docnano

Congrats! I support the LTTP credits as well. However, may I recommend this one as the bridal party is introduced at the reception. How sweet would that be?

These re-orchestrations are lots of fun and a good opportunity to hone one's arrangement skills (I just did one of Anxious Heart myself). Nice job with this. What samples are you using? Most of them sound good, and definitely a few steps up from the source tune. Drums are nice 'n boomy, which is perfect. My only real complaints are the trumpet's constant, high-amplitude vibrato (a little distracting) and the strange instrument that plays the countermelody starting at 0:42 (I honestly can't tell what it's supposed to be -- a solo cello?). Other than that, I think if you added some crescendi leading into the high points, as well as more dynamic shaping of the phrases in general, it would give your cover an even more authentic feel.

Great stuff, brings back 8-bit memories a-plenty for me as well. I was surprised by the elec guitar in GG Track 1, but it works... I think! Can't really offer much constructive criticism as chiptunes are pretty foreign territory for me, composition-wise. Congrats and good luck on your project!

I really love this. I especially enjoy the improv-y lead bits towards the middle and end. Here's hoping for the best with the panel!

Oh, ok, I thought by "doubling" you meant playing the same part simultaneously in two instrument groups. Thanks, glad you like it! After getting some pointers here I might continue with other fictional RPG tracks such as a town theme, world map, emotional themes, etc.

Glad to hear you say that; I've got celli doubling the horns at times, and clarinets doubling the trumpets throughout much of the piece. But I could probably bring them both out more at times to change up the sound, or replace. Regarding section C, I really would hate to push those heroic trumpet fanfares too much in the background, even if they are merely silly little arpeggios. But maybe that's just due to my current brass fetish.

I remember this from the WIP forums -- terrific arrangement with lots of energy. Congrats on your well-deserved post and the fantastic collab opportunity with Hitoshi Sakamoto.

Thanks for the feedback, Dan. I used the trumpets/horns a lot because I'm in love with how they sound in EWQLSO (soooo much better than any synth sound I'd had up till recently), and I wanted a lot of power. But probably it wouldn't have less impact if I had the woodwinds/strings take over the melody in the B section, and that would solve some of the diversity issues.

Here's an original Uematsu- and Mitsuda-esque battle theme I composed with EWQLSO silver: Any feedback is appreciated!

Wow, I'm blown away by this simple-but-emotive mix. This is some of the most expressive sax playing I've heard on an OC Remix for sure. It's electron-infused Kenny G.

I've been following OCR since very near the beginning. I'm so proud of how the community and its remixes have matured over the years, yet it's still possible for a total newb to break in with enough time and effort. I only regret not joining in on the fun earlier. Oh, and maybe I'll pony up some dough during a fundraiser one of these years...

Holy scarf could this be any more awesome?? No. No, it couldn't. Bravissimi, ladies and gents.

What a bright and cheerful track! I don't think there's a problem with the bouzouki. Sounds kinda like a J-Pop bell synth, in a way, which fits the mood of the track. But if the judges say so, then shikata ga nai... I agree with Daybreaker that I don't hear much of an Arabic influence other than the percussion and some of the instrumentation. Tonality, harmony, and most of the rhythms are totally Western. But I don't see that as a problem, if that's what you're trying to accomplish. If there's one suggestion I could offer, it's that the piano sounds a bit sequenced at times, with velocities too consistent. Other than that, great track! (I won't comment on mixing since that's NOT my forte).

I like what you did with the harmonies! It starts out mysterious and then gets more romantic and melancholy. Just a touch of dissonance, but not too much. Very nice. The low frequencies seem a little empty for most of the mix. They're there, but not quite enough I think. If you fill those out with some plucked and bowed bass/cello samples, especially ones with moving countermelodies, that might also make the backing more interesting as Calum suggests.

Oh! Oh oh! C'mon! Come on come on come on! Hot! What a hot beat! Whooooah! Yeeeah! Yahoooo!

Wow, I totally love this! I never listened to the FF IX soundtrack much but it's interesting to hear such a dark, ambient take on the prelude theme. The beginning ~1-2 min are the strongest, but the rest of the piece is nice too.

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I backed off on the reverb just a smidge, made a couple of minuscule tweaks, and subbed it.

Nice, atmospheric piece o' music you have here. Opinion: the string bass or cello at 0:57 is crying out for a staccato or spiccato articulation for added epicness. Great work!

Thanks for the feedback! I'm posting a minor update, wherein the piccolo will hopefully pierce your eardrums less severely. Timing and composition are better, too, I think. Looking forward to hearing what Level 99 and any other mods have to say.

Re glock: I see -- maybe an issue with the EWQLSO sample itself then? If I understand what you're talking about, I've heard the same issue with glock in other mixes (like My Child from Gears + Humans, maybe). I'm not applying any compression whatsoever and am normalizing, so there shouldn't be overload/distortion issues... Re piccolo: Thanks for the thoughts. It's possible some of the rhythms/notes could change slightly, but they do at least fall within the chord progression.

Thanks! Yeah, the glockenspiel seems a bit out of tune in the high notes, but I've noticed that when I play glock in a large ensemble in "real life" as well, so... maybe acceptable? Anyway, I added a piccolo in one section near the end. Here's the essentially final product:

I got EWQLSO Silver a few weeks ago, and had the chance to give this a full orchestral overhaul. Added strings, replaced existing instruments with better samples and used more varied articulations. I'm ready to dub it finished, though I may yet add a piccolo.

Very nice -- I really like the harmonies you added. As has been said, you definitely dragged this melody in a different direction than I expected, which is a good thing! Compositionally, there's a good amount of variety throughout, though the ending seemed a bit abrupt to me. Very enjoyable overall, though.

Slight update, wherein I tried to accentuate the dynamic and textural contrasts, and added a triangle for excitement: I know it's a fan favorite, but... never played it. I shall have to check out the OST! I'm afraid some of that comes with the genre. :-\ But I'm definitely still learning how to use these samples; the expression knob is rather stiff, so to speak, so I have to overdo the automation compared to what I'm used to. I'm hoping that a few well-placed notes and dynamic changes will do it, since I'm pretty happy with the arrangement as it stands. Thanks for the feedback!

I'm really tempted to call this one "The Blue Ball March" since, well, Lolo is a blue ball. Not sure if I want a title like that tied to my name though. I obtained some free samples from EWQLSO, so I decided to revisit this one and give it a production overhaul. I recently bought EWQLSO Silver, so I should imminently have some more articulations and keyswitching at my disposal. On my list of things to improve: - Improve trumpet and French horn articulation - Replace clarinet sample - Flesh out low brass in some places for impact - Add piccolo and some auxiliary percussion As usual, other suggestions are welcome. I'd really like to submit this one when it's finished, since to my knowledge Lolo 3 has not yet been remixed.