DarkeSword

Terrible sounds you've picked here. This sounds like an old MIDI file with some signal processing on some of the channels. This arrangement is really boring too. It goes on for 7 minutes? Why? There certainly isn't enough material to make the whole thing interesting to listen to. This sounds like a downgraded version of the original piece. The style and mood is the same, but your sounds and production aren't as tight. There are some creative parts with the higher tempo sections, but they're just not enough. When the original version sounds better than the remix, then what's the point? You need better sounds and you need to try to stop emulating the original. NO

Not 6/4. 12/8.

Not exactly. What you're saying there doesn't take tempo or style into account. The 4/4 time in Blue Rondo a la Turk is played with a heavy swing. You could go as far to say that it's got a triplet feel. While the 9/8 time in the song is subdivided as 2-2-2-3, you can also generally use it as a compound meter: 9/8 in 3, or three beats of triplets, similar to 6/8 in 2. 3 8th notes in the 9/8 time are exactly equal to 1 quarter note in the 4/4 time; they adjust the tempo of the song to make both the same length of time. That's why the switching section at 5:33 does two measures of 4/4 and two measures of 9/8. 2 x 9/8 becomes 2 measures of 3/4. Here's the section: http://shariqansari.com/bluerondo-time.mp3

All I know is Take Five, which of course is in 5/4. Blue Rondo a la Turk is the other famous one; heavily syncopated 9/8 rhythm (2-2-2-3) that switches to 4/4 swing. What even better about it is that 2 measures of 9/8 happen to exactly equal 1 1/2 measures of the 4/4 swing. OMG!

Winamp. For batches of files with common tags, MP3BookHelper.

13/8 is pretty obscure to begin with. You'd be better off devoting this topic to helping people with irregular meters in general, and not just by providing a sample to listen to, but also explaining your approach to writing in an irregular meter. For example, thinking of a piece in terms of additive rhythms as opposed to divisive rhytms.

So, what exactly are you asking for help with?

The thing is, we DO know that it was the Rabbit Joint. The song was posted here first, and then it started floating around on Kazaa when people mislabelled it. That's why people THINK it's by System of a Down, but it really isn't. Hardcore SoaD fans have verified this for us. People have gone to SoaD fansites and done the research, etc etc. Drop the subject. Did you ever figure that that person was just an alt account made to piss people off? It's not an alt; in any case, this isn't the place to discuss that kind of thing.

The thing is, we DO know that it was the Rabbit Joint. The song was posted here first, and then it started floating around on Kazaa when people mislabelled it. That's why people THINK it's by System of a Down, but it really isn't. Hardcore SoaD fans have verified this for us. People have gone to SoaD fansites and done the research, etc etc. Drop the subject.

Hate to be glib, but Larry pretty much covered everything. This piece is mostly original whirly SFX with a bit of the game material in it. Needs more. NO

I think this arrangement has a lot of good ideas, but I disagree that the medly construction of this piece isn't bad in this case. I think it really detracts from the overall arrangement, mostly because no idea is present long enough to be fully appreciated. It sounds like I'm listening to a sampler CD for some 1990s sythesizer sample set. The piece suffers from bad samples (ugh, the brass) and sparse voicing. This piece really needs more mid voices to fill out the soundscape. Some tempo changes would help too; the constant 8th note barrage gets monotonous. NO

oooh what a hot beat man. Nice. Synths are really good too. Nice texture; nothing is out of place, and the balance is just right. The flute fits right in. Bassline is slick; present, but not overpowering. Zircon, that isn't 3/4 time; it's 6/8 in 2 (or 12/8 in 4, whatever floats your boat). Needless to say, flawless execution. These stylistic changeups are really nice. This is the kind of variation I like to hear. YES

Harmonic minor raises the leading tone, and melodic minor raises the 6th and 7th. [edit: gah, forgot to enable bbcode] Harmonic minor raises the 7th so that it becomes a leading tone. If you raise a leading tone, you get the octave.

Do whatever you want. If it sounds right, use it. Theory isn't a set of rules; it's a well of knowledge that allows you to understand how western music is constructed.

Quoting this for mix page's benefit. The rest of my post has nothing to do with this quote. Some people seem to be forgetting the point of this thread. Just post your review of the mix in question and be done with it. Stop posting about unrelated issues. I've moved a few posts to Abuse already. If you feel the need to discuss unrelated stuff, take it to PM.

Absolutey correct. There has been an historic double standard in review threads because artists understandably don't like like negative feedback without elaboration. The thing is, the listener doesn't have to be constructive. A review thread is for posting what you thought about a song. If I don't like a song, I can post "This is terrible. It sucks." That's actually acceptable, even if an artist doesn't like that. The artist can even say to me ,"Can you elaborate on that?" and if I choose to, I will. If I choose not to, I won't, and an artist can just disregard my thoughts. I've done that a few times myself with negative reviews. The real issue that we should always keep in mind is that we should never insult a person for their work. Negative feedback should always be directed towards the piece and performance, not the person. As artists, we need to be able to separate ourselves from our work when reading negative feedback. I realize that this a lot harder to do when you're a singer. A criticism of a performance feels like a criticism of one's person. But as artists, we can't let these things get to us and make us mad, or drive us away from the site and what we do here. Pixie, I realize it's a review thread for a mix that you took part in, but responding to criticism with profanity has no place here in the forum. Keep your cool, and think about what you're saying before you hit that submit button. Magi_Tekk: OCR is a dictatorship. It always has been, and it always will be. We won't control people's speech, but we will step in and moderate when necessary. This is all I'm going to say on the matter, which, in the context of this thread, should be dropped. Any other arguments should be taken to PM. Thanks.

Awesome awesome song. Decent vocals, nice guitar, but I like zircon's stuff the most. Yay pads+piano. Clean all around. How about you leave your browser/webdevelopment evangelism out of this review thread? The site loaded in my browser (Firefox 1.5) in about two seconds. You're not here to review people's websites. Post a review of the music and move on. This isn't an official warning, but do it again and you'll get one.

TO THE DUNGEONS WITH YOU! THE PRINCE OF PERSIA COMMANDS IT!

Thanks for the kind words about my mix.

Hey, glad to see a DJ MetaZero mix that isn't drowning in reverb. xD Pretty good production, but I'm gonna have to agree with Larry that the arrangement is pretty conservative. Could use some crazier interpretation. Also, some heavier harmonic support. I really wish the melody was louder too; it gets drowned out by the beats. It never really hits hard. Still, I loves me some good Megaman dance. REWORK/RESUB plz NO for now

Pretty much in agreement with Jon and Larry. The arrangement is pretty boring especially in the first half; the only thing this piece really has going for it are the keyboard solos. In the end though, the samples are weak and the texture is empty way too often. That full-stop in the middle there is pointless too; the two parts of the song are written in the same key at the same tempo with a similar groove; the best transition you could think of was silence? Also, the reverb used here is odd; this piece would benefit from a more intimate, less "performance hall" approach. The piece lacks dynamics, but the levels are bad. That piano solo at the end is too loud compared to the rest of the piece. NO

"i liek it" It's intimate, interpretive, and nicely played. Chord voicings are nice, and it sounds full, despite being a solo effort. I also agree with Jon; the Mario 2 overworld chord progression is fairly unique and recognizable. The solo section does a good job of keeping that and working it with. I'd have more of an issue if the chord progression was thrown out or radically altered. YES ...but I'd like to see a full-panel vote and a possible pretzel weigh-in on this one. Just to be sure. It's a tricky piece.

There's not much arrangement going on here. Sounds like the original arranged by ear (because there are some wrong notes) with some original stuff on top. This is pretty boring. Sounds are generic and the soundscape is pretty empty a lot of the time. NO

Wow, I like the source material. Wow, I like the remix. Wonderfully interpretive; great bassline. Jazzy and cool, with a touch of eccentricity. Nice. It's a bit short; I wish it was longer. YES

Yeah. It's the same 2 bar motif played over and over again with some embellishments. Nice piano, but seriously, a 1:15 arrangement isn't going to cut it, especially with so little source material you're working with. NO