The Orichalcon

New updated version, Blad's fixed the volume issues with the drums. I don't have access to the FTP, so I uploaded it to Douli's hosting: File is much better now that the drums are up a bit. Strengthen's my YES.

I'm getting a doom vibe from that synth that starts things off. That's always a good thing. Good textures on the pads and synths. The beats sound a little odd to me, like they're not quite feeling with the style of the piece. Up until 1:36 at least. The switch-up there is very nice. I'm getting slight clipping on some parts of the beats or backing synths though. I'll have to get someone with better headphones/speakers to check that out. The mix sounds a little bare from about 2:30. That's the point where I'd expect some crunchy Beatdrop synths to come in and really get things firing. It sounds all right as it is, but it's just a little less than I'd have expected from Beatdrop. There's technically nothing really wrong with the piece. The quality and arrangement is fine right the way through, it just sounds like it's missing something to give it that extra oomph into overdrive. Still, this is a YES

wow, those rhodes (or electric piano, feel free to correct me, analoq!) are very nice. The synthlead is very nice indeed. I'm loving this so far. I'll agree with Larry that the percussion could be a little more involved, it sounds quite empty as it is. The samples are basic and could use a little EQ, or distortion or something to give them some extra flare. But they work well enough as they are for me anyway. Considering that the mix continually builds on the basis, trying new things with the source right the way through, this is a refreshing change from the usual stuff we get that just reuses ideas from the beginning again and again. I like the extra punch on the kick and snare from the 3:06 point. Although I feel the synths could have built up to something stronger to coincide at that point. Maybe some pads could be introduced The ending of the mix was a little uninspired too, it deserves a better sounding end. I'm borderline with this one. I think it sounds great the way it is, but I can easily see this being a lot better with a bit more work on building up the sounds used. The synths are great and so is the arrangement, it just needs a little more to punch it up at the mid-end of the mix. I'll go with a NO for now, but I would like to see this one worked on some more and resubmitted.

The source sounded familiar to me, and I've never played Megaman 2 so I was wondering why, and remembered there's a remix of this on OCR already I think, called "Chillout". Good mix. As for this one. It's really lacking in inspiration. Beats are basic. Synths are basic and dry. The lead is flat, doesn't really hold the interest of the listener. The lower synth that comes in later was a nice touch, but then it's still playing the same melody note for note. The beats continue to repeat in the background, no real changes beyond the basic break. Overall, not bad for a rip. But yeah, more inspiration, creativity and uniqueness next time. NO

Wow, this is really bad quality. What happened there? The quality of the instruments is quite bad. The synth used as the lead early on is bland. The whistly, beepy thing later on is just boring, it plays the same thing over and over with some weird sound effects and the occasional organ chords/drum kicks. This might have made good ambience in a really old game, but you couldn't honestly expect something this basic to pass here. Work on the quality of your pieces more. You'd probably benefit from really focusing on the sounds in the mix and working on making your ambience sound more uniquely crafted. As it is, this is a NO

The performance here sounds kind of flat. The bass notes on the piano you played this on are very powerful and sound like they're overpowering the higher notes when you really start bashing them. Especially from about 0:58 and on. The issues with the quality there kill the mix. You need to be more gentle on piano's that have such powerful lower key notes. If this is sequenced then it should be easy to fix up with some attentative mastering. The clipping at 2:15 can be taken care of through the same means. The arrangement is all right. Could possibly be a bit more daring rather than being the same pace and general tone right the way through. Especially towards the end. If you're willing to resubmit this one. Work on the volume levels of the lower notes, make the quality of the piano sound as clear as you can. NO

Pretty cool chiptune here. But even for being made well, it's way too close to the source material to be considered for passing. Most of the main sections sound like they're note for note transcriptions. Larry's said most of what I want to say. It's just important to make sure you make the mix stand out as your mix in terms of the arrangement, regardless of the style. A conversion to chiptune is good, but for OCR it needs to show creativity and uniqueness in the arrangement beyond adding a couple of sections that play with the theme a little. NO

Another Shadow remix eh? Good to see this piece getting some attention. Sound quality is all right as far as I can tell. The problem here seems to be a lack of creativity. Straight away the theme comes in and plays note for note, even if it is over a synthrock-style groove and bassline. The synths used in the background sound like they're relying on reverb to sound thick and strong, they probably need to be sharper or crunchier to have a good backing sound. That's probably an area that zircon would be able to help you with more than I could. The lead synth also sounds very basic and bland. A proper high lead could be used there rather than the bland jabby synth. Play around with filters and such to get some cool effects on your synths. The piece stays at this rather low and basic level right up until 2:17. The synths in the background still sound basic and bland. The piano introduced is a nice idea, but it's still played basically without taking any risks. Not bad in terms of quality. It's put together rather well, but it's just a bland mix that doesn't take any risks. The theme plays the same basis of the melody over and over without jumping into any unique rearrangement ideas. You have the basic idea of mixing down, now it's time to get risky and try some creatively daring arrangements. Still, congrats on having the best Shadow remix that I've heard so far. NO

Arrangement is pretty solid. The first minute or so is played in the same style as the source material, giving it a few unique spins and being played a little faster. The remix kicks into high gear at 0:58, switching into a swingtime beat, introducing drums and strings. My major issue with this is in the sound balancing. The piano is very dominant in the mix, which isn't necessarily bad, it's just that it nearly completely drowns out the drums. I can barely hear them, and I think the piece would benefit from having their volume boosted a bit more. The flute introduced at 1:38 is playing an original accompaniment to the piano, which is subdued to the background while the flute plays. The strings and piano come back in around 2:08 and take over from the flute in a different pattern which compliments the theme rather nicely, before the piano breaks off at 2:24 for a much gentler rendition of the theme, while the flute does some nice backing. This is my favourite part of the remix. We have a nice buildup back into the drums, piano and strings section around 3:00 which takes us through to the end. Once again the drums are very quiet in the background here. Another issue facing this piece is the quality of the instruments. While they're arranged and played incredibly well, the strings sound very dry and basic at times. The piano still has that fake sound and the drums are very tinny and subdued. While it doesn't majorly hurt the piece, I feel it takes away from the professional sound that the remix's arrangement has accomplished. Still a very nice remix, and I have no issues with it passing. YES

That bassline sounds so familiar, like I've heard it in a pop-song before somewhere. Can't quite recall where though, it's in the source file of the music so maybe the original artist was influenced somewhere along the lines. The quality of this piece is so good, much like everything else on the album. Mazedude's gone to extreme lengths to make sure each track is crisp, clear and enjoyable to the ear. This piece is one of my three favourite tracks off the album. It stays very faithful to the source right the way through, but shows the usual Mazedude improvements and reinterpretations throughout. This remix would probably be considered more conservative than Mazedude's other stuff. Still as it is, it's a very enjoyable piece, and I can't see any issues with it. Glow Worm Jim next plz. YES

I'd tone down the cutoff frequency on the delay effect so it doesn't sound like default FLStudio delay. Problem straight off the bat is that this sounds mechanical. You need to the give the human touch to the melody of the shadow theme. The key change at 0:37 didn't sound right, the arpeggio's in the background don't sound like they're playing the right notes. From about 1:00 it starts getting really generic, like you've lost your way. The piece could have used a switchup to something else at this point, rather than staying with the strumming guitar and strings, perhaps jumping to some percussion and electric guitar? Dunno, worth a shot. From 2:00 you've completely lost the theme, the strumming doesn't sound real anymore either, and the piano is noticeably fake. At least the theme has come back in. Overall I think this piece would benefit from a complete rework. You have some nice sounds and idea's in there. But you need to work on an A-B-A switchup rather than the generic ramble you have in the middle of the piece at the moment. Give the guitar a human touch and get a realistic sounding piano, and you might have a really nice remix of shadow's theme in the future. Since I love Shadow's theme so much, and it's so under remixed, I would enjoy it if you could pull this off. NO

ugh, the stereo effect on those synths in the beginning is awful. My ears feel all off-balance. Please for the love of God, balance the synths out from left to right so I don't get a headache when I listen to this. You have clipping from the point the filtered synth comes in at 0:48 right up and onwards, mostly in the right channel. I don't have much to say beyond that, this can't possibly be expected to pass until the stereo issues are fixed, this just isn't pleasant to listen to at all. It sounds like generic trance as Vig said. NO

The track is mono, why? I know Larry, Vig and Gray have already pointed that out. But it really does seem a strange choice. The arrangement in this is very nice. The strings and flute fit together very nicely, however it does tend to drone on with no real climaxes, the tone stays the same right the way out and the piece sounds flat. Where's the orchestral might in this? It doesn't sound like the type of piece that should get away with such a low sound right the way through. The tone and the key is actually reminiscent of Andrew Barnabas' music, which is probably why I'm expecting it to build up to a climax, or more powerful section at some point. While it sounds nice, I'd recommend working on those dynamics a lot more. The piece needs to be in stereo, it needs soft and loud parts, different orchestral instruments coming in (you can't rely on a flute for 5 minutes.) Not bad, but it needs much more work. NO

I'm getting some strange clipping sounds through the track at times. It's very subtle but I think it's there. I'll try to ignore it for now. The quality of the track beyond that is fine. Given the relatively dysfunctional sound of the original, the way po has made this into a more harmonic and jazzy sounding piece is a blessing. The beat is repetative, it doesn't change noticeably all the way through, no breaks or fills, which I think could have added to the transition between sections. My main problem is that this sounds very minimalistic, which isn't bad in itself, I just think more could have been done beyond what's done here. The backing is same right the way through up to the end and we don't even get a prominent end to the piece, it just stops. It's definately laid back, and it's done well. But I think with some extra complexity added to those drums, the piece would stand out better. I'm going to go with Larry on this one and push for that extra feel to the mix. NO (Borderline) Edit: Also, could some of the other judges with better equipment tell me if they notice that clipping/crackling at the beginning of the track?

N.O. Confirmed. While it sounds pretty, it's clearly a midi rip with drumloops playing over it.

I cleared with Larry that we're allowed to just post our mixes straight to the panel, so I've done that with this one. Remix Name: Ipsen's Groove Game: Final Fantasy 9 URL: Source: http://www.zophar.net/psf/FF9_psf.rar - It's a number of tracks from the game, namely the title (01 - The Place I'll return to Someday.) However this one is closer to the Oielvert music (320 - Oielvert) and named after Ipsen's track which is based on the same theme (403 - Ipsen's Heritage) It's basically a groove/dance style mix of the source material using an organ, vibraphone, some soundfont called an "Atmosphere" (not the plugin,) BooBassline, Osc-3 for the sine wave, Rhodes and Stylus RMX for the beats Edit: File updated 20/11/05

Just heard this on shuffle for the first time. Not a fan of rap, but this was gooooooood. Nice work.

When I was judging the piece, the sound effect hit me as a bit odd, but in the end it felt like it was a poetic gesture to the song. Since if the sound effect is played when you save zelda at the end of a dungeon, then in this case the effect at the end of the song would symbolise that "a rose for zelda" won her heart too. Even if that wasn't intentional, it adds something deep to the mix for me.

Fix the clipping on the vocals and you have a very nice joke mix. NO

On my first listen through this, I could instantly tell this wasn't up to the level of the majority of your other mixes, Prophecy. This sounds like a rush job to me. The beats are repetative and, while groovy, don't change or really show an interest level beyond the high quality sound. The instruments used sound particularly bland compared to what we're used to hearing from you. You usually set up a very enjoyable soundscape of sounds and instruments in your mixes that makes them very catchy and enjoyable to listen to, but in this case it's just repetative. As the mix progresses, I'm expecting some nice heavy and crunchy (but clear) synths to come in, as your usual style tends to suggest would happen, but instead it just repeats the same basic koto-string sound, with the flute and monotonous bassline plodding away. I'd take this one back and really rework it some more to bring out those great synthetic sounds that you normally get out of your mixes. This would stand as a good basis for a mix, but it has a lot of room for improvement. NO

Source: http://www.zophar.net/nsf/ff1.zip - Track 12 Okay, some pretty good guitar here, the grunge sounds like it's favouring the left channel a little more than the right, but the synth that comes in balances that so it's all right. Sound quality is pretty good, the drums sound a little basic, but they're overshadowed by the live guitar sound and generally good synths and bass used on the mix. My main problem here is that this sounds like an instrumental version of a vocal track. ie: it's missing vocals. It doesn't cripple the mix, I just think it would have been great if you'd made up some lyrics and sung them over it. However since you haven't done that, I'm focusing more on the leads you've used to carry the brunt of the piece. One of them in particular sounds very dry to my ears, but you have a whistley lead in there that covers it nicely when it's introduced. Given the simplicity of the source, the arrangement here is pretty creative, Taking a two-tone melody and transforming it into a unique rock song isn't easy, and you've done a great job. While I think it could have been better, this is passable for me. Nice work and nice fadeout at the end. YES

Can anyone say "MIDI rip"? This is identical to the original. The percussion sounds like it was ripped straight accross. The instruments are the only things that have been changed, and even then it's a direct switch over. NO OVERRIDE

Nothing wrong with sound quality here. Everything's clear and precise. The lead guitar could perhaps be a little louder compared to the grunge rhythm. Had a quick listen to the originals. Another case similar to Sixto's Wicked Six mix, where the guitar is covering the original. However since this involves two themes being melded together with some creative grunge guitarwork holding it all intact.. no qualms there from me. Not much else to say, can't tell a master how to do his work. This sounds fine and doesn't break any guidelines, so YES

Yeah, this is pretty much just the original sped up with a real lack of any musical integrity. I'll be the bad guy here and throw the book at you: Even given this, there's little rearrangement of the theme, the instruments and drums aren't really cohesive. The sounds in the mix are dry and basic, this just sounds like a rush job. Might've been fun to make, but if you want something to be posted up, you need to spend more time on it. NO OVERRIDE

I like the way the brass comes in, but I'm expecting a much more powerful section to follow, and the piece doesn't deliver it. The violin staccato doesn't really work very well, sounds too fake, and the tempo sounds a little too fast for the sample you're using. Overall this sounds very flat and just not enough to grab ones attention. The drums have quite a bit of reverb on them, which I felt drowned the mix a little too much in the lows. The arrangement was interesting at times, but as analoq said it's missing a lot of creativity to gel the mix together. I'd work on making this mix sound more powerful (ie: louder in the climactical sections.) Bring out the sounds so each instrument makes an impact on the listener, work on making the arrangement more creative, and you could have something quite nice here. NO