Chimpazilla   Judges ⚖️

Hello, I'm submitting our track from Vampire Variations III, an arrangement of Dracula's Theme (the intro BGM). The files, artist notes and other info should be available to you already on the album data, right? The track didn't seem to pass the album evaluation. Regarding the written comments I've seen, I disagree about source usage and harmony problems, so I thought I'd panel this. Here's a timestamped source usage walkthrough, source here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRRmYBDn8xw 0:00-0:10 - the intro of the source (0:00-0:26) was basically reduced to the bassline G-C-H-D-A#-H. Played by the guitar, there's a few additional chords to accommodate the upcoming clarinet melody. The chords progress twice as fast as in the source. 0:11-0:22 Guitar and bass play the intro chord progression. The clarinet melody is combined from the lead lines at the beginning of the arpy part (0:36-0:47), and the final section of the source (1:39-2:06) - the notes are very long sustains in the source, and they have been time compressed into a more mobile melody. 0:22-0:24 The five note descending guitar is taken from a bit from the main arpeggio that plays at 0:47 and then repeats at 0:50. 0:22-0:26 No relation to source. 0:27-0:30 The sirens are meant to reference 0:26-0:34 from source, with siren-like sounds (one ascending, one descending) 0:30-0:32 The five note descend. 0:33-0:41 The guitar groove that begins here is closely based on the main arp; the rhythm is changed into a syncopated rock groove. The "main arp part" or the middle part of the source is played three times, as in the source. The source has some variation that makes the overall form of the arp hard to pick out (at least, did for me), the guitar arp arrangement mainly follows the first pass. The bassline also includes bits of the arp. The harmony problems cited in the album submission were from the guitar part, if I understood correctly. Every note in the guitar part should be the same pitches as the source's arpeggio, and the same goes for strings/soprano melody later; basically the harmony/mode/scale etc should be the same as the source. 0:41-0:51 The clarinet plays the 0:36-0:47 four note line from source. 0:51-1:03 Original writing to continue the clarinet part. (Guitar still playing the main arp). 1:03-1:08 Original 1:09-1:38 The arp is dropped for the second iteration of the main part (well, bass still plays some of it); strings play the melody (0:53-1:16). Guitar plays chords & another guitar wails a bit on the background. 1:38-2:09 The third iteration of the middle part of the source; pretty much simply includes both the arp & the melody (utilizing the soprano lead from Sam Dillard's Dracula Battle arrangement from the same album). Some variation on the guitars. 2:09-2:48 Guitar solo time. This is based on the final part of the source (1:38-2:06); the long sustained line is played by the clarinet. The guitar solo *does* reference some of the arp, but you have to listen pretty closely. I tried to base the bassline on the arpeggio as well. 2:48-3:20 The clarinet plays the same two bits of melody as in the intro (0:11-0:22). 3:21-end The clarinet keeps playing those two bits of melody; the guitar and bass follow the intro chord structure as in the intro. 3:46-3:54 Jorito did some nice composing-by-editing, that deviates from the chord structure a bit, and the clarinet melody by one note. cheers, --Eino

Ok I just literally voted on another Jorito mix of this same source. Ok then! I have the same complaint on this one as I did on the other, and that is that the mixing isn't that clean, even on the updated version. There is a lot going on in the mids and mid-highs nearly full time. Whatever happens with this track, I recommend you spend some time really learning mixing, that is what I have recently done. I have been studying with bLiNd and also researching techniques and practicing on my own, and it has made a HUGE difference in my production. I recommend this for you (if not paid lessons, at least do some online training with youtube or whatnot), because your arrangements are quite good! Learn how to process lows, how to emphasize highs, how to arrange your soundstage, reverb/delay staging etc., it will make a big difference. The strings playing the lead after the intro are not that strong, the attacks are too long to make a solid lead there. The DnB drums are cool but they are repetitive, and they sound weak and crispy, no impact. You've got a growly timbre playing in the background in the mix that doesn't do anything (for me anyway) except make it sound lo-fi. If you're going to use growly timbres, they need to be mixed in such a way that they make a statement. Once the wubs come in, they are really nice, it would be good if they really shined, even as a backing element. Wow, the guitar lead part is great. Good use of vocal clips. Great arrangement and writing. So many fun things going on in this mix. I'm being a bit hard on you because I sense that you're right at that border between good and great, just spend some time learning mixing and you'll be there. YES

Great source tune, and great concept! I'm loving the sounds used here. I love the spoken breakdown at 1:11, and the soloing at 2:18. The mixing could be better, I feel like better mixing would knock this out of the park. The mix now is overly reverby, with reverb tails overlapping each other and the reverbs need to be high passed so you're not reverbing lows. The instruments compete for frequency space when many things are playing at the same time, everything needs some eq treatment. The kick would have more impact with heavier sidechaining. The snare is very weak. The rest of the percussion sounds pretty good. The instruments generally are somewhat generic, but they are used well. The section from 1:41-2:18 could be sooooo awesome if that growly timbre were mixed to be more full and wide and upfront like a lead, with the teensiest touch of delay (it could move into the background when the solo lead starts). Mastering seems ok, but there's some distortion from 0:30-0:34 when that fast kick pattern plays. Either lighten up on the final limiter, or address the sidechaining in the mix which will help that issue by clearing the soundscape with every kick hit. My other concern is the amount of source use. I hear enough source or chord structure up until 1:11, then 1:11-2:35 is really quite original with no recognizable source use. At 2:35 the chord structure of the original returns. So that's a minute and 25 seconds of zero source in the middle. If I count the rest of the track, there is enough source for me, but let's see what Larry does with his stopwatch. I like this track and I feel like it is over the bar despite my concerns, but if this doesn't pass, take a look at the issues I've brought up. More attention to detail in the mixing of this track will make a huge difference. YES (borderline)

Starts out a bit quiet, builds nicely though. Drumming is cool and well varied, backing is super chill. Soundscape is minimal and wide. Dem vibes! Yep, I dig this, no issues with samey-ness for me, the length is good, not outstaying it's welcome at all. Cool stuff! YES

Wow that piano is mechanical. Humanizing the playing should be job #1 here. Vary the velocities and note start times just a little, not enough to sound sloppy, but enough so it sounds a little more like a human being played it. There is definitely a lot of reverb here, but a bigger complaint for me is your kick drum, this is a great kick for an electronic track, but it feels really out of place in this mix against the orchestral background. I suggest a much lighter kick for this soundscape, and you could go much lighter on the sidechaining too, the heavy sidechaining also feels out of place in this track. The filtering on the drums beginning at 1:46 is too heavy, it sounds muddy and washed out instead of being a cool effect. Another issue I have with this mix is that the writing is generally stiff and quantized and gets repetitive as it goes along, and the arrangement is too conservative overall (too similar to the source material). The writing variation that begins at 2:30 is a step in the right direction. It's a good start but there's quite a bit more work to do to get this track up to OCR standards. NO

RebeccaETripp Rebecca Tripp http://www.crystalechosound.com/ ID: 48262 Game(s): Legend of Zelda A Link Between Worlds Song Title: Princess Hilda’s Lament Songs Remixed: Hilda’s Theme Comments: You can listen to the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fsFuJ5xPQs

Remixer: Gario Real name: Greg Nourse E-mail: UserID: 18482 Games arranged: Mega Man X1 & X3 Arrangement Name: Red Shifting Drift Sources Arranged: Megaman X - Boomer Kuwanger, Mega Man X3 (SNES) - Doppler Stage 1 & 2 Hey there! Wow, it's been a while since I've submit music on here. Here's something to tide everyone over - an orchestral blend of chippy goodness. It's from the second round of the 2015 Sigma Fortress Remix Gauntlet, and it did... well, actually pretty poorly (there were a LOT of amazing tracks, that round). Seems the issues people had with it overall were minor mixing issues, though, so I cleaned it up for submission. While it didn't win me any gold medals, it's easily my best track for the competition, and with the track cleaned up, hopefully everyone who listens can agree. Good energy, nice thematic blending and some tasty harmonies - give it a listen and enjoy!

ReMixer: GMN-Henry Real name: HongYu Zhang Website https://soundcloud.com/gmnhenry Userid:33147 Name of game(s) arranged: Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow Name of arrangement: Clock Tower Name of individual song(s) arranged：Clock Tower

Hey there, Remixer name: Jorito Real name: Jorrith Schaap Website(s): YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Joeirot Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jorito Userid: 3899 Submission information: Name of Game(s) Remixed: Vampire Killer Additional Game information: System: MSX2 Developer: Konami Genre: Platforming Released: 1986 Composer: Kinuyo Yamashita, Satoe Terashima Name of Arrangement: Number of the Beats Names of songs arranged: Vampire Killer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ_IDqunQtk) Link to the remix: Comments about the mix: Since you never can have enough Vampire Killer, here’s the other version I did of this track (I submitted another version earlier). This is actually an oldie that I did early 2014 for an MSX game cover compo, where it ended at second place. It also was definitely my way back into music after doing nothing music related for years. Learned a ton of new things while creating this track and it firmly set me on this path of composing and learning that I still enjoy a lot. Back when I created this, complextro was all the hype, with lots of inspiration from zircon, madeon and the likes. Sounded interesting enough to give a shot at this EDM business and incorporate some complextro bass stuff myself. Also played around with all these short arps that are all over the place, and in general I had a lot of fun while creating this track. The German speech part was ripped and edited from the PC-Engine version of Dracula X. Thought it’d fit well. Quick translation: "In the good old days, people still lived quiet and in peace. Nobody believed things would change in the future. After 100 years, evil rose again. The lord of evil, count Dracula has awakened.” That’s all, enjoy! Cheers, Jorrith

Hi there ♪ Here we go :Remixer name : ReiseliedReal name : Didier PicartEmail : Website : reiselied.comName of the game : Final Fantasy VIIName of the arrangement : Still More CowbellName of the song arranged : Still More FightingThanks ♥♪

Cool idea, but this seems to have started out as a midi rip of the "dummy" theme, it is identical until around 0:40, and quite similar after that until at least 1:30. Remix and source are the same exact tempo. I layered them. Ignoring the possibility of initial midi-rippage, I like the idea of doing this as a ska mix. Dat fake brass tho. Hhhmmm. This seems to be a pre-master, as the volume never rises above -4db. I need to consider this arrangement for awhile before saying more. Whatchu other J's think? edit 6/8/16: Listening again. I honestly love this idea, but I still find it much too conservative, leaning too much on the source midi verbatim. The track needs more interpretation in the writing, and the final render needs to be mastered to normal limits. The bigger issue is the fake brass, since it is such an integral part of this remix. It sounds painfully fake. There are three ways to remedy this: 1. as Sir_Nuts said, get a better brass library and program it painstakingly and precisely, 2. find someone to play the horns (not always easy to do, I tried to find a trombone player myself for awhile and I never did find anyone), or 3. add some kind of synth element to layer with the horns to make the fakeness seem intentional and cool. I wish I could overlook the fake brass because I love the idea of this. NO (resubmit)

Hey OCRemix, I created a remix of the songs "Ghost Fight" and "Dummy!" off the Undertale Soundtrack by Toby Fox. I am submitting this track for review and possible inclusion on OCRemix. Please find attached an mp3 as well as a link to the file hosted on my website along with all the required information. I hope you enjoy the track! Contact Information Pumodi Jeffrey Brice jeffbricemusic.com Userid: 33041 Submission Information UNDERTALE Armless Ska! Ghost Fight/Dummy! Link to Original Version on Youtube: Ghost Fight - https://youtu.be/gvZV_rJQFeI Dummy! - https://youtu.be/hZ_H-_NI4SU

RebeccaETripp Rebecca Tripp http://www.crystalechosound.com/ ID: 48262 Game(s): Banjo Kazooie, Banjo Tooie Songs Remixed: Mad Monster Mansion, Grunty's Lair, Witchy World Song Title: Banjo Kazooie & Tooie Remix - Halloween Medley

This mix needs a proper title if it passes. Dang, I like this! The low end is nice and beefy, but there are some instances where I think I hear overcompression, where the low impacts hit such as at 0:22 and 2:08 . Good use of game sfx. Some of the sounds are on the vanilla side, the main lead is pretty fun, but some of the backing and chords are a bit plain. The drums are underutilized I think, other than the kick, the rest of the drums are too quiet and dry and they don't have much impact, and the drum patterns are repetitive. The clap is very generic. I'm trying to imagine this with some interesting, varied, effected, wide-panned, phased, etc., toploop action happening. Source use is conservative but this is a really creative arrangement... until unfortunately after the middle breakdown, the track repeats absolutely verbatim. From the clap at 0:20-1:38, that section is copy-pasted again from 2:05-3:24. From 3:24-3:42 there is some nice interpretation/soloing going on briefly, but at 3:42 it's another retread of 1:20-1:37 until the end (granted, the lead there is a little different but the midi is identical), then it is just a cold stop with no real outro. Lately I've been a bit more understanding of copy pasta and I've even been doing this here and there in my own tunes, but in this case I feel like the copy-pasted sections are rather large and there are zero additions to the next iterations as they appear (other than the slightly altered lead right at the end). For me there needs to be some more personalization in the second half and after that bit of soloing before the "outro," and I'd love a proper outro while you're at it! I hope you'll address these issues (overcompression on the impacts, better drumming and mixing of drums, and arrangement repetition) and send this back because I love the concept! NO (resubmit, please)

Hey I've never done this process before but I am a big fan of the site. My Artist name is Vector U Real name is Victor Yu The Game is Super Mario World for the SNES My remix is of the Overworld theme/Athletic theme This is a link to my song: Let me know what you think!

The words "midi rip" caused me concern, but once this tune gets going I feel like the personalization is enough. The sequencing of all the instruments is generally stiff. The long whole bass notes aren't always supporting the other writing as well as they could. Quite a bit of this mix sounds pretty random to me, with lots of elements competing for lead position. I am not sure yet on this one. edit 6/8/16: Listening again. The other two Js have given some good advice, and I agree you should hit up our wip forum for further help with production. NO (resubmit)

ReMixer name: Synapsii Real name: Victor Hu email address: Game: Golden Sun: The Lost Age Arrangement Title: "Alchemica" Source Title: "Walking Forward With Determination" (Overworld Theme #2) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3vKQYX0bu0 Comments: I took a look at the MIDI rip of this piece to get a feel for the kinds of arpeggios and chord progressions being used (I don't have a good ear for that kind of stuff) and wrote a slow intro that would lead into the more "epic" feel of the source tune. I think the strong ending in particular is quite nice--hope you guys think so too! The main melody from the source is mixed between the flute and violin section. A secondary motif that I use throughout the piece can be heard in the flute at 0:34. The instruments used are, in order of appearance, piano/cello (0:00), violin (0:16), flute (0:30), oboe (1:01), french horn (1:10). The flute soundfont I used has a bit of extra scratchiness to it, but I liked that because it's a bit closer to the pan flute that's used in a lot of Golden Sun tracks. 0:00 - 1:04 original composition 1:04 - 1:11 varied source melody 1:11 - 1:19 source melody 1:19 - 1:34 source melody w/ varied chord progression 1:34 - 1:50 original composition using secondary motif 1:50 - 2:21 source melody 2:21 - 2:36 mostly original composition 2:36 - 3:07 mostly original composition, flute continues to play something similar to the source 3:07 - 3:16 quiet outro

Nice blend of electronic and orchestral and metal! The piano in the intro, breakdown and outro is sequenced stiffly and could use some humanization, but it appears briefly all three times. The strings beginning at 0:44 also sound mechanical, especially noticeable at 0:55-1:06. The guitar performances are wonderful. The soundscape gets really dense starting at 1:30, the drums get almost overpowered from 1:30-2:00. I feel like the high-mids are hyped just a bit overall in the mix. I like this arrangement though and the source is easily identifiable. Good builds and drops. Aside from these crits which you can use for future mixes, this one works for me, very exciting and dark. YES

ReMixer Name: DusK Real Name: Dustin Branscum Email: Website: http://www.itstartsatdusk.com User ID: 24328 Game: Halo 5: Guardian Arrangement Name: "The Eye of Osiris" Song Arranged: "Light is Green" Platform: Xbox One Composer: Kazuma Jinnouchi Release Year: 2015 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWNTJMZbZm8 ReMix link: Comments: This remix was a freaking blast to make. Metal always is, but I always feel so much more accomplished when I can successfully blend metal with other elements and genres, especially one that I'm so new at. Hope you guys like it too.

I had not heard the first submission of this track, so I went ahead and dug it up. I agree that the midi performances were not up to snuff. This version however, is pure awesomeness. The mixing isn't perfect, the instruments could all use some eq treatment so they shine a little bit more, for example the bass is somewhat indistinct and lacks presence, and the leads sound a bit too forward in the soundscape. These are issues to work on for next time ok? YEEHAW

previous decision Dear OCR Judges... Here's the Link to my "Resubmitted" Remix/Arrangement of the Mario Paint Theme Song: (my original submission was/is the same URL only the "-5" version) Contact Information: * My ReMixer name - dabedaab * My real name - Steve Snider * My email address - * My userid - 32663 Submission Information: * Name of game arranged - Mario Paint * Name of arrangement - Pickin Colors * Name of individual song arranged - Title Theme * Additional information about game: - Composers: - Hirokazu Tanaka, Ryoji Yoshitomi, Kazumi Totaka - System: - SNES - Link to the original soundtrack: - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GdapZ1FZhI My comments about the ReMix: Earlier, I submitted a version of the same song and it was judged as "NO (Resubmit)". I agree with the feedback that was given. Don't know if you guys go back and look at your comments from an earlier judgement, but in a nutshell, the overwhelming consensus (along with other things) was that the Mandolin was too mechanical. So I took to heart all the feedback that was given me and have changed the submission accordingly. Here's what I did to improve the submission: * Eliminated the "Midized" version of the Mandolin (Melody) and replaced it with a live recording of myself playing Mandolin * Eliminated the "Midized" version of the Guitar (Melody/Harmony/Improv) and replaced it with a live recording of myself playing Guitar * Added some Reverb to the already live version of me playing Banjo (just seemed like it needed it) * Made the percussive touches of Mandolin/Fiddle chops slightly more dominant (especially in the second verse [banjo section]) My original reluctance to include live recordings was predominantly due to my fear of recording skills. Basically, I admittedly don't know much about recording. However, I'm fairly pleased with the quality of the recordings. My take on it is that any hit on recording quality was/is more than made up for by the better sound of live instuments. Hind sight being 20-20, I can now see that it sounds considerably better (I least I think so) in its "Live" rendering than in its "Midized" version. As I stated before: "I find the experience to be a 'Blast' and will consider this a "Positive Experience" no matter the outcome." I hope you enjoy! Thanks.. dabedaab (Steve Snider)

Wow that first source has a weird time signature, it makes it tricky to compare the bassline in the source to your adaptation. I like yours so much better, the source time sig makes my brain hurt! I'm having the same issue with the string melody, I hear what you did and I like yours much better, but it's just a bit tricky to identify the source material. The boss battle melody is very easy to hear though. The low bass is just a bit too loud and slightly boomy. The drums get somewhat lost behind this big bass. The main lead could use some modulation or vibrato or filter movement to add interest over time, but it's a nice sound. I love all the little countermelodies you've got going on here. I can feel how this arrangement was difficult to put together, for a variety of reasons as you stated, but I really like it, it's always interesting. The guitars at the end aren't fooling anyone, but for synth guitar it all sounds very nice. The boss battle melody feels kind of shoehorned into the arrangement contour-wise, the melody writing could probably flow better, but it's working well enough. Overall, really nice track! YES

This is a really dense mix, very full, yet things are all audible. Source is pretty conservative yet well personalized. I would prefer the track to have a breakdown at some point, and a break from the relentless chugs, but what's here works well. It's gud. YES

I recognize the source quite well, having listened to Sir_Nuts' recent remix of this same theme quite a few times, and I can confirm the source is represented well here. That said, this mix is not working for me. Throughout much of the mix, you have a lot of organic instruments ALL playing busy parts at the same time, which ends up sounding very jumbled. The bass is acting all funky at the same time that you have the sax, piano, drums, synths, everything all playing busy, intricate parts simultaneously. Adding glitch on top of this jumble of writing only makes this situation worse. Ow, my brain. I love the approach here, but I recommend you revisit every instrument in the mix and decide which instrument should stand out above the rest in each section. Take it one section at a time, decide if it's a bass solo you want there, or a sax solo or whatever, and calm every other instrument down at that point, down to blocked-chord padding or simple supportive melody or something less busy to compliment whatever is the lead there. Then, adjust the volumes so the lead at any point is clearly the star. Listening again, I feel like the bass is the biggest offender. Change the writing in the busiest parts so the bass is more supportive of the busier elements, except for the bass-solo sections such as 0:14-0:27. NO

remixer: Chimpazilla game arranged: Sonic Rush Adventure name of arrangement: 'Jeweled Scepter' theme arranged: Coral Cave - Act 1 I've always loved the Sonic Rush Adventure OST, and the Coral Cave theme in particular. I attempted a remix of this theme about three years ago, and it failed so hard. I still love this theme though, and now seemed like a good time to try again. I believe this attempt is significantly less sucky than my previous attempt. The portions of the source that I used most prominently are: 1. the bassline: The source's bass writing appears throughout the entire track with the exception of the breakdown and subsequent buildup into chorus #2. 2. the vocals: The source has a vocal of "na na na-na na na na na" which I made into a synth line which appears frequently in the mix. 3. the chorus: I've recreated the source's chorus twice, rather conservatively. 4. the intro motif: The source's intro motif fit perfectly into the breakdown. I changed it from major to minor. This motif appears two more times leading into the outro. I won't do a timestamped breakdown unless anyone requests one. After this remix was complete, I could not come up with a name for the track. Typically I think of a name for my mixes by at least the halfway point in the production, but not this time. I finally settled on 'Jeweled Scepter' after reading the game's Wiki page. I'm including the list of WillRock's name suggestions here though, because lolz. Super Minecart 64 Davy Jones Deadish Pet 007 - Scepter Loki's Scepter *Insert Sceptical Kraken Emote Here* Jewels and Vincent KRAKEN IN DA CAVE "I'll never cave in!" Sonic on Krack Sonic Boo - (Ghost remix) Spirit of Radio MineKraken Kraken KoKain