MindWanderer

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.

Jazz music doesn't nornally use kicks and snares, but yeah, I know the cymbals needed more variety and better quality. Didn't realize the congas were too quiet, though, thanks for that feedback.Re: keys: For those of you using REAPER, which I know is a lot of newbies, it has a built-in scale finder. Very handy if you don't have much musical training, especially if you're working with MIDIs. So, for instance, if the scale finder tells me that Toad Man is in G# and Zero is in B, I can just highlight all the notes in Zero, put my cursor over a B note, and drag it up or down to a G#, and all the notes move with it. It isn't a good substitute for actually knowing what keys are, but it gets the job done.

Nope, that's the famous Tenor Saxophone soundfont (and its alto counterpart as backup). I'm pleased I was able to credibly imitate an expensive library with a free soundfont.Good drum sequences take a lot of time for me, and while I did as much humanization as I could (and more than I usually manage), that's time-consuming too. Can you be more specific about the soundscape? I realized late in that the organ was a bit weak in the low end, but I tried to compensate for that, and I thought the upright bass was fine in that respect.

Oddly, the idea I'm playing around with could almost be classified as aggressive klezmer-step. Because this is me:

Yeah, my bad, the MGS3 main theme is on the MGS4 Anniversary soundtrack, which is what's on my playlist. I mentally think of the vocal "Snake Eater" piece as the main theme, even though it's not. Stupid tree frog. I thought that might have been the intent with the intro, it's just super subtle and ambient. It's even more subtle in the chords there, which are already quiet.

The lead in 0:40 to 0:53. I don't know what instrument that is, but it's percussive of some sort.

Review time! Not Finished: Obviously not finished, but regardless, please watch those keys! Nitro and Zero aren't in the same one. I'm still training my ear for this stuff, but it sounds like they're just one semitone off from each other. There are some nice ideas for intermixing the two themes here, though. Sins of Our Fathers: I was hoping you'd repeat your round 3 style, now that I don't have to feel upstaged about it! Yeah, this screams MGS. Maybe a little bit too much so--not just the style but in some places the exact same transitions are used as in the main themes of MGS3. Sounds just a tad less polished than your last entry--a little more mechanical, a little weaker sound quality, one or two off-key chords, ending cuts out slightly abruptly. But these are minor nitpicks on an overall amazing piece. I do have one major concern: I can't pick out Concrete Man. The three Zero themes are plain, but I've listened to this piece about 10 times now, and Concrete Man several times to refresh my memory as to how it goes, and I can't find it. Breathless: Country music and nasal congestion is a bad combination. As you say, it's a little fuzzy and hard to pick out the lyrics. Compression would help, but enunciation could be better, too. Otherwise, it's a simple and elegant piece. Simple verse-chorus-bridge lyrical structure lends itself perfectly to this kind of compo. My Choice: Not much to say about this one. Strader does what Strader does, no surprises here. I think your voice is actually better suited for the more growly sort of thing you did last time. Certainly no complaints about production or source usage, but the arrangement is a little vanilla. Crystal Cipher: I absolutely love the justaposition of the high-reverb wood blocks and digi-tribal drums with the synth bass. Incredibly effective. You've come a long way since the simple synths in Serpent's Spiral, which I already loved for its arrangement, but your instrumental use is even more effective now. Anyway, this piece: Use of Stone Man is very light, or else overly interpreted. All I hear clearly is the opening. I do hear Metal Man very clearly, although briefly. Otherwise, I really love the arrangement, production, everything about it. This one is going into my long-term collection, no question. Dread Zero March: Well, no one knows better than I do that orchestral is a tricky and time-consuming style to accomplish as a newbie remixer. I'm also not sold on that Dive Man percussion thing. Better luck next time. Bubble Man Chip Chip Churray: What's a churray? A 15-minute mix is pretty ballsy; if it's not utterly stunning, or changes completely a couple of times (in which case it still shouldn't be one song), the listener is going to get pretty fatigued. I characterized this as meandering before the 4-minute mark. The dischordant notes and distracting panning don't help. Then in the end it just gets weird: 11:24 starts a section that sounds like a carnival, then at 11:48, a sitar? Too many ideas. Focus on one and make it kick ass. If you'd spent the time it took to arrange the 11 minutes you didn't need, you could have improved the production quality of the 4 you did, and it might have been pretty good. Dividing by Zero: Sour notes, abrupt transitions. A-B-A arrangement with no interaction between the sources. Vanilla synths, not much in the way of arrangement. A few inspired moments, mostly at the beginning and end, but otherwise there's not much here of interest. Transducer: Classic SuperiorX. Not a terribly exciting mix, despite some vertical layering. Does everything it's supposed to do--good production quality, good source integration, it just isn't much fun. BGUNF: Synth hammered dulcimer and synth strings. Interesting; they're just real enough to be identifiable, but fake enough so that they don't sound like they're supposed to be real. A fun take on Zero-X3. Then the solo bass trying to singlehandledly, clumsily, tack Skull Man on to the end. Oh well. You're Not My Real Dad: Nice, seamless transition between the two sources. Arrangement right in that sweet spot between copying the source directly and substantially rewriting it. Does everything it sets out to do. I'm getting a little fatigued with atmospheric pads in this compo, but that isn't the fault of any one person. Wily Wars... The Punishment Due: MMX and electric guitar, the classic combination, and Solar Man is thrashtastic icing on top. This is an unusual combination of sounds, though: You have a beautiful, crisp voice (despite illness and vocoding) that doesn't mesh with those dirty guitars very well. Could we get the lyrics? The X1/X3 mashup is a little messy, especially in the ending, it gets a bit chaotic there. Otherwise this is an epic arrangement.