Sir_NutS

I'm very happy with the development that Jorito keeps showing as a musician with each new song. He's now able to tackle pretty much any genre and nail it on all fronts, and this mix is a good example of that. Solid composition, attention to detail in the sequencing of the instruments and a lot of feeling injected into his interpretation of this song. Very mellow feeling to this one, and pretty obviously over the bar. I can only see even greater things coming from Jorito in the future. YES

Pretty excellent stuff, getting some modern Sonic the Hedgehog vibes from this. Fast, extremely energetic, and well-performed. Super cool breakdown at 3:24. If I had to be nitpicky I would say the transitions are a bit sudden and some sections feel like they're being repeated without much change, but nothing that detracts me from enjoying this. Nice Work. YES

Bass a bit too strong right off the bat, but thankfully not as strong as to drown the whole thing. Good spacing of the instruments. Pretty exposed dissonance at around 1:51. Mix could be cleaner overall. Performances are alright, if we can reach out to the artists to see if we can get a fix on the offkey bit that'd be great. Not sure if we should go ahead with it as-is since this bit is very obvious, but for now I'll go with a pass. YES

As always, Jorito delivers a great, detailed arrangement that also sounds pretty clean. I love that this retains that classic Konami feel to the music, almost as if this was the version of this track for a modern remake. The addition of the real instruments just help lift this track even higher, as the lines are perfectly delivered. They do seem to create a contrast between them and the sequenced elements that exposes the artificial orchestral elements a bit, but nothing to detract from the track as a whole, IMO. YES

I wasn't part of the original voting so this will be a fresh take. First off, I love the SQ8L VST and OB-Xa emulations such as OB-XD or OB-X, and I use them in a lot of my songs. They're great for those old school lush analog-like sounds and in the case of SQ8L, pretty much anything old school synth from bells to brasses, strings etc. I do have to agree with the original votes that the sounds themselves are pretty vanilla and (this is subjective) the mix of synth textures from devices that are prominently used in older electronic and rock productions from the 80s being brought into a kinda late 90s trance arrangement just messes with my producer brain big time. I wasn't a huge fan of the shifting of the melody, it breaks the structure (not in a good way) in some sections. I.E., the buildup at 1:20 just loses a ton of impact when the lead melody continues playing over the top of the buildup and climax. I don't feel that buildup worked at all because of this. Transitions overall weren't handling the energy in the song very well imo. This seeps into other issues. Other judges mentioned they had issues with loudness levels but I actually think they're not egregious, however since the transitions and buildups are not being handled properly it seems like there are sudden loud sections preceded by very low-volume ones without anything preparing the listener for what's coming. 1:06 is a good example of this. I do have to say on the fuller sections the lead synths and stacked saws do skit a very thin line of what's bearable to my ears. Overall, texture quality is ok for me and I'm not taking into account what I mentioned about some of the synths seeming out of place in this genre for me because that's my dumb nerd brain acting up. But the transitions and structure are a problem because this either causes or exacerbates balance issues regarding the dynamics of the different sections. This is very very close, I think these issues could be addressed with another pass however, the mix as it is is ok. I just wish it could be worked on more to be just a bit more than just ok, but there aren't enough objective reasons for me to send this back. YES.

Yeah I've been using Bitwig since release and I don't think I will need to switch anytime soon. The strong points of bitwig are the modular possibilities, the sandboxing of VSTs which is the absolute best of all the DAWs I've tried (and I've tried almost all of them except Logic) and the quick workflow it offers. Also, I'm not sure if this is a thing nowadays but you can use 32 and 64 bit VST2 and VST3 devices on the same project without any issue. I know I had issues with this in a couple of DAWs a few years ago (Sonar comes to mind). However, it's also a relatively young DAW, compared to the mainstream ones that have been around for more than a decade, so you might find here and there some stuff that's considered "basic" in other DAWs is not yet available in BW. So if you want to switch I recommend trying to at least make a couple songs on it to see if you're going to miss anything pivotal from your previous DAW. Overall, I've always said the best DAW is the one you know. Don't switch for the sake of switching. But if you're curious about having a modular DAW with the best VST support then check BW out. A note on Reaper: it's cheap, and also has a vast feature list. However in my experience it was very clunky and the workflow never quite clicked for me. Even after doing some deep customization on it (which is one of its strong points, as it's highly customizable) I just couldn't feel at home. I did produce a few songs on it but left it after BW came out, whose workflow clicked for me quicker than any other DAW before it. So be warned that Reaper is famous for having a steep learning curve, but also packing tons of features. edit: Also, I have a Nektar LX48. The nektar controllers are basically made for BW's workflow, specially if you're into live performances.

I'm going to disagree with the other Js here and say that I think this is good enough for the front page, albeit barely. The repetitive nature of the drums didn't bother me as there was some variation here and there, and they served their purpose which was to bring energy and a sense of speed to the arrangement. I do think the artist tried quite a few things to break the monotony, with fills, breaks, glitch/panning effects, etc. Some of the parts feel like they're copy-pasted throughout the mix however there is re-arrangement found in most of the lead instruments, and even some harmonies come with interesting variations. There's some call-and-response going on as well which I don't find in the original (1:35) Plus, this re-arrangement comes with extra layers of harmonies and depth compared to the source. The production is clean and every instrument seems to have its own space. There's modulation and detailing going on with the textures and leads. Nothing jumps out to me as egregious. I honestly wasn't expecting much after I listened to the source which is pretty bland in my opinion, but this mix was very fun to listen to and I feel it has its merits. The fadeout ending though, not cool. But that's rarely if ever ground for rejection to me. YES

Yep this is pretty good. Fairly close to the source though, Trent's scream of agony included and all, but the rhythmic changes on the guitars and the more developed drums take the original to a different, more modern-sounding path. Still, I wish you didn't follow the structure of the original, even going with the completely atmospheric last section. Some of the arrangement choices remind me of Mick Gordon's Doom OST, with the heavy, coordinated drum hits and guitar chugs. Again, I wish the last section was something else, that would've made this remix more unique (and interesting) but I can't say it doesn't belong in the front page because it's not perfect. It's a pretty good remix that it's sure to please the fans of the original theme. YES

I've listened to this for a while, and I've gone and read the other Js comments on this one before putting down my vote because I'm pretty undecided here. On one hand it's a very dark and heavy sounding remix which doesn't have the best mixing to make it shine. There's quite a bit of mud and everything seems to fuse into the rhythm guitars at some points. The low quality of the instruments is both problematic and kinda cute in a way. It makes sections like 1:09 sound really amateur-ish, but I also kinda love it at other points, i.e. 1:48 where it almost sounds like a nod to the original source's sample quality. I agree with both Larry and Gario on their reasoning for their votes. Overall I think this just makes it above the bar, but just barely. It's kind of bittersweet to give this a thumbs up because the issues are very apparent and probably easily fixable, but not enough for a rejection IMO, so it just leaves me thinking what the track would've sounded like with just one more production pass. YES (Borderline)

Remixing a theme that has been done hundreds of times and making it truly your own is not an easy task, but I think you managed to do just that here. I am pleased with how far you went with the interpretation but somehow you kept the feeling of the original there at all times. Then you coupled your arrangement with details like the slowing clock at the end and the reversed piano and effects in the intro to make this one of the most interesting remixes of this theme I've heard. The production is ok here, it gets loud when it needs to but I don't hear any clashing that distracts me from the arrangement. Sometimes I feel the leads get buried a bit behind the backing (i.e. 2:15) but as a whole i think the production is above the bar. YES

Damn, this song has a perfect buildup to some face-melting goodness at 0:56. I wasn't expecting this going in that hard but I was pretty happy it did. There's an ample expansion of the original source here, and I'm honestly impressed that you managed to make such a long track and it never gets into repetition or staleness issues. The soloing is intense, and I loved that ending. Production is clean and full, the drums are punchy and each instrument has their own space to fill. YES

Hmm odd intro, it almost feels like the initial arp intro leads into a different song. That's one small oddity though compared to the rest of the song which combines EDM elements with some things like trombones and accordions, for interesting and funny results. This track is a pretty fun listen for sure, with all the timing changes and silly instrumentation. Production is clean and source usage is good, so I have no problems with this going up. YES

Ah Latin American music, something I am very familiar with. One of my pet peeves is that when someone tries to make a remix labeling it as salsa, cumbia or any other latin american genre, then they add some rhythm that's nothing like the real thing, but that would pass as one of those genres to a casual listener from outside LAN. So that being said I think you nailed the cumbia rhythm pretty closely, with all the right tambora and guarachaca (or guira) beats. It does make the arrangement as a whole feel a bit static, as that's the nature of these rhythms that are meant for people to dance, but there's enough melodic content to make up for it. I feel like adding tons of melodic content would break the illusion a bit for me, so what's there is enough. I think the adaptation and the interpretation are enough to bring this up to the front page for me, though I can understand if some people will feel it's too static. I think the pro's balance out that aspect and makes for a pretty enjoyable arrangement. YES

I wasn't too impressed with the humanization of the instruments right from the get-go but, it seemed passable as I can definitely hear some detailing went into some of the parts, as the flute parts show that some care went into the dynamic range and articulations. However, the rest of the instruments sounded really blocky. This is displayed very clearly at 2:03, where the lead strings sound overly artificial, with very abrupt release gates and not a lot of humanization on the articulations. With regards to the arrangement, I feel this was too safe. The first section is pretty similar in structure and arrangement but not entirely verbatim, which is fine, while the second section expands a bit more on that. My biggest gripe arrangement-wise is that this remix doesn't really offer that many new ideas compared to the original. It has the same feel and style, and the bump in fidelity isn't huge, and the original parts aren't breaking from this form or offering something entirely new. I think you can do better by making this remix your own and really go the extra mile with your interpretation. NO (Resubmit)

I'm with Deia here, not sure how to go on this one, as the original chord progression is mainly used to tie back to the original with plenty of interpretation on top. That and the feeling that this track feels like it's over 8 minutes long when it's just about 6, makes me feel like there's a lot of fat that could've been cut and still have a solid track left. Production-wise it's fine although the static beat starts to feel on auto-pilot after a while. I did like the textures used overall. I'm as borderline I could be on this, I'm not sure if the static and overly long nature of the arrangement is working for or against it, and I'm not sure the reliance on the chord progression is enough to call it a substantial interpretation. I'll hold on to this vote until more Js chime in, but maybe my perspective helps them too. EDIT 24/01/2019 : giving this another pass, I've noticed a few other things. The initial pulsing synth has a sharp resonance that really starts to bother me after a while, specially since this mix takes a while to build up its elements and relies on long sections of repetition. It is sort of obscured by the rest of the track after it gets fuller but still I would've toned it down a bit or reduced tnis resonance peak which must be sitting around the mids. The low portion of this synth isn't that pleasant either, but that part is also obscured a bit more when the sub hits. This isn't the only section where I can hear some harsh resonant peaks, the vocal chorus around 2:29 are also peaking a bit too much. Some sort of compression or EQ levelling on these elements would make the mix much more pleasant. The resonance does pop up again at several points throughout the mix but at a small intervals. The breakdown at around 3:30 also prominently shows these peaks. I've actually taken some time during the writing of this review and opened this file on my DAW and hacked up some EQ'ing on the mids and it makes a HUGE difference in how pleasant the mix sounds. Also I could literally see the resonant peaks on my analyzer. I know I'm going on and on with this but, it just happens throughout the whole song and it seems very distracting to me even though I didn't catch this on my initial listen. Other issues: there's some audible clicking with whatever sidechaining is setup with the kick and sub which is very exposed from 5:34 until the song closes. Given these production issues and the previous issues I had I think this is tipping more to the rejection side, though I think these production issues are fixable. NO (resubmit)

I liked this quite a bit, nice performances on the woodwinds, and the adaptation works very well. There's a lot of detail here in the production, and the low overall volume allows for a wider dynamic range that gives a more natural feel to some of the instruments. The tambourines, for example felt like the performance was adapting to the overall arrangement, going from subtle to prominent and variances in-between. As far as the merging of the two sources, there was little interplay between both and more of a transition from one to the next, which makes the track feel a bit medley-ish, and I think it was a missed opportunity not to try to weave them together a bit more. Regardless of the small qualms I may have, this is very charming and pleasant, up it goes. YES

Whenever I see someone trying to remix weapon get/boss battle themes from mega man games I get worried, as they're always short themes and they tend to get stretched too thin or not be substantial enough due to how short the originals are. I think this remix manages to avoid both issues fairly well, even if it has to do quite a bit of original content to fill that space. The production is sufficiently clear in my opinion. It's not perfect and the dynamic range does seem squashed in some busy sections but I don't think it drags it down enough. There's quite a bit of attention put into the instrument choice, as there's enough modulation, filtering and change over time as to not make them sound overly vanilla or boring. This is a fun, simple mix and I think it manages to do enough to go over. YES

Well this is definitely the slowest buildup I've ever had to evaluate so far. It hits pretty hard at around 4:00, which is almost a ridiculous amount of buildup and I think more impatient listeners probably won't wait that long. The climax is definitely dirty too and would benefit from a second production pass IMO. Through my second listen I got some heavy Pink Maggit vibes from this one, and that's a very good thing. Overall I'll say this will put some people off but it deserves to be on the front page. You had a concept and stuck with it even if it meant breaking expectations. Great arrangement and performances, originality and personality with the only downside being the production not standing up on an equal level as the arrangement and concept. YES

The use of sax for these arpeggios throws me off, I don't usually hear the instrument used this way too often. Nothing wrong with it, just different. The heavy swing is another curveball in a fairly unorthodox arrangement, and it will sound pretty odd to many people but I really dig it. Love the panned clarinet playing the dark world motif, for some reason reminds me of Disney's Fantasia. This remix has tons of character and you definitely made it your own. Even with the changes, the source is kept clear and familiar. Very interesting remix for sure. Let's go. YES

I think there's some in-fighting between the different parts' grooves in this song. Some are shuffled and funky, while others like the main synth lead and guitars seem fairly straight and robotic. As for the source material, which I see some of the other J's having an issue with, I found it to be fairly noticeable even in such a genre-switch. The ending is just not good, makes it sound like it's an unfinished track. I also found that there's not much difference between the first and second half except for some flairs thrown here and there. I liked the mix of chiptune elements with the funky arrangements too. I didn't find too many production issues of note. Seems solid to me. Overall I'm pretty borderline on this one but I'll lean towards a pass. There are some issues to be found for sure but I think as a whole, the track delivers. YES (borderline)

Ah yeah I've listened to this quite a few times during its production. This went through quite a few versions, Jorito is very dedicated to getting the mix just right and issue-free. Needless to say I think production is fine, though I did warn about the cluttering of instruments in some sections, but that goes with Jorito's style and it doesn't get too bad to become chaotic, I do wish these sections lowered the harmonies a bit to bring the leads to the forefront a bit more. Also: vocoding = auto YES (not really). Guitar work is clean, and the arrangement is the shining point here, widely expanding what's on the original. YES

A Bloodborne remix from someone who's not RoeTaKa? well I'll be. Pretty good too, a very different style and honestly a breath of fresh air, this has a bit of an Elfman vibe: Gothic, dark but playful, a contrast to the super dark tones of the other bloodborne remixes we have published. The original is a very simplistic tune, with barely any instruments, so that you took this and built an entire arrangement to go with it is pretty impressive. The production is good as well, with the artificial nature of the instruments only becoming more apparent for me during the brass sections. Honestly a no-brainer for our front page, and one of the orchestral remixes I've enjoyed the most here due to the arrangement style. YES

Rotten Eggplant contacted me with a Wav, I'll be taking this out of conditional posting. @Liontamer @Gario

People don't seem to get enough of this soundtrack eh?. I like that most of the remixes of this game that I've evaluated are pretty unique. The combination of both themes is done flawlessly and the performance is on point, with a broad dynamic range, used properly to set the pace and mood. Even when the main hooks from the undertale theme are highlighted, which are a bit brighter in feel, it manages to make prevalent the dark tone the track started with. YES

Definitely trashy but also definitely true to the genre. A lot of times when I've heard people trying to make happy hardcore vg remixes, they're very straightforward with little imagination or creativity put into it other than making a 4 on the floor pitchy kick and setting the bpm to 170. Luckily this is not the case here as this remix is chuck full of ideas, processing tricks and wacky transitions. The artist wasn't content on just sitting on autopilot with the sound design, as the bass synth changes several times depending on the section, and the drums aren't static either. The song isn't without faults, I find it could use more sub and lows (though I will check back on this again on my best setup), and even with all the creative flairs it does repeat the source verbatim quite a bit. Staples of the genre in part, and the repetition didn't feel lazy nor overshadowed everything else that was done in this adaptation. Super happy and quirky, maybe not for everyone, but I'm pretty ok with most of it. Let's go. YES