Digital Coma

Not very memorable except for the times when the grating lead sticks close to the original's melody. The arrangement is rather forgettable and everything seems sequenced at random. Technically it's sound, but emotionally there's just not a whole lot going on here. Spice it up, move things around, inspire us, and last but not least, please replace that lead synth. At present, this is pretty dull. NO

SPC - Original Post it if you want, but it's my opinion that this deserves nothing else but a NO. I am very familiar with the game and its music, and I am not hesitant in saying that this is hardly any different from the original except for a transplant in instrumentation sampling; the arrangement is the same, the progression is the same, the sequencing is the same, and the kicker: the drumline is the same. Couldn't you have at least given a boost to the simplistic drum pattern that's common to games of this generation? "Thwomp-ah, Thwomp-ah, Thwomp-ah." That doesn't cut it for me. I'd have liked to see some original improv, fresh ideas, an improved drumline, and an actual ending.

GrayLightning deserves an apology for the length of time this submission has taken to get a final decision. "Life happened to many of us all at once" is a succint explanation (feel free to ask for details if wanted), and this mix has taken the brunt of the effect. I extend to him my sympathy, and I take my share of the blame for the delay. Now, on to my vote. As per your request to have an updated version judged, Vigilante was specifically asked to supply us with a higher quality encode, because the poor recording in his submission was the only factor that would have otherwise resulted in a denial. Anyone *can* tell us they've updated their submissions, but don't expect every judge to go back and edit their votes accordingly. I actually preferred the older version to this update; the bass is overpowering and the remastered ambience sounds cluttered and messy. So I'll make my decision on the file that was submitted. The qualities herein lie in the emotions that the music brings forth, mainly due to the lush samples and the cheerful melody from the original. Unfortunately, I find that they are obstructed from being enjoyed by technical fallacies, namely the notes slip-up at 1:24 - 1:26, which was quite a complex progression in the original, but not executed very well in this specific iteration. The strings collide with each other, falling out-of-sync with the percussion and bass. This I find much more culpable than the off-key accusation the second go around. The progression is rather similar to the source material, I'd have liked to see some more original improv and sequencing. NO You've got some wonderful ideas here, and I'd hate to see them not fully realized with an execution that doesn't do them justice. If you do resubmit with a fix-up in the controversial areas that has been described, we'll streamline the process as much as possible.

Hi, I've received an automatic confirmation message the 18/02/2003, for my submission of an old C64 game (named "Airwolf") For the moment, I've found nothing in the "Judge decisions process" about it. Thanks for your help. Submitter: Coucou

Thanks for handling this one without me. After talking with Krispy and listening to this some more, I grew uneasy of the disproportionate ratio of ambient FX to musical notes, yet I still felt biased in favor of the atmospheric content. I finally decided that it would serve everyone better if I deferred this one to the judgment of the others. Sorry Krispy, better luck next time.

Vocals are taken verbatim from the game and slapped onto basic techno. I say "slapped onto" because the two don't meld together in any cohesive manner; they just don't match. You could take the underlying muzak and stick it with just about any song, since it doesn't sound like it was made with the original in mind. The techno tune itself is rather droll and the sequencing is uninspired. And cut-off endings are a no-no. NO Listen to BigShellWestBristol to see how to make this kind of mixing work: vocals spliced and synchronized to stylistic beats that fit the original.

Did you just submit a mp3 of the original with a fade-out? Maybe the bassline was modified, but even that much would be giving this too much credit. If you want to contribute to the site, please make a remix. NO

Just uploaded it to the webspace, but I'm about to seal the decision anyway: Smooth, sexy synths from Suzu. The highlight of this mix is the seamless transition from the classy piano plus vinyl intro to the exuberant techtronics, bridged by the soft overlaying chorals and ambient trance FX. The sequencing shines, the arrangement is sound, and although the beats get repetitious midway in, it's fun and frantic all the way through. As a self-pronounced whore for climaxes, I must say that the ending is unfortunately a let down and could have been much more appealing if drawn-out and developed. Regardless, this is nicely done. YES

Krispy submitted this two months ago. This is a remix of Resident Evil (GCN), it includes the save room theme called 'Safe Heaven' that is exclusive to the Gamecube version, and another theme that I havnt a name for but plays around the second story of the mansion by the bee room (for anyone whose played). Supposed to be 'creepy', but Ill let you decide that for yourselves . *The missing ID3 composer tag should be filled in with "Shusaku Uchiyama."* ReMixer: Krispy

The submission guidelines are there for a reason; do not disregard them. This arrangement goes nowhere, the instrumentation is lackadaisical, and the samples range from below average to borderline atrocious. By the clearly mediocre mixing, I'm almost certain that this halfhearted test with FruityLoops was encoded to mp3 by the program itself. Little effort has been demonstrated. NO

I regret not having voiced my opinion earlier, but better now than never: NO This does not deserve posting. I had talked to Daniel about this at length, and he and I agreed that many people would wonder if we value live recordings to such a degree that we'd look past mediocre execution, yet not show similar tolerance to synthesized productions. Can you imagine the repercussions this would have being passed amongst the multitudes of rejections? Like djp said, the arrangement is simply a transferal of the original's elements into live instrumentation, with no real original improv. The site has gotten to the point where a single mix can no longer be an exception, for every decision we make further rounds out the unofficial paradigm of protocol that the listeners and prospective mixers look up to. But constant vetoing will erode the credibility of the panel. How about this: let's hear from those who haven't said anything; if they agree with this camp and vote no, then there'll be no need for a veto. If they vote yes, then it's djp's call. (As a reply to what Prot just said, sub-par performance is equivalent to off-key instruments and bad notes in the sequenced submissions we'd usually reject)

Superb arrangement, beautiful instrumentation, excellent execution. Very impressive from beginning to end. As much as I hate to say it, nine minutes is probably too much as the mix is already encoded at 96 kbs and it's still almost half a meg over the limit. Maybe shorten the length of the slower moving portions and cut short the drawn-out ending? Another problem is the clipping: it's so prominent that it can't be ignored. I'm putting down a no for the time being until one of us gets back to you with these concerns; if we receive a clip-free mix under 6 megs, it gets my seal of approval. UPDATE: The clipping is mostly gone, with just a mild amount on the squealing high notes of the wailing leads. The Xtreme™ encoding has resulted in a very low bit rate, but on mid-range speakers any difference in sound quality is barely noticeable. And even if it was, it wouldn't be important in this context. The fact of the matter is that this is a wonderful display of arrangement skill that has resulted in a Herculean nine minute long orchestral/jazz/groove take on the Kraid and Super Metroid themes, and does the oft-mixed Metroid series justice. YES

Yawn-inspiring interpretation, overused vocals, low-fi samples, blatant repetitiveness, mild clipping, and mediocre ending. Oops, I just voted NO

I like what was done here. The original's abrasive upper-register synth-organs have been replaced with much more aurally pleasing, serene instrumentation. I agree that the mastering leaves much to be desired, but otherwise the product clearly reflects labor in the arrangement department. The haunting flute sometimes sounds out of key when it hits the high notes, but the sum of the means is pleasingly acceptable. YES

Cool feel, unfortunately all I see here is potential, not results. Malcos mentioned the lack of bass in the guitars, which leaves them unattractively shallow. The drumline is sort of shelved under the leads, and the counter-melody doesn't get as much attention as it should have. The sleigh-bells seem to have been throw in arbitrarily. Overall, the instrumentation has little depth and the arrangement is uninspiring; the mix doesn't go very far, and the entire product actually sounds like an outro to something greater. NO

Decent instrumentation and sequencing that renders a chipper feel, but the arrangement is sub-par and the overall sound is too raw. The samples are blaringly low-fi and become quickly annoying without any sonic backbone. I do like the mix-up of percussion and leads, but their usage is quite lackluster. What this comes down to is one bar repeating again and again, coupled with bad notes and clipping problems. NO

This is a build-up and a drop-off with nothing in-between, like a teaser for something kickass. The crunchy synth leads and the suspenseful drumline seem intentionally repetitive, connoting a trailer-type feel. All in all, this submission sounds like the entire intro for the final version, something I'd otherwise mistake for a WIP. Don't hold back on us; go all out. NO

Oh boy. You know how high expectations are for Terra mixes. There's little original arrangement here, and the remade instrumentation is stale with the replications (piano, strings) and dull with the additions (drumline, bassline). The strings first come across as stylistic, but quickly become irritating as the abrupt release is continued. It's basically elongations of the melody and counter-melody. Ultimately, what this mix lacks most is a fresh or innovative interpretation. NO

The filtering on the intro-ing leads straight away tell me this is going to be mildly deranged, after which enters a snappy drumline and omnipresent panned effects. Things slow down at 1:41 and serve as a respite from all the, uh, mad dancin'. The militaristic brassy instrumentation, invigorated from the original, lends a dose of aural psychosis, which turns explicit with the transition at 2:43. A good deal of the mix is sequenced similarly to the original, the leads are not too varied, and the melody sounds drowned out at times, but the sonic qualities of this mix and the slight but recognizable improvisation cumulatively contribute to the off-the-wall nature of Kefka's theme, yielding a clever rearrangement and a developed feel. YES

You've taken a one minute long track and beefed up the instrumentation with believable samples, repeated the intro with the original's drum loop, and prolonged the key melody. Technically, it's strong, but arrangement-wise, it's weak. There is no original sequencing here, just selective use of the original's layers. Outside of the cymbal, the instrumentation is the same, the progression is the same, and the notes are the same. I've slipped before and passed a similar case, but I should have said then what I'm saying now: this is a good start, but show us how you can remix, not remake. NO

Hello, just thought I'd put a nudge in for my Dancing Madly - Second Form piece that was submitted around November 13. It can still be found at and I did receive a submission confirmation e-mail. Thanks in advance! I don't want to be a pest, but I have PM'ed 2 other judges, one in December and one in February, and have yet to receive any response at all. I'm sure you guys are swamped but I'd just like to know if there is a chance this piece could still be considered without having to resubmit. =) -waxingeloquent

Let's see - a ten second theme slapped on as an intro with no changes save reverb, after which the mix devolves without any transition into some techno tangent derived haphazardly from the original. After more than a minute comes the theme's melody, rendered into dumbed-down trance by way of an extremely simplistic synth lead and a banal four-on-the-floor beat alongside generic techno percussion. This goes on for five minutes. As a 25 second long outro we get ... the original in its entirety once again and a small bit following it from the beginning. I understand that the source is only ten seconds long, but justice was not done to it with a horribly repetitive, unexceptional, and boring mix. NO

This is an original composition with samples from the game, not a remix - submission violation. Please do a little research of the sites you wish to contribute to before you send something in. NO

Intro starts off with deep reverberated piano and weak percussion, but leads to a tight drumline followed up by hardcore synths and a booming bass. Not a tremendous display of arrangement; however, the original is only 46 seconds long and this adrenaline injected mix manages to stay catchy and memorable throughout, especially when the piano drops out to make way for the kickin' drums. The crackly distorted synth panned to the left from 1:36 onwards is unnerving, and the ending is sort of a let down, although it fits this kind of trigger-finger melodic shootout. Overall, I like what was done with the Lullaby theme: an enjoyable blend of piano and electronica. YES

Pokémon. YAY~! ^__^ Like DarkCecil13 said, there's not much substance to this. It's all fluff and sprinkles. The drumline in the intro is cool, but the rest of the percussion is extremely repetitive and irritating, the synth leads are dry and snappy, and the transition where everything drops out but the reverbed lead and the heartbeat drum comes across as lame. That then leads into the interesting "darker" section, where the string pads are a bit overpowering and messy. The quick jump back into the boppy sounds is neat, but the mix then sort of lies down and goes to sleep. You guys could "debut" with something much better than this. NO