Malcos

I dunno what martial art I do really...I've done some Kung-fu, Mui-Thai and a little bit of Aikido. I got farthest in Mui-Thai, and I got a real sense of fighting from full speed, full contact sparring. We're told to use full speed, but only about 25% full strength. I remember once I got tired after about an hour of sparring and I dropped my guard a bit and got hit with a jab-cross combo, I almost got knocked out and he only lightly tapped me! Anyway I haven't done any martial arts for almost 3 years now so I'm a bit rusty. In real life I'd kick them in the nuts and go for the neck, choke them out, use arm locks if they got weapons (after nuts kicking), elbow to the head, throw coins at them, bite, scratch, shout etc.

I was thinking of getting the Miroslav for Reason, but after this thread I'm thinking twice about it!

This has a groove that more than makes up for any repetitiveness that this might be perceived to have - and the arrangement is definitely progressive. There is lots of low frequency activity here which fills out the soundscape nicely (ultra low bassline section in intro and from 2.15), so although it is minimalistic the texture doesn't actually feel empty. This is also a nice addition to the site as it adds some variety to what we already have. This could have done with more background melodic elements, but as it stands, this is a YES

Wow that is amazing! Bit pricey for me at the moment though.

Wow hell yeah I'm on this! I won't be able to actually start until mid January, but definitely expect something from me!

The other judges have already made great comments and suggestions regarding this mix. I am very familiar with Pendulum! They put a lot of background elements in their mixes which fills out the soundscape, in addition to them always having put exciters on their drumbeats. The way you've mixed things here is very similar to the way that pendulum mixes. This is close to me passing it, however there are a few things to do with production that I think would really make this great. The intro part with the transition from the 8bit sounds: when the synth comes in, with the drums and the vocal sample, they are all quite dry and could use a short reverb to allow it all to gel together. When the main beat comes in at 0.44, again the drums need some reverb on them, with additional background elements so that the synth is not on it's own and the mix doesn't sound as sparse. This also gives you the opportunity to put some of your own elements into this, as this is somewhat too similar to pendulum's stuff, even down to the triplet fills! Just something original from you, that is uniquely yours, otherwise this is likely to get renamed by some to 'Pendulum mix' lol. I usually stay away from making stylistic suggestions but I really think that taking all of what has been said here into consideration by all the judgements here I would definitely pass this. NO (great candidate for resub)

I really like the arrangement here, keeps things very interesting. Some hard limiting was used quite well here, particularly in the last part of the piece where it is most apparent. I think that piano section at 0.23 could have use a touch more reverb, sounds rather dry compared to the sections either side of it. 1.05 was a nice surprise, and added some well needed high frequency percussion into the mix. Overall I felt that perhaps the mix could have used more high frequency drum elements as it would have made the overall eq sound brighter. However, this is not enough of an issue for this mix not to pass. Good energy level, very engaging arrangement. YES

This is much better FULL YES

Yes I agree 100%, that's how Jivemaster and me did that sonic collab.

Production wise, I like the idea that very strong percussive sounds are being used here. However a lot of attention needs to be paid to the eq; the drum sounds overall are quite low-fi, whilst the high hats are super sharp and abrasive which means that it's not as tight as it could sound. A touch of compression would also help the drums sound more like they belong together. The rhythmic ideas are good here, particularly at around the 0.53 mark. However in terms of arrangement, the source is followed near verbatim. Now whilst for this piece that IS the direction to go because of the source, the main melodies are presented here unchanged and without rich melodic backgrounds, counter melodies and chords and elements like those which were present in the source. It's too cut down and simplified. NO

This is massively improved from the last time. I do agree with the point about the lack of low end - however in this instance it is not so out of place with the piece that it warrants a no, so YES

The far-eastern-sounding loop is the platform that carries this mix and plays throughout. Aside from that, the brass is responsible for playing the various melodies whilst the drums are varied layer by layer as the song progresses. In essence that's all there is to the mix. Although the drums have various elements to them, they still feel thin and underdeveloped. As for arrangement, the themes just feature for a few seconds and then that's it, just as many other judges have already mentioned. The melodies come from many different games, and featuring them in this mix in this way just seems to have no purpose - the original sources are not given time to evolve nor their themes explored, it's all just cameos. NO

The piano sample suits the arrangement and feel of the piece, and the emotive nature of the mix is there. However, the Oboe sounds very fake indeed, some reverb would at least make it sound like it belongs with the piano. The piano sequencing also lacks dynamics in terms of volume and I think it would be even more emotive if the piano playing was less stiff. I think this is very close, but has some glaring issues on the production side to be worked on before I can let it pass. NO(Good candidate for resubmission)

The source cannot be easily found in this mix. The synth arpeggiations sound similar, however it might have been a better approach to have started out clearly defining the source, as it is such a short one. The drums are good, however the sound overall is quite lo-fi. The mix itself is a little repetitive, however the main issue here is the lack of a clear link to the source. NO

The melodic elements are played near enough exactly like the original, save the bass which sounded like it was played in a similar but not identical fashion. This was very interesting to listen to, although it did get quite noisy towards the end - I had to turn the volume down. I appreciate that this sort of style is difficult to pull off, as it is shaping noisy and distorted sounds whilst at the same time trying not to make the listener's ears bleed. The production still needs some tweaking as it does sound overly harsh to me. This is an interesting take on the original (and would work well in an anime imo). However the melodic parts are too similar to the source for me to let this pass. NO (Interesting submission - resub?)

I liked the lo-fi feel that the track opened with, and I expected it to burst out into something with greater energy and with higher quality sounds later on. However, it just seemed to continue on the same vein, like a continuous intro. The criticism here is not about the energy level itself, but about the combination of that and the choice of sounds. Had the production been more suited to a slow ambient feel, like chords or a melody that held your attention throughout, then this would have been effective. This mix has all the elements of an uptempo driving beat, minus the energy. The lackluster arrangement and lack of variation did not marry up with the mix's intentions here, and listening to it a second time was not engaging. Very promising, but needs a lot more work. NO

This doesn't sound organic at all, due to the fact that the playing is very stiff, apart from the chords which use 'that keyboard technique which doesn't have a name, play the chord from the root to the highest note very quicky so it sounds like strumming' technique. That technique works well when you have a variety of instruments in the background, but using midi based guitar sounds on their own, regardless of how good the sample is, it's very hard to pull off without just sounding fake. The arrangement wasn't that different from the original at all, and no other instruments/layers were added. This is more of a variation of the source than a remix. NO

Dunno whether we'll get this out in time... This is essentially a 'Tender Sugar' mix with elements from the other source tunes thrown in. With the only consistent link to the source being the tuned noise arpeggiated chord, this may be too liberal. It is worth noting that similar arpeggiation is present in 'Tender Sugar' source as well as 'Never Forgive Me, Never Forget Me', it's just that in the latter, the instrument used is tuned noise, as it is in this mix. From 1.08 up until 1.31 the lack of any lead instrument made me lose interest somewhat. At 1.49 and thereabouts the guitars are very muddy. There are also timing issues throughout the mix. The main issues are the fact that it is too liberal, I need to hear more from the main source that you are mixing (Tender Sugar); the timing issue. NO (resub)

I made a post on sidechaining in Reason a little while ago on this thread: http://www.ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=11783 Crappy musical example but I hope it helps lol.

Ohhhh, I haven't got Reason 4 yet (I'll wait till Christmas or new year), but I always group everything I play and then double click to open the piano roll if I want to copy notes. I guess I wouldn't have to change my personal style for the new sequencer then...? Have they added any new samples or is it just only Thor that has new sounds? Is the new quantisation method more difficult to use, now they've moved it somewhere else completely?

No no no! Don't you dare let your standards slip...

I like what is here a lot. This is very original in terms of the types of submissions that we get;there are interesting melodic fills thoughout and the chord progressions are great to listen to. The only two things that need work (and could really take the mix to another level) is if you could vary the rhythmic section some more and if you can, eq the guitars to add some more high end and/or see if you can organise a cleaner recording. With that you would get a definite yes from me. NO (Very good candidate for resubmission)

Not a lot to say that hasn't already been said. This sounds quite 'factory' overall, in that there are no sounds that really jump out and make this memorable - it's just standard trace synths. The voice samples are used very well here, with the 'lets rock and roll' used just after the intro. The energy levels are good, however with that energy level not being dynamic enough in terms of volume, the fuller parts don't seem so exciting. I can definitely hear that compressor clamping in at 5.38-43, forcibly keeping the volume constant. There are parts like 4.08-4.15 where it sounded like it was going to break into something somewhat more original, however it didn't. The arrangement relied too much on gating - particularly the main melody, which leads to the feeling that this needs more personality. Not bad by any means, but needs some more work. A lot of contructive criticism from other judges have been made here on how to improve this. NO (Good candidate for resubmission)

The thing that struck me the most about the mix is that it's not cohesive or consistent in terms of production. At 0.48 for example, the drums suddenly change to another live kit and the kick goes way down in volume. This percussion is also now dry as a bone, with the guitars having various amounts of reverb. It sounds as though the instruments aren't in the same room at all. At 2.08, the guitars go up in volume quite a lot, which is rather jarring. Overall, I like the arrangement, and the chord progression and melodic elements are quite emotive. However in its present form it needs its volume and reverb levels to be tweaked a lot. Not at the OC bar yet. NO

From what I remember of the last submission, this has been completely overhauled - and for the better. I like the ambient feel here, and while I agree with Zircon that it could be somewhat louder, this is far from the almost cookie cutter mix that got subbed last time. The source was used well here, good stuff. YES