Malcos

Just got an email from Mr.Zou:

Only at 3.21 does the theme come in. Before that I was wondering if I had the right file! One could almost say that this was a completely original tune before that. Yeah this did remind me a little of that Terra/Tina tune from ff. I think that although the sounds are not top notch, they are used extremely well, and I did enjoy listening to it. My only reservation is that the recognisable theme came on pretty late! YES

This mix has a lot of potential. I would say that the piano definitely needs some work. It's too loud and has no dynamics to it at all, the way it's been eq'ed makes it stand out like a sore thumb. Drums and bassline are quite repetitive, need to be mixed up somewhat. This mix could be much more with some more tweaking to it. Almost there! NO (Please resubmit)

Oh, I've got those pad soundfonts from the intro! Anyway. Nice mix, but those notes at 1.53-1.58 sounded extremely wrong to me, so on that basis I'm gonna say NO Questionable notes are one thing, plain old off-key is another. Strange since the production on this is very good overall.

7.40? Wow, that is long. First thing that strikes me as odd is the eq. Either that or more likely the artifacts from such a low bitrate encoding. The arrangement is lacking somewhat. It took about a minute and a half for me to get into what was going on, as the intro didn't draw me in and make me anticipate the main section. 3.12: This arpeggio pattern goes on for quite a bit, with a rather loud and annoying patch. I could go into great detail, but at the end of the day it would boil down to 2 things: production quality and arrangement. This mix lacked in both departments. Great bassline, but that's about it. NO

I found some of the arrangement, particularly the section with the piano in it, quite enjoyable. However, there are many parts in which the quality really was not up to oc standard. I'm talking about the mainly cheesy samples, especially the salsa like bit near the end that sounded like it came straight out of one of those style demos you get on cheap keyboards. NO

Yes, it is rather brave to sumbit a remix of a source tune that is so sparse in content. I love Half-Life 2, upgraded my pc just for it. But anyway I digress. While this mix is quite run of the mill in some aspects, it does suit the feel of hl2, and it will be one of the few hl2 remixes in existence. Some feel that the best remixes are those which could actually be put into the game, and in that aspect, this most definitely passes. A somewhat borderline YES

This track is great! Too much goodness in here. I'm saying YES

This did sound just like a cover, and the track itself was pretty short. Everything has already been said really. This track needed a lot more orginal ideas. NO

I really didn't realise that this was a solo piece until half way through, I expected drums or some other instruments to come in. This is missing all the other instruments! This doesn't sound like a solo at all, because it has delay and what sounds like chorus effects on it. It just sounds way too mechanical, although I realise that making it sound more human would mean that you would probably have to scrap the delay, and hence the whole thing. This is gonna sound harsh, but the idea just didn't work. NO

I like the production on this, and the huge bassline. Drum sequencing is interesting, and the way the drum sounds are used (out of their 'genre') makes it all the more unusual. However, I felt that the bell melody was all over the place and at times it sounded off. I think this needs more attention in terms of arrangement. Nice production, but the arrangement in terms of structure wasn't at the bar imo. NO

The soundscape here is very pleasant to listen to. My only reservation is that the flutes sounded a little odd at times withe the delay. I agree with GL that I feel that the weaker parts of the source tune were left out, and I think the mix is better because of it. A little more variation, perhaps the addition of another section, would have stepped this mix up another notch. However, for me this is good enough for a YES

Probably the shakuhachi flute. I swear there's only one sample of that in the whole world! I've heard that same sample so many times, it's in reason as well! If you want it I could email it to you.

First thing I notice is that the kick is really loud in this mix. Textures and pads sound really mono and there are parts where I can hear it all clipping. This beat just goes on and on and on, which is especially noticeable seeing as the beat is so prominent. There isn't much going on in this mix, and there is a complete lack of instrument placement - panning/stereo reverb please! This mix had no dynamics at all, just the bit at the end where the drums were taken away, and that was the ending. I would recommend using the wip boards and some more practice, you definitely need to make your mixes less repetitive. NO

That first hat we hear is at a frequency that really hurts the ears if it's too loud. I really liked the stuttering, and I didn't think it was overused at all. The rest of the mix, however, just isn't that interesting. It sounds ok, but there is nothing gripping about it, the mix just seems to plod along. I think this mix may have been relying on the stuttering to pass. NO

Huh? The original made me go I like this mix. It takes the original and sophisticates it. I didn't like the bass sound much, perhaps you could have gone with something that sounded a little smoother. Piano parts are nice, drums are crisp, vibe is calm and relaxed. Works for me. YES lol your variable bitrate range is huge.

Wow this is very different. I can see (or rather, hear) why the panel is split over this one. I'm very torn on this one. On one hand, a lot of the sounds are very similar to the sources, the drum beat is too hectic at times with patterns that don't suit the drum samples. On the other hand, the other instruments sound pretty good, and I love the sound of the whole 5/4 section. I really like the hecticness, but it's just too much for me at times - the drums are the thing that really spoil it for me. Thankfully us judges have a middle ground now. NO (Please resubmit)

This is obviously a groove based piece. I like the texture of the chorused drums, low bassline and weird singing synth. Arrangement is fine, production is good. For a groove based piece to work, it has to be effective; the concept of groove is extremely subjective, but I was feeling this. YES

Strings are bone dry, and the low bass string doesn't sound natural. When the bassline comes in everything is sounding a bit better; this needs a lot of work in terms of effects and eqing. It's only in the last third of the mix that we really hear something original, a lot of this is very similar to the source. Keep working at it. NO

Whoooo yeah, this sounds great. Arrangement is super, only thing I would like to see is a little more dynamic expression in terms of the instruments, sort of repeating what has already been said. That's the main issue for me. A little more reverb in those drums perhaps as well? I don't like to pitpick, but this could be awesome (ahhh Americanism!) if you just tweaked the velocities a little in some places. NO Please resubmit

Sample is still a bit dodgy, but I'm not gonna nitpick. This is a lot more dynamic than the last submission, and I said yes last time so obviously I'm gonna say it this time. Another case of arrangement beating sample quality. YES

The arrangement here is good, keeps the listener interested, and sounds are good too. But yes, the mastering here is pretty nasty. Sounds like you just added any old compression and then exported it. I would definitely say resubmit, just needs some work on the compression side of things, and lay a bit off the reverb. The ending also didn't trail off, it was going to start the delays, but then just cut off at exactly 5 mins. Could have been the download though. This is almost there, just needs a little tweaking. NO (Please resub)

I agree with what has been said, this sounds like a piano part more than anything else. I can almost hear the band in the background. 1.17 - 1.30 loved that chord progression in this section. Very artificial programming indeed, which is why as a piano solo this piece is not at all convincing. NO

That piano sounded incredibly dry, with no sustain on it at all. Needs sustain on that bit! I like the feel of this mix a lot. Unfortunately, this just seems like a cover version of the source. Needs an original part to it, to be somewhat longer, some improvisation perhaps? NO

Damn this production is crisp. The melody is obscured quite a lot by the beats though. Damn I hate this kind of decision! Usually I like my beats a little louder than the rest of the instruments; it is quite extreme here though, enough for it to tarnish the effectiveness of the mix. Hardest no I've ever had to do, but PLEASE PLEASE resubmit this! This is the first time I have begged for anything! NO