timaeus222

Bit too much in debt atm, but I'll grab it when I'm able. Got it fav'd in my Browser. 'Rising Above' sounds really good man!

Just released this atmospheric/ambient/electronic music album! Hope you find the time to check it out! ❤️


https://timaeusproductions.bandcamp.com/album/rising-above
I started writing the tracks for this album since 2016! With Graduate School studies going on simultaneously, and the recent worldwide fiasco, I feel the world needs motivation. The structure of this album is designed to depict a metaphorical ascension to greatness, to hopefully encourage you all to breathe, get up, and get air into your lungs by being an overall positive and outgoing person!
 

A very simple idea that usually works is just to take parts of the melodies of the songs you want to mash up (like 2-4 bars, or maybe just 1-2 phrases) and glue them together into a new melody that flows nicely. So take 1-2 phrases from song A and put them in your track, follow that by 1-2 phrases from song B, then 1-2 phrases from song A again, etc. It will help if you puzzle out a structure that makes sense (e.g. use 2 phrases from each song from the verses, and 2 other phrases for the chorus).
Or, what you could do, is take part of the melody from song A and use that as your verse, and use part of the melody of song B and use that as your chorus. A bit simpler, but can be very effective.
At the end of the day it’s just playing around with it, messing with it until you have something that sounds good. Anything goes, no clear cut recipe. Just gotta try and try and try and eventually you’ll have something that works.

This has such a nice vintage OCR quality to it Really takes me back to the early 2010's. As someone who can get hung up on production in my own work, I appreciate the challenge you set for yourself to work with a simpler palette and focus primarily on the arrangement. At the end of the day, I'd argue that both aspects of the remix came out strong!

I'm surprised there are this few replies to this. It's important to know how to mix loudly, but well.
What I do is mark down what frequency ranges are strongest in each instrument (depending on the number of instruments, it may be more or less manageable), and if they overlap, decide what you want to come through and scoop the EQ for the instrument you want to bring down. I always recommend that you EQ in the context of instruments playing together, and in that case, even if you scoop a frequency range, the net result may sound similar, although a single scooped instrument may be noticeably more hollow by itself.
Also keep in mind that if you overlay 2 instruments, the overall amplitude will be additive to some extent, so two instruments peaking at about -3 dB won't necessarily stack to become exactly -3 dB again because not all of the overlap cancels out perfectly. Try adjusting instrument loudness in pairs, or in combinations of 3, like this. You can do this more easily with a spectroscope like the free s(M)exoscope.
So basically, keep these things in mind:
- Scoop out frequencies in an instrument that is mid-heavy, and do so in context with other instruments so that you don't drastically alter the overall heaviness of the collection of sound.
- Look in a spectroscope that displays your waveform to see how your instruments' amplitudes stack together, and try adjusting instrument loudness in pairs.

I'm surprised there are this few replies to this. It's important to know how to mix loudly, but well.
What I do is mark down what frequency ranges are strongest in each instrument (depending on the number of instruments, it may be more or less manageable), and if they overlap, decide what you want to come through and scoop the EQ for the instrument you want to bring down. I always recommend that you EQ in the context of instruments playing together, and in that case, even if you scoop a frequency range, the net result may sound similar, although a single scooped instrument may be noticeably more hollow by itself.
Also keep in mind that if you overlay 2 instruments, the overall amplitude will be additive to some extent, so two instruments peaking at about -3 dB won't necessarily stack to become exactly -3 dB again because not all of the overlap cancels out perfectly. Try adjusting instrument loudness in pairs, or in combinations of 3, like this. You can do this more easily with a spectroscope like the free s(M)exoscope.
So basically, keep these things in mind:
- Scoop out frequencies in an instrument that is mid-heavy, and do so in context with other instruments so that you don't drastically alter the overall heaviness of the collection of sound.
- Look in a spectroscope that displays your waveform to see how your instruments' amplitudes stack together, and try adjusting instrument loudness in pairs.

Heh, and I thought I was the only one who did this to tracks from time to time (I just use Audacity when doing this with other people's music, personally).

TBH it's pretty cool to do this to your own collection, sprucing it up for personal use, but do remember that while OCR distributes the music with a non-exclusive license to do so, we technically don't have the right to go put out "updated" versions of other people's music without their permission (nor does anyone else, for that matter, since it's still their music), so I would say unless you can manage to get people's permission for putting out remastered versions of their music it's probably a no-go in general, as far as distributing remasters go. That's not to say you can't do it on your own - it's sometimes really fun to have a personal copy at home of a remastered version - it's just not something that you should distribute on a wide scale without talking to the artists first.

I don't hear a lot of Big Band around here, but this is really jammin'!

I have such a deep appreciation for what you did here Julien. Our community is, of course, full of artists who are passionate about their craft, it's rare that we see a submission where the concept behind the arrangement is so deliberate. I mean, I can't think of any other submission in my time as an evaluator that has come with multiple pages of PDF documentation! Everything else aside, I commend you for your effort and creative vision. 
I initially had a hard time wrapping my mind around this, but I think Brad used the perfect word to describe what's going on here and it helped me understand what you were going for: asymmetrical. There's a level of beauty that can be evoked by mashing together such disparate styles that couldn't have been conveyed if any of these individual musical ideas were fleshed out into their own track. It's imbalanced at times, but by design. The ambient synth sound design, skull-crushing metal riffs, and old-school dark techno synths all contribute to something that feels much greater than the sum of its parts! 
Very happy to welcome you aboard to OCRemix! Congratulations. 
YES

I agree with Joel that, compared to the rich soundscape of the intro, the soundscape becomes almost jarringly thin when the first metal section arrives.  But wow, I really like the meshing of the various styles.  I disagree that this makes the mix non-cohesive; the theme continues seamlessly throughout the track and the style changes are welcome surprises.  While I wish the mixing was a little more consistent throughout, I don't find it to be a dealbreaker.  There is so much here to like and I'd like to see it on the front page.
YES

Eerie synth blips and rumbles start things off. A spacey sine-wave synth introduces the theme, accompanied by string-like pads. Things started to get bit-crushed, as guitars start to fade-in at 1:37. The soundscape here noticeably changes, feeling more thin. The guitars once making their way fully into the mix sound ok. The accompanying lead synth playing in the centre is hard to make out and felt without purpose. Ironically the early section felt more impactful with the larger soundscape than when the guitars entered. The transition at 2:10 felt out of place not built up to properly. The off-beat nature of the section does sound ok. At 2:45 the guitars return, to transition to a fast hamming section. This section does go for a while but doesn't change a whole lot over that time. At 3:35 we get some additional guitar layers. This adds an additional dimension to the previous section but doesn't really change things up a whole lot. The outro section is quite good, with synth movements between the stereo spectrum. Not sure what to make of this one. There are a lot of great ideas here, good use of SFX, and the theme is featured constantly. There is a clear level of talent at play here. That said, the cohesion between sections feels missing, like different songs stuck together, and the sections that are meant to feel harder feel weaker consequently due to mixing. A bit of a mismatch here. Will be good to hear the other judges take on this. Personally I think the arrangement cohesion issue ultimately pulls this one under.
NO

love the backstory, really fun idea. very creative. i love this source since it's one of the first original tracks i ever remixed.
the intro is really atmospheric, and i like the feel of how latent the energy is. i think the synth stacks lend a lot of power to that section. the addition of distortion over time is a fun idea too. the transition to metal was handled fine and the melody is still apparent. the mastering in this section is clear and sounds good.
next a shift to 12/8 and electronica. you continue to play with the melody here, which is fun, and i like the detuning to keep it weird. i found the three-step feel to be a nice shift as well to make it more yours. and then a vintage The Algorithm funky stylistic transition, utilizing both distorted kick and a time change to clearly delineate between the sections without making it take too long. i love this transition, it's really well handled and does a good job getting back to the balls of the arrangement without dawdling in transitional territory.
2:56 onward is just a rip-roaring power-metal tribute to what's honestly a really intense and driving theme despite the quiet dynamic of the original. bringing in some sustains in the guitar at 3:26 is a great idea (that i used in Facies Templum fifteen years ago!) to add interest to a source that doesn't have much of a melody. 4:13's gating (obviously post) is another big Algorithm shoutout, and i like that you didn't gate the drums too, but let them ring.
the ending is kind of sudden but i like the fadeout into glitches again. it kinda just ends, but the nature of the original doesn't naturally lend itself to anything other than a fadeout so i don't think it's as egregious as it could be.
this is a great track in a technical, asymmetrical style that i think really fits VGM as a whole. there's little in terms of melodic content that this original track brings on its own, so the work that's done here really demonstrates and emphasizes the underlying movement and force that makes this original so interesting. 
 
 
YES

Wow, what an arrangement!  I don't know whether to go introspective on life, shred an air guitar or pull off an indoor rave - it's a mishmash of styles that so fittingly work cohesively around a sparse arpeggio of a source.    There are great techniques involved in all of them - the first one during the intro is handled straight and gets more warped from the bit crushing at the end of the loop, then it returns during the Basshunter-style hardcore section at 2:10 and adapts to the sudden time signature change.  And for the final two runs at 2:56, you changed the key and doubled up the arp's notation.  The chords remained uniform across all four showings, though, but it's required to demonstrate the rhythms' creativity.
Oddly enough, I can't see any significant mixdown problems in the first metal section at 1:47.  Yes, it's a textural shift from the intro that swaps out warmth for crunchier tones, but the soundscape didn't feel empty for it.  The second metal section at 2:56 improved on that front due to the rhythm guitars providing support from the low mids to compliment the synth lead.  If anything, I was more concerned about the lack of any other percussion at 2:10, with only a four-on-the-floor kick drum present - but the occasional sharp attacks on your synths and gated pads provide a suitable hi-hat replacement.  The mixdown otherwise feels clean and smart, and while I can't be able to hear your non-Morse nuggets, I can feel your intent from the sound design and expression work - and it made me wonder how you put in this imagery.
Even with its flaws, it has treated the source well and has a cohesive enough production to get onto the front page.  But in a vacuum, the choice of source material and arrangement direction was what I needed to unleash buckets of built-up energy all at once - so I thank you for submitting this.  Consider it an impactful debut!

YES

There are a number of very unique albums on OC Records, and while I couldn't afford many, I did buy a few early on. Hopefully there's bigger and better places for the concept to go on to.

I reached out to Adam on Discord with the Js' feedback and he said the following.
theStyg
Today at 1:09 PM
Hey thanks so much for reaching out! Have to agree with a lot of the feedback - even I feel my mix was underwhelming and I REALLY should spend more time with the mixing on these types of tracks. This track pretty complex and dense compared to what I usually make and I bit off a bit more than I could chew. I'd love to go in and clean things up a bit! Been a good 6 months since I last touched the project and I have some ideas on how to amend at least the mixing problems. I'll try to get another mix over in a week's time! Once again, thanks for the message and the feedback!
We'll keep an eye out for a future update!
EDIT (2/6): 
theStyg
Today at 2:58 AM
Hey hey! Thanks again for the opportunity and the great advice all around! I ended up sorta revamping my mixing/mastering workflow a bit to accommodate larger tracks like this one so hopefully it paid off! Here's an update WAV. It's a good deal cleaner than the previous mix, not nearly as mushy sounding. Let me know what you think! The new version's excellent! Thanks again to Adam for being willing to tweak the mixing based on the feedback for an even stronger result that makes for a great debut!

MOD REVIEW
Honestly, I didn't have much to say, but let's see.
Arrangement
Seems to stick to the structure of the original for the most part, and is almost note-for-note the same on the piano and some of the choir. The main distinguishing features are the additional atmospheric elements and the elevation of sound quality. On the first listen, I do hear a good sense of progression, and a clear dynamic curve, so I think this does separate itself from the original enough, despite that.
Mixing/Production
Mostly very enjoyable. The only thing I'd say is at 2:38 - 2:43 you have some clipping due to the sub bass being dominated there. A suggestion I have is that the reversed sounds could take more advantage of the stereo field; they feel narrow, so maybe you could use some automation clips to pan them left and right.
Overall
I think this is actually really good already, and can just use a few final polishing touches. In terms of a stereo image, I think this would be good to compare to.
END OF MOD REVIEW

Hello! 
I'm a long-time listener by association: my wife has been a huge fan of OCR for a long time. I've loved game music since my first NES back in 1989. Big fan of all things Zelda, Uematsu's Final Fantasy scores, and the earlier Castlevanias.
I'm a full time professional classical musician: I'm the assistant principal (french)horn player in the San Diego Symphony. We are mostly a classical music institution, but we're also the orchestra for San Diego Opera, and we do a huge outdoor summer pops season on the waterfront right next to the San Diego convention center. So, I've had some really fun opportunities to play things like Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses, Video Games Live, and best of all, the Final Fantasy shows, Distant Worlds & Final Symphony.
Since my orchestra is mostly sidelined because of covid, I've been making "virtual performance" horn ensemble videos for the last several months. This week, I dusted off an old arrangement I did of the prelude from Castlevania III, so I figured it might be time to come introduce myself here... https://youtu.be/mU8aIW8unXk
Cheers!
 

MOD REVIEW
Well, sort of. It's more train-of-thought than I'd like, but it should get the points across.
- The right-panned guitar starting at 0:08 is piercing around 2700 Hz, but also sounds alike to the left-panned guitar, just with added flanger-like effects. Part of me wants you to try replacing both lead guitars here with synth leads to add a sense of progression when you transition at 0:26 into the heavier section where guitars are more justified. (The guitars make more sense at 0:42 - 1:06, although the piercing nature of the right-panned guitar there also stands.)
- At 0:26, there is a very piercing left-panned synth lead (just low pass it above around 11000 Hz), because it has a metallic quality to it above 13000 Hz. Same at 1:27.
- At 1:27 - 1:42, which is similar to 0:26 - 0:42, you're definitely putting too many high-frequency instruments in the same spot. Consider that you're probably just using too many instruments there, and take the time to decide what you want to lead, what is arpeggiating, what is doing rhythm, what is doing bass. Think about the question, "if someone were to attempt to recreate this by ear, how feasible would it be?", then adjust accordingly so that you can distinguish most of the notes and what is playing what.
- At 1:42 - 2:06, consider again that you could replace the two lead guitars here with synth leads (preferably two different ones from each other), to add meaningful variation across sections. No matter how much I like guitar, this is too much guitar noodling in these first 2 minutes.
- I do like how 2:06 - 3:06 sounds. That should be the kind of feel you shoot for.
- Within 3:06 - 3:48, the church bell sounds off-tune (maybe sharp). You could just use a tubular bell soundfont and it would probably fit the role better. Also, you could probably remove the church bell sound by the time you get to 3:48. At that point, 3:48 - 4:10, it doesn't add to the soundscape, but just puts another sound in the background, basically adding extra clutter and, at the moment, extra dissonance. Also, the guitar coming in at 3:24 - 3:48 is nice, but I would suggest maybe starting out with full chokes, leading up to lighter palm mutes to add more of a sense of progression.
- For 4:43, I'd say you don't need the hits there; it sounds like you were about to finish the ReMix there, then you decided "oh hey, let's add more", and then proceeded to add more without changing how that transitions. Without those hits, you could let the guitar chord ring out from earlier, which should lead more smoothly into the harpsichord.
- Around 5:38, maybe refine that transition a bit more to be less sudden. Could just add a double kick hit plus a snare beforehand, instead of immediately slamming the listener.
- 6:16 - 6:40, same remark as for 1:42 - 2:06.
- 6:52, similar remark as at 4:43; it sounds like it's done, but then you added more. So try simply making that part seem like it's about to end, but not like it's already ended, because you have the last bit right afterwards.
- And last bit at 7:04, maybe just take off the lead guitar there and have the rhythm guitar end it. Just something to consider.
---
Overall...
Main concerns:
- Overused guitars to do lead parts when synth leads could do them (which leads to this being tiring to listen to over time). A good mix between synth-driven sections and guitar-driven sections will be the key to this really working.
- You have multiple sections with drastically different dynamics but lacking progression between them (making this seem longer than it is, other than it already being 7 minutes). You basically have step-ladder dynamics, rather than a dynamic curve.
Other concerns:
- You often have too many instruments playing at once, in the higher registers especially.
- Smooth out some of your transitions (considering this is a medley, this is still important), and some select parts that sound like endings but aren't actually supposed to be endings.
Here are some recommended references to listen to that I feel match what you are going for, and/or have been approved before.
SSH (a bit lower quality than I'd like, but it's the only video with this specific version I can find) -
ocremix (HeavenWraith):
END OF MOD REVIEW

Yeah, give it a go. If anything it'll be enjoyable.

Mannnn 2013 mix up in 2020, but still sounding hot!

No worries man. I don't have to dislike something if it doesn't meet the bar.

Well, that fact alone takes the gas out of the rest of the feedback for me.  But, your Reverb feedback has given me some ideas for future 1-shot .wav stuff.   Muted brass stuff tips are definitely more work than worth at this juncture, but they are pretty smart ideas imo.  
Oh well.  Thanks for the feedback.  (edit) Oh, and I'm glad that you still appreciate the remix in spite of the bar crap.  
 

This mix was done SO LONG AGO.  But it still holds up!  I hear the love and creativity that went into it, and how well Timaeus and I worked together on it.  We had a blast making it!

The world needs more spooky funk. This one's going in on the faves playlist!

Hm, I would say it's a fun listen. One minor production issue I can see is that the sound effects you are using are fairly narrow, such as the chains at 0:31 and the laugh at 1:15. I feel like there could be enhancement of the stereo image without making it sound unnatural. To do that, one way is to add a ping-pong delay with a delay time of 15 ms or less, just so that you fool your ears into thinking that the sound is more stereo than before. You can do that with Fruity Delay 2 manually, or if you prefer you can try it with Fruity Stereo Shaper.
I like the lofi part at 1:20, and while I think it technically isn't too lofi as far as the fidelity goes, the muted brass does sound noticeably fake, particularly on the trills. If you stick to those samples, I guess what you could do is slightly lengthen the notes to overlap a bit more, and increase how up-and-down the alternated velocities go.
I don't think those two production issues bring it down though. It's mainly that the overall soundscape, to me, is more like how it would be if this were put into a remake of the game, rather than being an arrangement that puts your own twist on it (it's too conservative).
Still, I enjoyed this as it was, and while I wouldn't say it's currently ready for OCR, it's a good way to get in the mood for Halloween.