timaeus222

A lot of these people sound like haters to me - people who are very close-minded. So I don't see the credibility in these people, only that they take issue. It doesn't mean that they're correct. In fact, I saw mostly sardonic and some incorrect comments. This is one decent comment: "As for the whole money issue, DJ Pretzel laid it all out in that thread that Strader linked and they barely make any money off of YouTube and operate as a non-profit organization so they have to be diligent about their money for the IRS. But please don't let your bias get in the way of learning what is actually going on." At least that guy is TRYING to be unbiased... Or maybe he's just hiding his inner mistrust too. Hard to tell...

@Brandon Strader These are not contradictory. Let's take Larry's response as a reference point (meaning that what OCR does would be presented as valid under Fair Use arguments). This is what @Liontamer said: I think it's clear enough that Larry argues Fair Use. And this is what @zircon said: What @zircon actually said - when we actually consider the rest of this post, I might add - boils down to, "well, if you want to assume that monetization of youtube VGM remix videos is illegal, then I don't see why you wouldn't first assume that monetization via OCR website ads are illegal." It was a hypothetical - a logical thought experiment to show you that you are approaching this with unapparent effort to compile the information given to you (i.e. it was a method to try to convince you by showing you what logically follows from your stated thoughts and his experience). It was also to emphasize that based on what he is comfortable asserting, he believes monetization via YouTube ads won't be significantly different in relation to monetization via website ads (or any other OCR-related advertising or ReMix distribution, hence the "everything OCR has ever done"). Thus, if you, @Brandon Strader, don't believe website ads are a problem but do believe that YouTube ads are a problem, then you don't see @zircon's point, or are ignoring it... Although his approach was on the side of "well, what if we make the assumptions that you ( @Brandon Strader ) made? Then we'd come to this off-conclusion," Larry's approach was to state his view outright. Either way, @zircon went to great lengths to explain what Fair Use is and repeat what his view is. Several times. He just has a more cautious, "let's sit back and consider OCR's history before we make hasty assumptions" point of view, which - correct me if I'm wrong - is just a humble way of saying "if OCR's putting up a Fair Use defense, then YT ads vs. website ads are hardly any different" without asserting "I am a lawyer and I know 100% what I'm talking about".

Come on, dude. If anything, it's NOT to your benefit to ignore a sensible argument, and it IS close minded on your part. I'm saying this because you sound like you have a thing against OCR making money and have constructed a conspiracy theory as to what they plan to do with it, no matter what the staff or zircon tell you. You need to open your mind to others' arguments. WE (OC ReMixers) are not staff, except for a few (and no, you are not staff), e.g. OA, Jose, etc, especially not the staff that is "responsible for the site['s] exist[ence]", in your wording. OC ReMixers don't run and maintain the site (operating costs, bug fixes, web design, judging, etc), the staff do. And if the staff decided to shut down the site, then clearly the site wouldn't exist, and thus, OC ReMixers (those who are NOT staff) are NOT in complete control of the site's existence. The staff is just as important as the ReMixers themselves, if not more, when it comes to keeping the site up and running. When it comes to giving the site content to further its mission, OC ReMixers can be considered contributors, to be sure, and in that regard, we are important. But don't think for a second that OC ReMixers (who are not staff) are the complete OCR organization in and of itself. That IS close minded.

With FM you have to be more precise in your editing. Listen to when the sound becomes too harsh, and dial it back until you get that sweet spot. Try learning how to literally fine-turn your knobs (except tuning, which generally works well on fifth and octave pitch differences between modulator/carrier), and that may help. lazygecko also has some good advice.

Dude, no one wanted that riight off-the-bat. Pretty much all of us contributed to OCR to make music. Stop making up stuff bro. Anyways, djp already said he did that so he'd get honest reactions, and be able to survey genuine responses, and it seems like that's what he got. Maybe now he can make a more informed decision in response to our responses now that we've responded. Because responses.

Yep. I would just want that clarified, but I think that's a fair interpretation...

Last ReMix for a while - since I'm headed off to grad school literally today, Chris and I thought we'd work on a Metroid mix to follow our 2013 "Let's Upset a 'Troid!". Here's how it turned out! https://app.box.com/s/j3wcpb77b9o2k5ron5jy882l78524gt5 - MP3 Also available on SoundCloud:

Well, evidently I didn't like the thought of OCR monetizing on youtube videos (since I mentioned that on the Spotify topic), but if it were changed to sidebar display ads, then I wouldn't mind nearly as much because it would be similar to the site ads. Youtube inline ads do kind of bug me, but it's not really a big deal with respect to whether or not I can skip them.

Yeah, of course; it's a *tuatara* swamp jam - one of the slowest jams you'll ever have. (no innuendo intended.)

Welp, not exactly something you want to give someone who's never heard metal; it just slaps you upside the face and hammers you down hard. But then again, that's Sixto's style.

I like the arrangement and performance quite a bit; I think it's mostly the mixing that needs a bit more work. Right now it's kinda "medium metal" in the mixing of a track that's probably supposed to be pretty heavy. The metal drums could use heavier compression (especially when you compare to the huge hit at 1:30), because they're fairly quiet compared to the cinematic percussion. Also, I hear a bit of overcompression when the cinematic percussion plays alongside the guitar. You may want to use this as a reference:

I said it earlier, but man, this is your best work yet! You definitely nailed the Metroid vibe, while still retaining your highly-percussive style. You've also really improved on your orchestral work in general, relying less on well-written percussion and presenting a more balanced package overall. It does seem like the percussion parts might have been the thing that significantly kept your inspiration going to write such long tracks (I usually have a hard time writing something longer than 4 minutes by myself), but hey, it worked out. I think my favorite track is "Sentinel", as it had a great balance between atmosphere and compositional merit.

I actually didn't find this that meandering; I thought it struck a pretty good balance between spontaneous writing, a continuous flow, and a mesmerizing atmosphere. Stayed in one gear, pretty much, but managed well, I thought. Definitely something you should hear at night when you want to relax.

OH yeah, I remember those! Loved that title, "Jin's Tonic".

Yeah, that's no problem; I kept FL Studio 11 installed when I updated to FL 12, and it still works on there.

As a point of emphasis, that limiter is 32-bit, so 32-bit FL should run it in a way that it loads fastest; 64-bit FL, I think, would automatically bridge it (putting it into a process separate from FL Studio), which might make FL take longer to load.

Agreed with Gario; I don't have much else to say, but I'll add a small note to get you to train your ear: I'm not sure if you notice it, but the bass drum you use throughout (not the kick) is a tad narrow compared to the rest of the soundscape (such as the wide pad), so to me it sticks out and doesn't quite fit into the soundscape (it sounds like it's in a different room/space). Usually, you would want instruments in the same song to sound like they're in the same room, so to speak (even if they're not all supposed to be real instruments). Since it also sounds kinda like the same bass drum sample over and over again, it also gets a little repetitive when I focus on the bass drum. You might want to try EQing down its low-midrange (200~500 Hz) a tad, and that might help a little. That said, I think you did a pretty good job; the mixing is reasonably clear. It's definitely better than some of my first ReMixes.

Pretty much agreed with Gario, but here are my main thoughts. Yep, follows the original really closely. Cool cover, but a few crits of interest about it: The accompaniment is louder than the leads, so the accompaniment could be brought down in volume. In general, something consistently playing chords (and not, say, melodies) should not be the loudest if there is also a melody going on. Try setting the accompanying instruments' volumes to 0, and then slowly raising them until they sound like they're backing up the leads, but not overtaking them. The mix overall is a bit crowded (loud/cluttered), but I'm guessing you aren't using a Limiter? A Limiter would catch your loud instruments and keep them from getting too loud. Some, however, could push your instruments down too much, giving you what's called "overcompression". In principle, this video can help you detect that, if you've heard of it. If you use a 32-bit DAW that can run VST plugins, then TLs-Pocket Limiter is a great free limiter that doesn't do that. Just be sure to lower the volume of each individual instrument, rather than simply the Master track's volume slider, as that way, the volume is lowered *before* it gets limited by the Limiter, not *after*. Pretty much after these main points are touched on, I think it'll be even more accessible to the 'casual listener'.

Haha, "OCR" - OC Records

That's not why I'm concerned. Making money as a non-profit entity adds the chance for suspicion. Anyone can wrongly accuse OCR, and that technically can be minimized by limiting money made associated with the OC ReMixes themselves. Anyways, I think the staff made it clear that Spotify probabl won't be on the radar for a while when it comes to licensing thousands of source tunes (less for albums, but still a lot) and streaming the ReMixes. For now, if you really want to share a streaming service that has OC ReMixes, go to http://ocr.rainwave.cc/

I did already read what you had, but I still don't agree with your interpretation of intent. Going out and purposefully placing ads on OC ReMix videos would result in generating revenue off of free music.

Did you read what I quoted? I'll emphasize it: "if OC ReMixes themselves are being monetized, being sold in any context, or you're [someone who is] generating revenue from ads while hosting OC ReMixes, the answer is NO, [you cannot simply use OC ReMixes in that manner.]" (e.g. in a YouTube video) Like I said, if the staff doesn't want random people doing it, why would they themselves do it? It's hypocritical. The staff makes much of its money from selling OC ReMix merchandise. Perhaps @Liontamer or @djpretzel could elaborate.

...Who said OCR makes [ad or other] revenue on youtube? If the staff doesn't allow other people to do it, why would they do it? Straight from the FAQ: Guess what? OCR doesn't have explicit permission from each artist right off-the-bat.

Well, although the "mission" is partly to promote VGM, it doesn't seem worth it to try licensing literally thousands of source tunes to publish OC ReMixes on commercial streaming services. Plus, OCR has been known as a non-profit organization. Even when the money goes towards managing the site and so on, that appears less clear when money is involved.

That's a reaction to remember.