Clem

Nice intro. Really good patches and great melodic sense. That transition is way cool. I think you summoned a rainstorm where I live (we needed it) YES

Pretty cool track man. Drums are slightly thin. The processed “drill” sound is good. It gets buried sometimes, but I get that it’s a background sound. The mix is passable, just not quite popping. I’m missing a subtle shimmer in the highs, and where are your deep bottom frequencies? The sense of space is not totally convincing to my ear. Patch design is your strength. The leads have stylishly smooth tones, especially toward the end where the percussion dies down. The arrangement works, transitions are smooth. YES

I agree that there are production issues on this one, but to my ear they are subtle. The bass sounds a little crammed and slightly distorted at times. “don't want to make the perfect the enemy of the good,” I echo Larry’s sentiment. My main criticism is the first drum kit you bring in. It’s pretty thin and distant, but it’s not a deal-breaker for me. I get that you're going for a retro feel there. The arrangement is well done. Overall, I enjoy the dreamy vibe you've created. Nice. YES

I love this source. So moody. I can see a defiant sneer unchanging Your arrangement is badass. “slow burn” true dat. It is a little coverish at first, but I am enjoying the simmer. This breakdown down section ‘round 1:35 is so fkn sick! I definitely dig the track. Production quality is not pristine. Percussion is pretty buried/far away and the guitar tone is on the muddy side. Even tho there are these issues I have to pass because of sheer \m/ YES (borderline)

Chill, relaxing, well produced. The Dark Souls drama is fully intact but tastefully laid back. I enjoy the gradual build into dispassionate climax. There is a bit of muddiness introduced by that bass drum sound, but I feel it’s pretty well controlled. Not much more to say than that. Good job, man. YES

Hey dudes . . . this is pretty cool. The flows are well performed and you've incorporated some smooth vocoder effects. Production quality is tight, good attention to detail in the sound design. The bassline makes source usage clear. My only complaint is that the package is very workmanlike. Can't knock that really, but I do like to hear more exploration of the unusual timbres, strange rhythms, sublime madness, Lovecraftian horrors, etc. Good track & solid execution tho. YES

Bright, open, well produced. Those string stabs are very nice. The transition into Edward's theme doesn't bother me. A wash of cool moodiness to complement the Penelo bookends. The only thing that sticks out to me is a slight brittleness in the percussion. It's way subtle tho and ultimately sounds good. Sequenced with style YES

This is nice. It's tender hearted, and you've expanded the original tune skillfully. I enjoy the dissonance created with those trumpet stabs. I can see where Shariq is coming from. There are points where the flow becomes strained. I appreciate the rhythmic exploration, but the result is a slight plodding feel. So there could be more finesse. I think you hold it together though. The strain heard toward the end of the darker section is wonderfully resolved by the very charming outro. YES

Love it. The melding of themes works very well. I enjoyed the narrative. You've done good work with these samples. There is a great sense of space & fullness + subtlety in articulation throughout. Source use checks out. The only one I couldn't hear was 3:27 - 3:48, but even without it the track is well above 50%. YES

I like this one a lot. I like the production style here. It's a little muddy/muted, but there's this charming ethereal sense that serves the arrangement so well. Something like a hazy fantasy. I agree with everyone about the oboe articulation in the first minute, but it's a subtle thing to me. The sequencing was really well done overall. The arrangement is great. Loads of expansion & exploration YES

Most of your non-percussive sounds are falling into a muddy midrange wash. The upfront dryness of the drums clashes with the foggy backing elements. The arrangement is passable though very conservative. Like Kris said, it's a combination of the washed out production and the jarring percussion track that takes this one down. NO

Nicely done. The arrangement is pleasing. You've expressed the harmonic richness of the original pieces and flourished their minimalist style. Production quality is smooth. Clean and tasteful To criticize, I point to the repetitive, "blocky" structure of many individual sections. However, the stirring motion of the harmony makes up for this stiffness. The "blockiness" can be seen as a nod to the minimal rhythms in the source pieces YES

Very cool arrangement. That transition @ 2:41 is so smooth. Plenty of trippy riffs and really tight performances. 2:02 is the shit. The fadeout is kinda disappointing. Production is raw. Very gnarly lows. Works well most of the time, but there are sections where things get too muddied. 3:05-out is particularly crammed. Too much volume in general. You could trim a lot of mud and still have a great sounding mix. I suggest cutting more of the low frequencies to improve clarity Borderline for sure... NO (RESUB)

Production is, overall, swanky. Drums & guitar are on the dry side, but by around 0:20 I'm feeling it. Definition is there. Specific crits on production . . . the stiffness of the drum sequencing, combined with the dryness of the samples, does create an unnatural impression. Especially in the intro, which is an unfortunate spot. I think you overcome this with overall production value and a tight arrangement. By the time we are jamming @ 0:51 I am forgiving the stiff intro. Definitely a dry/crisp mix. There is a sense of artificial. But I can hang The form works well. Respectful disagreement with my fellow judges. I like that the melody is delayed to the end. The first length of the mix clearly uses chords/rhythms from the source, so pushing the melody out for a while and creating emphasis that way is a fair play. Though the harmonic content and many of the riffs are identical to the original, they are articulated with new djent stylings, and placed in an altered song structure. Very cool how you turned the pickup of the melody into a trancy riff. I hear it overall as conservative, but sufficient. Good luck & enjoy YES

Very nice. Rearrangement is deep . . . the source tunes are easily identifiable but newly realized. Production is clean. You've paid careful attention to the full spectrum (all I notice is a subtle middy resonance in the intro piano, though the warmth is nice). So many details interspersed. Smooth vocal swells, interplay between lines, slick production tricks. Transition @ :45 is ace. Vibe is cool but moody . . . Ending is super chill Some of the arp patterns are mechanical YES

The new harmonies are nice. The upbeat source tune is altered to give a more introspective impression. Downtrodden but hopeful. The sequencing is stiff. Since this is a solo piano arrangement, I'm wanting to hear a lot more humanization. You've created an effective driving sensation, but it feels really locked into the grid. Feels like you quantized a lot Starting from 1:11 there is a repetitive eighth note figure highlighting the chord progression and continuing until near the end of the track. The figure pushes through the section with no change in rhythm, emphasis, or dynamics. It seems like you are shooting for a dramatic release, but to my ear, it stagnates quickly. You can earn the catharsis with more interesting part writing. Your use of reverb/delay makes the track sound washed out. It sounds like you're hiding behind the effects. One thing you could try is dialing back on these effects and making the space feel more intimate. trimming space design effects puts your sounds and articulation to the test (good form). There is a tiny clipping instance @ 2:53 that you might want to fix Not a bad track by any means, but it falls just below the bar for me. More tasteful application of effects, more attention to humanization, and more time spent on the repetitive sections of the arrangement would do the the trick. Good luck NO (BORDERLINE)

Definitely getting Gregson-Williams vibes. Good stuff. You've taken the minimal source and expanded it greatly. The harmonic rearrangements you've mixed in are tight. Production is well done. I like how the pressure picks up as the mix progresses. Skillful control of the track's motion. No gripes from me. Keep on trekkin! YES

Cleanly produced, cheerfully rearranged... clearly over the bar. I'm gonna echo what Larry said about wanting to hear some more rhythmic variation. It is quite straight forward in that regard. However, you've got smooth sound design, well done dynamic shifts, and an interesting rearrangement. Nice buildup in the intro. Tasteful variation of timbre throughout the mix . . . a very cohesive track YES

Cool mix with lots of attention to detail and high energy. Your arrangement takes the melodic ideas from the original and makes them better There are a couple production issues that hold this one back, though: Most importantly, in the intense sections, compression is too heavy. When shooting for presence & loudness, there is a tendency to go overboard and make the track pound at a really high volume level. No need to do this! This would be a relatively easy fix. Just dial back the compression At 1:02, I'm struck by the kick. It has a thudding low end and not much high frequency content. In the really thick parts of the mix the low frequencies of the sample end up sounding really indistinct and muddy. I would experiment with lowering the volume on your kick overall and strategically cutting the bass frequencies with EQ. Your mix is very full... it just lacks definition and breathing room. Think of yourself as a sculptor now and focus on cuts in volume with EQ or volume faders and then tastefully boost other things to make up the difference. Don't worry at all if you end up with a track that sounds significantly quieter. The high volume level is getting in your way The combination of the relentless volume and the grating kick drum produce an obnoxious sensation that detracts significantly from what is otherwise a well constructed & well performed rearrangement (and better than the original, IMO). NO (resub)

High octane Mega Man rock out. Good stuff going on here, but there are some subtle issues. Production quality is full and well done for the most part, but the mix is hot in the high-mids (particularly the lead guitar, which also has a touch too much reverb). The track has a tinny quality. The solo jam at the end is sweet, but it is dragged down by the aforementioned details. Arrangement is conservative. Spiced up with some cool soloing. This is just barely under the bar for me. It could be improved significantly by dialing back the reverb a bit and taking some more time with mix. Try to shift the balance so that the high frequencies aren’t so dominating. NO (borderline)

There is a lot of room for improvement with your use of samples. The guitar sounds are obviously fake (the pitch bends especially). Your instruments chug along mechanically with very little humanization. The percussion sounds are flat and have little punch. All of the instruments are stiffly programmed and this vibe is what dominates the track. You are going for an acoustic jam style, but to sell such an organic style of music, you need to use your samples with more finesse. It would help a lot to get better sounds, and incorporate real instruments where you can. I would also suggest experimenting with processing the lowish quality samples you're using here. Subtle use of effects can make a cheap sound much more interesting. All that said, you do have respect for the source. You’ve transcribed it faithfully and created a serviceable, unplugged style rearrangement. It just lacks the sound quality & personality found in the original. NO

I like the beginning. 1 2 3 4 GO. Loving your treatment of the source’s melody with the screaming lead. There are some production issues, though. I think this would sound better with some mid range mud cut to make room for the bass instruments. The kick drum and bass guitar are not cutting like they could. Compression is running too hot. No need to have the track so loud. Dial that shit back and give the percussion and rhythm guitars room to breathe... Maybe cut the volume of the leads a little bit as well. Early listens gave me the impression that source usage was not prominent enough in the middle section, but honestly, I can hear plenty of riffs from the original showing up throughout the piece. In fact, I think the arrangement is a strong point for this track. Nice dramatic simmer @ 1:17 an improved mix would get a yes from me. NO

Chill, danceable, solid production. Nice attention to detail with the synths. The percussion has a satisfying presence. I do agree with those who said your kick is too hot, but it's not a deal-breaker to me. I like the midrange synth that follows the bassline and then dissipates into an arpeggio… sweet. Source usage is straight up dance style. Which is my main beef. I always like to hear twists on the genre, but this is too well executed for me to not say YES

This track has some mud in the mid-range. There is a lack of definition in the guitarish rhythmic synths. There is also too much compression on everything, so the mix has an abrasive quality. I am hearing a lot of nice subtleties in those mid-range synth patches, but they’re being obscured by the mud. I would suggest working the mix to bring out definition in these sounds. Some precise EQ cuts & more subtle compression would go a long way in cleaning up and clarifying your mix. Your percussion sounds are not too bad, but they are and mostly crammed into the mid-range, so they are contributing to the muddiness. The percussion rubato at 5:00 doesn’t quite work. It’s a bold move (which I respect), but it ends up sounding awkward to me Production gripes aside, you’ve got cool lead patches, a powerful driving vibe, and the source usage is there along with tasteful ornamentation & reinterpretation. Unfortunately, The production quality makes me say NO (borderline)

Dearly Beloved is a classic. Remix is good and clearly a vigorous effort, but I have some suggestions. Your arrangement works for me. Straight forward re imagining of the original melody as a dance style electronica track. (I always enjoy a more divergent arrangement, but this meets the ocr standards by my ear) My primary beefs are in the production, and its really just subtle stuff that adds up to general impression of “not quite there but damn close.” The synth patches generally lack low-mid to low frequency warmth, so I'm hearing a gap in that range of the spectrum throughout the track. Sort of like a cold crispness... I would suggest trying to mix the bass patch a little more into this space. The percussion is ok, but the snare is thin and the kick drum is not quite sitting right in the mix (it’s not a great sample). The lo-fi sections are cool, and they almost work here, but they end up sounding a little too brittle. Your transitions are well executed, but they're a tad generic. I have no intention of discouraging you. A lot of work went into this track and I can understand how it created a split vote. The kick into high gear at 1:23 in particular is a sweet moment! Just a few subtle adjustments to the frequency balance and some remixing on the percussion would get a yes from me. NO