DarkeSword

This is the WiiU thread. If you want to complain about stereoscopic 3D, find the 3DS thread.

A little bit of an informal survey: how closely are you guys working with your team members, week to week?

Make sure you guys grab the archival release of 2011. It's super cool and features super cool album art.

The releases section of the first post is updated to include a brand new ARCHIVAL RELEASE of 2011's WCRG. Make sure you grab it for updated filenames, tags, and album art, including fantastic team portraits by rnn.

DUUUUUUUUDE you gotta finish this

Hey, fuck you man.

Which is exactly why I'll vote for that one over the really well produced track with an utterly boring arrangement. xD In sum: .

Not at all! I'm not really disagreeing with you here, but top-notch production with a very boring arrangement is also going to affect the enjoyment of the piece. Even as just a listener, I'd rather listen to a track that's really creative in how it combines two themes into one song than a track that sounds like two unrelated shorter tracks put together. If you're going to do a back-and-forth arrangement, do a really fun back-and-forth arrangement; don't do a boring back-to-back one! xDAnd part-writing and song structure is just really important. Sometimes it doesn't matter how well you mix and master everything, or how well your musicians are performing the piece, because there's invariably that one part of the song where the transition is so awkward and jarring and you just go, "whoa...what the hell?!" Even people who aren't composers understand when something is harmonically off. The classic example is playing a C scale on a piano, and then playing a C# instead of a C when you get to the top. Everyone in the room will cringe or scrunch their nose or look at you funny if you do that. Sure, but my goal is to have it be more of, "Oh cool! They used both of my favorite songs and put them together in a cool way! That's awesome!" I'm not saying production is not important. I personally often vote for tracks that have great production, but those tracks are usually also tracks that use their awesome production to realize great arrangement ideas. Like you said, they're not mutually exclusive, and production quality is listed as something voters should consider when making their picks every week. Great production makes a great arrangement amazing, but it can't save a bad one. Conversely, a great arrangement can make a well-produced track really stand out, but a great arrangement won't get you anywhere if it just sounds bad. I really appreciate all your comments. I do actually point out that the usage of both themes is the more important factor to consider, but that production and general enjoyability of the track should also be considered in the voting guidelines. How people apply this criteria is up to them. I just don't want people to forget about the fact that artists should be using both sources. For example: if I mix this week and do the most amazing remix of Blizzard Man the world has ever heard, with impeccably recorded live orchestra fused with a top-notch EDM soundscape, but I only use like 12 seconds of The Moon tacked on to the end, you should not be voting for me. xD

Sure I have. But what I'm saying is that in practice, what I'm seeing here is that some guys are just writing two remixes that don't really have any commonality between them at all, tacking them together, and calling it a day. When a pro DJ does it in a club, it can be awesome. What I'm hearing here is just jarring. That's not the purpose of this competition. It's an arrangement competition, not a production competition; the idea is to really dig in to the source material and understand what's going on musically, to find common threads, to take a song that has certain harmonic qualities and adapt it to fit in with a song that has different harmonic qualities. That's why I have people choose one source track that they'll carry through the entire competition. I can't just write a straight genre adaptation of Blizzard Man every time it's my turn to remix; I have to examine Blizzard Man in the context of MM10 Wily Stage 1, and then I have to do the same thing with MM6 Mr. X Stage 1, and then look at Blizzard Man again in the context of MM2 Wily Stage 1. My approach to Blizzard Man is going to be different every time because I have to think "what's the music like when Blizzard Man is fighting through this stage?" I know production is important; having great production gives the artist the means to express and execute their concept fully. But when people are both arranging and voting, I don't want them to focus on whatever "just sounds good." Both sources should be used effectively. And "effectively" certainly can mean doing a back-and-forth style arrangement like you talked about, but even a professional DJ spinning tracks in a club understands concepts like pacing, build, and dynamics that let him effectively manage the energy on the dance floor. Transitions, even if they're as quick as turning on a dime, are still important.

You submit WAVs so that I can encode everything consistently.

Yes. I saw a couple of guys posting breakdowns once voting started for Round 2. Honestly, you shouldn't have to justify your arrangement by explaining it; the arrangement should be enough on its own. People should be able to listen to the song and hear the source usage. I was talking to Larry about this a few nights ago in the Judges Chat. We were judging remixes and I had to vote NO on a piece that sounded fantastic but was incredibly liberal on the source usage. It was very disappointing actually, and I said to Larry, "Man, I know OCR is about arrangement and reinterpretation, but sometimes I want to tell these guys to stop trying so hard and reign it in a little." I want you guys to be careful about going so far down Arrangement Road™ that you feel like you need to start writing out breakdowns every week just to justify your interpretations. Voters shouldn't have to listen to your remixes while reading the play-by-play to just get an accurate picture of your source usage. Please keep in mind that I'm not saying, "Don't post breakdowns." That's silly, and you're free to do so if you wish; it can be valuable to other artists to understand the techniques you're using. But don't write a liberal arrangement, post a breakdown, and then be disappointed when voters don't "get" what you were doing.

Rockman Xover is a weird smartphone game. The game is crap but the music is really good. Capcom posted the soundtrack for free on their site. http://www.nubuwo.com/posts/capcom-shares-rockman-xover-soundtrack GET

Yeah. I want to emphasize this. The point is not to have 50/50 balance, but to use elements from both pieces meaningfully.

It's actually written in the first post. I make sure to always post the exact date and time when voting is ending. This is something I've been doing for a couple of years now.

I've created a #wcrg IRC channel on esper.net. Feel free to join and use it as a base for listening parties, remix discussion, etc.

Round 2's remixes are up. Remember guys, voting ends on Saturday at 6PM EDT. Yesterday's voting extension was a one-time thing. Don't count on it happening again.

Yeah. I mean I understand the value of key changes in composition at that level, but what I'm seeing from some of the novice remixes is a lack of understanding of the very basics of music theory that could be helping them make a more cohesive arrangement. I'm trying to be more proactive in this competition in helping people to learn about this stuff. The competitions I run are all primarily arrangement/composition competitions and I think that people could be learning a lot from participating.

Check the first post for this week's gauntlet theme and the latest developments in this year's WCRG storyline.

Man. Once the next block rolls around, I really need to figure out a way to teach some of you guys about identifying the keys of the songs you're remixing and putting both tracks in the same key for your remix. Also need to get some of you guys past just doing two separate remixes and tacking them together; remember, the goal is to make one cohesive song. Someone unfamiliar with the sources should not really be able to tell that you remixed two piece of music together. I want this year's WCRG to be a lot more educational. Maybe a bunch of us (noobs and vets alike) can all sit down in a Google Hangout during round 4 and talk about arrangement techniques, sort of a Wily Castle Master Class. Interested?

I have all 14 remixes. Congratulations to everyone on achieving a completely full week! Submission is still open until 6PM EDT, so if you have changes you need to make, get me your updated track by then.

Seriously, no. KgZ I got your PMs. I have your mix.

I have Handsome Devils remix. Also, seriously, please do not call me Sharky.

Yeah let's just go with that. I've updated the first post to have a special note about session musicians and performers. Please feel free to utilize all of the resources you have at your disposal. Still waiting for remixes from: The Handsome Devils The Robot Museum The Robutt Masters

You make good points. What does everyone else think? EDIT: You know what? I DON'T GIVE A SHIT WHAT YOU GUYS THINK. I'M JUST GONNA MAKE A DECISION ON MY OWN!!!!! :-x I'm going to adjust the rules for this competition and say that session musicians/performers are allowed. If you have the resources to make that kind of thing happen, then you should be able to utilize those resources. Please keep in mind that musicians and performers should not be involved in the arrangement of your track. As always, I obviously have no way of enforcing this, so I'm asking you to be on your honor.