timaeus222

I felt like I was floating high above, drifting amongst a sea of digital clouds, reveling in the weightlessness due to the style and timbre of the synths.  Let no artifice consume reality, unless that reality bears no meaning.

What a great jam! I especially liked the drum fills and piano solos!

This remix has an excellent sway to it.  The arps in the background keep the steady pulse of the tone going.  I definitely enjoyed the ending chorus, what a great melody!

Thanks for posting this! And thanks for all of the Judges' feedback - I enjoy all the advice and critique. 🙂👍

I didn't vote on this but the production quality is an easy bar for this being accepted, as is the cutoff ending which makes it sound incomplete.
Aside from that it's very conservative, using similar instrumentation and an arrangement that only differs in how often it loops material, so that'd probably also knock this one down, too.
There are tracks that I respectfully raise an eyebrow to the overall decision (every judge has their opinion, it isn't always easy to make a choice!), but with due respect this isn't one of those tracks.

That does it, this is going in my Middle-Eastern playlist.

Closed the thread as per request of the OP.

Hello!
I did have a lot of non-digital music experience, mainly playing piano and singing in choirs, but surprisingly I didn't have a great ear when it came to writing or listening to music, and I was a complete newbie in mixing/mastering. OCR definitely contributed a ton to developing that in only 2 years. You can find me in discord or twitter anytime!
@JoshWiniberg

Happy New Year, everyone!
Just wanted to check-in and let you all know that we've got a new submissions process for remixes. Since the inception of the site, we've been asking you to host your file somewhere and send us an email with a bunch of information about your remix. This has lead to a lot of headaches on both your end and our end, but now we're finally moving forward with a more modern method.
Introducing the new Submissions Tracking page! We've used our forum software to build out a custom form where you can upload your track directly to us. This post will get a status and linked to a decision thread, and it also features a comments section where judges can communicate with you about issues with your remix. Submissions are private, so only you and the judges can see them. In the coming months we'll be retiring the old email method of submitting remixes with an auto-response that'll direct folks towards the new system.
This new form, combined with our recently revamped Currently in the Judging Process dashboard, will help you keep tabs on your submissions.
A big shout out to all of the ReMixers and Judges who helped me test out this new system. I've had ideas for years for turning our submissions and judging workflows into a fully integrated piece of software, and while the limitations of our forum software prevent us from hitting that goal 100%, this is a huge step in the right direction.
I'm looking forward to hearing what you all are going to send us. 😎
— DarkeSword

I dig it. A minimal soundscape that basically has the occasional ear candy to maintain interest. It had to have solid production to justify it, which it does. I like the breakdown at 3:25 - 4:39, although I would maybe have liked a bigger payoff afterwards, like a larger lead sound than one that is low-passed plucky, or one that is more interesting than a supersaw. Something to keep in mind for the future!

Definitely a boomy sound, duly noted. Haha, I like how the Volt Kraken bassline reminds me of Double Dragon II's "Mission 2" music.
Not a fan of this piano at :30, no sir. Very thin and mechanical sound, but it thankfully only lasted a few seconds. Wack claps too from 1:33-2:03, booooooooooooo. Never a fan of parts that present a quality disparity.
Track got way beefier with the beats after that though. The levels are too bright, but not gonna hold it back for that. Arrangement is strong with nice tradeoffs and interplay between the themes, and the production's loud but reasonable, so get outta here.
YES

Very unusual intro!  Not my favorite part of the track (although with repeated listens it is growing on me), but it quickly transitions into some smooth, funky beats that marry the two themes completely seamlessly.  Lots of detail in the mix, and the production is good.  I like the piano solo quite a bit, wish there was more of it!  The arrangement is terrific.  I think this mix is great except for one problem.  The master is hitting +5db peak.  I don't hear compression artifacts, but I think it's a good idea to revisit the mastering and make sure there is a reasonable ceiling set so there are no issues when uploading the track to YouTube.
YES (conditional on setting proper final limiter ceiling)

Well, this is neat.  It opens up with an eclectic mix of synths, then drops in a piano and some classic EDM bass.  Nice mix of traditional and unique sounds throughout, always with clean, crisp production.
It's a solid blend of the two sources, too.  Great work for this kind of compo; you'd never know this was a mashup if you didn't know the source tunes.
I can't think of anything to complain about.  Just a good job all around.
YES

haha, super weird opening. not bad, just immediately made me smile because it's weird. the big beat and swirly keys right away were a fun sound. drums are probably a bit loud over the piano lead, but it's a fun beat and i love the bass blats. there's some more rhythmic synths added at about 1:00 and then it opens up more at 1:15 to a more traditional electro/rock feel. i agree with MW that you'd never guess this is a mashup.
there's a piano break at 1:42ish, with some fun panned verby synths and a recap of the super scooper lead from the beginning, and we're back to a bigger beat at 2:19 or so. this felt similar to the opening, but there's some new stuff added in around 2:35 that mix it up, especially in the keys. 3:06 opens up again and i really dig the descending countermelodic synth work there. there's a swell to a keys-driven outro, and it ends comfortably.
this is a fun track. it sounds good, does a great job with a preponderance of source, and doesn't overstay its welcome. nice work.
 
 
YES

Superb stuff right here. Drums sound punchy and clean, but have a tight groove to them with those lovely crisp hi-hats.
Strange choice to open with that G-funk style lead synth noodling, which was about the only thing I wasn't sold on in the whole piece. Love the synth at 1:03, and the tremolo flourish at 1:11. Loads of ear candy like that is sprinkled throughout, just to give you a tickle. Piano sounds a bit on the thin side, but it's a cool idea to get a solo in there and there's a nice handoff to the synth for the big chorus finish. When the chorus all comes together (1:18, 3:06), it's got such a great flow, I kinda wish that part lasted a bit longer. Ah well, there's always the replay button.
YES

I feel the midrange (and to some extent the upper treble) here is fairly cluttered when we get to 0:46. It seems like the brass, FM pads, and vox are competing there. What I would recommend is to scoop the midrange a few dB on the brass, and try low passing the FM pads (the buzzy part) a little so that the vox can breathe.
The cause of the muddiness that Hemophiliac hears is the clash of the sub bass and the low end hit like at 0:30 - 0:32, in the 20 - 120 Hz range (although the low-mids don't actually have much going on). I would try sidechaining a small amount so that the low end hit there pushes down the sub bass when it strikes. I would also consider high passing the sub bass so that you cut out anything below about 20-30 Hz - it usually won't make a difference on what you hear, but it'll help with the overcompression by clearing up some headroom.
Hope this helps the mixing!

It isn't a general solution, but I still do it on the Master Track because I will never hear or feel below 25 Hz anyway. 20 Hz is too little impact to pick. It will cut out room noise on vocal recordings, and excess low end on poorly-recorded samples.
But low-end clutter to me describes low-mid-range as well, which this does not solve. You simply have to solo each instrument that is occupying that range and decide what you want to be prominent, then scoop the others at that range (140 - 300 Hz or so, above kick drums and below regular midrange).

I love it! Quirky, cheeky, and playful!

I really appreciate the feedback! @Hemophiliac knows I've been workshopping this one. I'll work towards having a version ready to review again.

I hate this track, but if you submit this, I'll pretend I enjoy it!

Cool source tune, actually. I can see there being 3 distinct sections in the original, very remixable. Not sure if you wanted an official mod review here, but I'll just give my general feedback.
Arrangement
There's a good semblance of structure here. As far as implied dynamics go, it's in a good spot. My main concerns would be in the production aspect.
Production/Mixing
I would focus on addressing the drums throughout. To me they seem like placeholder samples before you put in the actual ones.
- The first moment where the drums are iffy is 1:04 - 1:15; you are using the same drum sounds here as in the main sections, whereas the dynamics here are meant to be lower. I'd swap these drums out for something more distant with a longer reverb tail.
- At 1:15 and in similar spots, I thought there would be a cymbal to mark a major transition. That would do a lot by itself.
- The snare rolls tended to have similar velocities, such as at 1:40, 2:47, and other major transitions. Try varying the velocities so that they sound like rolls (alternating intensities), as opposed to just maximally hitting the snare. It's very apparent at 3:04 where the military-like rhythm doesn't make too much sense unless you actually used an orchestral snare
---
Basically, what I've just said above boils down to:
- treat the drums with more TLC by addressing their mechanical rhythm and intensities
- take the time to choose more drum samples that are more appropriate for the implied dynamics of a given section
- mark your transitions a bit more clearly with cymbals
 
 

Loved the odd time signatures! Maintains a similar rhythm throughout but has great dynamics.

Duel Links is one of my favourite OSTs so seeing some representation is always a plus for me.
The bass is the real superstar here. Love that sound and sequencing. It dances around the track magnificently. 
Production is clean and full and has a good balance between hitting hard and being subdued, nice work on that. I agree that the drums sound like they could have a little more oomph, that drum solo section really showcases how they don't "quite" fit, but generally I think you get away with it and it's not like I can complain about tracks not having the right drum sound hahahaha. 
Pretty solid stuff!

So Zen! I just played this game for the first time recently and was surprised how good the BGM was which is a good thing since you'll hear it looped so much.

Contact Information
Username: timaeus222
Name: Truong-Son Nguyen

http://soundcloud.com/timaeus222
https://hand-held-thumbs.hostingerapp.com/
ID: 24526
Submission Information
Games: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links
ReMix Title: The Arc That Spans The Heavens
Consoles/Platforms: Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows OST Composers: uncredited/unknown (previously discussed with Larry) Source Tunes: Zuzu Boyle Theme (attached)   Comments: "I've been having a lot of fun with Yu-Gi-Oh lately, both Duel Links and Master Duel (released early January 2022). Basically, Duel Links uses ~60% the board size of the real life game, with half of the Life Points and about half the deck size. The meta of this game changes fairly quickly, but right now it's rather diverse. The Melodious deck was part of the meta few months ago but is still semi-relevant (the current meta consists of several Arc-V decks like Odd-Eyes, D/D/D, and Galaxy). The character who uses the deck is Zuzu Boyle, whose theme is used in this ReMix.
The title is based on the phrase the main character of the Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V anime says when he performs a 'Pendulum Summon': "Swing! Pendulum of the Souls! Draw an arc of light on the skies! Pendulum Summon!"
  I haven't done Jazz Fusion in a really long time, but I instantly felt that kind of inspiration from this theme, and wrote this in about 3 days, using a similar sound pool to the Kirby ReMix "Kirbland" I did as a Twitter challenge. You might hear references to zircon and Joshua Morse here and there. Out of all the elements in this mix, I enjoyed writing the drum (Groove Bias) and bass (Trilian Jaco Bass) parts the most, especially the bass solo! Hope you guys stay well, and keep on ReMixing! No source breakdown this time, as I think there are fairly direct connections to be made. :-)"   Extra Info: As previously discussed, I have no idea who the music artist is and Konami doesn't seem to be very open with revealing the composer name. Very weird.