Rexy
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Original decision
Hey Guys,Sorry this resubmission has taken a while to get to you, a few of our members have had significant life changes to deal with, then COVID...I hope everyone at OCRemix is safe and healthy!Thank you for all of your feedback on the initial submission. We've taken a close look at the mix based on the notes you provided, and made significant balance changes focused on bringing out the melodies and setting better levels on the drums. We also replaced some of the guitar parts to improve the overall clarity and provide space for the synth. We hope it addresses your concerns and that you enjoy the updated version!Please let me know if you need anything else from me.Thanks,Sam - Megalixir
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Just so we're clear - aside from the source arranged, this track has no ideas borrowed from Zero Division's posted ReMix of the same name.
-Rexy
Dear Overclocked Remix team,Please find my submission information for the following track:Contact InformationMy ReMixer name: Darkpalace AudioMy real name: Simon WeisMy email address:My website: https://soundcloud.com/laguna_999Submission InformationName of game arranged: DeflektorName of arrangement: Cover your lightName of individual song arranged: Cover your lightComments about the mix: Recorded and mixed by Darkpalace Audio in Winter 2019.If any questions remain, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am looking forward to hear back from you.Best regards,Simon -
Contact Info:
ReMixer name: about:blank
Real name: Chris Bouchard
Email address:
ReMix info:
Name of game ReMixed: The Guardian Legend
Name of individual song ReMixed: Dungeon: Area 3, 4 (Forest Sector Air Battle)
ReMix title: ArborealityThe Guardian Legend has been on my list of games to remix since I discovered this site by looking up the soundtrack on dial-up internet well over a decade ago. The forest corridor music is fairly upbeat, and I had always envisioned creating a fast-paced remix with frenetic keyboard solos, really loud snares, and so on. Once I actually sat down to make this, however, I ended up taking it in the opposite direction.The result is a slower, atmospheric take on the original. I made chords out of one segment of the original lead melody (at about 0:20 in the original) to create a "chorus," (at about 1:04 in the remix). The part at 2:01 strays a bit from the source material, but builds into a solo that leads back to the original melody.
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Hello, here is my first submission for OCremix ^^.
Contact Information
- Your ReMixer name : mWIND
- Your real name : Picart Clément
- Your website : https://www.youtube.com/c/mwind1
Submission Information
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- Name of game(s) arranged : Zelda - Ocarina of Time
- Name of arrangement : Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Neon Woods (Lost Woods retrowave remix)
- Additional information about game including composer, system, etc. : Koji Kondo, N64
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Link to the original soundtrack :
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THIS IS FROM THE ALBUM PROJECT "Golden Sun: A World Reignited" - Didn't know how to do the warning
- Your ReMixer name: Lucas Guimaraes
- Your real name: Lucas Guimaraes
- Your email address:
- Your website: https://twitter.com/Thirdkoopa - knew nothing better to link for this
- Your userid (number, not name) on our forums, found by viewing your forum profile: http://ocremix.org/community/profile/33965-thirdkoopa/
- Name of game(s) arranged: Golden Sun
- Name of arrangement: Hope in Eight
- Name of individual song(s) arranged: Venus Lighthouse
Other people that helped: Jake Kargl, wolfman1405, Matheus Souza, TSori, Nathan Madsen, DS Music, Damian NguyenDoing an awesome remix of a song I value dearly was already a hard feat, but when my mind started to mix Swing Jazz into it, I knew this arrangement would be one of my most difficult ones - both for me arranging and all performers involved. Luckily, I had some pretty ace performers by my side to bring this to life and surpass my expectations. The weirdest thing about primarily making arrangements/compositions is when I work on them, I want to make them sound as good as possible on MIDI. This one was one that sounded so good on the MIDI that I had a hard time imagining the final arrangement to be honest.-Lucas Guimaraes
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RebeccaETripp
Rebecca Tripp
http://www.crystalechosound.com/
ID: 48262
Game(s): Legend of Zelda
Song Title: DungeoneeringSongs Remixed: Dungeon
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Artist name: Magnetic Ether
My name: Karlyn Singh
Email address:
Userid: 22769
Name of game arranged: Secret of Mana
Name of arrangement: Hair in the Wind
Name of individual songs arranged: The Dark Star, ProphecyThis was originally a submssion to MindWanderer’s “ReMixing with the Stars” competition on the forums way back in 2013. It only took me the better part of a decade to finish and record it!
The arrangement was strongly influenced by the folk metal band Eluveitie and features tin whistle and melodica in addition to standard metal instrumentation. Is this the first folk metal track to feature melodica? Maybe*! We work with what we have, right? Honestly I’m glad that these were the instruments I had access to because they work together surprisingly well in this context.
Overall the arrangement is relatively unchanged from its 2013 form. The biggest differences here include live instrumentation and some polishing of the drum arrangement.
Source usage should be pretty obvious. I took some liberties with Prophecy’s main melody but I think it’s still plenty recognizable in this form. The Dark Star melody is also transformed quite a bit as I essentially turned it into a fast Celtic reel. Ultimately the arrangement leans a little more on Prophecy because the second half of the Dark Star source did not lend itself well to what I wanted to do. Oh and there are a few quotes from Fear of the Heavens in the middle because I can’t stop myself!
The drums are death metal as fuck and one of my personal favourite things about this track. Sure it’s not really a death metal track overall but imo the drums give it the extra boost of flavour and energy that it needs and help it to sound pretty unique.
All in all I’d say this track is pretty weird but I really like it, even 7 years after it was written.
*probably not -
Hey, that single loop got a great adaptation to this metal/chiptune fusion! The intro had some sweet added instruments gearing up to go, the B section at 0:29 got doubled up for other synth and guitar parts to sit over the top, the guitar solo at 1:03 was dense and carefully packed, and the drum writing overall felt engaging. However, after this single loop, you decided to start up a second one and fade out simultaneously. It's an anti-climax, it feels unfinished, and it's something that I would prefer a redo.
The sound palette is an interesting one - a lot of the instruments are tonally similar to the original audio. Still, for the most part, many of them have a sound upgrade quality to me. The only thing that should be concerning is a direct use of the intro audio during the intro itself, but it's only eight seconds worth at best and is a small fragment of the rest of the track - so I see it as no big deal.
As for the mixdown, the instruments themselves are balanced, and nothing's bleeding into one another. But the mixdown is way too hot even for metalcore - clipping at 0.9dB, and the guitar solo took the brunt of those distorted audio issues. I'm assuming you've set up a limiter or a master compressor, hence see if you can go back there and lax it just a touch.
This track was a tough one to look through. It's got some great transformation behind that one riff of the source, and the performance chops are very fulfilling. But if this is to get posted on OCR, consider revising the ending and giving the mastering another pass. You've got potential as a performer, so it'll be great to see you submit again.
NO (resubmit) -
Oh man, the arrangement is a belter! In the original post, I listed the sources in appearance order, so it's straightforward to follow. And then there are small sections used as leitmotifs as the track goes along, so along with how well the themes fit in organically, it's a clear example of a medley that doesn't sound like one. It has a dynamic framework, steady movement from one source to another, and keeping this story-telling vibe going through to the end—very thoughtful stuff.
However, I concur with a fair chunk of Wes's production issues. The lack of crunch on the guitar tone makes it feel empty when it's not doubled up with a synth, the shaker is too loud in the mix, and it's interesting to see compression brought up because this track clips at 0.3dB, dominantly in the last 90 seconds. It all adds up for the mixdown to get redone and see if a master chain can get set up if there isn't one already. The synth tone didn't concern me so much as it's not a dominant instrument in the grand scheme of things, but it would be nice to add another layer to the one you already have - and is worth seeing if you can do the same to the bass in the intro to ease its exposure.
It's a stable arrangement - compelling in the grand scheme of things. But before I can see it get posted, I'm in favor of a mixdown revision, potentially with some added layers. Keep going - I want those production values to melt my face off as it did with the writing!
NO (resubmit) -
This track is a peculiar case - arrangement-wise, it's one of the most conservative ones you've done yet, going through only one loop of the source before a sudden ending. Thankfully, Greg's woodwind performances added a lot of involving harmonies and countermelodies into the mix. The live instruments as a whole are tight as ever, and the variations in textures both suit your style and the track's framework.
However, there's something about the mixdown that feels weird. First of all, why does the piano have a soft attack? I can understand if this track was more experimental rather than your regular folk, but it feels really out of place. If this is a real piano, try opening the lid before recording it so you can get the more natural attack; if it's a VST, there'll be a knob somewhere to adjust that parameter.
Secondly, the mixdown feels bass-heavy and empty in the mid-section. I believe the biggest culprit of this is the reverb on your kick drum, resonating the entire audio spectrum rather than a set region. Ideally, you can try to high-pass the effect while keeping the dry signal as it is. As for the scooped out mids, you have indeed allowed Greg to take up some of that room, but you can still add some further body to your guitars and accordion to fill in that space. Make sure they don't blend into one another as well.
It's not the most exciting arrangement I've heard; considered barely passable thanks to the choice of textures and Greg's additional melody work. But the key issues on the production side - the bass-heavy mixdown and weird piano attacks - are both dealbreakers here, I'm afraid. It'll be nice to hear another version with a revised mixdown and some more natural attacks on the piano. Keep going, mate.
NO -
The arrangement plays conservatively but does a lot underneath it to give some character. Firstly, the post-rock adaptation allowed for some beautiful underlying texture work and those equally dreamy guitar tones taking center stage. The guitar solo at 2:41 not only caught my attention with how organic it fitted in with the rest of the writing but also effective use of polyrhythms and short rhythm stabs to build up energy before the climax. Unlike Wes, I didn't notice any of those harmonies until closer to the end, but that's not a bad thing - with a framework that has a natural dynamic evolution and different approaches to the textures across both loops, it's tough not to like.
I echo my sentiments with Wes and prophetik on the production values too - really well-mastered, no instrument out of place, and you've taken advantage of so much space when making the genre adaptation work. The performances are great too; however, there have been moments where the guitars and snare don't always align on the beat - so not the tightest playing I've heard, personally. The more I listened to the track, though, the more I saw it as a background irk that otherwise can't tarnish everything else it has done right.
Nevertheless, this track is excellent - an evolving treatment of the source, with some superb production values behind it. Let's see it get posted!
YES -
Contact Information
ReMixer name: Reuben SpiersReal Name: Reuben SpiersSubmission Information
Game: Xenoblade Chronicles
Name of Arrangement: Camping in the Winter NightsName of Original Song: Valak Mountain (Night)Ft. GameroftheWinds on Piccolo and Flute. What a lad.
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RebeccaETripp
Rebecca Tripp
http://www.crystalechosound.com/
ID: 48262
Game(s): FF13
Song Title: Transcendent DiscoverySongs Remixed: The VestigeThis was mixed/mastered by Nabeel Ansari.
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I side with Larry regarding the arrangement. It's straightforward and moves from one source to the other (and back again) with non-existent transitions (though the second one was better in terms of dynamics), but the solo writing and texture changeups as time went on more than made up for it. Sonic 1 boss had different variations and solo writing on both sides, so an excellent way to break away from autopilot while keeping with similar ideas. The Sonic 3 boss section also had some enlightening harmony choices at 1:48, starting with separation by thirds and then by sixths - the latter being especially unusual for music writing. 2:46 also had the smart idea of putting the first two bars of its A section over the chord structure for B, so it's great to hear Andy knew the source well enough to scramble it around!
Now, hold on a moment regarding the production values, though. Firstly, I'd have to disagree with Larry regarding the mixdown. It's mainly even across the board save for a touch less low-mids than I usually expect - but the amount of bass is unusually high for metal. That's not a dealbreaker as I'm at least able to hear everything, but it will send subwoofers into a frenzy. For the most part, the balance is robust, emphasizing the right instruments in the right places. However, the Sonic 1 boss bookends both have some uneasy distorted crackles throughout, and I suspect they weren't supposed to be in the mix from the beginning. These crackles account for less than half of the run-time, and with a small amount of headroom, it's hard to tell their point of origin - and all I know is that it's not from clipping.
I want to like this track - honestly, I do. It's a great genre adaptation with some tight performance chops all around. But the distortion in the bookends felt too distracting for me to give it full approval just yet. This issue is something that I hope Andy can take a small amount of time out to remedy - and only then would I feel confident enough to see it get posted.
[EDIT: 2020/12/11: Having read the other judges' feedback, I took a further listen and analysis, and realized I went too easy on the mastering. The heaviness of the bass actually held back the impact of the drum kit, the scooped out high frequencies cut out any presence on your lead guitar and drums' overhead, and the amount of over-compression has led to a stuffy mix. That said, this track definitely needs another mixdown pass if it's to get posted. The arrangement is great, so that should stay as it is - but I really hope that Andy will see everything we dropped on this track and find a way to give it the sheen it truly deserves.]
NO (resubmit) -
Arrangement-wise, this plays safe with some fresh ideas thrown in. While you've used a VST guitar rather than the real thing, the tones you picked out worked for this pseudo-surf vibe you've got going on. You've got the slide at 0:05, the melody drop-out at 1:14 in favor of a call-and-response between the toms and beat and fast string strumming emphasis, and a build-up on low strings at 2:08 over the B section's bass. Said slide at 0:05 showed that you'd got a decent ear for articulations, though it won't hurt to explore more of what your synth guitar VST can do. However, the three straight renditions of the theme (0:10, 0:42, 2:40) all sound tonally identical, with the only difference being where you placed the snares. I can see you tried to avoid autopilot based on percussion, but see if you can do something similar to the rest of the instruments.
The mixdown also has room for improvement, unfortunately. First of all, this track got rendered way too hot - clipping at 4.2dB, with the slide guitar intro taking the brunt of it. Consider bringing down the sound levels for all instruments, or putting a limiter or compressor into your master chain (or both). The drums feel like they got pushed too far behind, the guitars too far up, and the bass further than it needed to be - so see if you can take that into account when lowering the sound levels. Stereo placement is also odd, as there's a slight emphasis on the left ear. That could get remedied by just bringing down the volume of those stage-left instruments so that they're more even with the right. I also feel the rhythm guitar is lacking fullness, too. It's an appropriate tone for surf, but some fullness can help fill in this low-mid gap in the mix, so see if you can experiment with that.
It's not a bad start, André, but it's not ready for the front page in this form, I'm afraid. It'll be nice to hear a revision with less autopilot, further development on the theme itself, and a complete mixdown revision. Keep going and keep growing!
NO -
Naturally, this isn't so focused on melody, but more on generating background textures underneath the source - and that's something I've seen Rebecca pull off so well. As Larry pointed out, the string padding in the source got swapped over for some more ambient pad work and the occasional bell flourish - and the string stabs additionally got re-orchestrated for woodwinds. I also noticed that instead of the tempo dip that was in the source, the bell melody at 0:58 stayed locked to the tempo - a stiff direction, yes, but a transformation nonetheless. The slowdown at 1:51 felt more organic and served well as a segue into the A section's return. I also wasn't too crazy about the ending from 3:08 onwards being source-free outside of the chord progression, but the low timbres and volume shaping did their job in gently bringing the calm to a close.
This mixdown is an interesting one, too - not a lot actually happens in the mid-highs and highs, but when something does among the arsenal of pads and bells, they well and truly get a moment to shine. The instruments are well-balanced save for a low-mid overload from 1:09-1:31, and the woodwind articulations feel so lush and blend with the already pleasant-sounding pads and percussion. I wouldn't mind a cleanup in that section before posting, but I won't be too concerned if it gets left alone.
Nevertheless, this is an example of working with so little and developing something worthwhile - experimentation with different textures and pacing, all placed on a pleasantly produced palette. Through Rebecca's development with both this and earlier new-age arrangements, she's become the audio equivalent of a masseuse - and I am thankful for it. Solid stuff.
YES -
The main reason I brought this to the panel rather than marking it as a direct post got down to whether the source presence is enough. And yet, here's what I ultimately picked out:
0:19-0:57 - Clear use of the melody
1:27-1:29, 2:34-2:36 - Slipping in the theme during the bridge
1:40-2:00 - Clear source again
2:05-2:24 - Playing around with the motif during the breakdown. The second and sixth bars went source-free - thus, I will deduct 4 seconds from the total.
2:43-3:02 - Repeated chorus.
3:02-3:40 - Just like the 2:05 section, this played around with the melody (albeit in a different way), and similarly, the 2nd, 6th, 10th and 14th bars in sequence went source free. Remove 9 seconds as a result.
3:40-4:00 - Call and response between source and non-source for ending. Deduct 10 seconds to accommodate for this technique.Ultimately, these calculations gave me 55% source - so I guess I shot myself in the foot when looking at it initially.
Inboxing mistake aside, this arrangement has a lot of the hallmarks of being a quality mixpost. It showcased the best of both worlds in both melody preservation and transformation (as broken down above), a genre adaptation that allows it to stick out from Toby Fox's writing and keep to standard songwriting tropes, and some tight performance chops from your guitar and the vocal volunteers. Throw in a seamless mixdown with identifiable instrumentation and steady balance across the board, and we've got something exceptional here to present on the front page.
Again, I am sorry for not realizing this is too good for the queue from the beginning! And I hope the listener base for OCR will feel the qualities as much as I did - excellent job!
YES -
Typically, I see autopilot as an issue that should get remedied in your current development - though, the source itself went through the A section four times before moving to another idea. Hence, it's a tricky territory to work with from the beginning. Those A section repeats got tamed from putting two loops on *either side* of B, so that's a helpful start. However, when the central motif at 0:25-1:15 sounds utterly identical to that for 1:56-2:46, autopilot remains an issue. The accompaniment for the comping section at 1:23 is also unchanged from the motifs surrounding it - and I can tell because of those matching audio pops (0:45, 1:43, 2:17). It is possible to keep the structure as it is, but have entirely different rhythms on all three segments, as well as performing another take on the central motif to use in the theme's return at 1:56.
I do not deny the choice of instruments here - I'm assuming they were all recorded live based on previous discussions, and even then, they're both tight and organic at the same time. The balance is adequate, though the mixdown feels like it lacks in crunch. When a fair chunk of your mid-range instruments occupy the low-range (mainly the guitar and accordion), it's difficult to tell them apart. If you can emphasize another part in that range, then great; if not, see if you can find an instrument with fundamentals in the 2-5k mark to fill this void.
The production values are a minor irk compared to the arrangement, which needs more development at this point. It'll be neat if you can find ways to vary the accompaniment and do multiple takes for live recording authenticity. The lack of crunch isn't as essential to fix, but should also be worth checking out. Keep going, Reuben - you've been posted multiple times before, and I'm confident you'll make it again.
NO (resubmit) -
There's easily some transformation going on here - the rhythms stayed the same, but it needed to remain the same for the adaptation to this entirely different key. The various run-throughs of the A section kept presenting the varying textures and energy in different ways, and B's use at 2:27 - soon turning into a call-and-response between source use and original noodling - made a fantastic way to use half-time rhythms to build the energy back up for the climax. I'm all for hearing a broodier take on what is otherwise a happy source tune choice, so sweet work turning it on its head!
I had to think about the production values, somewhat. It's a clean mix, the recorded parts are artifact-free, and the presentation is similar to previous mixposts from you. The orchestral stabs aren't the most realistic ones I've heard, but the texture is firm and has a defined place in the mix. Additionally, the panned solo guitars starting at 2:27 should've been louder in the mix to stand up with the rest of the energy at that point. But then again, they are panned, on opposite sides of the stereo field - and that was a big help with finding a place for them to stand out against the other parts.
Nevertheless, you shouldn't over-critique yourself - go with your wife's judgment! Seriously, the track is a fantastic twist on the original and has an adequate mixdown to go along with it. I'm all for seeing it on the front page - excellent job!
YES -
Contact Information
ReMixer name: MET∆TRON
Real name: Richard Heule III
Email address:
Website: https://metatronmusic.squarespace.com
Userid: 30324
Submission Information
Name of game arranged: 2064: Read Only Memories
Name of arrangement: Saturated Media
Name of individual song arranged: Media Blues
Additional info: 2064: Read Only Memories is a cyberpunk point-and-click adventure game developed by MidBoss with a soundtrack by 2Mello. The game is heavily inspired by titles such as Snatcher.
Link to the original soundtrack: https://2mellomakes.bandcamp.com/album/sounds-of-neo-sf-read-only-memories-ost
Comments: This was made for the Pixel Mixers album, The Great Tale of the Little Ones Vol.2, which was a tribute to indie games. However, this version is a slightly different mix, along with an extended solo at the end. The song itself was inspired by old R&B sounds along with the TR-808. I wanted to take the original song and make it sound more sterile and "corporate", while giving it some kind of soul. -
Name: M BensonReal Name: Mike BensonGame: Final Fantasy (series)Arrangement: Riddim de ChocoboSong: Chocobo ThemeComments: I've long noticed the chords to the Chocobo theme (G-F-G-F etc) are a staple of reggae music. I used two famous reggae 'riddims' (The Hot Milk and Stalag riddims) and put them with the tune. I tried to use as many real instruments as possible (just the keyboards are fake) and tried to 'wark wark' on the sax at the end of the solo. Thanks!
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I side with Mike here on the production values - this palette sounds excellent! The drums are meaty and appropriate for the disco direction, the synths all have such playful articulations, and the mixdown is super clean. The melody does sound like it's getting buried, particularly during the B sections - but the original already had some playful harmonies, so it's nothing too big to fuss over.
The arrangement left me feeling torn, though. There's some neat underlying arrangement with additional backing parts and some minor timing adjustments on the melody, as well as doubling the A section in the first and third variations. There are some fun fills added to spice up the groove as well, and the Ottawan Band cameo was a satisfying transition into the third B section at 2:13. However, aside from these small textural changes, all three variations are identical in notation, wearing it out very quickly. There are several ways to make it feel more individual, too. An original melody over one of the loops, changing the rhythms of the accompaniment on another, sudden key or time signature changes - those are some quick ideas from the top of my head, and I'm sure you're capable of thinking of some other ones too.
Don't get me wrong - it's a fun take, and the production values are golden. But the interpretation is minimal, and so I hope you'll get the chance to revise it with some fresh ideas. If you do, this could become a strong sophomore effort from you. Keep at it, Aimé!
NO (resubmit)
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I'm with Larry - the arrangement for me has always been a non-issue. The initial run-through has some minor melody notation shifts and altered textures from the original. And then, there's this second half going knee-deep into development ideas that caught my attention. I heard a brief major-key use at 2:15, changing notation and chords for the main melody at 2:40, and harmonies aplenty. What I find interesting about this one is that Greg is a credited performer, but the violins are the main lead - a risky move for VST instruments. They could've had more variation in the attacks (which are primarily slow) and the releases (which are mostly non-existent), but the timbre feels lush enough to get the job done.
What had me going back and forth on was some minor production irks, wondering whether they'd be enough to be considered dealbreakers. Firstly, yes, it's a quiet mix with 2dB of headroom. Secondly, it's a drier mix than I expected, and it feels like everything got recorded in the same tiny booth. Thirdly, there was the issue with the violin's realism, as previously brought up and addressed. Ultimately I felt there was enough headroom to carry the ideas forward, and the dry mix felt offset with a clean and steady mixdown.
In this state, I feel it's postable. I wouldn't call it one of the better collaborations between Rebecca and Greg - but the arrangement techniques on display and satisfactory production values are enough to see it get onto the front page. Here's to the rest of the vote!
YES (borderline) -
As is typical for progressive trance, there is a lot to take in for its lengthy running time. First and most importantly, you nailed source dominance by using every motif in the intro to fill in space between melody uses. I find it interesting that you used the bass rhythm in the source as an additional melody, first appearing at 1:24 and having some modified pitches every four bars to fit the style better. The initial arpeggio had some notes removed for the adaptation - and that got changed up further during the build at 2:36, adding in some 16th notes into the mix including one every four bars that step down to the G note more gracefully. Outside of this, the genre adaptation is way more straight-forward, and I can slide with it.
What's important to keep this genre engaging is the sound design and the framework. Reason doesn't necessarily have the most engaging defaults to work with; for the most part, a handful of your synths have thin qualities to them only pushed up with subtle use of delay. I feel it'll be a good idea to see if you can layer multiple synths at once, and see what kind of fleshed-out textures would emerge. The framework starts well with some good trance tropes - the slow build of the beat, the breakdown at 2:16, and then back in with full energy at 3:00. However, from that point, there were no further breakdowns until at 6:00, where the drums became more breakbeat-like while going to the source's B section, all in anticipation of the climax and ending. The last thing anyone wants when listening to tracks like this is to tune out suddenly, so finding another way to break down between those timestamps can regain interest.
The mixdown, however, needs more work. There are a handful of sections throughout with clipping at 1.2db maximum, the first one appearing at 1:24 and the most concentrated clips occurring from 6:21-7:25. Consider lowering your instruments' volumes or adding a limiter to your master chain if there isn't one already. Even with the loud master out of the question, you have some high-pitched sweeps throughout taking too much attention away from everything else, so see if you can bring them down further. Also, the high-frequency resonance on the synths is too strong and can damage hearing in its present high intensity. See if you can make EQ cuts to tame them.
You may get some more detailed palette-related feedback from some of the techno-oriented judges, but what I heard was a potential club mix idea that ran close to outstaying its welcome. But the thin palette, loud mastering, and excess of high-pitched frequencies are worth addressing should you wish to keep working on it. Good progress so far, Robert - I await your next move.
NO (resubmit)
*NO* Mega Man X "Chilling in the Snow"
in Judges Decisions
Posted
I like this jazz direction. It offered plenty of room to experiment with denser chords, additional countermelodies, and some pleasant-sounding e-piano textures. Arrangement-wise, the boys before me nailed their sentiments - aside from the ending at 2:21, the track looped itself. With a good 70 seconds rehashing a previously established idea, this arrangement turned out to be underdeveloped, and with that second loop in need of some shake-ups.
Following on from the weird swing patterns, I noticed something else. The hi-hats are on a hard swing, but the piano notes themselves are actually in *straight* rhythms. So I feel it's not so much separate swing rhythms, but more like complete discord in the type of rhythm used.
As for the production side, the levels themselves and mixdown aren't too bad, but the palette feels like it lacks crunch. The current palette leans heavy towards the bass and low-mids, leaving only the cymbals, guitar, and keyboard selection to go further up the spectrum occasionally. One thing that can help is transposing your saw synth up an octave so that it takes up some of that frequency space, rather than being masked in the background. Another thing is the prospect of adding pads, hand percussion, pitched percussion, or a combination of the three to fill that gap.
As it is, there are some solid foundations, and your guitar performances are on point. But I also feel the track is not ready for OCR yet, with an underdeveloped and stilted arrangement as the main reason. The gaps in the palette is a secondary irk but should get looked into at some point. For the arrangement field, see if you can find a way to make the second loop different from the first, and figure out a more consistent rhythm pattern. You've got potential, so I hope you keep at it.
NO (resubmit)