Malcos

Er, ok. This had lots and lots of bass, which is great. However, there was NO melody! At 0.37 I was expecting some jazz guitar to come in and give out the orgasmic melody, but all I got was anti-climax. There were a couple of guitar licks here and there for extra tease, but that's it. Then it just kinda hung on one note before the seashore ending. I know I didn't pay for this, but I feel ripped off. Where is that real streets of rage feel? This needs to: 1. Have a jazz guitar melody 2. Be of longer length, 3. etc. So much could have been done with this. Come back later. NO

Not much to say that hasn't already been said. This sounds very much like background music. The ambience is good, although the phasing pads do get annoying after a while. What this needs is something to make it more engaging, or something to add groove. Right now it's not something that would really hold my attention for 4 minutes. NO(Plz resbumit)

Something really bugged me about this mix, and I couldn't put my finger on it. On a second listen I realised what it was. At 0.35 when the vibe speeds up, I really have an issue with the snare. I just don't think it fits at all. Perhaps it's just a personal thing, but that snare! Sections 1.23-1.46 and 2.10-2.20 were really good, I think the instruments fit the style perfectly in those sections. Arrangement is done well, with the source used as the inspiration for the quiter sections; although the chords aren't quite as emotive as the original, I think the mix takes the source to another level. Despite the snare, this is a YES

I know it's not easy to record brass, what with the possibilities of clipping and all that. I thought this was recorded quite well. The performance was very good, although lacking at some points, and the cluttered nature of some sections has already been mentioned. The ending was practically non-existent, didn't like that at all. If I was being super picky, I would say that this definitely needed to be recorded in a larger room, as I thought things were sounding rather dry, needed a bit more reverb. Good attempt at something original, but didn't quite cut it this time. NO

Very interesting. I definitely think that this mix does the source justice, however for me there would need to be a couple changes for it to be a yes. As has already been said, the intro arrangement is too similar to source, and the lead used in the intro didn't sound too good to my ears. Bass sounds good, but could have used more movement later on once the song got going to add more to the rhythmic nature of the drums, which I thought were excellently done, although they do need more variation due to the sparse nature of the mix. I also think that this could have a breakdown, a bridge, or some sort of original chord progression that could give a break from the original. Basically this needs more, but I would definitely like to see a resub of this. NO (Plz Resubmit)

I agree with Lion about the sax samples, does sound quite cheap. At 0.36 when the 'da' and 'bap' vocal samples come in, it's suddenly obvious that the timing is really off. I didn't think the new section at around 1.20 had a good transition. At 2.04, the vocal samples come in again, I don't think they work well in that section. 5.14 and 5.23 were really bad transitions, and with the addition of the off-timed vocal stabs, really didn't sound good. I think the piano part was done well, it's just that all the other parts brought the whole thing down. NO

Everything is quite loud and in-yer-face sounding, more balance is needed in terms of instrument levels, the high hats that are added throughout the mix are examples of where things are coming in too loudly. There are parts where the background sounds are louder than the melodic elements, crowding them out. At 2.40, I really didn't think that synth works for this mix at all, and again, it comes in much too loudly. I like the choir ending. NO (Resubmit)

Ok, production level is good in terms of sound quality, I really like the way that the drums sound; but composition wise this needs a lot more. The majority of the track is simply a drum beat with a vibraphone. I'm a fan of minimalist, but this doesn't even include enough elements to be minimal. The arrangement gets boring at times, no doubt due to the lack of instrumentation and lack of layers. When the mix ends, the listener is likely to feel like they have been left in mid-air, as the arrangement doesn't feel is if it's going anywhere at that point. This sounds as though it needs a lot more work. If this were visual it would be a building composed entirely of metal girders. It just doesn't sound finished. Add some more ideas, more instrumentation, make it more engaging. NO

Oh yeah, heh. I should have mentioned that already. I meant for the eq thing to be just constant, as I wanted to try and make it as transparent as possible. But of course everyone will tweak it to their own tastes. Zoola, klm09, you might want to try out the free 'C3' multiband compressor, it's an excellent one, I use it all the time when I rewire with vocal stuff in Sonar. You can get it from here: http://www.madtracker.org/plugins.php?category=Effect&subcategory=Compressor

I was just messing about and came up with a really loud mastering combi, tweaked from the multiband compressor combi preset. Enjoy. www.malcos.co.uk/SuperLOUDmaster.cmb

Great groove, excellent instrumentation. However it does lose a lot of points for me due to it's sparseness, partucularly at sections like 1.10-1.20. Of course, I badly wanted this to 'resolve' at the end with a chord, but it didn't happen, leaving me in the air. It is somewhat minimalist, but the style definitely works for me. YES

That's the thing. This obviously wasn't a professional recording either, so you've got the mic at a considerable distance from the source. The only thing this has over the BOTA version is the guitar. Official BOTA version is better. This would be good to put as an alternate version on the BOTA site, but this isn't for OCR. Sorry Shael. NO

There is this click that plays at the very start of the file, before the fade in. Minor point, but must be mentioned. Like the other judges have said, there are parts in this where the instruments that should be more in the background overpower the lead instrument. This is very obvious at 1.37, where the bell sound is much too loud for the flute. The fadeout also comes at a time when you least expect it. The fadeout is not smooth and seems to cut off at the end. Keep working on your productions, and make use of our WIP forum for peer feedback. NO

This definitely lacks power - the timpanis don't fill out the low end at all, this needs some bass. Not only would it add to the low end, but it would also contribute harmonically as well. For it's short length, I hear repeating sections, and for some sections, the timing was very loose. The sounds you have at your disposal have great potential, and so do you. I think you need to spend more time on your pieces to get them sounding great. Also listen to more orchestral pieces in the same style as this one to hear how they fill out the low end. NO

For it's length, I don't think this has enough progression, and the synth sounds could do with some more variation to make the srrangement more interesting. I felt that the drum work could have sounded a little warmer, I personally found the hats to be quite harsh sounding. At 2.26, the bass synth was out of time - while it may be a nod to the source, I think it would have been better to have it quantized 1/16. Nothing to add that the other judges haven't already said. NO (resubmit)

Love this track! You really know how to use Reason man.

Excellent - definitely in need of some more smooth acid jazz here at OCR. This is done very well, arrangement is varied, production is good. The only thing I would say is that the vibraphone was too loud. However, that isn't enough to stop this being a YES

Piano intro could have used more left-hand action before the wind instrument joined it. The drums sound very rigid indeed, almost like they are a metronome themselves, and it sounds very strange compared to the other instruments - definitely doesn't fit in. I like the effect that the instruments give (minus the drums) as they blend together well. However, a lack of bassline does mean that it sounds somewhat empty. I'm in agreement with DS here. A different drumkit and the addition of a bassline would really help things out here. At the moment, this level of production is nowhere near the bar. NO

This sounds great, I love the way that these sounds have been used. However, for me the arrangement leaves much to be desired; my interest level dropped off after the 4th minute due to the repetitive sections. This could have been fleshed out much more arrangement wise with quite a few original parts thrown in here and there. Norfair source is very sparse in itself, you could have added quite a lot to it if you wanted to. I would definitely like to see a resubmission of this. NO (Please resub)

There are some nice hip-hop drums sounds (really phat) free for download here: http://www.modernbeats.com/download_free_wav_samples.php Although you have to sign up for their newsletter. Sounds are phat though!

I have to agree with Zirc and BGC - these samples really are below our standards here. The percussion in particular struck me as being very GM soundset like. The instruments sound very stiff and unexpressive, and that for me spoils the whole feel. Yes the arrangement is pretty good, but the sounds seem as if they are what is holding this back from it's full potential. This is the first time I've rejected a mix purely on samples used, but this really deserves some better sounds. And yeah of course that click/pop as well. NO

I like this - it definitely has that old western feel to it. I personally don't feel that the guitar is off-key; yes the tuning is not exact, but it makes the whole mix sound more acoustic, if that makes any sense. Anyway, we're all autonomous here and I don't have to answer to any of you. So. YES

Whooo! I can't wait till this comes out

I agree with Ori that it could do with sounding sharper - however, these are nylon guitars and not steel string so it's not a big point. I like the arrangement a lot, keeps the vibe of the original and adds quite a bit of originality to it. Works for me. YES

Hey Infinity's End, great album cover!