DarkSim

This one's a wild ride, for sure! I went in with fresh ears, and despite it being one of the most difficult genres to mix well, I think you've done a decent job. No complaints on the arrangement front either - I like the way you establish a chorus, then circle back to it at 6:10 for the finale. For a long piece, it's chock full of surprises. The choir halfway through was epic, and then the guttural vocals gave me a giggle (in a good way!). Ultimately it's going to come down to production again, and although there were moments where it's very mushy (the flute arpeggio section at 1:01, and the low piano from 3:37), the majority of the track did the business for me. It's mastered too quietly, but if I turn it up 20% above my normal listening volume then it sounds OK. Looking back at my previous vote, I don't hear any of the really egregious mixing problems in this version that I flagged last time, so although it's still not a clean mix, the key elements are audible, and the strength and creativity of the arrangement do enough to carry this over the line. YES

The source is a very short loop of 2 arpeggiated chords, which has been expanded on here to create some thick textures and a heavy-hitting sound. It does enough to stay interesting throughout, with plenty of different synths and effects keeping things fresh. There's some tasteful filtering and a break in the middle, even the odd transitional chord at the end of a sequence to prevent things getting too predictable. The only thing I'd say about this one is the source isn't really a melody per se, and in an ideal world I think writing an original melody, or even just a solo, to throw in there as a high point of the track would have been awesome. Something catchy to hang the rest of the track on. It's definitely a fun listen though, and does a lot with not much source to work with. YES

Pretty heavy treatment of a delicate source here! I applaud the direction, but execution is pretty rough around the edges. I always expect big synths and loud mastering from Rockos though, and there are some moments of magic sprinkled in this one as well. Drums sound good, although as mentioned by other J's, the patterns do get quite stale. Plenty of opportunities to get more creative with them outside of the odd fill here and there. Bass has a big sound and presence, and there are plenty of breaks to give the ears a rest before going hard again. The first lead at 1:04 sounds quite harsh, and the chippy one around 1:41 seems too loud in the mix. Lead at 2:09 sounds really smooth and well-mixed though. Some nice effects on that one, and you've found the right balance. As much as I love the source, it's a shame we have to wait til almost 3 minutes for some original material, but when we do it's my favourite part. That backing arp from 2:52 sounds beautiful with the pads and beat. Would have been the perfect opportunity for some more experimentation with the percussion, some breakbeats/beat slicing maybe. The transition to the key-change section was a little clunky for me. Would have liked something to smooth over the pitchbend part, particularly the stop at 3:56, but then the rising synths, chunky guitars and fast arpeggios from the source's B section sound great. The lead for the melody at the end section sounds a bit thin, but does have some nice automation on it, leading into some vibrato, for the finish. Plenty of room to tighten up both arrangement and production here, however nothing stands out as a major issue. YES

Another fascinating improvisation, Woody! Took me a couple of listens to get into it, but it really is a serene, and very well performed piece. I love the approach as well, to have the source in mind, but to use it as a base to improvise off for 8 minutes, and produce something entirely original and organic. I especially enjoyed the 'heartbeat' style 2-note arpeggiated chords that appear from 4:31. The steady pace of them helps the piece flow, and the rhythmic changes and slowdown from 6:36 are an inspired way to wind down the piece gently and wistfully. YES

Easy close-out vote from me. I love the way you play with the timing in the middle section. The dynamics of the piece are great, giving the full range of expression, and rounding off with a beautiful finish. Also interestingly, the first part of the melody from "No Hopes" sounds very similar to the beginning of Greensleeves, an old English folk song. Thanks for bringing that source to my attention! YES

I love the DKC soundtrack, although I must admit, it took me a long time to identify the source for this one without looking at the submission email. I never knew DK Island Swing had that second part! The main melody line you use from 2:32 had me thinking the source was Life in the Mines, but after seeing the source breakdown and listening to part 2 of DK Island Swing, then source usage is obvious. I actually enjoyed the sound palette for the most part, and thought the initial soundscape was established very nicely. It all builds up well until the gated supersaw around 1:40. However, it wasn't the instrumentation that put me off, but the arrangement decision. There's a chord in there that doesn't sound right at all in the progression. It plays on beats 5 and 6 of the 8-beat loop, and sounds perhaps a semitone too sharp somewhere. Would need someone with a better ear to pin it down exactly. If it only occurred once or twice in the track as a transitional chord, I probably wouldn't mind, but the progression repeats so often that it doesn't fit with the rest of the track. Another quirky chord appears at 3:43 (slightly before as well in the build), but I swear I've heard this somewhere before. In fact, I'm sure it's very similar, and possibly a reference to, an existing OCR track. If any of the other judges can help me out with this I'd be really grateful, as I've just spent literally half an hour going through DKC albums trying to find the track I think it sounds like, and I give up! It doesn't sound as strange as the other chord, possibly because I think I've heard this progression employed before, but it's still a little unusual. The melody line at 2:32 sounds a little thin on its own - I'd consider switching that up for something with more body and warmth. I agree with Larry about the transitions and bad clashes around 4:31-4:37. Those have got to be tidied up for a piece like this. You have to try and keep the listener immersed in the atmosphere you've built up. Going back into the beats at 4:55 is nice, but it only reminds me of how the track started, and I find myself wishing for a smoother ride in between. There was a lot I enjoyed about this track. The first minute and a half really had me in the zone, but I'd like to stay there for the duration of the track, and not be pulled in and out by clashing chords and clunky transitions. Smooth those over, and we've got a winner. NO (resubmit)

Listened to the source, original ReMix from 2009, and this 'semi-live' version a few times now. I think I prefer the 2009 version as the vibe fits the source a little better, but I definitely get what you were going for with this band sound. Sure, it's a little rough around the edges and the frequency spectrum lacks balance in the ending section, but I'd have the same criticisms of classic grunge production (Siamese Dream by Smashing Pumpkins had awful production, and that's a cracking album anyway). This is more than good enough for a grunge-style remix, and definitely a significant style shift from the 2009 version. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna listen to the remastered version of Siamese Dream... YES

I like this version a lot more than the first - the elements aren't fighting as much between themselves, so it's less frantic and easier to listen to. Ultimately though, the trouble is the vocal is so dominant, and isn't reacting to the music in a natural way. Listen to the narration on something like The Snowman audiobook (YT video is desynced slightly from the video so best just listen) to hear how the narrator reacts to the dynamics and energy in the music. I'm not familiar with too much spoken-word stuff, however my dad introduced me to the eccentric works of Vivian Stanshall as a lad, and though it does contain music (drastically out of time/tune at parts), I would not necessarily say it would sit well with OCR's library, enjoyable as it is. Stanshall also knew that the music would distract from the story, so the majority of that record is just him narrating over silence. A more popular example might be Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head by Gorillaz. Spoken-word verses with a sung chorus. I love this song, and although it contains a lot of prose, it's punctuated by choruses, and it works because there isn't much melodic content behind the narration, and execution is flawless. Also Dennis Hopper. I might be more open to this if the vocal was re-recorded, removed, or the pacing was more like in the Gorillaz track (less vocal, couple of choruses, no melody under the vocal). It still feels like 2 separate entities playing over the top of each other. NO

I'll be the Source Police on this one - the DKC title theme is actually a remix of the NES's Donkey Kong title theme: So technically would this be a remix of the NES source? One for Larry to figure out... Anyway, on to the remix! It's Pixel Pirates, so we're gonna get some Eurodance. This time with added bongos. Donkey Konga remix when, lads?! The bongos are downright comical in that they sit right on top of the mix like Will Ferrell with a cowbell. Fellas, I gotta say, we need less cowbell! Love the idea, but the execution needs to be better to integrate the bongos into hard Eurodance. There aren't too many elements at play here, and the ones that are here haven't had much care shown to them. The big sound at 0:43 is great, but even the gating pattern is unchanged for its entirety, so what starts as an interesting effect on the supersaw quickly becomes worn out. There's a hint of filtering at 0:54, but it's only a hint, and from 1:24 we're not treading any new ground, and the mix sounds very empty, despite its volume. There needs to be progression within the repetition, and more detail in the arrangement and production. NO

Interesting choice to go for the swirly, synth-heavy intro and then straight into the rock/metal take on the theme. It works though! The lead guitar sounds good, although it's drowned a little in the mix by the rhythm guitar. Check the EQ on the leads there and maybe bring in some more high-frequency content. The drum writing is nice and varied, and kept my interest throughout. The closed hihat sounds very far forward in the mix though - you'll probably want to sit that back a little. The whole kit feels very left-heavy as well, panning wise, due to this. Maybe adjust the mixer so there's more balance to the right hand side as well. On first listen, I also struggled to pick out the bass, and proph's frequency analysis shows there's a lot of sub-20Hz content which is choking out the low end. Get rid of that, and it'll probably bring out the bass a lot more. Arrangement is very straightforward, although the interpretation is there. I'd love a solo if you can work one in somewhere, or possibly use one of the leads to form a countermelody, or some sort of call and response with the other. Outro is back to the swirly synth, which ties in to the beginning. Would there be any way to work that into the middle somewhere for a break section? This has the bones of a decent remix. It definitely needs another production pass, and there are also plenty of options regarding arrangement that would kick it up another notch, should you so wish. I hope you manage to find the right balance, and send this one back again. NO (resubmit)

Really creative arrangement here, merging the two sources, speeding them up, and working in an awesome solo. No complaints from me on that front! Production-wise though, I'm not totally sold on some of the decisions. For starters, the drums are drowning in reverb, and the filtering doesn't sound quite right to me. You can have a lofi sound and still maintain clarity - using methods like adding distortion or downsampling are a couple of ways to achieve a grittier sound. The drums do have a great groove though, I just wish I could hear them clearer. The square arp, by contrast, is a very clean sound and is mixed quite well, except when the panning changes it can be quite distracting. There's an LFO on it with quite a wide stereo range, and occasionally the panning will snap from side to side immediately (0:45-1:20), which I felt exposed it too much. I'd narrow the LFO, and consider changing synth sounds if you're going to go for a call/response idea with the left and right channels. Have the square on one side only, with the other sound responding on the other. The section around 2 minutes where it's more central sounds like a much more cohesive mix as a whole. I'm also not a huge fan of the pad that comes in at 0:11. It sounds OK at first, but later in the track when it returns, it sounds a bit too white-noisy for me. The timbre isn't quite gelling with the rest of the instrumentation, particularly around the 2:50 mark. A warmer pad sound would suit it better - this one sounds a little cold to me. I can't find a major flaw with this piece, but the few minor ones above add up to make this one just shy of the mark for me. It has some moments of magic, for sure, but I think another mixing pass could make the whole thing shine that much brighter. NO (resubmit)

The title is clearly a reference to Skrillex's Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, so I'm expecting hard-hitting drops and wubs for days. Let's see... Intro opens with some decent sound design and nice skittering ambient synths. The lead has a nice aggressive feel to it, yet when those floor toms come in around 0:52, they don't have enough presence and sound quite muffled. The first 'drop' at 1:00 turns out to be a false one, which is OK, but the next one better be good after that. The energy ramps up, tension builds again up to 1:58, and then... ahhhh, where's the drop?! There's some soft bass, a plucky arp, a 'lead' synth with some resonance/distortion on it, and a shaker is the most prominent percussive element. Not at all what I was expecting from the Skrillex-inspired title. Add to that, 2:26-3:07 is essentially a repeat of the previous build. The drop at 3:07 is again similarly weak, albeit with increased bass and distortion, which only serves to muddy the sound. The ending crash-cymbal roll is something I've never heard in any synthwave or dubstep track, so that's a first for me! For a first attempt at dubstep, it's not bad, it's just missing a lot of the fundamentals of the genre that make it stand out. Namely the clarity, complexity and aggression of the sound design and mixing. And I don't hear any wubs! In addition, the repeated build and lack of significant payoff let this one down regardless of genre - it doesn't have to be dubstep, but the payoff needs to be satisfying enough to release the tension that's been established. This source tune has been covered so many times that it's hard to be original. In fact, the most recent post on OCReMix as of my writing this is Castle Creep by bLiNd, in an aggressive, energetic style. Castle Creep isn't exactly dubstep, but Rockos has that covered with their Through the Castle remix from 2012. I'd say take some inspiration from these artists, build on your experience making this remix, and try to get your mix sounding as clean as possible as a starting point. Dubstep might sound simple to make, or even at this point be a bit of a meme genre, but there's a lot of technique and nuance to getting the sound right. You're not quite there yet, but keep at it. NO

This one gets a pass simply for 1:32 where you have the 'Mount Yoshi' SFX followed by the addition of YOSHI BONGOS! YES Seriously though, mastering is really poor and does this a huge disservice. I love everything about the arrangement (although it does feel a little bit like a medley), especially the drums, but they're so thin it almost kills it. I'm gonna have to give this one a Conditional, because I slapped it into my DAW and tried out a number of random generic 'Mastering' presets on it, and they all sounded better. I suggest doing the same with this, then sending it back on over. It's a 1 minute fix. CONDITIONAL

Well, this is a first - a story with backing music! Fun idea. I definitely noticed that the vocals sit apart from the rest of the instrumentation, and I think Joe and Kris have given some solid advice on how to remedy that. Removing the reverb from the vocal and dropping the volume, as well as notching EQ on other instruments around the vocal's fundamental, would help them sit better. Right now the vocal is fighting with the backing, rather than working with it. I find it very hard to focus on the music as the track is currently presented, and it's quite an uncomfortable listen. There's too much vying for my attention. In the moments where I can hear the music without vocals over them, the performances don't seem to gel as well as they should. The performances of the instrumentalists do have some dynamic range though, and the vocal seems blissfully unaware of the ebb and flow of the music, which is understandable if they were recorded separately, but doesn't make for a very congruent and cohesive story. The whole section from 2:53-3:44 is narrated so energetically, over a quiet and contemplative backing, that it just does not work at all. I'm curious if the VA recorded this in isolation, or if they were listening to the music and reading over the top. I'd be inclined to say the former, but would be really interested to hear a version recorded whilst listening to the music. I think for this to really click, the performances of the instrumentalists need to be tightened up, and the narrator needs to listen to the flow of the music and react accordingly. At the moment, it feels too disconnected as a whole. The concept is a winner, though! NO

Aw man, this is a fantastic idea! The feel of the piece is perfect, and I like the reworking of the melody into a minor key. You've absolutely nailed the 'drifting through space' style, however there isn't much more to the piece. It establishes a mood and then has very little dynamics or movement to keep the listener engaged. On top of that, it's super quiet, and the electrical effects in the background begin to sound very repetitive as it goes on. Ultimately, I'm left wanting more. A big swell in the middle of the piece, for a climax, as if we're drifting past a planet, star or black hole - some sense of drama - and then a winding down as our ship continues on into the black. The vibe is just right. There needs to be some more purpose to this, other than just drifting along on autopilot. If you decide to keep with this low-energy, almost lo-fi arrangement, everything else needs to be perfect, such as a more beguiling intro, varied effects, and more depth to the background sound design. Also needs to be mastered louder. Gotta be able to hear what's going on, even in space! NO (resubmit please!)

You know, I played a decent amount of Mario Maker 2, and I don't think I ever listened to the title music! I love the approach here. Larry's right about it sounding like the SM64 title theme, with that fast breakbeat, and I love the 'Yoshi bongos' underneath. Although, perhaps a missed opportunity to add some Yoshi SFX before introducing the bongos? Also I'm curious if the crackling at 0:08-09 is baked into the bongo sample or if it's some kind of effect? Either way, it's not a big deal, as whatever it is is masked once the other elements of the piece come in. The original bassline is doing some really fun stuff, and I like the warm synth you've chosen for that. It's very up-front in the mix, and could stand to sit back somewhat. The whole mix sounded a bit odd to my ears, spatially speaking. It's like I was in a tunnel, and the bass was next to me, then the breakbeat a little further ahead, then other things further down the tunnel. Tweaking the mix to make things sound closer together would be nice, although not a dealbreaker on its own. The breakbeats sound great, and drive the mix along at a frenetic pace. You can have too much of a good thing though, and there's a natural point for a break/switchup at 1:12, which would be welcomed. As it is, they're playing for everything except the intro and outro, which keeps the energy levels pretty static throughout. Adding more dynamics to the track would be a big plus. SFX are OK, but what's going on at 1:29? Is Toad censoring an expletive? It's pretty funny, but the sample at 1:29 is so dry that it sticks right out of the mix - although, with what I think it's saying, maybe that's intentional! Tough one for me to call here. It's super close, but it feels like it needs that extra push just to bring everything together and make things click. The ideas are all there, but I think there's some great feedback here that, if taken on board, could elevate this one way above the bar instead of just scraping over it. There's nothing major holding this one back for me, so I hope to hear it again soon! NO (resubmit)

Hmm this one's a toughie. Lots I like about it, lots I'd do differently. For starters, the beats are way too loud! I love a clean, chunky beat as much as anyone, but everything needs to be in balance. Without significant shifts in patterns and fills to keep me guessing, the beats were starting to grate on me by the end. The groove is cool though, and I don't have a problem with the samples used. Guitar solos sound killer, but the backing is really weak and the soundscape seems to be lacking one extra element to support such shreddage. Some cool wah-wah action from 1:49-2:10 leading into the Boo sound effect was a really nice detail, as the wakka-wakka from the wah pedal sounds a bit like Boo's call. You gotta respect the oboe usage as well. Standout moment for me is the end of the last solo at 3:13. The ringing note leads into the ghostly, reversed synth perfectly. Outro is too abrupt. It's definitely a mixed bag here, but the more I listened to it, the more I liked about it - particularly the wah pedal stuff that I didn't catch first go round. I wish the beats were quieter, but that's not gonna stop the YES

Soon as I saw the title I thought of the Rolling Stones song, and translating the lyrics into Latin is a fun idea that works really well in the epic orchestral/choir style. It also ties in perfectly with the context of the game, so it's kind of a win-win-win! The opening choir sounds great, and then when the heavier elements come in, the piece really starts to take shape. There are a number of interesting mixing decisions on show here. Other judges have mentioned the seeming narrowness of the frequency range - the highs in particular seem to lack some clarity, and also individual instruments seem to lack presence when it feels like they should be chunkier. The rhythm guitar around the 2 minute mark is backing off to allow the deeper strings room, but it sounds very thin as a result. Certain elements also seem to move around the stereo space with a slow LFO, which can be a little disconcerting when listening on headphones. The arp at 3:30 and the autotuned vocals at 2:27 were particularly noticeable for this. Those vocals didn't quite fit the vibe of the track I thought, sounding more like 'Blue' by Eiffel 65 than anything Black Guitar solo was awesome, could have done with standing out more in the mix, but it fit really well. The "Paint it blaaack" vocal treatment at the end worked great - I kinda wish you'd done this type of distortion for the 2:27 section now! Overall though it's an ambitious idea that's executed well. The drawbacks aren't big enough to drop this one below the bar, and I love the concept behind it. YES

Well, that bass and kick are on point, particularly when they stand on their own in the intro and outro. Those saws though are just too much of a wall of sound for me to find it pleasant for the whole track. Normally, a break section gives you a break from the low-end, (as the break section here does), however I find myself wanting a break from the lead - or at least a switch-up. SFX are used well, and I do expect them in this genre. Remember though that in the game, when you hop on Yoshi there's additional percussion that comes in. I'd love a nod to that! Some nice countermelody stuff in there with the clean, pluck-style synth, which works well and cuts through that wall of sound, although I was disappointed at the omission of the source's B section (0:34 in the source tune), which has its own fun melody and countermelody interplay. The ending doesn't cut it at all though I'm afraid. Sounds like the sample's been cut off early. Overall it's a decent effort, but there needs to be some switchup of that supersaw for me to pass this one. It's too fatiguing as-is. Fix the ending, and I'd love a B section as well, but not essential. NO

Interesting fade-in! There's a little warm white noise in there that I'm not sure about, but then the instruments kick in and the white noise is drowned out. When the track quietens down, it's audible later, so possibly a recording artefact? The first minute or so I felt like there was space in the soundscape for another instrument to come in, and you didn't disappoint with the electric guitar! Chunky rhythm, clean lead, and then it rips in with a cool solo at 2:59. Mixing is a little loud on the lead there, but it's a solo, so why not? I've got some minor mixing gripes with the hi-hats from 1:30-2:36 - they just sound disconnected from the rest of the drumkit. Set them back in the soundscape a little more and they'd sound more cohesive as a unit. They sound better later on in the track though when things are busier, so maybe you've mixed it in the busy section and left the settings from that. Those nitpicks aside, this is a cracking track. Love the 6/8 time signature and this style works so well with the source tune. Can't say I listen to much 'doom metal', but I was pleasantly surprised! The mixture of acoustic and electric guitars adds depth the the performance, and of course there's the gratuitous bass drumming section in there for good measure. Great track, and the fadeout ending is actually quite fitting and didn't bother me as much as fadeouts usually do thanks YES

Great use of dynamics throughout. The expression is given life through the jazzier gait, as well as the velocity of the notes. In that sense the dynamics are moving on two axes, and the performance is great. The arrangement works really well, and it's a seamless blend of the sources. I wasn't familiar with either, but listening to them after your rendition, it's clear you've done a great job combining them into a cohesive piece. The climax at 2:20-2:50 packs a decent punch, and then the delicate finish circles back nicely. No complaints from me! YES

I love this! Had me grinning from ear to ear the whole way through. I was expecting some 'jumping on Yoshi' SFX in there before the choruses, but I see in the writeup you had to remove those due to copyright. Too bad, I think for something as over-the-top as this, a huge helping of cliché SFX would actually work. No problems with the arrangement from me, I like the original piano soloing, and all the other little extras that differentiate it from the original. The production is pretty rough, but this style of Eurodance is forgiving enough to be passable. It's loud, in-your-face, and frenetic, and it just works. I sure had fun listening to it, anyway! YES

Beautifully executed idea. When we talk about adding humanisation to synthesised instruments, this is what we mean. The 3/4 time signature gives the track a natural flow, and from there, a lot of care has been taken to allow the instruments to feel like they're being played by real humans. The way the track ebbs and flows each bar is delightful, altogether building to that big, piercing finish. I've gotta say, the high note was too loud for me, almost comically so. It certainly made me sit up and take notice, somewhat breaking my immersion. I would definitely have preferred a bit less volume on that note, particularly with the long sustain. Perhaps a bit more decay on it before the sustain would have sounded more pleasant to my ear, and perhaps been a more natural sound. Either way, it's a minor criticism of an excellent piece of work. YES

I'm glad to hear teenagers of today remixing tunes from the C64 era! And a cool source tune it is too. Prophetik has given some great feedback about the orchestration. I too felt it was too heavy in the brass, and could have used a switch or two between sections. The sample quality also isn't great, so it sounds a bit unnatural and MIDI-like. The arrangement does repeat the main theme quite a lot, however I like the way it progresses, and the triumphant marching-band style works very well. Attention has definitely been paid to the dynamics of the arrangement, with the quiet opening ramping up to a big finale. I think it's clear from your submission email and the track itself that you're still new to production. You've definitely got good compositional skills though, so keep working on the production side of things, try out new sample libraries, and see how you improve as you learn more about Cubase/any other tools you work with. NO

Great idea and energy to the track; it's a good starting point! The fanfare sample at the beginning is not allowed on OCReMix due to copyright by Square Enix. I think it's quite cliché though anyway, and you could probably remove it and have a more original intro. The effects and backing pads are overlapping each other, making things difficult to hear. It sounds too crowded. Removing the bird and ocean effects for the main verses and choruses will be a good start. The drum loop sounds good, but it's overused. Try to use different patterns to keep it interesting. I thought the drop in intensity from 2:22 was just a break, but then the track ended. You could use this section as a break, and add some original material here. After the break, build the energy back up for a final chorus. It's a simple way to add your own personality to the track, and still make it feel like a remix. Keep learning and improving, this is a great start! NO