Sir_NutS

wow, this remix is nuts. Is that a ffvi opening theme nod I hear at the start? and what is all this? jazz, concert hall organs? waltz? swing? synth rock? crazy. Anyways after one gets over the utter madness we'll find an expertly crafted composition that is very aware of its own ridiculousness and embraces it wholeheartedly. I loved the use of dissonance, the tempo changes and the full stops, and that synth solo near the end!. The original arrangement was a bit irregular but you took that to a new level. I don't have many things to nitpick about the production. I thought the mix got a bit reverb-y at times, and some instruments like the organ at 02:45 and the synth lead near the end could've had more presence on the mix but really I'm trying to nitpick on an otherwise good mix. This is really good and incredibly creative. YES

Very beautiful soundscape. The piano and choir could've used more humanization, and the harp felt mechanical at times, but they don't take away too much from the enjoyment of this track. The arrangement is good, weaving both sources into a new arrangement that feels natural and ethereal. There are production issues regarding the performance of the instruments but overall I think this is over the bar. YES

I have to concur with the other judges, the metal sections of this mix really sound muffled. The guitars need more presence and sharpness and they often get lost in the muddy low end (i.e. 3:40). I also agree the piano had an odd feeling to it, but I think it's not too problematic as it plays along the rain effects and feels appropriate for that mood, albeit the slightly mechanical performance. I would really have loved to hear the metal parts with a black metal vocalist, they're begging for something in the style of 3 Inches of Blood. Some of the busy sections expose the mixing problems more clearly, as 03:13 where you can hear the compression affecting the cymbals and the bells. The arrangement is the positive aspect of this remix, and I agree that it really brings it close to a borderline vote. I thought the transition from the intro to the heavy metal section was abrupt. Performances are on point and you've managed to give the original your own personal spin. Loved the interlude at 2:33 with the different variations of the original melody. I think the arrangement is over our bar but the production issues drag the song down. It's very very close to the line but needs a small push to move it over the edge for me. It's very doable so I ask the artist to please consider a resubmit. NO (please resubmit!)

I searched for as many different songs as I could from the anime to verify if this is from the anime or from the game, and I couldn't find a relation. I found 4 songs from this soundtrack but not all. Right off the bat there are production issues. The compression on the mix is way too hard, affecting the drums pretty harshly. but the overall mix is being affected by this also. This adds certain roughness to the arrangement but I think the sound would benefit by the clarity that softening the compression will bring. I also think the hats could be EQ'd better, the drums are almost all hats and the snare is distant and mostly consists of low-mid resonant frequencies. Your live performance is on point though, I didn't hear any sloppy sections. The arrangement though, it's really great. A lot of personality, roughness and a slight latin jazz feel on top of wild a west romp. I'm very happy with the different changes throughout the song, implementing the source's sections in ways that make sense for your arrangement, i.e., 01:16. There's a lot of detail in the background, albeit obscured by the busy and hot mix. Expansions on the original like at 2:10 spice up the mix very well. I dislike very much fadeout endings, although they're not a dealbreaker. Overall this is a remix that oozes originality but it's being held back by production. If something could be done about the fadeout ending that'd be great. Clean up your mix and use compression levels that are more sensible and we'll have one really creative remix on OCR. But for now, NO (please resubmit!)

I gave this one a lot of thought and deliberation, because there's only one aspect holding this one back, and it's the vocals. I didn't have the opportunity to listen to the previous version to compare, but the mixing and mastering seems good on this version. The arrangement is emotive and creative, very good selection of sounds, good amounts of humanization on the performances and excellent ambiance. The pacing is good and there are defined peaks and lows in the structure. So why am I torn on the voting? well, the problem is that the vocals just don't fit. It's not that Xarnax's voice is bad, or that he's off pitch (although there are some intonations that feel awkward, specially right at the start), it's just that his tone and his performance style its too out of place within this arrangement. The voice could've mixed in better, but somebody with a softer tone would fit much better with less effort. I was torn on wether this is sufficient to pass/reject the remix, but after a lot of listening I think the vocals are too integral to the song and if they don't work then most of the mix is not working. Not every singer can fit in every song, and although it's evident the love and care that went into this remix, I'll say the hard thing to say: this needs a different singer. I'm truly sorry. NO

Ah yes I'm familiar with the source, played plenty of Air Fortress back in the days. Impossible to beat though. Anyways, strange remix. The intro buildup was pretty cool, however after that the mix shows its issues very clearly. Your sub is way too strong. It's obscuring every other element of your track. The detuned lead is too reeverb-y and needs more presence. You need more harmonies and backing elements, you basically have drums, bass and a single lead, which is not very interesting at all. You tried introducing a secondary element to the mix at 2:35 but it's another growl bass which is conflicting with the other overbearing bass and at this point the entire mix falls apart completely. The interpretation is minimal here, your song is too repetitive, the source melody is repeated without variation again and again without much care for structure or flow. There are no harmonies to be found. You had some interesting buildups here and there but this would need a lot of work to get a pass. Your remixes need to have substantial interpretation, and you need to work on getting a clear mix for your songs. NO

I loved it. LOVED IT. This definitely takes me back to the time where mtv still was about music videos. The mix is balanced and all the elements are clear, so no qualms there. I thought the vocals were slightly exposed and dry, they could've been mixed so they would sit on the mix better. The vocals weren't always on point and some parts could've used more emotion behind them but it's nothing that takes away from the overall quality. The alt rock arrangement is on point. Specially liked the bridge at 2:32, reminds me of RHCP for some reason. I'm impressed on how well this theme lent itself to the genre, the chorus melody and solos feel natural and this could easily be something meant for radio. Overall, this is a great arrangement full of personality and put together in a seamless manner that would make people not even notice it's remixing a videogame. Also, it's nice to see Darangen submitting more stuff! YES

I'm very familiar with the sources (I even remixed one of these) and they are well represented here. This is really cool, epic in all sense, but also short and to the point. Instrument quality is very good, with believable performances and good care of dynamics and flow. The use of percussion is on point. The low end is rumbling a little, but I don't think it's a huge issue. The arrangement is great, incorporating all 3 sources in a natural way. The usage of leaving earth as a support for the other melodies was pretty smart, and the original content fits in very well. I specially liked the buildup to 1:47 where you can hear hints of the main theme in the background while "An end" takes the main stage. Epic track, very fitting for the source material. YES

Pretty cool track, fun and full of creativity. I specially liked the progression rise near the end, very demoscene sounding. My only nitpick are the panned percussion rolls, I would have liked them to have less presence as they get repetitive after a while and sound almost at the same level at the melodies. Nice Work, happy fun times. YES

Some interesting textures to be found here, but the execution has some flaws. The choir pads at 1:03 feel very jarring due to the envelope used. You need to adjust your attack and release on it so it flows more naturally from measure to measure. The tremolo on the sine lead is also very exposed on some lines where it could be eased in more naturally. The arrangement is too repetitive for the length of the track. I appreciate the intention of having a soft, introspective feeling arrangement, but it needs some sort of change in dynamics throughout the song. It feels very static to the point where the listener loses interest, not in small part due to the repetitive nature. There has to be something to disrupt the status quo at least for a section, to keep interest into what happens next. I also thought it was very conservative and could use more interpretation. Overall, good idea, most of the sound palette fits the intention behind the mix, but some fixes need to be made in the sound design department to keep everything flowing naturally, and the arrangement needs to have something to halt the monotony. NO (resubmit)

DA and Chimpazilla highlighted the issues here. The added vowel is very distracting and ruins the effect. I think the vocals work really well outside of that. I would have liked the snare to have a bit more presence and splash to it, sounds slightly opaque as it is. The sound design on some of the leads like at 1:03 is overly simple. Yes, in Italo you don't have the most complex sound design of electronic music genres but I'm sure you could do much better than what sounds like a simple saw with some unison. The lead at 2:013 works much better because it has better articulation and is less static. The backing instruments suffer from the same issues, and could use more personality. The arrangement is good, and your genre idea is AWESOME. I really like this and will probably steal this style for a future remix :P. I really like this idea, and I think it's much closer to the bar than the other judges. Please work on it and resubmit. NO (Resubmit)

EDIT: Actually I'm not sure which act this is a remix of, there are elements of both. Not that they are very different. The kick is all click and 0 punch or sub. The compression needs to be lax on the overall mix, it's not creating artifacts but the overall mix is suffering from not enough dynamics. the bp filter pass at 1:17 needs better control on the resonance because when it's scanning through the low frequencies it's obscuring everything else. The arrangement is very repetitive. Yes, it's trance, but you could afford shaking things up a little more. Sections like 2:22 were a good oportunity to shake things up but you used the same repeated patterns and a static background. There's a lot copy-paste going on, which could be less exposed. This is on the right track but needs a second pass. Fix your kick, shake up things on the arrangement side. Less repetitiveness is not a must for me, but it would be a plus. NO (Resubmit)

This song starts out pretty conservative but evolves pretty well, with expansions on the original melody and progression. Loved the 1:10 section, which is sort of the start point where the song really starts exploring new ideas and developing the arrangement. Really cool soloing that feels natural and flows dynamically between sections. Not much to nitpick here at all, except maybe the lead synth at 1:27 not having enough presence at the front of the mix, but nothing that takes away from the overall enjoyment of this song. Nice Work YES

The sound palette is very simple and dry sounding. The drums lack definition, and the kick gets lost in the bass and the filtered chord. The bass is taking up a lot of space in the soundscape, which also feels barren because of the lack of details. You can make an arrangement work with few elements as you have here, but your sounds need to cover more ground to make up for the lack of backing harmonies. The drums do feel on autopilot but I don't have much of a problem with this because the lo-fi nature of the drums and the textures used around them evoke a feeling of old school electro, in which not having too much drum variety is acceptable. The arrangement feels more on autopilot to me, and it's very static with few changes in energy levels. There are no dynamics between the instruments, very predictable and static. There were some interesting changeups here and there but I think more could've been done to make the song flow more naturally and have distinct sections instead of everything feeling constant. There are some positive points to mention, like I said the sound design reminds me of old school electro, and some changeups were interesting, like the change to chiptune at 2:59, but the production needs work and the arrangement needs more depth. NO

I wasn't convinced at the start, as this remix starts as your regular mute city fan rendition, but first looks (or sounds in this case) can be deceiving. This remix evolves in ways I didn't expect at all. This arrangement! oh boy!. Really original and inventive stuff. The careless, panned sax arpeggios, the synth solo! those synth solos starting at 2:08 are just FUN. Performances are on point, no sloppiness, just a bunch of artists getting together and doing fun, well performed music. I don't plan to go on detail here because not much needs to be said other than YES

Listening to both versions I can definitely say that Version 1 is the clear superior. I think it solves many of the problems found in the first one. Panning is much more sensible, and the track isn't overcompressed and has more room to breathe. However this version still suffers from some issues. The bottom end feels crowded and the overall mix lacks clarity, feels muddy. The guitar chugs panned to the right have some kind of distortion that makes it sound more like white noise than actual overdrive. The arrangement is definitely the better aspect of this song. The interpretation is full of personality yet it retains the feel of a castlevania song. It never gets lost, it has no filler and it no section overstays its welcome nor feels like it doesn't belong. There is dynamic between the different melodies, there's plenty of detail and even though there original has been transformed by Tim's reinterpretation, it feels very natural. The production is flawed, and I would like to see Tim give this another try (on the one labeled Version 1). It's very close and I was about to give this a borderline pass, but after comparing it to other similar remixes of this genre on the site, it's a notch behind. I'd like a resubmit, it's very close in my opinion. NO (Resubmit)

It's pretty hard to vote on this one. I love this stuff, I breathe 80s electronica. Sadly as much as I like this one there are several issues that hold it back from posting as it is now. First, my main problem are the vocoded vocals. They are indecipherable and as much as I try I can't tell what they are saying for most of the duration of the song. Now, in my own songs I use vocoded vocals that are processed in a way that people can't tell what's being said, but this is used more as a rhythmic element, as another type of synth, that accentuates the arrangement. When you have lead vocals, that go throughout the mix, it's better to tilt in favor of a more human vocalization. I like the tones of the vocoder and you guys did try to keep it interesting by not using a static tone, but in my opinion it would be better to either have less carrier signal in your vocals, or work on it so they are clearer. I think that you could still use the carrier-heavy versions, but more sparrringly. Second, I think the vocoded vocals don't quite sit well in the mix. I think the beat could hit slightly harder. These two aren't dealbreakers but something that could be worked on. When it comes to the arrangement it's hit and miss. The first half is awesome, groovy, interpretative but true to the spirit of this era. But towards the end, it gets lost, with sections that feel longer than they should, and also weird entonations. For example, 3:16 - 4:06 feels very innecessary. There are cool melodies in there, but this section breaks the flow of the track and all the awesome groove just grinds to a halt. In my opinion, the culprit here is the compo limitations under which this track was created. I've always pointed out in these kind of compos, that it's better to do a great remix than a remix that abides by the rules, specially if you plan to submit it to OCR. Sometimes trying to marry two sources together doesn't quite work, and here you can hear the parts where it doesn't very clearly. You've got a good idea here, but I suggest reworking the vocals so the vocoded parts are a highlight and not commonplace across the mix, and cutting out the sections that don't quite blend together with the groove you're going for. If you need to focus 90% of the track in just one of the themes so it feels right, then do so, as the compo rules don't apply anymore. I love this idea, specially the first half is groovy as hell, but I can't pass it with the current issues. Jorito, if you need more/detailed pointers feel free to contact me. NO(Please Resubmit)

I have to agree in some level with the artist here, Multi-movement pieces, such as a concerto, don't necessarily need to segue into each other. The coda CAN have finality to it. A very well known example would be Moonlight Sonata. The remix in question does follow the rules of multi-movement pieces (as far as I'm aware, would like someone with better classical knowledge to chime in on this). Movements don't have to coincide in key, or even marking. Some may be played in Allegro while the next in Grave (although this is quite a dichotomy). Movements though, are considered self-contained pieces of music, in modern terms it could be said that each is a separate song. I'm not sure if we allow multi-movement compositions and I think it's there where the question lies.

Ah this is a really cool idea, but not executed too well. The drums are a major point, they lack dynamics, snare rolls are very exposed and mechanical. There is variation but the sequencing is lacking humanization and processing. I think the drums could've been brought down a notch and other elements like the guitars brought up and given more presence. Parts like 1:28 could've had more power behind them but the unbalanced mix didn't help much and took a whole lot of power out of it. Most of the mix is pretty dry not as full as it could be. Larry pointed out the empty background, and I agree, but you don't necessarily need pads to fill it out everywhere, but a tighter mix, where your instruments cover more ground in the frequency spectrum, could be the right solution instead. In this particular genre the guitars should be covering more ground, for example, as yours don't feel quite as full and powerful as they should be. You could add more compression to your buses or your master to tighten everything up in a nice package. The arrangement has a few repeated sections, which could've used some more variation but it's not a big issue for me. More interpretation is always welcomed. Overall I think this track is almost there, but it's being held back by mixing and production issues. Your idea is great, loved the spooky atmosphere, the theremin-like synth (classic), the synth lead, the mix of modern and classic rock elements, and you also had your structure down and on point. Almost all the elements we need are here, but it needs to be pushed up just a tad. NO (Resubmit)

Ah I remember this, I participated in this PRC. very nice source. Source usage is pretty evident. I would've liked to hear more interpretation in the arrangement. Although you did inject new elements to the backing harmonies, the main melody and structure are pretty close to the original, I would've liked to see you shake things up more. The arrangement is also too straightforward and there aren't any noticeable peaks and lows throughout. It's not a big problem in my opinion, as there is a constant rise until the end, but this can also feel monotonous. The production could've been better as well. The drums don't quite mesh together, and feel more like a disparaged selection of samples put together. Try to bring your drums together in a cohesive manner by selecting samples that play better with each other, and bus them. I liked the added tension from the piano, but it was too mechanical and expressionless. Not a fan of the bass at 0:43, sounds too cheesy compared to the rest of the mix, same with the overdriven bass at 1:15, and some of the pads were equally out of place (i.e. 1:00). I also agree with DA regarding humanization, as not only the piano suffers from this but also the basses and strings/pads. The overall mix lacked clarity and had more low-mid range presence than necessary. Some odd peaks there as well, which could've been eq'd out . I highly recommend you to use this tool and watch your peaks as your song plays. With practice you can catch these things by ear but even then it's useful to keep an eye out. I liked the synth rock feel, and also that you have a grasp on how to evolve a song over time, as by the end it did feel like it had built up to something. Loved the ending as well. Expand more on the source and shake up the structure. Select your samples more carefully and clean up your mix, this song isn't too far from the bar but needs work. NO (resubmit)

This is very good and I wasn't expecting any less when I saw the remixer names. There are several traps we can fall into when we take such a simple jingle and try to expand on it: repetitiveness, including too much original content, breaking familiarity with the source, among others. None of these are present here and instead we get a remix that truly extends the arrangement in a natural way. Loved the percussion and groove, and the usage of wind instruments throughout was spotless. LOVED IT. If I had to nitpick, I'd nitpick the strings at 1:50, which sounded a bit odd and stiff. But that doesn't take away from the flawless job you both did. Loved the smb theme references as well, Nice work. YES

I have to echo DA, I like this premise but the execution is lacking. The drum sequencing wasn't very interesting, the clap was too loud, simple and distracting. In fact I think the clap did more harm than good, since the beat by itself is not keeping a very interesting or steady groove, and the clap is hitting at off times which is throwing off the groove even more. The overall mix is muddy, which is not the same as dirty, which was your goal. I think you probably were going for something like this, but as you can tell that example although dirty and minimalist sounding, it's also clear. Our standards aren't close to what a professional can do but that example could help you get a better idea of clarity on a dirty mix. Clean up your low end, give sharpness to your synths, and separation. Regarding the arrangement, there is no real sense of progression, which the original, even in its minimalist nature, managed to accomplish. The arrangement is very repetitive, although I can hear detailing in the background, but it's obscured by the lack of clarity in the mix. I was not a fan of the melodic synths, specially the one panned to the left that appears at around the 2 minute mark, which was monotonic. It could work fine as a background detail but I think it was too exposed. The mix cuts off abruptly at the end. There are positives to be found, the background textures were colorful and interesting, some of the envelopes were weird but I think that fits the theme of disarray, which I specially liked at around 2:45. Sounds almost as if it was something being reversed. The ambiance was similar to the original, which was one of your goals, and I must admit it's not easy to make a remix when there's not much to work with on the source. I think with a better mixdown, and a clear direction in the arrangement, this could work. For that to happen it would require some rebuilding arrangement-wise, in my opinion. In art, chaos is not random, just carefully disguised order. It's a balance difficult to achieve, and I think more work is needed here to achieve that. NO

I get your point, but I can't deny that some people do buy fighting games for arcade mode. Or at least, that's what it appears to be. I know the internet tends to bitch and blow things out of proportion, and that most of this people shitting on capcom because the lack of arcade mode don't really even care, but I know at least one friend who really thinks that way. Why would anyone want to buy a competitive game to not play competitively? I dunno. But apparently the need is there. But its like buying a super mario game, and then bitching because the story sucked. Hindsight is 20/20, so I guess capcom should've made story mode have 6 or 7 filler matches instead of the 3 or 4 they have, to make these people happy, and proceed with their goal, which is to build a street fighter online service that would get updated at a better rate than before and with good netcode. I say that they are already doing a great job at it and the future of sfv looks very bright, and I can't wait to see how it evolves over time. BTW I've got some people on my favorites list already but I'm still looking for challengers, so add me! FID: Macronaso

I had to mull on this one for a couple days. First, regarding the production, I don't have many qualms about it but I do have a couple of things I would like to point out. First, the naked 909 open hat at the start is, well, naked. It stands out too much and I think should be eased in better into the rest of the song. The rest of the drums, while simple, are effective. The kick could have more punch, as DA noted. The sound design is serviceable, however I would have liked to hear you change the lead at some point; not that the sync lead is bad, I think its pretty good and you even added some articulations to it, but it was a bit overused. Now regarding arrangement and structure, where the majority of this remix's faults lie, the structure is quite odd and not in a good way. The way you translated the original melodies into a different time signature don't quite work, and it feels like the beat is in 4/4 yet the backing arpeggios and lead melody are following its own signature. Note that, polyrhythms can work but it feels as if no effort was made to blend the different elements together, and it ends up lacking cohesion and direction. Different measures end and start without sense of continuity, and by the time we reach the mid-song breakdown I couldn't help but feel slightly confused about the whole thing. I also need to remark that some of the variations on the lead felt aimless (example at 1:54), as if they were there for variation's sake. Don't feel the need to modify the original melody just to justify interpretation. Try to find more natural ways to reinterpret your source. Then, we have the second half of the song. We get a pretty decent buildup to this breakdown, but the second half feels pointless. It builds up several times but no climax ever dawns(2:45, 3:06, 3:36 all build up to more buildup, and even the resolution at 4:00 feels like a buildup to something). I don't have a problem with the actual breakdown, it feels great, majestic, adventurous, but sadly it doesn't resolve into anything of importance. The sparse bass notes at around 2:50 are very out of place. There are some lovely elements here. My favorite being 3:36. It's sad that the structure is holding this back. I really would've liked you to trim down the breakdown (keeping the strongest sections) and evolve it into another energetic second half. Or, if you really want to keep this idea, trim down the long-winded ending into something shorter and focused, that wont leave the listener expecting something else. One of the reasons I decided to give this one a longer evaluation is so that I could provide better feedback for you to use, because I think this could work if it's executed properly, and I would like you to do so and resubmit. The source was handled well, and was expanded on, and there aren't many glaring issues for me with the production, it could be better but what we have here is enough. Work on the song's structure and arrangement, fix the minor issues me and other judges have pointed out about the production, and I think you'll have a solid remix for us. In the meantime, NO (resubmit)

I have to say I don't know if I'll be able to have the time to finish a remix for this week, I've got a lot on my plate which I can't really talk about for now but it's more than one thing and all of them are big and time consuming. I will try to at least turn up a wip like last time. BTW if anyone wants to hear the completed version of my WIP, you can fin it here, i totally forgot to post it. I didn't include the castlevania 2 source in the end though so its all vampire killer like the WIP.