Rexy   Judges ⚖️

Now, this is a great adaptation! You took a 6/8 acoustic BGM and transformed it into a synth-driven 4/4 arrangement. Aside from the minute-long intro, the source material is readily identifiable - either with the melody proper or with the transformation of the original's acoustic guitar loop. It's a solid structure too - intro aside, it's ABA with no drums in the second A variant and some careful extra segueing between them. I also feel like I'm the only one who can appreciate the ending as well - ending on a chord that isn't the root is always going to feel unconventional, but that's what makes the explorative nature of electronic chillout what it is. I can also live with the "premature" fully established instrumentation at 1:46 - it aimed for a chill vibe with both the sound palette and the initial groove, and any jarring jumps in the momentum would break that immersion. All that is despite the double-time section at 2:24 - it refreshed the drum writing, while at the same time, the sound palette remained focused on keeping that momentum stable. And then, there's the production. The synths indeed feel very rich, with great attention to filters and layers - and I also can't ignore that initial drum bit crunch either. Yes, there is 2dB of headroom, but you mixed your instruments tightly, ensuring the track doesn't feel on the quiet side. Synth layers also meant there's no real overlap, and you can feel what each one is doing. The only exception I noticed was when the source arpeggio got introduced at 1:02. You started with a low-mid range of pitches that hid too far into the droning pad that it was difficult to make out. But four bars in, you overlaid it with a higher-pitched echoed arpeggio, doing the same thing but two octaves higher, and that added layer gave it some much-needed presence. Weighing up everything, I sensed a sweet arrangement direction and some solid production work, yet I developed conflicting thoughts regarding critique already mentioned so far. To me, this track feels like a complete package, and I'm more than happy to see it get posted. Waiting 17 years between first submission and first mixpost sounds daunting, but I'll be pleased to see this as the track that made it. YES

Arrangement wise, it does play safe and maintain the source's elements verbatim. But the accompaniment has some excellent additions like synth guitars and brass, sweeps when appropriate, harmonies in 5ths at 0:48 and 2:45, and even referencing both Deltarune sources during that 1:20 solo. I also really enjoy that 7/8 breakdown at 0:55 from a technical standpoint, too - it pushed itself out of nowhere and added a refreshing break in the run-up to the improvisational section. Including "Fields of Hopes and Dreams" also helped to break the momentum and build things up for the final part. And yes, just like MindWanderer, I also feel that fade-out ending fell flat. It's not a dealbreaker regarding site standards, but I'm just not a fan of ending tracks this way. The production's also okay - the instruments are clean, I can identify them all in the mix, and I too can understand the desire to emphasize the funk bass over the piano based on the rest of the instrument palette. It doesn't necessarily pump the adrenaline like you think it did, but the soundscape does have a meaty undertone in comparison to the original's aired nature. You used volume envelopes well to express your synths, though I'm also with prophetik in regards to the potential of looking at further articulation for next time. Additionally, I would've preferred a hint of reverb on your snare, so it's not too dry in comparison to everything else. It's just a small subjective observation, so it's nothing too serious. With all parts weighed up, I consider it good to go for the front page. It's a fun take on an equally fun source, and I'm crossing my fingers to see how you can top this in the future. YES

If you want my take on the whole thing, it's the creation that matters so much more and not the person behind it. As a radio show curator, I've aired arrangements of music originally done by some known jackasses - and I air them because the arranger saw something in the soundtrack, and not the person. It has been some time since the whole debacle, and I too hope that you haven't changed your mind regarding this track because let's be serious - the arrangement and ideas are brilliant. Yes, you presented this track like a medley. But each source ties into a larger picture and have also been substantially interpreted individually. The backing consistently evolves throughout with its consistent accompaniment switch-ups. I like the pacing changes for the melodies too - like at 1:31, where the second half of Home Again had breathing space to draw anticipation for the next movement. Most importantly, you gave enough care to link all segments together seamlessly, so it feels more like a rhapsody rather than a medley. It flows, it draws upon the recognizable parts of the sources, and the message got carried well. Granted, I do agree with both MindWanderer and prophetik, regarding the orchestrated parts not sounding all that realistic. But with the electronic side of the palette feeling lush and sophisticated, the orchestration doesn't need to be realistic - instead, it needed to compliment the synth palette and not de-emphasize either side of the setup. As a collective whole, they sound clean, they're mixed in well and remains tight for its 8-minute duration — definitely no small feat. If I didn't spell it out by now, I'd accept this, provided that you'd still go through with the mixpost. But regardless of what happens, this track has signs that you got what it takes to make it onto the OCR front page. Some of us judges, past and present, had also been scared of sending music to the panel at one point or another, but there's absolutely nothing to fear - we post it if it gets accepted, or there'll be useful critique if it doesn't. So I commend you for plucking up the courage to submit. It was an extraordinary experience, and I hope it gives you the motivation to keep contributing! YES

Contact Information ReMixer name: Reuben Spiers Real Name: Reuben Spiers E-Mail: Submission Information Game: Super Mario 64 Name of Arrangement: Sleepy Snore Spores Name of Original Song: Piranha Plant Lullaby Also featuring GameroftheWinds

Here's the big one! Contact Information Your ReMixer name: PirateCrab Your real name: Daniel Woodyer Your email address: Your website - https://www.youtube.com/c/piratecrabuk Your userid: 28881 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged: Sonic The Hedgehog Name of arrangement: Sonic's Metal Marathon! Name of individual song(s) arranged: Green Hill Zone, Marble Zone, Spring Yard Zone, Labyrinth Zone, Star Light Zone, Scrap Brain Zone, Boss Theme, Scrap Brain Zone, Stage Clear Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc. "Back to my roots! This was the first game that really stuck with me as a child and so did the soundtrack. Nostalgic, mesmerizing and still fun to play now!" (Feel free to suggest an alternative name for the arrangement, I think the above one is terrible :D)

Dear OCremix team, I was just emailling to submit one of my covers of the 'Dancing Mad' Theme from FFVI. Remixer name: AdLibPiano Real name: Adeel Jafree (no website, all content posted to my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuG6LTDriDZ2LbGJeR1wHiw?view_as=subscriber ) Userid: 35420 Game Arranged: FFVI Name of Arrangement: Kefka's Last Dance Name of Song(s) arranged: Dancing Mad (also victory theme from Final Fantasy franchise is referenced at the end) First submission so I do not think I have been added to the site Link to original soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbXVNKtmWnc Inspiration: Wanted to challenge myself by doing a cover of this piece as I found it quite complex both rhythmically and harmonically. As opposed to creating a remix/cover similar to the original, I adapted the main theme quite a lot to fit into a simple 4/4 time signature which I hope works well. All parts are midi files but all played in live on the piano/keyboard. I hope that's alright, look forward to hearing your thoughts/judgement, Many Thanks, Adeel Jafree (AdLibPiano)

According to Jordi's Youtube page, he created this track all the way back in 2002. It makes me wonder why he wasn't aware of OCR at the time, but there you go. I consider the arrangement decent enough to warrant a shot at the panel - and if it does pass, it'll obviously need a new title. -Rexy Your ReMixer name - jordibabot Your real name - Jordi Babot Casacuberta Your email address Your website - www.jordibabot.cat Your userid - 35883 Name of game(s) arranged: Tecmo cup - Soccer game Name of arrangement: Tecmo cup - BRZ Theme Name of individual song(s) arranged: Team Brazil Jr Additional information about game including composer, system, etc. (if it has not yet been added to the site) - it is Link to the original soundtrack (if it is not one of the sound archives already available on the site) - it is Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc. This song was made with Impulse tracker in later 90's. This was a super cool game and I consider this remix my tribute. Go Razors! PS: Char3 was my nickname by that time. Bitrate is a little low due to those times limitations.

Contact Information thebitterroost !fname thebitterrooster.wordpress.com 32609 Submission Information Faxanadu Faxanadoom Name of individual song(s) arranged: Elf Town (Eolis) June Chikuma, NES https://youtu.be/77m6aTJb-yk?t=47 Made with cheap mics, cheap drums, cheap(ish) audio interface, freeware amp sims. Kind of a medium-slow/sludgier/doomier/whatever metal take on the tune, with just a hint of Opeth and a possibly misguided bit of bitcrushing. And it loops!

Your ReMixer name: Zevin Your real name: Kevin Zeiger Your email address: Your website: https://zevin.bandcamp.com/ Your userid: https://ocremix.org/community/profile/34711-zevin/ Name of game arranged: Mega Man 5 Name of arrangement: Falling Up Name of individual song arranged: Gravity Man originally composed by Mari Yamaguchi ("Mari") from the Nintendo Capcom release Mega Man 5 (1992) Link to the original soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3Pkpp49aMk Your own comments about the mix: I've always loved the Gravity Man stage song; a standout track from the entire NES series. I was simultaneously looking forward to this song and dreading it, both because of the extremely complex and awesome-sounding melodies. I'm very happy with the result. Neil deGrasse Tyson unwittingly makes a cameo attempting to define what gravity "is"... Thank you for your consideration - Kevin Zeiger

RebeccaETripp Rebecca Tripp http://www.crystalechosound.com/ ID: 48262 Game(s): Oracle of Ages/Seasons Song Title: Tranquil Homesteads Songs Remixed: Inside Houses

My first impressions from hearing it in the inbox haven't changed. I loved all the playing around with the melody, whether it be with altering timings, added harmonies, and adaptation to different chords in sequence. The synth solo at 1:12 also sounded exciting and expressive, getting more dynamic and dense as it continued. It's additionally bright mastering as well with an overly punchy master compression, but the instruments are mixed clean and are all readily identifiable in the mix. The main reason why I moved it into the panel from the inbox was simply one echoed by my fellow judges - there's repetition in everything else except the lead. It's one thing to have reservations on something but said lead writing and breaks have helped ease off the monotony, so I can barely see it as a pass. All in all, it's a fun listen and different twist on the Tetris A-type music. With sharp production values, packed variations of the melody, and some powerful original writing to offset the repetition, it's one I can see join the other mixposts and Conor's continued love for all things Game Boy. Nice work. YES (borderline)

NOGames Nathan Oldroyd 36076 The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Sandy Steps Gerudo Valley

Hi, guys! I'm contacting you again to submit a new Legend of Zelda' "The Dark World" METAL cover / remix (original song from the game The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past, later re-recorded on The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds). Thank you for your time and, of course, enjoy it!! Here's all the info you requested: Contact Information Your ReMixer name: mikestamper (Mike Stamper) Your real name: Aitor G. Your website: http://www.mikestamper.es Your userid: 32612 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past / The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Name of arrangement The Darkened Land Name of individual song(s) arranged The Dark World "The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past" was one of the first games I played during my childhood. It's songs got stuck on my head for all my life, especially this one. This epic piece of music inspired me to make something heavier, keeping the amazing original melodies. And so, this is the result,

Z Megaman X - Kuwanger Theme

ReMixer name: Astral Tales Real name: Ernesto Bernal Email address: Website: astraltales.bandcamp.com Submission Information Name of game arranged: Metal Gear: Name of arrangement: Snake's in the Jungle Name of individual song arranged: Jungle Own comments about the mix: I've had this song stuck in my head since a long time ago and I wanted to write a Synthwave version of it. The OST of this game is great and I am very happy on how it turned out! I hope you enjoy it.

Contact Information ReMixer name : Bak.R Real Name : Backer Ruth Website : www.Bak-R.be Userid : 34757 Submission Information Name of game arranged : Final Fantasy IX Name of arrangement : Crazy Moon Name of individual song arranged : Jesters of the moon Link to the original soundtrack : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUCeXApQxNw Comments : This is my arrangement of the song. I try to keep this clownly mood in to the hole song. I have added a new variation on the song, trying to keep the same spirits with this new original composition. It’s orchestrated a lot of classical instruments with modern cinematic touch.

RebeccaETripp Rebecca Tripp http://www.crystalechosound.com/ ID: 48262 Game(s): Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild Song Title: Hidden Shrines Songs Remixed: Temple of Hylia (SS) Cave Shrine (BotW) TPR Collaborated with me on this piece. Here is a link to his channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/phoenixrisemusic/videos He’s already agreed to let me submit this.

ReMixer name: Deadly Ax real name: kouichi naruse website: https://da-pf.blogspot.com/ ID: 30500 Name of game: MEGAMAN X (ROCKMAN X) Name of arrangement: Armored Armadillo Additional information: Super Nintendo Entertainment System,山本節生(Setsuo Yamamoto) about the mix: I used VST Instruments for all tracks. When I was young, I played MEGAMAN X over and over again. The days passed and I started to like Metal. So when I arranged,made the genre Metal.

Remixer name: Bluelighter Real Name: Guillaume SAUMANDE Mail: ID forum: 21840 Game & Songs: Final Fantasy X & Yuna's Decision Composer: Nobuo Uemastu & Junya Nakano Hi OCR! This is a piano arrangement of Yuna's Decision. In the game, the music came after some difficult events. The contrast between this peaceable scene and the last events was clashing and the music was so remarkable. I really love this melody, so peaceful and nice. So I made a piano adaptation; trying to keep the spirit of the original. I put a lot emotion in this piece , a little romantic but without romance in the story : only hope and sense of duty of our charactere Yuna Enjoy BREAKDOWN Original 0'00 Melody A 1'05 Melody B Arrangement 1- 0'00 Mel B – high notes, like a dream 2- 0'28 Mel A – the main melody starts; respectful of the original structure with piano ornamentations 3- 1'17 Mel B – the structure continues, with quick arpeggios. It is followed by culminating point of the piece with loud harmonies. And still arpeggios 4- 1'54 Mel A – some variations of the main melody 5- 2'43 Mel B – reminder of the part 1

Contact Information Your ReMixer name: aluminum Your real name: Zac Changnon Your email address: Your website: blurringline.net Your user ID (number, not name) on our forums: 2776 Submission Information Name of game(s) arranged: Equinox Name of arrangement: Meridian Name of individual song(s) arranged: Tori Additional information about game including composer, system, etc. (if it has not yet been added to the site): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox_(1993_video_game) SNES, 1993; composers: Tim Follin and Geoff Follin Link to the original soundtrack (if it is not one of the sound archives already available on the site): https://youtu.be/RW3bsU_9rwY Your own comments about the mix, for example the inspiration behind it, how it was made, etc.: Hello again OCR, I’m back with another track for you. I actually started this piece quite a few years ago now but recently dusted off the project to finish it up because it seemed like an arrangement worth completing. The sound design is perhaps slightly uneven because of that time gap in production, but I polished it all up and I think it turned out well. Because I took some liberties with the arrangement, I wanted to take a moment to go through the source usage in this track. I didn’t use the entirety of the original because it’s quite lengthy/atmospheric. The plucked melody in the original that starts around 0:44 shows up prominently in my arrangement at 1:02. The lead melody at 0:53 in the original is the basis for my “verse” melody that plays at 0:25 and 2:55 in my arrangement. The melody at 1:05 in the original is the basis for my “chorus” melody that plays at 0:43 and 3:14 in my arrangement. The section of the original that starts at 4:25 (Rexy's note: technically 0:00 as that's when the track loops) is the basis for my bridge section that starts around 1:31. Thanks! -- aluminum

RebeccaETripp Rebecca Tripp http://www.crystalechosound.com/ ID: 48262 Game(s): Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild Song Title: Treading the Maze of Trials Songs Remixed: Sealed Grounds, Sheikah Tower Gamer of the Winds helped with this one as well!

ReMixer Name: PSK Real name: Per Kiilstofte Email Address: Website: https://per.kiilstofte.net UserID: 35773 Game Arranged: World of Warcraft Name of Arrangment: Legends of Warcraft Songs arranged: Legends of Azeroth (Composer: Jason Hayes), Elwynn Forest (Composer: Jason Hayes), The Barrens (Composer: Derek Duke). Comments: I’ve always been a big fan of Warcraft, since Orc’s & Humans in fact. I also used to play quite a bit of WoW. When I saw the recent WoW expansion coming out I got quite nostalgic and just had to create some music, which eventually became Legends of Warcraft. While the track clearly builds around Legends of Azeroth by Jason Hayes, there are also two nods to both Alliance and The Horde in the piece at 1:14 (Elwynn Forest) and 2:08 (The Barrens) respectively. Using Legends of Azeroth as the base with two iconic motifs while creating a highly epic sounding orchestral composition I feel encompassed the essence of Warcraft, and in particular the latest expansion “Battle for Azeroth”. Thank you for your consideration

Game Arranged: Skies of Arcadia Name of Arrangement: The Silver Crystal Song Arranged: Fina's Theme Commentary: "I had been in the process of working on my own interpretation of Fina's Theme when I was asked to take on Fina's Theme for this remix album. For this remix, I included some inspiration from "Short Skirts" by djpretzel and Vigilante, as well from the track "To Impress the Empress" from the Nujabes compilation album Modal Soul Classics. Where most tracks I do usually take about 2 weeks to a month to complete, I set a personal record for myself with this remix as I finished everything within about 3-4 days. The result is a smooth jazz-y, breakbeat-y thingy that I hope you'll be able to chill out to."

ReMixer name: Michael Hudak Real name: Michael Hudak Name of game: Skies of Arcadia Name of arrangement: Antarctica and the Moon (Dec/Jan) Additional Info: Sending a WAV. Thrilling! Hi there! The idea of using this particular track from Skies of Arcadia came from the terrific “Arcadia Legends” album released at the end of 2018. I'm a big fan of that game's music, but missed out on contributing a track to the album because I was too slow. “Dungeon of Ice” was one of the few tunes from the OST that wasn't remixed from that album, and it happens to be one of my favorites from the, so this was an easy choice. The original uses your typical frosty “ice level” sounds, but in a lilting jazz arrangement. Lots of melodic and harmonic richness. Now, I've been watching a lot of Scott Walker interviews recently, and he talks about his music-making process as being a “reductive exercise”, stripping down the grand musical ideas in his head, and then dressing songs with only what really matters. I find this quite interesting, so, my idea for this one was to consider the “Dungeon of Ice” source as an already-produced remix, and think of what the true original could sound like, without ever hearing it. The end result is somewhat of a spiral – looping but also linear, cold and warm at once. Additionally, I've been very interested in the work of Carsten Nicolai, who experiments with repetition and extreme frequencies in music. According to him, if the brain is exposed to a large frequency spectrum, it sort of diverts attention from the ones more difficult to perceive. But, what if we are ONLY exposed to frequencies that our brains like to divert attention from? The first section of this song presents that question, and is an experiment in how we become accustomed to high frequencies, and perhaps don't even notice some of them until they're gone. Nothing too harsh; not trying to be completely subversive and not have a chance at passing the judges. (I had to carve a huge notch at around 4.5 khz because it was painful). The second part o the song is similar, just on the lower end of things, with most of everything being under 1,000 hz. How does this butting up of high and low frequencies make you feel? In the context of this “reductive exercise”, I personally think the final result is more interesting than if the two parts were playing at once. They could be layered on top of each other to make one fuller-sounding piece, but side-by-side, they're two different versions of the same feeling. I think the toughest part of making this was finding the right amount of repetition to hook our reptile brains, while also keeping the song engaging for those unfamiliar with the source. (I have my own 8-minute version that I use to sip tea with.) I know this might be a tough one to evaluate, but I hope you at least get something real out of it! Thank you!

Original decision Remixer name=Audiomancer Real name=Eric Email= game=Dragon Warrior 2 Arrangement name=Epic FootSteps Name of song=First walk-about theme Link to original= I thought I would give this tune another shot at the panel:) I've made changes based on the feedback given, and I hope that the panel finds this to be a more polished version with some better instruments, and small arrangement changes.