JJT

this isn't bad. i'd encourage you to keep remixing by ear, as that's what a lot of us (including myself) do. i think you've got what it takes to get a remix posted on this site someday, but this submission is too simple from an arrangement perspective. it sounds nice though. keep at it, and try to throw a lot more melodic, rhthymic, dynamic, and harmonic variety into your arrangement. best of luck. NO

first off, congratulations on having the second filthiest name of any artist i've run across to date. don't really feel like sharing the MOST filthy, as shit like that shouldn't be encouraged. moving on, the production is pretty weak and there's not enough arrangement going on for me to buy into it. that dry organ patch at the beginning is really weak. just a thought. not a terrible cover, but we're looking for a little bit more on both the production and arrangement end. NO

criticisms about the left hand are pretty well-founded. "plodding" is a fair desecription. From an arrangement perspective, this piece is way too repititious. A lot of the musical ideas and colours you incorporate are reasonably creative, it's just how you choose to present them that makes this remix lackluster. there's so much space and repetition (especially in the beginning) that it's hard to get people on board for the musical ride, so to speak. add to that some very iffy choices in regards to music theory (2:34 for instance). my advice would be to say a little more in less time. take the very best ideas, develop those, repeat them less, and in general, leave a lot less space. space is good sometimes, but not as a central motif, if you know what i mean. keep at it. NO

yeah, as sam elliot said in The Big Lebowski: "i like your style" Still, you need to make the arrangement your own. there were some cool beats. i'd advise taking the track on some harmonic or rhythmic detours at some point if you're gonna stick with this style. as it stands, its too close to the original (as has been stated before). NO

well, at least this is sound from a music theory/harmonic perspective. trust me, most jazz submissions we get fail completely, as opposed to this mix, which just fails from a production/performance standpoint. That/those drum loop is/are pretty weak, and when you drop the volume (when you move into the solo section), it sounds really unnatural. I mean, more so. The arrangement isn't anything spectacular, covering the theme and then moving into a solo section. Try to add some more personal touch to the melody. the piano comping is solid. The synth keyboard sax solo isn't all that bad, synthetic for sure, but it was reasonably melodic. The piano solo is just really bad. Sloppy and directionless, it sounds like an outake, and not in the avant-garde, thelonious monk kind of way either. If the "sax" solo is any indication (i assume the same artist was performing both solos) you can do A LOT better. KEY ISSUES TO ADDRESS: * drum loops = no. sequencing swing is really hard, but it's possible. either that, or take andy's advice and get a real drummer * sample quality needs to be improved (especially the sax) * your improvisation isn't at a level where it can carry an arrangement, keep working at it, but don't rely on it for that "personal touch" an arrangement may be lacking. * finally, don't get discouraged. this critique is pretty harsh, but it's cuz i care about this stuff so much. jazz is hard to do synthetically. remember that, and keep at it.

quoted for emphasis

Right, before that I was responding to your request that Vig "take his dress back." I also thought you were being facetious with that post, but whatever. I am sorry, but I have never interracted with you in any fashion. I assumed you were seriously telling me to get out. Vig has made such jokes at my expense, and it is part of a unmodian dynamic. And you have to admit, while he looks sharp in a dress, he looks sharper outside of it. I'll never pretend to understand unmodian dynamics, but I will accept the apology, and offer my own. Once Jesse gets some hips on his skinny ass, he'll look better than Bugs Bunny in drag.

Right, before that I was responding to your request that Vig "take his dress back." I also thought you were being facetious with that post, but whatever.

http://www.unmod.org EDIT: Ya know, I won't stoop to your level. I will remain on topic. The selection process could have been more transparent, yes. But I cannot say if it should have been. On one hand, it is not our website and the process is not ours to begin with, however, in a community where everyone can get involved, from simply suggesting songs, to reviewing WIPs and finished songs, it would have been nice to know how it worked. Sadly this would have led to the same conclusion: people would have questioned the choices. It cannot be helped, it's human nature. All autority will be questionned. I wish to say I hope this "mini-drama" will not tarnish these nominations. While I do not know all the specifics, I am sure both new judges deserved their titles. And finally, JJT, it is probably not the wisest course of action to recommend to members of the community another website. Not only is it unfriendly, it is unbecomming of a judge, a representative of the website, to behave in this fashion. Without a community, OCR would never have grown like this, and frankly, you should keep that in mind. Oh, were you being completely serious with the "14.56% of the community/being an idiot" statement? I thought you were being facetious and responded in kind. A person of your stature in the community deserves a lot more respect, and I apologize. And finally, I hate to say this, but the judge nominations HAVE been tarnished beyond repair, solely as a result of this thread. I honestly don't think they'll be able to do their jobs effectively now, and have recommended that they be removed ASAP.

Beautiful tirade. Really. Self-important, tangential...only remotely on-topic at all. Next time I care to know why GLL thinks he wouldnt be a good judge, I'll subscribe to his newsletter. You can stop PMSing now, they have a real female on the board. Guess you can also return that pink dress. http://www.unmod.org

The 11 candidates were nominated by members of the panel, and a percentage of those actually wanted to be considered for the spot. If we think a mixer or an active member in the community is suitable, we'll contact them, not the other way around. Draw whatever conclusions from this that you wish.

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Nice work, goat. yeah, i'm not really feeling the drum samples, and it sounds to me like the organ sample could have been tweaked to blend with the rhythm section a little better. a moot point though, the performance is killer. YES

no real arrangement of the source tune = NO

this was a tough call, but i'm gonna go with YES. The arrangement wasn't particularly daring, and this is definetly borderline. It's true that the synth design could be improved, but overall, i think this mix accomplishes what it sets out to do. BORDERLINE YES

this is a very nicely done, creative arrangement. i can tell a lot of work has gone into this one. as far as sound quality goes, this sounds like it could be the score on a mid to low budget fantasy movie from the 80s. So in essence, what we're dealing with is a well conceived idea executed with cheesy sounds. Orchestral sucks in this regard, because it's soooo hard to make it sound decent. The woodwinds are really hurting, especially the brass. This isn't gonna pass, but it's borderline for me. Since i want to see some more judges weigh in (and keeping consistent with my arrangebias) I'll make it a borderline YES. So, YES

thank you sooooo much for verbin' those drums. for what it sets out to do, this is a pretty good mix. not the most daring arrangement we've ever seen, but it's actually pretty soothing, and has enough going on to keep the listener interested. not much else to add. glad you incorporated some of my feedback YES

edit: no problem Malcos, we're here to keep eachother in check moving on,

the production is a tad abrasive. there were some good ideas in the piano intro, but the timber of the sample really grates on me. the drums kind of get under my skin after a minute or two. ultimately, though, these factors aren't enough to pull my vote to the dark side. good arrangement, and though it's approaching borderline territory for me, this gets a YES

I think it should be stated here if nowhere else that Graylightning was largely responsible for my appointment to the panel. That's not neccesarily a great thing in it of itself, though. There were seasons where he literally did the work of two or three judges, plus he was one of the few "nice" people in this community that I could talk to without getting a headache. His absence will be felt for a long time. Gray, you've left a large, discolored shadow on the panel, in our hearts, and on our wangs (where applicable). Miss you bro. -Jon

first off, i don't think this is bad at all. it's plenty creative, a good idea, and has passable performances on all ends (though the brass do get a little sloppy at times). my main issue is that there's really not any arrangement going on. references to the source material are just used for ornamentation. as a tribute to Zelda this is good. great even. as an OC ReMix though? NO

not perfect (i tend to agree with vig re: the harmonic structure), but definetly over the bar. there are some great moments here. the flute performance(s) carry this piece well. YES a lot of people are gonna enjoy this one.

quintessential beatdrop. i don't feel the need to write this up. YES

*nods* yeah, this'll do nicely. good arranging. though it's a tad on the conservative side, there's enough personal touches and flourishes to render it as your own. the drums samples are really cheesy. you could find a much better set for free on the net without too much effort. other than that, my rawk fist is raised in tribute to your guitar kwakery/prowess. good day. YES

holy crap, you actually had me unconciously tapping my foot about a minute into this. very creative, very unique. you should be proud of this. YES