Hemophiliac

I've been staffing it for awhile - definitely will show up for the panel but aside from that yea hit me up if there's any gatherings

(also always wild seeing a 315 number even though I knew you were in that area)

Welcome!  It's never a bad time to start trying to arrange music.  Even just "canoodling" over other tracks is a good way to start expanding on the original.

I'll be there!  Looking forward to attending for the first time!

I'll be there!  Looking forward to attending for the first time!

Happy New Year, everyone!
Just wanted to check-in and let you all know that we've got a new submissions process for remixes. Since the inception of the site, we've been asking you to host your file somewhere and send us an email with a bunch of information about your remix. This has lead to a lot of headaches on both your end and our end, but now we're finally moving forward with a more modern method.
Introducing the new Submissions Tracking page! We've used our forum software to build out a custom form where you can upload your track directly to us. This post will get a status and linked to a decision thread, and it also features a comments section where judges can communicate with you about issues with your remix. Submissions are private, so only you and the judges can see them. In the coming months we'll be retiring the old email method of submitting remixes with an auto-response that'll direct folks towards the new system.
This new form, combined with our recently revamped Currently in the Judging Process dashboard, will help you keep tabs on your submissions.
A big shout out to all of the ReMixers and Judges who helped me test out this new system. I've had ideas for years for turning our submissions and judging workflows into a fully integrated piece of software, and while the limitations of our forum software prevent us from hitting that goal 100%, this is a huge step in the right direction.
I'm looking forward to hearing what you all are going to send us. ?
— DarkeSword

i'll be there friday and saturday! OCR has a panel and i'm looking forward to meeting y'all in person :)

I'll probably drop by for some but not all of it. Sarah may or may not join.

I don't want to post my phone number on the intarwebz, but if anybody wants my cell # you can DM me here, discord, or facebook

I don't see a thread already for this so I guess I start it... who is going to be at MAGFest 2024?
I'm going for the first time in several years; if there's an OCR group hangout or anything happening, feel free to text me at 315-744-2839. Looking forward to it!

Got a last minute entry in.
This compo was a great learning ground for me when I was first getting started.  I'm grateful that I had the compo as a means to experiment and get feedback as a new arranger.  Knowing that it this was coming to a close, I had to do something even if it is small.
Thank you to @Bundeslang, @Doulifée, @Rexy and anyone else I may be forgetting who ran PRC at some point.

Got a last minute entry in.
This compo was a great learning ground for me when I was first getting started.  I'm grateful that I had the compo as a means to experiment and get feedback as a new arranger.  Knowing that it this was coming to a close, I had to do something even if it is small.
Thank you to @Bundeslang, @Doulifée, @Rexy and anyone else I may be forgetting who ran PRC at some point.

Got a last minute entry in.
This compo was a great learning ground for me when I was first getting started.  I'm grateful that I had the compo as a means to experiment and get feedback as a new arranger.  Knowing that it this was coming to a close, I had to do something even if it is small.
Thank you to @Bundeslang, @Doulifée, @Rexy and anyone else I may be forgetting who ran PRC at some point.

This thing again? Yep. Another year, another album of various songs done up in a Christmasy style in multiple genres. There are 15 remixes for you enjoy this holiday season, making for just under an hour of tunage. And on behalf of everyone involved, thanks for listening and Merry Christmas.
https://williammichael.info/aocc/

Well, here we are again. One week until Christmas, and a new entry in the now 20-plus year old tradition that is Twas. This one's not as long as some of the recent ones, so take some comfort in that you won't have to read through some 30 pages of stanzas. And thus, let's begin...
 
Twas XXII: Not Quite A Silent Night
by
The Coop
 
Twas the night after Christmas,
and at the North Pole,
St. Nick was done giving
out the presents or coal
that his elves had readied
for ev'ry boy and girl
who'd earned one or the other
across the whole world.
With that all behind him,
Santa could just relax
and enjoy a bit of time
to read through the stacks
of letters he'd gathered
between Christmas Eve's night,
and the first hints of
Christmas morning's coming light.
These letters had been placed
next to treats left for him;
treats that were plentiful
and filled him to the brim
until it felt like his gut
was about to burst,
along with enough milk
to fully quench his thirst.
As he sat before the fire,
he could hear his wife
come into the warm room
that was completely rife
with the odor of
hot choc'late and burning pine.
He looked over at her
and asked, “Is that one mine?”
“Nope,” she replied without
even the slightest smile.
“But, maybe I'll get you some
in a little while.”
“How thoughtful,” he chuckled
as she came over and
offered him the filled cup,
which he took with his hand.
“Thanks,” he said and sipped
the hot liquid within it.
She returned to her chair
next to his, and did sit.
He sat the cup down on
the small table that stood
between their two chairs and
commented, “That tastes good.”
“I know,” she said as she
worked on the small blanket.
“You've got what was left
after I took some of it.”
“You're a thief,” he grinned as
he reached over and took
the first letter, which he opened
to take a look
at what the child who wrote
it had to say to him.
As he read it, he said,
“This first one is from Tim.”
“What did Tim have to say?”
Jessica asked without
looking up at him.
Santa said, “Something about
“him wanting a Steam card.”
He then looked to his wife.
“Now why would this boy want
a steamed card in his life?”
With a small laugh, “It's not
a steamed card, you goofball.”
He replied with, “Then what is it,
Miss know-it-all?”
“A small, money-like card
you spend at the Steam store,”
she said as she continued
her knitting some more.
“Steam?” Santa said, his
confusion clear on his face.
“Why would someone want to
buy that from anyplace?”
“No,” she laughed lightly.
“You buy video games there.”
She looked to him and
saw his very puzzled stare.
This gave her a good laugh
for a second or two.
She composed herself with,
“I don't know about you.
“You know when ev'ryone
is asleep or awake,
yet you have no clue what
Steam is, for goodness sake?”
“Hey,” he retorted,
“I just deliver this stuff.
New trends aren't my thing,
so don't give me any guff.”
She laughed yet again,
then returned to her knitting.
He watched her for a time
from where he was sitting.
“What's that?” he asked.
“It's for Milton and Fay,” she said.
He replied, “Looks a bit small
to fit on their bed.”
“It's not for them, but their child,”
she replied with a smile.
“For when their journey
as parents starts in a while.”
”Fay's pregnant?” he asked,
the surprise in his voice strong.
“Indeed,” Jessica said.
“She's now eight month's along.”
“Why'd no one told me?”
he asked, clearly a bit hurt.
“I didn't know they were
having a little squirt.”
She asked, “Didn't you notice
her growing belly?”
She looked to him as
he stared at her flatly.
“Oh yeah, that would have gone
well for me,” he replied.
“I couldn't have found a
good enough place to hide
“from her if I had so much
as referenced how
she'd gotten plumper.
I know I'd be dead by now.”
Jessica laughed a bit with,
“Yeah, that's likely true.
But this blanket's something
that I wanted to do.”
He said, “You've never knit
something for the other
elves when they were going
to become a mother.”
She replied, “Milton and Fay
“have a special place
in my heart these days.”
As a smile came to her face,
she added, “They helped us out
a lot that one year.”
“That they did,” Santa nodded.
“That they did, my dear.”
As his wife continued
to work on the blanket,
Santa turned and reached over
so that he could get
the next letter from the stacks
of those he'd picked up,
not seeing his wife sneak
a quick sip from his cup.
With a small chuckle,
he said, “Listen to this one
from a boy named Stan,
who wanted a BB gun.
“It says here, 'Dear Mr. Santa.
My name is Stan
and I'll try hard to keep this
as short as I can.
“I'm sorry that I couldn't
leave anything out.
I hope you're not mad at me
or upset about
“not getting any treats
when you stopped by tonight.
It wasn't because
I was being mean, alright?
“I have diabetes,
so I can't eat the stuff
that has sugar in it
because it's really rough
on my body if my
blood sugar gets too high.
So if you were wondering,
that's the reason why.
“I still wanted to leave
a few cookies for you,
but my mom said that
you'd get diabetes too
if I left you cookies
or anything like that,
since you're at risk for it too
because you're so fat.”
Jessica had a good laugh
as Santa grumbled,
“And onto the naughty list
that boy just tumbled.”
“Hush,” she uttered and smiled.
“That's so sweet of that boy.
I hope you gave little Stan
a wonderful toy.”
She looked over at
her husband and heard the way
he chuckled as he tucked
Stan's short letter away.
“What's so funny?” she asked.
He said, “I can't tell you.”
With one eye brow perked,
she said, “It's best that you do.”
“D-I-A-B-E-E
T-E-E-S,” he said.
She looked a little lost
as she tilted her head.
He smiled, “The way he spelled
that word tickles me pink.
He won't be winning any
spelling bees, I think.”
“Be nice,” she admonished.
“Don't pick on that young boy.”
“I'm not,” he chuckled.
“And yes, he got a nice toy.”
He picked up the next letter
and unfolded it
as he readjusted
himself where he did sit.
Santa began to read,
but uttered not one word.
His wife glanced over as
silence was all she heard.
“Ahem!” she announced.
“I can't read lips, you old fart.”
Santa laughed a bit with,
“Now's a good time to start”
“learning how to do that,
so that maybe next year,
you can follow along
and enjoy these, my dear.”
Jessica chuckled
and grumbled, “Very funny.
Read me the damn thing
so I can hear it... honey.”
“Fine fine,” he said and grinned.
“Wouldn't want you to pout
and complain about how
I made you feel left out.”
He cleared his throat twice
and adjusted the paper,
then let out a quick cough
and looked over at her.
“Ready?” he asked as she
gave an exhausted frown.
“Heh heh,” he grinned,
then read what had been written down.
“Dear Santa,” he began.
“Hope you're doing OK.
I bet you're real pooped
after riding in your sleigh
and dropping off presents
to all the people who
had asked for all of those
toys, games and stuff from you.
“But I thought it might
be nice if I gave you a
poem to read once you're
done after Christmas day.
“I tried to keep it short,
but I had too much fun
and I didn't wanna stop
once I had begun
“to get really into it.
So, it's kind of long.
I hope that you'll like it.
Signed, Sarah Bizamong.”
Jessica raised her eyebrows
with, “Quite the last name.”
Santa nodded and said,
“I was thinking the same.”
“How long is it?” she asked.
“Four pages,” he replied.
With some surprise, she said,
“This should be a fun ride.”
“To be sure,” Santa grinned
as he looked over what
the girl had written down.
“Well, hold onto your butt.
“'Twas the night before Christmas
and all through the house,
Maxine was undoing
the buttons of her blouse.
“'She'd just gotten home
after a long day at work
at the bank where she'd put
up with many a jerk.
“'Ev'ryone was rude and
in a hurry to get
out of the bank so quickly,
it made Maxine sweat
“'as she did her best to
get them all on their way,
and bring an end to
such a bad, annoying day.
“'But now she was home
and ready for a hot bath.
Then a quick dinner,
and a movie for a laugh.'”
“Oof,” Jessica uttered.
“That rhyme was a bit rough.”
“And you said I was mean,”
Santa laughed with a huff.
“I'm not being mean,” she said.
“I'm pointing it out.”
He then said with sarcasm,
“And kindly, no doubt.”
With a quick laugh, she said,
“Let's continue, shall we?”
To which he replied,
“If you insist. Now, let's see...”
He looked over the page
that he'd been reading from,
and looked for where he'd stopped
as he began to hum.
“Ah ha!” Santa exclaimed.
“Found where I had left off.”
He then cleared his throat twice
and let out a small cough.
“'She got into the bathtub
and slowly sank down
into the hot water
as she began to frown.
““God, what a day,” she said
as she let out a sigh.
Then she brought up her left hand
and rubbed her left eye.
“'But a few moments later,
a weird sound rang out.
From her butt under water,
some bubbles did sprout.
“They reached the surface
after a moment or two.
Melissa scrunched up her nose
and uttered, “Oh, PEW!'”
“Hold it,” Jessica spoke
as she looked to St. Nick.
“A fart joke in her poem?
That's nasty and sick.”
“I think it's funny,”
Santa chuckled with a smile.
“You would, “ his wife grumbled.
“Childish humor's your style.”
“Well, she is a child,”
he said. “So she gets a pass
when it comes to finding
humor in passing gas.”
“What's your excuse then?”
she asked as she looked over.
He said, “It circles back
around once you're older.”
She shook her head and grinned
as she continued to
knit the blanket and uttered,
“I think that's just you.”
With a mischievous grin,
he turned a little bit
in his seat toward her as
she continued to knit.
“I seem to recall,” he said,
“hearing your laughter
echo down the hallway
not very long after
“what sounded like a whale call
came from the bathroom
while you were in there
making it... I would assume.”
Jessica looked to him,
saw the smirk on his face,
and said, “You'll be sleeping
on the couch at this pace.”
A moment later,
Milton came running into
the room and yelped with a
panicked, “Come quick you two!”
Jessica looked to the elf
and asked, “What's wrong, hun?”
“Fay's water broke!” he said,
“and her labor's begun!”
Santa set down the papers with,
“Their kid's early.”
Jessica looked to Milton
and asked, “Where is she?”
“Fay's laying on our bed,”
Milton quickly replied.
Santa said, “Then go back there
and stay at her side.
“We'll join you shortly
after we get what we need.”
Milton nodded and ran out
with copious speed.
“Let's go,” Jessica said
as she got to her feet
and Santa groaned a bit
as he stood from his seat.
It took a bit of time,
but the two of them got
some towels and a tub
filled with water that was hot.
They went into the room
that Milton and Fay shared.
Fay was on the bed in pain,
while Milton looked sacred.
Fay looked over and said,
“What are they doing here?”
Jessica answered, “To help
you give birth, my dear.”
Fay stared at them both with
some unease in her eyes
before she said, “Um,
“I don't know about this, guys.”
Mrs. Claus said with a smile.
“We've seen it all, dear.
You shouldn't do this alone,
so that's why we're here.”
“Jessica will help with
the birthing,” Santa said
as he came over and stood
right beside Fay's bed.
“I'll be handing her
whatever things she might need.”
“We should get to a hospital,”
Milton did plead.
“Not many of them
this far north,” Santa remarked.
“Just get this thing out of me
for God's sake!” Fay barked
as a fresh contraction
caused her body much strain,
and her face reflected
the wave of intense pain.
“I'm here,” Milton said
as he put his hand on Fay's,
but she looked at him with
a glare that was ablaze
as she yelled, “Your here, huh?!
Well, now I feel just swell!
It's because of you that
I'm in this living hell!”
Milton's eyes went quite wide
at her abrupt outburst.
“Um,” he uttered, “maybe
we could knock her out first?”
Santa gave a laugh with,
“Doesn't work that way, son.
I'm afraid her kind words
have only just begun.”
“This is your fault!” Fay shouted.
“You did this to me!
I'll get you back for this
you little shit! You'll see!”
Milton let out a sigh
and continued to hold
Fay's hand as she shouted
and continued to scold
him while Santa and his wife
got ready to lend
their help to Milton's
pregnant and yelling girlfriend.
And so began the
process of Fay giving birth.
A time of pain, shouting
and very little mirth.
Milton's held Fay's hand as
he did his best to coach
her through the labor while
she yelled one vile reproach
after another for
what seemed like forever.
But he stayed calm and
reassured her whenever
she grew weary of pushing
and looked tired as hell,
that she was getting closer
and was doing well.
Jessica was stationed
down between Fay's spread feet
where she coached Fay as well,
yet remained in her seat
as she waited for the child
to start to emerge,
while telling Fay to push
with each contraction surge.
Santa stood opposite
from Milton, ready to
help with anything that
his wife asked him to do.
The first hour went by,
which became three, and then five,
as all four of them helped
the baby to arrive.
And arrive it did as
the sixth hour had begun.
That was when Jessica said,
“Milton? Come here, hun.”
Milton looked from Fay to
Santa, who smiled and said,
“I'll stay here with Fay, Milton.
You go on ahead.”
Milton came up beside
Jessica as she told
him to grab a fresh towel
in which he would hold
up the baby when it
was coming out of Fay.
Milton looked nervous,
but gave a shaky, “OK.”
Milton did as asked and
brought a towel to her.
It was then that a new
contraction did occur.
“Push Fay!” Jessica said,
and Fay did just that
as Jessica kept watch
and waited where she sat.
It was as Fay was pushing,
that the baby crowned.
“Keep pushing!” Jessica said
as Fay made a sound
that was like a scream and
a sob mixed into one.
Jessica said loudly,
“Push Fay! You're almost done!”
Jessica took the towel
from Milton's shaky hand
as the man looked wobbly.
Like he could barely stand.
Fay pushed again as the
baby kept sliding out.
With that final hard push,
Fay unleashed a loud shout.
And when the baby passed through
Fay's vaginal door,
Milton let out a moan
and passed out to the floor.
His head hit with a thump
that made Santa wince.
Santa chuckled a bit
and said, “Good night, sweet prince.”
While Milton was unconscious
on the room's floor tiles,
the cries of a newborn
pulled a series of smiles
to the faces of those
still conscious at that time.
Jessica cut the cord
and cleaned off all the slime
that covered the infant
from almost head to toe.
Then she wrapped the newborn
up in the towel so
it was ready to be
handed over to Fay.
“Give Fay her son,” she grinned.
Santa smiled, “Right away.”
With care, he turned and looked to
Fay's exhausted face.
“Want to hold your son?” he asked,
his smile still in place.
Fay looked to Santa with,
“I most certainly would.”
She took the babe from him
as gently as she could.
Though far beyond tired from
all that she had gone through,
her weary stare held untold
amounts of love too
as she gazed down upon
the life that she'd helped make.
That's when a groan rang out as
Milton stirred awake.
“Could you help him up?”
Jessica asked her husband.
“I've got a mess to clean
and a hand, I can't lend.”
“Of course,” Santa said
and helped Milton to his feet,
adding, “Get up, my boy.
You've got someone to meet.”
Santa walked him over
to the side of Fay's bed,
as Milton rubbed the welt
on the back of his head.
Once there, Milton saw Fay
and the infant she held.
A look of surprise came
to him as his eyes welled
up with tears and his
expression soon filled with joy.
He looked to Fay and asked,
“Is it a girl or boy?”
“A boy,” Fay replied with
a warm and weary smile
before she asked him,
“Want to hold him for a while?”
Milton simply nodded
and then picked up his son
with a massive smile as
his tears began to run
down his cheeks at last as
his euphoria grew.
Santa leaned in with,
“Congratulations you two.”
With that, Santa joined
his wife to help with the mess
that had been left behind
after the tough success
of Fay's giving birth
to her and Milton's first child.
Once done, Santa looked at
the new parents and smiled.
Jessica did as well,
then nudged her husband so
he'd look to her as she
whispered, “Come on. Let's go.”
She and Santa reached the
bedroom door just as Fay
called out and stopped them
before they went on their way.
Fay thanked them for ev'rything
that the pair had done.
Jessica smiled at her with,
“You're quite welcome, hun.”
“Get some rest,” Santa said.
“You've had quite the ordeal.
We'll both come by again
once you're sure that you feel
“up for having a
visitor or two stop by.
Until then...” he finished,
with a small wave goodbye.
With that, he and his wife
gave the new mom and dad
some time alone with the new
child that they now had.
It didn't take long before
Santa returned to
his chair, and Jessica
was seated in her's too.
He picked up a few papers
and shuffled through them,
searching for what he'd read
before all the mayhem.
When he found it, he sat there
and said not one thing.
But his wife soon spoke up
with a loud throat clearing.
“A-hem!” Jessica pressed.
“Are you going to start?”
Santa grinned, “Just looking
for the fart bubbles part.”
She rolled her eyes as she
shook her head just a bit.
She let out a small sigh with,
“Well, get on with it.”
As Santa continued
the story Sarah wrote,
both Milton and Fay were
continuing to dote
on the newborn that they
had been given that night,
while Milton kept making sure
that Fay was alright.
Fay apologized for
the vile things that she'd said
to Milton before he
passed out and hit his head.
He laughed and told her,
after he gave her a kiss,
that he'd expected worse
while she went through sheer bliss.
She laughed a bit as well,
but said she was sincere.
That she loved him, to which
he said, “Love you too, dear.”
He gave her a kiss as
she held their newborn son.
Their new lives as a
family had now begun.
And as the world settled in
under the moonlight,
Merry Christmas to all.
And to all, a good night.

Thank you so much for all your help with this, @Hemophiliac. I am proud of it, and I wouldn't have gotten to this point without you.
I'll find something to use as a stronger transition and lower the lead a smidge. I don't have much free time between now and the album deadline so that'll be my last revision. And I'll re-submit it for evaluation as well, it'll be interesting to see how it goes down with the judges in it's new state.
Thank you again!

Beyond your skill level?? What is that nonsense??
What's all that other stuff you wrote around it?  That's all solo material!
I don't recall if this was an issue in the previous version, but the section where the bass is the focus (0:54-1:14) gets very thin.  I apologize if this is something I missed in the previous version.  Having some of it be thin is a good idea for a textural contrast to the rest of the piece, but I would consider bringing in the pad that starts in the section following (1:15-1:54).  That thin pad could fill the space that the bass solo section has and then also smooth over into the transition to the next section.
Which brings me to the middle section (1:15-1:54).  This is much better!  The bells are nice and that low end mud is gone!  Good job.
I'm still hearing a lot of sustain/reverb wash in the second half especially when the tubular bells do the descending line (2:25-2:28 for example)
I agree you probably went too far away from the source melody in the second half, but you have the right idea with what you were going for!  Use the source melody here and do small embellishments instead of bigger gestures.
Still feel like the bass in the A sections (0:09-0:53 and 1:54-2:47) could be brought out some more.
Taking out the repetition really helped a lot too, it's much more palatable now.
Good improvements.

Louder does not always mean better.
Best place to start when mixing parts is to zero everything out and pull all faders down.
Pick whichever channel is most important (usually melody) and bring that up to a good volume.
Then choose the second-most important part and bring that up and balance it against the first part.
Continue with each part until done, balancing against each as you go.

[This is an automatically generated message]
I've reviewed your remix and have returned it to Work-in-Progress status, indicating that I think there are some things you still need to work on. After you work on your track and feel that it's ready for submission to OCR, please change the prefix back to Ready for Review and someone will review it again. Good luck!

Welcome to the forums. 
Evaluation:
This is awfully quiet right from the get go.  Had to turn up the volume a lot.  The lead could also be louder so as to let the listener direct it's focus to it (they are close to where they should be now, so it won't take much of an increase in volume to get them where they should be).
Those are some lovely pads you have going on, I like how airy they are.  You absolutely want to add some modulation them so that they have some movement.  It could be filter sweeps, vibrato automation, volume automation...something to keep them moving and less static.
The biggest issue is the arrangement, it's pretty much the same as the original source.  You're going to want to inject some of your own creative twists and turns into it to make it your own.  Especially if you're planning on submitting to OCR.  The ending leaves something to be desired and just...suddenly ends.  Definitely could have something there that would give the listener a feeling of completion or finality.
You can definitely use this as a starting off point to develop into something greater.  Good luck.

Production is very clean, dig it.  Vibe is very enjoyable.
I'd look at implementing some mod wheel or modulation of some kind on the synths when they play leads so they don't just stagnate after hitting their trigger.  They are fine as is now, it would definitely help them go to the next level.
2:54-3:03 nice original bridge to transition back to the head.
0:55-1:04 and 3:21-3:37 both get very full and are approaching muddy.  While they are brief sections, see if there's anything you could do to clean them up some.  I'm guessing it's a wash of reverb on the pads that's causing it.
Double check that you don't have clipping going on too, I suspect there may be some at 0:55 or it's a compression/limiter artifact.  Unfortunately I'm unable to download the audio file from YouTube to check it in DAW.
Arrangement is solid, production issues are minor and can be fixed.  I'd like to see this with the tiny bit of clean-up and then submitted as it's very close to done IMO, for now I'm placing it back to WIP.

[This is an automatically generated message]
I've reviewed your remix and have returned it to Work-in-Progress status, indicating that I think there are some things you still need to work on. After you work on your track and feel that it's ready for submission to OCR, please change the prefix back to Ready for Review and someone will review it again. Good luck!

Greetings everyone!
I just posted this one online and it was a super-fun track to put together, It's been a WHILE since I've worked on anything this fast. I don't think I will be submitting this one to the site - to me it follows the original a bit *too* closely, but I still wanted to share with others who might enjoy a listen.
Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/P2K6DGMC-ZE

Well it's been about a week or two, so as the new guy in charge, I figure I ought to say something, right?
When djpretzel started the process of handing over the keys to the family car, I have to admit I was pretty overwhelmed. OCR is one of the oldest and most rock-solid sites on the internet; I've often said that we're older than YouTube, older than smartphones, and older than a lot of things on the internet that, by virtue of their ubiquity, feel like institutions. OCR is an institution. There's a lot of weight in those keys.
So what am I going to do with OCR now that I'm in the driver's seat? In the short term: keep driving. Our main goal is going to be continuity; that is to say, keep posting ReMixes on a regular basis. We've got a pretty big backlog of ReMixes that are ready for the spotlight, and our excellent and talented community continues to send us new music all the time, so we're not worried about running out. But there sure is a lot of behind-the-scenes process involved with getting these tracks in your ears, so bear with us while the staff--with djpretzel's help--figures all of this out.
I still believe that there's a case to be made for the curation model that we've developed and adhered to for 20+ years, so we're still going to have a Judges Panel that's going to evaluate submissions, and the bar for quality that the judges look for isn't shifting in any direction.
One of our goals in this changeover is to decentralize a lot of process off of one person. djpretzel did a lot on his own, and as we look at some things behind-the-scenes, maybe he didn't have to. I want OCR to be a place that can be run by a trusted group of people without a single point-of-failure. Case-in-point: literally one week after I take on leadership at OCR, my 8-month-old son brings home COVID from somewhere and gets the whole house sick, and we're having OCR staff meetings and figuring out how to post ReMixes while I'm coughing up a lung. Unbelievable. So I'm also hoping to bring more people onto the OCR staff. I've already pulled in some folks from the community, and we're going to figure out how to provide avenues for more people to help out if they're interested. Keep an eye out.
Beyond that though, I've got a couple of ideas for improvements and features that have been brewing for a while that I'm going to start to pursue, leveraging some existing tech we already have and also exploring some new tech. For those that are unaware, my day job is working as a web and application developer at a major university. It's something I've been doing for 15 years and I have a pretty solid handle on building database-driven web applications. I'm going to bring a little of that experience to OCR, and hopefully we can eventually have some cool toys and tools in place to help move the site forward. Some things to look forward to:
I've already put together a Currently in the Judging Process dashboard for ReMixers and hopefuls to keep an eye on. It's a live view of the judging process without having to wait for a Judge to update a forum thread. We're actively developing and testing a proper Submission form for ReMixers and hopefuls to use when sending us music. We've been asking you to send us an email for far too long. That's going to change. We've put together a "stream team" to evaluate how we can do more with our YouTube channel and even get things going on Twitch in some capacity. There are a lot more things we're talking about internally as well, but I don't want to over-promise anything right now.
If you have ideas for OCR, feel free to share them in our Site Issues & Feedback forum. I'd also love for folks to come by and join our OC ReMix Discord server. I know the forums have been pretty sleepy for a few years now, but the chat server is lively and active. Hope to see you there.

The chord I shared comes first in the composition. The mode is in B♭ Locrian with a flat 2nd, though B♭ minor works here as well. Certain instruments have certain chords or notes. The choir is a B♭aug(sus2). I have three instruments in the bass section. The first is B♭, the second is E♭, and the third, being an octave above the first, is also B♭. The choir then goes to an A♭7 chord. However, because of the basses, it ends up being E♭ minor thirteenth inverted on G♭ (E♭m13\G♭). On the piano, I suppose this could just be condensed into something with just four notes. But I see what you mean about this being analyzed as a C half diminished chord. The context for this is that I'm composing an unofficial Metroid soundtrack, so I'm trying to apply the kinds of chords used from older Metroid music as a way to achieve the sound without relying on synths alone. Your reply has been helpful, though, and I'm glad you were able to help me understand this better.

Repeated notes don't have consideration to naming a chord.  Having repeated notes just means that the sound of that particular spot will sound more like that one note, in this case the Bb is going to stand out much more then the other notes in the chord.
In a vacuum you can call it either.  What would really lead it towards having a better answer is the context of the piece and what comes before or after this.  Generally you want to name a chord what it's function is supposed to be.  Both of these two chord types are subdominants or predominants in function.  They want to resolve to a dominant chord.
Assuming this is in Bb minor (since you said Bb is the tonic), it's more likely to analyze this as C half diminished functioning as a iiø7 and then wanting to go to a dominant chord after this like F7 (V7) or Abdim7 (viiø7).  Generally traditional theory doesn't really look at sixth chords in terms of function except for augmented sixth chords (which are subdominants).  Here is info on augmented sixth chords, and may confuse you https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_sixth_chord
Don't worry about naming chords unless it's really important to helping you understand the context of what's going on in the piece.  If it sounds good, it doesn't matter what it's chord name or symbol is supposed to be.  What I'm saying is don't get hung up on something that's not super important.
Hopefully that doesn't confuse and helps understanding some.

I tried to keep this brief, but as you might know, that's not my forte.
FIRST, the facts...
On October 28th I informed staff that I was stepping down from my role as president/admin/owner/etc. of OverClocked ReMix, and on November 1st I also stepped down from the board of Game Music Initiative, the 501c3 non-profit organization that funds OCR. In short, I no longer feel I have the bandwidth to do these roles justice and to not only maintain, but advance, the missions of both projects. I will be working with Shariq Ansari (DarkeSword) to transition my responsibilities and ensure continuity of operations. The (excellent!) mix posted on Halloween was published without my direct involvement, subsequent posts up to the milestone #OCR04500 have been superbly executed, and I am confident that staff will continue the work necessary to operate - and evolve - OCR in my absence. I will be even less available than I have been, lately, so I apologize in advance for any lack of responsiveness.
THEN, the feels...
Where to even begin?
It's hard to encapsulate over two decades of history; omissions are inevitable. What began as a neat side project I started in my parents' basement in 1999 snowballed into something far beyond my wildest expectations, due to the blood, sweat, tears, and unbridled, rampant creativity that thousands of you have contributed. Much of this happened before social media was even a thing and before the platforms/services we now heavily associate with the modern internet had come into being; it was a frontier, and we were on it, and we took it pretty seriously because we knew how amazing VGM is, how creative arrangements could effectively convey and explore that vast musical landscape, and how a small fandom communicating via email, IRC, & forums could collaborate to build mighty, new things. We took it seriously, often too seriously, but we ALSO played more than a few rounds of Shaq-Fu at conventions, made some truly ridiculous (but always musical!) joke mixes, and developed internal circles of lore with our own memes & jargon.
NOT in strictly chronological order: there was some drama with now-legendary composer Jake Kaufman; VGMix entered the fray; we added a judges panel so it wasn't just me making stuff up; we released our first community album; the unmoderated forum birthed its own sort of... subculture; the site itself evolved to be database-driven and not just two giant dropdowns sorted by game/date; we posted mixes submitted by composers George "The Fat Man" Sanger and Jeremy Soule; we met/interviewed Hiroki Kikuta and Nobuo Uematsu; our album trailers by the incomparable José the Bronx Rican started blowing minds; we started appearing in person at Otakon, PAX, MAG, others - much love to all for having us; we bumped into Leeroy Jenkins at ROFLcon and gave him a hoodie; we started hosting from our own server and managing the technical side of things ourselves; thanks to Mr. Shael Riley (among others!), we got to remix the music for an actual Street Fighter game (!!); we released fifteen more albums...
...and then we turned ten, on December 11th of 2009.
Quite a first decade, and I missed hundreds of things I shouldn't have. Hundreds of firsts, some tragic lasts, and millions of memories that can't quite be conjured by words.
In 2011, we stood up for Fair Use at World’s Fair Use Day, an event organized by the non-profit Public Knowledge.
In 2012, we launched our kickstarter for Final Fantasy VI: Balance and Ruin, it was taken down, we talked with Square lawyers directly for a couple hours and made the non-profit project structure clear & contractual, and we relaunched a successful kickstarter. That's not always how those things go!
We launched Game Music Initiative in 2016, creating an official 501c3 charity to formalize the finances around OCR and potentially support other VGM-related projects, too. On a related note, I’ve absolutely loved seeing OC ReMixes featured by charity speedrunners Games Done Quick (GDQ) - it’s exactly the type of thing I always wanted to see, that synergy.
Things do start getting a little quieter from then on out, and I think there are a ton of reasons for that, but it has been an incredible and improbable journey that I wouldn't have missed for the world. Thank you ALL for making it possible; OCR was always yours, I aspired only to stewardship of something I wanted to exist for everyone.
FINALLY, the future…
It's time - some would say past time - for OverClocked ReMix itself to be ReMixed.
That's the point, right?
Infinite permutation; endless possibility.
You don't always know the day, month, or even year when your influence on something starts holding it back, or when the waning amount of time and energy you can dedicate becomes a liability. That type of certainty is often elusive; it can be a difficult diagnosis to even contemplate, and you need to look for & listen to signs. In addition to just being too much of a single point of failure for OCR (sorry, engineering mindset), the last year I've been asking myself whether it was time to let go, and I think the answer is sometimes in the asking. I have been stretched thin, like butter scraped over too much bread, and that's when you leave the Shire.
Beyond representing what I genuinely believe is best for the future of OCR, I absolutely confess a personal wish to redirect reclaimed time & energy to my family and my own music. Being a husband to my wife Anna and being a father to our daughters Esther and Sarah is my meaning; I have always put them first, but now I can put them even MORE first. Esther just started learning trombone, so in a few years, expect a collab! Sarah is building her confidence learning piano & makes me proud every day. I want to write new music for them, and with them, and that requires more time than I've had.
I believe the principles that have driven us - embracing all games & all styles of music, emphasizing interpretation & creativity, offering both curation and critique, and providing a non-commercial platform for those who seek it - are truly timeless, but there are many ways to honor them.
I look to the new leadership/staff to galvanize, streamline, diversify, and re-imagine, within that immense space.
I'll be leaving them with some ideas of my own; please let them know yours. I ask the community to support them, embrace change, provide guidance, and be patient; I believe it will be worth it!
Thanks,
- djpretzel