zircon

I have a question. I was listening to one of the 3.56 demos (LogDrums something-or-other), and I noticed how it had an X-Y controller open. It was pretty easy to figure out what it did and how to use it. However, when I was working on my own remix and I put in an x-y controller as an effect for a particular pattern, it didn't seem to change the sound at all, regardless of the settings for the controller. I suspect that the controller must be linked to another sort of effect, but I'm not sure how to do that. Could anyone offer some help on the subject?

At first, I was really expecting a ho-hum Zeal remix like most of the ones on OCR now (I can barely tell the difference even now). However, this is CERTAINLY above the bar here, despite the fact that the theme has been perhaps over-remixed. The amount of variation, the solid arrangement, and creative branching from the original really makes this remix stand out. I honestly don't have any problem with any of the arrangement or the samples. 9/10, definitly.

Ow. no headphones for this one. Solid overall, some nice, bright instruments (perhaps too bright in some cases). 8/10. not much to say about it.

Uh. Yes, remixes most certainly compete to be accepted. This topic has been discussed before, even by the judges: there were lots of mixes that got accepted early on that were of substantially lower quality (such as the ones recently removed). The volume of submissions was much lighter when those remixes got submitted. As the volume of submissions rose, they had to be judged more harshly. It's tantamount to applying to colleges; if only a handful of people apply, and they pass the minimum requirements, they'll get it. But if 50,000 people apply, only the absolute best will get in. Thus, the remixes indirectly compete with eachother. Again, if someone took the Mystic Quest battle theme and remixed it in the exact same style as this, would it get accepted? Doubtful. That theme is much less emotional than Terra's theme. Remixes should not be reviewed or judged based on how good the original song is.

THIS is dance remixing at its best. Great intro, simple but effective drums, excellent arrangement and accompaniment. The lead synth is really the main strength of this remix; I'm pretty sure it's FM7, and it sounds damn good. My only complaint (I had to think for a bit) is that it could use a bit more variation on the melody. 9.5/10

Yes. I classify "professional music" as any music that is composed and sold commercially by the artist as their main source of income. Yes, it is subjective. Most professional music is bad. Most remixes are good. Yes, that is what I meant. It's not a bad thing, no. For instance, "Terra in Black" or "TerraTripMachine" are two excellent remixes of the same theme, but they are both technically superior to this one. This is simply a minimal, soft rearrangement. The problem here is that OCR has limited space and bandwidth. Every remix that gets accepted had better be good, since they're going to eat up more space and bandwidth, and that's why the judges are so strict. If those two factors were not an issue here, I wouldn't mind this remix so much. Think of it this way. If someone took the Mystic Quest battle theme, replaced the lead with a soft acoustic guitar, took out the accompaniment, added some simple drums in the background, and threw in a couple ambient pads in the background, would it get accepted? I don't think so. Yet THIS did, solely because the /original/ was good and people remember FF6 and the Terra theme more fondly. I find that upsetting, and unfair. Fair enough.

This is a bit better than standard-fare kLutZ. It sounds great, and it's a step above basic arrangement. Nonetheless, it's not *incredible*, like Trial in Concert, due to the arrangement. As I said, he DOES do some things in the latter half that sound pretty cool, but on the whole, it's not all that special. I would say 7/10.

This is one of my favorite MM remixes. The synths and arrangement, though not spectacular, are put together in such a way to make this a truly awesome hard dance song. The middle part (the second repeat) would be my favorite, as I love the synth there. However, the end synth sort of annoys me, as it sounds sort of like the synth is 'clicking'. It's sort of hard to explain, but it irritates me on a barely-conscious level. While there's hardly any variation, I still think this remix deserves a 7/10.

Minimal, but very enjoyable to listen to. The arrangement is not terribly deep, but it sounds very good, and the top notch playing (or samples/effects, I don't know) compliment it well. I've been playing this myself for the past few weeks (not the original theme, but this remix) and I've gotten some compliments on it- to which, of course, I respond that I didn't make it up or arrange it or anything. Definitly good stuff, 9/10.

I agree with RC here. However, I think the arrangement is a bit simplistic. I may be spoiled by the Trial in Concert (one of my favorite remixes, and definitly my favorite piano remix), but nonetheless, it is my belief that klutz could have increased the level of complexity a good bit. It DOES sound good though, with few to no technical flaws and superb playing.

Thumbs up. Creative yet solid arrangement, high quality samples, and a fresh way of hearing a classic theme. I don't have any problems with this remix except for one- the melody doesn't *quite* seem to finish. If it does, it must be heavily rearranged and I probably missed it. Other than that, though, this is one of the best Castlevania remixes I've yet heard.

I wouldn't say that. This is definitly a good remix, it is way above the bar. But it's NOT groundbreaking, and it certainly hasn't changed the scene much.

Who said fruity doesn't have soundfont support? Sure, it's only demo.. but it DOES support it. I use it myself.

Definitly some Trigun-style in there (but only from the last episode ending, really). Not familiar with that other artist (Jethro). Basically, this sounds like nice, ambient background music that you might very well see in the credits of the ending of something. Upbeat, well arranged, not terribly repetitive, high quality samples. 8/10 in my book.

I do like the quality of the music itself. The arrangement and effects are well done, and the theme is not a simple retread, but has more variation and is quite unique, to say the least. However, the rapping is questionable. When you don't understand the lyrics, there's not much point to them. Also, the rapper's voice is distinctly "white" (for lack of a better term) and does not sound like professional rap at all. However, overall, this is an above average remix, even if you don't overlook the subpar rapping.

LAME has been proven to be the best mp3 encoder. I would go with that.

FREE 8 TRACK AUDIO EDITOR (includes midi tracks also): Quartz Audiomaster (http://www.digitalsoundplanet.com)

Hella awesome, as usual. My comments from other McV songs apply to this (awesome drumwork, awesome arrangement, etc).

Paragon, the lead is a simple square wave, not a guitar. It's hard not to criticize a square wave.

I'm working on a remix of this theme myself. But is it just my imagination, or does this remix only have about 15 notes from the original melody, and the rest is improvisation? That's not a bad thing, but it just struck me as being not much of a remix and more of a complete and total rearrangement. But anyway, yeah, this does have an urban feel to it. It could have used more of the original melody, since the 'new' stuff can be annoying at times (like the scratching and the 'yelling' for lack of a better word). Overall, again, it doesn't seem like that much of a remix, and for that reason it's hard to review.

The opening clip is directly from the game, I thought. Anyway, this is well-arranged, but has very little variation. The choice of instruments could be better (I mean the lead was a simple midi square wave it sounds like). The general introduction was a bit long, but the drums sort of made up for it. Overall, as several other people said, this is more or less average. It has a few good points (like said drums), but those are negated by the bad points (little variation), bringing it to average.

I would say that's subjective. I found this just as interesting as other classical piano pieces I play. While perhaps not as epic in scope as the Pathetique, it's a VERY good single movement. Plenty of variation, superb playing.

This is an example of guitar remixing at its best. The arrangement is near-flawless, as is the guitar playing and the drumwork. The synths towards the end add an epic feel to it, and the mellow guitar playing at the beginning and end are very suitable. I believe this sums up CT's positive side VERY well. A few things I didn't like; one section was repeated quite a few times, the section that is eventually played with synths in the background. So, it could have been a little shorter. I also would have preffered if the drums continued to be as awesome as they were when the 'rock' portion first begins. But seriously, I don't see how anyone could have major complaints about this piece. I love it!

Very cool. While the sample quality seems to be a bit low (perhaps that was intended to make it sound 'funky', which it does), the arrangement is superb. There is plenty of variation in both the melody and instrumentation. The drums are well-programmed, though not as awe-inspiring as those in Actraiser - Freestyle. I actually shouldn't compare the two remixes, as this remix is in a considerably different style than Freestyle- a style that is quite refreshing to hear. I suppose my one gripe would be be the general 'noise' level, which is slightly high. Nothing a change in my equalizer can't fix, though.

CotMM summed up what I was going to say nicely. The tune-up sounds artificial and annoying. The tapping of the conductor doesn't sound right. The piece itself is 'jagged' in its sample quality, and sounds more or less like a midi rip. This is one of the few pieces on OCR that I think do not belong there. However, I think it has potential if the author improves the sample quality a WHOLE lot, and improves upon the arrangement to make it truly orchestra-quality.