paradiddlesjosh   Judges ⚖️

"Krook's March" in a major key? Sign me up! Piggybacking off of Hemo for a second, this arrangement is indeed super fun. I'm personally not bothered by the vocal delivery on this track. While I can certainly point out some phrases that stick out oddly as a native English speaker (e.g. "Promised to not leave you there" is usually said by native English speakers as "promised not to leave you there" because it doesn't split the infinitive and for this song, flipping the positions of "to" and "not" improves the prosody), I'm happy to have lyrics and vocals in the one language I can read, write, and kinda sorta speak well. 😄 It seems like we're all in agreement here that the mixdown is far from ideal. The vocals compete for clarity at 0:45-1:01, the chorus at 1:36-1:52, again at 2:14-2:22, and leading into the second chorus starting from "For myself..." at 2:45-3:05. The biggest contributors to the clarity bottleneck are the cymbals (especially those open hi-hats) at 0:45-1:01 and 2:14-2:22 and the synth lead in the left channel in the choruses (1:36-1:52 and 2:45-3:05), with the lead guitar doubling the melody on the last one from 2:45-2:48 also obscuring the vocal line. I think these non-vocal elements can come down 1.5-2dB to make space for the vocals without negatively impacting the rest of the mix. The same can be said for the tick-tock clock. With that being said, I'm siding with the Ys. While there is definitely potential for a cleaner mixdown, this is above our bar. YES

Howdy, Worlder! I didn't have a chance to get to this one the first time 'round, so let's have a few listens. Oof, proph and Emu weren't kidding about the extra low-frequency content -- specifically in the side channels (content happening in the left or right channel that is different from the content in the opposite channel). While most producers aren't pressing their works to vinyl records these days, keeping the low-end stuff (bass, kick drum) as mono as possible can help maintain mix headroom and give those elements a strong presence -- especially on systems with subwoofers. Now, I could be wrong about this: it sounds to me like the low-freq side channel content is mostly reverb and the bottom end of the chippy arp from the intro (maybe some of the rhythm guitars too, but it's a much lesser extent). If it's reverb, a high-pass filter will clean this right up (and don't be afraid to take the filter up to 400-500 Hz; reverb is great for giving a sense of space in a track but it muddies a mix up really fast), and the same can work with your rhythm guitars to a lesser extent (80-120Hz). If there's some other instrument generating low-end content (like that chippy arp synth in the intro), that should get high-passed to just below the fundamental frequency of the lowest notes it plays; this'll give your kick and bass the space they need. Separately, I'm with proph that the drums in particular are lacking punch. Some of this is the "internal mix" of the drumkit -- hi-hats and crash cymbals are louder than the kick and snare (e.g. the bomb blast pattern from 0:58-1:12ish, the half-time breakdowns at 1:15-1:27) due to either velocity or volume balance, maybe both -- some of it is sample selection, and some of it is a lack of compression and saturation. The extra club kick layer at 3:10 helps that segment compared to the first half-time breakdown at 1:15, but the snare is still anemic. It's unfortunate that we're being so hard on the production elements of your track, because the arrangement is well above the bar. The writing has good energy management and interesting twists on the source material -- the build at 0:58-1:14 and the evolution of that bassline from 2:38-4:00 are some highlights for me. And although I agree with proph that the guitar intonation issues detract from the experience at 1:58-2:35, the part itself provides a refreshing break from the frenetic passages that come before and afterward. This one's still not quite there yet, Worlder; please keep cooking on this one! You're closer than you think. NO (resubmit)

I'm siding with the other Js on this one, tibonev: the timing is too loose on this track to ignore, particularly in the arpeggios from 1:27 into the guitar solo at 1:39 and the quick shaker hits at around 2:13. I'm on board with your arrangement of the source material and there are some segments like your solo and the octave arpeggio runs (2:26-end) that are well executed; this one could be a slam dunk with the timing adjustments or re-takes in place. NO (resubmit)

Howdy, Jonathon! I'm gonna give a quick so-sign with proph and LT: you've got a good production here; it's just not what OCR's looking for. This'll definitely have a fanbase among VGM enthusiasts on YouTube and likely Twitch as well! NO

Adding a quick so-sign with my fellow Js. One thing I'll point out as what I see as a detriment to this track: as well-established as the synthwave vibe is, there's a noticeable amount of repetition in each segment. Let's take the double-time at 1:26-2:05 for example: outside of a very subtle filter shift on the lead instrument, this whole segment sounds to me like four repeats of a four-bar phrase. Without fills or variations, these phrases grow stale quickly. And considering the melody line is carrying over from the build of the previous section, it's already worn out its welcome before the section is over. When LT is talking about the relative lack of complexity and sophistication, this is a big part of it. And I agree wholeheartedly with proph: the lack of a definitive ending is a big dealbreaker. There's a strong start here, Noga Project; this track needs focus on the fine details and trim before it's ready for the front page. I second LT's suggestion about joining the OCR Discord server or checking out the Workshop forum if you're looking for advice or more options about finishing this one or making your next big track. NO (resubmit)

I also missed out on this track on its first time 'round the panel. Thanks for sticking with it, Eric! The string build in the intro is quite long, but I'll live. I agree with proph, XPRT, Seph, and Hemo regarding the articulations on the flute and the trumpet holding back the humanization of those two instruments. I wouldn't mind the approach so much if the shorter notes weren't so short and detached: the stop-tongue marcato is so short, it's practically staccatissimo. The piano from 1:04-1:30 sounds timbrally more appropriate for a dance tune than the orchestral piece you've made, though the part is brief and in the background. I could see a world where this part is covered by the harpsichord instead, especially since that instrument appears in the recap of this section later on underneath the trumpet. The triplet descent in the pizz strings at 1:32 is the worst offender for the part in terms of realism, but otherwise seems serviceable. I agree with LT on the brass being anemic at first; overall, the second half of this track feels stronger in execution than the first half. I'm very borderline on this one. The arrangement's conservative but offers embellishments and personal touches. The mixdown and master are appropriate for the style. Really, the flute and trumpet programming are the only real downsides here. Ultimately, I gotta come down with the other NOs, but this one is really close! NO (resubmit)

@Liontamer Larry, it sounds like you feel that way about the drums because the parts have no transitional markings. No fills, nothing so much as a crash cymbal on beat 1 to mark the new segment like a capital letter marks the start of a new sentence. There's no connective tissue joining the segments together. We gave you more depth on this one during the NO SHOW, H36T. The biggest drawbacks of this track are that the back two-thirds are too repetitive, the vocals don't feel integrated enough into the arrangement, the drumkit on the back two-thirds has internal mix issues (hi-hats are way too loud and forward for the context) and isn't humanized, and the piece as a whole isn't interpretive enough by the standards. This track needs more H36T! NO (resubmit)

We said a lot during the NO SHOW, so my vote here is going to read a lot like proph's. I also thought the guitars coming in at 1:00 were a massive highlight, as well as the bass at the end. The EP running the ostinato sounds great and the drum parts themselves are fantastic in a vacuum. Unfortunately, the arrangement's repetitiveness and the inhuman, all-heavy-hits-all-the-time drum programming are massively holding this one back. There's a good bit of work to do to take this one to the next level, but it's a really good start. We encourage you to hit up the #workshop in the OCR Discord -- lots of helpful folks in there who can help you find your way. NO (resubmit)

Hey there, Matt! I'm going to co-sign with proph and Emu. The production on this track is the largest contributor to its shortcomings. The drums lack punch and are just buried under the synths and, to a lesser extent, the guitars. There's a massive buildup in the low mids (around 300 Hz) that makes the whole track sound muddy and the lead guitar and synths are competing for the mids bandwidth around 1-3 kHz. There's also that sudden drop in guitar volume in the left channel around 1:02 that proph mentioned. Sounds like a floor tom is causing clipping in the first B section (1:06-1:41), then another peak clip at 2:28 from the entrance of the reverb-heavy synth lead for the solo and more clipping at 2:58 on the fill heading into the final B section. Speaking of that synth lead, it utterly dominates the mix for the entire solo. Simply put, I'd need to hear more attention paid to volume balancing, EQ, and compression for this track to be ready to post. It's worth pointing out that your arrangement's quite good! While the structure is conservative, I think your solos keep things interesting and let your voice shine through. To echo proph again, your sound palette works great for the style. The vibes are right, so let's fix the mix! I recommend joining the OCR Discord and looking for feedback in the #workshop channel and/or the Office Hours Weekly WIP Review on most Wednesday evenings. NO (resubmit)

Howdy, RHYTH_TWISTED! Closing this one out by adding a quick co-sign with XPRT and proph. Really solid production and vibes, just need to hear more of your personal touches on the arrangement of things. We'd love to hear some more from you soon! NO

Hey, I remember this one from DoD too! What a crazy time Alien Month was. 😄 This is my first foray into hearing anything from Super R-Type and now I feel like I've been introduced to the whole OST! Loud master aside, the groovin' metal adaptation of these themes fires on all cylinders. "Solo Sortie" seems to have the most overall development of any of the sections, and the transition from it into "Counterattack '91" is likewise the best in the medley. The half-time feel going into "As Wet as a Fish" in the drums is a major highlight, though, as is the shift into "A Submerging Titan" at 3:52. I dislike the sound of the toms at 4:37 (filling from "Dream of a Labyrinth" into "Return of the Creature"); it sounds like they've been aggressively high-passed. Not a fan of the slam transition into that fill, either. Overall, though, there is clear intentionality in the flow from track to track. So having said that, you're probably going to think I hated it, Gregorio: I'm ultimately falling in with proph. The arrangement, although carefully navigated through the various themes, plays it too conservatively. The melody lines as a whole and most of the backing elements (guitars, bass, orch hits) seem like they're playing 1:1 with the source material for the duration of the piece. Which is a shame because the performances are quite good! If it doesn't compromise your vision, I'd YES a revision that has stronger transitional elements, more personal touches in the arrangement (like the half-time drums in "Wet as a Fish"), and/or a recurring theme or at least a callback to a previous track. (To Seph's point, both of the Metallica medleys he linked to use one source as a bookend for the arrangement.) OCR's no stranger to medleys, from CHM's "Unsealed" to TheManPF and friends' "wily theme;" "Unsealed" for its repeated callbacks to "Dark World" and "Hyrule Castle" and "wily theme" for using the "Dr. Wily Stage 1 BGM" as a through-line for all sorts of shenanigans. NO

I remember this one from Smash Month, only now it's just the instrumental! Hits a little different without Naop's interview with Dweller over the top. Hard to believe it's from a source tune that's only about 25 seconds. Your arrangement flows a lot like something off The Weather Channel: strong start, builds well (particularly the extra bar going into the solo at 1:30), strong finish. Using the source outro to make a bookend intro and outro was a great choice, doubly so for extending the ending. I'll second proph's nitpicking about the level of the bass, and I'm not the biggest fan of the kick and snare sounds, but these are also nitpicks. What's here is above the bar. Hook this onto the Tornado, strap in, and ride it onto the front page. YES