Chimpazilla

This is great! Starts out really conservative, but moves into some very cool mood changes. The humanization is good enough I think. I really like this, it's epic! YES

I'm really torn here, the mix itself is beautiful and well put together, but I can't quite get into it because of the repetitive nature of the arrangement. I get that the source is repetitive, but that doesn't mean the remix has to be. The mix builds and things are added, but the way the writing is, it feels like a four and a half minute build to nowhere, followed by an extended outro. I feel like if the arrangement were broken up just a bit in the middle that would help, even if something like the outro were to appear halfway through and then something similar at the end like you have already. As it stands, the arrangement just doesn't keep me engaged even with all the additions made. I may be in the minority with this opinion. Good luck with the rest of the vote! NO (resubmit)

The kick feels pretty heavy/punchy for this instrumentation, especially when it's exposed like at 0:51 and 3:38. The instrumentation is somewhat odd, especially the two leads, but the overall effect is completely unique. The lead in the final passage is very vanilla and dry. The breakdown is almost too bare. The arrangement is great, though, and I am enjoying it. I especially like the kettle drums. YES

What an interesting take on this source! Very groovy and chill. I don't care for the long pauses, especially when they fade to more than a second of complete silence, but like Larry I am not bothered by them. My main gripes are: 1. the Christmas bells are too loud and up front when paired with the snare, and 2. fade out ending. Still, unique, creative stuff here. YES

Very nice arrangement of these two sources. I agree with the crits on the instrument attacks, but overall the instruments are sequenced very well and the chants fit in quite well. Nice work! YES

This, exactly. YES

I don't know this source, but it's a pretty simple source. I listened with MW's timestamping and I find it to be plenty accurate (Gario, your timestamping seems too harsh here). The arrangement itself is unique and fun and the production is tight although the bass has a bit of an odd tone. The piano intro and outro feel so different to the rest of the arrangement stylistically that they feel somewhat tacked on, but they work well enough. I can tell there is a "kids' show" influence in the track, it's bubbly and upbeat, while still having good emotional content. The instruments are fun and varied and everything is sequenced very well. I'm curious, what tin whistle did you use, it sounds great. The arrangement is quite liberal and it feels more original than remix to me, but I love it and I've gotta go with it. YES

I just listened to your other Zelda mix, and this one sounds SO much more 3D by comparison. I agree that the brass does sound quite lifeless by contrast to the strings. I hear those same little distortions that DA pointed out, it doesn't bother me enough to send back to fix. The entire mix sounds too dry, so my same advice applies here as in the other mix, some more creative eq, positioning and especially varied reverbs would make the soundscape even more alive and 3D. But this is lovely! Another fabulous arrangement, so full of feels. YES

Humanization is tricky even when strings or woodwinds are used as backing elements. In this case every instrument is super exposed, and given that situation, I feel like the humanization is more than adequate. That said, I wish the production had a bit more shine on it, perhaps a bit more eq or instrument positioning or varied reverbs to make the soundstage more 3D, with leads sounding more upfront and backing elements more in the background, and more of a feel of being onstage in a real hall. The arrangement though, caries it totally. It is absolutely lovely and so emotive. YES

I didn't hear the original submission so my vote is on this version. This is a source tune I adore, but I'm not sure this remix approach is working so well. The track has two very distinct vibes that are sandwiched together and the transitions are minimal. I'm not a fan of the lead guitar panning back and forth. The drum writing plods and feels super simplistic and at times the groove feels quite awkward and forced. The arrangement itself feels repetitive and choppy and it drags on for four minutes. The performance is loaded with timing errors in the guitars and drums. Good luck with the rest of the vote and I'm sorry to come down so hard on this but this track doesn't feel ready for prime time to me. NO

I agree with the mixing critiques, the intro panning is distracting, the overall volume is low and the middle section gets a bit overcrowded. My bigger concern is that the source is a super simple series of notes, and the way those six notes are used here is so completely different from the source tune as to be unrecognizable. This is one of those rare instances where even though the source is used verbatim, I cannot hear (or feel) any connection to the source tune at all. I only recognize Minuet of Forest at 2:02, right before the track ends. Cool track, but I don't feel it fits OCR standards. NO

Wow what a mix of moods and genres. It's a very unusual mix, but it works well to tell a story, something I appreciate. The transitions are a bit awkward, but well enough executed considering the huge variation in soundscapes stitched together. The organic instruments are sequenced well, and the synths are well blended in. Creativity wins the day here, and the varied harmonic soundscapes and chord structures are wonderfully emotional. I feel like I just watched a movie about Midna's life! Source is woven all through the track. Well done. (I love that Boss Defeated theme, I have remixed it myself) YES

This mix could be HUGE if things were stereo-spread better. The entire drum track is hammering away in mono. If this were my track I'd make copies of the clap track and the hats too, and make them very wide (haas, even) and mix the copies in with the original, and what a difference that trick makes. Many of the synths could also have more movement, either filter movement or creative panning. Even with the synths being vanilla, some creative movement would bring this track to life. In a track like this, having a soundscape that is alive is everything. I like the track, and none of what I've said here is enough to reject it, but I see a lot of lost mixing potential here. Perhaps suggestions for next time. YES

This is a great cover, wonderful performances. I agree with the production crits though, the track is bottom heavy, and hopefully this is a fairly easy mixing fix. The sour notes at 1:38 really need to be fixed also, I hope that is an easy fix too. Otherwise this is good to go. Hope to hear this back quickly. NO (resubmit)

This is so, so, so good.

Sorry NO judges, but I'm with Larry. If this were my track I would mix it with the lead violin more upfront (less reverb, longer predelay, tad more volume) but dang, nothing dealbreaker here. Sounds good to me, so much to love here. I feel like this NO vote is a case of groupthink. Our standards are high but we generally allow for some flaws. I don’t disagree with the comments of my fellow judges, but even though the criticisms relate to the lead instrument, I still don’t hear anything dealbreaker. If the artist wants to make the revisions, that would be great and would only make the track stronger, but if the artist cannot or will not make the changes, I’m still a yes. TABLEFLIPPING YES

This is lovely, but I have to say I agree with Gario's production comments in full. The overall level is too low, everything lacks sparkle, the pads sound weak and apologetic and the drums are almost comically quiet. The arrangement and performance are very nice and I could almost pass it just based on that, the pause in the middle doesn't bother me too much, but the production needs another pass. NO (resubmit please)

Gaaaaaaario you forgot to hit the DP button on this one. HOT DAYUM this is fire. DP

I'm listening to this without hearing the sources first, to see if it sounds cohesive, and to me it does. The transitions don't bother me too much, it is an interesting and varied arrangement. I agree with Jivemaster that the mix is surprisingly clear considering the amount of parts in each section. The master is so loud though, and starting at 0:36 it sounds very overcompressed to me, and that lead is way too loud, especially in the mid-lows. I'm going to ask for one more pass at the mixing/mastering to get it sounding clear without sounding so compressed, otherwise I dig it. NO (resubmit please)

The arrangement is dynamite, but wow the mixing is crowded. Even the source tune is pretty crowded with so many things happening at once, but in the metal interpretation it is really fatiguing. I suggest trying to mix so the elements have their own space better, or possibly removing elements here or there. Your synths and guitars are all blasting in the same frequency range right now and it's just too much. Some creative panning could help a lot too, for example put the synths in the center more and let the rhythm guitars be wide stereo, or let the synths even replace the rhythm guitars for a few bars. You can experiment until you get a soundscape that is wider and isn't stepping all over itself. The arrangement and performances are great, it's just the mixing for me holding it back. NO (resubmit, please)

Oh man.... the mixing is 100% improved, awesome job. Everything I asked for got fixed. There is still room for improvement as others have pointed out but this production gets the job done for me, it fits the genre well enough now. The arrangement is quite static though, and hearing it again this much later is making that more clear for me. The creativity of the idea and the wonderful performances push me really close to a yes, but ultimately that long section from 2:17-3:16 does sound too static in terms of arrangement and chord progression, even with all that soloing. It's a very cool interpretation of the source tune, but doesn't work as well as it needs to as a standalone arrangement for OCR. NO (borderline)

I LOVE this arrangement, and those vocals are WOW. But I agree with Larry about the piano and strings. The piano is so dry. The strings work fine as a backing element but when they are exposed starting at 2:11 the fakeness is too obvious. The bass does sound a bit indistinct, I'm not convinced this is the best bass patch. The overall mix has just a tad too much mid-highs for my taste. VERY cool track, just needs a bit of production cleanup. NO (borderline, resubmit)

The track takes quite awhile to get going but once it does, there is a lot of creativity. The mix is repetitive overall though, despite the strategies used to make it more interesting. My biggest gripe though is the mixing. The sounds used are very basic, and the overall mix lacks sparkle and depth so the result sounds quite flat. Needs another pass at the mixing, at the very least. NO (resubmit)

This is a super creative arrangement, I give full credit for how interesting and unique this Western-style track is. The ideas and the writing are all terrific, although I agree that the dissonant flutes are a bit distracting, but even so they add interest. Ultimately though, when I ask myself "can I imagine this being posted on OCR" my answer is no. The brass and strings just sound too fake to me. Larry says they sound like they could be stylized and I get that, but to me, the track sounds like it is trying to be an organic arrangement, and with those elements as exposed as they are, it just doesn't get the job done. I'm sorry to come down on this so hard, since the arrangement gets an A+ for creativity. NO

This song is well produced but it plods. The problem is that every element in the track has the same energy level. The organ is the worst offender since it only ever plays whole notes and it is present throughout the track. I have two suggestions. 1. Add some elements here and there that have some movement and interest, like a synth arp or filter-motioned synth line or even an interesting hat groove, in the background. That will add texture, motion, and interest. 2. Change the organ to another type of pad sound somewhere in the arrangement. You can return to the organ for the ending if you like, but give us some variation somewhere in the middle. NO (resubmit)