docnano

Ditto. Hi-hat needs to come down. I like almost all of your changes since the initial version. Nice little jazzy flourishes add a lot. Some of the piano writing in the beginning sounds like it must have been played by a 3-handed monster, which is a little distracting to me, but not a big deal. Never get tired of this though, could have it on repeat all day.

Good stuff indeed. As long as we're posting links, here are some examples of good, fairly recent country/folk imo: (good foot-stomping rhythm, interesting vocal harmonies later on) (some would call it emo, but feels genuine) (awesome progressive bluegrass)

lol yeah... won't be downloading those any time soon. Probably my biggest complaint about country is not the subject matter, but the fact that much of it doesn't feel personal or genuine. I mean, how many of these guys and gals are actually farmers these days? I think the best of country is not so desperate to assert its identity as "country" -- in my experience, local musicians do a better job of avoiding this.

True, definitions may vary. Do we include old country like the music of Johnny Cash and Elvis? What about bluegrass and progressive bluegrass (a la mandolinist Chris Thile)? Much of this wouldn't be heard on a typical country station in my region of the U.S., but it shares some of the same roots in Appalachian folk music.

As a young lad, I joined my peers in country-bashing for no particular reason. But lately I find that distortion, shouting, and bad singing/talking are over-used in modern music. When I get tired of these things, country music offers a welcome haven, and little else will do. True, it's pretty formulaic, both in terms of musical and lyrical content. But on the whole, the genre demonstrates a well-developed aesthetic sense for melody and harmony compared to other modern genres. I don't think we have to be singing about pink elephants on the dark side of the moon in whole tone scales with a chromatic chord progression for music to be enjoyable. I also think it's entirely appropriate for many (even most) songs to be about heartache and relationships, since these are some of the most poignant experiences for most people. I'm curious: for those of you who despise the love/woe aspect of country lyrics, what would you rather hear people sing about? Certainly not brushing one's teeth with a bottle of Jack? There are plenty of examples of "middling trash" in country, often accompanied by dumb or overly pious lyrics. But it's rare for me to find a duet as achingly moving as "Let Me Let Go" by Faith Hill and Vince Gill, a ballad as unbearably melancholy as "Maybe" by Alison Krauss, or a tune that rocks in quite the same way as "The Devil's Paintbrush Road" by the Wailin' Jennys (technically bluegrass). In fact, compared to how often I listen to country, probably a disproportionate number of my favorite songs are in the country/folk genre. As for hillbilly jokes, it's not surprising to me that some of the subject matter will be lost on those who can't appreciate the simple beauty of rural life.

The tempo is fine, but in orchestral music I like to hear some rubato, ritardandos, firmatas, etc. They can be subtle, but if the tempo is totally static it sounds like someone put the notes into a sequencer and is pretending it's an orchestra. But maybe that's the sound you're going for.

Amazing. I didn't think it could be done.

I really like how you flesh out the harmonies. There is a good sense of voice leading and momentum throughout most of the piece. I agree with Rockos that it's pretty close to source, and might not pass the panel for that reason. It's hard to mess with such a beautiful source, but really try hard to think of any original direction you can tastefully take it. 1:40 might be a good place to introduce an original section. Other comments: - Are you using two different piano samples? In the beginning it sounds too plunky (like an SNES piano) which along with too-heavy use of other chromatic percussion ruins the mood of the intro for me. The piano sounds much better in some later sections. - You could probably bring out the low strings a little more, or decrease the volume on the high strings. And what about some french horns or woodwinds? - It's pretty loud throughout -- you could make some sections piano or mezzo piano for more drama. And what about trying some tempo changes and firmatas? - Ending is indeed abrupt Nice work so far and good luck!

I don't remember your original, but this definitely has a catchy beat. I always loved this source, particularly the rapid arpeggios. You probably know more about mixing than I do, but an uninformed comment is better than no comment? All I can think of at this point is: 1) Kick/bass drum is too loud and boomy at times. Maybe you were going for the distortion, though. 2) Chippy intro is cool but a little weak -- maybe do some sort of wah, phase or cutoff changes, maybe also a crescendo to lead into the next part. Pretty short, but I love the ideas so far!

Will, Ghetto, I just hafta ask: what is it specifically that sounds fake about the piano to you? I find the sample quite convincing, and more expressive than the majority of posted remixes (even recent ones). Could just be the fact that I'm listening on earbuds atm. Just wondering what you're hearing that I'm not.

Smooth, groovy and relaxing. I was surprised at first to hear the Descartes quote, but it didn't sound out of place to me. I'd agree that the piano, in the beginning, could use a little volume boost before the other instruments come in, or the pads/drums could start a little softer. After that it sounds nice, and quite realistic IMO. Nice to hear from you again!

Production issues are forgivable here -- fantastic arrangement and performance. This would have been right at home in a 1940s gala.

I'm ashamed to admit this, but this is one of my favorite early OCR mixes. Chipmunk overdub at 0:24 == WIN

Very cool start. I love the style you have going, and the interesting time signatures (of which I'm always a fan). In the repeated sections and some of the bridge you could try adding a countermelody played by some low strings. So far I'm not hearing the female vocal line from the source tune, so that might be a good candidate. This might add some textural variety throughout the mix. The flute could also be more expressive/varied -- maybe some parts in the beginning could be played an octave lower, or you could add some harmonies with a second flute or another woodwind (oboe?). Some well-placed accents, slurs, and dynamic changes could help keep the listener grounded in the interesting rhythmic landscape. Hooray for acoustic style mixes. More.

I dunno, I just... really love that melody. But this is gutsy, and you did a good job with the arrangement. I really wonder what the judges would do with something like this. I don't see how it's any less valid than a hip-hop mix.

I really enjoy this so far, and hope you continue working on it! I never would have thought to combine these themes, but for the most part you pull it off. I'd echo what Rozovian said, and add that most of the mix seems pretty top-heavy to me (frequency-wise). At times you have something that sounds like a cello playing countermelodies and such, but there's no true bass throughout most of the mix. You might consider adding an ensemble bass sample, even if just to accent the high points of the piece.

Thanks, Nonamer -- BTW your username reminds me of my background in chemistry. I agree that the drums were too loud, so I bumped them down a bit in most sections (new version is now linked in original post). Hopefully the new volume is more appropriate. Any tips on other types of drum sounds you'd like to hear, or good sample libraries to experiment with?

Well, here's my first semi-legit stab at electronica (or not?). The voices are pretty limited since I only had access to the built-in samples of Ableton Intro when I wrote this. Some early Genesis influences towards the end, prize to the first person who recognizes what song I "borrowed" the idea for the bass rhythm from at 1:45. I don't really plan to submit this, but if you have any suggestions I'd love to hear 'em. Sources: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYaFKYJggP0&feature=related EDIT: I guess this is really more retro synth rock than electronica. Whatever, genres are approximations anyway.

Totally epic arrangement, and excellent use of a variety of exotic samples. The sequenced piano sounds more techno-y than orchestral, but that's a small complaint. Definitely in my library as of NOW. Excellent debut.

Interesting to put a RnB-ish mix in 3/4 time. Even more interesting to integrate orchestral instruments. I think it works pretty well. The groove and general feel are nice. The only thing that bothers me is the solo string instrument starting at 1:04 -- I'd either find a real cellist or viola player, or use another sample (maybe ensemble strings, which are easier to fake and you use to good effect elsewhere in the mix). Also, the section around 2:20 sounds kind of empty. The syncopated pizzicato part may need something else to carry it through. Some smooth ensemble strings or synth pads might help fill it out. Other than that, not sure I can be of much help in this genre, but keep at it!

@FunkyEntropy Thanks for the critique. We went back and forth about the missed notes and decided it was ok for it to be less than perfect given our skill levels and the WIP reactions up to that point. Chris did re-record a few notes and chords to get them closer than the version you're hearing, though. And no, haven't given much thought to composing something for brass quintet, but you'd be on my short list if a good idea came to mind.

I wanted to listen to this, but the whole password-protected file sharing thing turned me (and probably others) off. Why not just host this on the OCRemix WIP storage (http://ocrwip.fireslash.net/)?

Oh! It ended. Anyway, this is a very nice mellow chippy WIP. I love it when a mix sounds more retro than the source. Please finish it!

I'm not a big fan of heavy rock guitar mixes, but I have to love the variety of textures and rhythms Fishy uses here. Just when I think it's going to get boring, he changes it up with another awesome riff or drum pattern. Also, nice syncopation/juxtaposition of rhythms in some of the part writing that does feel proggish to me.

If you're going to kill each other, please do it in someone else's thread.