Chimpazilla   Judges ⚖️

I REALLY like this arrangement, there are some great ideas in here, great energy dynamics overall, the little triplet section at 2:59 is awesome. The production isn't getting the job done though. All the sounds are very vanilla, all drum elements and synths too, and the bass is apologetically quiet. Give this another pass at the production, improving the synths and sounds and balance, and this one will be a yes from me. NO (resubmit)

This, precisely. Otherwise, this is a lovely piece! Please fix the panning and the click/pop and bring the volume up just a bit, and send it on back. NO (resubmit please)

This is a fun, high-energy track. I agree with most of the criticisms already pointed out, primarily the hot, crunch, pumpy, overcompressed master, and the repetitive nature of some of the sections. The most grievous example of this is the section from 2:43-3:26 which is four times longer than it needs to be. On my second listen, my ears feel fatigued from so much crunch in the mid-highs and highs. My two requests are 1. tone down the compression and remove some crunchiness, and please trim the section from 2:43-3:26 by at least half. I like it though, please fix it and send it back so we can post it. NO (resubmit please)

Rebecca I love your arrangements because they always take me to that special mystical place in my mind. I like this track quite a bit, although I agree with the criticisms about overall mastering volume being low. I do hear a few wrong notes, or are they purposeful? The big issue for me is the static nature of the arrangement, combined with the same soundscape used throughout the piece and the same basic beat/pulse. The track outstays its welcome due to the static feel and will probably lose some listeners' attention around the halfway point. What's here is too good to pass on imo, but please take these criticisms to heart for future arrangements. And you know I will master any and all of your tracks for you, it is my pleasure to do that! YES (borderline)

This song is amazing, but other than the basic two-chord progression and a few bits that mirror the source's melody (which is so sparse), generally I can't recognize the source song. Damn... great track, great production, performances and vocals. Love it. NO

I love this theme so much (remixed it myself). This is a lovely, dynamic and interesting interpretation. The instruments are sequenced well enough, although everything feels just a tad dry and in some areas the track feels hot (possible overcompression or very close to it). Still, it is very nice. YES

Oh gosh do I hate to say no to this, because it's clearly not a midi rip, and is performed very well. The mixing is good although I agree that it lacks some highs and some lows. It is the original verbatim though, and although one could argue that the live metal performance is in itself an interpretation, it is still too close. If you wanted to redo this for OCR, you'd need to add some substantial variation and personalization to the arrangement. But dang, nice work, love it. NO

I can't imagine anyone here loves Zelda more than I do, and OoT is my all time favorite game. I do love this mix, but I don't hear enough source. I'm not one for timestamping, but if I listen to a mix and halfway through I actually forget what song is being remixed, that's a bad sign. Just not enough Kokiri here. Very fun listen though! NO

This track sounds good to me, production/mixing is solid enough, but it sounds just like an upgraded midi file. The instruments sound sequenced but I'm not having as much trouble with fakeness as the other judges are (since my ears hear "upgraded midi file" so they aren't expecting realism). Unfortunately, even with embellishments added, the track is much too similar to the original song, even the style is identical. Sadly that makes it not a fit for OCR guidelines. Fun listen though! NO

I love this concept, but this mix really plods. The drums are super quiet and the beat is not very interesting. Some of the bass attacks stick out of the mix too far which exposes the fact that it's sequenced. The lyrics are cool, but the vocal needs some work, either some pitch correction or processing or perhaps some retakes as Larry suggested. The track is simplistic which can be cool but the elements in a sparse track really need to work to pull it off. As Nutritious and Larry both said, this sounds more like a wip than a finished track. NO

I agree with my fellow NO judges here. The concept is dynamite, and the production is tight. The track is way too repetitive though, in writing and in sounds. The beat and energy level stay the same throughout the track. The lead synth and the arp synth are both fairly vanilla, and they don't do anything interesting or ever change. There are too many sections where the lead isn't playing and nothing else interesting is coming in. Gotta give the listener some ear candy about every 8 bars to maintain interest. You could add some filter motion to things as well as change up the instrumentation during some sections. You could vary the beat somewhere or add some kind of unique bridge section. Just needs some variation. NO

I will co-co-sign on this one. The structure is too repetitive with two nearly identical builds and drops. The synths are very generic sounding. Lead synths are way too loud. I appreciate the stereo widening but it is almost too much, making the leads sound very separate from the drums and bass, and the soundscape is not cohesive as a result. I love the bass, the timbre and the writing, but it sounds so small in the center, too narrow and too quiet. Bass should be mono below 200 Hz, the rest of the bass timbre can have some natural stereo spread so it gels with the track. I would also suggest giving your leads a tiny bit of sidechaining, no more than 3-6ish db of GR, to let the leads groove better with the beat, as it is now it sounds very stiff. Great concept, just needs a little more variation for the two builds and drops, and some production fixes. NO

The transitions are indeed a bit sudden, but not jarring. It sounds like a cohesive piece. I agree the performances are loose but not in a bad way. The tambourine gets on my nerves because it isn't the greatest tambourine sound ever, it does cut through too much, and the sequencing is rigid. Still, I think this is an enjoyable piece, very sweet and relaxing. YES

The mixing is definitely more bold here than usual, which I think is a step in the right direction. The glock is a tad on the loud side. I love the drone. Another very well done piece! YES

I'm not having any issues with the mixing, it sounds great to me. The song does sound a bit repetitive, but it is very well executed and enjoyable to listen to. YES

I wasn't around for the first version either, but I'm loving this version. Great energy, good arrangement, mix is clean. I love the mix of instrumentation. Very enjoyable! YES

I have to agree with Larry. This mix sounds great, but the structure feels more like an extended wip than a finished product. The arrangement needs more development. A lead or solo somewhere would break it up and also add some nice variation and personalization. I'd prefer a real ending to a fadeout. I like what I hear so far, but I want to hear it more fleshed out with a longer arrangement. NO (resubmit)

What a cool idea to mix this theme in with Mario Kart. I love it! I think the production is in line with what I'd expect from any Kart source, so I have no issues with that. I'm not a fan of fadeouts, but even that fits into context. What a creative approach. YES

How about Sepulchre Soiree? I'm open to more suggestions.

It does sound muddy. I feel like the bass synth is the biggest issue, it is a very cool sound, but it has a lot going on (both harmonically and in writing) and it is entirely mono, making the center of this mix very cluttered against the arps and other busy writing. (sorry to disagree with Jivemaster on this point!) I do love that bass sound but it seems to me that it is the type of patch that does better alone or with just one other synth element than in a busy mix. The drums sound tiny and distant when they should be huge. Track needs more sidechaining to let the kick through and increase the general groove. Snare is so small and centered, and it is fighting with every other mid-high element. I think the soundscape needs to be re-thought, deciding where things should sit in the mix. The track sounds overcompressed overall. I don't hear compression artifacts though, and perhaps fixing the sidechaining and soundscape placement of elements will fix the issues. NO

What a unique and varied mix! Interesting how the same exact motif can have many different moods within one piece. Production is good. Damn I hate fadeouts! Still, I'm onboard. YES

I agree with Sir_NutS and I will add a couple of things. The kick being used is a tuned kick which isn't really appropriate in this type of song, and it is not in tune with the song anyway. A plain punchy kick with a minimal tail would work better here. During the heavy parts of the song there are too many elements competing for space both in frequency and soundscape placement. The different parts also conflict sometimes in writing, which happens when there are too many complex parts playing at once. Interesting ideas but definitely needs some arrangement and production work. NO

This is lovely, I love the combination of winds, bells and harp, and the bird sounds are a nice touch. I wish the overall master was a touch louder. YES

Mixing could certainly be improved, soundscape cleared and everything made more distinct. It sounds unnecessarily flat and mushy in that regard. But the arrangement and instrumentation remind me of an epic storytelling Genesis track from their very early days. Well done. YES

Whoa, cool. Kick could be louder, but hot damn. YES