Hemophiliac

Wild time sigs on the original, surely a tough transcribe as you said. They also give the source a very unique uneven and unsettling feel too. First off, I want to applaud the direction taken, you've added some much needed drive to this that the source did not have. The original felt very one-dimensional and this is an improvement to me. The live performances are strong and are highlighted appropriately in the mix. Great work all around! YES

Definitely a throwback vibe to earty 2000s trance, that's cool. The sound design choices are definitely a decision and that's both a good and bad thing. Good because you've nailed that specific vibe, but bad because it does sound generic too. No points lost for that, just wanted to point it out. Leads could benefit from some modulation or changing up. Onto the biggest issue I've noticed is the source usage. 0:29-0:43 and 0:51-1:20 are the only two spots where I can identify the source, and even those aren't direct carry-overs from the source. They are interpretive. Even with the breakdown, I'm not picking up on the source outside of those two spots. If you do go back to revisit this, you're going to really look carefully at how you use the sources and how you can make them more identifiable and dominant. There's also a couple places where the part writing sounds out of key that should be examined. Like prophetik mentioned, 2:11~ in the piano. During 2:25-2:50~ there is some clicks/popping from something, no idea what is causing it. Structurally, I feel the piece works overall. It takes us on a journey and tells a story. The ending however, does leave something to be desired as the ending loses steam after 3:53. I'm not saying it doesn't work, it's just not ideal. After all that it will probably sound like I hate this, but the opposite is true. It is an enjoyable throwback, but would need a reworking to get this over the bar. NO

Kudos on resubmitting! Well done applying our feedback from the first go. I'm hearing much improvement in terms of melodic focus, which was one of my complaints on the first version. I still like the arrangement and the overall piece flows very well as a song. It does feel like one piece even though there are a couple sources used. The opening minute strings are lovely even with a relatively flat dynamic, sets the mood for melancholy and dark. My only complaint now is the percussion and mix glue. The percussion sounds dry and forward, and the other parts feel very separate from the percussion in another space. It's not so far off that I'm going to ding you just on that. I see this as being over the bar now, and you can think about better part glue with compression and careful reverb application amongst parts for future work. YES

I don't know why this is still here. I'm guessing this is probably a lesser known source as to why. jnWake + friends always = Ace tracks. No disappointment here at all. All performances are super clean and the production follows in suit. It's not the usual prog with a bunch of time changes like usual, but this demonstrates more restraint in arrangement and really lets the live performances shine through. Nothing else you can really say except this is great. YES

This is pretty fantastic, great atmosphere and soundscape. Such a luscious bass, fills up so much of the space in a good way. Kick sounds great, and really cuts through nicely. The boomwhacker sound is not something I think I've heard in an arrangement before, but it fits in perfectly here. There was a few times when I though the melodic elements could have been more focal and forward in the mix, but they also weren't buried as is. Hard to have them be focal on a casual listen when the bass is also this massive as well. Pop artifact at the beginning has already been mentioned. I really don't have any major complaints here, and if this passes it's going to be a strong debut for Inawyn. YES

In a macro sense, I think this arrangement was pretty good. It's just got the minor issues holding it back from being the complete package. For me the biggest offender and the reason why I can't give this a pass is the dissonances in the backing elements. 2:35 stands out to me the most with regards to dissonances, doesn't sound like an individual note here but a chord choice not fitting. Flexstyle also pointed out other timestamps that should be addressed as well. Hi hats also stand out in the mixdown, feel hotter than the leads to me. Guitar work was good and sits within the mix well, just check for dissonances in the chords. Also liked the subtle movement on the synth leads when they would occasionally pop-in. I know you're capable of revision in a manner that will address our concerns and keeps your idea intact. Please revisit this and send it back when you're ready. NO (resubmit)

You're just another brick in the wall...of sound. Arrangement is good, clearly goes places and tells an uplifting story. At the end this is borderline too full with too many parts going on, however it's all a giant contrast to the sparseness of the first half of the song. Creative suggestion: save the high string octave later in the song and let them be another level of lift or energy creation. I felt like they came into that octave too early, it's like...ok they are at the top, where else can they go now? All that fullness aside this is great, and it absolutely should be on the front page. YES

Once again we have the ultra rad chip interpretations from JSABlixer. I'm always impressed at your willingness to interpret and mangle the source tunes in such a way that makes them your own but keeps them recognizable. Adding completely original material that is super wild or adding crazy special effects you can only get with chips. 3:28-3:48 is really cool, the percussive effects are insane (I assume this is the Dracula battle that was mentioned in the write-up). This is mono and I wish it was chip+ with panning to really give it a modern upgrade. I am hearing something that sounds like an artifact; a high click sound that first starts at 0:55,1:03, and 1:07. It continues after that as well more parts are playing together. I just wanted to give a few timestamps where I'm hearing it. It seems to happen in unusual spots not necessarily in time with the music so I'm not sure what the cause is, but it stands out as not sounding intentional. The biggest drawback however is the repetition throughout. Prophetik really laid it out perfectly in his vote with timestamps even, so I'm not going to rehash it as he covered the details. Need to change things up more! You have the creative ideas to change up the source through melodic and harmonic stuff, now you just gotta work on not relying on repeats, and instead if you want to repeat...change something up about the second time it's used. Really enjoyed the track, but as is I can't pass it with the repetition and artifact click. NO

As the two previous judges have mentioned, the arrangement on this is not at all the issue here. I like the conservative approach with minor additions throughout. The arrangement itself is very pleasant and I could listen to this on loop with more work put into it. The interplay between the guitar and the piano is very pleasant, however; the guitar is mixed behind the piano and is tougher to focus on with the piano being much more forward. I don't love the vox but it's possible to get by with this sample. As a vocalist myself, I'm always bothered when I hear forte timbre being applied softly through samples. It just sounds unnatural. Unfortunately, the humanization of all of the parts is the drawback here. With only 3 parts, they are exposed and it makes it easier to hear when things aren't as realistic sounding as they could be. If you don't want to get live performances, that's fine. You'll just need to spend a lot of time working on the fine details of performance to sound more in line with a human performance. Now, I'm not saying things are robotic here, but they certainly could be improved. 2:33-2:56 in particular (in the piano) stood out as it seems no pedaling was utilized here. Exaggerate what you've already put in as well as adding more human rhythm/velocity variation will go a long way to improving this. Just not quite passed the finish line yet. NO (resubmit)

I'm not sure why but I'm feeling like this is comparable to Hydrophone Breakdown by JJT. Something about the soundscape itself beckons back to it. After 2:25 the drums in particular really remind me of the FF7 track very much. Some overdrive or distortion effects on hand pan + synth background elements make them very present in the mix, nearly being too powerful. They toe the line nicely without becoming dominant, but add color instead. I like how clean the snare sounds in the first 1:31 of the track, it really cuts through. It has an interesting contrast between the clean sound of the snare and the semi-distorted and semi-lofi pad/strings in the background. The time signature change to 6 is also handled nicely, and allows lots of space to experiment with melodic changes and embellishment. Every time you step away from the source momentarily you pull us right back to it keeping us anchored to Schala. To me the harmonic changes and melodic embellishment are highlights of the track. The ending closing with some quotes from other CT sources was a nice way to close out the ethereal and floaty conclusion. I could see a complaint being made of the distortion heavy background elements getting too big and creating muddiness, but to me it serves as a wall of sound and energy climax (particularly in the final 1/3 of the track). Refreshing and unique take on a classic. YES

I have to echo what the two previous votes have said on their points, I agree with them. The leads are often much too bright and forward, really making a harsh unpleasant tone to listen to for long periods. A few things that I want to add: 0:37 shakuhachi-like instrument enters and it's very dry and present. 3:07-4:20 there are many notes during this section that just sound wrong. Something is dissonant and not in a pleasant way, at times it just sounds like the shakuhachi/flute is playing in a different key entirely. Many transitions and direct modulations don't feel prepared and as a listener you're jarred from section to section. The overall macro-structure of the song is fine, and there's a journey taken and a story told. There just needs to have a lot of work done to improve the detail work and production. After 3:07 think about what's the most important part of the arrangement and have that be the focus. Not only are there a lot of parts going on, but the balance between parts is off. As the lead is much louder and forward then the other parts. This whole section is brickwalled too, give the listener some breathing room here to be able to process everything that's going on. Prophetik mentioned side-chaining for this section, and I'm not hearing any being used here. It would definitely help clean up this section some with minimal effort. The ending after 6:23 having an echo-like coda that fades to nothing is much quieter than the section proceeding it, I honestly thought I had something else accidentally playing in the background at the same time. I do like that some attention has been given to the articulations on the leads with some glissandos as well as shaping of phrases with dynamics and crescendos/decrescendos. However, the actual instruments used are still feeling unrealistic. This can be helped some with better application of reverb on them and pushing them back into the mix so that they aren't forward and as present. When something stands out as much as these leads it's easy to hear their imperfections, easier to get away with less realism when it is pushed back into the mix. NO

While this is a fun and peppy throwback track, as this sounds like something you'd hear from the early 2000s. However, it's very much a cover with a genre adaption. We're looking more for Magna Romagna's flavors and spices applied to it. Genre adaption is a start at doing this, but you would need to do more than just that. It could be melodic interpretation, adding original sections, or changing the time signature. Those are just a few suggestions, and certainly doesn't cover all possibilities. What you've got here isn't bad at all, just not what we're looking for in a passing arrangement. If you need assistance with those ideas or how to interpret the source more, I recommend utilizing the workshop on the forums to get feedback or join the Discord and do the same in the #workshop channel there. Again, this isn't a bad start at all; the potential is there. It just needs more of your own development and interpretation of the source. NO (resubmit)

Care to elaborate? Not much being mentioned here...

This is a fun, but highly conservative arrangement. Going dnb isn't a bad call, but when you're working with loops like this you need to give some variety or variation with them. You drop out the drums at good times such as 0:41. Keeping the same loop over and over gets old very fast, so changing it up or slicing it goes a long way to keeping the track moving and avoiding becoming static. The ending is awkward as the final transition at 2:09 is abrupt to get us bookended to the opening bass loop, and then it has a very quick fade-out to close it. Nothing wrong with book-ending the track, it's just the sudden transition back and the quick fade. A more definitive ending would be ideal considering it is such a short track. I'm not sure if that is the original source instrument lead in the background or a synth that is very close to it, but I would suggest to make that not as similar to avoid the confusion of it possibly being just the original in the back. Some of the other synth choices aren't ideal, but I don't want to criticize those too much as that can be an artistic choice and they don't impact my decision on this track in particular. I agree with Prophetik that we need more of Radixerus' takes and inspiration to take this to the next level. Let's hear what you bring to it aside from the drum loops. That could be in the form of melodic changes, harmonic changes, or maybe a brand new section that's completely original. Those are just a few examples (but not all) of how one could bring your own looks to a track. If you feel you need more help in that department I'd recommend posting in the workshop or joining the discord seeking feedback on there. NO

We need more new jack swing! Severely under represented genre with VGM. This is a fun track with excellently sung vocals by Alvic. I'm also a sucker for well used orch hits! For me there's two major issues and one less so. One, the arrangement is too conservative and close to the original source. Now, you've nailed the genre adaption, but it's still too close. The second major issue is the drums don't have enough variation and are stuck and static on the same pattern for most of the track. Nothing wrong with the pattern itself as it feels very appropriate for the genre. It just doesn't change or have parts added or subtracted as the song progresses. Give us some variety to change things up and give a sense of progression aside from section changes. For me the minor issue is the lack of weight in the bass, and that could be because it's quieter then the other parts. Compression might help bring it out and give it the beef I think of when I think of that particular 90s sound. The other production feels mostly solid to me, the vocal processing was handled very well in particular. The fadeout ending isn't great but it doesn't bother me either. Wish I could give this the nod, but the closeness to the source and autopilot drums kept this playboy out of the club. NO

This is really begging for more development and expansion. As of right now this is mostly an orchestration of parts rather then a fully realized ReMix. The dynamics are fantastic and I'm so glad to hear the gamut of soft to loud here. The samples and production are handled well enough for them to not be an issue in what would pass this. The issue comes down to the arrangement. It's conservative and doesn't take us far away from that source much. At 1:28 it barely feels like the idea is executed before it's done. For me to pass this I would need to see more of your own expansion on the theme and/or some creative interpretation of the melodic material. This sounds good, but there's not enough material to feel fully developed. NO

This is a solid arrangement. I like the opening filtered beat making way for a bigger impact when the filter comes off at 0:42. The changes/additions to texture and section come right as they are about to run out their welcome. Borderline approaching repetitiveness, and then the changes come. I didn't understand the story being told by the foley at 3:06-3:13. I don't need to grok it, but understanding why it's there in the grand scheme of things makes sense. It broke up the longer section from prior and let the recapitulation of the theme return afterwards. Production is mostly clean with all the parts coming through clearly. The one exception is to that is the sub-bass in the final section. It did have some material lower than 20Hz coming through on it (3:33-end), so you gotta watch-out for that so it doesn't create any issues, plus it is very quiet. I have to wonder how this one would've worked with a more traditional bass in this final section other then just the kick + sub growl. More similar to the how the first 2 minutes bass is. It feels more substantial and present there. This is a silly (it is Earthbound after all) track and absolutely has a place on the front page, let's go! Well done! YES

This is tough. It's gonna sound like I don't like this, which is not the case I do enjoy the concept a lot. I can really get behind the idea of an ambient/chill track, I love putting these on and just zoning out. This one just feels incomplete without more to it. It feels like a mostly polished sketch of something greater. Now, I'm not saying this needs percussion to be successful because that's the first thing that came to mind. Rather, this needs more to it. More ear candy, more subtle background parts, more dynamics, more modulation...anything. It could be this chill and ambient without percussion but you would need to find a way to add in subtle background substance to give this more forward momentum. As it is right now it's feeling more static. It does have some growth/modulation/dynamics to some parts, but I think it needs to be more exaggerated to make it work better. I am hearing the connection to the source in and I feel like that aspect is done fine. I also want to echo the sound design comments that Prophetik pointed out. Because things are more sparse the attacks will really stand out, as well as the amp noise on the guitar. So again, great concept, just needing some small clean up on sound design, and some more subtle background things. NO (resubmit)

I'm surprised this is still on the panel just over two months because hot damn, this is fire. jnWake's signature keyboard synths and pristine mixing highlighted by terrific performances by Jabo and minusworld. This arrangement is fantastic, anchored to the source as a basis for the insane soloing by everyone. You guys are just showing off, sick. Slam dunk YES

I think the one criticism that I can make here is the amount of reverb/stereo delay on the lead is almost too much here. On faster notes it overlaps with the next notes causing a washed out sound on faster passages. Fortunately there are not many of those moments and the melody just hovers over everything. If the stereo delay or reverb was reduced this might be too thin and sparse, so it's filling in the space when the pads aren't taking over the foreground such as 1:06-1:34. Arrangement is terrific as always with MkVaff and delivers his own unique vibe and continues to fit in with his "Sin City" line of tracks he's been producing. Great work as always, chill beats, and awesome vibe. Easy YES

This is really lovely, another great arrangement with tremendous performances from everyone. The restraint that is demonstrated early in the track really allows it to develop and explode into a wonderful full sound late into the track. Slow burn again pays off with cool vibes. My only complaint is the tambourine in the second half being hotter then my personal preference, but that's not a knock at all when that's the only thing I can complain about. Frankly my favorite stuff about this is in the first half of the arrangement when things are exposed and sparse. The piano early on is a great gentle accompaniment. The acoustic is wonderful. The 1:34-2:05 gentle sine synth was such an unexpected but ever so fitting addition that really felt that it belonged within the context of all of the acoustic setting. Very well done! YES

Not the best samples here, but some careful attention has been given to the phrasing and dynamics. The dynamic range in particular is good and it's nice to show a wide range. Some woodwinds felt honky when they were exposed and had less to cover them up. As things progressed and more parts came in they got layered in and it was less of an issue. In a macro-sense the arrangement is conservative, but the personalization has come from the orchestration and the addition of layers upon layers of instruments. Would've been nice to have a new section with some melodic interpretation but not necessary. This one won't be forgotten because it's destined for the front page. YES

Much respect to you. Being able to do something more conservative and simple instead of the usual unique approach you take is great. Especially when this was produced very well. Arrangement is conservative but with plenty of your own personalization. I particularly like your part writing in the bass, those slides are super slick! This goes to show that not everything needs to be off the walls crazy and over-produced. Sometimes simple can be a better approach. Nice work Michael! YES

Have to start out by saying the intro is very cool. I love it when something starts out with simple sounds and morphs them into more of the identity of the track. Nice work going from chip to guitar smoothly as that can be difficult to pull off. This one is wild, both in good and bad ways. The wild energy is to your benefit, the panning on the other hand is unusual and very wide at times. The wideness of the panning combined with the dryness of the instruments is creating a lot of empty space and texture. Liontamer identified the same and noted the spots where this was the biggest issue. When everything is playing together, it has a fullness that is alright, but when it's only an element or two together it feels too texturally sparse for me. The source is there on this, but it feels more interpretive then straight up conservative as Chimpazilla was suggesting. More direct reference to the melody would've been nice but not a requirement. I like the performance and interpretation, but the mixing, panning, and sparseness were arsenic and rat poison to me. There's definitely something to this energy though, and I'm bummed that I have to give this a NO

Another high energy, wacky submission from CJ. Fun and short. Almost too repetitive, but I'm picking up on tiny differences between the first A section and the repeat at the end that makes them stand apart from each other. Foley + SFX are good and are fitting. Even though there is a contrasting middle section with less stuff going on, I don't feel like this goes anywhere. That could be a product of the length, and nearly same repeat at the end, but I can't say for sure that's the cause. I'd really like to see more development and progression in a future CJ track because this seems to be a reoccurring problem in your work. Anyways, this is perfectly fine and it should be on the front page...some random person is gonna think, "Ultimate Paintball Challenge, never thought I'd see that on OCR". YES