Chimpazilla

The intro sounds promising, but there's a riser that starts at 0:16, it only goes four bars which isn't long enough to build the energy there, and the final beat is silence which isn't signaled in any way, and it is sloppily done (perc loop still playing until final beat, should stop sooner) which sounds very awkward and more like a rendering error than a transition. When the drop hits at 0:23 it has no impact because the same energy and beat were already established in the preceding buildup section. The plucked instruments have not been humanized so each pluck is the same which sounds mechanical. This is extremely evident with the instrument playing at 1:28 because each pluck happening on beat four is way too loud. The same instrument is playing the lead starting at 1:53, and the lack of humanization is really jarring. The core drum beat plays the same thing through the entire arrangement, although there are good variation loops that come and go. The energy of the piece never changes once established so it doesn't have good energy dynamics. The arrangement is on the conservative side, with all leads playing the same writing as the source for the most part, with notes left out here and there rather than added to or varied. There are multiple similar drum-only parts. There is no outro other than a quick drum flourish. Great concept and great start here, but needs more attention to writing, sequencing and arranging to be a proper full arrangement from OCR. Love to hear it again with the changes made, though! NO (resubmit)

I absolutely LOVE this concept and how huge this sounds in the big wubby choruses. I truly hope this will be completed because I want to hear it and throw it in my favorites list. But it isn't ready. The samples used are very weak (piano, brass, strings, vox). Those really should be replaced as they are so integral to the piece. Everything is mixed super hot and abrasive; there is no need for everything to have this much distortion. It makes everything fight for presence in the soundscape and makes it all feel crowded. Some elements should naturally float to the back and be less prominent, some should be loud and proud in the front. That will give you a more 3D mix. The bass and wubs are AWESOME. The drums are sort of weak. I can hear the kick ok, but whatever you have layered on top of the snare is not a good sound, it isn't dubsteppy and just sounds like a high-end "smack" sound, you need a solid dubstep snare to carry it. Both kick and snare need to be loud, cut through well, and you need good heavy sidechaining (on the bass at least, but also on the other elements with lower gain reduction amounts so it doesn't pump). Speaking of pumping, the overall mix is pumping and not in a good way. The master is smashed to smithereens, while still coming in at -3db peak, which is not good at all. Your ceiling should be more like -1 to -0.5db, but you need to mix this in such a way that you don't have to overdrive your master compression/final limiter like this. My primary suggestion to get a huge mix and clean master is to lower your master input gain by at least 5db before you even begin to write. In this type of mix you could lower it up to 10db, I do this often. This simple tip will allow you to mix at the higher end of your faders without ever hitting 0db during writing/mixing, which will allow you way more headroom for more creative mastering when it's finished being written. I agree with Larry that this is half an arrangement. On top of that, the two big sections that are here are too similar, there needs to be some more variation between the two. Following what you have here, and after varying the two similar drops, I feel the arrangement needs a nice drumless breakdown and another big section, with even more variations in sounds and/or writing to vary it from the preceding two huge sections, and then a proper outro. That would be my recommendation. I love what's here but this is a wip, please finish it! NO (please fix up and resubmit)

This is incredibly loud, especially since there is almost no content below 130Hz. Due to no lows, all the other frequencies sound overhyped. The mix sounds boxy as well as overly crispy. It is a dense soundscape, so the frequency overlap of elements isn't helping things mixing-wise. I agree with Larry that the string and vox samples are particularly weak. I think both should be replaced, I doubt there is much that can fix them on the mixing side. The drums sound like they cut through too much because it's all highs. If we could hear/feel the lows of the kick, it would sound different. But all the lows are cut out. It's like the entire mix has a severe low-cut on it. Why? The mastering sounds loud and abrasive. This may be partly due to the lows having been cut out of the mix, but I also think there's too much saturation on everything and the final limiter is being driven unnecessarily hard. The arrangement is good though! And the guitar performances are solid! I think the writing and arrangement are interpretive and transformative enough and I really like this piece in that regard. NO (replace strings and vox samples, mix such that lows are audible, tame the mastering, and resubmit)

Ooooo cool concept for this source! No intro, as Brad said, opens right up into the source material. I like the concept for this a lot, but it is loud and cramped right from the start as Larry mentioned. The intensity has no chance to build which is a lost opportunity for arrangement dynamics. All the sounds used throughout the track are there from the first moment and although there are additions as the piece moves along, the core elements never change. The lead never changes, and this lead is somewhat abrasive while not doing anything too interesting other than some delayed vibrato. Some filter movement on an LFO would be nice. To keep this interesting, varying the lead between sections would be a good idea. Either do something different with the lead in terms of effects or writing, or have another lead take over for a section or two. The mixing isn't too bad overall, but the lead feels really wide, too wide, and seems to be a little louder on the right (or is this just my ears?). The lead can be wide but needs to have at least some presence in the center, the lowest part of its fundamental frequencies for sure. Wide highs on a lead are always nice but it feels disconnected from the rest of the track when all of it is stereo-spread 100%. The mastering is way too loud. The waveform is a sausage and it is clipping like crazy, the master limiter is being overdriven massively. As for the arrangement, it needs a bit more work to add interest. A buildup intro would be good, doesn't have to be more than a few bars but we need something to introduce the piece. The sections here are basically the same writing, making one section more original writing-wise would be good. A proper drumless breakdown somewhere in the middle would be most welcomed, followed by the fullest section, then a cool-down and/or outro. There is no outro here, it just stops. This all sounds negative, but it is a really good start I think! Cool vibe and concept, just needs more finesse to make it a proper EDM arrangement. Hope to hear it again! NO (resubmit)

I like this, it is very epic and well instrumented and performed. I have no issue with the buzzy synth. But WOW those spoken vocals are loud! Like, jump out of my seat and hit the ceiling loud. Also, at 3:37 the lead guitar is very loud, too loud. Then at 4:14, the acoustic guitar comes in comically loud too. My thoughts mirror Brad's almost exactly. I really like this track! Great arrangement. But for me, those volume balances are a dealbreaker. Elements need to be leveled better so they don't stick out this far out of the mix. Mastering seems fine, even the mixing is fine, it's just the volume balancing that needs to be revisited. This is more of a fix than would warrant a "conditional," but I think it still should be a pretty quick fix. NO (fix volumes and resub, please) edit 11/4/23: Vocals are still loud, but the balance is now a lot better, and the vocals now fit better into the soundscape. YES

I have to sadly agree with Brad that there isn't enough arrangement here for a full remix. The instrumentation is nice but it is really just a cover up until 2:44 with minimal additions to it. The additions brought in starting at 2:44 are very nice but that should have happened somewhere around the one-minute mark. As Brad said, the first 68% of this mix is too conservative; basically a cover. Then, just as things are getting interesting and it feels like the soundscape is still on full blast after the big section, there's a fadeout. Even dropping a few instruments out after 4:06 would feel like an ending is coming, but all the instruments are still playing as they were in the previous section, during the fadeout. I am one of those people who feel that fadeouts are disappointing generally, but sometimes they work. Here, it just doesn't. There is a lot of repetition in the writing. The drums sound good but they play the same thing over and over once they begin. I also agree with Brad about the cello having the over-consistent vibrato making it obviously fake, although I do like the sound of it and I also like the note slides. The instrumentation is nice, but I'm with Brad, too much of this arrangement is the original source tune. NO

This is really cute and upbeat, and the instrumentation is full and lush. What a happy little arrangement! I can tell that sampled instruments were used, but I don't hear anything jumping out as too uncanny to work in context. As for the mixing, I don't hear the lows being a problem as MW and Emu did, and I do not hear low or low-mid mud. The drums are on the loud side, especially the snare. The snare does have a ton of lows in it, which may be adding to the muddy feeling Wes has about this mix. The high end is indeed shrill, but not dealbreakingly so. The master is super loud though, coming in at -7.8db RMS which is in EDM territory, and the peak is set to 0db which often times allows clipping to come through (not sure why?). I would recommend turning the final limiter down so the RMS value is more like -11 to -10, and set the ceiling to something more like -0.5db or even -1db. That said, the mixing is not dealbreaking to me. I like the track and I'm going with it. If this version does not pass as-is, I suggest lowering the drum volumes (especially the snare), taking lows out of the snare, and reducing the master limiter gain somewhat and lowering the overall ceiling too. YES

I just talked to Jordan, he asked about this and I told him the vote was going south due to the repetitiveness. He is going to make changes to it right away and resub before this even gets closed out. Hold further votes until then please. Edit: He made the changes already and the OP has been updated with a new link.

Wow, I am torn on this one. This arrangement is really well performed and sounds great! Although I agree the bass could have more presence and could sound more distinct, as it is now it seems like it is almost loud enough but the low end feels nebulous and unfocused. But man, this arrangement follows the source tune almost note for note on every instrument. As DS said, the drums are the most rearranged element in the mix, the rest is verbatim other than a couple of minor flourishes at the end of phrases. That is REALLY conservative. This is essentially a well-performed cover of the source song. The genre has been modified, but that seems to be the only change from the original source tune. The key is the same, the tempo is slowed down ever so slightly. So, genre change plus very minor tempo slow-down. Our standards say: "MORE THAN ONE" of the techniques is the key phrase here. Does this count as "more than one?" Is the complete genre re-imagining of the source tune enough? I think sadly I have to agree with my fellow Js who feel that a cover is not enough to be a ReMix. I'd love to hear it again with something in the arrangement changed, added, a breakdown in the middle, a unique guitar solo etc., that would be absolutely amazing! I would request also that the mixing be addressed to bring out the low end a little more clearly. NO (resub with a little more originality)

Definitely a medley, but I agree with MW that it flows well enough to sound cohesive. I also agree that the realism isn't perfect, but it works well enough for me. I don't hear anything jumping out as too awkward. That "lawn sprinkler" thing is weird though, and the rain stick is annoying to me, especially since it is hard-panned to the right. I do not like hard panning, generally. I am enjoying the sweet forest atmosphere and birds. This is a lovely romp through Hyrule forest and I recognize every source, they all fit perfectly with this theme. The instrumentation is well-varied, whimsical and lighthearted. The mixing is working well, and the mastering is closer to what I would consider normal than Rebecca's previous submissions. My only real gripe is that rain stick, why did it need to live loudly on the right side? If this mix doesn't pass as-is, I would request that the rain stick either be replaced (at least a few of them), and/or mixed more quietly and centered. Other than that, I really like this one. It holds my interest all the way through and feels very good to my soul! YES

Interesting anecdote: My husband Steve was in a band called Mariah in high school, waaaay back in the day. Steve played guitar, they had a drummer named Mark, and the bass player was John Middleton. John now goes by Johnny Lee Middleton, and he is still the bass player for the Trans Siberian Orchestra which was an offshoot from his other band called Savatage. They all still keep in touch. Johnny Lee has the interesting side-hobby of beekeeping. As for the remix: Oh yeah, I can hear the TSO influence! Gentle intro, busting out into some truly excellent guitar playing. Elements are balanced really nicely. The soundscape is often quite full, but all elements are audible. I'm loving the varied and interesting 6/8 arrangement and competent performances, wonderfully full of emotion. Terrific stuff, let's go. YES

Intro is so simplistic, but when that beat comes in I'm hooked! I love how weird this sounds, and aggressive. The soundscape is varied and sounds harsh, in a wonderful way. I love the crushed lead that starts at 0:50. The saw lead that follows sounds great. I love how the vocals come in sounding soft and sparse, as the soundscape fills in around them. Great arrangement, interesting piece, lots of lovely detail, holds my attention all the way through. I love the distorted piano in the outro. Mixing and mastering sound appropriate. YES

The texture feels muddy at 0:44 due to the wide saw lead playing over a soundscape of elements all playing in a similar range. I'm not a fan of those wide leads but it works well enough here. This arrangement is full of varied textures and instruments. And Damage drums! They sound great. I agree with Larry, that hard-panned thin guitar is unfortunate but it plays briefly. I love the music box when it appears. This does sound like a cinematic cue and tells its story well. The mastering is on the heavy side but never crosses the line into overcompressed for me. YES

This is really cool, so many interesting elements and lots of changeups throughout the arrangement. Great groove, dynamics and energy. It's a long arrangement but maintains interest all the way through. Mixing is wide and spacious, elements are well balanced, mastering is appropriate. The male vocal sounds a bit thin and dry. My only mixing suggestion for a mix like this is to sidechain every element in varying amounts. For example, group all plucks for sidechaining together, add a compressor and give them no more than 6db of gain reduction, fastest possible attack and release, ratio of 2:1. Same with leads, vocals, pads, even perc loops, group them and sidechain somewhere between 3-6db GR each. Bass of course can have much heavier sidechaining (and it sounds great here). This is just a tip for an even groovier mix next time, you'll be amazed at what a difference it makes. This is fun, let's do this. YES

The intro sounds fine to me, the samples are used well enough. After the intro, I can't really comment on the orchestral elements because I can barely hear them over the rest of the soundscape which is super dense. The kick is quiet and the snare is way too loud by comparison. The kick is so quiet partially because it has no lows. There is such a lack of lows in this mix and that causes the higher-frequency elements to stick out in a piercy way. There is distortion on top of distortion, on more than one element here. The chug guitars sound like they have a phaser on them or something? It sounds like a robotic/metallic burbling sound and it is very distracting, especially since so many elements are playing in the same frequency range. This is exhausting to listen to. The highest-frequency elements like the high percussion and even the top end of the snare sound very crunchy/sizzly. I'm not sure what could have happened with the mastering, but the peak is hitting 2.4db. The master will need limiting to 0db at the least; I prefer -0.5db or even -1db. The arrangement is great as my fellows have pointed out. The sampled instruments are working well enough, in my opinion. But the mixing will need to be fixed. The low end of the mix will need to be audible and the highest highs toned down. The snare is too loud compared to the kick and everything else. The guitar distortion will need to be brought under control and if there's a phaser on them please remove that. I also recommend doing some strategic EQ work to make room for each of these elements in the mix. NO (fix mixing and mastering and resubmit)

Ok so this track will have to be re-imagined as an instrumental in order to fully work. I really loved these sampled vocals and I essentially built the track around them. I thought it worked well enough, as did the three people (all musicians) with whom I shared the track before I paneled it. But if there's any doubt about the vocals working for everyone, I could never be happy having this released. Thanks again Brad for your kindness and your efforts to help me with this. I sure wish it had been an easy fix! At some point I will give this another go as an instrumental. I need a break from it first. Anyone wanting to collab this with me, let me know! But for now, let's clear this out of the queue. judge-self-NO-override

Alright, guys. *removes Larry's dagger from back* No more voting on this until I decide if it is fixable. I'm going to work with Brad since he's the boss at this stuff. If there's a fix, awesome, and I'll essentially resubmit it. If not, it's gonna be a judge-self-NO-override. ON HOLD (plz no more votes for now) Edit 9-15-23: Brad was kind enough to make some edits to the primary female vocal stem, to bring the notes into the proper key, but unfortunately the pitch-shifting kind of destroyed the melodic contour of the vocal line. Clearly, the vocals will need to be deleted altogether and another idea added in, perhaps something instrumental. Gonna have to think about this while it stays on hold for now. Thank you so much for your efforts, Brad!

Remixer: Chimpazilla Game: Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Themes remixed: Island Life, File Select Name of arrangement: Let Me Be Your Love --------------------------------------------------------------- I still love Phantom Hourglass after all these years, and I play it often. It is like a light version of Wind Waker; it plays on the Nintendo DS and it has a very special feel as the adventure takes place across islands on a vast ocean. I have always loved the Island Life theme in the game. The song plays during the scene when the whole group is on the beach and Ciela rediscovers her lost memories. Ciela is the primary fairy who accompanies Link through the adventure, although two additional fairies join the party during the story. The Island Life theme is essentially the countermelody in the traditional Fairy Fountain theme, with just a bassline added. While almost every Zelda game features the Fairy Fountain theme, Phantom Hourglass has no actual fairy fountains. The Fairy Fountain theme is used instead as the File Select theme, and it appears again in its simplified form as Island Life during Ciela's memory-restoring scene. As for my remix, I started out with no expectations, I simply enjoyed playing around with the motifs and beats. I felt very inspired and the mix came together in just a few days. The end result of my endeavor is a very upbeat Summer House mix with happy, lovey vocals. Hope it makes you smile! --------------------------------------------------------------- Written, arranged, produced, mixed and mastered by Chimpazilla. Vocal collaborators: Mr. S. Plice, and his lovely wife Ms. V. Ocaloops-Plice --------------------------------------------------------------- Source use: (219/276 seconds, 79% source) 0:00-0:07 Original intro 0:08-0:21 Bassline from Island Life (0:00-0:04 in source) 0:23-0:53 Main motif from File Select 0:54-1:24 Lead from Island Life (aka countermelody in File Select) 1:25-1:39 Bassline from Island Life 1:40-2:10 Original 2:11-2:15 Main motif from File Select 2:18-2:23 Main motif from File Select 2:26-2:56 Original lead solo over main motif from File Select 2:57-4:30 Main motif from File Select

The distorted kicks are purposeful and I love these kicks but they are not meant to hit this hard in a mix, they are too loud and as a result they sound like they are overcompressed. Just turn them down. In addition, and especially since you'll be turning the kicks down, I suggest some pretty heavy sidechaining at the very least on your bass and piano. Those kicks will sound superb in a nicely-sidechained soundscape. (I sidechain every element in my mixes in varying amounts, for mixing clarity purposes as well as to add groove) Fadeout ending, boo! Not a dealbreaker, but fadeouts always disappoint me. I prefer some sort of resolution to an arrangement. I love this concept, what a great vibe and feel. Larry is right though, the overall arrangement is too repetitive with the straight copypasta. Make some changes in the second half, either a different groove, instrument changes, some varied writing, additional this or that, etc. to set the sections apart from each other and keep the arrangement interesting and fresh. I really hope to hear this again with those changes, because it is a really nice beat, but as a standalone track for OCR it needs more variation. Do eet! NO (resubmit: add more variation, lower kick volume, do some sidechaining plz)

I love this source tune so much and I have heard it done in many different ways. I love the ambient idea for this mix. The primary lead sound is luscious, but it doesn't sound good when it is used to play the lower notes. That patch is absolutely howling at 300Hz; it was very loud after 1:10. Find another timbre to play the lower octave, along with your other synth playing the higher one. I suggest adding a proper bassline. The drums are way too simplistic and not mixed well. The arrangement and instrumentation are too simplistic overall. However, this is a creative start and a good concept! Everyone starts somewhere. Welcome to OCR. I suggest taking this to our wip forum for further mixing and arrangement help. NO

What an awesome concept! The theme is well represented here, plus some brief cameos from the OG Zelda theme, great idea! I like the instrumentation generally, the drums and bass sound good, backing synth arps and sfx also sound very good. The leads are a weak point in my opinion, they don't do much, no filter movement or anything interesting. The arrangement feels very stagnant once it gets started, as the heavy bass and beat never change throughout the entire piece with the exception of a couple of two-second breaks. There is a transition that feels extremely awkward, it appears twice, at 1:22 and again at 2:32. In the source tune, that transition happens in two beats, but in this arrangement it stretches over four beats and is preceded by a very awkward one-beat pause. The sections of this track seem to be repeated verbatim with no writing, drumbeat/groove or instrument changes and that's too much repetition for me. In addition, this arrangement really needs at least one lengthy breakdown to cool down the energy, 20-30 seconds would get the job done. The mixing sounds adequate to me, although the primary lead timbre has most of its highs panned right, either that or my left ear is failing me. Mastering seems fine. I love this theme and this remix concept, but more arrangement work needs to be done to keep it interesting. NO (resubmit)

Seamless mixing of these two themes. Performances are stellar, everything is super cohesive and emotive, mixing is perfection, mastering is appropriate. So many bells, metals, and delicate textures floating in and out of this soundscape, this is beyond lovely. Really nice work! YES

Stellar arrangement! I see how Larry feels the arrangement carries it. But wow this is a dense, crowded mix. Way too many elements in the same frequency range, all competing for position in the soundscape too. The buzzy synth guitar just adds a sheen of distortion over an already flat-sounding, overcrowded mix. I also feel like quite often, the patches used to play fast lines are not keeping up as their attacks are just a bit too slow, making the fast writing feel awkward. The soundscape never changes as the arrangement moves along, the energy and instrumentation don't change, so it feels repetitive and sonically fatiguing. There are so many awesome sounds in this mix, and the writing is great! But the result is a flat/muddy/indistinct relentless wall of sound. The mastering is heavy-handed too, but I think the majority of the issues are on the mixing side. I also agree strongly with Brad that the kick should never be hard panned to either side. I'm not a fan of hard-panning of anything really, but the kick, man that's unforgivable! At a minimum there needs to be some detailed EQ work to separate the instruments from each other. Great arrangement.... but needs to be cleaned up. NO (resubmit)

I really like this interpretation of this source! For me this has more of a nu-disco flavor than any other genre, but it's super creative and fun. The synth guitar sounds good but it is mixed so thin. Likewise the keys solo at 4:07 sounds way too quiet and it is mixed to be so thin. That solo should be loud and proud, it's great! I love the backing funk organ, also mixed too thin. The synth starting at 4:37 is SOOOO thin. It feels like many of these timbres have had too much low end cut off and they lose their fundamental frequencies. By contrast, when the brass plays, it is LOOOOOOUD. At 1:08, the brass and strings combo at that point is ridiculously loud by comparison to the rest of the soundscape, and those timbres have so much more lows that they just whomp everything else into oblivion. The strings/brass comes back at 2:17, and it's just too loud, too up-front, and also seems to be panned slightly to the left which feels very awkward. This arrangement idea is good, but there is definitely some egregious repetition going on. 0:54-2:30 is indeed looped twice. I cut the second playthrough and layered it with the first one, and checking A/B the only addition I hear in the second iteration is a tiny bell layered with the lead, barely noticeable. 4:07-5:38 is unique and the soloing is great. But then the section 5:38-6:46 is another nearly identical playthrough of 1:22-2:29. For that last section of the track, I layered all three iterations together and it all sounded the same other than an extra hat loop and a flutey lead layered on the final iteration. That is too repetitive for me, there needs to be more variation either in instrumentation or writing, or drum groove or something. I think the arrangement could easily be two minutes shorter without losing anything, and that would help cut the repetition down. In addition to reducing the repetition, there needs to be another pass at the mixing. The brass and strings at the big sections need to come down in volume and have lows EQd out of them, and all other elements need to have a lighter EQ touch so as not to sound so thin. NO (resubmit) edit 10/20/23: I have been asked to revisit this one in light of the artist's reply email and Dave's comments. Listening again, I still find the same issues, primarily repetition and instrument balance (mainly brass and strings). I never had an issue with the synth guitar and it still sounds fine to me. I think the orchestral samples are fine also, and used adequately, other than the loudness of the strings and brass in the big sections. I still enjoy the vibe and energy of the piece generally. I remember cutting the sections and lining them up in Cubase so I could A/B. Although they may have been played separately each time, they are still essentially the same exact thing with tiny differences in playing and tiny additions like a bell or similar. It isn't just one section being repeated *almost* wholesale, it is several, and with a seven-minute track, to my ears it becomes exhausting. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that the energy in the piece stays consistent all the way through. I revisited this with the hopes that I could change to a YES borderline at least, but I find that I just can't. If Dave wants to do an override or I am outvoted that is fine and dandy! I just can't in good conscience pass this. I can appreciate how much time this took, how many details there are and how it was part of an album, but none of those things should factor into an OCR vote. I have had my own tracks rejected that took me a lot of time and had a tremendous amount of detail, it happens! Not every track is a fit for OCR for various reasons, and the time and effort the track took to make does not factor into it. I am very sorry and I don't wish to be hurtful here, as there are some very excellent qualities to this track. STILL NO

I love this intro, the progression from clean acoustic to distorted and then heavy/dark is amazing. What a lovely arrangement too, the denser sections being broken up by simple, clean synth writing, building back up gently then loudly back into the heavier sections. I can still hear the beautiful synth arp from 2:43's section during the next heavy section starting at 3:47, and the writing is haunting yet hopeful, just beautiful. The guitar work is competent and emotive. The padding fits in very well and the drums are cutting through well. The arrangement comes off quite repetitive but that's a hallmark of this genre. There are just enough variations to keep it fresh as it moves along while being fully immersive. This track is mastered VERY loudly. I don't hear any artifacts and everything is clear mixing-wise. The effect during the densest sections is sort of a wash of sound, heavy on both distortion and reverb, but that is characteristic of the genre. I understand what Larry is saying, that he feels those sections are overdriven. But to quote what Emunator always says about mixing in this genre, it is a feature and not a bug. It is purposeful. I love this. It is luscious and lovely and completely engrossing. The arrangement is giving me all the feels for ten solid minutes without losing my attention. YES please. YES