The Orichalcon

I can rip that from the game and send it to you pretty easily. That's the beauty of wintex I can rip any number of effects from the game too for anyone who wants them. However, make sure you don't rely on sound effects to carry the piece. As for cross-fading. I am planning to have the music link together from track to track as smoothly as possible. However, I haven't decided on the track order yet, so don't bother contacting anyone about crossfading just yet. Stuff like that can usually be quite easily edited in towards the end of the project. Once I know the style of the pieces, I'll do what Myth did for DSoP and divvy the tracks up so there's a variety on both CD's.

I'd be interested in at least reading said lyrics.

doesn't need full arrangement, or sound quality. I'm just after an indication of the direction you're going with the piece, so I can turn you around if need-be.

sent out the first mass-email. If anyone didn't receive it, let me know so I can check the list and check it twice.

The drums sound basic. The kick is straight from the basic soundfont sets that are available free on the net, with no effects from what I can hear. You need to filter it and EQ it to get a more fitting sound for the mix. The percussion is also basic, try making it a bit crunchier. My main issue with this is that the focus in the EQ is on the mid-low frequencies, there's almost nothing happening at the other end, and as such you get a continued droning sound throughout the mix. The ideas here are all right, although I'd like to see something a little less repetative. The synth you're using as a rhythm just sounds like the basic dry "plucked" plugin that comes with FLStudio. Try adding some effects to that so it's not so basic. As Larry said, the track is beginnerish. You have the creative mind, you just need to build the skills up. NO

I do like the way you've programmed the beats in. They just sound a little dull for the style of Drum and Bass, I'd give them a crunchier sound, and bring in some crunchier percussive-hats to give it that exciteable sound. The biggest downfall is that for a "Drum and Bass" mix, there's no "bass". Where's the crunchy fast-paced bassline for us to enjoy? The xylophone thing leading the background sounds good in context, but like the beats it's produced poorly, sound very thin and clippy to me. Maybe tone it down a little and draw out the sound with a sharp delay? Have to experiment with that one. Reminds me of a bonus stage music from Crash Bandicoot. The stuff in the background (like the filtered synths) sound all right, but perhaps a little whiney, I'd go for a less abrupt sound and just keep searching for something that really makes you go "I like that." That's what D&B is all about really. The arrangement in this is pretty much on level for what I'd expect in this style, you might want to work on making the piano less repetative though, it's just the overall sound that's letting it down. Overall I like the direction of the piece, but for Drum and Bass you really need to push harder on getting that "in ya face" sound, as you so aptly put it. Like Larry said, head to the ReMixing forums and see if someone can help you out with that sound. If you do manage to get it, I'd love to hear this one resubmitted. NO

The kick is straight away drowning the lows with the punching sound. A sharper kick would work there. I'm not sure what the hissing sound is ever half-beat, but it sounds awful, probably white-noise percussion? Either way, scrap that shit and get a proper hi-hat set. The snare is bad too, the percussion in general is just bad. You need better samples, and you need to master them so they have more clarity. Apart from that, the bass of this mix is pretty much non-existent, there's nothing driving the key of the mix along with the lead synths. Production is the biggest issue here. The lead synth sounds all right, but the one playing the arpeggio chords just sounds dry and basic, how about some effects? The section from 2:35 is a perfect example where the percussion is drowning the mix out. It's clipping the track too. You can take this one back to the drawing board if you want, but I wouldn't say it's worth it. The dance-style and arrangement is pretty much the same as the original. NO

I'm going to disagree with Larry on the percussion in this one, the samples sound very thin. This sounds like it could use some nice thick beats to drive it along. Apart from that, the arrangement of the mix is very simplistic, there's not a lot going on here beyond the guitar, vocals and thin percussion. I'd like to see a strong sound through the mix. The vocals themselves sounding kind of dissonant to the rest of the mix to me as well, not really feeling them here. Not sure if that's just a matter of taste or not though. Even so, I'd like to hear this one again with some better beats and a thicker sound to accompany the guitar. NO

I'm having trouble discering a source for this. I've listened through all the sims 2 music and can't figure out what it is. So I'm guessing the DS version of the game must have different music to the PC version. Anyway, it's redundant what the source is, because the arrangement and quality of this is below the standards of the site anyway. You have some good ideas, the tone of the mix is nice, but it's just very repetative, doesn't really shapeshift into anything substantial, keeps this ambient tone throughout the mix. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the sound quality is also a problem. The kick seems overpowering to me, and I'm getting constant clicking sounds through the track. The brass samples sounded all right, but the vocal clips sound very out of place, it's like the mix was arranged to accomodate around the vocal samples, the focus is on them when it should be on the actual music. Assuming the piece is rearranging the source substantially, the mix does have some good ideas and I could see it turning out well, but it needs a lot more work from this form. NO

Deadline's coming up, I'll send out a mass email soon to go with it. If anyone has their WIP finished, they can start emailing it to me at the_orichalcon@hotmail.com. Attach the file to the email if you can. I'll listen to all WIP's from Feb 6th and give you all direction. If anyone's sent me a WIP so far, resend it as an attachment to that email address, even if you've already sent it over the last few weeks, just so I don't accidently leave anyone behind. Remember, I'm looking for the elements of your remixes for now, the basics that shows me what style and what direction you're going with the piece. I'll send the email out over the next week.

I made this initially as a Bonus Mix for ORC32. The source material was a piece for my Doom Mod which was heavily influenced by the Raptor source piece. I decided to do a bonus mix and adapt it back towards Level 2 of Raptor. The harpline in the background is a result of switching the time-signature from 4/4 to 3/4, and ironically it ended up sounding like the City of the Ancients theme from FF7 so I threw that in as a source and added a theme around it (ie: the "Wake up" from Sephiroth in that game.) The nylon guitar is playing the original backing I threw over the piece in my mod. However the piece was based on Raptor, so I'm using that as the main source. The key's been changed as well as the time signature, but I think it stands up fairly well. Instruments include harp, some bass instrument, strings, an Atmosphere Pad and nylon string guitar. Beats are Stylus RMX.

The URL in the mix is in a way just subliminal advertising, although in this case not so subliminal. I speak for a lot of people in saying that I listen to music to listen to music, not to listen to advertisements. It's a completely unnecessary addition that I personally find overly egotistical. It would be like watching a movie on television and having the channel randomly put their big logo in the middle of the screen during one of the scenes. Even if he said "OCRemix.org" I'd say that's unnecessary too. There's just no need for advertising in a song like that, regardless of what you're advertising. If people like the music, they will seek out his website through his OCR Profile, which is not exactly hidden away.

I think you guys are incompletely nuts. The quality of this piece is way above most of the contributions we get on the site. I strongly disagree with Gray about the beats. The panning to the right for the rhythm is a unique effect, and since the beats are still spread over both channels, and the piano is favouring the left channel slightly, it balances out well. The vocals are fine. If you want an example of a song where vocals are more of an accompaniment than the focus, check out some Boards of Canada stuff, or "Beautiful Crazy" by Space Raiders. The arrangement in this is really nice. The piano, EP, light strings and bells all work together to bring out a really nice sound. I think there's enough here to warrant a place on the site for sure. I'm yes'ing this on the ground that the mixer removes the advertisement for his site from the middle of the song. I don't know about anyone else, but I listen to music to enjoy the music, not to be advertised to. YES

Original decision: http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=64519 First Resub decision: http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=68043 Mixer: RoeTaKa Game: Chrono Cross Title: Dreaming By Your Side URL: Production has been made better, tempo changes more fluent, just a nicer listen, hope you can appreciate it as it is, I don't intend to resub it again. Cheers. -------------------- The piece pretty much has the same issues that it had in the last version. The tempo changes stand out as the biggest issue in the piece. I can understand trying to get the live-band feel in the tempo-changes, but some of them just sound so unnatural. The slowdowns before heading into a more involved section of the mix sounded good, but some sections were just too slow for the overall sound of the mix, namely from 2:50 and onwards, it was slowed considerably and sounds out of place. There were a few questionable pitch bends in places, but the majority of them sound pleasing to the ears. There was a rather loud and out-of-place bend in the main string instrument around 0:37 that sounds like an unintentional sound glitch. The overall loudness of the mix is also an issue that's stayed with the mix throughout it's history. While it is encoded loud in general, the instruments also sound loud in their context, especially towards the end of the piece Speaking in terms of the arrangement, it's stayed roughly the same as the past submissions. Everything is balanced nicely, with the piano introducing things nicely and then taking a background role in the mix. The drumming is a questionable aspect as at some points the snare can be a little crowding on the overall relaxed sound of the mix. I think perhaps in some moments a sidestick would have subbed in for the crunchy sound of the snare to allow the mix to flow naturally. Clearly, I'm nitpicking. The best part of the mix is the way the acoustic guitar's been programmed. Some parts, namely from 2:25-2:50 are just filled with emotion, and the keychange at 2:50 is really nice and a natural flow, regardless of the inconsitancy in the tempo. Overall, the piece has a few issues that I really think could be easily fixed, however I think Roe has reached a level with this mix that he's pleased with, and I'm also satisfied that it reaches the site's standards about quality level and rearrangement. I would hope that Roe continues to make pieces of this style. YES

I have everyone's email address now. Expect a mass email in a couple of weeks before the deadline.

Without the reverb on it, this just sounds all dry and bland now. It actually sounds less realistic than the last attempts. It's a real shame about the production issues with the piece, 'cause the playing and the overall arrangement is very enjoyable to listen to. My last vote was a yes, but with the way this sounds now it's pushed my borderline yes into a no. Sorry Koelsch, I think it'd be beneficial for the people of OCR to hear this piece though, since it is enjoyable. Maybe we could leave the link up. Good luck with future mixes, make sure to get a good initial recording so it doesn't stuff things up down the line next time. NO

Just need Hemo and Prophecy's emails now. I can get Hemo's all right, but Prophecy seems to have disappeared from the internet, anyone know where I can contact him? Also, I'll send out an email to everyone with some instructions for the first WIP deadline a couple of days before the first deadline. All of you should have at least started your mixes by now and have something to offer that's indicative of the direction of the piece. Let's keep powering on, people.

Things were pretty dull and sparse until 1:13, this mix really kicks up a notch at that point, really utilising those samples and that waltz time signature to it's fullest. Very nice. Arrangement is the strongest part of this mix, while I feel that some parts could have been a little more complex, it works for a gentle backing sound. My major gripe is with that bell that's clanging it's way through the background of most of the mix. Whether it's personal taste or not, it's really starting to grind my last nerve. Those Brink of Time sections win me over though, they're so well arranged and mastered that it's just a nice relaxing song to listen to. The harp probably could have made a graceful exit temporarily before the Guardia section came in, to aide the transition a bit better. This is the main section that I felt could have built to something a little stronger than what we get at the end of the mix. I'm still a little iffy over this one. But it's mastered well enough, and arranged well enough that it's going to pass regardless of what I think. That bell will either be a hit or miss though with the public majority. k, YES

The kick that comes in at the intro is really abrupt, same with the snare, you need to alternate velocities, filter the kick so it's more bassy. The snare's killing most of the mix for me. In terms of creativity, it's at least an interesting take on the two themes. They do meld together fairly well as demonstrated here. The highwind theme synth as JJT said isn't done too well, and the section at 2:30 sound too dissonant for me to work. The keys don't seem to match too well, not to mention that you're just reusing phrases and ideas. As Larry and JJT said, the transition at 2:56 was like switching between two different songs. Not to mention that you go from 3/4 to 4/4 in the same phrase, which just doesn't sound right (ie: as said, no transition, it's just layered over.) It sounds like poor planning to me, just so you could bring the snare and kick back in. This one will need a lot of work to get it up to OCR level. There are lots of issues here, the only thing really going for it is that it's pretty creative, so it might be the kind of thing you should leave for now and come back to later on in your mixing life when you can utilise the ideas that drive the mix a little better. NO

It was made over 3 years ago

Ok guys, I still need a few email addresses before I can start forward project progress messages. I have the email addresses of these people: The Orichalcon RoeTaKa Rexy Overcoat Evilhorde Nousentre Mazedude Cubed777 Joker Txai Nasenmann Sir Nuts Mythril Nazgul Hemophiliac Prophecy Bladiator For anybody that's sent me WIP's so far, Keep working on the pieces, I'll check all the WIP's on Feb 6th and give feedback then over the course of that week. This is so things stay organised. If you're happy with your WIP so far, you're free to continue with it. However if you want to wait until Feb 6th to see if you're heading in the right direction, feel free to wait. There's no rush on the project right now. One thing I will say though, now that we're swinging with the project is that I want all mixes to backup their projects to avoid any unfortunate accidents. This means saving the file twice in separate locations. If you decide to scrap a mix and start over, then keep the old file and it's backup just in case as well. Once we've passed the first WIP deadline and are on our way to WIP2, hopefully Darkesword will move the topic to the Site Projects forum, at that point I'll ask that all mixers check the thread at least once daily, or however often you come online. Important notices will go out through email though, which is why I need a working email address from the people listed above.

I'll see what I can do. Might be able to set one up.

Thanks, Txai. I should thank you for reminding me early about that too, before the deadline. Sephfire: Thankyou for the offer, if anyone needs your help I'm sure they'll ask. Also, if a track opens up you're more than welcome to take over the placement. reelmojo: For now I'm refraining from making a final deadline as I don't want the album to become rushed or drawn out. We were originally aiming for a 6th of June 2006 release (ie: 6/6/06.) It's a bit too early to say whether we'll make that deadline, so I won't commit to it now.

I probably should have made this clear beforehand. It slipped my mind, so here it is now: Please refrain from sharing your tracks with the public eye at any stage of their production. This is so the final product will be a surprise and anticipation for the future full album audience. It should go without saying really. This means no hosting at places like VGMix or Soundclick, and also no posting URL's in this thread. Either host it on a private website and PM the URL to me, or email the track to my hotmail account. Again to clarify, I'd like all tracks to remain private and classified.

Source: http://www.zophar.net/psf/FF8_minipsf.rar - 102 Blue Fields The arrangement in this mix is fairly basic. Not taking any really creative risks until we get up to 2:00. The piano in the first two minutes follows a rather basic single-note pattern for most of the way through, no chords on the left hand, just a single note. Same applies for the right-hand. While I don't expect everyone who submits a piano mix to be a Beethoven or a Bladiator, I would expect that it would show a degree of difficulty above that of a Grade One theory exam. The jazzy part from 2:00 just sounds sloppy. I'm assuming you're playing the piano parts into a mixer, so it'd be fairly easy to fix up those awkward sounding difficult parts to play so they're a bit more pleasant to the ear. Just turn off snap-to and move/stretch the notes a little. The percussion sounds just as awkward as the piano, it's important for percussion to keep a beat, rather than to fix the beat to suit the sloppy piano timing. Another issue that came to hand was the really liberal arrangement from the jazzy part and onwards. I was having trouble hearing the Blue Fields theme anywhere outside the solo piano parts, it instead sounds like you went off to do your own little jazz number. If you can bump up the complexity of the mix and give it some creative backbone, then it might be worth a spot on the site, but I'd say it's a long way off yet. Check out the WIP Forum for some ideas on where to take the piece if you get stuck. NO