MindWanderer

Subbed! Technically kept a tiny vocal thing, but it's not really a vocal mix anymore. I can't imagine how people can churn out good remixes without a full weekend to devote to it (Reaper has me logged at 37 hours, although probably 10 hours of that was the original version that I scrapped). I wish I could say I'll get better and faster with practice, but it'll probably be a while before I can set aside even half that amount of time to a mix. Still, it was fun, and I'm glad I did it. I'm also glad PRC exists--the timeframe it gives is just about right, and it's actually kind of nice to be given a source to practice one's skills on without being The Giant Opus You've Always Wanted To Do. Plus the standards are lower than those of the big compos. So thanks, Bundeslang, for keeping this going. Hopefully I can do it again sometime.

I agree: even though the range of sources is a bit more constrained this time, it's still a few dozen non-obscure titles that actually have music, and there's always option B. Plus, even if two pairs pick option A, and pick the same title, they're not going to do the same thing with it. The PRC doesn't have a problem with that, and even in Darke's tournaments, two people are forced to use the exact same sources.

I understand where the complaints are coming from: it is rather lengthy without necessarily introducing enough variation to merit it, especially considering how short the source is. And there are moments when the chips and the orchestra don't jive very well. I'm also really don't like the timing used in 0:55-1:05. But other than those complaints, which are pretty minor, it's an excellent piece. I definitely don't think people should be discouraged from genre-bending like this on occasion. It would have been a real shame for this to get NO'd. OCR has passed more exotic efforts before. Heck, OCR should probably encourage this sort of mix. We're fans of video game music, after all, and a hell of a lot of that is chiptunes. Mixes like this help establish the legitimacy of chiptunes as instruments that belong right alongside live instruments and more "traditional" synths.

Sorry I forgot to do this earlier. It's been added. I'm not familiar with the source, so if you could give me a YouTube link I could post, that would be great.The full-season compilation will include a text file with the sources and voting results of each season and mix, and also designations of which are bonus mixes.

Correct. So for NES games, the only legal choices are the 20 or so launch titles. Yes, Super Mario Bros. counts. Yes, I will think less of anyone who chooses it.

The theme and pairings have been posted. I swear I chose the theme months ago, well before I found out anyone planned on using FamiTracker.

Dammit, I'm going orchestral, too. It was already not so great, but now it sounds really horrible by comparison. At least my version is a substantially different take. I abandoned the vocal version and started over... it was beginning to sound disturbingly like the MIDI being played by an ice cream truck which was in the process of running over a singing hobo.

Stunning. One of those mixes that makes you totally forget it's from a game; it stands on its own as an amazing piece of music no matter how you look at it.

In a shocking turn of events, due in no small part to NaNoWriMo, we currently have an excess of stars!Posted/Accepted WillRock wildfire DusK Rozovian PROTO·DOME (only if needed) urdailywater Volunteer Stars Dafydd hakstock ectogemia Novices Cash and Change Trism Kuolema DrevanZero Xarnax42 Tuberz McGee An odd number ATM, unfortunately. If one more person signs up as a Novice, then I can shunt Dafydd, hakstock, or ectogemia to the Novice category if they're OK with that. One more Star and I can swap two of the three Star volunteers. Of course, 3 more Novices would be even better! 2 days left for signups. Frankly, all three of those guys are awesome, but there's always more to learn, and I have to assume there's some reason they're not OCR-posted yet. And the thought of a collab between any of them and any of the posted Stars is drool-worthy.

Supposedly Reaper has been tested running under Wine (32-bit only), which makes sense since it operates at a very high level. So I imagine many remixers go through a stage where they think they can sing until they actually try to make a mix with vocals and it sounds horrible. That would be me right now. So glad I'm doing this on something I can't spend more than a week on even if I wanted to, but I already have lyrics so I'm going to make the most of it. Is there a good guide anywhere around here for fixing up singing? People tell me I have a good singing voice, so I'm hoping I just don't know the tricks for what VSTs to apply and whatnot to make it work, and not that people have been lying to me all my life. I looked for such guides, but most of them offer just one or two tips (EQ, autotune, some reverb and delay but not too much) and they're not cutting it (though they help). I probably just don't know how to use them properly.

Ah, fond memories. I'm going to see if I can find time to get Reaper installed and try my hand at this--my last attempt at remixing was in Linux, which I do not recommend. As this will be my first PRC: Is it acceptable to have a brief segment that uses a different source?

I'm not in a good position to host something like that, but if someone else wants to, go for it.

You know, the one time I tried to vote for a PRC, I wasn't able to get my DaSauce account working and I gave up. I don't want anyone to not vote because of it taking an extra step, and with only a dozen or so people voting each month, it's pretty easy to tally up by hand. Which I'd have to do at least partially anyway, since voting participants get a bonus vote for their own mix.However, I intend to submit to the current PRC myself, so I'll learn a little more about DaSauce in the process and may change my mind.

You guys are awesome! Barring unforeseen circumstances, the plan is:Episode 1 Episode 2 Special episode 3 event Episode 4 Episode 5 Special episode 6 season finale Season 2, episode 1 ... etc. So, 6-month seasons to keep participants rotating, with special events every 3 months to spice things up and try out some different formats.

Note that the enrollment/pairings process is slightly altered from Episode 1. It doesn't really affect what you have to do to sign up (although we don't need samples of your work if we got them last time), but you should be aware.

Season 1, Episode 2: "Origins of Home Gaming" Current News Voting is closed! Results are below. Download Season 1 Now! Results! First Place: "2 Sizes, 4 Swords, 8 Bits" by Kuolema feat. wildfire, with 21 points. Second Place: "Remembering the Storm" by TheRexAsaurous feat. Dafydd, with 17 points. Third Place: "A Passing Dream 2" by Tuberz McGee feat. ectogemia, with 14 points. Fourth Place: "Cool Side of the Mountain" by Cash and Change feat. urdailywater, with 8 points. Theme This month's theme pays homage to two noteworthy events. The first is the launch of Nintendo's new console, and it can't be argued that the NES was the first home console to bring fully recognized video game scores into the home. This year is also the 35th anniversary of the launch of the Atari 2600, the first successful home video game console of all. So the theme this month is Origins of Home Gaming! All mixes should either: Be based on a source or sources from a console or PC game (not arcade game) released on or before October 18, 1985 (the launch day for the NES in the U.S., or Use any source, and pay auditory homage to games of that era. Using especially primitive chiptunes, in whole or in part, is one valid approach, but feel free to be creative. Remixes should not be judged based on how well they apply the theme, it's just a guideline. Pairings Cash and Change with urdailywater. Source: http://youtu.be/ay3yw6Xa24Q Kuolema with wildfire. Sources: http://youtu.be/FPhqfbWKtfs http://youtu.be/VDyEL6thJXg Tuberz McGee with ectogemia. Source: http://youtu.be/dWE0nlhpdq8 TheRexAsaurous with Dafydd. Source: http://youtu.be/SXGGvsHq6iA Trism with WillRock DrevanZero with hakstock Xarnax42 with Rozovian Zerothemaster with DusK About ReMixing With the Stars ReMixing With the Stars is intended to give beginning remixers some support, encouragement, and mentoring in their quest to become great, and as a sidenote, to become posted remixers. Beginners are mentored by experienced remixers to push their abilities to new heights and submit collaborative works according to the theme of the month. Who's a "Star" and who's a "Novice?" Any posted or accepted-to-be-posted remixer, as the only artist or as the lead arranger on a piece, is automatically considered a "Star." This isn't meant to be a statement on who's a "good" or "expert" artist, but it's a somewhat meaningful threshhold which doesn't require any subjective judgment on my part (however subjective the OCR judging process may be). Additionally, anyone who wants to sign up as a Star can also be put into that category. This is because a lot more "Novices" (who is everyone else) sign up than stars, and it's better to receive some mentoring from someone who's good but not posted than from no one at all. If you've done any of the following things, as examples, I strongly recommend you sign up as a Star: Contributed to an OCR album Had a submitted remix rejected but with one or more "Yes" votes Beat a posted remixer in direct competition (not counting forfeit) Sold your compositions (remixes or not) for money If you want to sign up conditionally (e.g. "I'd prefer to be a Novice, but if you need me to be a Star so more people can participate, that's fine too"), then go ahead, and bless you. Rules Enrollment/Pairings: For episode 2 and onward, pairings will be a little different. They'll still be first-come, first-served, except that Novices who participated in a previous episode get priority. This is so that the community can watch a consistent group of OCR newcomers grow in skills as the season progresses. (Don't worry, this won't carry over into next season, so people won't be matriculated through forever. In fact, for Season 2, Episode 1, priority will be exactly the other way around, with Season 1 participants getting lower preference for slots.) As before, once the signup deadline is reached, whichever list of signups has more people in it will be truncated, based on order of priority as described above, so the lists are the same size. Then Novices will be randomly paired with Stars, except that Novice-Star pairings won't be repeated twice in a season. Mixes: The Novice must be the primary remixer. Stars can contribute by giving advice, playing a live instrument or vocals, and with production, including minor adjustments to fix timing or dissonance issues. They may also contribute a short solo segment. No one other than the Novice and Star may help in any way. Submissions: All entries must be sent to me by the 12PM PDT deadline via PM on the forums, with a link to a reliable host for me to download your mix from. Please don't use Tindeck, as it doesn't give you control over what the filename will be when downloaded. I also recommend you post in this thread that you've submitted your mix, since I know there have been issues in other compos with PM's not being received. Please submit your file as an mp3, preferably encoded at a high-quality VBR or 320kbps. Filenames must be in the following format: Novice feat. Star - Title (Game).mp3 Example: MindWanderer feat. djpretzel - The World's Worst ReMix (Pong).mp3 Proper file names mean I can do my job of getting the compliation done and posted faster, which means you get to hear the great music produced by this sooner. Schedule All deadlines are 12 PM (noon) Pacific time (PST). Signups until Wednesday, November 7, 1200 PST. If you're signing up as a Novice, and didn't sign up for a previous episode, you must post links to at least two samples of your previous work! They don't have to be good, they don't even have to be game remixes, you just have to prove you're not brand-spanking-new to this music production thing. Things you've posted to the WIP forum are preferable but not required. If you're signing up as a Star, say a little bit about your strengths, and maybe post a link or three to remixes you feel best represent them. You can mention anything else you think would be helpful in working with you (software preferences, instruments you play, etc). Announcement of the pairings and theme on Nov. 7. The theme will be broad enough to allow many, many options, serving mainly as a unifying factor. It's announced later so that no one gets a head start. ReMixing from Nov. 7 to Wednesday, Nov. 21, 1200 PST (2 weeks). Rules and guidelines above. Voting from whenever I get the compilation posted (should be no more than a few hours after the deadline) until Wednesday, Nov. 28, 1200 PST. Votes should be based on, in roughly descending order, use of source (i.e. interpreted but recognizable), arrangement, production, and enjoyability. How appropriate the submission was for the theme shouldn't be considered (since this is easier for option A than option . You'll pick your three favorites, in order. Your first-place vote will get 3 points, your second-place 2 points, and your third-place 1 point. Participants (both Novices and Stars) may not vote for their own mixes, but participants who vote will get a free first-place vote added to their score. Please send me a PM with your votes, like this: 1. First-place ReMix 2. Second-place ReMix 3. Third-place ReMix Thanks for your interest, and lets get this show on the road! Previous Episodes [thread=40611]Pilot Episode: "Beginnings"[/thread] [thread=41556]Season 1, Episode 1: "Spooky!"[/thread]

Results! First Place: "Scary Clipping" by Dafydd feat. Sir_NutS, with 32 points. Second Place: "Sepulchro Regum" by The Eluryahn feat. Gario, with 23 points. Second Place: "Mother of Abominations" by Trism feat. wildfire, with 23 points. Fourth Place: "Hallowed Haunt" by shadow24 feat. DusK, with 12 points. Fifth Place: "Ghosts on a Disco Train" by Cash and Change feat. Rozovian, with 11 points. Sixth Place: "Gloomy Glow" by ProjectSpam feat. ectogemia, with 10 points. So Dafydd gets the special "defeating the purpose" award by coming solidly in first without actually taking any of the advice of his assigned Star. I'm not sure his reservations about which category he merits were at all warranted. Personally, my only complaint was the abrupt ending, and the voters agreed: All but one voter gave him at least a 3rd-place vote. Even though there was a wide margin between 2nd place and everyone else, you all did a superlative job. I look forward to seeing what you can come up with next month! The new thread will be up momentarily.

All Hallows' Noon, anyway. 24 hours away! I only have votes from half the competitors, and the rankings are still close enough to be... well, I wouldn't say anyone's game, but a few of the mixes have a shot at 1st place.@Garpocalypse: If you'll be remastering anyway, I'll hold off on adding yours to the compilation for now. If anyone else wants to submit an improved version, I can always add that as well. At the end of the 6-month season I'll release a full album for it, and I'll cheerfully accept bonus mixes up until then.

Sorry, I did kind of use the word in two different ways there.Musical "interpretation," as in taking segments or motifs of a source and altering them into something new while remaining recognizably the same source, is a good thing and should definitely be considered in your voting, as the most important factor. Thematic "interpretation," as in what the artist feels best evokes the month's theme in their mind, should not be considered in voting, as it biases voting in favor of those who took the easy option. Not that anyone did that this time--everyone who took a spooky source also made a spooky mix out of it (although Cash and Change to a lesser extent).

It needs to be interpreted, but it also needs to be recognizable. 2 minutes of riffing off of 3 seconds of the bass line is plenty interpreted but isn't very good use of the source. Interpretation of the theme should not be considered. That's because someone who does a chipstep Castlevania mix is perfectly within the theme of the round but doesn't require any effort to accomplish, while someone who tries to take a tune from Kirby and makes it into something creepy had to get creative and may or may not be successful. I don't want choosing an appropriate source to be a free pass in this respect.

Mixes are up. I'll compile the sources and add them to the title pages shortly. Edit: Done. Youtube links listed next to the contributors. I'll be happy to add it to the album as a bonus mix whenever you get it done.

Cash and Change/Rozovian: Your mix has no title. I'm using the temp title you were using for now, and will fix it when I get a real one.

Sure. 40 minutes left.

I have mixes from shadow24, The Eluryahn, ProjectSpam, Trism, and Rozovian (for Cash and Change). I know not to expect one from Garpocalypse, but that leaves Dafydd. A little less than 2 hours left for him to submit and for anyone else to update. Incidentally, Garpocalypse, I'm not sure where you got the idea that there was less than 2 weeks for mixing. It's exactly 2 weeks from pairings to deadline, minus an hour or two for me to actually do the pairings. Edit: Oh, I forgot: Could everyone please provide a link (YouTube is fine) to your source material? Not everyone will be familiar with all the sources, and use of source is the most important factor in voting. Thanks.

No extensions. You've had a week and a half, and there are 4 days left. I'm not going to add almost a whole week onto something that's supposed to be a monthly competition.