Marmiduke

Definately sounds like someone went crazy with presets, but crazy in a good way. All the audio twists and tweaks give the sounds, and the melody itself, tremendous life. I really don't have a problem with the sample quality; I think this would be an entirely different mix if the samples were of the highest quality, which isn't exactly to say it would be better off. I also liked the various panning ideas, although I couldn't help but catch a slew of timing errors. But they are only noticeable to me when I want to notice them. Great use of energetic arrangement; something we don't see quite enough of here. This mix can be accused of lot of things, but failing to supply fun, energy and nostalgia is not one of them. I always have a great time listening to this.

There's some harsh opinions on this one, evidentally. Look, I think this is pretty simple, no matter how you look at it. It's biggest creative stamp is the fact that it is out of tune, so it doesn't win me over on the arrangement side. It's a song that is suited for piano being played by a live string quartet. That's cool, and I think it works extremely well. If this mix does something wrong, it's the fact that it doesn't do anything except whine out the Kraid theme. The different combinations of instruments working together in different sections of the mix are definately interesting and do evoke a dreadful, moody atmosphere, but I don't think this has much to say. I do wish that there was an off-center arrangement to go with the off-center musicality. Regardless, this is nowhere near as bad as all the pro in-tune picketers would have had me believe. Or rather, the tuning is far from the mix's biggest setback.

There's some really disappointing instrumental support in this, especially through my speakers where the sound came through as blunt and unsatisfying as if it were an amatuer WIP. Maybe I just have fail speakers. Through my headphones, things improved but the samples are still lacking beyond their age. The drums and pads have the biggest issues for me. They do nothing to help the arrangement shine and seem too synonymous with 16 bit gaming. Not sure what the stylistic approach to the instrumentation was, but for me it crossed the line from nostalgic to just suffering from limitations. This is simply an arrangement piece, and that it does very well. I can definately enjoy it a lot on that level. I just can't help but see this as a failed opportunity to reach for the loftier heights that the arrangement deserves, and not just settle for an E for Effort. Promising on the writing front; pretty uninspiring elsewhere.

A pleasant building piece that really doesn't structurally evolve, rather lathering more and more whipped cream on the melody line. And there's nothing wrong with bountiful amounts of whipped cream. The samples are pretty adequate, and I like the fact this develops into some contained ethnic-style bombasticity, because that is the last place I expected it to go, judging from the first 30 seconds or so. On paper, this probably would have sounded like an extremely annoying concept to me, but I'm glad to be proven wrong in its execution. A bright mix, albeit not a very deep one.

Does some very decent justice to Motoi's original material. It's pretty evident that there was some great appreciation for the more complex melodic structures that Sakaruba seems to be the master of. Guitar work is uberfine, but that's a no-brainer, seeings as this is Scaredsim, who really pulls his weight in terms of awesome, unapologetic rock explosions. Apart from the obviously great guitar work, the little interspersed pockets of ambience or piano sections were very welcome and held up to the standard of the louder sections. In all, it oozes quality from every pore. And as much as I have a guilty pleasure for medly mixes that suffer from a slight bit of medlyitis, I was very pleased that this didn't. The fact that this doesn't sound like a medly at all is a relief, because bad transitions would murder a rock mix like this. The end result is very liquid, moving along without a hitch; a sign of expert arranging. A true benchmark for rock medlies. Love it.

This is one of the best homages to contemporary film composers that exists today, on or off OCR. Like everyone has pointed out, Elfman is hugely represented. I hear a lot of influence from Ang Lee's Hulk, which admittedly is not classic Elfman, but still his best work in my opinion. It then becomes more John Williams-esque, specifically from his Spielberg collaborations, and then it definately becomes more ambiguous, but I can hear the Batman Begins sound that people have talked about. The orchestration is super rich, richer than I've come to expect and richer than I really think I deserve as a listener of free music. It's exceptionally fine, so much so that even when the odd unnatural sample makes an appearance, I tend not to care all too much. It's like it instantly gets lost in the excess of quality here. Definately on my list of favourites, both in the area of arrangement and production. This is so good is scares the hell out of me.

This is one of the best captures of environment I've heard in a remix for quite a while. I definately get the imagery of expanse all around, rugged terrain and an ocean of snow blanketing everything. There's an overall feeling of brilliance and a gradual melt. It's pretty vivid and expertly done. The synths sound right out of an 80s sci-fi thriller movie, but I think they are strangely relevant to the theme. The mix is fine on its own production merits, but I think the ambient, immersive details are where all the notoriety belongs. You really can feel yourself amidst the elements of this mix. For that, I'm hugely impressed. Its meditative electronica at its core, but there is so much more to it than just that. I'm a big fan of mixes like this.

Very surprising take on the source. Where the idea to create a D&B mix out of this track is beyond me, but I'm at least thankful it works. I actually disagree that this style of music doesn't lend itself to repeated listenings, because I find with most D&B that the intricacies are only broken down and digested through constantly adjusting expectations. I heard a lot more of the melodic aspects in my repeated listens, of what is a pretty sparing use of melody to begin with. But hey, I'm probably just a slow listener. I really love it when a mix's production quality matches it outside-the-box approach like is showcased here. A real surprise and one of the more faithful D&B mixes out there.

Noone could accuse this mix of being subtle. It grasps the tropical cliche and just strangles it for every bit of life it has in it. Thankfully, there is plenty of life in the music to show for it. It's hard to hate anything that sounds so energetic and joyous. It just sounds like a musician having a lot of fun making music, and I really dig that. Not anything to really ponder over; if you want to sit and reflect it would be wise to look elsewhere. But for something that encapsulates the fun and festivities of a saure or a shindig, it's will be difficult to top this.

Toning down the repetitive nature a touch would have improved this one a lot. I'm not salivating over those samples either, but they do their job well enough. The structure and arrangement are a little too raw for my tastes; there seems to be many openings for expansion that were left bare. More branching would have done a great job in distracting the ear from the straining backbone that we hear much too often. It doesn't sound much removed from actual videogame music, but there are some redeeming features to it. For all its design flaws, it does hearken back to the days of fun mixes, where the was no pressure to be a technical wizard or a significant conceptualist among the mixing community. This is barebones and insignificant, but it's got an acquired charm. Big fans of pre-judging panel OCR should be all over this.

I, like many others, hate the intro to this. It brings things into a realm that is just so wrong for where the rest of the mix goes. If it was breakneck drum and bass stuff, maybe. But it's like oil to water with the hooky simpicity that follows. Once the intro is a memory, things get very sweet very fast. Even though the samples are dire, I do like how everything comes together. And I really think the source has been arranged quite beautifully. It most definately redeems the opening narration for me. Good choices and bad choices abound in this one. Glad to say the blemishes get flushed out early on, leaving a lot to enjoy afterwards.

Nifty synthpop that most definately does not reinvent any wheels but has a good time regardless. There is some musical fatigue that sets in after the main melody line continues to repeat with gradual variations, but as far as repetition goes, the problem is minimal. I think the best thing about this is that you can feel the game in it. As others have mentioned, you don't just think of Marble Madness when you hear this. You think of a whole slew of puzzle-based retro games with soundtracks that channel this sort of vibe. I appreciate it a whole lot and geniunely think think that puzzle games with determined, yet repetitive soundtracks are some of the best the industry has ever produced. This mix is a love letter to those immortal tunes, for me. Cool stuff indeed.

The guitar work recieves star-billing in this, and rightly so. It's brilliantly performed and emotionally strong enough to carry the weight of the other elements that let it down. I didn't really click with the other instrument choices, things dropped out of harmony noticeably and I was also searching frantically for some expansion on the original theme. These issues, as well as a small grievance at the length, disappointed. But, as I said, the guitar lends it a lot of impact and covers a lot of the holes for as long as it sticks around. At these times, the mix is a real winner. But realistically, this is a flawed mix with some very clear signs of promise for improvement.

Great novelty piece given plenty of attention in the last couple of months. I had friends that had never heard of OCR linking me to it. I think as a novelty it is quite successful, although there is a point where you reach a bit of bottle fatigue. When the fun wears off and you begin searching for musical sustenance, I think you'll still find some enjoyable aspects, but its not top-tier in arrangement beyond the gimmick. There's no doubt that this is enjoyable and sounds great (I like how simple bottle samples channel South American panflutes quite closely), but there's also a large amount of potential ready to be tapped for mixes like this. My worst nightmare would be for OCR to turn into a novelty mix haven, but one of these every so often is a nice surprise. Keep up the good work.

Reminds me a lot of very early OCR, in that it has the very basic of concepts, which lends it a lot of charm. The sound effects and the building progression are cleverly put to use, making a better mix out of what could have been quite anaemic. What's here won't rattle any windows or transform a meet-and-greet into a rave, but it has a simple, catchy innocence that only comes along every so often nowadays. Standard electronica, but fun electronica as well.

Pardon the Heatman pun, but I think this is a great slowburner. It's practically a 4 minute trance build, which some people might turn and retch at, but I like the constant sense of development and the trip getting to the irrelevant destination. It's almost like the Heatman melody is obscured by musical fog and throughout the song it starts to clear and you start to hear more and more familiarity, bit by bit. It's more ambient and held back than most trance is, and it is by no means an elaborate take on the source or the genre, but I think it is worthy of some attention and definately justified further listens for me. Nice effort.

This is a gentle but by no means second-rate exploration of a theme that proves that you don't need ballsy, big sounds to pull off an adequate mix. It is a little quiet for my tastes, but volume be damned, there's plenty of good here. The woodwind is pretty and lends it an Eastern vibe, while the piano is especially resonant. Everything sounds great throughout and flows between ambient transitions seamlessly. It's definately a little mix, but it still has all the variation and arrangement ideas you'd want to hear in a full, orchestral rendition. Good to see music that isn't afraid to be small on the site.

The hiss is truly horrendous to begin with. The whole "rehearsal / sound test" section is misleading, sounds absolutely terrible BUT I strongly believe the actual mix benefits because of it. The listener sits through, what, 1:10 minutes of grating material to get the payoff of 4 minutes of very blissful, ethnically-accented rock. Things really sound much sweeter and fuller following the technically crippled overture. It's a strong melody that doesn't really require much arrangement to be fantastic sounding, which is great since this mix doesn't have all that much. There are plenty of pros with this, but there is actually a con bigger than people are probably used to. The unusual technical and conceptual balancing is pretty interesting, and come across as both an issue and a selling point. Like I said, I personally wouldn't cut out the band practice bits for the same reason I wouldn't cut out the Ewoks from Star Wars. If that's how the canon was laid down, then that's how it shall be. I still despise those damn Ewoks though.

Parts of me sees this mix as a dub mix spread very thin, and other parts of me actually enjoy this. It is very opaque, and I don't think it adds to what it was trying to be achieved; ambience, resonance, minimalism, whatever. It doesn't so much feel controlled, but sort of undeveloped. The samples are dated, but I think that adds a little something interesting. The horns, at the very least, sound as fitting as they are unconvincing. I'm really torn between whether I feel this or not. It's like a friend you don't really like, but you don't mind hanging around. Whether I like it or not however, this is still one of the most diluted mixes on the site. This won't win any popularity contest, that's for sure.

Good showing from Rayza. Not exactly pushing the envelope as far as his standards, but when the product is this good, why push it? The relationships between the sounds isn't perfect, or as good as it has been in other mixes. For me, this didn't gel completely. The synths were just beyond the sweetspot that I like and am accustomed to, but it's not a real big deal. It's not exactly a flaw that it doesn't reach my own personal perfect level of satisfaction. From anyone else, playing the techno card again and again might have become stale and something to dread. But Rayza once again proves that attention to detail and great song choice goes a long way at expanding a genre's boundaries. More than adequate effort and a great track.

I'm impressed that this one comes through as strongly as it does, because I thought the Goldeneye soundtrack was so reliant on the James Bond theme it would be impossible to remix. And while the Facility theme doesn't actually come into this until the 0:50 point, I can excuse it for having a damn strong opening. The modem dialling brings me back, as does the xylophone Bond theme so distinct to the Goldeneye game. I think there is far too much Bond theme in here, something that is hard to get around considering the source, but the parts with the Facility theme are quite cool and nostaligic for me. The countless hours I spent setting remote mine traps in the Facility with my friends may be affecting my judgement, but this mix is as hardcore as the N64 itself.

It's definately a change of pace for a Mazedude mix, and a good one at that. It's gentle but never slow, repetitive but never boring. Even if you don't find the melody and the stylistic direction particularly interesting (which I do), you can always focus on the expert choice of instruments and how truly awesome they sound. The mallet work is distinctive, memorable and most importantly, is used to its fullest potential. There is no constant changing of instruments here. It's all consistent, all the time. And I wouldn't change a thing. It's refreshing to see Mazedude restrained here; though he is a notorious genre-hopper, this is one of his most accomplished sounding ventures away from the sound he is more synonymous with.

Awesomeness abound. Great mashup of creepiness and pure badassery. In that regard, its very ZAMN. The guitar clarity is what I enjoy most about this, I think. I'm glad the distorted route wasn't taken. I tire easily of distortion, and with a mix that is this length, it's important that everything sounds as pleasing as possible to maintain consistent interest. I'm unsure about the wah portions though, sometimes I thought they fit, other times I minded them. But they are small portions, and they are easy to tolerate. And I have to mention the harpischord and organ, for this mix would not be the same without them. In future, all mixes lose marks for not having harpischord and organ in them. Love it. The ending is exspecially cool. It's a really good tune, this, and although it does hop around all over the place, it always makes sense to me. And that's important. I haven't been big on this for a long time, but now I am really starting to like it. Nice one.

As far as mixes that captivate and actually cause you to feel the emotion and the imagery of the piece, this has to be one of the most effective on the entire site. Motoi's original composition has a lot to do with it, of course. It's an emotionally manipulative melody, to be sure. But Dale's arrangment and production really nets the goods and brings it straight to you. The quiet, more fragile troughs throughout the song are nice; the clarinet and the strings are excellent choices to build to the big, sweeping moments. I like that this is never bombastic or never too much going on behind the sounds, which can ruin orchestral pieces that are meant to have a quaint feeling to them. The feeling to this remains powerful but contained; we get that the sadness is personal and interior. Incredibly orchestral work, it really does sound like it could be part of a professional modern soundtrack. Great to reflect to.

Every Rayza remix I listen to lately ends with me saying: "That's the most Rayza mix ever." And this was no exception. The thing I like about Rayza is that he takes a genre of music that allows for repetition and lack of progression, but goes against that and offers incredible variation and hooks galore. What is achieved is the signature high wall-of-sound that we all expect, but with surprisingly touching elements woven in. It all travels so fluently that the fast-slow, rollercoaster-like structure flies over you. It's probably the easiest Rayza mix to just sit back to, and forget you are listening to meticulously remixed videogame music. That's a pretty cool thing to be able to pull off.