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Hey friends, Thanks for all the feedback! I 100% agree that the use of samples is subpar, so it's actually quite nice that some of you seemed to enjoy it anyway. This was some of my very first work with samples, so it was just a way of "learning the ropes." I've since done some much nicer stuff with samples and even got to write one arrangement for Video Games Live. Thanks again for taking the time to give your thoughts!

Wow, Glasfen, thank you so much... those are some really interesting ideas. I'm struck most by the thought of incorporating voices. It had crossed my mind briefly at one point but then I forgot. When I dive back into this next I think I'll dabble with that idea. I'll address the other issues as well. I agree with just about everything you said. Thanks again!

Hi ShadowRaz, The strings you hear at the beginning are Soaring Strings from Musical Sampling. It's s very recent library and it's not very expensive. I highly recommend them. And thanks for the suggestions! I'll check those out.

Hey Eladar! That's really excellent feedback. Thanks! I'll think about alternatives to the claps. I'm trying to capture a bit of disco flavor that Earthbound seems to have, but I agree it's maybe a bit too central to the beat. As for the trumpets, I'm still trying to find a patch that sounds the way I want. I want a big band, punchy "hits" kind of sound, so I thought Session Horns from Native Instruments would be appropriate, but it's definitely sounding super fake. Cinebrass didn't work well either, but I have some other ideas I can try. Thanks again! That's exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for.

Thanks, k-wix!

Hey folks, I was feeling in an Earthboundy mood yesterday and started up this fun little orchestral medley of Mother music. What do you think? PS, don't judge the drums too hard yet. I've barely worked on them.

First completed draft! Still not crazy about the ending, but at least this goes from point A to point B. What do you think?

I 100% understand. That's a dilemma I'm trying to sort out... The approach I'm taking is trying to split the difference by having some instruments sustain their big "climax" notes and some drop immediately into the faster rhythms. Do you have any suggestions beyond that? And Janfeae, once again, you are tremendously encouraging! Knowing that people are as interested as you are in hearing the rest makes me want to finish it that much more. I'll keep plowing ahead.

I've finally gotten back to working on this over a year later and I'd love some feedback. After the initial warm, nostalgic Ghibli-ish section, I'm venturing into some of the more adventurous, up-tempo sort of Ghibli sound. Right now it's a mere skeleton of what I have planned, but I want feedback before going too far with it. The idea is that the melody of Zelda's Lullaby will weave in and out over the busy, nimble textures, then eventually it will return to a feel more like the beginning (I've included a little taste at the end, even though the transition isn't there yet. Still super rough, but I'd love thoughts anyway. Thanks!

Hahah, it's definitely not in the game, though there are tracks I'm pulling ideas pretty directly from. The choral library is Strezov Storm Choir 2. I've been tremendously happy with the legatos in particular. I got the library during a Black Friday sale online for about half the usual price, so keep an eye out for that in November, maybe!

Hah, thanks for linking to the video. That slipped my mind.

I had the joy of scoring a short recently for SoKrispyMedia where I got to imitate the sound of Smash Bros. I think I captured the tone pretty well. I'd love feedback! https://soundcloud.com/trevorgomesmusic/first-person-super-smash-bros

Ah, yes, I would agree that one sticks out a bit. I'll tone it down some.

Janfeae, that's maybe the best possible compliment I could've received for this. Thank you so much! I definitely will finish it, though it may be a while- the next couple months are going to be pretty busy. Bowlerhat, thanks for the feedback. I believe you're referring to the oboe, though I'm not sure which D you mean... if you mean the high D at 1:08, I definitely do want that one to stand out a bit, and if you mean the end of the phrase at 1:13, it doesn't sound like it stands out to my ear. As for the piano, I generally try to leave the velocities alone after playing it in to maintain realism, since if I were performing it on a real piano it wouldn't all be perfectly even. I'll double-check to make sure everything is smooth enough, though.

Perfect, I'll try that. I've mostly been using the outrigger and close mics. Thanks again!

Wow, this is all fantastic feedback! Thanks for the specifics, Neifion. I'm mostly combining Spitfire Mural and Hollywood Strings Gold, so I only currently have the mic positions for the Spitfire. I'll try out everything you suggested as soon as I get back to work on it. One question- when you suggest using a touch more hall reverb for a bit of "lingering," do you mean I should have a touch more hall reverb throughout the whole track or that I should automate it up in just that spot? I do in fact have nearly all the tracks running through a hall reverb, so maybe I'll just bump it up a notch.

Thanks so much, Emunator! That means a lot to me. Glad you enjoyed it.

Hey OCR folks, I started putting this together last week. The basic idea is taking Zelda's Lullaby and reimagining it as if it were in a Studio Ghibli film. In terms of basic content, it's only about half done- I'm going to do some fun stuff with it from where this version ends. https://soundcloud.com/trevorgomesmusic/zeldas-lullaby-14152/s-MSx5w I won't be able to work on it again for a while, but I'd love to get feedback so I can start thinking about what to do with it. I'm particularly interested in mixing suggestions, since that's my biggest weakness (though I haven't really done much yet on this track). Thanks, everyone! -Trevor

Wow, these replies have totally made my day! Chimpazilla, I actually did submit it a couple weeks ago, but I realized there was a chance that it might not fit the bill of what you want for OCR. I know you're one of the judges, so just scratch mine from the pile whenever you get it, if you don't mind. As for the "human" aspect of things, I totally know what you mean- I just got into the wonderful world of samples about a year ago, and even since making this medley I've made leaps and bounds in the humanization department. I've also just been working on a laptop, so my capabilities have been hampered (I have very big plans for the near future in the computer department, though ). Mix-wise, I know about all those things, I'm just not very good at them yet... I have friends that are much better mixers than me, so for professional things (film scores, etc.) I have them do it. As for my goals, I just want to find outlets for arranging video game tunes for orchestra, live or not! Any way that it can be enjoyed by fellow VGM fans is fine with me. I'm also a very strong pianist, so if there are ever ways I can help out in that respect, I'm all for it. Thanks again for the kind words. It's very encouraging!

Thanks for the tips, Chimpazilla! I love The Giant, as well. I don't think it would be my first choice for more expressive or romantic sounds, but I can't wait to try it out in a beefier orchestral context.

You're brilliant. And I'm a doofus. Behold! https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/4gy6ygyskh17z52/Chrono%20Trigger%20Test.mp3?dl=0

Hmmm... I just tried that and it gave me a 404.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I actually have Alicia's Keys; that's a nice sound for pop stuff, so I'll have to dive in a bit more with it... Here's an example of the results I've gotten from messing around with 8dio's 1969 Steinway a bit. I just took a pass at "Yearnings of the Wind" from Chrono Trigger: https://www.dropbox.com/s/4gy6ygyskh17z52/Chrono%20Trigger%20Test.mp3?dl=0 This is without any additional plugins, just the built-in parameters of the instrument. I'm generally loving the sound, but there's a sort of intimacy I'm still not quite getting. Upping the keyboard mic definitely helped by giving it that "thunk," but something is still missing. Also, in praise of the instrument, I should say that it's VERY playable. I only had to tweak the velocity of a handful of notes after the fact; almost all of it is exactly as played. Neblix, do you have any thoughts about getting a better sound out of it? P.S., another question for Neblix... when I post audio to DropBox and link it, the link takes me to a download page, but your audio you posted played in the browser (which seems preferable). Any idea what accounts for the difference?

Hey OCR, This is my first time posting any work on OCR, but I've been arranging video game music for most of my life. This is a full orchestral arrangement of music from a few of the Zelda games that I made as a demo for the folks that run Video Games Live, since my primary passion is writing for live musicians. I made it in Logic X using primarily VSL and EastWest samples, though I've expanded considerably since then: https://soundcloud.com/trevorgomesmusic/zelda-medley-2014/s-UXvvu I based a lot of the ideas in it on a marching band field show I wrote when I was 14, which was (thankfully) never performed. Anyway, I'd love to get some feedback, particularly regarding the mix. I'm confident in my arranging chops (though there are some things I'd change, in retrospect), but I'm definitely not where I'd like to be yet with mixing. Also, if any of you enjoy my work and would like to collaborate some time, please let me know! Though I'm new to the community, I'm very passionate about video game music. I look forward to interacting with you fine folks! -Trevor P.S., If I've done anything wrong with the posting protocol, please let me know. I plead ignorance!