Chimpazilla   Judges ⚖️

The strings and also the choir sound dry, inhuman and terrible to me. Luckily neither of these plays for long enough to be dealbreaker. The vibrato on the violin, while not natural sounding, doesn't bother me too much. This is an outstanding arrangement, with fun details, enjoyable and varied all the way through. Great guitar work. There are a few sections where there is minimal leadwork so it sounds random, such as from 1:35-1:55, where it would be better to have something focused playing a lead. The good outweighs the bad for me though. Please take these crits into account for future submissions, though. YES

Are you sure? Ok, well he said this: "i just wanted to share how much this has made me wet. that is all."

I can also pretty much quote-vote Mike's vote. Short but sweet, great little mix. The low kettle drum gives some sub-rumble that I think could be eq'd out (below 40Hz) and I agree that a little more highs would be nice but would most likely require writing of some higher-register instruments or sfx. Regardless, the mix has a muted emotional impact that achieves exactly what it is going for. YES

Wow I like this, it's super creative! The rapping is really good. Vocals are mixed well although they are just a bit too far forward. The processing on the vocals is cool, good use of centered and side vocals. The super fast final vocals are awesome. The arrangement is pretty relentless, some kind of breakdown would give the track some breathing room before resuming the energy level. I think there's enough source, the chords from either source are apparent throughout the track. Regarding the Disney clips, I have no idea. As long as they are ok, YES

I agree with Gario's comments about the kick, it could be meatier for this track, and feels weak as it is. I also agree with Sir_NutS's comment about the arrangement having no break in the energy, a breakdown would be very welcomed. I don't find either of those to be dealbreakers however. This arrangement has a ton of creativity and interest, and yeah, cool chips dude. Works for me. YES

Oof that brass. Really fakey when it plays fast passages. That is where using multiple articulations to play a single line is a must. Other than that, the production is good, and I appreciate what a big undertaking this is. The constant clanking thing goes on a bit too long for my taste. I'm with the Js who dislike the extreme dynamics here, it feels too exaggerated, and the soft sections lose my interest as a result. However, the track does seem to achieve the eerie emotion it is going for. YES

The other Js' crits are completely valid. This arrangement is really good and it is full of lots of nice little details and creativity. The piano does sound quite fake. You should learn how to sequence piano with varied velocities so it sounds more natural, and a better sample would be an improvement too (or just use a synth timbre). That piano is really a shame, it takes this track just under the bar for me, most especially the section starting at 2:58 since it is so exposed and repetitive there. The drums are well written but they could be a drop louder. The guitar work here is quite good, no complaints. I like the little chiptune interlude at 1:36 a lot. You should work on balance; Gario is right that some parts tend to pop out unexpectedly, volume-wise. My other main crit for you is you need to work on transitions, you want to always signal the listener that something new is coming, even just with one or two bars of something, even a white noise sweep. The transition at 2:31 is total silence, and I think that is a lost opportunity for some kind of awesome sound effect or sweep. My vote is very borderline as I think this is close, just needs a bit more TLC. Please resubmit this! I expect to hear even more improvement from you and more good submissions going forward. NO (borderline, resubmit)

The production here is quite good, other than the string pad which sounds really dry and vanilla in contrast to the rest of the track. The arrangement though is really simple and repetitive, and the middle breakdown doesn't fit with the rest of the track at all, it feels tacked on and it breaks the flow totally for me. The playing and sequencing are much too simple, repetitive, rigid and grid-snapped for my liking. I'm afraid I'm in complete agreement with Larry's vote on this one. NO

I am not familiar with these two sources so I decided to listen to the remix cold to see if it sounded cohesive, and to me it does. I do think the transitions are not signaled as well as they could be, so if this doesn't pass that is my biggest recommendation, make sure you build up to the transitions, especially where sources change. The soundscape sounds very good to me and the guitar work is excellent. I do think the snare is just a tad too loud (like just 1 or 2 db, or you could just take a little out of the mids), but the snare sound along with the synth choices and heavy reverb gives the track a nice modernized 80s flavor. I like it. YES

Sources like this one are great to remix, since it is pretty much just bgm, and one can build an entire new track right over the top of it. I can tell that is what you tried to do here. Unfortunately most of it comes off as really repetitive, even with little snippets of other motifs/melodies included. The glitching and drum fills are quite good. I agree with Larry 100% on these two points: ------------------------------- "I disagreed that 2:23.5-2:53.5 section was directly referencing the source. All I heard were rhythmic similarities, but not the same note patterns as the source. With such a simple source tune, it's easier to veer into soundalike territory when attempting to arrange it." "I thought 2:55-4:03's section felt totally disconnected from everything that came before and after it; it broke the flow of the piece and just sounded awkwardly shoe-horned in. The sampled source audio behind it was so quiet that it was practically inaudible, so I don't know why it was even counted in Gario's timestamps." ------------------------------- I love radio intros, but I'm not sure how well it is working here, the first 30 seconds just sounds like quiet, crackly mush, then the track just whomps in cold. The production is pretty good here. I think the arrangement just isn't cutting it. It is too repetitive overall to maintain my interest, and the arrangement wanders away from the source too much to maintain a good connection to it throughout the track. For a source tune such as this one, I'd suggest doing a shorter and more varied remix unless you can come up with multiple unique ways to write original and/or complimentary material over the backing track. NO

My vote is on version #2. The mixing isn't optimal, the drums could use some more presence and highs. The bass is somewhat muddy/indistinct. I don't hear any sidechaining, and that is a technique that can be used to clean up the soundscape without obvious ducking if it is done gently. The drum writing is for the most part simple and repetitive. I don't mind the vocoded parts being hard to understand. The fake strings aren't bothering me in this context. Jesse's vocals sound just a touch dry, but not dealbreakingly so. Generally the vocals are well done and on-pitch. I hear some elements that are hard panned left or right and I'm not a fan of that. Nice vocal effect at 3:01! This isn't my strongest yes but I think this is a cool track despite not being perfect. YES

Not much to add to what has already been said, the writing and arrangement are cool, tons of creativity. The synths are vanilla, but they are used well enough for a pass. I can't see rejecting this based solely on the synth choices, not with a track this creative. I hope for next time though, you will be able to do more modulation with your sounds and/or get some better synths. I'm sure whatever you do next will be dynamite, if you do. YES

This sounds cohesive, although there are obvious stop/starts between the sections. I haven't listened to the sources yet. The production is good. Too medley-like?

Hello again! Hope you are well, I actually have another "remix" I wanted to share with OCR, I've linked it here: And if I've missed anything (I don't think I have) please let me know and I'll get it to you right away. Thanks again for your time and efforts, I'm sure you have a mountain to go through and that's on top of daily life, so fair play to you! All the best, Contact Information ReMixer name: HyperDuck SoundWorks Real name: Chris Geehan Email address: Website: www.hyperduck.co.uk Userid: http://ocremix.org/community/user/25182-hyperduckchris Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Name of arrangement: Beyond the Imperial Prison Name of individual song(s) arranged: Reign of the Septims, Through the Valleys, Watchmans Ease, Auriel's Ascension Platform: PC Composer name: Jeremy Soule https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpqSdORmCX4 Comments about the mix, etc: This was done as a favor to a friend, actually, Randy Yasenchak of Elder Geek www.youtube.com/eldergeek does a series called "25 games for my son" which he talks about 25 games he has carried with him through life, and wishes for one day, that his son play them, or at least know why he played them, and what they meant to him at those key moments in his life. Coincidentally, the 10 year anniversary of Oblivion was quite recent (March 20th if I recall correctly), so it tied in with that. This is a humble remix, more of a modest medley really ocmodestmedleys.org anyone? And my own nod to Jeremy Soule and what he did for me as a young gamer, as a young human being and as a composer as I grew into one. I have a signed copy of the Skyrim soundtrack tucked away in my storage for safe keeping, I will always be grateful for what Jeremy Soule has done for video game music, and what he did for me as a composer, by writing these incredible themes and creating these awesome atmospheres, so thanks Jeremy!

I don't think the intro scratches add anything useful, they just sound like a rendering error to me. I like how the track starts to develop at 0:33 when the kick drops, but there isn't any melody to speak of until 1:10 and by then the entire feel has changed. Starting at 1:17 there is a jazz drum loop that never changes for the rest of the track. The track never picks up speed after this. I think it would be so cool to bring the kick beats back in, yet continue with the jazz style. Just when I think the track should really pick up speed, it is over. Nice ideas here, but it doesn't feel like a full arrangement yet. NO

Your ReMixer name Aron Kramer (Sorry! I hope that's O.K.) Your real name Aron Kramer Your email address Your website aronkrameraudio.com Your userid (number, not name) on our forums, found by viewing your forum profile 31172 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Name of arrangement Hyrule Sunshine (If that's not O.K. call it Sunshine of Time ! ) Name of individual song(s) arranged Title Theme So.. here in The Netherlands the winter has been raging on for way too long (that sounds way too dramatic since it doesn't get that cold) but we got some really nice days last weekend with the first rays of the sun. I guess I got really inspired by the great feeling of having that first barbecue with a few beers with my fellow friends. I tried to fuse different things into this track, and I think it really shows. The title theme of Ocarina always felt like a tune that could be improvised on rather well. I went with a mix of warm electronics at the beginning, which launches off into a jazzy break with saxophone and mute trumpets. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did making it and hail the great Koji! Also, just to make clear, the vinyl distortions at the beginning are intentional. Cheers and thanks guys, Aron Kramer

This is almost certainly too conservative, although he altered the piano theme. The instrumentation and processing sounds good, but the arrangement and drumbeat/bass and the backing arp and the entire mood of the piece is the same. Good judgetest track. NO

Contact Information Your ReMixer name : brAin Your real name: Brian Levine Your email address: Your userid: 33497 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged: Mass Effect Name of arrangement: Siha Name of individual song(s) arranged: Love Theme Additional information about game: Xbox 360, original song composed by Jack Wall Link to the original soundtrack: https://soundcloud.com/jackwallmusic/mass-effect-love-theme Your own comments about the mix: Kept the main melody, but altered the theme to sound darker and more desperate to reflect the mood of the story in the later games.

Remixer Name: JohnStacy Real Name: John Stacy Email Address: Name of game(s) arranged - Metroid 1 and Metroid II: Return of Samus Name of arrangement - Cazador de Recompensas (Bounty Hunter) Name of individual song(s) arranged - Title (Metroid) Title (Metroid II: Return of Samus) Additional information: The JohnStacy Orchestra is a studio big band dedicated to recording big band arrangements of video game music. This is a multitrack recording of the title themes from Metroid 1 and 2, inspired by Stan Kenton and his Cuban Fire album. I was preparing to arrange an album, and had the idea to do the title theme from Metroid as an afro cuban groove, and the quasi swing section in the middle just seemed to fit that section of the music. The title theme from Metroid 2, or at least a fragment of it, made a good concluding theme, using a duple feel against the triple feel. The track is one of several tracks on the multitrack album, all arrangements of classic video game tunes in various jazz styles. The JohnStacy Orchestra: CJ Carter, Edward Cosio - Saxophone. JohnStacy - Trumpet, French Horn, Bass. Jacob Rives - Trombone, Bass Trombone. Bruno Gutierrez - Tuba. Ben Hilton - Drums Misael Tambuwum - Piano

First the source tune: omg 8-bit trap, I've never heard that before, and I love this source tune. (edit: I had not heard of Pony Island. I'm watching a walkthrough now, wow what an interesting concept for a game. Ingeniously evil!) Now the remix: Interesting idea to redo this source as metal. The guitar performances are good, the rhythm guitars are mixed nice and wide. The lead guitar sounds a bit too centered for my liking. The drums are good, but mixed on the quiet side, and the crashes lack highs that would give them more impact in this mix. I like the glitching effects very much, they are well used and not overdone. I find plenty of source in the arrangement, it's on the conservative side. After the 2 minute mark though, I'm feeling like things are getting repetitive. The backing chug writing in particular, is quite repetitive. I can see this going either way because there are good aspects to this mix, but for me, the repetition is dragging it below the bar. Also, ugh, fadeout ending. edit: 7/22/16: Ok so my son and I played through the entirety of Pony Island last night. Wow, what a game. This is the best source tune in the game. I have a better feeling for the source tune now. I still feel like this remix gets repetitive, and I really dislike fadeout endings, but the track is too good not to have on the site. Changing to YES

Hi,This is my submission of Diabolus Ex Machina, a Pony Island metal remix.Download:320 kbits MP3: (also available through )192 kbits MP3: Contact Information:Name: Björn "BKM" KirchhoffMail: Website: https://soundcloud.com/bkmUserID: 32752Submission Information: Game: Pony Island by Daniel MullinsRemix Name: Diabolus Ex MachinaArranged Song: Adventure AwryOriginal Composer: Jonah SenzelSource Link: https://soundcloud.com/jonah-senzel/06-adventure-awryAbout the game:Pony Island (not associated with other pony-containing franchises) is a clever project by Daniel Mullins that messes with the players' expectations about what constitutes a game and how it is supposed to function. The player finds himself in the role of a silent protagonist who interacts with an arcade console that appears to be possessed by Satan himself. As the player tries to keep Satan from his declared goal of obtaining the protagonist's soul by trapping him in the arcade, the game blures the line between game and metafiction as the game continues and it becomes increasingly unclear who "arcade-Satan" is talking to - the protagonist or the player? While the game asks interesting questions about our relation to games in general and what we expect from them, it provides a series of interesting puzzles and enjoyable mechanics that keep this game from being "oh so meta" or over-pretentious. This is the first game for me that had me solving puzzles in the game menu in order to be able to progress.About the soundtrack and my remix:Jonah Senzel composed some really enjoyable chiptunes that progress in complexity as "arcade-Satan" further elaborates his trap (i.e. the arcade games). Stylistically, it's a blend of contradictory styles such as childrens music and death metal according to a blog post by the composer. No wonder that especially Adventure Awry, which served as source for the present remix, basically screamed for a remix involving heavily downtuned guitars. When I started to work on this remix, I tried to force the remix part into this project by dissecting the main riff and trying to build something new with it, which absolutely killed the strong groove and surreal feel of the original. I therefore opted for enhancement instead of (forced) alteration - I transposed the arrangement to fit a drop-tuned seven string guitar and added a lengthy interlude containing riffs that are inspired by and carry further the original groove. On the forums, Rozovian expressed his concerns about my fairly conservative take on the source (which I share to some degree), but I hope I was able to elucidate why I chose this path for this particular mix. I documented in detail the process of creating this remix and all the changes made / lessons learned in a corresponding thread (http://ocremix.org/community/topic/42797-adventure-awry-pony-island-keith-merrow-style-7-string-metal-remix/#comment-807194). I talk about the difficulties of achieving a modern metal guitar tone using nothing but software amp modellation there and I also explain in detail why I chose to master at a volume that is on par with modern metal releases; since I know that not everyone in the forums (and maybe also in the judge panel?) shares my views in this regard, I'd be glad to resubmit a lower RMS version if that is somehow preventing my mix from being accepted.I hope you enjoy this mix as much as I enjoyed creating it.Best regards,Björn "BKM" Kirchhoff

Bump. New version up, check it out!

Well I love this. The production is clean as a whistle, soundscape is huge, while being creatively sparse. It is repetitive, but suitably so for this genre. The additive/subtractive nature of the arrangement is perfect. With a track like this, I feel the length is justified. Quite an easy yes for me. Into the favorites folder it goes. YES

Not much to add to what the two gentlemen above had said. Sir_NutS nailed this vote imo. The length of the track is much too long to support this many iterations of the same short source. The mixing is low-heavy and does get muddy here and there. I recommend putting a high pass on every instrument (as well as reverbs and delays) to make sure the lows aren't overlapping with the bass at all below 200Hz. The track sounds overcompressed, but I think you'll have much more headroom after you high pass everything but the bass. Wow, this track is long. I agree it should be cut by half, keeping a smaller portion of each unique section, but also changing up the writing at some point. I also don't like fadeouts, it feels like such a copout, especially following such a long and repetitive track. I agree with Mike that it is odd to start with the heavier beat and then never revisit that beat, it makes the arrangement dynamics even flatter. I recommend adding a drumless portion somewhere, followed by the original faster beat, preferably near the end prior to a proper outro. Lots of work to do here still. NO

It's most definitely better like this, without the drums, although the other issues are still there (occasional sour notes, somewhat rigid sequencing, odd lead volume envelopes). Are you sure you don't want to put in some subtle drums (subtle/soft and half-time from the first version), at the very least during the reprise at 2:34? Even just a shaker or toploop? If this is the final version, you get my YES but it won't be the strongest YES ever. Switching to NO in the interest of moving things along.