Jorito

Ah yeah I've listened to this quite a few times during its production.  This went through quite a few versions, Jorito is very dedicated to getting the mix just right and issue-free.  Needless to say I think production is fine, though I did warn about the cluttering of instruments in some sections, but that goes with Jorito's style and it doesn't get too bad to become chaotic, I do wish these sections lowered the harmonies a bit to bring the leads to the forefront a bit more.  Also: vocoding = auto YES (not really).
Guitar work is clean, and the arrangement is the shining point here, widely expanding what's on the original.
YES

This is super peppy and a lovely listen. Really enjoyed the overall 80's vibe and Heaven's guitar playing really add a nice touch. Love the overall details from the instruments to the harmonies. To nitpick I felt that the section near the end was a little crowded and some of the instruments got lost but the main instruments mostly pull through. Not a deal breaker!
YES

Well, the arrangement is certainly a lot of fun, and HeavenWraith's guitar work is a coup.
Mixing still isn't flawless, especially in the guitar section, where the saw is crowded by the guitar from one direction and the chimes from the other.  In general the highs are quite crowded and busy.  Like some other Jorito mixes, it could probably do without a part or even two in a lot of places.  Which is painful to say, because each part is great, but sometimes less is more.  I didn't even hear the arp in the guitar section until my fourth listen or so.
Still, I think this is well above our bar.  A good addition to any album.
YES

Hey all,
I've decided to quit the project. It's not a decision I made lightly, but unfortunately over the past few weeks the whole thing has started to become more like a burden than anything else. We've had another person quit, which is essentially what made my mind up for me. Since the whole Jeremy Soule revelation there's been a feeling like the whole thing is tainted, and that's become more apparent as people have distanced themselves from it. No artist that I've contacted to do the cover art wants to touch this thing; some of them have specifically stated it's because of the Soule connection. It's becoming depressing.
I'm going to offer up to the project to anyone who wants to take it on. If you're interested drop me a DM and we'll discuss.
I'm sorry to drop this out of the blue, but I feel it's best for my own mental wellbeing to do this.

Is it too late for me to "upgrade" my track? I've made significant improvements in both the arrangement and sample quality, so it would definitely be worth it.

Been a long time since I last checked here. I'm very happy to see the project is not only alive, but getting near launch. I get to hear all the Lufia goodies, so I'm looking forward to it! I hope everyone is safe and well and productive. I would say sane too but sanity is overrated.

Hey all,
So a couple of months ago, the Pixel Mixers started their own Final Fantasy VII homage project. Thanks to COVID and life however, things fell far behind than expected. However, happy to say that we finally were able to release the project yesterday! This track is my contribution to that project. While I don't think the track would clear an OCR review based on how it's structured, I thought that you might all still find it enjoyable. So...
ENJOY!
You can find the full download to the project in the video description.  

I'm one of those people who's nursed a grudge against Chrono Cross since I first played it for it having the nerve to not be Chrono Trigger. Probably a bit unfair since I've never revisited it over the years. This album certainly makes me think about it more, as it really showcases the overall quality of the soundtrack beyond just the one song I remember (2-01, a version packed with such frantic awesomeness that it had to be over as fast as it was).
Chronopolis is chock full of both moments that are so cool they make me want to fist pump and go, "Hell yeah!" as well as moments where I can't help but grin and bop along, no matter how many times I listen to them. Getting another taste of jazzy Chrono from the OC Jazz Collective in 1-04 was a plus. 1-12 and 2-09 echoing the CT soundtrack are also good for the nostalgia. The two that make me grin the most, though, are in 2-05 when the melody hits at about 1:45 in, and the entire synthwave mix of 2-13 - which I loved on its own merits when I first heard it and now I love because its whole vibe makes me think about the dopey/amazing scene near the end of Season 3 of Stranger Things where Dustin has to sing with Suzy. It's perfect.
A fun thing in the evolution of OCR album projects is how many of the more recent ones highlight performers and craft music around their strengths in a way that I don't think had been done a lot before. This particular album has a lot of that going on right from the start with Hold Onto The Dream really sounding like a group doing the recording together. Another job well done from the first track to the last.

In the early weeks of pandemic isolation, at a time when I felt stressed, I thought to myself, "I'll listen to this town theme album I've never actually listened to before. It seems chill." I was right! It's a great bunch of tracks.
It also unexpectedly made me Feel Things. The South Figaro theme turned into a lullaby absolutely destroyed me. The day I listened to it, I had found out that my grandmother passed away early that day, and even though the song is a mother singing to her baby, I heard the lyric "Our day was short / somehow time flew by / I know it's hard to say good-bye" and I thought about my grandma, because no matter how long someone lives it always feels like the day was short when they're gone, and that hit me with the waterworks. On the other end of life, I have a little niece and nephew who I was spending time with every week and now I have seen them once in six months, so I heard "Tomorrow will come / and we'll start a new day / and see what adventures await" and I thought about all the growing up they're doing and adventures they're having without me and that shredded me pretty well too.
It's a beautiful piece of music. Salute especially for that one and to everyone else involved in this album too.

Listening to this album makes me feel like I'm getting introduced to a long-lost sibling as an adult.
I never played Secret of Mana when it was new - it was never in stock at the Blockbuster; when I found ROMs as a teenager that wasn't one of the games I thought to get; it isn't one of the games where remakes keep crossing paths with systems I own (ahem, owning three different versions of Chrono Trigger). So I have no attached nostalgia to it on its own, either from when I was a kid or an adult with fewer responsibilities, but even listening to this album of remixes just does such a good job of taking me back to the era, it's amazing. It's like seeing that hypothetical sibling and finding out we're totally into the same stuff and wondering why nobody told me about this before! Having said all that, I guess I better get Collections of Mana on my Switch and see/hear it for myself.
This album is fun in my journey of OCR albums also because there are some new-to-me names like Rebecca Tripp and Jorito who've popped in to do some tracks so not only is this music I don't really know, but the styles of remixes are different as well. Something like 2-05 Beyond the Big Infinity in particular is just like... whoa! I've listened to a lot of stuff in literal decades of lurking on OCR and the first time I heard this track it just blew me away. Even noticing similarities to music I'm more familiar with was fun - the track right before that one, 2-04 Together We Will Stand feels like it has the Super Mario RPG battle music melody in the background (especially 2-01 from the SMRPG OCR album), which is more of that long-lost sibling feeling. Like, oh, yeah, we definitely came from the same place even if the paths we've taken since then didn't intersect before.
A salute to all involved for another great job.

So I guess it's time for an update, huh?
The majority of people have gotten back to me regarding my statement and the majority of those people have decided to stay on, so the project will continue as is. I won't be actively recruiting anyone else, but will accept anyone who wishes to join. As such this album will likely be a single 'disc' affair rather than a double, but at this point I'm just looking to get it finished and out the door, so to speak.
A few people asked that I make it abundantly, 100% clear that anyone who is participating in this project does not support or condone the actions of Jeremy Soule, alleged or otherwise, and that the content is a celebration of the Secret of Evermore soundtrack as an art-form and nothing else.
In happier news, we've got our first finished track! @about:blank has finished his Fire Eyes remix which has now been passed over to @Chimpazilla for mastering. Massive thanks for getting that finished so quickly, Chris
So, in closing, things are little bit sombre here at PLT HQ (which is just me now...) but we're going to soldier on regardless. Thank you to everyone who has agreed to stay on, and thank you to everyone who is taking the time to read this message.
*EDIT* Well, I should probably read all my messages before making a forum post because we do in fact have TWO finished tracks! @Manji has finished his Elephant Graveyard remix as well! Big thank you to you as well, Chris (two Chris', what are the odds?!).
 

Someone synthwave this up. What’s the hold-up???
 

Alright, I'm going to have to chime in on this one as well.

After Meteo stepped down, the duty of finishing this project had fallen into my hands.  I've made steps behind the scenes to make sure things will progress - gathering as many WAVs as possible, getting in touch with artists who had prior claims, and figuring out ways to get more tracks in.

As of right now, there are some updates to be done with the roster.  Firstly, all but three WAVS had been gathered together - the Dual Dragons lost theirs, OA wasn't happy with how his track turned out, and PacificPoem has been unresponsive.

Secondly, I got interest from Eino and Sagnewshreds in keeping on refining their work.  I have contacted all others who had a claim, but no response - so any other claim will get freed up.

Thirdly, a massive thanks to Artem Bank ( @redshojin ) for not only taking on Boundless Ocean, but getting a full track and WAV prepared in less than a week!

Nevertheless, if you the web surfer - yes, you - is interested in claiming a track and can do so in the space of the next 6-8 weeks, send a PM to me in the Discord, or here in the forums if you don't have a Discord account.  I share my sentiment with the artist collective on board with letting it see the light of day

In the interest of moving forward, and also because this album is kinda coming back from the dead (or at least purgatory/uncertainty), I'm suggesting the following title:
Final Fantasy III: Resurrection
...to kinda gel with with the FF1 & FF2 albums, so it's "Random Encounter, Rebellion, Resurrection" - a trio of R's.
If anyone feels strongly that this title is poo and/or has a better idea, please chime in!
Also, the album has been added to the project consent form - please sign ASAP!

I didn't know neither, what a bitter news... I absolutely respect everyone's decision, this is a pretty tough one to me. @Trism thanks for letting us know, I need to think about it as well

Well, if the Cancel Culture mob comes after me for continuing on with the project, so be it; I'll brace it with a "come at me bruh" pose.  Besides I don't really have Social Media anymore...  So I'm gonna continue on.
Also, I'm gonna save the speculation for the private chats and withhold my thoughts publicly.  I spew enough bullshit here as it is. 
 
 

Just chiming in - no matter what Soule did, this game's soundtrack is a part of many folks' childhoods, and nothing changes that. However, deciding to participate in this project is one of those topics where, personally, I don't think there's a right or wrong answer. I've explained my personal reasoning, and how I conceive of art in the abstract, but I'm not offended if anyone finds it unpersuasive/disagrees. Key thing is that no one gets judged, either way, for their decision on this, or attempts to equate others' decisions to participate with a tacit endorsement of the behavior in question.

Shit.  I wasn't even aware of this.  I haven't had much of a chance to start on my track cuz I've been busy with non-music projects lately, but I'm going to have to to think about this...

STATEMENT
It has recently been brought to our attention that certain accusations have been made against Jeremy Soule, the composer for Secret of Evermore. The accusations came to light long before we decided to tackle Secret or Evermore, however for whatever reason neither Dai nor myself were aware of it at the time.
Since we were made aware of this information there's been a lot conversation between Dai and myself, with some input also being sought from @djpretzel. djp pointed me towards his statement attached to THIS POST he made back in April and has confirmed that OCR will be happy to release and promote the album.
My outlook on the situation is similar to that expressed in the post linked above. I do not condone the actions of anyone seeking to abuse another in any setting. That should go without saying, but sadly in this day and age it probably should be spelled out. In the case of this album I am celebrating the music of the game, not necessarily the composer himself. Separating the art from the artist is always a dicey subject to tackle, but I am personally OK with carrying on with the project.
Unfortunately, PLT creator and my assistant-director for this album @Drawn by Dai has decided to step down from the project in light of this information. He asked that I include the following statement in this post:
I completely understand and respect his decision in this and it leads me to my next point of action. It's entirely possible that there other people now involved with this project who are also unaware of the controversy regarding the games composer. As such I will be contacting everyone individually asking them if they wish to continue on the album. If anyone wishes to leave them I will completely understand.

With Golden Sun out of the way, it's Badass 4, Lufia 2, & FF3.... hoping we can get the last mile on this one, will be talking w/ @Gario

Check the first page for a new (and probably second to last) update.  Its time to build some pre-release hype!

I have to tender my resignation on this project, to no small amount of personal disappointment and chagrin. I wrote it on over to Rexy first and now I'm writing it publicly.
The conflict is all on my end - when I first joined up to try to help push this sucker out and today is the difference between World of Balance and World of Ruin, to put it in Final Fantasy VI terms. I wasn't exactly Spring Chicken at that time in terms of vitality and work availability, but I could do it. Then I had a medium-sized relapse into (depression-related) depersonalization in August, then me and my family's world got pretty damn well upended just before Christmas 2019, then we had snow and floods in February just before COVID-19 hit, THEN COVID-19 hit the planet, THEN my dad announced he has throat cancer. Now my Mom just started having an episode of anxiety-related something that is similar to the depersonalization and I have to be helping her with that. Of those items, only the flood and snow has actually cleared up, the rest is still present.
As a result, my administrative performance so far has been well below what I would personally find acceptable and it's pretty plain to see that I'm not currently fit to tackle the role. I don't have as much invested in this project as I did SD3 (err, "Trials Of Mana" now, fucking Square-Penis...) so powering through it isn't really justified this time around.
Sorry to bring a downer to this album's projection, but I'm at "unarmed Jubei Kibagami in Ninja Scroll" stage on this end. Best of luck, or whatever we have going on for statistical chance in 2020 right now, for following this album forward!

Ahh I love this kind of drum & bass with vocals! I'm not familiar with the game or the source, but this is really great and catchy, and produced so dang well! I think I could show this to folks who don't listen to video game music/remixes regularly and they'd really like it. 
Also.... just a heads up, in the writeup, both of the links for Earth Kid go to GuitarSVD's youtube page ;-;

We'd like to welcome back @Chimpazilla! OCR Judge and frequent contributor to the site, Chimpazilla was our resident sound tech on PLT1, mixing and mastering almost every track on the album. We're delighted that she'll be reprising the role.
I ask remixers please let us approach her on your behalf about your tracks when they're ready, it's a mammoth task she's taking on. Thanks!
Welcome back to the fold, chimpz
 

wow! this is beautiful! and you probably know you did a good job with this one