Chimpazilla

I love this approach and the writing and I love me some meaty kick. But I have to agree with MW that the mids sound overhyped and the melody and harmonies get lost behind that relentless kick. The track sounds unnecessarily crunchy. I have no issue with the sidechaining but I think the track needs another pass on balance and eq, to bring elements forward most especially the lead, and to take some of the sting out of the midrange. NO (please resubmit)

In the intro, the piano sounds very rigid and some of the chords don't feel right. Whoa, those horns. They are definitely too loud, and the samples are weak. In the section starting at 1:07, the track peaks at 2db, which is way too loud. It sounds very overcompressed overall. It seems like no final limiter was put on this track. I appreciate the arrangement ideas, but the samples aren't strong enough nor are they sequenced well enough to pull it off. This needs quite a bit more work. I agree with prophetik that hitting up the workshop could be beneficial to getting this track up to OCR standards. Cool ideas, keep working on it! NO

I agree the overall level is too low, with the track hovering around -4 to -3db peak much of the time, with a max RMS of -16 which is super quiet. The track isn't blowing me away creatively, but I agree the performances are nice. The bass writing is very simple and repetitive and doesn't add any excitement to the track. The drums are bringing it down a lot for me, with a super simple pattern and underwhelming production. It's a sweet little tune but needs a bit more oomph. I think an upgrade in the drum writing and production would do it for me (along with a slight bump in the master level). NO (please resubmit)

"I felt this needed a little more substance, but it was close and the creativity of the take here shouldn't be sold short." This, for me too. This mix is super creative and fun to listen to even though it's fairly droning. The source tune has so little to work with that a remix of it will require some extra melodic elements to make it work. I think the bass is mixed well enough, but melodically it isn't enough to carry an arrangement this long. The metals that you have playing the lead bell sound from the source aren't melodic at all, just rhythmic. What about adding some kind of leadwork over parts of the track, not necessarily replicating that bell lead from the source, but what about some unique synth soloing? I think that would be awesome and would really personalize this arrangement too. TL;DR Just needs MOAR. NO (please resubmit)

Wow prophetik gave some uber-specific advice on the vocals! Knowing nothing about the issues he brought up, I hear no problems with the enunciation. I suspect casual listeners will not discern any issues either. Rebecca you've GOT to start doing some proper mastering. PLEASE. Gotta give a conditional for 8db of headroom. Other than that, I dig this. edit 7/1/20: Lowder = gooder YES

I love that I hear Zelda's lullaby on the clarinet as a countermelody. The piece is repetitive as it would have to be using an 18 second source, but I feel like there is enough variation in how that source is played and by different instruments, and the mix is so light and cute that I'm not finding the repetition to be a problem. I think this is adorable and well produced. YES

I LOVE the 3/4 adaptation of this! That is something I would do myself. I'm amazed the mix sounds this good given the constraints of the factory library, but I'm not hearing anything egregiously bad. I think the track has been sequenced rather well considering the instruments used. I'm impressed. YES

I really like this. I find the lead sounds just a tad on the vanilla side, but the writing and little variations are great. The leads are mixed a little low in volume. I agree with MW that the master is overcompressed, bring it down so it's not distorting and gritty. There is obvious distortion when the sweeps and booms hit as MW pointed out. I agree with ending the arrangement at 5:15. I appreciate that this is a DJ mix but for OCR we don't need all that outro and certainly not the silence afterward. Simple fixes, please send it right back! NO (please resubmit)

Very interesting arrangement ideas here, but I have to agree with the other J's that the production sounds unpolished. The sequencing of the guitar and piano both sound extremely rigid and unnatural. The filter-automated synth is cool but seems randomly used rather than purposefully, and outstays its welcome. The drum loop is very repetitive and is mixed too quietly. I happen to think there are plenty of creative ideas here but they aren't executed well enough yet to get this mix over our bar. NO

This is the coolest thing I've heard in awhile. The bits of source, melodic and rhythmic, are used so well here. I'm not having any issues with frequencies like Rexy is. There are a lot of grating frequencies in here and none of them are bothering me at all in context. YES

This arrangement is absolutely lovely, but that male choir unfortunately blows it completely for me. The patterns the choir is playing are so unnatural and repetitive, and this choir is present throughout the majority of the track. I wonder how it would sound with strings instead of the choir. I can't quite get past the choir to enjoy the rest of the arrangement which is Rebecca's typical level of awesome. Also, the master is very much too quiet. Could we try this with something replacing the choir, and with the master brought up a few db? NO (please resubmit)

Sweet and simple, yes. Slow and ethereal. I love the little reverses, they add just the right hint of mystery to the soundscape. The two themes are seamlessly integrated into one arrangement. I love the little nod to the main Zelda theme at the very end. YES

I agree with what the other two judges have said, the performances here are very good, but nothing mindblowing. The track is mixed well, and sounds good. The problem is that this is basically a cover of the theme. One could argue that changing the genre is enough personalization, but our standards require a bit more arrangement work than just reproducing the source tune in another genre. Adding some sort of wicked solo somewhere in the arrangement would make it work, and would really make this exciting too! I hope to hear this again! NO (please resubmit)

This is a fantastic arrangement, with all the elements well sequenced. I agree that this submission is louder than your usual submissions, but too loud, bordering on overcompression. A lot of the dynamic range has been lost as a result. I think if you can find a balance between this and your too-quiet submissions, you'll be at your mastering goal. I don't think the loud master is enough to warrant a resub in this case, although it's a close call. Cool track. The buzzy ending is a nice touch. YES

I feel like the leads are quite often too loud, the balancing isn't optimal but it's serviceable. When the first arp comes in, it sounds crazy loud, so does the first lead. The arrangement and variation in writing and sounds used is very good. I like the slowdown section, the transition is a bit abrupt but it works. The piano in that section sounds very mechanical but the electric violin quickly makes up for that. It's a fun and unique track. I don't feel like the sub-optimal balancing sinks the track. The track dynamics are exciting if a little extreme. I think the synth guitars are cool. Let's do this. YES

LOUD. TOO LOUD. When the bass comes in at 0:52 it feels oppressively loud. The piano, flute and koto sequencing are very mechanical. There are purposeful buzzing and clipping elements in the track, so it's unclear how much of the buzzing is in the master and how much is in the production, and each of these elements is buzzy in its own way, leading to to a wall of buzz. The track is left with an overall crunchy feeling that feels uncomfortable overall. I believe there is master overcompression happening as well, as I hear distortion especially beginning at 1:52. The ending feels sudden and disconnected from the main track so it sounds tacked on. I like this arrangement but there is more production work to be done before we can post it. NO (resubmit)

I think this is mixed much better than before and everything feels well balanced. I love the sidechaining, it is appropriate and gives the track wonderful groove. The master still sounds a bit hot and gritty but not grievously so. On listening to this version though, I'm struck by how much copy-pasta (or nearly so) is going on in the arrangement. There are three extremely similar playthroughs of the same material separated by well varied transition sections, but other than slight drum changeups, the three sections (buildups and verse) are nearly identical with the same lead and backing elements. I'm finding the similarity to be problematic, unfortunately. Sorry to reject this again. NO

What a creepy source, and you've captured it perfectly in this adaptation, I love it. The master is quiet which tends to be an issue with all of your submissions. Wow this is a short arrangement, I would have loved one more crescendo section leading into the outro. It would be great if the volume could be brought up before posting, but it isn't enough of a problem for me to hold it back. YES

I haven't heard the first version of this so I'm voting on this one afresh. Super cool concept, gives me Stranger Things vibes. The arrangement feels very static to me though, the drum groove is quiet repetitive. I agree that the master is squashed to kingdom come. It isn't a loud mix but the dynamics are non-existent, with leads getting lost into the soundscape. I feel like there hasn't been much sidechaining done on the bass or pads so when the kick hits there is audible distortion. The combination of repetitive feel and master overcompression put this just under the bar for me. NO (resubmit)

I'm not sure this qualifies as trance. I like the concept and I have no problem with the heavy reverb on the piano. I do hear the resonance in the outro but I find it more cool than problematic. My big problem with the track is the static nature of the arrangement. As Larry pointed out, after the build at 2:07 there is nothing new added and we are back into the same slow groove as in the first half, with the same spacey background synth keeping the soundscape feeling identical. The track would burst to life with a double-time section or some proper trance with an arpeggiated bassline beginning at 2:34. As it stands, even with additional elements added in the second half, it just feels enough on the repetitive side for me to request a resub. NO (resubmit please, borderline)

The lows and mid-lows are too loud, and the reverb is too strong, especially in the lows. That said, WOW. The variations you came up with on this short source are phenomenal and the performance is superb. I love this so much! Let's do this. YES

This track feels great, so relaxing and upbeat at the same time, with good pacing changes. The master is indeed on the quiet side. I agree that the snare is a bit snappy which puts it outside of the soundscape. I do love how the track evolves and yet keeps the same feel. The production is done well enough. Very enjoyable and immersive track. The ending could have used one resolving chord, but this works well enough YES

I agree with the crits of all my fellow judges, the instrumentation is simple, the mixing could be more clear and the sine and bass patterns are overused as is the sidechained pad, but none of that is dealbreaker to me. It's a fun tune and I think it belongs on OCR. YES

I love the concept of this SO much, it fits the sweet melancholy of this source perfectly with the sad yet hopeful vocals and ethereal droning background. I am so torn on whether this should pass, solely on the vocals. There are just enough pitchy moments to consider holding it back, and I know you are addressing this on your future vocal tracks. I also think going forward it would be good to do something more interesting with the vocals as the track moves along, instead of just leaving them alone in the middle with one reverb setting the whole way through. But ultimately, this track hits me hard in the feels, and I believe it will for others as well. Let's do this. YES

As a medley, this flows very smoothly, the transitions are great. I think the instruments are serviced just fine and I love the electronic accents. The track feels like an epic tale. The production is very good and the writing and detailing are on point. Nicely done, I hope you will agree to have it posted despite what happened with the game behind the scenes. YES