Dyluck

If my name means anything...well, then. The Color of the Summer Sky is one of my favorites from the soundtrack. It never fails to put a smile on my face. The bell-like opening is nice, and then the use of the A section upper counter-melody is effective against it. But then that synth voice/calliope(?) lead doing the intro lead just doesn't sit right with me in regards to its timbre. After a hi-hat rhythm and wind-like upwards pitch build for eight bars, you then bring in a drop like the original, but it's subdued compared to the original. This is all well and good in and of itself, but that kick into the heavy snare punch of the original is what drives its energy. Without it, COTSS has the danger of becoming very twee because the countermelodies and marimba/piano "pluck" don't have enough juice (I suggest going into Chipamp and turning off the percussion channel to see what I mean here). Here, you have a snare roll-tap to at least emulate that oh-so-characteristic entry, but the following claps and kick and snare feel like they're too far back. That's not to say that it now becomes twee, but I want more of a punch and more presence throughout, especially to counter what sounds like is meant to be a grand main-line melody lead instrument. I do like the attention to the bass line and bringing it forward in the mix because it doesn't get enough love while you have a softer flute-like main-melody ducking behind it. Clever. The glitchy-slide of that bass melody through the eight-bar B section is also a great touch. The drum changes through here have good energy, but I still want more. We then have an additive C section with new "voices" getting added every two bars...that very exposed simple kick and snare in the first two bars sounds very flat in terms of presence and I feel it doesn't drive it forward as much as I would want it to. The synth you have replacing the string countermelody (borrowed from the A section) is a little strong when it comes in. Other than that, the idea is great, but I think the balance between the strength of the instruments needs to be worked out as the main melody's rhythm is rapid compared to the A and B sections and that contrast is getting lost behind everything else. We then loop back around to the A section now with that strong bass line versus the flute like we did in the first A section reprise...the balance feels off now between the two after having this additive build-up through the C section. I want something more here as the promise of the C section's build is leaving me somewhat unfulfilled. I see that you're winding things down to get ready for your big B section re-entry (the re-entry works fine), but again, it doesn't feel big enough for me, and the bass line is a little too strong through it in comparison, making it feel like a plain repeat of the first B section. Your C section reprise with the glitchy original bass line is fun. I like this idea a lot. Without going into a spectral equalizer to work out where the gaps are, I do feel overall that there's presence missing. Needs more oomph, too, more actual bass. Your instrument choices are definitely interesting and generally good, but that one with the intro lead sounds out of place. Arrangement direction wise, the possibilities are endless of course but at your current endpoint I feel like you're ready for some sort of breakdown from the structure of the original (take it to the bridge) as, after all, the original is only one minute and change long and now we've repeated the entire cycle once. Keep cooking.

Is that in the audio file or in the text? EDIT: Yes, in the text. Had the word "selection" a couple of times. Duly noted for the future. Thanks for the heads-up!

See title. Have tried in both Chrome and Firefox to upload.

@SbeastAbsolutely.

@SbeastYes! There's still time to join! Looking forward to hearing it!

Checked the pages I reported on the Discord and they seem fine here as well.

I may come to regret what this will do to the crumbs of my remaining spare time, but I want to join in. I see this as a great opportunity to explore Koshiro's music, which I'm not exactly familiar with and thus is a good "neutral" ground for me, and also to work on my own production and arrangement skills.

When I went into Serious Monkey Business, I was really looking forward to my favourite tunes for one of my favourite VGM soundtracks and how they got treated, and expected that I would go out with a pin in something like Stickerbush Symphony or Bayou Boogie or Krook's March as my favourite ReMix on the album. I did not expect it to be this, an electro-pop children's song sung in Mandarin to Snow-Bound Land. Despite not being able to understand the words, the fact that it has a treatment like a children's song captures the nostalgia I have for this game, and especially thinking of the nature of those words. The song makes me ache viscerally for those days parked in front of my my portable CRT at the end of my bed, trying to find every last bonus barrel and DK Coin, washing myself aurally with the amazing soundtrack and exploring the world Rare had crafted. Music transcends language, and this proves it.

The original was cheery, now this is bright and flamboyant! Brass samples are everyone's bane but they sound great here (tell me what you use plzkthx). Great groove in the strings around 0:40-1:13, and overall the track evolves very nicely. The breakdown works very well along with the shift to the synth sound, though I feel like I want something mid-wise there as bass and lead are quite far apart. But once the second synth comes in it's all good. Symphotronica ahoy. Speaking of which, I want to hear those trumpets again to bring closure to the mix as I feel that something upbeat like this needs a marriage between the symphonic and the electronic temporally. This will be something I hope to throw into my driving playlist once done.

Molto parmigiana con mozzarella! I like the overall sound of the mix and I think you've captured the genre fairly well, as well as translated the source tune nicely. I feel like that chord at 0:08 and 0:16 has something off harmonically or there's some pitch wheel that's been left on so that it doesn't land back where it feels it should go, perhaps in the instrument behind the bell synth. Once it gets going post-intro it feels a lot better. The breakdown at 0:33 works well, but I feel after things come back in I want more presence in the low-mids including in the second breakdown. Once the arps come in around 1:27 I'm satisfied there, so perhaps have something in that range in the soundscape beforehand? Pitch bends after this point work really well. Outro sits very nicely. Short and sweet, but I'm left wanting some more. Not necessarily in terms of length but in terms of sonic depth.

Listening with headphones. Overall, I like where this is going. Intro chords are fine, then the sudden funk is surprising but certainly not unpleasant. I think the shredding guitar slides in the intro section sounds a little disjointed sonically with the rest of the mix, maybe reverb-wise? Character change after 2:18 is refreshing as it builds towards the current climax. I'm guessing that this is currently not the end and the echoing slide doesn't seem to fit right with what comes before. It just seems to end too suddenly. Maybe I just don't like that slide guitar. However, I think this is a solid little mix in terms of the structure that's there up until the end, but sonically it sounds a bit disjointed in the space. So now I see that it's meant to be longer. I think it would work best in a modified ternary form, i.e. A-B-A*, with some pizzazz added to that repeat. As for that slide, I think the reason why I don't like it is because to me it sounds a bit "thin". Overall this is a good jam!

Oh boy, this just came up in the ReMix Roulette on the Discord. We're back in the era of naming ReMixes after the arranger, and with AmIEvil doing it, this is a red flag that it's one of his early ones. But does that mean it's bad? Hell nah. Sure, it's not as sophisticated as some other of his stuff (#00475 Let There Be Light is just sublime and kind of an unfair comparison), but this submission shows so much potential not just for AmIEvil, but also for OC ReMix as a whole at the time, mid-2000, of what the site would become. This is a stepping stone along the way and I'd argue one of the bigger ones. It shows that you can take a great theme, in this case the already fantastic Dark World theme from Link to the Past, highlight its harmonics, make a good EDM backing track that's sonically interesting and engaging, rearrange it by delaying its triumphant theme (and that isn't a bad-sounding brass section, by the way, it's mixed well to hide its flaws) so that it's gratifying when it makes its appearance... This is How To ReMix 101. It's an education. Study this one well. The length is fine – yes, a reiteration of the theme with building of the backing tracks or an additional one would be awesome – but it's still appropriate. It's like a small oddly-shaped parcel that's wrapped in lovely paper: you're going to have funny edges no matter what, but it still looks good, even if the internal item is a lot smaller than anticipated. That's also why I say it's great to learn from. This has been on my playlist for years and years and years. It still sounds good 24 years later, which is testimony of AmIEvil's talent (and why I wish there was so much more of his stuff...).

This ReMix is one of the gems of very early OCR, and has been on my playlist for over 15 years at time of writing. Yes, the source has a short, simple melody, but what Zyron did with it by putting it on that lead synth and having that delayed final four notes of its rhythm is give it such an air of mystery and intrigue that is way beyond its comedic source. Take the time to listen everything else going on in the background, and let the atmosphere sink in with all of the instrumentation far beyond what the NES could give. Substantially transformative, yes, despite its repetition. In fact, I would say that the repetition adds to its character, rather than detracts. This is great music to drive to, especially after sunset.

Love the breathy wood flute and the whole feywild vibe this gives me.

Classic Mazedude in 2024? Next thing you'll tell me is that Half-Life 3 is coming out. The source may be Rygar, but I'm immediately drawn to his work on Doom ReMixes, especially with that deep bassline, and the juxtaposition of the seagulls is just...yep. This is Mazedude and I love it.

Hello everyone! As you are probably aware, on December 11, 2024, OCR will be turning 25 years old. And what better way to celebrate this than to do what the community is all about: collaboration. So, after running the idea past folks on the Discord, I've decided that we ought to get the ball rolling with a project while we are still over 11 months out. Namely, I want to put together an album that both looks forward and looks backward, that celebrates the 25 years that OCR has been around, acknowledges this time period in VGM and also promotes the ongoing growth of the community's musicians, new and old, younger and older. Therefore, I present the idea of TimeShift (working title). The premise of the album is simple: 1. Any ReMixer BORN BEFORE December 11, 1999 may contribute from sources that were RELEASED AFTER this date. 2. Any ReMixer BORN AFTER December 11, 1999 may contribute from sources that were RELEASED BEFORE this date. By doing this, I hope that the album challenges all ReMixers to look at sources that they might not necessarily be familiar with. In so doing, we can all stand to gain some fresh perspectives on sources (I had actually considered calling the album "ReFreshed Pixels" for this reason!). Further Rules 3. All new ReMixes. In other words, don't grab a ReMix you did that's already published on the site and add it to the album. This is as much about the challenge as it is the celebration of the time period. Have an unreleased WIP, even one you've shown off in the forums/Discord? Cool, it's valid. And yes, you can ReMix a source that's already been done. 4. One game, one claim. I don't want the album to filled with veterans' takes on Megalovania or City of Tears, and likewise we already have enough Corridors of Time and Terra's Theme for the younger crowd... Of course, don't let me stop you from being the one and only ReMixer who chooses Undertale or Hollow Knight, or Chrono Trigger or FF6! 5. Multiple sources are fine, but please ensure your main source comes from your valid time period. Adjudications may apply. 6. Release dates means original release. Cross-territory must use the first release date. For example, if a game was released in Japan in early 1999 but in North America in mid-2000, it goes to the younger ReMixer group since it's early 1999. No, just because a classic got a remaster 20+ years later does not qualify it for the veterans unless there's brand new musical material exclusive to that remaster. Adjudications may apply. Expansions (because they were a thing at the time of OCR's founding; remember those?) are valid if they contain brand new musical material exclusive to that expansion that wasn't in the original base game. This also applies if the original was released before OCR's founding but the expansion came out afterwards (making the expansion open to veterans). Adjudications may apply. 7. Typical quality standards apply. 8. The current final submission date (which is open to change) is September 11, 2024. Release date is the 25th anniversary: December 11, 2024. Suggestions We have a thread on the Discord where folks can post soundtracks that they can suggest for the album, especially from sources younger than OCR. It's not a requests thread, though: it's designed to get gears turning and ideas flowing. Roles Ah, now here's the tricky thing. I've been around the ridges on OCR for a very long time but it's only just recently that I've started to take a more active role in the community. I would certainly love the help of some experienced director(s), artists...heck, let's make this a full celebration and evoke the days of yore with a website too! Please let me know how you may be able to help me out here! And, of course, this wouldn't be an album without someone to make music to go onto it. I encourage every ReMixer who wants to take part to let me know! And if we can get some sleeping giants from the old days involved somehow, that would be absolutely fantastic. So that the album can get off the ground, I need expressions of interest from: Co-director Mastering Engineer Artist(s) (unless you want my poor art...) Website Designer (not as necessary, but preferred) Apart from expressions of interest, I am definitely open to comments, suggestions and feedback. How to Join Hit me up on the OCR Discord! Simple as that. Claims Tentative Sketches Cohesive WIP These games currently have WIP's and are closed for selection: Animal Crossing: Wild World (2005) Mo.oorgan Blue Reflection (2017) Vylent Chrono Trigger (1995) JSABlixer Earth Defense Force 2025 (2013) Eino Keskitalo Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (2013) & Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers (2019) Pixels & Paradiddles Final Fantasy XVI (2023) Xaleph Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light (1990) & Fire Emblem Gaiden (1992) JSABlixer Horizon Zero Dawn (2017) Mel Decision & Treyt LISA: The Painful (2014) 100%ROEMER Outer Wilds (2019) Ridley Snipes SimCity 4 (2003) Dyluck Stardew Valley (2016) Moebius feat. Lucas Guimaraes ValiDate (2022) adrian gravitygauntlet All of the following claims are currently regarded as tentative until a WIP is received: Dark Souls III (2016) / Elden Ring (2022) / Bloodborne (2015) / Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019) / Demon's Souls (2009) - The Vodoú Queen Deep Rock Galactic (2020) OR One Step from Eden (2020) - colorado weeks (& Ridley Snipes?) Donkey Kong Country 2 (1995) - JSABlixer Halo: Combat Evolved (2001) - adrian gravitygauntlet Horizon Forbidden West (2022) - H36T The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006) - Geoffrey Taucer Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (2013) - CNDR Neon White (2022) - Michael Hudak Sands of Destruction (2008) - TSori The Witcher (series) (2007—) -sake_hime Let's not let this significant milestone in our community's history go past without acknowledgement or celebration. Let's do this! Edit log: EDIT 1: Change of date. Clarified rules #3, #4 & #6. Request for specific roles. Tentative claims. Thread of suggested soundtracks in Discord. EDIT 2: (Apr 6) Updating claims. How to join project. EDIT 3: (Apr 12) Updating claims. EDIT 4: (Apr 29) Updating claims.

Arabesque. I'm transported to a world of rosewater and incense. A souk at night, desert traders slowly coming and going lit by lanterns and torchlight... The drum beat is top-notch, that string instrument and the addition of piano just gives a beautiful juxtaposition. Beautiful track. Absolutely beautiful track.

The drumline to start is kinda dating; the ReMix is GM-y, perhaps, but it's done well. The string line in the middle is imo the best portion of this, as well as that driving bassline; such presence in the deep. The end evokes imagery of the sun setting over the bridge for me...

Coming in with the glock nice and strong and staying there throughout, this then throws epic horn work in on an original line. And then everything goes super chill with great original work in the bridge, those modulations on the arpeggios are fantastic. And then that climactic build to the finish! Duuuuuuuuuude.

It's like Crono and the gang have come in guns blazing performing the biggest heist of all time in the Undersea Palace. The B-section of the original is amazing in this! It's really hard to do justice to this part but I love what Sole Signal's done to it, like he's made it the main feature of the ReMix. Fantastic fakeout, like it's been dragged back in by the scruff of the neck for more. Brilliant, classic ReMix.

First thing I noticed was some very high and noticeable, almost piercing upper EQ spikes on the plucking. But then there's some little beautiful gems of arrangement and production here, especially the windy slide. Eino did mention about "wandering", but not all who wander are lost; it's atmospheric more than anything else. To quote Kath and Kim, it's nice, it's different, it's unusual.

Very panpipey and flutey, laid-back introspective take of the original, before guitar really kicks in. Reminds me of the night time portions of the jungle level. Brass section is a little strong in its flourishes but gives that climactic oomph that the piece requires. Chill out with this one in your treehouse overlooking the waterfall sometime.

Operatic-classical fanfare to start and straight into headbanging-worthy slaying of the Metal Gear theme. MGS and Greggson-Williams meets oldschool. Great understated but featurable vox that's relevant and not overdone. Killer ReMix...pity we don't have too much here from Musicalman. Come back to us!

The start and end of this is almost cringey (isn't anything Aerosmith attaches itself to?), but that section with the leads fighting each other in the middle? Chef-kiss. And there is the title, we can go home now.

This is James McCloud going through the meteor field with strobe lights, damn. Classic bLiNd! I love how he used the descending motifs and lifted them to add to the uplifting feel.