jordi

Hello there Alex, and thanks very much for your submission. From the first second, I was excited by the lusciousness and immediate epic sound of those snare drums, the rising drums, and the tremolo of the string section. I enjoyed the Celtic feel of the main flute with the grace notes tastefully scattered throughout. A wonderful addition of the prelude on the harp as well which I noticed, despite you writing about it in your submission. I think if there is anything to say about the arrangement, I would like there to be some a greater dynamic variation in the structure. There isn’t really a moment in the arrangement where the energy drops at all which I think would add to this, especially considering the strong beginning to it. Ebbs and flows! Although this wasn’t your intention, I would have preferred it if this arrangement would have more uniqueness of its own. I know this is something you’re aware of though, as you stated you opted to remain close to the original track. I just feel it would allow this arrangement to especially shine and stand out amongst others (for example, the Distant Worlds II orchestration that already exists is already rather marvellous as it stands). You clearly know your way around orchestration, and you got a lot out of these sample libraries. On the production-side though, the mixing sounded a bit muddy at times (perhaps caused by limiting or just generally too much going on at once), and it sounds like the higher notes of the flute could be a bit clearer and cleaner (as MindWanderer pointed out, the flute gets swallowed at 48 seconds, and I too reacted to this). Prophetik also picked up on this and I feel that I’m inclined to agree with their description of it sounding “crunched” at times. Despite that, fuller orchestral arrangements are notoriously tough to mix, and it’s not a huge concern. I also noticed around 8 seconds of silence at the end. Overall, I was impressed with most of the arrangement and specifically the orchestration, but I do feel it is worth looking at the mix. I think that you have gotten some good advice from the judges here to help improve this even further. In some ways, this more than meets OCReMix standards, but it’s the areas in which it doesn’t that keeps this from being a “yes” from me. This is very nearly there, and I think this could be absolutely fantastic with a bit more work on the production. I encourage you to take a look at that and resubmit! NO (resubmit)

Hey there Rebecca! Thank you very much for another submission to OCR. The source material is a great tune, so I was excited to hear the arrangement you’ve made of this. This arrangement is immediately reminiscent of the source material in terms of how you’ve chosen to approach this arrangement, but the ambience and atmosphere stand on their own. I enjoy the complexity of the arrangement and a lot of the sound design, for example the wind chimes throughout. The woodwind was masterfully played, so great job on that Gamer of the Winds! I love the major switch at around 2:20. I enjoyed the progression of the swelling strings around 2:50 and onwards. As a listener, I didn’t fully understand the slight sharpening of the strings at around the 3:50 minute mark, and why the strings remained for so long at a similar level of dynamics. It sounded a bit unnatural and an awkward way to end the arrangement. There are so many intricacies in the sound design of this, with harp plucks, triangles, glockenspiels, windchimes and other light percussion, that perhaps a trailing off of ambient sounds would have better suited the arrangement, as an example. On the contrary, I very much felt as though I was listening to something rich with musical character, so good job on successfully achieving that for me. In terms of the production, a few things stood out to me. I noticed that there is a lot of empty space left before the audio wave hits the ceiling, so there is room for the volume to be brought up or the track mastered. One thing you did very well production-wise was make a wide use of the stereo field, allowing the instruments to stand out. The way that the double bass is mixed means that at times (for example at 1:32) it sounds too loud and boomy in my ears. I would have liked to hear it a few decibels quieter in the mix at those parts, and I feel that it would still have been able to stand out as you don’t have much else going on at the frequency in the mix. I would also suggest a bit more care taken with little details, for example that little click at 0:09 that I assume probably was in the flute recording as it was recorded live. It’s something that can be fixed in the production stage. There are a few issues with the production of this piece, but ultimately nothing that serves as a dealbreaker for me and those are mostly points for a better attention to detail. I enjoyed the beauty and the heart put into this arrangement, and there is enough here for me to say that I would like to see it reach the ears of more people who would also be able to enjoy this. YES (Borderline)

Hey! Thanks for submitting to OC ReMix. I’m always very happy to hear anything Undertale, especially a vocal arrangement. There are a few elements of this that I feel could take it even further, but for the most part I like this very much. The mixing of all the instrumental elements of the song is really pleasant on the ears. I appreciate the dynamics of the arrangement, especially the quieter part at 3:16 which then gradually builds in energy. This was very well done. Your choice of instrumentation as well was satisfying (the una corda-style piano and those plucky synths that carry the Megalovania melody sound great together). The use of delay throughout your arrangement was nicely done too. I enjoyed the tone of the vocals which, paired with the way they are mixed, gives this track somewhat of an 80s feel at times. Bluntly put however, I do wish that the lyrics were easier to discern because I really have to concentrate if I want to understand them, although less so at the more exposed parts like 4:20. I think the vocals could sound even punchier in the mix and the dryness of the vocals stands out a bit too much given how much reverb the instrumentation around it has (especially at 2:13-2:33). The effect this creates is that the vocals are sitting “on top” of the mix rather than nestled nicely into the mix. Perhaps this was the stylistic intention of the mix, and I anticipate that adding reverb would probably make the lyrics less clear. I think the only resolution for this would be to really practise the diction of the words so that they are expressed as clearly as possible. This is something that takes a lot of time. For a short-term solution, I’d say the secret lies in the luxury we have when recording from home. That gives us more time to sit, record, listen, re-record and perfect. Ask for some feedback too and even pronunciation references, to try and match it as closely as possible. I was on the fence with this one, because whilst I can clearly see how this arrangement could be further improved, the question is whether or not in its current state it falls outside of, or within the standards for acceptance. I thought long and hard about this and against consensus and all in all, I’m inclined to lean towards a “yes” more-so than a “no”. I felt that your take on this was positively unique and the production overall was clean. You’ve taken good control of the atmosphere (very nice SFX at 1:12 and onwards, is that flames?) and the dynamic variation is great. However, I do think that the judges have left some really valuable advice that would serve to improve this track, and I encourage you to take it! Those few more small changes could improve this, but I definitely enjoyed listening to your track. YES (borderline)

Goodday! This was a welcome and refreshing submission to hear something of this genre, though I feel there is still some work left to be done in order to bring it up to standard. I thought your tin whistle and melodica performance was technically quite strong, although both sound generally flat overall with some odd sharp notes, which does personally distract me (eg. the melodica’s A at 1:50 and 1:59 being too sharp, the whistle’s A being flat at 2:58.) Having played whistles before, I know that it can be particularly hard to either not sound a little a bit off in the context of other instruments, and we are also often at the mercy of our particular whistles, as well as many conditions out of our control. As an aside, I can tell you from my own experience that the Finnish winter and playing whistles outdoors is not a fun combination! The melodica is also one such instrument, especially the lower-budget models, that leaves us at the mercy of their current tuning during performing; all of which have little variations. I’ve often found that a bit of light pitch correction/tuning/melodyne in these instances on the instrument completely solves any unpleasant flatness and sharpness, being careful not to over-pitch correct and finding just the right balance, so as not to detectably flatten the intricacies and magic of a great instrumental performance. It’s such a small thing, but for more pitch-sensitive ears this can have a big impact one way or the other. Sometimes, needs must! I enjoyed the octaval layering you’ve done, with the combination of melodica and the whistle. On a whole, the guitar and drums sounded pleasant to me with a nice energy and sense of depth. I think the drumming could benefit from some humanisation though! The one thing with the drums that I did pick up on was at 3:55 on the intense hits at the end, the second-to-last hit falters and comes in quite relatively past the beat than the other hits. This causes a sudden and unfortunate unintentional drop in intensity riiight at the finish line, but it’s a pretty easy fix to move a drum hit onto the beat. Overall, the mix could do with some work to make it more balanced and pleasant on the ears. I wouldn’t mind hearing the melodica stand out a bit more in the mix, as it’s a little on the dark and muddy end ever so slightly; currently it’s loud enough to hear that it’s there, but not really loud enough to be present or make a proper impact. In the same vein, I would like to hear the whistle sit more aptly in the mix as opposed to sounding like it’s stood on top of it. I would revisit the EQ, perhaps reduce the wetness of the reverb or decrease the reverb tail, or try a different reverb. It could be that a bit of light delay would add something to those instruments too, but that’s up to your own judgment! In summary, this is very nearly there and I think it could be a “yes” from me with just a few tweaks, namely the mixing and slight relative pitchiness of the melodica and whistle, and clean-up at the end on that one drum hit. Another look at the humanisation of the drums to add some variety would be nice, as well as at the production of the track in general. I think you’ve gotten a lot of good advice from the judges so far to help you get this track to where it deserves to be! Even though it took 7 years to get to around to getting this far, I don’t think you’d thank me for withholding any pointers, if it meant unlocking the gloriousness that this track could be (and soon may well be). NO (resubmit)

Hey there! Not being too familiar with the music of Castlevania, I feel as though I’ve been sorely missing out. Firstly, I commend you on your thought to use these two tracks as source material for your arrangement. I might not have considered putting the two together, but they certainly complement each other, so kudos for that. There is a lot going on in this arrangement, and I very much get a “DDR” feel from it, which is what you seem to have been going for. There are many individual aspects of this that were enjoyable to me, though I do feel that both the mix and the arrangement could benefit from a few small adjustments. I’d say that the mix itself is lacking balance, both frequency-wise and volume-wise. The higher frequencies are strong in the mix, which leads to certain parts in the track sounding shrill (at 2:25 for example). The percussion and the bassline are also lacking a bassier frequency (a real kick) for me throughout. For clarity, I’m not suggesting that you lift the bass frequencies up and be done with it as that would likely lead to distortion as the audio wave is already maxed to the ceiling, but rather take a look at the balancing and make adjustments based on your own judgments. Volume-wise, I’d love to hear those string synths louder throughout the mix, particularly at 4:24. I can hear that there’s some really cool things going on with those in the arrangement, but they are quite buried behind the synth instruments. With that said, I really like the attention to the stereo field; the mix sounds pleasantly wide, and the instruments generally have their own space in the mix. I can’t fully tell if it’s the distortion effect of the bass synth or actual distortion in the mix, but the distortion is quite grating at parts (for example 2:25, 4:18). I’d suggest taking a closer look at this! Arrangement-wise, I really liked the atmosphere that was building in the intro, as well as the transition at 1:03. I’m of the opinion that the arrangement itself could use a bit of a dip in energy; a quieter part at some point to break up the high energy and the loudness of the track between 1:26 and 4:40, perhaps at the 3:22 mark as an example, or even at 3:37. This would aid the dynamics of the arrangement, as well as serve to make the climax of the song comparatively more impactful. This isn’t always necessary in every song but at the moment, the constant high energy does drag on a bit much for me. I do believe there’s a solution to be found that also wouldn’t take away from the “dance” energy that you want to keep. As a few other judges pointed out, the part at 4:30 could have benefited from not being copied and pasted, but this is a small thing as I didn’t even initially catch it on my first listen. To summarise, I found many satisfying elements in the track. The suggestions I had were the balancing of frequencies with EQ (reducing some shrillness of higher frequencies and making some room for a little more bass in the mix) as well as balancing the relative volume between the instruments/synths (those string synths want to shine!) and checking for unpleasant distortion or loudness. On the contrary, although I feel that reworking the mix and arrangement would benefit the track, there is nothing here that is a dealbreaker and I’d say that your track is in-line with the judging standards. Thanks very much for submitting and keep it up. YES (borderline)

Hello! I’ll get right into it, just like you did in your submission. You captured my attention from 0:00 and held onto it throughout with the many twists and turns. You link the two sources together into one complete piece in an entirely seamless way. Very smart choice to use elements of two tracks that were created with the intention of being clearly connected to one another into your arrangement, and you used it to your advantage to masterfully weave in different moods throughout the track. You’ve really brought a lot of flare and dare I say - at least in my opinion - you’ve improved on the original source material! I love the double bass, the piano (and the slight tail on it that brings it a pleasantly metallic brightness), and that percussion! I’m not sure if it’s performed or programmed, but it’s authoritatively executed. You know exactly where you wanted to take this, and the execution is marvellous. I have little more to say than to point out the incredible organ being the cherry on the cake for me, and that if I were to hear a live band performing this at a jazz bar, I would not be disappointed. YES

Hi there, thanks for the submission! This is a pretty interesting take on the original track. The production seems well-balanced and satisfying to listen to. I enjoy the heavy reverb at 1:33 on the sound design; a bold choice but it fits nicely. At first, I felt that the amount of the samples might be a bit overkill, but on second thought, I do think that they are fitting to the style. The transition at 3:13 was enjoyably intense! This arrangement is something that I could imagine hearing at the fairground on one of the larger and faster rides. For me, it sits on the right side of the border between fresh and cheesy. This a track that ran the risk of being repetitive in energy, but I think you did a good job to add variations and small details throughout to keep it fresh. I noted that one particular aspect that this track made great use of in order for that to not happen is the attention to the percussion. We've got that juicy kick at 0:54 which is also heard at 1:36, but is joined by those new arpy synths and rises. Then some different percussion comes in at 2:02. The whole feel changes at around 2:53 and adds a sense of slowness and tension in the mix! I do agree with some of the other judges in that the ending seems rushed and disjointed, but didn’t personally bother me too much. As others have pointed out, I did notice the tail at the end cutting off early as well. It’s always good to keep in mind that the ending is usually the last impression that will be left on the minds of the listeners, so you want your end to be as strong as the rest of the track. Generally, I enjoyed the mix and arrangement and I feel that this is a strong submission. What I will note though, is that your track should have an original title as per the submission guidelines. For this to be accepted, you’ll need to come up with a title different than “Wild Soul”. YES (conditional on title change in line with submission standards)

Oh harp and bawu, two of my favourite instrument! I don’t think I’ve paired these two together often enough at all, so thank you for the inspiration. I’m certainly not the world’s best bawu player by any means, but I was very impressed with the realism of the performances. Whilst I can hear that you’ve used a bawu sample library, I don’t think that many people would because the ornamentation is confidently chosen and realistically playable, which is not an easy thing to do. I’d go out on a limb and say that you’ve probably listened to a bit of traditional Chinese music or soundtracks, but even if not, colour me impressed. The atmosphere you create with this is really great. For some added magic, one could always add an extra pad/soundscape/element that is a little less flat, (a few examples off the top of my head: some chimes, reverse ethereal choir, or some light arps). This would especially benefit the intro where that pad comes in immediately and stays quite static and (very almost) exactly the same until the note finally changes at 0:23. This is a very small thing though and it’s more something to consider for the future to take it to that next level. I enjoy the rest of the elements of your arrangement too much for something that small to affect how much I like listening to this! I really dig the energy the guitar brings to overall mood of the arrangement. Melodic electric guitar is always so satisfying to me, especially in the context of more folk/world instruments meandering around it. The more I listened to it though, I did find it off-putting that the sequenced guitar parts were the same throughout. The articulations you chose gave it some character, but also made the copy and pasting of those parts stand out even more. This is also true for the drums, that could have benefitted from a lot more variation. The drums are lacking in energy and sound robotic and tired, but this isn’t a dealbreaker for me in and of itself. On another note, the addition of the cello at 1:17 was gorgeous and very welcome. This was a difficult piece on which to fall on a final decision. After giving it a lot of thought, seeing as it took me multiple listens for the lack of variation I pointed out, I still very much loved hearing this track, which ended up being my overarching takeaway. I’m very looking forward to following what other magical creations you send out into the world in the future! YES

Hey – thanks for submitting your arrangement! From the start of this, it was sounding quite promising with a nice choice of instrumentation. I thought that the high-pass filter at 0:22 was a peculiar choice as I wondered where it was going, and it was a bit disappointing when the majority of your track (bar the bell/glass sounds it seems) was affected by it continuously. It seems rather arbitrary and makes your mix sound super desaturated; lacking colour and depth. I think that it’s unfortunate because it actually takes a lot away from what could be quite pleasant, and I’m confused as to the purpose or the intention of doing this, as it actually subtracts from the arrangement. I feel that the arrangement is pretty similar to the source material in substance. Of course, it has instrumental differences and a slightly different feel, but I’d say that it’s not modified enough in order for me to consider it to be sufficiently original. I’d have liked it to be taken even further away from the source material, with some more rhythmic or harmonic variation. When I hear a cover or an arrangement of an existing song, I look for it to have character that also works as a standalone piece. With a bit more variation and depth, (removal of the high-pass filter and bringing out the lower frequencies in the mix) I think that this would be very chill to listen to as background music or whilst gaming. As it currently stands, I feel that this doesn’t meet the production or arrangement criteria of the submission standards. However, I commend you on using your ear to figure out and re-create the many layers and melodic elements of the source material. You clearly have a strong musical mind, so I encourage you not to give up and to submit something else in the future! NO

Hello there! A first submission is always a special moment and one in which you can feel a sense of pride; hopefully the first of many. This is definitely a fun arrangement, and I think the source material works surprisingly well for Bavarian Polka. I enjoyed the major shifts you made as well, while maintaining the recognisability of the original sources. This is certainly an original take and is giving me “day at the carnival” vibes mixed with some classical elements, especially at 2:09. The way you’ve mixed your arrangement is satisfying enough to listen to, although the snare drum is very much in the front of the mix. I would personally lower the volume of it by about 5db, so it doesn’t become too annoying or grating by the end of the track. It may well be the style you’re going for, but I think some humanisation and variation could add to the overall quality of your arrangement. Specifically, little subtle differences in the velocity of the notes, or very slightly laying certain notes in the midi just before or after a beat. Particularly as the genre you’re going for is Bavarian Polka, despite the use of virtual instruments, it would be nice to get a bit more of a “performance” out of this, so to speak! It’s just a little touch, but it can add a whole other dimension to the sophistication of an arrangement. On the whole, this was a delightfully creative interpretation of the source track. With that said, I think it’s definitely worth making a few adjustments to it and resubmitting because what you’ve got here is really good! I hope you consider revisiting your submission and then resubmitting, and I look forward to hearing more of your stuff in the future. NO (resubmit)

This is going to be so good once it's complete. Just gotta get my butt into gear and get to putting the arrangement ideas in my head into audible form - time's a-ticking!

Good luck with this! The Escaflowne soundtrack is some of Yoko Kanno's best work imo, which is saying a lot considering she's practically a musical genius.

Hello, soon to be revived thread! If "Ami" hasn't been taken yet, I'd love to grab that.

First post on here, not really sure where I would like to have posted so thought I'd share an original song of mine!