Hemophiliac   Judges ⚖️

Wow that's a crazy interesting source tune. Gonna be wild to arrange this, let's see what we've got. For anyone who comes across this thread in the future, I encourage you to check out the source. Chimpazilla put it perfectly when she said that this sounds like "The non-glitchified version of this original". I have to thank you for providing a breakdown because that is a long source. You've definitely done a great job of adapting this in your own way and moving the individual sections and parts around to fit your own liking. That is the strength of this piece, the arrangement. Good job there. The additional high woodwinds were a great choice for accenting the top of those fast runs early. It's very tough to get stuff sounding hyper-realistic and this is a case where some aspects of it are solid and others are lacking. For example, when there are runs by strings and horns late into the track (2:31-2:42), it feels like they are slightly behind and have longer attacks. Marcato or short patches might work better in this circumstance. The dynamics were handled well, hearing the tiny crescendos at the end of phrases was good, and there's a slow and gradual crescendo in a few other sections. The timing humanization isn't a bother (but it could be exaggerated) for realism because the snare is keeping time and is not turning into a machine gun. The samples used just barely squeak by in terms of quality, but they could be much much better (legatos). For what's here though it gets by. The ending is nice and wraps up the chaos in a nice neat little bow. YES

Well this certainly has come a long way from it's first steps last year. I'm happy you've gone from being a long-time fan to diving into producing and arranging, to now submitting! The vibe on this one is dark and contemplative, it creates an almost haunting atmosphere at times. I think for that aspect of things you've done a good job creating that feeling. In a macro-sense I like how the whole piece is laid out and how it flows. Your singing was done well, and the effect of filtering added more eeriness to go along with the other elements. At the same time too, the vocals are very loud and feel very on top of the other parts rather then sitting in the same space and same mix. The formants are loud as well specifically in the range of about 1,800~3,500Hz. If there's a boost there from an EQ, I suggest to reduce it some. I feel like there's a lot that could've been done to help the piece feel less static and propelled forward. The background elements sound okay, but the focal melody lines are very exposed letting us hear how sequenced and unreal they are. Barring better samples or a live performance from the oboe and bass clarinet extra attention to humanization would be needed to make them work better in a soloist's context (more attention to velocity, dynamics, timing, phrase lengths). Also there are percussion rolls that get the "machine-gun" effect (IE: hi-hat rolls 0:18, 1:08 concert tom, 2:23 piano roll). At times the leads do also wander about and noodle. Not the worst I've heard, but it definitely could be improved upon. Right now, there's a lot of issues adding up rather than one singular large issue to focus on. There's a great concept here, however; it needs better execution of production/humanization, and consideration of how to reduce the static feel and noodling. NO

It's really cool that this is a non-Final Fantasy Uematsu source. This is a lot of fun, and people will dig it! Honestly was indifferent to the Homestar Runner clips, they didn't add or take away anything for me. Big sound right off the bat, right after some Homestar Runner clips and slick chips bring us in. There's noticeable pumping from side-chained compression and it's just on the border of being too much. I'd prefer slightly more transparency from the side-chaining, but this is done as effect to help create groove in the track. Hearing the release from the side-chaining on the bass is most evident during 1:44-1:52. During this short bridge it feels too much, but I can overlook it because it's just a short moment. The genre adaption is cool, and I'm grooving. There could have been more melodic embellishment and interpretation but there's plenty of other variation and style to make this your own. YES

This is minimal in a maximalist way. Do the most you can with as little as possible. Sparse, dark, and subtle. The massive reverbs fill so much space that you can use very little but maintain fullness. The departures from the source are welcomed as the original is mostly sparse and doesn't do much dangerous. I really liked the kick drum dropout for the final ~20-30 seconds or so as it was going relentlessly throughout. A change-up in that kick pattern sooner or a dropout could have added some textural contrast, but you also did kind of achieve that by making 2:44-2:52 drop down in velocity and maybe a slight high-pass filter on it too (hard to tell). At the end of it all, that's a nitpick as the pattern is fine as is; it's not the main focus but a driving force to move the song forward. Enjoyed this one! YES

The vibe on this is really cool, and it's rad to hear you really expand your territory into unexpected places that I haven't heard before. The production is clean as I would expect and it feels like we're getting a sound upgrade to start out. When we get almost two minutes in a new synth is introduced and the soundscape starts to have some evolution. When the head returns and the guitar is introduced (2:40), it does not feel like it's playing with the same band. It's got it's own ideas about where to go and noodles about regardless of the rest of the song structure. Either this is a prerecorded loop added on top of your backing that you created or the solo was not developed enough. That same thing goes for the trumpet and sax from 4:27-4:58, they step all over each other's toes and at times are not complimentary with each other. If you want to write parts out that are noodling around less, pick a target and have a goal you want to reach with both high and low points along the way. The solos can be telling a story just as much as the whole song does. That way it can go places and progress rather than noodle about aimlessly. 3:06~3:14 there's some odd chords in the synth pad not playing nice with the rest of the parts. Again really crunchy chords in the electric piano 4:19-4:26. The other problem is not enough micro-variation within the drums. Yes, you do change up the pattern section-to-section, but it would be next level to give some tiny fills or slight variation to the pattern from time-to-time. Overall this is a cool vibe and energy with strong production, but with a very under-developed arrangement that does not feel completely refined. NO

I think we are all in agreement that there are legs in the concept and style adaption here. The genre is rad and injecting some weird elements before the final recap was cool (with the synth). Bring that out more! Static and repetitive are both words I'd use to describe this. It just doesn't change up much and keeps relentless chugs going. The chugs themselves are also mixed so much more forward and present then the other parts including the leads. The leads should be the focus while the rhythm guitar chugs should be a background element working in tandem with the percussion to drive the piece forward. Right now they are continuous and get dull after a while due to lack of variation. My fellow judges already did a great job explaining what should be addressed should you choose to continue working on this more. I'd like to see the static repetitive rhythm addressed with variation and some more careful examination of the mixdown/balance of parts. NO

Holy bejesus dynamic contrast. I love the huge swings between loud and soft on this. Huge textural contrasts between huge and wide vibrato on the fat bass synth with massive percussion and then beautiful and serene electric piano lines and airy flute. I'm feeling the source and the melodic interpretations, plenty of it go by and plenty of your own spices to go along. My only criticism is the ending does trail off in a way that leaves me wanting more, but not in a good way. Uneasy just like other moments in this song through great use of chromaticism (2:12 in the piano) as well as strange and unique synth choices and processing. YES, loved this.

I want to start off with the strongest element here, the arrangement and style adaption is done very well. The source is well represented here, and going to metal fits very well. During the recaps towards the end, the melodic embellishments are great; like 4:37-4:52. Good job making the melody your own there. 2:32 was a great place to change things up and give the listener contrast. I think I might have liked it more with even more contrast too. For example, dropping the bass out completely during the second half of that (~2:47) and introducing it again before the transition at 3:24. Not necessary at all, but I think this could improve the song to make the contrast stronger there. 5:24 transition fell flat for me and made the last section rhythm change sudden to me, not the worst but it could be improved. The ending also didn't need a fade out, hit that last chord and let it ring out some! The mixdown is my gripe here and the biggest detractor from the track from being better than it is right now. The kick has a lot of top end to it and not enough of the bottom end. In general the whole drum kit feels thin and lacking the power it should have. Probably needs some glue compression to fit in everything better with the rest of the parts. The guitars at times seem to be fighting for space in the top end as well. Let the lead sing out the most compared to the others! Though the guitars are closer to being in the right place in the mix when compared to the drums. This would be a good time to pick out a pro-level song where you like the mix and want to try to emulate that. Not only for the percussion, but the guitars too. Pull up that song and compare it A/B style to yours. Try to match the levels and sound of the drums compared to your own. Jumping into the workshop or discord to get feedback on the mix as you go in the future couldn't hurt, and I think this would benefit from that. Would love to see this one back again with some more work done on it. NO (resubmit)

I really want to rubberstamp this so you can get your feedback and move-on, because both Liontamer and prophetik nailed it already. Alex, you have great production chops and it'll only be a matter of time before you figure it all out and get something passed. It's been nice to see you join the community and be involved in the workshop as well as helping out others As far as this Tekken track goes, unfortunately there's not enough source usage to consider this identifiable and dominant. At times the beat does feel inspired by the beat from the source, but that alone does not really hold strength when there are other elements that are not used or are recognizable. Right now, this is more of an original piece of music...though, it's an awesome original piece. Extremely well produced and awesome to listen to. You absolutely used every single piece of headroom this had available and keeps the limiter busy and this is impressively loud. One thing that I really liked and wanted to point out was the transition at 1:53, great use of triplet gating. That sudden use of off-time rhythm really is effective when everything was so straight previously. To summarize, great production chops but I can't pass this because there's not enough source material to get by. NO

I could vibe out to this and just have it on in the background and tune-out and chill. That's rad. The production is also solid. The guitar and mandolin both sound good! Unfortunately, I'm not feeling that the source is very identifiable or dominantly featured. It just doesn't seem to be coming through and I'm not picking up on where it's at. The other issue is the drums are on auto-pilot most of the way through. Give us some variation to them aside from just dropping parts in and out. Variation goes a long way to keeping a track progressing and moving forward without changing the other parts around them. 3:05 with the recapitulation would be a good time to change them up in particular as this is a time you want to bring more energy for a final repeat! There's potential here, but I would need to hear more identifiable usage of the source as well as some work on the variation in the drums in to consider a pass. NO

Silly fun, are two words that seemingly describe this perfectly. Jaunty and wacky, the sound palette fit Banjo-Kazooie and a big dancy and almost happy hardcore with a 4-on-the-floor feel. The changes happen at the perfect moments to prevent things from feeling repetitive or dull, such as at 1:15. It easily could've fell into the trap of over reliance on the sound effects to make things interesting, but I'm glad this doesn't rely on the sound effects to make transitions. They are for flavor instead! After ~2:20 things really pick up the energy and the ending brings everything together nicely. Great production, solid arrangement, nice work! YES

All the usual from Rebecca. -2.3db headroom still available for a boost. Panning is wide on a few of the parts, and this one particularly feels left-side heavy. Even with the minor production issues, the arrangement is always wonderful. This is no exception. The interplay between parts is great, and the trade-off of melody from instrument to instrument keeps the piece flowing and moving. My biggest gripe in this is the solo voice part. It keeps feeling behind the beat slightly as the attack isn't always crisp. Also it keeps on the same vowel without much placement change. This part has been handled mostly well, it's just toeing the line of being too uncanny compared to the rest of the other parts. I do feel this one is over the bar, but the vocal synth could have sunk this had it been handled unwell. Warming and mystifying. I hear the call. YES

Really cool vibe on this one, and I would love to see this on the site. However, there are some problems that should be addressed first. The drums are very repetitive and bland, playing a simple pattern that rarely gives a fill at the end of phrases. Melodically there's some embellishments that are appreciated, but the second half of the song is pretty much identical to the first, except for some half time drums at the end (which was a cool way to change things up). But before you know it, the arrangement is over with a whimper. The change-up in feel was good, it just came too late when it was needing to be done sooner. The production is handled mostly well, with minor imbalances as pointed out by prophetik. I would love to see the arrangement varied up with more time taken to look at the percussion and other places variation could be applied (such as melody or overall structure). I would also like to see this back as I feel this one has potential and want to see it on the front page with some changes. NO (resubmit)

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 remember this one from way back in the workshop before I was a judge. It's incredible to hear how far this has come, you've really crafted this into something very nice. It's a testament to your persistence and not giving up. There's a couple tiny moments that could be better (read: cleaner) but those would be nitpicks and not pulling teeth over. Clearly I can see that you've learned a lot from this and have improved greatly in the journey. The percussion and bass sit together very nicely and don't step on each others toes. I love how much personalization this has and how it's still the original but with so much embellishment and new character. 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