Daniel Caton

Of the remixes I've listened to thus far, this is one of my favorites from ye olden days. The recording's clean, it's very laid back, and it's a pleasure to listen to. I'd have liked a bit more variation, but then, a bit of repetition does help with its floatiness and the general relaxed feeling. The fret noises add character, methinks, but I don't think that it'll work that way for every mix. And the "now I lay me down to sleep" sample at the end could have been a bit louder, I suppose. But hey, I'm just picking out faults at this point. Even after these 14 years, this remix is still worth listening to.

Oh man, I love the Sonic Augmentation album. I find this particular track to be soothing, actually. It can have a haunting or hopeless quality, but I think some of that depends on how you approach and interpret the song. It has some grim feelings to it, but there's also a pattern to it, a sense of control and stability. The electric piano was an excellent choice, and the pads and guitar really have a lot to add. Yep, this track is absolutely beautiful. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

I’ve never actually heard of psytrance, but then again, a good friend of mine describes me as a “deprived child” when it comes to a lot of music. Plus I’ve never really studied up on the seemingly endless variations of electronic music. It’s interesting, though, and regardless of the genre, you’ve done well with this remix. The zingy synths weave in and around the percussion with precision and flair, and it's an enjoyable remix to listen to. Excellent stuff!

Ooh, fancy! I really like the style of this one. As was previously mentioned, the panning’s a bit off for some of the instruments, and I think the piano’s a touch on the quiet side during its solo. Aside from that, though, it’s very well done. The samples are, as Chimpazilla pointed out, used quite well. There weren’t really any parts that stood out to me as being particularly unrealistic, so that’s always a plus. I find orchestral samples can be a pain to work with sometimes, but you succeeded admirably. Keep on writing, sir, and I think you’ll do fine.

I’m a pianist myself, so I should think that I’m at least a little qualified to review this one. My opinion? It’s amazing! It flows very nicely, there’s plenty of variation in terms of volume and rhythm, and the arrangement itself is excellent. The sources weave in and out smoothly and gracefully, and I didn’t notice any jarring switches between them. Very lovely!

Thus far I’ve kind of missed out on all the Undertale hype. With all these rave reviews, though, I suppose I ought to at least look into it. As for the mix, this is awesome! The synths flow, the drums have plenty of variation, and the guitars help raise the energy. I was wondering for a minute if the drums might should be a bit louder, but then I decided it was fine. If they were, they’d run the risk of overpowering the rest of the mix. So no complaints on that front, although please don't make them any quieter. Good stuff, you guys!

This one’s nice! Interesting use of them sampled orchestral hits. I haven’t actually heard those used too much, but maybe I’m just not observant enough. I agree with djp’s original assessment that the snare could use some work, but I think that kind of depends on which part of the song you’re listening to. At, say, around 0:39 it could have been stronger, but I think at about 2:21 it works fine. So who knows? At any rate, I think this one's definitely worth a listen.

Huh. This remix is interesting. Despite it being an older track, I don’t have too many technical or production issues. It does get a bit repetetive, I’m afraid. I’d have liked to hear some variation somewhere - if not in the melody, then perhaps in the chord structure or something. I’m hearing a bit of dissonance at various points, which is interesting. You see, I’d actually have used more consonance and harmony, but that’s one of the things that intrigues me. I like artistic differences. To sum things up, this is a pretty good track, but I believe it suffers from a few issues. Even so, it’s a solid effort that makes some interesting choices. I approve.

I just recently played this game for the first time. On a black-and-white TV, actually, but hey! Full retro! If I recall correctly, I sent myself flying off the stage twice in a row as Little Mac. Good times. I agree with the assessment that the Brawl theme sits in the background pretty well, although I never really noticed that before. Cool. The track as a whole is a bit more relaxed and loose than I’d expect for an album compiled for a fighting game tournament, but hey, good fights can use thought and patience as well as them ridiculously fast combos. I approve of the synth choices, and the pads help hold things together. Nice work!

Alright, this is an older one. I was just a young’un at the time this was written. My verdict is… it still holds up today! There are a bunch of production issues here, but I suppose I shouldn’t complain too much, if only because it’s just SO FUN. I can imagine prozax rocking this song with wild abandon. Besides, it gets me smiling and tapping my toes. Can I really ask for anything more?

How did I ever miss this? It’s awesome! It is a bit long, sure, but it stays interesting throughout so there’s really no need to complain. The writing has a ton of variation, but still manages to stay cohesive, so I don't see a problem there. Ludiotic’s voiceover works wonders for setting the mood. I didn’t expect it to return at the end, but it brought a smile to my face. Production was pretty solid, the guitars were rocking, and I really can't say that I have any complaints. I don’t often listen to this sort of music, but hey, if this song’s anything to go by, I might have to start. You nailed this one!

Ah, halc. I always enjoy hearing your remixes. It’s chippy, “pensive,” as Fishy says, but still a bit lighthearted. The melody is fairly simple, relatively speaking, so you did a good job adding some more complex stuff in the background. I approve!

Good work, Eino! This one’s just plain fun to listen to. The instruments are bouncing throughout the song. I especially liked what you did with the drums. They’re crunchy, eclectic, and really enjoyable. The song’s also, as Ivan and Lord Pretzel have said, the perfect opening track for the EP, and I can’t imagine the set without it.

This is weird. I love this one, don’t get me wrong, but so many parts of it just don’t make sense to me. And yet… it still works somehow. That’s the beauty of this mix, I think. Oh, the production and instrument choices are both fine, but the writing is what makes this one special. The tempo’s not standard, the instruments aren't always on beat, there are odd delays and stylistic choices… I’m kind of at a loss for words on this one, but it’s absolutely worth a listen, even if electronic music isn’t normally your thing.

That side-chained guitar works better than I might have thought. Interesting. The tracks on the Apex albums have all been solid thus far, and this one’s no exception. I agree that it’s aggressive, but I think it also has some relaxed moments as well. There’s not really an extreme change between the two, but I’d say it just provides some nice balance. Yeah, this is definitely a great mix!

You’ve made some interesting creative choices for this one, and I wholeheartedly approve. Looking at it in the context of the Eevee EP, the buzzy synths and electric guitars are, of course, a way of representing the fact that Jolteon's the electric type. However, I’m glad that the electric guitars are limited in their usage (sorry, Source X!), if only because it provides contrast with Brandon Strader’s Flareon track, Ember, from the same EP. In your defense, Source X, when the electric guitars come in they work very well. In conclusion, I like this one a lot. Magnificent work!

Dang, I love these synths! Retro synths have certainly been done before, but they have so much character and I love the way they’ve been used here. I’ll admit, I was worried at first that the soundscape wouldn’t be fleshed out enough. I needn’t have been, though, because the stringsy sounding thing at about 0:54 solves that problem pretty well. However, I’m not really thrilled with the fade out ending. It’s not… bad, necessarily, but I feel as though more could have been done with it. Still, I definitely enjoy this one.

This is such a trippy song. Nice, though. I really don’t think the lead is meandering, even at its craziest points. It’s just a bit off-kilter. Or maybe I’m just off-kilter. There’s dissonance and a lot of tension to be found here, both rhythmic and melodic, but it all adds up to one insane track. I find it pretty difficult to properly apply this near-constant dissonance and tension, but you made it work. Somehow. Excellent work!

Bridges about bridges. What have you DONE? Anyhow, this is yet another epic collaboration between Jill and zircon. I don’t think there’s much more that needs to be said, but golly, I’m gonna give it a shot. Jill’s vocals are a joy to listen to, and zircon’s electronic soundscapes are constantly swirling around and forming a powerful backdrop. The intro, oddly enough, reminds me of Owl City’s Fireflies. Anyone else, or am I just nuts? Regardless, I wanna see that collaboration, guys. Get on it. The layered vocals and constant arps work together really well. I might have liked a bit more on the bassy side, but that's just a personal choice and it's more than fine without it. I officially approve of this here remix, so shoo and make with the listening.

I love this one so much! Jeff’s violin is perfect and adds a lot to the mix, BGC’s writing is very solid, and the ludicrous solos and killer drums are the icing on this most glorious cake. And the sound effects! My goodness. Don't use them every time, guys, but it works here. The brief Lost Woods portion was an interesting avenue to explore, but I’m glad it didn’t go too much longer. It was definitely a good idea, but I think it hinted at a bit of something else. Another style? Another song? I can’t really say. While that particular portion could have been explored further, I think it works better as-is. All in all, it’s a fantastic remix!

This is probably THE remix that got me on OCR. The builds are perfect, the choirs are fancy and very Metroid-y, and the guitars are just kickin’. The outro is much the same as the intro, which won’t work well for every song but I think it helps here. The small differences (e.g. lighter percussion, more choirs) help avoid repetitiveness, I suppose. I honestly can’t think of a single thing I’d change. But then, BGC is a pro.

Ooh, very nice! The combination and feel you have going here is absolutely spot on! The percussion was well done, the wubs were sufficiently wubby, and the orchestral writing was definitely realistic enough. I mean, I’d have liked a bit more realism and perhaps something a bit fancier for the cello, but I’m more than happy to have this in my music library. And hey, the cello thing might just be personal preference. I like cellos. Sue me. I’ll admit, at first listen I wasn’t entirely sure how well the intro worked, but on a second and third run through, I can’t really imagine the song without it. Most impressive!

This song has an eerie, haunting quality and I really like it. zircon’s writing is solid but unobtrusive and Jill’s vocals are, as always, stellar. The bells and the glockenspiel-ish thing provide a nice contrast with the deep backing synths and choirs. Also, I particularly like that percussion style. It actually reminds me of the Metroid Prime soundtrack, but it’s a bit less prominent. Which is a good thing in this case, I think. If it stood out any more it might overpower Jill’s vocals. Excellent work!

There’s an interesting combo here of dubstep, crunchy guitars and slap bass and I think you absolutely nailed it. As others have mentioned, the guitars might be a bit hollow. However, that doesn’t actually bother me. It works well enough with the style you have, so I can't really bring myself to care about it much. I especially like the part from about 2:00 to 2:54 where each instrument gets its own time to shine. While that’s certainly a technique that’s been done before, I really think you pulled it off well. Good job!

I suppose I ought to start my reviewing career sometime. Prepare your dog costume, sir. And to address your fourth demand request, that typography is... er, most typographic.