zircon

I didn't think they were married though?

Interesting synth/processing choices for the intro... not quite what I would expect. The beat that comes in after unfortunately is not as sharp, with a sort of muddy/overly loud kick that is a bit distracting. Tone down the reverb on it and drop it maybe 3-5db and I think it will sound much better. Overall I feel like the intro is a bit too long, taking 1:39 to get to the "good stuff" - I would say reduce the length of it, or build up the soundscape more so it's more interesting to listen to. The track kind of feels low energy at times, and the transitions between the different melodies of the Wily theme are kind of awkward and sudden. Plus the soundscape does not change much throughout the course of the track, which is really not good. There's no breakdown where you can play with and rework the sounds. The ending is also lackluster. I agree with Larry overall. This needs more interpretation. Change the chords more, add original harmonies, vary the melody up, add new material, just be creative. As a (roughly) 1:1 trance adaptation it's not bad but it's not up to OCR standards yet. Listen to some more recent bLiNd mixes to get a general idea of what we expect for trance music here. NO

LUL THE RENDERING IS SO GOOD )SIZE24YES!! Nah but seriously, this is an excellent ReMix. The first time I heard it I was initially thrown off by its minimal nature. It's quiet, somewhat sparse, and not at all flashy or dramatic. However, the slow and somber mood really works. It's only as dense as it needs to be, and there are significant dynamic contrasts (eg 2:23 vs. 2:58). Very interpretive arrangement given the simplicity of the original, with lots of interesting melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic variations. I liked all the harmonic changes especially as certain chord + melody combinations in the original didn't sit well with me. The ending is particularly chilling. No production issues - call me biased, but I do think everything works in that department. It is a little on the quiet side overall but that's necessary for contrast between the soft and loud parts. Good job David YES

I agree that the arrangement is fairly conservative, and the upgraded instrumentation does not make up for it. I also think that while the orchestral parts are generally pretty strong, the acoustic drums are somewhat low energy. They sound like an upgrade of a basic GM kit and to me don't quite match the quality of the other elements. I would kind of like to hear heavier/more powerful drums and perhaps some additional synths as well doubling up orchestral parts. However, this isn't really a big deal. Again my main problem is the arrangement. This needs to set itself apart from the original more via harmony/melodic variation, a more differentiated texture from the source, and/or some new original material as well to expand it. Please resub! NO

This is definitely good stuff overall... really tight performance and good guitar tone. I agree that the low-mids could be boosted and the hihats toned down a bit. The overall mastering could be hotter as well. However, I think these minor issues are overshadowed by the high quality arrangement and generally strong production values. I liked the original additions and the thematic variation. The structure of the song flows well and there is high energy throughout without being overly repetitive. I'm impressed; good job. YES

What kind of ticket prices are we talking for the group sales? That's not long after my birthday. Would be awesome to chill with you guys for it, but $ might be an issue.

Yes. In the upper right corner of the VST wrapper, you should see an LED indicator set to -. Set that to, say, 2. This is the MIDI port. Now add MIDI Outs (Channel->Add) and set them all to port 2. The "Channel" on each MIDI Out corresponds with the patch within Kontakt 2. By default, Channel 1 = First patch loaded, Channel 2 = second, etc. Of course you can change the MIDI channels of the patches in K2 so that one MIDI Out piano roll controls multiple instruments.

You will be happy to know we accepted a Chrono Trigger remix recently from a doujin mixer I also think there would be more interest in these if people could actually read Japanese and navigate the sites...

Wow, Har-Bal RULES!!! I picked it up on bLiNd's recommendation and it just works wonders.

Across the board: no, assuming we're talking about mainstream pop - and even most indie too. Even pop artists that are also producers (RARE) still have engineers, session musicians, etc. The nature of the biz is to have teams of people working on musical projects.

What version of FL are you using?

The problem is that when you want to do MIDI orchestration, you have to write FOR the samples. You can't just write MIDI notes and then expect them to translate well, even with the best of samples. You have to change how you're orchestrating parts, chord voicings, doublings etc. If you really don't want to do all this and would rather have someone else do it, then OK, but I don't think you will find many people around here who have the level of skill required AND would be willing to work with someone else's music. You are perhaps better off asking specific questions about getting MIDI compositions to sound more realistic.

Yeah, the orchestra got out off time (with eachother) during the CV medley, and I think the overall level of tightness and accuracy could have been higher. I think the orchestra got like one practice session tops, which is not enough for this kind of material, but it may also be that the Philly orchestra was weak. I haven't heard similar reports from other cities.

The intro is definitely sloppy and the transition is awkard. The percussion is too dry and generally very boring and mixed far too low. The shamisen sample is practically general MIDI; wtf? Compared to the other sounds it's awful, I know you can do better. The vocals being behind the beat was distracting, though the performance was passable IMO. Some sections just fell apart, eg. 1:53. Really meandering and pointless w/ a total lack of energy as pointed out before. 2:15 as well was just bad. Was the tempo slowly increasing towards the end? The parts here just... do not gel. There is no cohesion in the instruments or the rhythms. This needs to be WAY tighter and, honestly, rebuilt from the ground up from a production standpoint. Really re-think all the mixing choices, effects, EQ, timing, etc so things mesh together without being muddy or off-rhythm. On the arrangement side, the intro is the strongest part but it bears no connection to the rest of the mix, really. The interpretation level is decent, with the better stuff coming in towards the end. A little too much verbatim use of the original chords + riffs + melody at times. The ending was also really weak. Could have been significantly stronger in this category overall. Sorry I couldn't be more positive but this really needs improvement in virtually every area. NO

Happy birthday, man! We gotta finish that Smooth Metal collab.

V; Dave was listening to one of the two split-panel mixes, GSlicer's "Inverting the Stone Temple" and CHIPP Damage's "Destroy Movements". Can't remember which, because he listened to both one after the other. He ended up YESing them.

I believe Taucer and bgc are overnight (they're already staying Fri night - here now). I dunno if there will be space for a 3rd Sat overnight. But yeah the Penn Station -> Monument walk is short. 10 mins.

Correct, they didn't implement that. Just use a free encoder like RazorLame, which gives you tons of options for encoding. Export to WAV from FL.

Larry nailed my issues. Everything feels similar throughout the track. No dynamics, and dynamics are crucial to any good orchestral composition. You desperately need to give this motion and direction. This is directly tied in with orchestral production, too... I can tell you're used QLSO for this. That is a nice sampleset, but you are not taking advantage of it. You need to orchestrate properly in some spots (eg. the string marcatos) in order to get a "big" sound, as well as voice chords and use automation in such a way that things sound more natural. The only way to fine tune these techniques and more to achieve realism is practice, and asking people who are already good at it (we have a few on OCR). Decent effort, keep at it. NO

First off, definitely normalize and then compress this. Zimmer's music is LOUD. No question that this is too quiet and loses energy as a result. Some of the parts are nearly inaudible, even in headphones. Comparing this with the original sub, I really didn't hear significant changes to the arrangement OR the sparse instrumentation in the first half. Production also seems to be unchanged, more or less, which isn't a huge deal but it's a slightly weak area. I am baffled as to why more strings and winds aren't being used more here. Why not use all the tools at your disposal? I also still strongly recommend synths if you are going after the Media Ventures (now called Remote Control Productions) sound. To me there is still a little too much original material. You're playing a lot with the chords of the sources but to me the melodies are simply not prominent enough and your own original stuff is taking up most of the space. While it's less repetitive overall, this doesn't address my main issues. The ending more or less just peters out and the structure feels somewhat disjointed, with some builds and climaxes but a lack of a consistent flow. Yes, this would work as a film score. But we are not looking for film scores here, an OCReMix should stand on its own as an engaging and interesting musical composition. That is part of what we're trying to do - it's not just background music, after all. Improved, but go for a resub. NO

All mixes are new and created for the project.

I am going to be again (soon)

Yeah, come on dudes!!! DL this stuff. Beatdrop; hop on AIM sometime man. If you haven't already signed your life away you gotta license some of this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJNnLIPZ_n4 Brilliant interview - short, but highly practical. It's told by Dick Dale, the legendary guitarist who basically invented the genre of surf music. Considering even on this very site we have a surf ReMix, his influence is pretty broad, and he speaks from experience. Note: It is a little exaggerated at times but the message is good. Enjoy! Edit: If you want to see what he was like as a young rock star, check this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mmajn6N2Wc& You might recognize the tune.

The first one is mislabelled. It's "Icecapped" by McVaffe from Sonic 3. Not mario. The second one is "Circuit Breaker" by injury from Mega Man (1).