Chimpazilla

Remixer name: Marshall Art Email: Website: http://marshallart.bandcamp.com/ members: jmr (Jeffrey Roberts), streifig (Mikhail Ivanov) Song title: My Monkey Drives A Maserati Source: Donkey Kong Country 3 (SNES) - Hot Pursuit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnICVFQrTWA MP3: WAV: *THIS SONG IS FOR A NON-OCR TRIBUTE PROJECT DUE TO BE RELEASED IN NOVEMBER 2014. DO NOT POST THIS SONG UNTIL AFTER THE ALBUM HAS BEEN RELEASED* Hey OCR. jmr here. It's been a while. For the past few years I've been working with my friend Mikhail (alias streifig) on a project by the name of Marshall Art. I write all my parts using Famitracker (a freeware hardware-compatible NES tracker) for the 2A03 and VRC6 sound chips, and streifig records layer upon layer of mindblowing post-rock-esque guitar. We live 7000km apart, so using the magic of Dropbox we exchange our parts and sandwich them together into an intense chiptune / prog / post rock hybrid. This song was put together over the course of January - September 2014 for a DKC tribute project. We were inspired by the band Maserati (hence the song title) although I think the song turned out a bit heavier than their usual style. We experimented with a few new things for this song, most notably the raucous guitar parts played with a violin bow. We're working on some other VGM covers as well as material for an original album, plus we play live shows whenever we can (together when possible, and apart on our respectivecontinents), so this won't be the last you hear from us. -Jeff

Interesting idea here to make this an industrial-sounding mix, I actually like the metallic clanking and sfx. The arrangement is pretty straightforward in terms of source. You establish a good groove right away. I'm not a huge fan of wide saw leads but I like the other instrumentation you've added around it. The lead starting at 1:25 is much too quiet in the mix and I can barely hear it, maybe because it's playing in such a low octave there. If you want to keep that lead low, I'd recommend using another timbre that cuts through better. My issue with this track is that unfortunately it gets repetitive. After the writing and groove are established, it is the same writing and sounds over and over for five minutes. To warrant five minutes of track, you need to add more variation either in writing or in sounds. At 3:04 you changed up the drum groove and that's a step in the right direction. Then there's a drumless section, but again the same sounds and writing. I recommend changing the lead at some point to something different and doing some wild soloing or something, to add more variation. NO (resubmit)

Hello, I would like to submit this song to be on your website. Remixed by: 8-Bit Rebel Real Name : Bryan Faragher Email: website: bryanfaragher.com Game(s) arranged: Mega Man 2 Name of Arrangement: Metal Man Theme (Raging Acid Party Mix) Name of individual song arranged: Metal Man Theme Comments: I'm a huge fan of the music of Mega Man 2, and after beating it again during a tough time in my life, I was inspired to make a tech version. I left it incomplete back in 2010 and returned recently to completing it. I intended the sound to be loud, industrial and metallic to really get to the core of what Metal Man's factory-like world would be. As a huge fan of the series, I tried to do it as much justice as I could. Thank you for your consideration, Bryan ----------------------------------------

Larry covered the issues nicely. The sound choices here are great, and so is the mixing, but the track gets repetitive after awhile since the sounds and beat stay the same for so long. I like the breakdown, but that's the only variation away from a fairly relentless beat. Somehow, you've got to add some kind of variation, either in writing or in sounds. Also, the ending is really abrupt! Overall, I like this, it sounds good, it just needs more variation to be an OC ReMix. NO (resubmit)

I like this arrangement. I also adore unique time signatures and mixtures of same. I agree with Larry that the changes in processing of the most repetitious element (the e-piano) keeps it fresh enough. That main e-piano line is what ties this track together so well, and the changes in writing and instrumentation around it keep the arrangement working. I also unfortunately agree with Larry's mixing crits. Everything here needs an eq cleanup, notching and boosting so that each instrument plays in it's optimal frequency range, as well as a volume rebalance because some instruments are much louder than they should be and too much up-front. Also, in the busiest parts, I often hear that there's no clear lead, everything is trying to lead, and that causes the piece to lose focus. The side-panned percussion is really loud and dry too (and I'm really not a fan of hard panning), this percussion does not fit into the soundscape. The kick and snare are really weak and tame by comparison. The volume discrepancies between drum elements and the severe panning make for a really odd drum kit. Speaking of hard panning, the auto-panning synth that begins at 0:54 sounds like the side-panned percussion in that it is too hard-panned, too loud, too dry and too upfront, this synth does not fit into the mix well at all. I think some auto-panning is ok here, but maybe just not that wide. I'm afraid this mix needs a complete rebalance and eq cleanup. But I do like the arrangement and the ideas presented. I hope you'll fix this up! (don't forget to make sure the render captures the end of the final reverb tail) NO (resubmit)

Brandon asked me to check on this track today, and I sent him the votes so far. He agrees he could have mixed this much better, and he would like us to refrain from voting further until he has a chance to clean it up. I'll post his updated track when it's done.

I'm not sure how well these two themes go together... the transition after the intro (at 0:55) is.... awkward, despite being accomplished about as well as possible. I have no suggestions on how to make it flow better, simply because of the disparity of the two themes. Once the Departure theme begins, the guitar work sounds quite good and the backing arp is nice and wide although it tends to get repetitive. I'm finding the drums to be weak in the mix. I like the soft breakdown at 2:50. Good transition at 3:16 back into the heavy guitars. There is similarity in the main verse of the song (1:35-2:00) and the second iteration of that verse (3:17-4:08), but it's certainly not copy pasta. At 4:24, there is a transition back into the first source song, For Endless Fight. Again, the transition is achieved about as seamlessly as I could ask for, but I really don't like these two sources together, and I'm not sure how well the bookending effect of having this source be the intro and outro is working. Other Js? I find this track generally well produced and enjoyable, other than the drums being on the weak side, source use is fine, but I'm not sure about this structure. 7/29/15: I'm revisiting this. Listening again, my crits stand in full. I think I'm going to have to go NO on this one, the intro and outro just don't fit with the rest of the track and feel stuck on. I hope you can find a way to make it flow somehow, if not then I'd recommend making a new intro and outro, either something original-ish or using more of the Departure source. NO (resubmit)

Contact Information Remixer Name: Chequer Chequer Name: Chequer Hanna Dazzi Chequer Email: Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLBnGpPzwuVWIpRZSsHD7_w User ID: 54058 Submission Information Name of Game: Megaman Zero 2 Name of Arrangement: Desert Wanderer Name of individual songs arranged: For Endless Fight II, Departure Comments: I made this arrangement for my VGM Covers Youtube Channel, and these songs and game played an important role in my personal life. I put my heart into this. --------------------

This remix is super conservative in terms of writing and also style/mood/instrumentation being similar to the source. It sounded so similar that I decided to layer the source and remix together, and the arrangement and tempo of both remix and source are identical until 2:04. Most likely a midi-rip here. There are some additional elements added to the remix, extra string parts (possibly some additional bells?), and the instrumentation is very well done, samples used well, mixing is good. Sadly though, this is clearly a midi rip, until 2:04. J's: here is the source as an mp3 if you want to layer it as I did. So... the remix stays 100% true to the source arrangement until the breakdown at 2:04. The writing from 2:04 until the end all seems to be original. I see what you did thar. It does make a cohesive track, but I'm going to have to say no to this for being such an odd structure, remix-wise. Half midi-rip and half original does not an OC ReMix make. Too bad, it sounds great. You're clearly skilled with samples. If you could make some meaningful variations in the first half (the additional string bits are a great start!) and add some of the source into the second half, this would be a winner. Otherwise, this structure is a NO

Your ReMixer name: Sealunar Your real name: Angelo Cicero Your email address: Your website: http://www.angelocicero.com Your userid: 40682 Name of game(s) arranged: Gauntlet: Dark Legacy Name of arrangement: Poison Fields/Sumner's Tower Name of individual song(s) arranged: Poison Fields/Sumner's Tower Composer: Barry Leitch; Released 2001 on Xbox and Gamecube Link to the original soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFaa_k8BBXM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FbFARm4CcA Your own comments about the mix: Gauntlet: Dark Legacy was one of my favorite games growing up as a kid. I beat it many times with different friends and family members. The music is very unique and brings back a lot of memories for me. Reviving some of the memorable tracks is my way of saying thanks to the team for doing such a great job. -----------------

This track is too loud, it is overcompressed. Intro guitar sounds very stiff. The instruments are competing for frequency range. The string synth is mixed dead-center, giving it no life or sparkle. Same for the lead that enters at 0:55. The lead at 1:09 is much better and has some life to it. Backing groove gets repetitive after awhile as it never changes. Drums are weak and repetitive, and the track would have so much more groove if the kick were sidechained to the bass and backing elements. Adding some sfx or sweeps wouldn't hurt. I like the ideas presented here though, it's a nice interpretation of this source. There's a ton of repetition in the arrangement, but there is some really good soloing at the end. I paneled this because I think it has promise, but it will require a re-balance and mixing overhaul at the very least, as well as spicing up some of the repetitive sections. NO (resubmit)

Hello OCRemix, Attached is my submission. The following is my information: Contact Details: Your ReMixer name : rakafella Your real name : Rakesh Subramanian Your email address : Your website : N/A Your userid (number, not name) on our forums, found by viewing your forum profile : 54040 Submission Details: Name of game(s) arranged : Donkey Kong Country 2 - Diddy Kong's Quest Name of arrangement : Kong Konvention Name of individual song(s) arranged : Donkey Kong Rescued - Credits Theme Additional information about game including composer, system, etc. (if it has not yet been added to the site) Composer: David Wise System: SNES Link to the original soundtrack (if it is not one of the sound archives already available on the site) Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc.Inspired by a true love for DKC music. Being born in 1991, I hope to bring the influences of the good ol' 90's video game music to up and coming generations, who I feel are missing out on priceless experiences of old school gaming. This piece started as a sketch, and evolved into a complete song that adds and upbeat feel to the credits theme, a celebration of success & victory over King K Rool. Enjoy!

There's a click right at the beginning of this render that needs to be removed. That hat is indeed very inhuman and stiff sounding and too loud in the mix. All the instruments are very lo-fi and center panned, and all are competing for frequency space. The bass is a muffled muddy mess. The overall track volume is low, as if you're sending us the pre-mastered version. Snare and crashes are very loud, dry and upfront. Backing elements are sometimes mixed as if they are in the front, most notably the bass beginning at 1:27, too much bass in mah face. This track needs drum humanizing, instrument re-balancing, a mixing overhaul and some proper mastering. That said, I actually love the concept and writing! I look forward to hearing it again, fixed up. NO (resubmit)

I adore psy-trance and this is a VERY well crafted and interesting track. I have no issues with the production, I'm enjoying it fully. My problem here is with the source use. I'm not sure there's enough. Here's my breakdown: 0:00-0:13 original 0:13-0:59 source bassline (0:00-0:10 in source) 46 seconds 0:59-1:26 source melody (0:00-0:12 in source) 27 seconds 1:26-1:59 original 1:59-2:26 source melody (0:13-0:26 in source) 27 seconds 2:26-2:39 original 2:39-3:18 source melody (0:26-0:39 in source) 39 seconds 3:18-3:45 source bassline (0:00-0:10 in source) 27 seconds 3:45-4:11 source melody (0:00-0:12 in source) 26 seconds 4:11-4:38 source bassline (0:00-0:10 in source) 27 seconds This adds to 219 seconds and 219/286 is 76% source. My issue is whether the sections I've labeled "source bassline" are close enough to the source, I need some other ears on this please. Without those bassline sections being counted, source use is only 119 seconds or 41%. NEED MOAR SOURCE CHECKERS, THANKS

Hello guys, Sir_NutS here. This is a psytrance Remix of Konami's "Treasure of Usas" stage 5 theme, for the MSX. This ReMix was done for PRC, and retouched after the original submission. This is my second psytrance submission, and while my earlier sub leaned more towards Juno Reactor's style of Psytrance, this is very infected mushroom inspired, as in, a more "pure" psytrance rendition, down to the song structure and sounds. As always I have a lot of fun crafting these complex sounds and this song was no exception. I never played this game, but classic Konami titles always had good music. The original seemed a bit happy for this style at first, but the details and modifications I made created the dark atmosphere that, imo, changed the original mood of the melody, making it more tense, frantic and dark. Making it perfect for the genre in the end. I hope you guys enjoy it, even though i know this kind of music is not for everyone, it's one of my favorite electronica genres.

Oh my goodness, I think I can hear everything clearly now, wow nice! Yep, I see that timaeus was the right person to ask for help on this. I'll admit that this track isn't really my cup of tea, I still find it too busy for my taste, but I gotta give credit here, the eq cleanup is significant and I think the mixing is actually working now! With this many elements and the speed of the writing, that is no small feat. Achievement unlocked! YES

Contact Information > ReMixer name: HeavenWraith > Real name: Antanas Palaitis > Website: http://www.heavenwraithmusic.net > Forum user ID: 50325 Submission Information > Game: Touhou Fuujinroku: Mountain Of Faith > ReMix Name: Temple of the Omnisword > Original Name: Native Faith > Original Author: ZUN With huge help from Timaeus, the track received a thorough EQ surgery and sparkles more than ever.

It still sounds like sequenced piano, but this is MUCH better. The sample sounds improved, even if it's the same sample as before. I still dig this arrangement! The note volumes are much better now, the timing is still a bit stiff, but I think it's getting the job done well enough now. There's just a bit of resonance in the sample when you listen to it loudly, but it seems that most piano samples have this issue, at least I'm finding that to be the case. I'm not sure what can be done about this, does any other judge know? The jump in volume at 1:53 feels awkward and fake, like I can tell it was automated up and that bugs me a little bit. Anyway, I'm going to vote yes this time, and here are my words of praise from the previous vote: Well I am loving this arrangement! I love that you started off in 4/4 and then at 1:38 you switch to 3/4. Ah, I just love mixed time signature tracks. You really did justice to this little source. The transitions are smooth, and the interpreted sections are really lovely. The writing gets almost a bit too original sometimes, but always comes back to identifiable source. At 3:02 it's back to 4/4, smooth as buttah. NICE. YES

previous decision ReMixer name: Deedubs Real name: Mike DeWeese Email address: User ID#: 52934 Game arranged: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Arrangement name: Home is Where the Hearts Are Song arranged: House Source: The general consensus on my original submission was that the arrangement sounded far too robotic. It was funny to open the project again after 10 months and see just how lazy I was with the quantization. I went through the entire track and did my best to make the quantization much less rigid using the randomize function of Cubase, as well as manually changing the timing and/or velocity of just about every note. I also put much more automation on the tempo. Hopefully everything sounds much more humanized, and hopefully I didn't overdo it and make it sound clunky. There were also some comments about the sound of the piano being too muffled, and understandably so. I've learned MUCH more about mixing since the original submission, so I stuck with Cinesamples Piano in Blue and replaced the reverb with a much subtler one, changed the mic positions a little, and did some EQing. As I continue to work on my ear, hopefully these changes achieved a much more even tone. Finally, there's a slight melody change at 2:21. Thanks again!

Are rondos out of the question? I'd appreciate a list of the themes used, but I hear quite a lot of the main theme and I assume from what Deia said that the rest of the arrangement consists of source tunes. I actually like this arrangement and I find it cohesive as a whole. I totally see what Deia is saying about it being medley-ish or like a rondo, but it seems ok to me. I like the production, with the exception that the snare is panned too far to the left and the brass too far to the right. The samples are used quite well, strings and piano sound particularly good to me. The source writing is very conservative but I like how the themes interweave, I love the instrument choices, and the track has good flow and dynamics. Unless it can be pointed out to me why this arrangement is not ok for OCR, I have to go with YES

I agree with Justin that the intro is too sudden. But wow, nice mood! I hear plenty of source. The bass is boomy, it could use some eq to tame the wild lows and then some compression could be added to smooth it all out. The lead guitar also has just a bit too much in the low mids. I love the distortion and the raw feel of this. Nice mix of sounds, I don't even mind the panning, it is working well here and creates a very cohesive soundstage. Drum kit sounds good and appropriate. Nice arrangement, nice performances. Works for me. YES

Great soundscape established right away, those bass stabs are terrific! You nailed the low bass presence you were going for. The backing pattern is not identical to the source but close enough. I'm hearing enough source overall. Production is sounding good to me but I don't like the snare, for my taste it has too much body, it pokes through too strongly and also sounds quite dry. I think some delay would work well on that snare, and a little eq to remove some mids. I'm finding the snare distracting. I like the rhythm guitars together with the synth pad backing, and both are audible. The lead guitar isn't fooling anyone of course. I wish the lead guitar was switched for something else for one verse at least, or that you had modulated it or effected it in some way. I'm not in love with this lead timbre and it sounds dry and very up-front. I'm finding some repetition in the arrangement. For example, 0:35-0:55 is identical to 1:18-1:40, and each of these two sections is two repeated ideas. I wish there was something different between those two parts, an additional timbre, different writing or some effect added. While the lead writing does vary from verse to verse, the writing is quite similar, and it sounds more similar because the same timbre is used each time with no modulation. I do like the filter effects you used as transitions, although at 2:34 it almost gets too sparse, that is a good opportunity for some other kind of transition sound to be added. I wish you had used an alternate snare during the breakdown from 1:40-2:02. The snare sounds even more distracting to me during that part, and that would have been a great opportunity to add some sonic variation to your drums, and maybe some more drum writing variation too, as that section is mostly just kick-snare-kick-snare. I think the soundscape is good and the arrangement is working even with the repetition of ideas. I do have some issues though. I'm actually going to withhold my vote until I see what others are saying. edit: Just to be clear, my repetition concerns mainly relate to the non-lead sections in between the melody sections. I believe those two sections I mentioned are identical (someone correct me if that is wrong). The lead/melody sections are similar, but they have just enough variation to work. ?

Kudos on combining these two sources quite seamlessly, I especially like how you combined them together starting at 2:54, it works well. There is quite a bit of personalization on these melodies, but I always hear them. The only part I can't quite give credit for is the chip arp which you say is playing the descending string pattern from Lulu, I think that's a bit of a stretch. Other than that, I'm good with source use. You've used quite a few crunchy timbres in the track, but I'm finding everything audible and well mixed. I like the leads, they are expressive and you've done some tasteful panning. I really like the writing and sound choices. My big gripes here are that the drums get repetitive and so does the backing arp, giving the track a samey feel overall, but I'm not finding this to be a dealbreaker. Another big gripe, the ending is a letdown, it just stops. Other than those things, the arrangement is good, mixing is getting the job done, bass is clear, everything is distinct. Cool track, nice work. YES

ReMixer & real name: Eino Keskitalo e-mail: forum id: 20708 Names of games arranged: Final Fantasy X & Final Fantasy XIII Name of Arrangement: Katumus Names of individual songs arranged: Lulu's Theme, Hope's Theme Sources: Lulu's theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMfx-PRNino Hope's theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNtglfbpRXE MP3: FLAC: This track is originally from the second round of the Final Fantasy Crystal Clash competition. As always, it was made in Renoise. The title means "remorse" or "regret" in Finnish and refers to the lack of sleep during the competition. FFCC was my first tournament-style competition and it was quite a ride, it was very cool, if exhausting, to make it all the way to the finals. I used the music I made for this project: https://github.com/evktalo/kiigame as the sound template for the track, and went on to use this track as the basis of Kaikuluotain, my Game Boy Batman piece (which eventually came out on Legacy) - I think all these sound quite different in the end. I've been trying to learn reusing previous tracks for new pieces, actually, and now that I think of it, the bass drum and one of the snares are the same as in Clockwork Groove. Mission accomplished. Many thanks to Riversound, timaeus222 and Chimpazilla for extremely useful feedback during and after the competition. The structure, harmony and mixing was greatly improved thanks to these people! Thanks to Pleiade for encouraging feedback and the opportunity to listen to the track on a couple of different sound systems. Thanks to XPRTNovice for the mod review, and Brandon Strader for running the compo & general enthusiasm & comments! Source breakdown: The piece is based on the Lulu's theme, with the melody of Hope's theme pretty heavily appropriated to fit. Lulu's theme usage is pretty straightforward. 0:00-0:12 no source 0:13-0:19 Descending background string plucking from Lulu from 0:00 on the background 0:19-0:33 chord progression (arpeggio) + melody from Lulu A part 0:15-0:19 (just the first two bars) 0:34-1:03 Hope melody from 0:00-0:33 1:03-1:11 no source 1:12-1:40 full Lulu A-part 0:15-0:40 1:40-2:10 Lulu B-part from 1:09-1:36; heavily altered Hope melody from 0:35-1:08 comes in at 1:55 2:10-2:24 Descending string plucks from Lulu on the background 2:25-2:54 The first Hope melody (even more altered) 2:54-3:09 The 1st Hope melody with Lulu A-part melody 3:09-3:23 The 1st Hope melody (even more altered) with Lulu A-part melody 3:24-3:55 The 2nd Hope melody with Lulu A-part melody here and there 3:55-> Lulu A-part that's all, cheers!

Just to be clear, I am in fact aware that the "when one hears such sounds" comment was meant to be derisive. Sarcasm mode was definitely engaged!