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Everything posted by DarkeSword
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I think that your drummer drowned in all that distortion. Seriously, I like distortion as much as the next guy (unless the next guy is SeattleOverCoat *ZING!*), but seriously folks, it's very hard to hear anything aside from the guitars and the ride cymbal throught this piece. Might be recording issues, might be mastering issues, I don't know, but it's a bit muddy. Also, I checked out the original; I'd rather listen to that one; it's a lot cleaner and more enjoyable than your own rendition, which is, as you say, a cover. I'm glad you enjoyed rocking out, but when you're trying to rock out on a song that already rocks out, you need to SERIOUSLY rock out, and rock it out well. NO.
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*NO* Legend of Zelda 'DarkNess Multimix'
DarkeSword replied to djpretzel's topic in Judges Decisions
Okay. I love this style; it's very unique! I like your interpretation of the themes, particularly the Main Theme and the Windmill. I do, however, think this mix could use some work. First; that pervasive drum loop that continues throughout the mix. It sounds very drumloopy. You mentioned you used FruityLoops. Drop that shiz in the slicer, yo'. Mess with it. Cut it up and rearrange it. PLEASE! Another thing; it seems like a lot of your stuff is using the same phaser preset; mess with those settings too, and try to use different phaser settings. Those pads are not bad, but they seem to be shoved to the right. Trying bringing them closer to the center. One thing that really bothers me about this mix is the Gerudo part. There's that tinny instrument on the left that plays the melody after a bit; I have an issue with the key its in. It sounds really off compared to your chords. Try to get those int the same key, please. It would make it sound so much better. I like this piece, I really do. I also think you can do a lot more with it. I'm going to give this a NO, because of the issues I mentioned, but I'm also going to say that if my fellow judges also give this mix a NO, please take the suggestions in to consideration and resubmit. You have a cool sound; I'd like to see you on OCR. -
Man, I feel like I'm judging IMC again. I got a S|r Nuts mix and a Sadorf mix in this batch to judge. XD Okay. So this mix; it's pretty cool. I love nearly all the sounds used in this mix. Lots of cool gated stuff going on in the leads, and the mix progresses quite nicely. Percussion is pretty stock for the most part; I expected a bit more from Nuts, listening to some of his previous works. Gets the job done, though. The synth that comes in at 1:33 is a bit harsh, but I get used to it after a while. It fits the mood of the piece pretty well. The synth that comes in around 2:50 and defilters at 3:00 could have had a quicker decay though. Seems to be blending together, and I think something more defined that didn't fill up my ears would have worked better. Nevertheless, I like this. It's pumping, rapid-fire stuff that gets my head bouncing. YES
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OCR01146 - *YES* Jet Set Radio 'Late Night Sneakin'
DarkeSword replied to djpretzel's topic in Judges Decisions
Wow. Percussion break is sexy. Woo. I really like this. You've done a great job combining both songs into one piece of music. Very groovy and fast paced. Lots of vocal samples, but that's characteristic of the OST itself, so I can't fault you for that. Plus they work really well. Some slight clipping though. Negligible. YES -
This arrangement is really straightforward. For a song like Terra's Theme, that has so many arrangements, you really need to bring something new to the table I think. At the same time, I don't think we've really had an arrangement of Terra that's really straightforward like this one. I don't like your string sample all that much, but it gets the job done. The harp is not bad, but it just continues throughout the entire piece, and sometimes it seems like it's the only instrument moving at points. There's a lot of dead points in Terra's Theme where it's just a sustained note, so you need to have something more than a harp filling in that space. Those orchestra stabs around 3:03 have a really fakey brass sound in there; sounds a bit off the first few times. I would have liked to hear some more things going on, some more interpretation, rhythmically, harmonically, etc. The piece could use some mastering too. What you have is not bad. I'm very borderline on this. I'm going to say NO for now, but if other judges can convince me otherwise, I'll change my vote.
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OCR01125 - Astérix (NES) "Niggaz 4 Life"
DarkeSword replied to djpretzel's topic in ReMix Reviews & Comments
Wow, have you ever even heard of blue notes? -
VGFreq is on in a few minutes! Invite yourself to the AIM chatroom "VG Frequency" (no quotes). http://www.emory.edu/WMRE/wmre.ram GO GO GO
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Pretty cinematic. Nice opening. Brass is kinda bleh, but good atmosphere. Samples at some points are kinda "meh," but the arrangement is good. Nice highs and lows. Kinda slow goings though; I wish it would pick up more. Choir swelling at the end is nice. The gong would have been nice to hear again at the end. This works. I LIEK IT!!~1~1!!@12 YES~
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OCR01125 - Astérix (NES) "Niggaz 4 Life"
DarkeSword replied to djpretzel's topic in ReMix Reviews & Comments
It's a tight track no doubt, and I think the word in question is used appropriately. It's not 'nigger,' it's 'nigga,' a word you'll hear all too often around black people. They use it the same way surfer-boys use 'dude.' This is hot stuff, and definitely, as DJP said, an instant classic. -
*NO* Mega Man X5 'The Maverick Revolution'
DarkeSword replied to djpretzel's topic in Judges Decisions
As much as I love reverb, you gotta lay off that stuff man. It's bad for your arteries. Everything is blending together, especially with those bell sounds. They're a nice sound; don't drench them in reverb. Like the others said, this song could use some EQing. It sounds kind of muffled, and there's some clipping going on. This song is filling up my ears, but not in a good way. Everything sounds really crunched together. Go for a wider sound, and tone back those drums a bit. I'd also like to see the opening section with the guitar come back in somehow; it would make the mix feel more complete. It sounds like two separate pieces as of now, especially since you've got that pause in there; a more seamless transition would help. NO for now, but please work on this more. I do like where you're going, and I'd love to hear it when you get there. -
I like this. Nice and solid trance, with lots of change ups. It stays interesting. I love that detuned sound, so this is a real treat for me; I just wish it was a bit more defined. I especially like your interpretation of the melody at 3:32. Putting the pickups on beat one sounds a bit weird at first, but after listening to it a few times, you get the anthemic feeling. This is a keeper. YES.
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This is really lo-fi man. Really. Guitar playing isn't bad though, and I don't mind the interesting harmonies too much, but there are a few timing issues that I keep hearing. Guitar solos are nice. The lo-fi-ness really kills this song though, it's hard to separate what's going on in this song. NO
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*NO* Chrono Cross 'She Was Dreaming in the Rain'
DarkeSword replied to djpretzel's topic in Judges Decisions
I agree. This song is pretty similar to the original, except it's a bit simpler, and it's got a rain sample. The piano sounds REALLY mechanical too, and the sample used comes off sounding too bright. I'd pay attention to piano velocities. That choir part is lifted right out of the original too. The original had a great organic quality; what you've done here isn't very interesting, and it sounds really mechanical and lifeless. Too bad too. If you put more effort into the rearrangement, maybe even if you got someone to do some vocals for you, you could be onto something. NO -
I only hear bits and pieces and snippets of Time's Scar in here, and have a hard time recognizing any other CC tunes. The LotR theme stands out, but doesn't fit in, and shortly after that, there are some notes that just don't sit right with me. The recording job, as mentioned, is also not that great. The solo flute is too sparse, the tone sounds amateurish and the actual arrangement is rather boring. Does a celtic flute have more of a range? Consider taking some parts higher on the register for some variety. NO
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OCR01128 - *YES* Puzzle Bobble 'Silver Dragon's Bubbles'
DarkeSword replied to djpretzel's topic in Judges Decisions
Can't stress this enough. The mix sounds a bit...dry? Not much depth to the sound here; sounds Casio keyboardish. Not that the samples suck...I suppose it's part of the goofy charm, but a lot of it sounds like default preset Fruity business. Drums could come out a bit more too. I dunno...seems like a lot more work could go into this. The arrangement's pretty basic too, and those solos at the end sound obligatory rather than natural. NO -
Drum work is really nice. Pads and sounds are really great and build a good texture. I can kind of see what Vig is saying about the arrangement, but I don't think that it's on such a scale where it's detrimental to the mix. I think that the calmer stuff framed by the more intense stuff works well. That 'guitar' sound is...unique. Great work. I give it a YES, which is SEY backwards.
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Savior, did you buy all the extra plugins? Because you have to pay for a lot of the extra stuff like SFPlayer, Wasp, and Sytrus. If you did, go to FLStudio.com and post your problem there; they'll help you get it sorted out. If you haven't paid for it, then don't used the plugins, find alternatives, or buy the ones you want to use.
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OCR01127 - *YES* Resident Evil 2 'Ada's Groove'
DarkeSword replied to djpretzel's topic in Judges Decisions
Oooh, rather sweet. Great texture you've got here; I really like your sounds. Like Coma mentioned, the synth that replaces the piano really works well as the continuo line through this mix. Effects are used quite well, and the levels are just right. ... Damn! It ended! I really wish this was longer. The pads come in and it sounds like you're going to do some kind of wicked breakdown in the percussion, but it just ends. Aw man. I really like what you have, but I'm gonna say NO along with a desparate plea for a longer version and resubmission. What you have here is a really awesome start, but you've gotta develop this more. PLEASE -
OCR01135 - *YES* Final Fantasy 6 'Battle Theme (Ivory Metal Mix)'
DarkeSword replied to djpretzel's topic in Judges Decisions
I don't like the dissonance in the beginning. I can see what you're trying to do there, but I think it would work if you changed that bass note to match your chord changes. The arrangement is a pretty straighforward rendition of the battle theme; not much in the way of change in the first half. This piece has a lot of momentum, which is great, but I wish that left-hand would lay off the eighth notes for a while and do something substantially different, because it gets tiring after a while. You definitely know what you're doing on a piano, no doubt about it, but I'd like to hear some more in way of variation in terms of the development of this arrangement. It just starts off and goes and goes and goes and doesn't let up the whole way through. Definitely not bad; I do like a lot of it, but I'm going to give it a NO for now and encourage you to take a look at some things and resubmit, particularly the opening dissonance Prot mentioned and harmony stuff Vig talked about. -
*NO* Donkey Kong Country 2 'A Stroll in the Wood'
DarkeSword replied to djpretzel's topic in Judges Decisions
I don't mind the bass sound so much. Some balance issues in this one concerning the instrumentation, though. Those strings could be made a bit quieter after a while. The drums are kind of in-your-face, which I wouldn't mind so much if the samples didn't suck. That hi-hat is too loud, and that kick sound is annoying. Most of the first two minutes of this mix sounds like it's just going through the motions; it doesn't really have a direction. The drum break in the latter half isn't bad, but the samples take some of the fun out of it. NO -
Funkalicious. I really enjoyed this; there's a lot of kinetic energy here. Samples are pretty good, and those horn chords make me feel like a superspy. I also like how the song jumps right back in at 2:39 after the fake-out fade-out. Really groovy stuff. Only gripe is that snare sample; I'd have preferred something like a rimshot or something a bit more DnB sounding. Overall though, quite nice. YES
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I'm probably one of the biggest Rocket Knight fans out there, so I was hoping this remix would rock my socks; unfortunately, I'm going to side with the majority on this one. This piece isn't really much of an improvement over the original; not much changes from section to section aside from the melody. It's also filling up my ears, but not in a good way. Sounds over compressed. As much as I'd love to see a Sparkster remix on OCR (especially of this track), I'm gonna have to give this a NO.
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OCR01131 - *YES* Sorcerian 'Cursed Piano'
DarkeSword replied to djpretzel's topic in Judges Decisions
Hm, this is quite nice. I'm not at all familiar with the original, but it seems to me there's a good amount of arrangement going on here. There's a nice sense of momentum throughout the piece, but at the same time, it's broken up by a lot of neat rhythmic things that make me sit up and pay attention. I do agree with Malcos though; it lacks a bit on the higher end. That's a minor gripe though. Excellently done. YES