XPRTNovice

So, my person...I ordered you stuff from Amazon, and it just shipped with a deliver range of anywhere between next week and JANUARY 16TH. I said WTF and ordered you something from eStarLand. So you'll be getting 3 deliveries, or something, over the next years.

Hi there. - I like the piano intro; nice samples and tastefully verbed. I could use a bit more of that oboe there. Nice swell. - I agree that this is more of a piano arrangement with backing orchestral arrangements, but that's just semantics - The piano "left hand" sounds a bit hammered - as in over-quantized and same velocity. You might want to take some time to humanize it a bit. - I feel like some bells would be nice in here, like music box bells or glock, but that's me projecting how I'd do things onto you. - Overall I think it needs more low end support from some double basses, particularly when the whole thing gets big Otherwise this is nice!

That's an awesome story, man, thanks for sharing. And happy b-day. You may do one less military press as a present. OR ONE MORE.

If Mario can beat enemies by jumping on their heads, so can I.

Definitely not. I have business cards galore from writing and other conventions from people that can't POSSIBLY be selling me something, since they don't sell anything. It's an easy way to share contact info; way easier than saying "hey, write this down. oh, where's a pen. oh where's a piece of paper. Oh whatever, just search for this not-often-used term that you won't remember." And if someone is already asking you about the T-shirt you're wearing or the subject you've already talking about, it's perfectly acceptable to pass them a card.

!!!! Yes!!

That generic one is cool, but a two sided one that had the remixer's name on the back gives a bit more of a professional air of importance. If on the back it had the OCR color scheme and logo and it said "Liontamer" and underneath "Larry Oji: Judge, Wine Enthusiast, and Seriously a Lion Tamer" or something like that with links to both OCR pages and his personal music pages would be reaaally slick. They could become collectibles! "OMG I HAVE DJP'S CARD" and people could play triple triad with them and shit

Only good for running away.

I feel like at MagFest, everyone on this thread should get together and fight.

There have been lots of times where someone has looked at my OCR shirt and been like "Hey, what's that?" Or someone has come to my house, seen my studio and been like "What do you use this for?" or any number of questions about my life that lead back to OCR being a core pillar of my leisure activities and hobby life. I typically tell them the address of the website and explain it, but I thought it would be an interesting idea to have business cards drawn up. Nobody remembers to go home and check OCremix.org after meeting me randomly in the play area of a mall (this happened last week) but if they found a card in their wallet later on, maybe they would. My thought is to have one central design template that can be modified by remixers or customized for people that are fans and don't remix (and probably ordered at the remixer's expense, since I understand there's a cost associated with this). A dual-sided business card where one side has the website information and a brief description and the other side with the remixer's name and maybe a track or two or what he/she is known for (and maybe a link to their personal page) might be a great thing to just hand to someone and say "Check it out - it's all free and you're going to love it." The ultimate cost would be almost nothing, as sites often have $10 deals for more business cards than you'd ever use. We'd just need someone to design it and then the OCR staff to approve it. I think this would be a great (and professional-looking) way to spread the love.

Contracts are a lot more arbitrary than people think. All you really need is a set of terms and two signatures, between you and the other party, and it becomes a legally binding document. In my few experiences, I've had one instance where a contract was given to me by the company. It was their standard procedure for hiring "independent contractors" so they gave me the contract and the statement of work. That was the most formalized. In another instance, I wrote up the contract and won't be making any music for the guy until he signs it. It clarifies terms of compensation, when he's supposed to report on royalties to me and deliver my cut, and how I'm allowed to treat the soundtrack as my property in perpetuity but will give him a cut of album sales since it uses his game's IP. They can be as complicated or as not-complicated as you want them to be, but it's ALWAYS a good idea to make sure you are protecting your IP and you're getting paid. In an instance where I operated without being under contract, I simply didn't release the soundtrack until I have money in hand. I do the same thing with my voiceover work. If it's a repeat client, I'm much more flexible as there's a trusting relationship there, but first-time clients always pay upfront if they won't do a contract that I can hold them to later.

Shipped mine out! You'll be getting yours in two packages since the stuff I wanted to get you came from two different places and they may not have my gift message in them. But if you randomly get two packages, you know why! I also might not be done getting you things...

Awesome, thanks guys!

Hi guys. I sprung on a Groupon deal that gave me a 3DS (not XL) for $109 and came with Paper Mario. Hopefully I don't regret not getting the bigger screen. For a guy that isn't familiar with DS/3DS content at all, what's my "Must Play" list? I'm a fan of Zelda and JRPGs in general and tend to dislike games that don't have a point (Tetris, angry birds, etc) or plot (Final Fantasy XIII). Even aside from suggesting games for me personally, what's YOUR 3DS must play list?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CHZG1FE/ref=gb1h_tit_c-3_7982_7c79a686?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=09MGRKHDA030YPP6VWKZ&pf_rd_i=5550342011&pf_rd_p=1673797982 FL Studio 11 $60.

One last caveat - IMHO don't buy a used upright piano that is more than 20 years old, and have a technician check it out first. Older pianos are going to be the same as a digital piano in cost, it's outrageously bulky and annoying (you can't stick headphones into it) and antique pianos, unlike some other instruments, do not play well. The key action will degenerate as well as the soundboard, and you'll end up conditioning his hands to play on something like a cheap keyboard anyway -- except THIS piano requires semiannual servicing and constantly goes out of tune, buzzes, etc. That's why, believe it or not, you'll actually see a lot of "FREE PIANO!" ads on craigslist. If you're not willing to shell out a couple grand, stay away from used pianos.

I've seen it on gamestop online at $40 now used..I think the days of the $150 xenoblade are over (I'm not accusing you of overcharging, just musing)

I don't know about this one specifically, but Yamahas are usually a good bet. I feel like you could find one cheaper though. I liked the nocturne because it had ZERO bells and whistles. It just played piano. You could probably find one of those used on ebay.

My opinion: make sure it has weighted keys and a pedal. I use the Yamaha Arius, which is about $600 and might be more than you want to spend for just a test to see if your son wants to play it. But if you think he'll be serious about it, don't get him a casio with spring action keys; his hands will not develop proper technique if he's playing on that junk. Weighted keys are extremely important. Feel free to post links to the ones you're considering here for group evaluation This is mostly useless since the product is discontinued, but this is one I always liked and was relatively cheap http://www.zzounds.com/item--YAMN100

Guys, had a bit of a family emergency for a while, so sorry to my recipient but I'll be sending something soon. For me, I did just buy a 3DS and have no idea what to play on it, but games are expensive (and I always buy used). Nerd swag is good - I'm a FF/Zelda/Mario/Xenogears fan and not so much a pokemon/angrybirds/etc fan. So is OCR swag though I already have a sweatshirt. Ummm... I'm an ass to shop for, sorry. My wife hates it and I don't see how any of you would like it either. My T-Shirt size is typically medium. Ummm...Playstation Store monies? ... Ummm... I'm struggling here, guys.

I'm looking for a good 49+key midi controller (preferably 88 key) if anyone spots a sweet deal... If anyone else is looking for something specific feel free to post and I'll shout if I see it in my journeys.

That's so long it's OVERCLOCKED.

I've only ever gotten 3 VGM jobs, all of which were competed for and won via the OCR forums, only two of which have come through with payment, and only one of which has actually been released. The other paying music composition jobs I've gotten were in conjunction with voiceover jobs, where I offered a bundle deal to a commercial client. Any other ways I've attempted to gain VGM jobs have yielded nothing. In short, I am of no help at all.

So Darker than Black WAS on Hulu, thank you very much. I'm about 12 episodes in. I kind of have the same problem as I did with Cowboy Bebop in that it's too episodic. Before you jump up my ass for criticizing EPISODES for being EPISODIC, I'll say that I love anime that has broader story arcs that eventually play way more of a part than the individual episodes. This series seems to focus on 2-episode arcs and then ignore the results. I know better than to judge an anime before I've completed it, so I'll finish it, but that's my feelings midway. It's cool, and I won't consider it wasted time even if it continues in this way. I have a feeling it'll pan out - there are far too many unanswered questions for them to continue ignoring them and focusing on seemingly unrelated shorter stories. Strangely, I also have been watching this subbed. I typically like dubbed, because the Japanese version of acting, in my opinion, is just too intense and over the top (a la Attack on Titan where everyone screamed everything). But the American voice actors on this one just weren't convincing to me. I like that Hulu gave me the option to try both.