DarkSim

Every now and then OCR throws up something you just don't expect at all, and that's one of the reasons I love it. This is such an ambitious and experimental track, given OA's own admission, but the execution is masterful. It seems the challenge was an excuse to try something new, and it definitely paid off. The short source is quite a challenge to make a song of any decent length, so I think even getting it to nearly 3 minutes is a good effort. In addition to that, going for the Hungarian gypsy-style is a stroke of genius in that that genre relies on repeating melodies, similar to celtic and irish music. The couple of breakdowns and solos just serve to enhance the full whack of the main melody when it comes in again. I especially like the drums in this track as well - there's a really nice hi-hat sound in there, and they're just excellently sequenced. Also nice to hear some castanets(?) in there! Overall a completely fresh take on a short but sweet source, in a genre that's exceptionally hard to get right.

I remember downloading this as soon as it was posted, given that I'm a huge fan of UT and even still play it now and again, if only to listen to the amazing soundtrack. I was a little disappointed that it didn't seem to grab my attention like most stuff posted, but then after giving it time, I found I was wanting to listen to it more and more, especially whilst driving or at work. As such, it's found its way into my iTunes "Top 25 Most Played" list, which surprised me, and prompted me to write this review! It's certainly one of my favourite "background" songs, but there's also a surprising amount of depth to what at first seems to be a bit of a drawn-out effort. Not only that, but as is the sign of a great remix, it stays true to the character of the original source and I can imagine myself floating through space, shock rifle in hand, blowing the crap out of people on Facing Worlds. I like mixes that evoke strong memories of their respective games, and this definitely does that for me.

Nice work so far! The style works really well for the source. I think you should just turn down the tambourine sound a touch, and maybe humanise it a little better - I can hear the higher velocity on each beat, but the sound does start to grate on me after a while! I really like the Yoshi-choir sound you've got there, but I'm not sure you should bring it in so early. Maybe save it for the final chorus as a sort of climax to the song? The arrangement you have at the moment doesn't feel too dynamic, and as has been said earlier, it's a little short. You could definitely get away with a bit more original stuff in there (after the first chorus maybe) - the "bridge" is really cool though - but after that I'd expect it to really end on a high. Octave higher maybe? Or change the melody a little to make it more ending-like? No need for a fade-out then. Production wise, apart from the tambourine, I don't have much of an issue with it, so nice job on that. Keep working on it!

Ahhh I've been hoping for a ReMix of this source in this style, and it's so powerful it works superbly. Great job on going for the "zircon" feel as well - it's an ambitious task but I think you've nailed it. Fantastic job, and an instant favourite

Beautiful track, simply beautiful. Not too sure about the distorted guitar sound at 1:02, what about just a solo violin? I think you should lose the delay/fade out thing at the end too, and end with the piano. Other than that, I can't fault it at all, it's gorgeous.

Alright I hate seeing a post with 0 replies so here we go. (Consider getting a tindeck or soundcloud account btw - if it's more than 1 click to listen to something people get put off) Well, you know the drums are an issue, but I'll still bang on about them anyway. When I'm making a remix, the drums are the part that take the longest. They can be a pain in the arse to sequence, but the end result is easily worth it, also they're easier to change if you don't like how a certain bar sounds. You have full control of panning and velocity for every single hit, so it's really worth spending the time on. Also you can EQ and compress each sample individually so your kick doesn't muddy the rest of them up and your snares can pack a punch. Your loops aren't too bad, but it really smacks of laziness to not even have a fill anywhere when even the source track has some small snare fills! Note the source track really drives it along with a nice groove - you definitely need more layers and imagination on the percussion side. Your bass drop at 1:23 is pretty cool, but I was expecting some more from it after that, and some kind of bass during the breakdown section - there's a tiny bit, but you should really expand on the bassline to give it added "sexiness". Also pump up the low frequencies of the bass and knock off the low frequencies of everything else (except the bass drum - hard if you use a loop) so they don't interfere. The synths and stuff I think sound alright - suitably retro and very ambient for this style. Nice delay and reverb and you've mixed them up quite a bit. I think just spend as much time as you've spent on this mix already focusing on the drums (seriously), and you'll be surprised at the results.

I love the themes used and the style! They suit each other really well. I'll echo the comments of previous posters in that it's not the tightest performance in the world, but I take it from the title you're playing everything live yourself? Impressive if you are! My one criticism would be that it feels like it just needs to be a bit faster when it goes into the Character Select theme. Maybe add a few more little licks with the banjo and mandolin to really set it off as well. Really enjoyable piece as it is though, well done

Well, you're certainly becoming prolific on this board! Lots of irons in the fire, eh? This mix certainly feels like the most cohesive piece you've done yet. Very chilled indeed. Not familiar with the source or FF7 so I'll skip straight to the music... Production wise I think it's possibly a little too reverb-heavy causing things to become a little muddy. Might want to just dial it back a bit, although for the genre I understand it's needed. The stereo balance feels a bit biased towards the left side as well, just chuck a couple of instruments over to the right and it'll be fine. The piano sounds beautiful as usual - would be nice to hear more of it, especially bringing the song to a climax with a piano solo or something with the other instruments and some drums in the background instead of tailing off with the piano as you do now. Some nice sweeping pads would sound amazing here Great arrangement so far, just needs an ending and it'll be a gorgeous piece. Just wondering though, as you seem to have so many ideas for songs right now, whether it would be better to focus on one of them and get it 100% rather than posting lots of different WiPs. I know some people don't work like that but I find it's a good idea to polish up one song and then you have a benchmark for the rest of your work.

Oh, I love this! Beautiful playing, especially the solo at the end. I'd say there needs to be a clearer transition between the 2 sections, as they both stand out individually. Again, I think you could afford a few more individual flourishes and stray a little further from the source, but it's a solid mix as it is. Listening again, the dynamics of the jazz section could be improved, maybe having a breakdown to show off that bassline, before building back up and ending with a crescendo before cooling it back down with the long solo. Kinda like how Muse do in , ending with a nice bit of... Chopin, is it? Lovely stuff.

Hey, nice playing, I love this theme and you stayed very close to it which was nice to hear for nostalgia, but it's basically a straight cover so I don't really know what you want feedback on. Is this going to turn into a more original arrangement or are you leaving it at that? I heard your piano playing in another thread and it was really good, so I'm sure you can jam along to this and come up with something that takes it up to the next level. Also, is that you playing the drums as well, or did you just sequence them? Sounds extremely tight, so maybe loosen them up a bit and throw in a little breakbeat drum solo or something to break it up? Nice work so far though, just try and bring more of your own style to it.

Congratulations to all musicians involved! Can't wait to hear it!

Hey Emunator, thanks for the quick feedback, and I'm glad you liked it! I've changed some of the percussion again - added some panned hats in the final melody section as well as changing the kick pattern in the lead-up, and some snare fill tweaks. Pretty minor changes but they add to it. I also panned the melody lines a bit farther apart so now they really stand out in the climax. Subbed version's here if you're curious: http://www.tindeck.com/listen/vizl Oh, and I changed the name too, instantly rendering it 10x better

Just thought I'd drop in and say the live playing sounds fantastic! Looking forward to hearing the whole piece played this well. Great job, both of you.

Now that's what I call constructive feedback! Thanks a lot mate, I've revised the tune already using some of your suggestions and am gonna put it up for mod review now.

Hey all, been a few months since I posted anything but here's something I've had in my head for a while. It's a remix of from Mario Golf on the GBC, a game I spent loads of time on many years ago, and it actually has a surprisingly good soundtrack for a golf game.I've called my remix Clubhouse Electro, but I'm open to suggestions for a name. I was thinking of other golfing puns like "Fore on the Floor", but I'm sure someone can think of something better I've marked it as "finished", but I still think it needs some touching up. Just tell me what and where. Thanks! EDIT: Chopped out some sections as per phantasia's advice, changed up some percussion and a few other subtle effects and tweaks. Changed to Mod Review. EDIT2: Subbed version renamed Fore on the Floor

Last winter I had my OCR playlist on whilst on a long drive at night. As this came on it started snowing hard, and it was such an awesome experience. Seeing the snow fly past the car as I was driving into it listening to this really loud made me feel like I was having some sort of out-of-body experience almost, it certainly was entrancing. Truly excellent work, I always get goosebumps at 3:32 when the lead synth comes in. A fantastic development of the (reasonably sparse) source, conveying the journey through a blizzard magnificently. Love it.

I can see this being a hit in gay bars... /s Seriously though, it's awesome. Dedede definitely is a pimp - check out his coat and cane (giant hammer), and this works really well. Don't see why you shouldn't submit it if stuff like Everclear Hangover got posted (that I really didn't like), but this actually has some "swagga" about it and is effortlessly cool. Plus, the source is great. Sub itttttt!

Well, it's a MIDI rip, so I enjoyed it because I like the music, but if you want to improve your orchestral sounds you should really humanize the instruments more. Some of those MIDI delay effects are painfully obvious in Forest Interlude and Stickerbrush Symphony and they just don't sound right. Orchestrating the DKC2 soundtrack would be seriously awesome, but this needs a lot more work.

Really enjoyed this song! It looks like you have a nice musical setup there, so it would definitely be cool to see something with a bit more original interpretation in a similar pirate style.

Hey David, glad to see you posting another tune, even though I don't know the source for this one. Glad to see you value my opinion, so I'll do my best to give constructive criticism! It's a decent start, as with your previous effort, I enjoy the synth work and panning, they're well balanced, however you do seem to have trouble getting drums and bass to sound meaty in your tunes, which is a real problem given the genre you're going for! I honestly don't know how you manage to kill them so effectively... it's a mystery to me, but I suggest you try making a few beats on their own and get the drums sounding perfect, then start layering up the instruments on top of that. Personally, I like to have some sort of melody or bassline looped when I create something, then add drums to it while it's looping in a style I feel befits the track. Then you can start adding pads, arpeggios, effects, whatever you like onto that solid loop, making sure your drums aren't lost in the mix as you go. Is there anything in your hardware setup that could be causing you to hear more bass and drums than everyone else, causing you to turn them down? Bass boost on your speakers or something? Just an idea. As for general comments and suggestions for the genre, I'm going to direct you to a post in this thread where I mention some techniques I think are relevant to making this kind of music. I mainly learnt those things from tutorials on these forums though, so obviously check out those as well in the tutorials section. Do remember your builds and transitions, effects and sidechaining (none of which I can hear currently), and listen to bLiNd's tunes (among others) for great examples of how to keep this type of music fresh and interesting. Sorry if I seem overly harsh, but I agree with Gario in that this does have potential and I think you definitely have the skills to make a nicely produced remix, it's just you have some issues with drums that need to be addressed!

Hey Sifu, good to see new stuff from you! Just want to publicly echo what BlackPanther said about your Frantic Factory mix as well in case you want to go back and polish it off. Do it Moving on to this mix, I'm going to say right off the bat that I love the arrangement, and don't think you should get bogged down with changing that yet, if at all. It's a pretty short and repetitive source but your mix doesn't sound repetitive at all, so nice job on that. It does bear a more-than-passing resemblance to your aforementioned Frantic Factory mix, style-wise, what with the industrial sounding synths and beat, but that's no bad thing. There are some level issues within the mix that need fixing first, as others have detailed before me. I'd perhaps like the main theme to be made just a little more obvious through the mixing, if not the arrangement. Overall loudness is an issue, I'd perhaps like to hear more of a crescendo towards the end, as if Banjo is reaching the upper echelons of Grunty's castle before the final showdown on the ramparts. Finish off with a Jinjonator smash to the face (ears)? Just throwing that out there Looking forward to hearing the next version, I'll definitely be watching out for it.

*cough* Well, just bumping cos I'm a little disappointed at the lack of feedback, especially since the original one I uploaded (that was actually crap compared to this ) got so many listens. Any thoughts?

Hey there, welcome to OCR! Thought I'd post a reply since I checked out your tune, and also you got "josh" as your tindeck 4-letter extension, which is awesome, haha! Firstly, here's the source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_c_rA2s4q8 for anyone (including me) that's unfamiliar with it. Well, as for a critique, I think it's fair to say that pretty much all aspects need work, but given that it's your first try it's really not that bad an effort. You've got some dungeon-y type synths going on, and changed them up a few times. As for advice, this thread is a good place to start. First work on a decent drum beat to back it - you basically have no beat to this piece and it really needs one. Then try adding some pads to give it more atmosphere, and just generally experiment. Best of luck

http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3314 taught me all I know, so it's a good place to start.

I agree with this, but I think I can offer an explanation. There's very little in the way of dynamics to the song, in terms of volume especially. The whole thing seems to be sitting on a level, and doesn't grab your attention when things change. There are a couple of sections where there's a half-tempo beat or the beat drops completely, but you don't really seem to notice when you listen to it. I think you need to do more EQing on individual tracks, and bring out the dominant frequencies more (especially for the lead towards the end - boost those highs). Everything seems to be in the middle as well, I don't notice much panning going on. Changing these 2 things would make a world of difference, I'm sure. Also make your drums meatier - I can hardly hear the bass drum, what's that about eh?! Make sure all your drums are on separate tracks if you haven't already, giving you much better control over each one. For a heavy, intense mix like this, I'd expect the drums to really drive it along with that awesome chunky rhythm guitar (and it is awesome), but they sort of take a back seat and as such it doesn't pack so much of a punch. So basically, it's just some mixing issues that need to be addressed - the actual tune is very enjoyable, and with some easy changes it'll really improve. Get cracking