pixelseph   Judges ⚖️

Hi Mellow Sonic! This one's a damn good cover. I really enjoy the change-ups at 1:59 and 3:30 - interesting palette swaps and epic trap-style drums. Is this one you're working up to submit to the site or just looking for general feedback?

Hi Seth! The 12/8 vibe for the opener is killer, though the energy drop at :48 was rough. The writing during that phase has a lot of promise by itself, it just feels disconnected from the intro and outro - is there a way to weave the melodic content from that section into the others? Or place the slower waltz bit ahead so that the change to the industrial bop feels like an upswing? Down to hear more of this!

Hi Peshti! You've said this is halfway there, and I agree. You've got a nice balance of voices in the piece so far; the Tee Lopes influence comes through here. One thing I'm noticing is that the piece currently stays the same dynamic throughout; part of that is the drums keeping the same 4-bar loop (with the same fill) after the intro. I recommend leaning into the hits at :42 and seeing what you can come up with to bring us back around to the A section around :45. The lack of percussive transition to the B section around :17 also plays into this feeling. You're off to a good start here! Looking forward to hearing how this progresses ?

Pretty banger stuff going on here! That down-pitched tambourine-sounding cymbal at 1:27 works well in the drop. Any chance you have a link to the source for this one? Trying to find it for comparison and not having much luck. :)

It's a huge pleasure to be fulfilling this role! Over the coming weeks, you'll be seeing my mug replying to your posts in the workshop and (if I'm doing things right) I'll be providing you with means to make improvements to your writing, arranging, and/or mixing. Can't wait to hear more of what y'all have cooking out there!

The groove changes in this are tasty! Interesting use of the synth ostinato throughout. Short, sweet, and to the point! Are you considering submitting this one to the panel?

The swells from the brass and walking bassline were great touches. I feel like it’s just missing an ending, there’s a solid amount of quality material here already. The vibe is on lock

I do like the key change at the end, would love to have heard it come in for some difference in kind earlier in the piece. What would you say is the direction you’re aiming this piece at - sound upgrade, love letter to the game, etc?

This round is another hard one to vote! Both teams brought forth polished mixes and executed really creative ideas. Infected Waters: Psytrance heaven! The gated vocal, triplet transitions, and distinct sections make this a wonderful listen. The Bloody Tears motif from Purification comes through strongly even with the syncopated line, and the Maridia theme holds tightly throughout the piece. Pure Zebes: Enya vibes proudly on display! Despite having zero melodic correlation to it, this piece would feel right at home in RuneScape - I’m attributing that to the instrumentation (flutes and strings and pads over light percussion). Both themes are strong throughout; the 3/4 meter helps bring both ideas together. Livin' Out Our Last Days: It's Metroidvania but if the Gorillaz did it! I love nothing more in a mashup than taking the structure of one piece and applying the melodic and harmonic content of another to it, and this track does exactly that - Feel Good, Inc is clearly the template here. I'm hearing Overture in the "theme"/verse riff and Tallon in the choruses. The organic instruments (guitars, bass, and vocals) are well performed, and the mix is tight. Cruisin' Down Overture Blvd in the Depths of Tallon Traffic: Synthwave magic! That Tallon bassline rides through the whole piece and never once gets stale. Love the way the melody trades Overtune and Tallon back and forth, and the little chromatic splashes here and there keep the lead interesting. Smoke and Marbles: Live jazz club sound! Great mix on the quartet throughout - the lead trade between piano and guitar on the Marble Gallery theme is brilliant. Bass and drums hold the groove tight. Environmental Mystery as the bridge is another brilliant choice for such a short source. Gallery of Mysteries: Progressive metal time! Periphery and Tigran Hamasyan meet a sort of Darude vibe on the intro. Lots of time signature shifts for those wanting to count - 4/4, 5/8, 7/8, 5/16... math music nerds, get in the comments! Love the use of Environmental Mystery as the arp throughout the piece. --- Great job everyone! As with round 1, I can't wait to see these pass the panel!

Strong tracks from both teams! Love to hear it, just like from GSM 1 :D I find it interesting that both teams’ tracks are about the same length for each mash up as well. Twenty minutes of good listening altogether ❤️

Definitely in! Will look at some mid-00s games that haven’t gotten enough love on OCR. Gonna go ahead and claim Final Fantasy XIV while I can!

Not me casually walking across a bridge to this fat bassline, no sir. Definitely tied my shoes nice and tight before the transitions knocked me off my socks. 10/10, would groove again.

Super tasty builds throughout the track. No element overstays its welcome, and each element creates space for the next part to come in. Big bop from BGC!

Excellent sound design choices on display here, as well as the clever time-signature twist of fitting the 6/8 ostinato on a 4/4 dance groove. Love a well-executed fakeout ending :D

I definitely enjoy the pitch and filter sweeps on the percussion, but I also am not a big fan of some parts of the piece. Even though it's accentuated well, the stutter-gaps as outlined by Eino are jarring against an otherwise peaceful soundscape. Still, it's a wonderful arrangement of an incredibly short source.

Love the bass groove against the drums for the first 2 minutes, and then the drums come in with some sidestick chops! Chill pad and tasteful pipes throughout; I dig the brass hits, even if those samples haven't aged as gracefully as the rest of the piece.

Feels like an 80s film opening on the intro. Great guitar tone and playing too! The more modern scoring a la Harry Greggson-Williams is a welcome addition.

So much more groovy than the source! Love the samples used in this remix and the blend of both tracks for something that's greater than either source alone.

Another excellent example of panning elements in an OCReMix. bLINd's rearrangement of the source's sections make this a fun bop, especially taking some of the phrase ends and starting with them instead.

MkVaff created a sick workout track here. Arps keeps driving us forward and the shifts in beat between full-time and half-time with the drops keep the interest across a 5+ min track. Love it!

It's 2024 and the textures in this piece still hold up today! Great use of panning on the percussive elements, as well as the flanging and filter sweeps. Melodically conservative but with a lot of personality in the programming and production.

“So… You like to play Castlevania?” Team Castlevania!

What a birthday present!!!! Let this piece be a guiding star for all of you would-be OC Remixers out there, hustling and grinding and practicing to make it in the site. Josh and I spent twelve years honing our skills to get here, as much as it seems we came out of nowhere. You can do it! And I’ll be watching the home page waiting to hear it ?

Team PSX let's goooooooo

You have my axe! ??