Rexy   Judges ⚖️

Well yeah, as far as i'm concerned it's definitely got its fair share of SNES nostalgia. I feel much of the vicious intensions as shown by the backing instrumentation as well as the overall atmospheric touch here. I do have my reasons in saying that this isn't necessarily Mazedude's best work, although it does work well if you're a fan of the game. To broaden the scopes further, I have a full writeup for this mix:- --- Remix For much of the mix's structure it has high recognizable tendencies taken towards the source; can be shown to be a bit too reliable to it but it still has its own moments to make it work out. Some people may feel a bit quirky over the execution here; in the original the shifting chord progressions in the opening half of the theme showed the melodic riff going up by 3 semitones each time, however Mazedude has gone as far as bringing it up by 2 instead. This could stir up some people, however I actually like the idea behind it. That has helped to show some added creativity when it came to processing the theme structure alongside the ending, but outside from there I couldn't find much else to catch the audience's eye. For that purpose the arrangement structure followed the target material a bit too closely, although the climatic ending structure did have a good attempt at saving it here. It definitely succeeded for me in concept, although if anything could be improved there I would prefer to see the strings fade out at the end instead of being cut off at the end of the file. Going through here, while this isn't the most brash of Norfair interpretations in concept some of the tendencies taken to vary the theme around has made it fare well as a pretty good but conservative incarnation. Creativity Aside from the different structuring of the melodic progressions I didn't notice much that seemed to take interest to me through this side of the track to start off with, so that can be seen as a moderately disappointing aspect on that field. Fortunately, the sections link together pretty well in maintaining the original’s known vicious atmosphere even through its rather conservative variation format. However because of that latter point, there's not much to consider "fresh" given its cover-like status although some of the backing instrument choices have managed to help vary the instrument selection on that field. Even through here, repetition can be seen as a moderate quirk for some given that some of the rhythmic performances seem to struggle to vary too much, although for some that just want a clean arrangement that shouldn't be seen as too much of a problem. In terms of the tilt factor it may fit well if you're a Metroid fan and want more characteristic listening, although in terms of fitting for the casual listener's attention I've seen some stronger efforts from Mazedude. It's not bad though. Production Some of the ambient percussive sounds chosen were very good for what they were, although what I think seems to spoil it here is some of the MIDI-like nature on some of the sounds like the synths and choir sample. In terms of sound clarity, the sound channels feel a bit muffled thus showing minimal attention to utilizing EQs; I also wanted to see more reverb onto some of the melodic sounds to make it fit with the moody atmosphere it was looking for but for much of the time the processing on the sounds is okay. What I think killed the track more than anything was the encoding; there was definitely a lot of material going on, but at 128kbps all the way through it was difficult to sense many of which being able to stick out at its clearest form. The sound leveling is generally okay for what it was in terms of mix presentation, although one thing that I found as a light qualm is towards some of the melodic and accompaniment instrumentation - it sounds as if much of them are competing against one another on which should lead the entire way. Mind you, the panning has been realized well with the percussion space granted throughout, although here I personally wanted to hear some bolder texture work to be able to see it fit. So while I can say the production techniques aren't the best seen here there's some interesting concepts to be able to fit in the menacing tendencies taken towards that stage of the game. Not bad. --- Bringing the track into a nutshell, it's got its moments to appreciate for the Metroid fans at heart as well as being true to the feel of the theme. What I think brings it down more than anything is its quirky production qualities and the rather conservative arrangement approach here; not quite something i'd look for in a mix, but it's understandable given that it's 4 years old. Nonetheless, I found it to be an interesting blast from the past to take a gander into from Mazedude, and who knows; maybe in the future I'd see into a bit more of his prolific material I hope he comes back with another mix or two soon.

Haha, I know that chth's been waiting a lot for this mix's posting Ironically so i wasn't too hot on Fleeting Ecstacy, but with what came out here I felt that little bit more impressed with the material he has came forth on offer. And as djp said, this is solid proof that chth is a budding musician upon the site, pure and simple. Heck, I was even there for the mix upon its initial VGMix posting. i'll quote it here for full emphasis - In my own personal opinion, I find it to be one of chth's best works in his mix backlog to date; there's a lot of stronger production work applied throughout as well as a fair amount of compositional creativity to be able to make it adapt onto the site. Even the new things really caught my eye! But even here I still feel shaky over some of the transitions from one texture into another; there were a few that seemed to feel rather sudden for what they were, although that can be fair in saying that it's tough to blend in happiness and sadness into one mix. I also felt it was a tad bit liberal in some areas, but it's still firm enough to appeal to its audience. So yeah, as far as I'm concerned it's a pick-up for me, and it's a long-awaited return here for chth. Let's hope to hear more from you in the future, whether it's on the Kirby project, other releases here or otherwise

Alright, I'm ready to comment on those two WIPs Link: Although brief, it's still got a fair amount of promise with the opening statuses here. But I have to agree with much of what's been said already by thinking that the lead into the drums could have been a bit smoother. I'm still appreciating much of the concepts so far, and it should work out once everything starts to fill out. Usa: You completely surprised me; I was expecting a piano solo, although a party anthem is just as interesting In the brief minute the incorporation of the theme is shown to be imaginative, and has managed to add to your diverse moods within your music. There are two things I need to state here though - firstly I'd say it needs some light dynamic processes. In other words, some of the more realistic instrumentation like the brass and the backing percussion could have done with reverb to better fit the room ambience. Depending on the software you work with, you can link the sounds up with a good range of VSTi's (or export the waves individually, apply the reverb in your wave editor and import it back into the mix that way) to make them sound more interesting in terms of granting ambience. Secondly, you sould also think of humanisation; the samples are rather cool for what they were, but some of the sequences feel a bit mechanical. That can be altered with varying attack times, release times, note lengths, velocities (most importantly of all!) and timings. But this is good stuff coming out so far; it'll be interesting to see what else you can do. --- Whew... relaxation time. And no way, ABBA are not dead; they're just in a heavy hiatus that may never cease. Oh well...

I loved a lot of mv's work in the past, and this mix is no different. As far as I'm concerned it's the best Terranigma arrangement VGMix had to offer upon travelling there, and - even though I saw that the quality and theme diversity for this game's coverage has been upped quite a bit here - it has still managed to shine on as a great quality remix for this part of the site. So I might as well rope in my VGMix review through all this - As far as I'm concerned I actually found this to be one of mv's best works to date, and that has been shown with a great combination of atmospheric production techniques, reliabilities to the source material and enough creative garbs to be able to add to the scopes of the source on that ground. There's barely much i can find wrong with this at all, although I still feel a little bit shaken over the slightly harsh attacks on the ending sequence, although that could be nothing more than a nit-pick. But yeah, it's still a good mix to check out; more high quality work from mv, and definitely worth noting if you're a fan of the game. We need more material from him in the future

Yeah, I think most of the people have covered this one When I first saw it around VGMix I literally had my jaw dropped in awe over how the medley came together. Even here it's one of those rarities - a good range of tracks following on from one another, but have all been expanded enough in concept and involvement as well as showing enough roots to the source material to make it accessible for the site. I had a few light thoughts towards how the track would be compressed for the site, but for something like this it shouldn't really be taken in too much of a factor. Nonetheless, i'll copy my VGMix review and showcase my thoughts back into here. So yeah, it's fair to say that I flat out enjoyed this. ^^ It took a while to associate with some of the themes (given that I never played the Mana games when I was younger but was able to get really involved with the score as of late), but with the amount of credibility taken towards the piecing together of the individual tracks the audience is sure to be in for a very exciting piece of work from start to finish. For that, it's shown to be another job well done for both Christian Pacaud and Marc-Andre Gingras, and a wel deserved entrance to the site for ktriton too. I want to see some more work from either of the three artists in the future, or better still, any possible collaborative efforts again

A four way collab? May sound awesome if that gets to come around

Oh man, I've now got two Tales WIPs to look into Good to see work's being put into these, and i promise i'd come forth with commentary tomorrow unless something crucial happens in the last minute (!)

It's about time this mix came up. I've had her initial recording saved to my hard drive for the past few months, and to see the finished version up on the site at long last I'm pretty much showing relief at what she's done. One can wonder if the wait was well worth it; although I'd tell you now that I appreciated the skill that came around her previous arrangement "Into The Golden Sunset" (which I like most people have found it to make me cry), so that can be firmly taken into account. As an OCR "pianina" myself () I'll be sure to drop my thoughts on all this:- --- Remix In terms of familiarization towards the original it feels very conservative in its linking towards it, so that can help associate firmly with FFVII gamers. The execution of the performance is generally good for the most part, although if there were some aspects that could shake some people they would relate to some sudden jumps up and down in dynamics and slowdowns to match; I think they seem to somehow make the piece feel a bit struggled in some segments, although the natural presentation is still there at heart. Variance on the theme is still available in spite of its conservative tendencies, mainly shown by a total change of key in comparison to the core theme (and the initial recording I came across to begin with, may I add), and enough variance upon the general rhythms and structuring for the source material when noted. The structure, while good, seems to stick a bit too closely to the specified theme but it's still good enough to help keep much of the track's emotive aspects strong, most especially with the more creative ending sequence that managed to come through. So in terms of this aspect of the arrangement, I don't really see this as the most adventurous interpretation of the theme but there's still some good unique aspects in the arrangement that have aided in making its (rather belated) entrance to OCR possible. Creativity In terms of breathing in some extra life towards the song there's been a good amount of changes in mood to help add to the more reflective atmosphere that Susie was looking for. Generally the sections link well even though the conservative arrangement have partially not made that her responsibility; however those who appreciate the game shouldn’t see that as too much of a problem. For me I found some of the dynamics linking into some of the areas could have been a bit more careful in their execution, although I still found that fairly reasonable. I found a lot of fresh expressions with a lot of tense portions shown at the start as well as some more upbeat aspects near the middle and darker moods near the end - those can help provide a fresh pace throughout the course of the arrangement here. I didn't sense too much repetition; she's had a good go at eradicating that aspect altogether by making sure that various variations on the track's melodic structure are given unique rhythmic incarnations to make sure that no segment sounds the same. For much of the time I found the overall performance of the theme to really shine well; while not the most expansive of pieces it's very enjoyable work if you want to take on board piano arrangements and/or Final Fantasy mixes, so that can be of some positive well being here. Well done. Production In comparison to her initial recording of this, I found this to be a lot cleaner and better executed in terms of instrument clarity; one qualm that I've had with the sample was that it made some of the softer sounds feel a little bit on the unclear side, although there's been some good reasoning for the choice behind it. Even through here the processing sounds mainly alright for what it was, although it can be argued that some of the muddy tendencies with the softer segments could be cleared with some bolder EQs; rolling off a very light amount in the low-mids might do the trick there. The recording itself is very clean and well shown in terms of dynamics; was hoping for a little less sustain but it is still well thought out. That has even been shown in the basic sound levels, where much of the recording tendencies are taken at a well balanced quality and have easily allowed the dynamics to be able to come to their own. The panning has been shown well through the overall instrument space, as well as much of the room ambience that was taken around it. In terms of this aspect I noticed a fair amount of excellent aspects taken to the rendering as well as some areas that could do with a closer re-approach, although as it stands I really felt this aspect has been able to make it shine on its own. Good stuff. --- While I personally feel that the recording is a great improvement over the version I found on her website 3 months ago, I still honestly believe that she showed her emotive side much stronger with Into the Golden Sunset. That's not to say this mix pales in comparison; although it plays rather conservatively, it has still been able to take a grasp at the theme in its most reflective and meaningful form throughout, something that I feel that piano arrangements should be recognised more for. So yeah, I can definitely say that the mix's release was worth the wait and it's another well thought out addition to BogusRed's musical library. I hope she comes forth with some good stuff in the future; you know that pixietricks and I can't operate the female mixing scene by ourselves

I think I have a WAV somewhere, may take a while to find it though. Bleh. But yeah, we still need 3 more filled spots out there. We need it

Given his attitude to the site it could spark some controversy... in a similar fashion Crystal Flash did. O.o Hm? But I can't release that track just yet; it's not my birthday for another 6 weeks =(

Usa, I'll see if i can burn your WIP to disc and listen to it tomorrow sometime. I'm often interested in seeing how you come along ^^ And yeah, I know this is a little bit off-topic here, but I really want to release something at VGMix on Sunday, however I don't know what to put forward. >.< I have my first 2 WIPs at VGMix and my DoD entry to choose from; they'll eventually get released over the summer, but I can't decide what to put out there first. Major bummer. That aside, even though I am in an unstable state to work on music over the summer I've still been able to send the Fighting of the Spirit closing track towards Kyle a few weeks back. And now, I've been able to extract a portion of the recording and render a demo of what I've done to share with the masses. And yeah... all these prog-like tracks have made it fitting for longer mixes than the usual. But hey, thank goodness virt isn't involved or we'd have a 40-minute rendition of The Law of the Battle.

Wut? Metal Heads can be such crazy bastards Yet, we love them for what they do. And... a 4-CD set? Are you sure djp will allow this?

While I do feel that this is one of Sefiros's strongest efforts that i've witnessed in his expansive music collection, Maverick still has his opinion stated here. Nonetheless, there's a lot of emotional garb reflected in the source music that has made it do justice and provide something fresh for this game's coverage at this moment in time. Again I'll quote in my VGMix review to summarise my feelings over this at the time of its completion. Within the months that have followed leading to its posting here, I had a few doubts on whether it would make it or not. My main issues here relate to a conservative composition (which I think isn't usual in some of his other experimental work) and some really, REALLY synthetic orchestration. I just saw that as a way of showcasing high-quality samples, although some of the attacks, releases, note lengths, velocities and timings (mainly on the violin) were rather synthetic. I was more than surprised to see this mix managed to come through; not quite the strongest synthetic mix to date, but there's definitely a lot of heart and soul placed into it that have easily welcomed Sefiros within the OCR clan. Well done, you wee scot; let's see you keep things up in the future

Unluckily for you Roe, i've got the MP3 on my hard drive and i'm not taking it off anytime soon.

Let me tell you now that DJ Orange, while not the most technically minded arranger you'd see here, has a very unique sense of creativity within his own arrangements from picking uncovered source material through to his wide range of styles that make him worthy of his username. This mix is no different; while it didn't catch me on the first few listens it eventually grew and became one of the happiest mixes I'd ever witness in a long while. Kudos to that. For a fuller emphasis i'd rope in my VGMix review. It was a pleasure going over this one In a nutshell I found some of my technical quirks to match those with Pretzel's, interestingly enough. I have had to disagree with some of the judges on pan flute processing as I swear it could have been a bit more humanised to fit the tone it was seeking for, but the thoughts on some of the sudden transitions are roughly the same. But they haven't stopped a fun piece like this from making it onto OCR. It's definitely weird in its technical sense, but it's still unique, interesting and insanely upbeat enough to fit as a very good FF5 mix for the site. We need more FF5 in the future. We also need more Orange in the future too. Keep up the good work

Agreed; it's got my eyes scarred for weeks! I haven't registered over there yet but i'll run through a few of his pointers right here. No way man, if you want the world's worst DJ you should see some local college radio. Some of the DJs at my uni stutter like Hell, which is something that Larry often comes around with his interviews. That's because crap isn't supposed to be good in the first place. Pwnt. He's not meant to play video game music; he's here to play video game remixes if mostly anything. And even if you do edit it to say "most of it is crap that isn't video game re-arranements" I will prove it to you by going through a random show. VG Frequency #60.99 had a lot of tracks played, yet only 9 of which weren't relating to videogames. Point proven again, considering you thought that 80% of the tracks played aren't VG music? i'll shaddap and see what the mob wants with him

Neither did I, but i'm still having my fair share of enjoyment through this. You still should join, especially with the type of music you offer to the community and all.

If you need help with the hosting I'd offer some webspace in your direction

Spell my name right! (LT: Booyah!) And... yay, glad to see the status concerning the VG Freq shows here. I don't know whether to push you into uploading the 3 finished edits (it's been, what, 2 months since #56 went online?) or wait a bit longer (because good things come to those who wait), but whichever comes out of it I am of high anticipation of the files. Now if you excuse me, I've got the anti-VGF topic to read to... who in heck would hate your show anyway?

Spell my name right! Worth a total ROFL... way to go Shariq.

Sounds nice to see your thoughts on all this, but I still have to scroll a fair bit on my browser especially in a horizonal direction. It may have helped if the banner was shown in a top row, not part of the right hand column. These are the thoughts i have in mind for its design, in ASCII format - |----------| |THE BANNER| |__________| |B|========| |U|========| |T|OPENING=| |T|========| |O|==BLURB=| |N|========| |S|========| ----------~o I hope you understand what I mean O.o [EDIT: Okay so now I just realised that my thoughts were the same as what was on the main page, which seems to work a bit better through my browser in terms of scrolling. I still think some frames would make some aspects that bit cleaner. O.o]

I've been familiar with a fair chunk of Ziwtra's work in the past, and even here I'm impressed with this mix. I can't say I'm too hot on Terranigma but it's cool to see some expansive coverage for the game score outside the countless Crysta mixes it has mainly spawned. So yeah, it's about time I managed to catch onto a light write-up through listening to the mix, using the same analysis stylesheet that I adapted to as a Sonic Revolution judge. Having looked back at the judges decisions I feel that much of my qualms relating to the track are similar to Liontamer's on the quirk on that I've heard some much better production work from Ziwtra. But even with that into mind the overall arrangement, although a little bit over-liberal in parts, was still very cool and expansive for even source material like this one. So yeah, it's not the hottest of Ziwtra works the site has on offer but it's still a goodie if you want to see some slick quality Terranigma coverage. It was worthy of my time and it can be of yours too if you're a fan of the game/genre/musician. Hope to see more work from this user in the future!

Kyle, not everyone has a monitor resolution as big as 1024x768

I think he means having the organisational stuff on one page without having to scroll much. Have you tried frames? That can be an option to stop that happening. Mind you, good design so far ^^ Even though there's nothing on the links button (it's just the same as the main page) it's coming along firmly enough. Nice work, hermano.

How much does it cost? There's no need to panic too much about donating a bit of cash for doing a remix, i assure you. In terms of studio software for Windows, I think Cubase is a good program to use. I'm not sure if there's any demos of it online but I use it rather frequently in encoding my own piano works.