Sir_NutS

Alright time to chime in on this one. I've put this off for a while, giving this one occasional listens and while I don't think this is a clear and cut case here, I believe I'm at the point where listening more won't do much for me. First, two sticking points that seem to bother a lot of people here are the tambourines and accordion. While I believe they are a bit overpowering, I don't think they drown the mix, and I don't think the tambourine is piercing or resonant to my ears. They could be toned down to achieve a better mix, but they don't detract from my enjoyment of the track OR from me being able to hear the different elements throughout. There's a good use of panning to keep the space open and to make the instruments easily identifiable. I don't think there's any drowning of instruments in the mix here. Some aspects in here are lovely, I'm a big fan of the guitar performance, and the call-and-response arrangement choices done to expand on the source. I'm not a fan of the flute when it's used to play short notes but it's a minor nitpick. The transitions aren't what one would call smooth but they aren't jarring either. A lot of the heavy load of the interpretation is done in the harmonies and backing lines here, it's worth singling those out while listening to enjoy the little details. This is a remix that has an imperfect mix, but boast a pretty good arrangement and adaptation. Since I don't find any of the production issues detracting or super offensive, I'm ok with this going up, though I'll admit it's pretty close. YES (borderline)

Re: source usage, I can hear the source in this pretty well. The rhythmic arpeggio in the remix is a modified version of the arpeggio in the original, and the lead melodies in the remix are taken from the lead flute right at the start of the song, and expanded a little throughout the arrangement. The original evolves into something different after the first minute or so and I don't hear any of that in this remix, so that might throw some people off. Discarding a lot of the original material is not really an issue if it helps make the remix sound as a coherent standalone song. I've done some of that myself, and I think that's the case here. The performances are loose, but not too loose to make this seem too sloppy, it's more of a cozy and intimate performance here. There are some audible breathing and ambient noises that I'm not sure if I would like them removed or not because they do add to the intimate atmosphere, but I'm inclined to think that the song would be better off with a cleaner recording. The main arpeggio probably needs a re-recording though. The notes are left suspended and sometimes they resonate a bit too much as to make it unpleasant, and it also kinda blurs the notes together. Honestly, I'm torn about this one. I like it very much, and I think this accomplishes a lot with so very little. I went and read your write-up and I think you managed to infuse the arrangement with your feelings at the time, as this left me feeling a bit melancholic. But I also think the recording could be cleaned up and the rhythmic parts re-recorded with a better performance. This is very close, and I think I'm leaning towards a resubmit for this one. I've already listened to this many times, but I think I'll hold on to my vote for a few days and give it a re-listen later. EDIT (8/21): Listening again with fresh ears, I have the same feeling of this being very close but not quite there. I think with a bit more polish this can make it, but for now I'll ask for a revision. NO (resubmit)

This is pretty dope. The soloing is actually pretty insane here, with the adaptation to power metal being on point, and the original melodies translated perfectly to vocal lines. The guitar performances are excellent, and the vocals are great. There are some spotty places for the vocals but some mind-melting ones as well; highlights for me are the falsetto at 1:45 and the rise at 1:59, that's some Halford shit right there. The production quality varies between sections but it's overall pretty good. I feel like in the first part the band fades a bit too much into the background behind the vocals, but nothing distracting. This is great and we should share it on the front page ASAP. YES

Hello, I made an experimental orchestral arrangement of the Figaro theme from Final Fantasy 6 (composed by Nobuo Uematsu) using a theme from the anime Re:Zero (composed by Kenichiro Suehiro) as a basis/template. I thought the end result turned out pretty interesting since the two pieces work so well together. You can hear the Re:Zero track here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXsq_H0Uw_o My remixer and real name are Jeremy Robson. The game arranged is Final Fantasy 6, and the theme comes from Edgar & Sabin's Theme and Coin of Fate. I decided to call it Re:Figaro

ReMixer Name: Minnie Moog Real Name: Natalie Bützer Email: Website: https://twitter.com/minniemoogshy UserID: 28894 Additional Performers: Reuben Spiers (Acoustic guitar) Submission Information Game: Night in the Woods Name of Arrangement: Climb into the Air and Close the Sky Songs Arranged: Home Again, Back to the Holler, Rainy Day, Shapes, Ghost Hunt, Mae's House / The Long Fall (Motif only, see breakdown below) Publisher: Finji Composer: Alec Holowka Platforms: Steam (Win/Mac/Lin), PS4, Nintendo Switch, iOS/Andriod Soundtrack: YouTube, VGMdb ( Vol 1 / Vol 2 / Vol 3 ) Source Breakdown 0:00 - 2:00 Home Again 2:01 - 3:23 Back to the Holler (w/Rainy Day motif playing on the woodwinds during the chorus segment) 3:23 - 4:27 Rainy Day 4:28 - 5:15 Shapes 5:16 - 6:16 Ghost Hunt 6:17 - 7:08 Mae's House (Main motif at the start of the song) / The Long Fall (Section between 1:47 - 2:29) 7:09 - 8:34 Home Again & Back to the Holler (Combined melodies) Artist Notes Long track means long write-up, right? My first submission! I'm very nervous. I let this track sit on the shelf for a few months after I finished it, discouraged from submitting because it functions like a medley. Recently, some OCR friends encouraged me to submit it anyway. So here we are, for better or worse. I'm aware that medleys are risky with OCR - but my goal was to retell the game's story using movements, and a hybrid approach to the arrangement's instrument palette. Relating to the game itself, Night in the Woods follows an anthropomorphic cat named Mae, who returns to her hometown after suddenly dropping out of college for unexplained reasons. My first movement reflects her journey back home, with an emphasis on electronic elements (synth arps, pulsing bass, e-drums) to set the stage. At home, Mae spends time reconnecting with family and friends, only to find that in the short time she's been gone, things have simply changed. My second movement reflects a stark feeling of change using organic elements (acoustic guitar provided by the great Reuben Spiers, strings, ethnic percussion). Alec Holowka's melodies are surprisingly cheery when you remove a lot of his wonderfully saturated reverb and dig a little more into them, and I wanted to reveal those hidden feelings. Later in the game, we learn that Mae dropped out of college due to a unique form of anxiety and depression, and also that there's something in the woods. Something terrifying, but something to overcome. Because this portion of the game deals so heavily with metaphorically confronting yourself, I tied the electronic elements and organic elements together, and created a climax at 6:17 - 7:08 where the organic and electronic instruments trade off as if they're battling each other. In the end, these elements come together for the arrangement's finale at 7:47, uniting the themes and illustrating the concept of overcoming one's fears. ...Like overcoming my fear of submitting. It was ambitious, and for a while I wasn't sure if I had properly achieved my vision for the arrangement. Thankfully, a lot of people have listened to the piece, and it has really resonated with them. Hopefully that means I did something right. That said, if the track is rejected, I will take it with grace, and simply try again with something new in the future. <3 Sources:

Pretty clean mix overall, with good synthwork and decent guitar performances. The sidechaining was dialed a bit too heavily on the instruments, and it's notable with the guitar mixing. The drums are simple but they have enough power to carry the energy throughout the track. The intro is great, and set me in the mood for some space-faring adventuring. I think this arrangement is very conservative but there are some new sections, solos, backing harmonies and the like. It's not overly apparent but I think that overall the arrangement is well executed and brings just enough to the table, though others might disagree due to how repetitive the sections are. The drum sequencing is pretty simple. I don't think they are necessarily on auto-pilot, as the beat does change from syncopated to four-on-the-floor, and the hats pattern changes to double time and back between sections. I do think the snare is the big issue here, as it's the only constant and never changes or goes away. It does change for the fills, but the pattern is otherwise relentless on hitting that 2nd and 4th every time. I think having an extended break from it at some point would've helped, not necessarily changing the patter itself, as it does serve as a driving element for the song, keeping the energy going. Overall, I'm not decided yet on this one. I think the arrangement is enough and production is over the bar, but the repetition and that constant and upfront snare do take away from the enjoyment. I'll mull on this one for some more time and come back later with my vote, and I'll leave this here in the meantime for the other j's consideration. EDIT: 07/18/19 : Giving this one a couple more listens now. My takeaways: The Sidechaining is a bit on the hard side, and I don't like it but it is not grounds for rejection in my opinion. A lot of modern productions dial the sidechaining this heavily, and even more. I can cite many OCRemixes from artists like blind, chimpazilla, flexstyle, Ben Briggs, and others that have heavier pumping than here. In my opinion, you can reduce the release slightly for the instruments bus (if you are using one) as well as the compression ratio and achieve about the same clarity for your drums, while also not bothering people who dislike the heavy pumping. The artifacts at 0:52, 2:22 and 2:39, I believe this is some inter-sampling peaking going on here. Check if the crackles happen inside your DAW or in your exported Wav file. If they don't, it means you're limiting the track too close to 0 db and it's causing artifacts in the mp3 conversion. If this is the case, it's solved easily by lowering your limiter ceiling to a safer range, say about -0.5/-0.7. If you still hear these crackles inside your daw or in your raw Wav file, it means you're actually clipping and probably not using a limiter. For this one there are many ways to approach fixing your mastering, and for the sake of brevity I'm not going to go over those here but if you struggle with that, feel free to PM me and I'll try to help out. The snare is still my biggest issue, and fresh ears haven't changed my opinion on the matter. I think we needed a break from the constant snare pattern than the 3 seconds we got at 2:34. My final take on this one is that we need to send this back for fixes. Give the listeners' ears an extended break from that upfront snare and fix the artifacts. Reducing the sidechaining pump would be welcomed, but not necessary for my decision. NO (resubmit)

I am always looking forward to check remixes from SC2, as it's one of my favorite games of all time. This is a short source, but I like your adaptation and it fits the aliens it represents pretty well, sounding pretty evil and dark overall. The mix of synths, heavy guitars and the deep vocals compliment each other very well and contributes to the dark atmosphere. The arrangement goes with the additive approach, not changing the melodies that much but adding many layers and building a structure around it that keeps evolving from beginning to end. Things start slowly but when we reach the climax near the end, it's an anthem of EVIL. I do spot some issues with the production. First, the song is very quiet: There's a ton of headroom that goes unused there and I had to up the volume quite a bit in order to take it to a level where I could hear everything in the arrangement. This is a very easy fix, but needs pointing out anyways. Second, the song can get a bit muddy and chaotic. Near the end in the big finale (4:42), you can hear how the kick and snare basically disappear behind everything else. This section doesn't last that long though but still, that could be cleaned up. Lack of clarity aside I think this is solid and I can forgive the production missteps in favor of a solid adaptation and arrangement. But the levels need to be brought up and that's something that shouldn't take more than a few minutes, so I'll be asking for that to be revised, then we'll be good to go. EDIT 10/09/19: Volume levels are all good now. YES

This is a pretty solid progressive track. It is a bit hard to make the connections for I'll say around 30% of the track but for the most part it's recognizable. I found the track a bit muddy in the low-mids but nothing egregious or that would make me consider rejecting this. The instruments do start to get lost between each other in the fuller sections i.e. around 2:03 and 2:26, thankfully it's also not a huge issue. Solid performances all around. I dig 3:43 and its subsequent destruction. YES

A progressive arrangement that explores and transforms the original in several different ways while keeping cohesiveness. There's not much to say about the arrangement other than it's excellent and every part does something that caught my attention and impressed me. The production is clean for the most part, and the only nitpick I could have with this is how the reverb seemed inconsistent from instrument to instrument, so that made some elements feel a bit disconnected from the mix, but other than that, solid stuff. YES

Let's address the source sampling first: I counted around 56 seconds of direct source sampling, which amounts to around 21% of this track. 1/5th of the track being straight up sampled, with nothing on top is pushing it, and I don't think we have a metric for how much is too much, but this certainly feels very close to a direct reject based on too much sampling. Let's set aside the issue of sampling for a while, assume this is not a problem, and dive into the track: First let's go over the arrangement. After the first source quoting, it basically runs through part 2 of the source twice, with really not much of a change arrangement-wise before sampling the source again. What follows is a very long and static section where the bassline follows the original progression while the leads does some soloing variation on top. It is very cool in the first few phrases but after that it drags on and becomes less and less interesting. There's not much going on elsewhere either, no new harmonies or variations on the drums or bass. No introduction of new instruments, or anything that would make this less static. After this, we go back to the first section, which is basically a copy-paste of 0:22. The track ends abruptly and in an unsatisfactory fashion. I don't think the arrangement here is up to par. The production is clean otherwise, with bright, chirpy pulse waves, a couple of simple but interesting fills, and a driving bassline. The drums pack a punch but are also very static and lacking in sequencing detailing and depth. The main lead has a tremolo that seems to activate on a strict legato timer, which makes what would be a nicely articulated lead pretty boring after a while. I wish those tremolos were used with purpose and not only seemingly activating after the note is sustained for x amount of time, all the time. The production overall, is ok but not without faults. I don't think this is over the bar due to the arrangement, which is way too static and relies too much on quoting the original verbatim, while also copy-pasting sections around. If that middle section was shortened and more detailed, and the last section was reworked to bring at least a few notable differences from the first, I probably would be onboard. It's a fun track to listen to nonetheless. NO

First let's go over the arrangement. It sufficiently expanded over the original while keeping it recognizable, so no qualms there. I'm not sure about the interpretative bits though, they sound kinda noodly and a bit random, I'm not feeling anything from those parts. The contrast between the Gothic intro and the dance-y body of the song is not as jarring as one would think, but I still think a smoother transition probably would've worked better. I think the section where these two aspects merge (1:44) sounds cool though. The ending is very abrupt and didn't make sense to me, it sounds incomplete, with no lead up to it and a sudden stop. Production-wise things don't look as solid. The intro instruments for the Gothic section have sufficient quality for what is a hybrid genre track, but still there's room for improvement in the articulations and performances. Not a deal-breaker there, but something to keep in mind. I think your mix is clean and crisp, with all the parts easily identifiable, however the soundscape sounds very thin at the same time, and I'm hearing a panning imbalance in the fuller sections, specially towards the end. The first bass synth has a very nasal tone that sticks out like a sore thumb in some places such as 1:42. Honestly, it sounds pretty awful in that section. The second bass (around 1:54) is definitely more pleasant than the first, but I feel it's getting lost in the mix in the fuller sections. Your drums feel a bit thin and the sequencing feels repetitive. I felt the last lead sound was ok, with some interesting modulation but it was also pretty loud and could be toned down slightly. It's not meshing well with the soundscape either, sounding very separate from the mix. I feel like this needed some work in the mastering overall, tying all the elements together in a single soundspace. Maybe some mix-wide subtle compression or reverb, emphasis on subtle, can help the mix get that feeling of everything being together in the same place and space. Your supersaw sample is fine, but also sounds thin (a theme with most of the instruments here), and feels exposed against an empty soundscape, it just doesn't feel as full as it should. Adding a harmony layer behind it, or two, could help, although it's a balancing act if you want to keep your mix as clean as it sounds now. I also don't feel the supersaw sample is well suited for a soloing part such as around 2:44, but that might be personal preference. Overall this has a lot of issues that might be small but start adding up. Big sticking points for me are the thin soundscape and production, and vanilla (and sometimes annoying-sounding) instruments. Some changes could be done on the arrangement side to make the soloing more emotive and less random, but we can't really guide anyone's hand on that. This wasn't bad by any means, just not there yet for our bar, and I feel like I think this is actually closer to making it than the other Js. Keep learning, and show us what you got next. NO

I liked where this was going in the first half, but as time goes on the song loses steam. First, arrangement: I liked your arrangement choices here, modifying the main melody in small but noticeable ways. At 0:58 we get a preview of the call-and-response bit that will continue pretty much unchanged until 2:04. At this point, the song does a 180 in tone, becoming a pretty dark arrangement. I actually like the chord progressions here, which give a feeling of uneasiness and fright of evil things lurking in the forest. We cap things up with a return to the main melody and the initial tone of the song. Arrangement-wise, this is ok. But the transitions between the two (very) contrasting sections could probably use some work, and that minute of repetition could use some variation, since this is literally a third of the duration of this track. Production-wise, this is a mixed bag. The soundscape feels pretty thin, with some drums feeling exposed (bongos/toms), and the parts not feeling like they've been tied up cohesively in the mix, but feeling rather separated from each other. The biggest offender here though is the "dark" section. Guitar chugs lack power, and get completely obscured by the bass and low end. The chorus is super exposed and is really not meshing well with the rest of the mix. There's a pluck doing a syncopated rhythm at this point that is playing with a very loose timing and sticks out of the mix like a sore thumb. Overall this section feels very muddy and messy. My recommendation here would be to first and foremost clean up that second section, and then do something about the minute of repetition between 1:00 and 2:00. Also, overall, tie the different parts better in the mix so they sound like they live in the same place. I've heard your other posted songs and they sound pretty well put together so I know you have the chops to bring this up to par. NO (resubmit)

First off: thank you for reminding me of Blood Ceremony. I used to listen to them for a while quite a few years ago and somehow completely forgot they existed. They're pretty awesome. Your mix here is pretty awesome too. The arrangement is not that transformative but there's more than enough personalization of the themes and through your excellent adaptation I think you managed to turn it into something else, somethng a bit more evil sounding even. The performances are good so no issues from me on that front. So i don't have many qualms about the arrangement, but on the production side I think some more polish would've been welcomed. The track is drowning in the lows a bit, could use some air and brightness. And I know this sounds counter to something in the style of doom metal, but I don't think a bit more clarity and brightness in the high frequencies would've taken out from the experience. The vocals are also pretty low and lack clarity and a bit of power. Production is the weak point of this track but it doesn't detract from it too much. Nice Work. YES

Well, intros aren't necessary but the track really assaults the listener right from the get-go. Really cool selection of sounds, I really super dig that bassy arpeggio you got going throughout the track, and your detuned stacked saws sound pretty clean and fat. However the production needs some work here, in the busy sections most elements get ducked out in favor of the lead. The lead takes way too much prominence and sounds pretty dry compared to everything else. I'm not a big fan of some of the pitch bending on it, it isn't flowing naturally with the rest of the arrangement. Also, almost halfway through you start fading out the song for about a minute or so. That's a very odd decision, it makes this feel very incomplete. The arrangement, while having some neat ideas such as playing with the original chords and chord progression, I don't feel like there was enough done here to really push this to feeling like a new arrangement. The adaptation helps a bit, but I've heard this kind of adaptation to modern EDM done pretty well already with this same song in Sonic Generations. Also the second half, which is constantly fading out, sounds very similar to the first half. Not a bad first sub really, you made it to the queue after all, you just need to make the track more you. Also, re-balancing your elements in the mix could help, and getting rid of the extremely long fade out ending. You could use that time in the second half to expand on your ideas, then close out with a callback to the source, as an example. Either way, I'll have to deny a pass to this one for now, but I'll be looking forward to what you have to show us next!. NO

First, really appreciate the source breakdown. Analyzing a multi-source remix is very time consuming when we're not familiar with the source so this is a big help. The primary source here is pastoral excursion, with some bits and pieces from the other sources. The arrangement starts straightforward but does evolve over time. Introducing the other sources helps making this a unique interpretation. I think this one stays pretty close to the original though, but enough is done with instrumentation/harmonies/variations to bring it over the bar arrangement-wise. The production is great as usual, very clean and warm, with some real instrumentation woven in with the synths which makes for a very organic-sounding remix. The percussion is not your traditional drums, as it incorporates many percussion elements other than just a drumkit, and it's all very detailed. Distorted guitars are used to accentuate the climax and work surprisingly well in such a mellow remix. High quality stuff here. YES

I wasn't part of the last decision, so coming in fresh on this one. There's a really good arrangement here that kept me interested for the most part, with some great parts such as 2:10/2:15, and great transitions between the source and new arrangement ideas. What's holding this back is the mix. It's just unbalanced to the detriment of the whole track, sadly. I feel like the guitars are too far back and they tend to fuse with the string backgrounds. Drums get a lot of priority in the soundfield as well, and some sections like around 1:45-2:08 feel super messy and like a big ball of sound where there's no separation between the parts. I really like this arrangement, but the mix needs some re-balancing and cleanup. If it was only a balance issue I might be more lenient but the very busy sections are just too messy and i can't let it through as-is. If you can manage to clear it up, and reorder the priorities on your parts (drums don't need to be that upfront, i.e.), I think you'll have a super good track here. NO (resubmit)

I like the synths, the beefy synthwave drums, and the arrangement, but the mix is very muddy and lacks air. Feels pretty compressed and boxed. That's really my main issue with this mix, but it's a big one because it just heavily detracts from the enjoyment. It's almost as if the whole track went through a filter, feels very muffled. I like this very much, and I wouldn't change the synths or drums, but the mix and master needs fixing for sure. EDIT: listening to your other music in your website, most of your other mixes are crisp and clean, not sure what happened with this one. NO

I've looped this one a few times now... initially, it seemed a pretty straightforward evaluation for me but this track has some sneaky inclusions that warrant further analysis. First, production is good and the mix is clean. The reverb was dialed slightly too wet but I understand the intended effect is to have some ambiance there despite the danceable beat and grooves, but it does muddles the instruments just a tad. The drums samples are alright, though the patterns get repetitive. The sound palette is not extensive but it's properly developed, which the synths having some depth and modulation. The mix is just a bit empty sometimes, but for the most part, I'd say the production here is good. Now the arrangement is where things get problematic and interesting at the same time. First the good, which is the small details here and there, breaking structure and skipping some beats to enhance transitions or just simply for the fun of it (i.e. 1:22/1:40). These usually come with some change in the bassline progression, which by the way it's entirely new as the original had none. These changes sometimes go in such a way that you feel the arrangement may fall apart and get messy, with the bassline going in a decrescendo, not entirely harmonic with the ongoing chords. There are also tempo changes further down, which work pretty well, with the beat going half time with it. At first glance it seems like not a lot changes but there are very small details, in the hat patterns, bass pattern, lead flourishes, it's all very nuanced but it was fun finding all the little changes. It is also a relatively short track, so it doesn't overstay its welcome or overextends the repetition. For the bad: there's definitely some degree of repetition here, especially in the main arpeggio which runs pretty much unchanged for most of the track. Now, we have some examples already posted where something like this can work extremely well. But we also need to take in consideration that the drum patterns also join in on the repetition, as well as some of the lead melodies. Some sections may seem like they repeat but they are structurally changed. To what degree? for some may not be enough. So yeah, I'm surprisingly having a hard time with this one. May seem crazy, but I think this one juuuuuuuust reaches up and over the bar. Other Js may disagree but I did see some value in the arrangement, and some fun to be had as well. YES (borderline)

This is a pretty neat arrangement, taking a short and repetitive source and transforming it into an epic orchestral song, not an easy task, but I think that on the arrangement side of things this is pretty solid and I really enjoyed it. The production, not so much. Right off the bat the instruments have that uncanny valley quality to them that distracts me from the song. The soundscape seems very thin for this arrangement which just screams epic. The centerpiece of the arrangement, the grand organ, feels very very thin and lacks the power and breadth that this instrument usually evokes, and also lacks dynamics. The drums feel artificial as well, with the sequencing being very obvious. Some sections show pretty good usage of the instruments to make them sound more believable such as around 1:25 where we can hear different articulations and details in the dynamics, but for the most part the song is very exposed in its artificial nature. Now I'm not sitting here asking to be completely fooled to think that a real orchestra performed this, our standards are much lower than that, but I don't think this is quite over there yet. I tend to favor arrangement over production and this IS a very good arrangement, but I think the production shows too many faults overall. NO

It's a decent track, but it's clearly not for ocr. The arrangement of the different tunes in this soundtrack is too similar to the originals and there are basically no transitions between the different themes, making this very much a medley. We don't reject medleys outright if they're adapted so they sound like a single cohesive track, but this is not that. It's not bad, just not what we're looking for. However, I do see that you guys have the skills to make a great adaptation, so if you guys decide to submit something with more transformative elements, I'll definitely be looking forward to that. NO

The performances in this one don't sound very natural. Making orchestral music sound natural is no easy feat, but this is too far from fooling me. Brasses don't show a lot of nuance and the snare drum feels pretty static. The soundscape feels pretty artificial as well, with the orchestration not having that feeling of depth of a full orchestra. Now, not every song has to have a full orchestra behind it but the arrangements tend to be adapted to a smaller instrument count. This, however, sounds like an arrangement for a full orchestra, and it falls short of having that depth. Going back to the performances, you need to add subtlety and dynamics to the instruments. Not every section should be performed the same even though they might share the same arrangement. Expression is lacking. The production is pretty spotty as well, and as mindwanderer noted, some weird compression issues pop up in the middle of the track and inconsistently, which is something I haven't encountered before. The arrangement is pretty conservative, and although I liked some of the transitions, the feeling of this being a medley is very strong, I think that could be helped with more interpretation and motifs carried over in the harmonies between different sources. This needs more work. It's not as bad as my wall of text may make it seem, but nonetheless needs more work. NO

Beautiful. The conservative nature is cause for concern but I think the track is developed well enough, and beautifully orchestrated. I don't have qualms with the length, 2 minutes is short but what's there is meaningful. Not much else to say, a recommended listen. YES

Yep this is pretty dope. Short and sweet, with complex orchestration and solid, believable performances. MW noted this but the only section I felt the sequencing getting a bit exposed was around the second minute. But overall pretty good, enjoyable and overall original adaptation. YES

I LOVE THIS Yes there's a but. But, as Garret himself pointed out, this is a very liberal arrangement. I feel like the meat of the arrangement is just a bit too far from Kokiri forest. If at least something, any clear reference to the original would've been included mid-way through the track I would've been onboard, but sadly that doesn't happen and in the end I just end up feeling I heard a really enjoyable latin jazz track that kinda sounds like Kokiri forest, in some sections. We have a measurement for source usage and what qualifies as enough, but that's not a hard rule, and if this song had more kokiri spread out in that middle section, I would've given my thumbs up even if it didn't meet 50% usage. Again, this was super good and it just bums me out that I don't feel like I can pass this. NO

I was digging this one at the start, but then it started to drag pretty badly. Even tho I can't say I find an issue with the actual mix regarding cleanliness/mistakes, I think the mix and soundscape were a bit bare to really make this come into its own. The textures were nice but also felt pretty vanilla. I liked the drum sequencing here, it fits the mix pretty well and I wouldn't change anything about it. The adaptation works here, definitely bringing this arrangement under a new light. But, and here's the biggest issue for me with this one, it's just too repetitive. I think I heard the same chorus 4 or more times and the underlying harmonies and bass don't seem to stray much from their patterns. We get a small break at around 3:31 but the presence of the motifs that have been portrayed constantly throughout the rest of the track here kinda takes away from the intent of giving the listener a rest in order to bring back the arrangement in force before wrapping things up. For this one I would like to see a slight bump in the soundscape work to really bring the ambiance as a complete package, but most of all, new arrangement ideas for the second half. NO (resubmit)