MindWanderer

I'm amused that if you search for "Chrono Trigger: Peaceful Days" on YouTube, the very first result is a fan sound upgrade.

Now this, I don't understand.Say there's only me and one other contestant. If I vote, and I'm the only one who votes, what happens? 1) I get a first-place vote and 2 points. My opponent gets only a first-place vote. I win, 5-3. 2) I get only 2 points. My opponent wins, 3-2. 3) (Previous system, and the PRC rule) I get a first place vote, my opponent gets a first place vote. We tie, 3-3. I'll post my entry tonight.

No, they get +3 because their first place vote gets 3 points, second place gets 2 points, and third place gets one point, and their bonus is equal to a first place vote. If there were 3 entries, they'd get 3 points, their first-place vote would get 3 points, and their second-place vote would get 2 points. If there are two entries, then voting is a wash.

I can't actually find the scoring rules anywhere--is it supposed to be 3 points for 1st place, 2 for 2nd, 1 for 3rd? If so, they still don't add up (I know I should be at 3+1+1+1+3=9), but it doesn't really matter once 1st place is determined. I think a first place vote for voting is critical. Without that, participants have an incentive to vote for themselves, or to not vote (if voting for themselves is disallowed). By giving a free first place vote for voting, everyone who is going to vote for themselves no matter what has to make 3 interesting choices instead of just 2, and those that don't are relieved of having to make the difficult choice to vote against their own baby. I find it very interesting how people interpreted the compo concept. Although I changed the instruments substantially, I felt like mine was still obviously Final Fantasy combat music, retaining the mood, tempo, and energy level. But obviously others disagreed.

I've only ever used Reaper, but man has it crashed on me many, many times. Usually it's a specific plugin that causes it, but even besides that it usually crashes on me at least once every other day or so (@ 2-3 hours a day). It's probably the nature of the beast when using VST-based DAWs, 3rd-party compatibility issues and all.

Yeah, the two of you should probably coordinate to stagger the timeframes. Also I think MnP has the more popular source this time--since the winner gets to pick the next round's theme, they'll probably start being more obscure personal favorites the same way PRC is.FYI, due to popular demand, I'll be restarting RMWtS up again next month. Schedule will be the same as before: enrollment in the first week of the month, remixing in weeks 2 and 3, voting week 4.

Based on the other compos I've seen, I don't believe that any voting instructions make people vote differently than "completely subjective" anyway.

I'd definitely appreciate that. If anything that would be more helpful than comments on a particular mix; I'm probably not going to revisit any of these mixes, I don't think any of them are good enough to try to improve them to the submittable level, but I can certainly try to improve myself as a whole.

I personally think the synths in Cloudhopping are quite a bit better, the soundscape more robust, and the percussion and synth elements more dynamic (although I enjoy the arrangement of Moles more). I also think sometimes djp passes things he really likes that might not pass the judges' panel on technical merit. Either way the response will be enlightening. Also congrats, is that your first mixpost?

It's borderline IMHO, and I'm actually still waffling over whether to add it to my permanent collection. We'll see what the judges have to say, but to my admittedly novice ear, some of the lead synths are a little tinny, and some of the mid-range frequencies step on each other in the more complicated sections. I'm glad you're subbing it, my suspicion is that it'll come back with a Resubmit and they'll be able to give you more precise feedback than I can.

Now that everything is in, FWIW, I have a short list of remixes where I really enjoyed the arrangements but the production held them back. Here's the ones I would particularly love to see improved versions of: Space Pirate Attack Funky Moles & Trashy Ducks Lunar Storm Tempestuous In Everlasting Pieces Adventure of a Lifetime We're the Robutts! I also want to call out Blood of the Concrete Moon as one I'd love to see get some finishing treatment, not because the production wasn't amazing but because that piano solo is just way too long and breaks up the flow too much.

So with this now confirmed... has there been any discussion of an OCR Mighty No. 9 album? Obviously the soundtrack hasn't been released yet, but my understanding is that OCR albums take a fair lot of organizing even before the mixing begins, and it would be cool to have an album out as soon as possible after the game's release. And I don't think it's conceivable that this game's music won't deserve an album.

Well, usually my problem is being too quiet, so a little too loud is an improvement.There are actually either arps or pads throughout nearly all of the piece, but I guess either they're too quiet or their frequencies are getting drowned out in the harmonics of the other instruments. I overused the heck out of the Wily theme as an arp. I also think there's only maybe one or two places with both arp and pad at once. Since most of the leads and basses contained several layed voices, I was worried about a soundscape that was too busy, but I guess I was too conservative about that. Thanks for the feedback! At least someone is interested in helping me improve.

Not to derail this fascinating conversation, but hey folks, some reviews would be nice. I'm not going to start sucking any less without some constructive criticism.

Penultimate review time.... Liquid Metal 2 - Even Wetter: It's hard to review music in a genre you hate, so I'm trying to focus on arrangement and source usage. The arrangement is certainly a lot of fun, but source usage is mainly of the A-B-A-B variety, and Proto Man is basically just a couple of cameos (much less present than Splash Woman--and I'm still not clear on what she's doing there at all). Archetype Stone: Finally a mix that makes heavy use of Stone Man!.. but then that's all it does. It's basically a Stone Man cover until 1:26 and from 2:04 to the end, and if the rest is Wily or Proto Man, I can't tell. I'm honestly surprised this is getting as many votes as it is; even though it's well-produced, it doesn't seem to meet the mission statement. Waterfall's Return: There are a lot of clashing notes here. That super-long sustained chord gets old fast, and is way too loud. Everything else is pretty quiet, and gets increasingly drowned by the sustain. I have a feeling this was an editing error of some sort. And then of course it isn't finished. Komo Sanctu et Shadedog Morientia: A lot of the parts are pretty quiet, but this is a good arrangement that makes excellent integrated use of all three sources. Couple minor timing issues in places. Instrumentation isn't the best at all times. It does get a little repetitive by the end. Ending is a little abrupt. But really the only major thing holding this back is volume levels/EQ. Circuit Breaker: Hmm, I think Gario may have had more than a little to do with this one. Great frantic 9-bit stuff, just what I look forward to from him. Wankery from 1:42 to 2:05 is stellar (and I believe I hear mainly SuperiorX's musical style here). Tasteful use of SFX. Good coverage and integration of all three sources, although I can tell you had to think pretty hard about how to work Duo in, you succeeded well. Quite possibly my favorite piece of the whole compo, and the easiest first-place vote for me so far. Slash Through Space and Destroy: Definitely incomplete. The basic drums barely vary, production could be better, and the sources are basically just used in sequence. Slash man is once again significantly altered, to the point where I'm not even sure that's what I'm hearing. My Wily Valentine: Another music reference I don't know? I'm sure I'd give this more credit if I knew what you were trying to imitate here. Seems like there are a few flat notes on the second guitar. Arrangement mostly just alternates between the three sources, though it does so in a very consistent, cohesive style; second guitar does some layering of Wily under Solar Man (very similar to the way I did it), but it does so when the lead guitar is really wailing, so it took me a few listens before I heard it.

Thank you, I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what language "Komo" could possibly come from. I gathered it meant roughly "Regarding that which is sacred, and the dying Shadedog," based on the Latin, which seemed appropriate for a final entry.

What is "video game style music?" I can't think of very many music styles that aren't represented in video games.

Well, Capitals of Science is in this week. Based on the feedback of my colleagues, I'm afraid I will not be presenting aggressive klesmer-step, but I think it's a reasonably strong entry nonetheless.

It's disturbingly hypnotic.

It's good as it stands alone, I just think the transition into it is really awkward.

Reviews: Heated Plasma Gun: I'm sure you're tired of us saying that you need to watch your keys, but it's still true. At this point, I'm mainly just surprised that ZtM and PS haven't helped you out with this. Overall it's really not a bad arrangement, you have good instrumentation and a good soundscape; if only those keys lined up during the vertical arrangement sequences I'd be enjoying this a lot. Although wow, I was expecting a brief Contra cameo, not 1:10 of a 5:23 mix. It goes well (again, ignoring the key mismatch), and I guess if you don't expect to win votes anyway, why not? Storm the Gates!: This is actually my first time hearing this, as the WIP came in late and I didn't have free time this last weekend. It's not as bad as you'd led me to believe. It has a good, driving, dirty rock sound. It's certainly unpolished, and the ending is pretty bad, but the arrangement and instrumentation are solid. Sorry you got stuck with Duo, though, I can tell you couldn't figure out a great way to make it fit. Wily Must Die: I don't like criticizing singing voices, because it feels very personal, but in this case I know you can sing better than this. Definitely an off day for your voice here, I can hear you straining in places and there are more than a few flat notes. I also feel that the Wily part gets repetitive, especially since I heard only a few seconds of Quick Man, and Proto Man is in the intro only. Obviously I have no complaints about production. For Everlasting Peace: Some odd timing issues here, and a few sour notes. I know as well as anyone how hard it is to get orchestral arrangements sounding good, so keep working on that--your soundscape definitely isn't sounding full enough, and the strings in particular sound artificially jerky in places. It's a good arrangement, though, other than the abrupt ending. Blam: I think it succeeds at what it's trying to do. I hear nothing objectively bad about it. But the sources are still tough. I can tell they're there now that I know what to listen for, but when you change the rhythm of the notes, switch from a major to a minor key, and focus on very small sections of the source, I'm not sure it qualifies as a remix anymore. Prototype #2: Epic lyrics. Use of Proto Man is pretty light, and in some of the rap sections it was hard to hear any source at all. The rap over the main Wily theme worked especially well, though. Synths were a little thin, could have used something more complex. UMADEON, BRO?: I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Really nice soundscape and mostly good instrumentation (not a fan of the lead from 0:52-1:17), good job of arranging the sources liberally but recognizably. Transition at 1:37 is pretty glaring, and it's a little chaotic overall, but that's about my only criticism. My Castle is Burning Down: Props for using Duo as a primary source, you're the first to make heavy use of it so far. Too bad it came at the expense of Flame Man. I like the energy and the bass. Amnesia: Does everything that Gario does well, but I have a nagging feeling you were struggling for inspiration a little with this one. Nothing I can really put my finger on. Third Wave Roboethics: Really meshes those three themes together, over, on top of, and through each other. Classic Lemon chips over some nice pads. Really good work here, although there are a couple of off harmonies. In Everlasting Pieces: Funny that you decided to go with this style, we got several chippy tunes in a row. But you held your own even in the wake of Gario and Hylian Lemon, I think. Nice use of all three themes, excellent solo at the end. A bit short, but what you have is really good.

I still can't find any jazz examples where I can actually hear the kick, but OK, modern stuff does use snares. My research consisted mainly of using Pandora's or Slacker's jazz channels, or feeding Pandora a couple of examples of fast jazz, and I couldn't hear snares (unless maybe brushed snares, which sound a lot like brushed cymbals) on anything. Funny things is that now I can't find anything that doesn't use them.... <sigh> Next time. Honestly if this was my biggest mistake with this track, I'm OK with that.