timaeus222

This is one of your best works yet! Let's go!

Happy new year! Gonna take a listen.
My first impression is that the arrangement is really solid. There isn't really much I would change in terms of the notes written or the structure. The mixing is definitely where I would take another look. Some mixing references I would be comparing this to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAjIbPJ_dt0 (overall)
https://soundcloud.com/isworks/shreddage-2-some-other-song-by (the kick doesn't have to be as strong as here though)
What comes to mind:
Minor nitpick, maybe the bit reduction went a tad far around 1:36. Not a big deal, but I thought I'd mention it, slightly bothers me because in general it generates harsh upper frequencies.
  I'm guessing you're actually using Shreddage, but (like at 1:48) the guitar seems to be very thin, lacking frequencies below around 300 Hz (to the point where it sounds like FL Slayer?). Also, it appears to be sequenced with fairly unchanging, high velocities so that you're mainly getting the hammer-ons/pull-offs instead of palm mutes. I get that it's playing fast, but it's sounding more like a distorted electronic arpeggio than an actual electric guitar. At the very least, I would not high pass the guitar nearly that much (if you are), and I would also try using MIDI CC automation to turn on Tapping Mode so that it's hopefully more smooth playing that fast.
  The kick drum is clicky enough, but I'm missing that low end thump (around 40~80 Hz). Try layering on another kick sample that has those frequencies. (I'd recommend using the Layer tool for that.)

If you're worried about the kick clashing with the bass, that's where sidechaining comes in. I think you know how to do that, but in this case just a little bit is fine, just so that the kick and bass can play at the same time but the kick still can be fully heard. (Maybe you're already doing it, if it's as subtle as I'm suggesting.)
  At 2:57 - 4:14, you have a very busy, cluttered soundscape, definitely overcompressed. I think compared to version 1, you did improve this aspect, but the issue still remains. As far as the instruments go, the bass, guitar, and kick drum interaction with the Limiter is the main culprit. The default Fruity Limiter, if that's what you're using, is hard to work with if you want to write music where you could end up with a waveform sausage. I think you have two major options.

1. If you want to keep using it, I'd recommend lowering the Release a bit so that the compression doesn't stay too long, and maybe raising the Ceiling a bit so that you aren't running into overcompression as much. In this case, consider checking the sidechaining of the kick with the bass to adjust for this change in the Limiter settings.

2. Or... I don't know how much this will make you go back to check the mixing, but I've been using TLs-Pocket Limiter for years, and it's a free soft-knee limiter which has not given me any overcompression issues since I first used it back in 2012-2013. You would have to be careful about clipping, but it will let you basically hear what you give it at face value. I think that about covers it. The guitar is missing low end frequencies, and has fairly unchanging, high velocities, making it sound more electronic than electric (if that makes sense), and would benefit from Tapping Mode over just playing the notes without prior UI tweaks, just so it has smoother note transitions. The kick is also missing low end thump. And then at 2:57 - 4:14 the soundscape is super cluttered because of the kick and bass competing. The arrangement itself sounds good to me, and I'm behind that.
End of Mod Review

Looks like Gibs lended Mordi some free energy.
...Get it? xD
Fantastic, sounds like something I would do.

@Deedubs was one of the first onboard with the album and this was the first track he picked and finished. He immediately went gung-ho on his idea with little input from me. He finished it in a few short weeks. However, it went through a crazy polishing phase where we handed it off to the faux-judges (since it wasn't supposed to be an official panel critique) of @timaeus222, @Gario, and @Chimpazilla(at the time, she later dropped out due to real life). I do believe it went back and forth between @Deedubs and judges at least three times with not so minor edits, but all that hard work and touching up on this track turned it into something very strong, powerful and memorable. One of the first tracks to be completed for the album and one of my personal favorites!

This is the OA content I came here for!

Pretty straightforward, for a Timaeus mix.  The muted trumpets sit a little strangely in the mix, but otherwise this is spot on.  A beautifully smooth integration of the themes, as usual.  Great work all around.
YES

First, really appreciate the source breakdown.  Analyzing a multi-source remix is very time consuming when we're not familiar with the source so this is a big help.  
The primary source here is pastoral excursion, with some bits and pieces from the other sources.  The arrangement starts straightforward but does evolve over time.  Introducing the other sources helps making this a unique interpretation.  I think this one stays pretty close to the original though, but enough is done with instrumentation/harmonies/variations to bring it over the bar arrangement-wise.
The production is great as usual, very clean and warm, with some real instrumentation woven in with the synths which makes for a very organic-sounding remix.  The percussion is not your traditional drums, as it incorporates many percussion elements other than just a drumkit, and it's all very detailed.  Distorted guitars are used to accentuate the climax and work surprisingly well in such a mellow remix.
High quality stuff here.
YES
 
 

I undoubtedly see it as a more unusual Timaeus arrangement.  There's more of a focus on subtractive arranging with additional instrument layers under the primary source, which even goes as far as keeping the 6/8 time signature and general atmospheric feel.  I also like the impressive tricks with the integration of other Tangledeep BGM (and the occasional riff from Dungonmans), as well as adjusting the source to a Persian scale on a couple of occasions.  It matched the goal of a more calming mix that evolves as time goes on.
The production is also very charming.  All the instruments are well mixed, the percussion sounds gorgeous, and the pitched percussion (harp, bells, piano, etc.) had proper attention paid to dynamics.  And as an added bonus, the synth leads combining with the soundfonts generate a unique timbre that respects the pseudo-SNES nature of the source material.  The stated extra time spent mixing the track to this meticulous detail paid off, that's for sure.
It's an easy decision here - it's a lovely crafted arrangement and an equally thorough presentation.  That means a spot on the front page -  great work as usual!

YES

What's this doing here?

Git.

YES

This track is an excellent treatment for a 10-second loop!  The combination of retro and modern synths sound clear and engaging, there's a healthy balance to all instruments, and no doubt the source material is present almost all of the way through.
That simple melody has also been altered and twisted in so many ways that the only way to make a case against repetition is to dissect the track part by part.
Obviously, no set of 8 bars in the chiptune intro (0:00-0:48) are identical, with the first four variations building things up slowly - drums and backing melody, a more active bassline, harmonies, then the fifth repetition had the source material mostly played straight with the drums and bass muted for the last two bars. 0:48-1:07 has the groove's foundation with the more modernized synth work coming in, with this measure of 16 bars having the first half dedicated to the melody repeating the first four bars of the source before doing the entire thing in the second half.  Also, that same melody has harmonies riding over the top. 1:07-1:26 has the harmonies of the previous section replaced with a new original melody riding over the top, and the percussion has an additional meatier hi-hat over the top of the previously established beat. 1:26-1:45 has the bass changed back to the triangle wave as heard in the intro, the secondary melody part has changed to a sweeping arpeggio, and the beat has open hi-hats brought in. 1:45-2:05 has the melody restored to the variant as already heard in the intro, with a cool call-and-response between solo voice and harmonies.  The bass is back to what it was in the central groove, but the drums instead were changed to a break to add tension for the next segment. At 2:05-2:24, the melody is almost entirely new with only the last beat of the fourth and eighth bars mirroring the source material.  It's the only segment in the track that is like that.  2:24-3:02 sounds almost just like the 0:48-1:26 section before it, but there are a couple of subtle changes.  The fill at 2:42 is a new addition that relies on open hi-hats to segue to the melody part, and the harmonies had extended over to the second half of the section rather than staying with the first. And of course, 3:02-3:23 has the previous part, but with the backing rhythm muted and the drums calming down for the ending. From what I've witnessed, I can conclude that no two variants of the theme are indeed identical and it's all of these details together that have proven the source material has had a substantial amount of arrangement.  Combined with the robust framework and clean production, it's one I can easily see on the front page - so good job with handling something so short!
YES

A very refreshing Chrono Cross ReMix! Fittingly puts me in a good mood.

Finally, this sees the light of day! One of my favorites from this remix compo, and it exemplifies your jazz theory background (iirc).

We're proceeding with this action for all videos and will see how it goes; we are equally concerned about diversifying support for the site AND also the promotion/marketing angle, since we believe YouTube highlights monetized content more aggressively (or, if you prefer, tends to de-emphasize non-monetized content)

Oh, you're not in America, my apologies. Yeah, the law is different in different places (with, for example, Article 17 floatin' around in the EU placing copyright adherence on the shoulders on the webhosts along with those uploading the material themselves). Well, one bright side with all y'all people in Europe, Article 17 is something that you wouldn't need to concern yourself with, unless you were a web host, so if for example you had an arrangement posted on OCR and the copyright holder had issue with it that would become OCR's problem and not necessarily yours. It's a part of the whole non-exclusive publishing agreement you (supposedly) agree with when you send stuff to us, after all.
I did a touch of homework on how copyright works in the EU. They establish a few exceptions to copyright laws, which unfortunately does not include artistic interpretation. However, they DO allow each country to include their own separate exceptions to copyright law, of which in the Netherlands (where you're from, I believe) they include another exception saying something altered for artistic purposes (like, say, arranging VG music) and distributed shall not be considered a violation of copyright law, unless the original artist explicitly pursues the artist (and now distributor, under Article 13) staking claim to their work's copyright claim.
So for you, I believe you're legally in the clear, if you want to go arrangin' VG music, as long as the original artist doesn't come after you themselves. Hope that helps!

Well to get started, you may look into the US legal system's definitions of "Fair Use", which allows for the use of material if it's used for educational purposes, parody, or sufficiently transformative, AND if there is no profit involved in redistributing the material. It's not a bulletproof, anything-goes silver bullet for all things remixing, but it is often the justification used for the distribution of rearranged music on OCR.
If you have questions about the whole process, the basic wiki for fair use (and it's links) are a fair place to start, as well as looking at OCR's FAQ section and our content policy section (OCR has a lot of experience dealing with this very issue!).
Again, there is no silver bullet, and honestly things are resolved on a case-by-case basis, but in general that's the blanket justification for arranging VG music, which most companies understand and silently comply with.
As far as the asshat who is stealing YOUR music, there is no fair use justification for stealing your material and claiming it as their own. You made it, you have a defacto copyright on the material, so if you want to go through the effort you could get Soundcloud to remove it. Up to you, but yeah, that guy has no right to take your music as-is and simply claim it's his.

Nice work!
https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03892

Not only endorsed, he personally oversaw the implementation of our patented Bus Allocation Determination & Tailored Universal Normalization Algorithm.

Is this DJ Frog endorsed???

Short concise answers first, and then I'll follow up with technical geeky mumbo jumbo.
1 - Technically, a line output from your audio interface should be able to drive many line inputs because they use Impedance Bridging, which relies on the core assumption that both the line output and line input are done properly. Though to do this does require have cables or a box that allows you to split the signal. However, if you have multiple outputs then it affords you more flexibility in how you can set things up. 
2 - I don't see any reason why not. Just well made cables I suppose. You know for cable longevity and reliability. 
All right time for the technical geeky mumbo jumbo if you want some further explanation on things. 
Lets talk about that headphone output on the Roland Rubix 24, which Roland actually gives a maximum power specification (well at least sorta kinda, but better than nothing). Anyway, so a headphone output is really just a mini power amplifier because at the end of the day all a pair of dynamic headphones (like the two you listed) are just tiny speakers. So, Roland specifies the output power as 20mW into 47 ohms. You can estimate the amount of SPL your headphones will have based on this. It isn't perfect and you could sit down and try and do fancy mathematics to get at a more concise answer, but this is just quick and dirty. However, simple cross multiplication should "ballpark it". So, for the Sony MDR-7506 headphones you can expect that about 27mW maximum will be on tap. This is calculated by the classic (20mW/47 ohms) = (X/63 ohms). From here you get (63 ohms * 20mW) / 47 ohms. The ohms cancel out and you're left with 26.8mW. At any rate the MDR-7506's have a specified sensitivity of 106dB/W/m. This would give a peak SPL in excess of 120dB SPL. So, I'd say there is probably plenty of room there. Next up are those Beyerdynamic DT 880 250 ohm headphones. So, these are rated at 96dB/W/m (not stated like that, but at any rate). So, doing the same trick as before the Roland unit should produce around 106mW into the DT 880s. This gives a peak SPL around 116-117dB. Now, these numbers are estimations on the maximum SPL that you can expect from the Roland and can be eaten up quite quickly by very big and powerful transients. So, unless you want more volume I've never really understood the point of headphone amps 99% of the time personally, but I digress. Most of the time headphone outputs simply use an inadequate device for the output stage without enough bulk energy storage (big capacitors on the power rails). My best guess is that the Roland is probably using an "okay" opamp as the output stage. I'd be willing to bet that the headphone output on the Roland is either a single JRC4558 or two JRC4558s that are paralleled up. I doubt that they're using anything better, and for a whole mess of reasons this part is basically barely & adequately passable part for the job, but again I digress.
This then I guess begs the question why would I say much about that? Well see the output is probably just an opamp anyway. This means that it'd have no problems driving any line input. It won't be balanced and it will probably be noisier than a dedicated line output given that it is being used as a power amp, BUT there is nothing "technically" wrong with using it that way. Not best practice of course. 
I also feel it necessary to say something about the impedance balanced output. Really the trick here is to understand what "impedance balanced" actually means. In a nuthsell this means that the cold lead or "- lead" is not actually driven by anything, but instead presents the same "impedance" to ground that the hot lead or "+ lead" presents. This will eliminate most things like ground loops and hum, but not much else, which for most things is an acceptable compromise in cost. The other common option is to drive both the hot and cold leads and this provides much better rejection of all sorts of things, but it is more costly. Why use two opamps, four bypass capacitors, and five resistors when you can use one opamp, two bypass capacitors, and six resistors. Takes less board space and costs less overall to do the single opamp. 
Hopefully, you found something useful in there.

OC ReMix presents Chronopolis: Music Inspired by Chrono Cross!

March 18, 2019
Contact: press@ocremix.org

FAIRFAX, VA... OverClocked ReMix today released its 70th free community arrangement album, Chronopolis: Music Inspired by Chrono Cross. Featuring 28 tracks from 29 artists, Chronopolis celebrates the soundtrack and the 20th anniversary year of Square's classic PlayStation RPG Chrono Cross (itself the sequel to the legendary Chrono Trigger), and is directed by veteran producer Brad "prophetik music" Burr. The album is available for free download at http://chronopolis.ocremix.org.

OC ReMix's fourth album tackling the Chrono franchise, Chronopolis pulls together a worldwide lineup of musicians interpreting Yasunori Mitsuda's engaging score in a variety of styles, fashioning nearly 2 hours of arrangements. Chronopolis was made by fans, for fans, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Square Enix; all images, characters, and original compositions are copyright their respective owners.

"Chrono Cross's OST represents one of the formative works that influenced me to make music. I initially fell in love with the lush visuals and setting, but the music was what drew me in and kept me there," recounted album director Brad Burr. "I can't help but be excited for this album's release. I believe that the overall quality of this album is easily the best that I've ever been involved with."

Chronopolis is director Brad Burr's third arrangement album collaboration within the OC ReMix community, following 2008's Thieves of Fate, which arranged the soundtrack of Chrono series title Radical Dreamers, as well as 2010's Threshold of a Dream, commemorating The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.

"Mitsuda's distinctive combination of singable, recognizable melodies and unique instrumentation made for an unforgettable and endearing soundtrack that transports me to an island paradise, complete with ancient ruins and fantastical creatures," Burr pointed out. "I hope that this project enables everyone who listens to be able to revisit the world of Chrono Cross yet again, nearly 20 years later."
About OverClocked ReMix
 
Founded in 1999, OverClocked ReMix is an organization dedicated to the appreciation and promotion of video game music as an art form. Its primary focus is ocremix.org, a website featuring thousands of free fan arrangements, information on game music and composers, resources for aspiring artists, and a thriving community of video game music fans. OC ReMix operates under the umbrella and sponsorship of Game Music Initiative, Inc, a 501c3 non-profit charitable organization (EIN: 81-4140676).
###
Preview it: http://youtu.be/TZSToGU_MOk Download it: http://chronopolis.ocremix.org Torrent: http://bt.ocremix.org/torrents/Chronopolis_-_Music_Inspired_by_Chrono_Cross.torrent Comments/Reviews: http://ocremix.org/community/topic/48127/  
 

It's time for BadAss to return!
David L. Puga and I return to direct BadAss: Paragons and Renegades (title may change). But this isn't your "regular" BadAss; this time the heroes get the spotlight! From the grittiest anti-heroes to the most determined heroes, it's time for the protagonists to show us what they've got! The album itself will have genre restrictions like previous BadAss albums, but with a twist: there's one 'Paragons' disc (mainly directed by me) and one 'Renegades' disc (mainly directed by David), each with a different genre. So let's see who wins while still being a BadAss doing it!
The Paragon disc is about adventure, determination and courage. Think of the Chrono Trigger theme, "Flameheart"by Two Steps From Hell (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQMpRWuT6hk), and the 'X-Training' theme from X-Men First Class (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUCA6w0Zz-k) but it is certainly not limited by orchestral. Rock themes like the 80s/90s cartoons and shows (Biker Mice from Mars, Power Rangers or Airwolf) are also good examples and electronic music is certainly appreciated as well! Base line: getting you pumped up and ready for adventure! Make sure to send me an example of the vibe you're going for to check if it fits the album!
The Renegade disc is more "regular" BadAss style, especially BadAss II. In other words, not the big epic or symphonic rock from BadAss 3 (which is perhaps better suited for the Paragon disc), but raw and gritty is the name of the game and rock and dark electronic music will be the go-to style here. We want to show the world that protagonists can be at least as BadAss as the bosses, so let their inner darkness out on this side of the album! For references (and awesome music), check out BadAss 2. Be sure to check in with David if you want to make a mix for this disc!
More details will follow, but we're aiming for about 20 tracks (balanced between the discs) and we want to complete this in about a year (BadAss 3 took 14 months to be sent to eval, so let's see if we can do it in 12 this time around!). And suffice to say, only (anti-)hero themes are eligible this time around! Are you going to be part of the next BadAss album? Let's see if you've got what it takes!
 
Directors:
David L. Puga (The Joker) Pavos Audio Engineer:
Stevo Bortz (Level99) Tracklist (18):
 
Paragon (9):
"The Hidden Ones (Assassin's Creed 2 & Origins - Ezio & Bayek)" by Pavos "Time Warrior (Chrono Trigger - Crono)" by Sam Dillard "Chariot of the Moon (Final Fantasy 4 - Cecil)" by Rebecca E Tripp "Revenge on the Terror From The Deep (Chrono Trigger - Magus)" by Audio Mocha & Pandora's Bread "Human After All (Sundered - Eshe)" by David L. Puga, XPRTNovice "Part of Me (Celeste - Madeline)" by HeyMagurany "Whip of Justice (Castlevania 4 - Simon Belmont)" by HoboKa, sykozealot "Apex Predator (Metroid Series - Samus)" by Chernabogue "Spirit of the Sword (Zelda Skyward Sword - Fi)" by McVaffe
  Renegade (9):
"Devils Lament (DooM Series - Doom Slayer)" by Lashmush "Fire Cleanses All (Gargoyle's Quest - Firebrand)" by Mak Eightman "Blood is Everywhere (Blood - Caleb)" by Clem "Eternal Shadow (DMC5 - Nero)" by Steele "Bassbag (Duke Nukem 3D - Duke Nukem)" by bLiNd "Righteous Ragemaster Rocketship Rampage (ToeJam and Earl - Toejam and Earl)" by Garpocalypse, Willrock "The Butcher of Bavikin (Witcher 3 - Geralt)" by Gunderslam "City of Lost Things (Earthworm Jim - Earthworm Jim)" by Justin Lassen "And Hell Followed Him (Darksiders 2 - Death)" by David L. Puga, Mak Eightman  

Get the hell out of my thread.
I have no idea what your problem is or what the hell is wrong with you but I was actually seriously pursuing this idea. If you read my first post, and the discussion that followed, you could see that we were actually seriously discussing this concept, which was much different from the other thread, the point of which you also missed. If somebody is asking a question on a forum, saying "hurr durr just google it noob" doesn't actually do anything. It's 2019. No shit people can google things. I can google "daw based on sheet music" to see if there's anything out there. Do you know what comes up? Not much. Stuff on Reaper's notation feature (which is not a DAW based on sheet music), and other similarly related things that aren't actually helpful to what I am looking for. I'm a professional musician (studio musician) with a degree in music composition. I am most comfortable working with music notation. A DAW based on notation would save me a lot of time by cutting out the middleman of having to use a notation software and a DAW. Somebody asking for a DAW based on notation probably knows how to read sheet music.
Do you know what is helpful? @Dextastic mentioning Overture 5, which most of us had never heard of, and which seems to fit the bill closer than anything else. Asking a question on a forum brings a human element that interprets the question and answers in ways that google just simply doesn't. Do you know what wasn't helpful? You, at all.

"Please use google if you want to use a DAW based on sheet music instead of a piano roll. It is too complicated to explain here, of all places. "

I fail to see the relevance of this to the original thread. Nowhere ANYWHERE did the OP ask about a daw based around sheet music. I saw this comment and was curious if it existed so I started a new thread (see how the topic was different so I started a new thread?).
Keep your bulllshit away from these discussions.

Because this situation might recur, I'll outline the specifics:
PRS for Music (https://www.prsformusic.com/) issued a DMCA takedown for a ReMix by @Beatdrop Dreamhost removed the mix and notified us... ...however, our automated process to synchronize mirrors put the mix right back where it was, and Dreamhost subsequently shut the whole mirror down I am in the process of issuing a counter-claim and checking with Dain to see if there's any reason this company would have issued such a claim; even if there is, our content policy grants us license to publish/distribute and supersedes any subsequent agreements re: exclusivity. In the meantime, the mirror will remain down

I hadn't heard of @RebeccaETripp until 2017 when she came onto the remixing scene with a flurry of amazing and similar sounding remixes. By similar, I meant, she already had a unique and solid style that was solely her own and could easily be recognized as hers the moment you listened to any of her tracks. She marked her remixes with it. Since the tracklist was dwindling down to the single digits left to be claimed, there were only a select view that I had open that I felt she would be ideal for. One was the Little Jack and the other was Remote Town. She gravitated towards the latter and within a short span of I think a month, she produced the fully realized track. We, of course, vetted it through our faux judges, @Gario and @timaeus222 , who graciously donated their time to the project. This critique only helped Rebecca polish and tune up her track and a week later, we received the final version. There really wasn't much going back and forth with this one. It was almost akin to a business transaction: I scouted her out, she agreed to the terms, the product was made, and both parties benefited. The smoothest interaction I ever had with any remixer. Kudos to Rebecca for making this an enjoyable experience for me during the production of her track!

What can I say? I truly lucked out with @Sam Dillard. Back when I was first recruiting for the album during year 1 of the project, I was literally taking shots in the dark. I was going down the alphabet of the Remixer roster on the forums and sending messages out (5 at a time per day, since that was a limit, it was painful). 90% never got back to me, the other 5% weren't interested and then there were the remaining 5% that agreed to the project It was to my great shock and surprise when Sam Dillard responded back saying he had fixated on the Great Silver Shrine track. Since he was inbetween projects, he was more than willing to help us out. 
I believe I had originally tapped @Platonist for the track, but after several false starts and real life creeping in, he had to bow out. So it was definitely a stroke of luck when Sam Dillard rolled in and created something completely unique with the piece. As stated in his commentary for the track, he took the essence of the original song and turned it into something different, yet recognizable. Unfortunately, he had to get back to his own endeavors shortly after completing the track and could not stick around to polish it up for any faux judges feedback from @Gario or @timaeus222. I still pushed it their way just in case they felt there was anything jarring, but as expected, nothing surfaced and it was pitch perfect the moment Sam turned it in. I have to give a big thanks and kudos to Sam for taking time out of his busy schedule to lend his talents to this album!