermelody running in the second chorus. I'd have liked something similar in the final chorus as well. As it is, the middle of the track sounds a bit more epic than the end. I like the break section, but it's very sparse and could have done with some more ear candy in there. Not a fan of the 'popping' sounds during the break, which just sound like artefacts of sidechaining and not particularly intentional. Nothing groundbreaking here, but nothing serious enough to hold this one back. A solid, slamming, synth symphony from Silius. YES

I didn't hear the first iteration of this, but first impressions of this version are that it's a little tongue-in-cheek 'hair metal' number that doesn't take itself too seriously. I say 'tongue-in-cheek', because the serious and sombre tone of the source has been juxtaposed with those vocal modulations, unintelligible wailing (0:27-0:30), and that outrageous voice crack at 0:18. Initially, it just sounds like someone trying too hard to be a serious singer, however the rest of the track is so good that it has to be intentional, and I can appreciate that. I think if you wanted to, you could do a 100% serious version justice, but this leans more towards parody than not. If the vocal treatment wasn't convincing you though, surely those bongos take the cake. In the words of John McEnroe: "You CANNOT be serious!" I mean, honestly, if you listen to this track hoping for some kind of burning intensity and deep emotional experience, you'll be disappointed. If you choose to embrace the madness, you'll have a stupid grin on your face like I did. I do think that the auxiliary percussion could benefit from some tuning and balancing - some of the higher hits are quite pronounced, and cut through the mix in a way that distracts attention from the main melody and vocals. Fiddling with tuning may help them gel with the other instrumentation better. That scream from 2:05-2:15 is incredible! As is the high note at 2:54. Quite what the bongos are doing in there at 2:05 is anyone's guess. I get where the naysayers are coming from with this one, I do - but I present a song I feel represents a similar vocal selection in its first 20 seconds as this one: Love Fist - Dangerous Bastard I'd prefer if the voice crack at 0:18 was less... obvious, and those bongos used much more sparingly and adroitly, but I don't see this one being held back as-is. YES

I love it when there's a detailed source breakdown, especially for multiple sources. Thanks for that! Despite that though, the only connection I could make in my brain was with Daft Punk's "Get Lucky"! It seems you transposed the key right into that one. Anyhow, this is right up my alley. I just love the brooding atmosphere, and the texture of those industrial sounds, particularly the tubular bass and scratchy, gated distortion. The arpeggio from Tears of the Moon dances over the top of this dirtiness like sparks on a production line. Beautiful stuff. There are a couple of times where you experiment with some unorthodox sounding notes in the melody (1:43 on guitar, 3:43 on piano), which at first I wasn't sure about, but actually I like that it adds another edge to the track. I've listened to a ton of dark synthwave tracks, but the way you've integrated some orchestral elements into this gives it another dimension. Pretty much the only thing I'm disappointed with here is the ending. The track just seems to stop without a particularly satisfying resolution. Overall though, awesome work! YES

This is a really tight package, definitely nailed the 'short and sweet' goal! Initial piano hints at something more poignant and delicate, but then we're straight into the jazz, with some nonstop sax for 2 minutes until it's over. Backing is super solid, with the drums and bass full of detail and a real natural feeling. The piano and marimba serve as neat support for the sax as well, just bolstering and accenting some of the runs. Listening to the source afterwards, I can easily hear how one could make the connection to a jazz remix, but pulling it off is another matter. You've done that with aplomb here, great job all! YES

I don't think there can be much argument that this is too conservative - AxRob says in his submission email that it's a cover! I'm inclined to agree. The beautiful enrichment of the piece only just gets going right before the fadeout, which is a total cop-out here and reminds us that it's a piece of music originally designed to be looped, not an original interpretation designed to be listened as an entity with a beginning-middle-end. Granted, fadeouts are fine in some cases, but here it runs counter to the slow-burning build established in the track. By being so conservative with the tempo, instrumentation, and overall presentation of the track, really the only thing going for it in terms of original arrangement is the way elements are added and built upon as it progresses. By simply fading out, all the great work done in building a swell of emotions just dissolves away, leaving the listener unfulfilled. This absolutely needs more original interpretation and a better ending before I'd be happy passing it, although there is plenty of scope to work with what you've got. You've laid the foundations, now it's time to really build on that and come up with something that puts more of your own mark on it. NO

Opens up with some washy noise, and then into some crazily clear vocals that stand in stark contrast. The string lead that follows is very thin, and followed again by even louder vocals. It's clear the balancing is off here, and it detracts from the intended drama of the opening. The timing on those fast string runs around 1:11 sounds a little behind, but I think it's down to the attack on the samples. Probably needs dialling down, or changing the articulation on some of the shorter notes to more staccato. There's some nice synth work in the background, although that distortion is too much for me. On headphones it sounds like it's right at the back of my ears, as if a fly has crawled in there, although even on speakers it doesn't sound too pleasant either. I think the distortion can work in the arrangement, but needs to be dialled way back so that it's much subtler in the mix. The lyric at 3:36 is inaudible due to some blowout on the limiter. The acoustic guitar is a cool addition, and sounds good in the mix - probably the best balanced element in the whole ensemble. If you can get everything to that level, you'll be onto a winner. The electric guitar lead also sounds awesome, and it's a killer way for the track to reach its climax with that solo. Fix up the balancing and distortion issues and it's a Yes from me. NO (resubmit) Edit 04/11: Oh boy am I glad we got a new version! There's none of that nasty distortion that was there before, the overall levels are much better, particularly on the vocals, and it now lives up to its full potential. Still can't make out that word at 3:36 though ? Great stuff! Now an emphatic YES

Just love the feeling of this one. Had my toe tapping throughout; the groove is fantastic, lots of nice percussion details, especially in the 1:33 section where it's muted in the background. Great instrumentation, and I particularly enjoyed the trumpet lead. Yes, the balance is a little off and the banjo is buried, as is the piano at times, but I don't think it's anywhere close to dealbreaking. All elements are able to be picked out, and they do work together as a unit very cohesively. Break sections are employed well to allow different elements to shine, and there are a ton of fun details for repeat listens. Groove bias? Perhaps, but this one's clearly over the bar for me. YES Edit 04/11: More YES from me!

I'm not against this ambient/minimalist approach, but when using so few instruments at one time, there's really nowhere to hide with the production. The left-panned bass notes sound buzzy and some of the glassier synths have a lot of resonance which can be uncomfortable, especially given the overall low volume of the track. There's audible popping at 1:11-1:12 which I only notice because there's only the arp playing at that point so nothing masks it. Lots of sounds seem to have excessive high-cut filters on (possibly contributing to the resonance issue as well) which give them a dull timbre. There are some brighter glissandos in there which do sound nice, but I wish you could employ more complex timbres in the other sounds whilst still retaining most of the frequency range. Having a minimalist soundscape with hard panning and such aggressive high-cut narrows things down so much, not giving the listener's ears much to work with, that it can sound ponderous. The three 'chorus' sections are at 1:25, 2:40 and 3:43, each one richer than the last, which is a decent way to go about building the drama for the finish, however the ambient nature of the intervening sections is so low-energy, and the choruses aren't telegraphed, which makes it difficult to notice those intricacies in the choruses. By the time 3:43 comes along to give us what sounds like the titular Awakening, it seems to fall back to sleep almost immediately, and we're back to the low-energy bubbling to finish. That's probably intentional, however it doesn't work for me. Fix up the production details, and overall master (of course), and the arrangement might hold its own, but as it is, there's not quite enough to get this over the line. NO

I wish you could have seen my face during the transition after the first piano part. I wasn't expecting that at all! Firstly, A for effort on the arrangement here. It's immense. I thoroughly enjoyed it, however... the mixing needs a lot of work. As soon as that buzzy bass came in, part of my reaction was 'that's way too loud'! Unfortunately, it never seems to let up with the buzzy distortion, and you're losing so much detail because of it. There's a synth in there around the 3:20-3:50 mark that's almost entirely buried. So much so that I doubt the casual listener would miss it if it were removed, but I like what it's doing! You've gotta bring it up in the mix, and give it some room. Energy levels are at maximum for the majority of the song, which clocks in over 7:30 long, so there's definitely room for paring back some of the sections. Don't be afraid to pull some of it back. It's a bit too Michael Bay at the moment - the listener becomes desensitised to the energy level, and as such begins to lose focus on it. The piano break is a nice change, but there's a lot more you could do. And whatever you adjust, make sure the melody is the most prominent thing! Good luck with the next version, and I hope to hear it back again soon. NO (resubmit)

Hey, great remix! Big energy from the outset, and the vibe is perfect for those cheeky little critters. 2 main issues for me are the mixing, which is on the muddy side, and the ending, which doesn't do the arrangement any favours. Firstly the mixing. I love that bass - the smooth, fat saws sound great. Arpeggio and slight sidechaining? Check. Right up my street. The accompanying instruments are somewhat smothered by it though, and there could be some better separation there. Strangely, the synth that comes in at 0:04 and is present for a lot of the track seems quite dry through the mix. Snare sounds quite buried in amongst things, but kick and toms sound good. Other synths have good sound design and sit better in the mix than the main backing synth. As a whole, there's room for improvement, but this one scrapes by. The repetition in the arrangement doesn't bother me up until that final section. It's noticeably the same as the beginning, when I felt like there needed to be a bigger, more telegraphed finish. Ending on a solo would work well, or syncopating the backing synth somehow, maybe add an extra percussion layer. I get the 'bookending', but when you have this section in the middle as well, it doesn't help the listener orientate themself in the flow of the track, and the ending comes as a surprise and feels a bit underwhelming. Again though, aside from the last 30 seconds or so, I enjoyed the arrangement, and I'm not sure a lacklustre ending is enough to sink this one either. It's a close call, but YES

More black metal from yourself, and I think this one is perhaps the cleanest mix I've heard of yours out of the 3 I've heard so far. It's still something of a wash of sound in the heavier sections, but I'm starting to understand and appreciate the genre a little more, and don't find it unpleasant at all. The bass drum once again feels machine-gun like at times, and a little more attention to the velocities of those hits would go a long way towards making them less obvious. If we're describing the sound as washing over us, think of programming the kick so that it ebbs and flows with the rest of the sound, and has a character of its own. Some simple sidechaining or velocity automation would solve this very quickly, and allow you to tweak it easily to get that flow feeling just right. There's an arpeggio in there that reminds me of the Lavender Town theme, another track you've arranged on your album, yet the chord progressions and melodies make this one a bit more accessible for the casual listener. That said, I was ready for it to finish around the 7-minute mark, and instead the last 3 minutes felt rather gratuitous. YES

Very cinematic piece here, the whole orchestration and instrumentation sounds suitably epic. There's plenty of sub-bass in here, but it's been handled delicately, and the mixing hasn't suffered as a result - everything is distinguishable. The male choir is a little quiet, but perhaps that's a production decision to avoid muddiness from the sub and the low percussion. The piano intro and outro are nicely compressed so as to sound gentle but still loud and clear. Articulation isn't very human-like, but I can forgive that for the sound quality. The ending and outro was disappointing though, seeing as it's a straight copy of the intro, and doesn't resolve nicely at the end. The reverb has been cut off, and that whole section feels rushed. Overall, I really liked this! It's a shame that it felt unfinished, but I don't hear anything that holds this one back significantly. YES

OK so I've listened to the original and the source many times each now, and it's definitely got plenty of source in there if you really dig for it. The timestamps are helpful, but there's never too much of the source playing at one time, and it's always masked by the (excellent) sound design, so it's really a struggle to identify for the casual listener. That said, I do feel like after the first couple of listens to the remix, then one to the source, it did feel familiar. The track itself is excellent. The three clear sections are each individual, yet connected with smooth transitions, and all packed with detail. I like the slow start, leading into the intensity of the middle section, and then my favourite part is the smooth, synthwave-esque finale. The sound design is delicious throughout, and the guitar work chunky with some awesome harmonics. Production is great, even if you said your DAW was old! It seems like you've heard this theme so much through playing SF3 that it's almost become something else, but the theme is there in spirit. YES

I've listened through 4 times now, and the more I listen, the more it grows on me. The intro starts out with some nice atmosphere, and the guitar presentation reminds me of The Last Of Us theme, with some backing. The intro drags on a bit. Then, like an animé plot twist, the big metal section comes in with absolutely no foreshadowing whatsoever. I think on subsequent listens, as I was expecting it, it wasn't so jarring, but certainly on first listen I didn't appreciate that arrangement decision. The same thing happens later in the track too. Mixing overall could be better, (rain is quite loud, metal sections a bit muddy), and the fadeout ending is a little underwhelming. The track length is on the more indulgent side, and I think if you'd put in some more transtitional writing in the intro and 4:29 transition, then it wouldn't feel as plodding as it does at times. That said though, I think it's strong enough as-is, and the above points would be nice-to-haves rather than dealbreakers. I'm on board with this. YES

Amazing work on this one, it's a ton of fun, great soloing, and a good groove. There's a ton of detail in here, although as others have mentioned, it still does feel repetitive, and some of the mixing definitely needs improvement. I love a bit of clavinet, but as soon as it's introduced it sounds very quiet, and doesn't get the presence it deserves. The string stabs and then the brass from 0:36-1:22 sound odd as leads - perhaps it's the high attack, or lack of differentiation in articulation. They're carrying a melody and when the guitar picks the lead back up at 1:50 it's so noticeably better that I feel like some more attention to the lead orchestral elements is needed. They sound fine when they're used as backing though. The soloing throughout, awesome as it is, could stand to be bolder in the mix. That's the one thing you want to grab listeners' attention, so let it stand out! The flute later on is barely audible too - if it's one too many elements then maybe consider simply removing it, which may help with the repetition. At about the 4:30 mark I was checking the track to see how long was left, and was surprised at the length! No problem with long tracks, but when you repeat large sections, it's better to change things up more than you have done here, to keep the listener anchored in where they are in the track. The energy level is pretty similar throughout, and that's partly due to the mixing, but also with the copy/paste going on in the arrangement. I don't want to sound overly negative here, as I really enjoyed the track and it's clearly had a lot of work put into it. It's for that reason though that I think the few changes mentioned by the judges here could elevate it even further and do your vision justice. It's most of the way there already, just try and accentuate the highlights, and adjust the balancing on the rest of it to give it the extra polish it deserves. NO (resubmit)

You've absolutely nailed the 90s house sound, congrats on that! Those synths sound awesome, and the piano break with the soft bass is just perfect. Love it when the the lead comes back in for some soloing at 1:38 as well. You've definitely succeeded in your goal of updating the sound of the original, but in keeping with the time period. Couple of things, though! The lack of low end has already been mentioned, so that's an obvious fix, but I think the vocal samples need some attention too. You can barely hear the titular line 'Can't stop me!', as the sample is buried in the mix. The other effects are mixed differently as well, so they don't sound coherent. Mixing vocals well can be difficult, but I think if you're going to use vocal samples in this way, you should make them stand out more clearly. Hope to hear this one back again soon, it's a banger! Streets of Rage fans will really dig it. NO (resubmit)