prophetik music

some fun originals, lots of character there. initial presentation is thin-sounding and quiet, and starts with monochrome dreams. there's some fun schmearing in the vins and lots of melody passing between everything, but there's admittedly not a lot going on in the arrangement besides the oom-pah and the melody. the sound quality of these samples isn't great. at 1:07 the other original comes in, and this includes a significant time change and a lot more depth to the orchestration. there's a break at 1:50 and it comes back to monochrome dreams. this is mostly a recap of the initial section, not copy-paste but a lot of similar writing. at 2:57 we get a significant shift into a more aggressive feel, and it picks up old friends/old rivals in a slower, more intense scoring. this is the first real arrangement i've heard in the track and it's great! there's some meaty stuff with a (not great) men's choral pad used at 3:45, and a fairly standard ending. there are two main issues here. first is sample usage - while we don't expect everyone to have picture-perfect orchestral samples across the board, there's a lot here that doesn't sound great. some level of layering on the strings for example will flesh out the timbre so it doesn't sound so thin. more consistent verb across the board will also help to smooth out the tone. second is arrangement - 2/3rds of this is essentially the same as the original, done with roughly the same instruments, in the same style as the original, at around the same tempo. there's a ton of variety that you introduced in the last quarter of the track - use more of that! you've clearly got an ear for what can be done, now just get after it and make it yours, not the original composer's. i don't think this is ready yet. needs more workshopping. NO

the hit at 0:15 is delicious. the bass is so beefy there, i love it. i like the clicky xylo synth doing the descending arpeggio, that's a great way to keep it there but not have it as dominant as in the original. the wubs are wubbalicious as expected. there a big break leading into about 2:00 and it gets real silly there. it's so obvious you spent a ton of time on the bass work in this - it's hand-crafted audio couture, only the wubbliest of wubs selected by our freshershest wubblyfarmers. i actually really like the hats when they come in for each wubbreak especially. source is throughout, there's tons of creativity. the track sounds great. easy vote. YES

what a different original. never even heard of the game. visuals are just what i expected of the time period. intro is pretty but right-ear heavy. percussive elements are pretty loud compared to the orchestration. there's a nice swell to 1:03, which has a lot of low, sustained strings with long delays for most of the background parts. i'd suggest the slightest bit of space between the sustains when the chord changes so there's no overlap. the whistle at 1:39 is nice. it is still very thinly scored, which isn't a huge problem but as MW mentioned does make every instrument's realization critical - the plectral instruments at 1:56 are still very right-heavy which sounds weird. the orchestral percs through here though sound pretty good. there's a break and build into 2:42, and there's what seems like it should be the climax. the scoring here is still very simple, with lots of long sustains and not much that stands out in the background. 3:13 drops the percussion and has more of the sustains, with some very nicely handled whistle in a descant over the legato melodic violin parts. there's some harp to end it and that's a wrap. this one is interesting. i initially was turned off by the long sustains and very empty orchestration method, but realized it was more intended to be a cinematic / braveheart approach when the whistle came in. it works although i do think the orchestration is simple to a fault. i would very much have preferred a richer background with less layering and more uniqueness than stacks of sustained chord tones. as it is, though, the whistle playing is recorded and mastered well, and the track sounds like it could easily be used in a fan trailer for the game. YES

it's been nice to hear rebecca exploring more timbres than just chamber orchestra. there's a bunch of synths evident right from the beginning, and mixed with rebecca's usual delicate orchestral percussion especially sounds fun. there's a ton of execution jank though. she's clearly attempting to add space to her arrangement in echo of the original, which i like! but the low strings and oddly-loud piano are just so obviously artificial. similarly, the synth leads, which are a neat idea, just don't jive at all with the more dynamically nuanced strings behind them. i think the strings at 2:20 sound particularly fake (as well as that choral patch that gets used on every track lately), but i think the concepts you have on display there are probably the best arrangement you have in the entire track. it's just executed very poorly. the more tasteful synth work there, juxtaposed against the realistic percussion, is great. the strings and choir pad just kill it unfortunately. this felt pretty uneven. i agree with MW that i expect a lot more from rebecca normally. there's some really nice stuff in here, but the realism issues just stick out even more than usual. the silly headroom and lack of any compression seal the deal for me. this isn't there yet. NO

roughly 3db headroom, feels like more than that. big flourish to start. some interesting dissonances there. i can't tell if it's intentional or not but it's certainly gripping. the instruments here don't sound 100% great, too brassy and overblown. the initial driving feel is very similar to the original. original had some snare, brass doing the stabs, and some pizz strings alongside the melody. this has more snare, strings doing the stabs, and a lot more countermelodic movement. both do have similar instruments carrying the melody, but this has a ton more going on alongside that - the melody actually gets lost in a few places, i think. the bass parts (sounds like string bass pizz?) sound very non-idiomatic and behind the beat. the B section is also similarly done - same lead instrument, similar backing stabs, and this uses what sounds like orchestral pizz instead of the bongos. at 1:24 we get a new section based on the chords from the A section - lots of sustains and rising action. avoid the temptation to have every instrument always playing in here - there's a lot of doubled parts that i don't think need to be there. this section however is neat, but then it goes back to the A section's melody in the clarinet again (layered with choir) and the same countermelodic material as before (although some are in a lower octave). this is actually almost exactly the same as the first time through the A section. 2:28 features a B section that's orchestrated significantly differently, which is nice. after that, there's a bit orchestral crescendo to what's essentially an outro at 2:55 - a big sustained trill in the winds into the last part of the melody to finish it off. i don't know if the other judges will agree with me, but...i don't think there's enough arrangement here. we have tons of examples of remixes in similar styles as the original, so it's not just that both the original and remix are in an orchestral style. my issue is you've got the pretty much the same chords, with the same lead instrument playing the exact same melodic material with no differences, and a similar backing instrumentation AND similar percussion playing almost the same thing as the original backing instrument for the majority of the song. there is indeed additional countermelodic material added, but it's copypasted later in the song as well, and most of it mirrors what's in the original in different octaves. there is one major section outside of the ending that doesn't immediately map to the original, and that's the big sustain section from 1:24 to 1:52. i think the overall sound is good, although the brass often get too overblown. sounds like a limitation of the sample pack you're using - i'd consider turning the velocity on every single instrument down by ~25% so that it's not all the super-bright overblown sound in the brass. beyond that, i think trimming down some of the part doubling will help with where it's just layers of sound that aren't needed. this isn't it for me. i don't hear transformative arrangement. the parts that stand out to me are the ending, 2:28, and 1:24 - where you really go above and beyond to make something unique from the original. even just choosing a different lead instrument for the A and B sections so it's not mirrored directly from the original would make a big difference. right now i feel it's just too close to the original. NO

starts off with flute, some strummed guitar, and bass, and then kicks off a bigger band vibe. intro sounds a bit rough - flute is fakey despite the articulation attention paid, guitar is quiet enough that it's hard to hear. full band sound features a really fake sounding bass and straightforward drums that regularly use a kick fill that is fast enough that it's obviously a robot and not a person. there's a break at 0:48 for a bit, and then it drops way off at 1:04. it wanders around for a bit on the melodic concepts and comes back to the original at 1:48 - some very different experimentation in there, a lot of time devoted to it for such a short piece. there's some more exploration of the melody in the lead guitar and then an EP, and then it repeats a bit as an outro. i think this needs workshopping. the instrument quality is rough, and that can be managed with more attention - some quant and more creative drums will help the percussion a lot, as well as getting rid of the EDM-style kick fill. the bass needs to do anything other than repeated octaves for the entire song, since it's getting a machine-gun effect right now. i think there is a lot of interesting stuff you're doing with the arrangement, but i wouldn't mind not hearing the same 8-bar melody played the same so many times - either mix up chords or add some grace notes, spacing, etc so it doesn't sound like you're copy-pasting the midi data from part to part. lastly, you commit a lot of time to the exploratory section in the middle, and i tbh couldn't really tie much of it to the original. that's fine if what it's saying sounds good, but it just sounded odd to my ears. either prepare your noodles better so they fit the meal better, or consider reducing the duration of that section while adding meat elsewhere. NO

this has a really chill intro with some fun fretless bass and percussion. the piano and synth echo the Born To Do This opening pretty clearly, and the taiko and chimes are regularly used in both Scape and BTDT. the lead at 0:47 carries the melodic content from BTDT clearly, and the guitar at 1:19 sounds great taking the lead. this continues to build layers towards 2:00 - i love the squiggly synth work in there. 2:25 has a tempo change and some fun sfx and the intro of Scape's melodic content. there's a lot going on here - several unique side-by-side leads with lots of attention paid to automation, releases, and some fills. this is just so fun in here - i love the energy, it's got a real Styx vibe. there's a natural break around 3:35 for a bit, and some more ensemble call and response through around 4:17 into a solo section. i appreciate the ongoing ensemble work through the solo, keeping it fresh - it'd have been easy to just check out and comp the chords, and i love that that's not what you did here. ensemble's back in at 5:13 with a huge recap of the BTDT theme with big walls of sound. super exciting fanfare, and then it drops off to just what sounds like a dulcimer and trumpet. there's an ensemble blow to cap it off and a great strong ending, complete with fireworks. what a track. there's a ton of melodic content throughout and it's dressed for the party the entire time - never a dull moment. the mastering is great, especially considering how many different things are going on simultaneously. i love your synth choices throughout, and the attention paid to them. get this on the site! YES

some simple sfx and heavily filtered pads start this track out. the melodic content starts at 0:26, and the stylistic changes are apparent especially at 0:38. the beat hits at 0:51, and the original is mostly here in a different instrument with bass/set under it. there's a break at 1:17 in the beat, but the arpeggio from the original continues through here, with some interesting synth voice stuff. there's...another break? at about 1:43 that's just piano with no verb on it, and that builds back up with the kick coming back in at 1:55. the rest of the kit comes in at 2:08, and it's still the original arpeggio as it was in the original, with nothing new added, and it's like the tenth time i've heard it. there's another break with the synth vox at 2:33 or so, and that leads back to a recap at 2:59. this is mostly the same as the initial hit at 0:51 with some minimal changes in the hats and bass a few times. it goes through this a few times and then fades. from a production standpoint, i think the mastering mostly sounds fine. the kick and bass are appropriately beefy, the hats sound spot-on, and the snare is great and crisp. i found the initial presentation of the synths chosen to be fine as well, and i liked the synth voice and some of the sweepy pads (although i wish they were used more). for a track that's almost 3:45, though, there's nowhere near enough depth of choice here. the same few instruments keep coming back for more on what's essentially a 15-20 second loop. it got very old very quick, easily by the 2 minute mark. this was exacerbated by the total lack of arrangement outside that original. there's room for new chord structures, new countermelodic material, something carrying the melody other than the same arpeggio repeatedly. the arrangement here is sorely lacking, as it's essentially the original realized a few different ways with a (good sounding) loop under it. i don't think the track sounds bad, but it doesn't meet the criteria for arrangement on this site unfortunately. NO

never heard this one, but it's fun. intro is suitably exciting - i like the build and drum fill especially. there's a good head-bobbing feel to the intro with the beat and arpeggio. the first melodic part comes in at 0:39 and builds into the 'chorus' theme at around 0:55. the break at 1:18 is well-timed and i like the chord changes there. the intro of the electric guitar at 1:38 or so and the later addition of organ was a great way to mix up the recap of the 'chorus' part although it's clear that the basic structure there is the same. there's a vibe break and some fun pads and sound design around 2:10. i like dropping the drums and letting some of your more interesting synth choices carry this section. 2:51 sees the beat come back in and drive through to the end with (finally!!) the electric guitar carrying the melody. this is an easy vote. it sounds great, there's a ton of meaty percussion that does a great job carrying the beat, the synth and lead choices are excellent, and the changes from the original like the chord changes and the structural shifts are not hugely transformative but are enough for me to call this a unique piece and not a cover. nice work. YES

really interesting sound design at the beginning. sounds like it's in 7/4 or 7/8 for most of the first few minutes, darksim, depending on what you call a quarter. i personally like that it's more 2-2-2-1 than 2-2-3 or the other tired 7-forms we usually get. there's lots of additive stuff going on in the first few minutes, and it sounds great, grungy in all the right places. i love the build at 1:55 and the subsequent change at 2:02 with the organish pad swelling under it - so good. the bell started to feel a bit old here (maybe using a real bell sample instead of pitching the one you used up and down) but the entire 'chorus' is meaty and sounds good. there's a long atempo break and then a significant stylistic shift at 3:16 to something that sounds extremely 90s PC. i didn't care for this at all. when it gets more fleshed out, around 4:18, it's still driving the Sound Blaster vibe, but it feels less empty. the keys at 4:50 were a nice touch. there's some more layering at 5:20 or so with the choral pad, which really keeps the vibe in that same late 90s PC world, and that moves into another break at 5:49. 6:17 brings back the intro style and beat, and features some fun static percussive elements. there's a drop and extended build to the final blow, and then an outro. this is a really nice job overall. you really stuck with the 90s vibe throughout, and even if it's a bit long in some places and has repetitive ideas in some others, i think as a whole it's a great product. nice work. YES

always amazed me what the ps1 was able to do sound-wise. original is so impressive. right away the influence of the updated time signature is clear. several of the tracks in CC's soundtrack work as 4/4 ballads, and this one is no different. the instrument quality however is really all over. the bass sounds fine for this style, but the drums really sound weak, especially the kick, and the lead plectral instrument sounds like a casio toy i had in the 90s. i like what it's saying, but it doesn't sound good. there's a filtro section at 0:31 or so, and that continues through the melodic content in a linear fashion albeit with added flourishes throughout. the filter lifts at 1:07 with a new lead instrument, and the backing pads being a little more present. 1:55 is again filtered at least in the drums, and is even more adjacent to the original than earlier in the track. there's an outro that goes through the first part of the original starting at 2:37, and that's the end. i'm pretty torn about this one, honestly. i think the arrangement is actually pretty minimal - you've got similar instrumentation to the original (plectral lead, string pads, active bass, although added drums which are quite straightforward), many of the same ornamentations in the bass and backing parts, and while the time signature's changed, there's no adjustment to the form or the order of the melody, just ornamentations (which are admittedly nice). so i don't think this really is a transformative arrangement, but more of a cover than it first appears. beyond that, it's not like the instrumentation lifts it either - the instruments chosen sound weak (drums), unrealistic (plectral lead), or basic and played in a non-idiomatic fashion (the muted piano that's throughout the middle with the super-fast grace notes). i don't think anything stands out, and i don't think this is a sum-of-its-parts thing either. i think this needs workshopping - countermelodic additions, improvement of the sound quality for at least the drums and the first lead (maybe replacement), and better writing for the drums at least. i think the time signature change is inspired - now let's get the rest of the track dressed up too. NO

the layering of synth and violin in the lead is neat. there's some grit on the piano that's nice too. 0:27 brings in the 'melody', if you call it that, and there's not a lot there that's not in the original. there's some sfx added at 0:57, which is suitably creepy/atonal, but it's not really adding arrangement. similarly, the block synth chords are cool, and i like their increasing intensity, but they don't constitute arrangement. the violin pads echoing the melodic content at 1:32 are also a nice idea, but they aren't saying anything that isn't already there. the resonant synths around this part are pretty cool though and make the atmosphere much more intense. that goes away quickly though and it just ends. i'm with MW. there's some neat ideas but a lot more fleshing out is needed before this is enough for the front page. NO

original is indeed highly repetitive. i'm picking out the bass lead's progressive elements alongside the chord movement as the big things to take away from it from an arrangement perspective. the entire opening is clearly drawn from the original - the stutter synths doing the alarm motif are immediately recognizable. the beat kicks in at 0:45 and features the bass synth's line from the original as the primary melodic content, following the overall same line as the original. as of 1:29 we've gotten through the melodic line once, and there's some neat guitar and sax-adjacent synth doing stuff. this is still the main chord pattern but doesn't really feature specific melodic content that was obvious. at 2:14 the melody comes back and is doubled by a stringed instrument. there's not a lot different this second time through, but the addition of the violin and some mastering changes like the filter mix it up a bit. at 2:57 we get our first break (i was def getting tired of the balls-to-the-wall sound so this is good). i think this is the shinagawa pier chords, arpeggiated out and distorted similar to how the backing at that point in the original is. the vox samples are back here too (assuming they're from the game?) and there's a filtro build into 3:40 when it's back at the same beat with the arpeggiated chords and a choir synth that is also reminiscent of the end of tennozu and the shinagawa pier section. there's a great intensifying saw synth around 4:15 that i liked a lot. this builds into another filtro transition into The Break at 4:25. the melodic content gets pixelated as part of the chopping which is fun - i almost wish there was more of that, since it was a great break from the same concept that has been going on for a while. there's some drum fills and a lighter section at 5:10 that again features the stuttered alarm synth from the opening of both the original and this remix. instruments continue to drop as it gets to the final drop and ending at 5:52. some interesting distorted effects after the last hit which was a nice touch. this is mastered real loud! it's a bit tiring to listen to, but it doesn't ever sound bad, just really pumped. there's a lot of distorted elements though and they're all clearly audible so great job with leveling and balancing, especially the clean electric guitar when it's playing. i don't think this is too repetitive, although it's fairly close. the source doesn't do it many favors. the strength of this track isn't necessarily that it keeps it fresh, but that the basic idea is great and it does enough to keep that interesting throughout six minutes. it probably could have dropped a minute and i wouldn't have minded, but the energy and production really sparkle, and the remixer did a nice job keeping it moving from section to section. nice work. YES

i can't say this is my favorite original track ? the game looks pretty neat for a one-person game though. right off the bat, the increased pace is obvious. the initial lead with melodic content is surprisingly similar to the original, interestingly enough. the little bit of glide you gave it it makes it more enjoyable to listen to, though. there's some rising tension to the kick and bass entering at 0:54. it's very boomy here - a huge peak at ~70hz is driving it sounding so dense - and the snare is quiet and the hats quieter. there's a dropoff at 1:22 and short break, and then it's back with copy-pasta from 0:54 for a bit. the snare cuts out at one point, and then it's just basses and lead at 2:07 with some nice pad sustain lightly in the background. the snare and some countermelodic material from the original shows up at 2:30, and there's a drop and outro at 2:58 to the end. overall a very conservative arrangement. overall i don't think there's enough arrangement to consider this. there's actually less going on in the remix than there is in the original - you've got very straightforward drums throughout, a single bass synth doing a rhythmic thing, a light pad, and the melody. there's a small amount of countermelodic material cribbed directly from the original and that's essentially the only thing that's distinctly playing individual notes throughout. there needs to be a lot more to make this original besides just speeding it up and adding more kick. i think it could also use a bit of cleaning up between the kick and bass instrument to prevent it from being so bass-heavy when both the bass and kick are playing. NO

i voted on this last time. looks like my main critiques were around the middle section. other judges complained also about mastering and the choice of a fadeout ending. the opening of this track is such a fun toe-tapping feel, and the melody at 0:30 is real fun. at roughly 1:02 we get to the area MW where originally complained about the bass response, and that sounds cleaner if not fully fixed (still some mess in there from verb sustains, i think). 1:19 still has straight-up wrong notes - it sounds like a Cm chord is being played, and there's a stuttered string harmony in the background playing an A natural (among other very strange non-chord tones). that synth riff consistently interferes with the stuff from Gallery and it doesn't sound quirky, it just sounds wrong, even with the chromaticism that's throughout that section. there is syncopation in the brass in the background at 2:14 that is audibly confusing and took me a few listens to identify why it sounded like the song hitched there. you may want to consider removing the syncopation or having the percussion play there so it doesn't sound like the track skipped. the snare still isn't very audible. the mix sounds very dense in the lower mids especially around 1:30 - in fact, just looking at that area, there's both a weird rise in sub-20hz content there as well as a huge amount of density in the 100-200hz range. taking your countermelody synth (that's playing the 16th-note runs) and putting it up an octave might actually allay a lot of that, as would reducing some of the amount of verb on backing instruments, especially the bass synth. the ending is a lot better than the fadeout though and i like that it's a set ending. i don't think this is there yet. there's a bunch of changes which i appreciate a lot! the middle section for me just doesn't sound good yet - the A next to that Cm chord is grating, and it happens a bunch. it's also super dense for most of 1:19 through 1:45 and needs room to breathe. NO

top 3 original for me. just iconic. rich, evocative opening. the drums are both obviously fake and very, very basic - i wouldn't mind the very simple timbres if they did more interesting stuff, but they're just kind of there. there is a lot of volumization issues in this opening section - the guitar that comes in at 0:26 is quite loud although i like what it's saying, for example. the lead vocal part at 0:53 is also very loud in the upper ranges, and feels fake because there's no breaks for a pretty long time (it's a pretty sound though tbh!). there's a transition at about 1:24 and it kicks up to a bigger band sound at 1:30. this is a big change and welcome because otherwise it's been very similar to the original up to this point. drums sound better here although they're still playing simple stuff. the electric guitar does some more interesting stuff here and i like especially the addition of more rhythmic elements. i can't really hear a bass instrument here, and whatever pads you have is minimal until 2:24 when the choir comes in. 2:24 brings in a sweeping rendition of the soaring melody line behind some other sfx and percussive elements. the vocal sample you've been using gets a little old here - i've heard this lady sing sustains for essentially 2+ minutes at this point and it's getting old. there's some falling action around 3:13 and it starts to shift towards an ending. there's some piano chords at 3:27 and then it's done, fairly suddenly. i am really on the fence about this. on one hand, there's a lot of volumization issues where instruments are much louder than others, the drums lack punch and for most of the track are fairly boring/not adding much, the vocal sample (is that vocaloid or a sample pack?) is neat but overused, and the track overall feels like it's missing verve. that's a lot of negative points, and no one of them is a deal-breaker, but i think they add up. on the other hand, though, when the track works, it's really fun! 1:30 sounds great even with the drums feeling pretty blah, and the original's melody is so striking that 2:24 is also a standout moment. i think this is probably just on the NO side of things for me. i'd love to hear more attention given to balancing the mix alongside more drums. NO

i didn't vote on the original. looks like it's complaints about a static and over-long song structure, and some note issues. this is much shorter! so that's a positive based on initial glance. the initial delayed chords and electro strings pair well with the hats and claps (i wrote haps and clats at first). the kick hits at 0:28 alongside some fun synth work that features a lot of delays and sustained chords. this is a neat texture in this entire section. the melody first starts 0:53 and is instantly recognizable. there's some fun chords in the original, and it works pretty good getting them into this style which surprised me. there's some crunchiness around every vii chord (sounds like a G# fully diminished to me) that i think is coming from putting the 7th of the G#o chord (F natural) in a lower instrument next to an E elsewhere in the chord. since it sounds perfectly fine when it resolves, i think it's an easy fix, but it sounds weird every time it happens, and that's every time we get to that chord. you could either replace the G#o chord with an E7 in first inversion (G# B D E) - essentially removing the F natural from the background entirely and changing it to an E - and just let the F in the melody function as a passing tone. that'd fix any following instances of it without being too complicated. the melody continues at 1:23 in an arpeggio-style lead which isn't particularly trap but sounds fun. it's pretty loud though and so it is crushing out the fun synth brass stuff that's around it. there's another weird note at 1:46 especially (and it's a little weird at 1:39) - almost certainly another F natural next to an E. you need to either commit to the vii or else an Am with extensions each time this comes up. 1:49 is a lighter backing texture, and gives us a bit of a break. there's some build with the claps here into a drop and hit at 2:19. 2:22 has more bad notes, as well as 2:29, 2:36, and 2:43. this is the opposite as before - instead of having an F in the moving part and an E in the background, this time you've got a fully diminshed G# in the background (G#, B, D, F) with an E in the melody. even worse, you move to an A in the melody - next to the G# in the background! so you've got half-step dissonance twice. it just doesn't sound good =( there's a dropoff into an outro in the ep that's pretty quiet, and then it's done. i think there might be one repeat through the pattern you're using here at 2:48-3:00 - you could probably cut that chord progression from an earlier section at least once, and put this in and be done at 2:48 or so. from a technical standpoint, there's not quite as much bass as i'd expect, and i think the lead synth is a bit too loud since it covers up a lot of fun movement in the background. this is especially clear when the lead's doing a lot of sustains and arpeggiated jumps. other than that, though, i didn't have a real issue with it and thought it sounded pretty good. if there wasn't the consistent issue with notes crunching, i'd probably pass this. it sounds good and is a fun take on the theme! clean up the chord issues and you'll be in a good place. NO

i didn't vote on the original. looks like most of the comments were around mastering. interesting intro. some tuvan throat singing/samples, some neat orchestral-adjacent samples, and then a big, groggy wall of sound hits at 0:35. there's organ, orchestral stuff, multiple guitar leads, some drums that i can barely hear...and then it kicks in at 0:49. the drums at 0:49 lack punch entirely, and the bass is hard to hear if it's audible at all. the guitar leads have some really fun stuff they're doing - i love the nasty unison tone they have - but it's hard to really hear anything clearly. it feels quiet (at least it's not loud like the original version complained about!). the snare has a lot of head tone to it - that's the hollow aspect of it - and the kick is hard to distinguish under all of the other things in the same freq range (there doesn't appear to be a ton of bass presence there, and the beater tone sounds like the snare). the hats exist but sound mega fake next to everything else - maybe it's because they're essentially just static? there's a little too much shaping on them IMO. there's a violin break which is neat and then the band comes back in at 1:40. this tbh is really great - there's a ton of really interesting stuff going on, like the synth bass riffs, and the bigger arena-style drum kit sounds a lot better here. the violin lead cuts through pretty clearly, which is great. there's a countermelody that's harder to hear. another break and then we're into some keys and bass at 2:14, with some more sfx. isolating the vin like this makes it a little easier to hear that it's not real - some more attention to humanization would help. the band comes back in at 2:37 and most of my earlier criticisms apply here. i still think the guitar lead/synth bass doubling is neat, it just sounds quiet and nowhere near as intense as i'd expect. the guitar chugs that happen after that are also cool but still sound blah. there's an outro that comes across as disjointed as the bass instrument and lead guitar are doing different things rhythmically that don't quite line up, and then it's over. from a mastering side, this swung the other way. it's quiet overall and lacks intensity. i like the arrangement, but i think it just doesn't sound good yet. someone like emu or kris would be a better person to call out specifically what's needed, but a significant EQ pass will certainly help. NO

i voted on the original submission. my original vote mentioned issues with blown-out mastering and generic synths, and some funky notes that didn't quite settle. there's still a fun electro feel to this. there's a quick go-through of the melody, with more attention given to mixing up the lead instruments and backing parts. the bass in the third chord of the first presentation of the melody (0:18.5) doesn't sound right, likely due to something else in the arpeggio above it - i'd suggest ensuring you're using the chord you're intending there (sounds like a G7 with a B in the bass - make sure you don't have an F natural too low in your pads competing with that B in the bass). there's a big shift at about 1:03 to bring in some fun 303 arp, and a developmental section that kind noodles a bit and has some melodic call-outs. after that is a very random but neat organ exploration thing with some really unexpected chord shifts that aren't wrong in their usage but do sound both surprising and unprepared (like at 2:00), and then a key change at 2:04. make sure you don't extend the previous resolution into this new key - it sounds really weird as-is. 2:28 brings another short break and more of the b theme, and there's a short but well-handled ending. there's some silence to trim but that's no big deal. from a mastering perspective, there's still a significant focus on low-mid. there's a lot of stuff going on in the 300mhz range and it felt pretty cluttered as a result. also, i felt like the kick's attack was quiet (although the bass presence was a lot, almost too much), and the snare's higher end was very bright and obtrusive. i think that reining back in the kick's bass content and adding a bit of beater tone to it will help that, so that it's not so boomy, and then cutting the snare's 1k+ content a bit so it didn't cut so hard through the mix will help a ton. this is honestly a cool concept. it keeps the upbeat, open feel that the original has, and it explores a variety of timbres to do that. i think the mastering is still not there - there just is too much clutter in the low mids, and the kick really started to bother me after a bit - and there are still some weird notes that required several listens to understand what they were doing. some attention to note cutoffs and preparing transitional chords would be a big help. NO

what absolute BANGERS of originals! i am gonna check out a ton of that music now. the initial presentation of stella is immediately recognizable, and well performed on the whistle. presentation is typical ivan, balls to the wall but everything's clear and nothing's really overwhelming. when the paired guitars come in at 1:25, i loved the continued focus on orchestral instruments in the background (lead guitars could have been slightly quieter but this section is still real fun). the solo break at 2:15ish i would have probably attributed to just similar chords, but i can hear some of stella's chord patterns in there now that i know what to look for. solos are great. there's a funky chord change at 3:13 that i didn't expect, but End of Hibernation has some real weird extended chords in there so i didn't think it was a real issue. it is probably the only really crunchy transition out of the whole song, though. entrance of the guitar at 3:52 was nice. this section of the arrangement wasn't quite as originally handled as stella 2 and 1 were, but there's obviously a lot that went into the transcription. the accordian lead at 5:41 sounds great, really - it's a very different vibe from earlier, and changing up the backing instrumentation at that point was a great choice to keep a long track moving forward. there's some ramen and then a final recap of everything starting at 6:34 with the expected last solo and outro. this is a great track. the mastering is solid (if loud) and clear throughout despite a variety of different instruments and band groupings. the transitions are overall real solid. the arranged aspects are present throughout and the solos especially are great. can't believe you didn't win with such a complete package. nice work ivan! YES

that is a small amount of source! interested to see where this goes. right off the bat i was impressed with the variety of ways you used such a short clip of melodic content. there's tons of fun processing, like at 0:46, 0:54, and 1:02, going on in the drums. the bassline doesn't ever real fail to keep you locked into the original material and especially the references to Success are great. there's a big build section that does a great job bringing down and back up again, and then we're in a big blow at 1:56. i found myself wishing for more bass in the mastering here - there's a ton going on, but i wanted a mega kick in my face! in fact i'd say that's my main critique throughout, that the kick is nowhere near the punchy driving kick i'd expect for something that has so much energy elsewhere. after 2:33, there's a big lower-energy section which continues to move and show more fun ideas, and then we get another big blow at 3:34. there's a transition to new stuff for a bit at 4:04 and an outro that comes and goes with a bit of goofiness, and we're done. this is a super fun arrangement! there's a ton going on and i don't feel it ever leaves orbit in terms of what melodic material there is to use. i wish there was a punchier kick throughout, but that's my one real criticism. if it goes back again, that's the only thing i'd really want to be changed. but as is, i think it's great and fun. nice work. YES

i love that your remixer name is that you're a pirate, and you remixed the 'sea port' track. agree with MW about the mix, but to be more clear - you've got a huge amount of bass presence in this track that's going to waste and isn't actually making anything feel bassy. your peak around 65hz is fine (although a peak of 9db is very loud, i almost think bringing it down a bit will make everything punchier) but there's so much subbass content below 40hz. a hard cut at 35 or 40hz will dramatically improve the clarity down there. some sidechaining to lift the bass instrument around the kick will help a ton as well with preventing your compression from slamming on kick hits. i do also agree there's more room in the mid than you're using, and adding some click to your kick attack and adding some snap while removing some head tone from your snare (claps are fine) will do wonders with helping those sound bigger without having to crank them louder. i thought the hats were fine, tbh, but wouldn't mind hearing a better/more audible crash analog for transitions. the arrangement itself is really fun overall. i like the expansion throughout and actually liked some of the things MW called out as being negatives (the aggressive synth work at 1:13, the blurbles at 1:50), i just think it sounds boomy and weird throughout and overall the lead synths can be pulled down a bit. i do think it needs an ending since there isn't one right now. this needs some workshopping but is a fun idea. NO edit: chimps is way better at this than i am, listen to her first. what i thought was missing click is probably more me misidentifying the stacked mids. i still don't hear the bass sidechain but i trust her ears more than mine for mastering stuff.

haha, super weird opening. not bad, just immediately made me smile because it's weird. the big beat and swirly keys right away were a fun sound. drums are probably a bit loud over the piano lead, but it's a fun beat and i love the bass blats. there's some more rhythmic synths added at about 1:00 and then it opens up more at 1:15 to a more traditional electro/rock feel. i agree with MW that you'd never guess this is a mashup. there's a piano break at 1:42ish, with some fun panned verby synths and a recap of the super scooper lead from the beginning, and we're back to a bigger beat at 2:19 or so. this felt similar to the opening, but there's some new stuff added in around 2:35 that mix it up, especially in the keys. 3:06 opens up again and i really dig the descending countermelodic synth work there. there's a swell to a keys-driven outro, and it ends comfortably. this is a fun track. it sounds good, does a great job with a preponderance of source, and doesn't overstay its welcome. nice work. YES

uh, not the style i was expecting in the slightest from the original ? it's a little heavy in the left ear off the bat. it's also mastered quite dully early on, although it helps with the vibe. it honestly has a nice feel as the dulcimer and guitar are alternating. there's some more active bass parts at 1:30 that sound uber fake, but the light distortion on the guitar or ep there is super fun. the saw MW mentions is a little sudden but i do like what it's saying, just needs a bit of a different timbre i think. there's another vibe check at 2:43, emphasizing some fun distorted, echoed chords and a tom groove. there's a few weird fills in here that are not quite in the pocket nor are they triplets, but overall this section is neat and a good break. at 3:51 we get a shift back to lower energy (still with some fakey-sounding bass), but the EPs in here are a nice compliment to the earlier distorted chords you were using. at 4:29 it's pretty clear our 119 minutes are almost up, but it continues to noodle and explore new stuff here, which i think fits with the track as a whole. there's some really fun juno-esque pads and then it's done. the mastering sounds pretty dank and it kinda wanders, but i like it as much because of those aspects as in spite of it. there's some real fun exploration here that never leaves behind the original, and somehow both stays in the same vibe while shifting around a lot. this is a neat track. it felt a lot like something off the b-side of one of those copycat albums that came out after herbie did Headhunters. it's got Vein Melter energy to it. YES

one of my favorite originals in gaming. the fifth bar is just so achingly beautiful. i'm curious behind the decision to use this version of this theme as the primary track, though, as i think this matches up better with a few other versions on the soundtrack better than the more emotive title screen version. lot of verb in that opening, with some fun housey pianos leading the charge. there's a quick transition into (i was about to write toe-tapping but MW already wrote it, great descriptor) upbeat house complete with noisy hornet leads and a great driving 12/8 beat. it's almost too buzzy around 1:20, but it's just on the good side of the line and feels like a great track for an arena or pump-up video. the break at 1:46 is well-timed, although there's almost too much going on to hear the melodic content. this quickly gets back to the melody, with some soaring faux-brass synths and a nice take on the theme. this repeats a few times and then goes to a quick recap that finishes out. nice choice not to do another recap, don't want to overstay your welcome. from a mastering perspective, this is not as bright as i'd expect it, nor does it have the heavy, powerful kick i associate with the style. that said, the melody's always there, the kick is present, backing pads aren't too loud or soft, and i can hear countermelodies when i'm supposed to. let's do this. YES