zykO

hahahahha i can't believe we're reduced to comparing chord progressions and basslines to validate whether it is "pachelbel-free" enough we have to be very careful with what we validate here. this is canon in freakin D, guys. period. i feel like i'm graduating from space cadet academy... in tokyo! the next thing you know, every "common" chord progression will be used and this will be cited as validation. sfx and all, this is certainly good. i dig it! haha but i'm really worried about what we do as far as the obvious pachelbel-ness of the track. as long as everybody is willing and ready to deal with any negative repercussions of passing this, then pass away. it is well produced, arranged and fun to listen to. happy hardcore for the win! Y ES

hmm the trance parts of this are engaging but i am a little bias as to the source (i noticed BGC feels its a bit overrated... which it might actually be but still) so maybe that is why i enjoyed it. however, what's with the lame intro? it's silent to the point of abuse. almost a minute of nothing before it finally starts to do anything. and all of a sudden there's TRANCE. more importantly, i think vig said it best: the "arrangement" is basically the source melody lead slapped on top of a trance track. and then it goes round and round like the windmill hut itself. granted, that's neat and i like listening to it... but we have a bard to uphold and that is simply not enough. as for the controversy on style and genre. i don't think we can knock this for being a straightup trance track... sure it's going to be static and undynamic in parts... not many trance tracks strike me as "dynamic" durin long stretches of em... however, this could have certainly been more creative in terms of arrangement and orchestration and that is where it ultimately fails. making something retro isn't enough to sink as that is an entirely subjective circumstnace. NO

fantastic concept here albeit poorly executed. the guitars. what gives? as vig pointed out, they're awfully sloppy for sequenced guitar... i understand the desire to humanize an otherwise mechanical part but you don't have to emulate a human who doesn't know how to play well... it is far too all over the place. vocals are a great idea and i think your friend has some skills but a) they are very brief and as a result awkward, you need a compressor very badly... there are points when you suddenly fade into the backroom... and c) the eq on them is terrible, you need more meat all in all, it can be great but it needs a ton of work. maybe get a good, real guitarist to play for you and work on those vocal parts, a bit. if you're not using a good mic, try and see if you know somebody who has one... the microphone does half the trick. you can't "fix" what you aren't capturing to begin with... that's the rule of thumb very resubmitable... but for now NOresub w/ changes

not much to add here that hasn't already been pointed out so i suppose i'm being counted upon here more for my vote than bringing any new observation to the table as the table has already been set: the track is KOMPRESSED into a chef boyardee can, has a lot of energy as a whole though lacks energy in some of its smaller parts on their own, is arranged very nicely with a great balance of original and source material, gets a bit muddy in the lower end from time to time when bassline and kick collide, and all in all just needs a little EQ tweaking and a little less compression to make it a winner. YES cond.

nothing like a nice tricky one to kick things off again... i take great pleasure in tackling the difficult deadlock ones when the tiebreakers land in my lap. that said, this one cannot go on the way it is. at the very least, the volume has to be bumped up a bit... the listener should not have to tweak the volume everytime they come to this piece... that's like Directv's annoying commercials that are twice as loud as everything else going on TV. a limiter could definitely help here - just watch your levels a little closer... if you have questions on the particulars of that, our forums are littered with places to find that out including our WIP forum i don't have as much a problem with the timing as a couple of the other judges. like anso pointed out, the timing forces the piece into the audience's personal space... it is very intimate... very cafe-like and i'm all about that. the orchestration is certainly fantastic. i've long been a huge fan of acoustic guitars, upright basses and cellos as a unit... i think so much can be accomplished and expressed with it. the arrangement is solid, too... it effectively visits the theme, builds upon it with variation then heads into a solo section and then ends with a culmination of sorts. the only real drawback outside of the mastering is that the performance is a little sloppy at points. i'm not one to talk but it does make it hard to follow at points... the bassline being so far in the back and detached keeps the listener from getting into a groove which may be what is bringing light to the "timing" which otherwise is very relaxed and lazy(the good kind) really, this is pretty close so my vote is definitely a conditional one. the changes needed are very minor. the substance is legit and ready to go. YES (cond.)

boom diggity i've been away for a few weeks, re-adjusting my bearings but i'd like to thank everybody who took the time to listen and share their thoughts. i appreciate all feedback, it serves a critical part of my creative process... without, i have no brakes (quality control) on the machine a few thoughts: ah, the profanity =) after years of stirring shit, it becomes so routine, i don't know if i'm being controversial anymore or plain abrasive. I've grown accustomed to the expectation that something i say will surely light a fire somewhere but i strongly believe my uncompromised determination gives it the value and the meaning that some believe doesn't exist in my lyrics. after all, the most valuable characteristic of the freedom of expression is that we shed the training wheels and break down the barriers by doing PRECISELY the things that might offend some. to deny that art has excelled throughout history at tearing down limitations by being bold is to deny a lot of great art that said, the profanity is not by design (in other words, i'm not tryin to "be hard" as it may). sometimes, it isn't the literal significance of words that give what is being said its ultimate meaning. in this case, the simplicity of being "a bad man from a bad land" does no justice to the depth of the point... by way of the lyrics, i'm speaking on behalf of gau (the videogame relevance is cute at best but that is what videogame remixing is all about, no?) but mostly on behalf of myself. i'm the bad man and you better believe it haha. the veldt essentially becomes the virtual counterpart of long beach and the same territorial fervor that gau shows most newcomers to the veldt is... well, familiar to me, to say the least. still, some will sense the sincerity in my voice and others will simply remain detached; the more you are familiar with the person behind the voice, the more likely you'll understand what the voice is saying. anyways, the instrumental aspect, ha! i'm not so lucky. to the cat who mentioned fruityloopy beats... kudos to you, that is a standard fruityloops kit =) i'm not particularly experienced in the genre from an instrumental perspective, i've always been just the voice. still, feelin' my way around the jungle of music is why this was ever fun to begin with. if all i was ever concerned with was impressing folks, i wouldn't be zyko... really, thanks for the comments! see you on my next audio experiment...

i suppose we do have a few credentialed studs on the panel, come to think of it...

so how did this thread turn into a love advice one, again? =)

Keep out the Veldt

how ridiculous this decision has reduced itself to bias. the chord progression is there and i'm outright tonedeaf. not that it should discourage you from trusting my ears but the progression is there. interpretation is the point of what we do here, isn't it? i understand the concerns being shown but this isn't just jazzy, it is also a good study in the style of herbie hancock. in other words, given the intended style, the original progression is very effectively handled throughout the track... certainly, he changes it up as he experiments with new ways of voicing those chords but it almost always stays an interpretation. the clipping is a serious issue but it is clear that he has recognized this fact and sent us a letter even detailing his chord voicings as well. but really, this means the votes ought to be YEScond and not NOresub. if i was to have a problem with something it would be that i am partial to tracks that maintain a foundation of the original theme upon which the artist solos for the entire track... i do it all the time and thankfully i can stockpile those at vgmix... but i do so because we do have a certain arrangement bar here at ocremix and that bar is questionable in this track since it really is mostly original work atop the foundation that is surely maridia. does it qualify as having enough arrangement? i think so. don't ask me why. i just listened to it and knew what i was listening to. YESresub this sucker with the right volumes

yeah, i didn't vote on this yet. i forgot that i had heard it at vgmix and commented on it there. fascinating track. the criticism of the lyrics is superfluous - that shouldn't matter. the vocals are on point. what is there to complain about? to echo things that have been said earlier, your wit is amplified by the genre tenfold. the lyrics, simple as they may be, work. the recording has its issues (where on earth is your pop filter?) but the arrangement and the vibe is what videogame remixing is all about this isn't stuff we keep fromt he community. at worst, YES cond so YES

NO .......

that's exactly it. GH and RB and the like simply enhance music appreciation... it gives casual music lovers and even more dedicated ones a chance to enjoy a different "listening" experience... a considerably more interactive one - the games aren't designed for musicians (why a lot of musicians tend to be arrogant about the games) but rather the non-musician. it can be greatly enjoyed by a musician (i hate playing the drums on RB but with a bunch of friends and plenty of booze, yeah that shit is fun as hell) but still also, DANIEL FLOYD - what the heck happened?

i can run circles around people on the guitar but suck morbidly at guitar hero. i have a ton of fun playing guitar hero or garage band but it is a videogame and that is that. the only correlation i could posibly see is that a game like GH or RB can greatly enhance your finger dexterity and your hand-eye reaction time, making you quicker as a musician but it does little to nothing for your creative ability as it is a limited activity (you hit, what, four buttons?) but yeah, everything i just said has been said several times over in the thread and i have no idea why i posted

hehe you know, i've been told that a few times but i've never listened to Muse more than on a topical level. i've been meaning to give them a better listen... to be perfectly, honest, i don't know what my vocal range is... i don't pay attention to most of what i do so who knows i'll get back to you on that

Hello, my friends... Here are a couple of B-sides from the album One of the tracks, Malfunktion, was initially intended for a 3rd Zombo album. unfortunately, the album is no longer in the immediate work queue as i am invested in a couple of other more pressing album projects. regardless, Malfunktion wasn't going to wait that long so it instead joined a select group of about five songs that i loosely refer to as the Circumstantial Zen B Sides Malfunktion the other track is actually a remix of the first track released off the album, I Must Believe, done in a more upbeat, groovy flavor. i personally prefer this new version over the original version as i don't think i quite accomplished what i had sought out to do. they intend to do two completely different things =) I Must Believe (strength of will remiX) dig it =)

well for starters, i'm not a fan of NO Resub for this exact reason. i, myself, hardly ever resubmit something let alone even revisit it. i honestly feel that it is a matter of principle... some artists are the type that love to address a WIP over and over again and some are not. once ive decided something is final... it takes a lot more than a third party suggestion to undo that. unfortunately, a huge part of our standard is in production quality. i was mortally opposed to this for several years including the first two of my panelhood... i was just fundamentally against judging music based on the technical aspects of it when we are an amateur scene remixing videogame music... something about it seemed counterintuitive to turn someone away because of EQ. however, my stance on this changed and not so ironically as i got better at mixing and producing my own music. when i stopped having my shit rejected because it was mixed with shit or produced with my eyes and ears shut, i realized that presentation quality does a lot for the audience; it is sort of like a musical first impression... if something is hard to get into, it won't be explored to the extent that its creative genius may have otherwise commanded and deserved. my only suggestion is to keep doi what you're doin. what ends up happening, inevitably, is that it'll be a subconscious move towards a better sounding production, anyways haha =) you and me both, brother check this out for peace of mind, though: that is what makes artistic creation so fun (for lack of a more telling word). i no longer get caught up on what you're referring to because i know something else is coming after it. as i was saying earlier, not everbody has that sort of practical, functional approach to their music... "sure, i'll just go dig it up and tweak this, this n that" - to me it is an entirely ridiculous behavior. i firmly believe that when an artist decides something is done, it most likely is... complete with all the idiosyncracies and ingrown hangnails. i don't think it has anything to do with a deficit in attention... it most likely is what it is something about the run of creativity juice expired when the track was finished the first time yea and hardly ever. i can't even remember the one time that i think it did. then again, wouldnt' you want our fearless leader to bask in the pleasures of life?

hahahahahaha i want to yes this emphatically and entirely on the merit of what it is because god knows i think it always is what it is! but what the fuck is this? for one, i can't fault the synth guitars for sounding synth... they are written not with any intention of sounding like a real guitar. the lead sections are my favorite of the track, by far... although honestly, you took such a simple and ridiculously uninteresting source and gave it an infectious groove and some unnatural leadwork. sounds more chiptuney than anything else and in that sense, it is fine. what i will comment critically on, however, is the EQ on the "rhythm guitars" and the limp drums. your drums have no balls. plain and simple. the EQ is muddy and when you are going through the fast sections and the playing is all muddled up, it creates this wall of white nosie that is really unsettling given how awesome the arrangement is really, the arrangement is the strong suit. a little technical issues stop you momentarily. NOresub hahhaahahahahah omg it really is cheetahman!

i want to stress that while i loved this... the need for a backbone to the mix is so critical that it i am impervious to my desire to pass it. it just needs more drums and bass. then it will bite me and i will be happy

the arrangement is definitely the strongest part of this. very emotional and driving. the writing is intelligent and not just aggressive. i dig it. the drums. too thin. sounds like mike's acoustic drumkit SF2. not good for this genre. you need something with far more bite to it. compress the drums more, give it more volume... do something to bring it out of hiding and into the ferocious snarl of the rest of the track. which, by the way, is phenomenally written. the guitar work is great... i think the rhythm guitars are clipping you a bit on the volume meter so you should take a look at that. i also think you need to seriously add a bass to this. bass doesnt have to BUMP to fill out spaces in the soundfield. you want to have a full, engaging sound.. you never want your audience with the sonically equivalent sensation of falling over. just get something that chugs along and keeps with the herd of instruments close. but keep the bubbly on ice. NOresub this is very close

hmm. somehow, i don't know if we're listening to the same track. i can't believe nobody has commented on how out of whack the whole thing is; most of the song sounds like it is out of key and even if it is technically in key and i just can't tell because i'm tone ignorant, then it just doesn't very good at all. i mean, i know i'm tone deaf but this sounds wonky at best. the idea of the mix itself is awesome as hell. i am a big fan of al dimeola and other acoustic world music studs and this is no short of impressive in the genre. you have some chops, no doubt... but most of the first couple of minutes of source (which is arranged nearly verbatim) are totally out of key (i still can't believe that you guys don't hear this and i, of all people, think i do). and what about the choral vocals, guys? guys?? the percussion is great. the idea is grand and awesome. the playing, during the original solo section, was great. however, the rest of this is not very good NO guys???

oh this is very fucking cool. i'm drawn to it mercilessly by the erratic stylistic transformations... all the while keeping to the same psychotic, addictive, sugary groove. it is not so much halucinogenic as it is too overpowering, i think, for that. it really jars you and is hard to listen to at times. still, brilliant. i do think the mixing and EQ is irritating, however and have to agree with larry on this one. for one, the treble is amped. my eyes want to burst out of my face a la total recall. the parts when the guitar metamorphs into evo is also rough on the audience and while i admire the stylistic boldness, i think you can do well with reelin her in a bit. all in all, the track itself is a testament to y'all combined genius. it does what you would want it to do: explores the original's fundamental themes while not allowing it to be cornered by the original's musical themes. brilliant remixing... ...with a few more steps. i disagree with larry on what side of the "EH" fence this one is on... ...rather than a NOresub, i think it's a YEScond

hmm controversy =) i love it. first off, i'm a HUGE megadeth fan and one thing i want to point out to everyone right off the bat is that, while the intro is clearly inspired by the intro to megadeth's debut album, the entire track is clearly inspired by megadeth and other early 80's thrash. so if there's a similarity, that would seem to be obviously superfluous as we are not here to question his influence as long as it is reasonable... is it reasonable that rize took the intro from dave mustaine note for note? any more reasonable than the fact that mustaine did the same thing himself? i can say this: it would be a shame if that is why we cannot pass this. the arrangement is very well written and expertly performed. great lead work on top of very good thrashmetal riffing. this, my friend, is your best work since your debut, Rude Awakening. it has the same exploring curiosity. the guitar playing is ferocious in this one, though. great mixing on this one. everything is in the right places in the soundfield. it is kinda low on volume but so is most of your work so it could be stylistic, i'm not sure. but like palpable said, when this is cranked, it is ferocious... shouldn't have to crank it that high to enjoy it, no? i say this one's a winner in spite of the intro. i think it is a tribute to a great metal influence on the artist and also a clever association made to the source material which is definitely, stylistically, from the same musical era, anyways. it would feel trite to reject it on those grounds. YESconditional on volume.

i want to, mostly, echo zircon's last paragraph as it hits the real issues most squarely. i don't have a problem with the simplicity, at all. it is to die for. transitions from theme to theme are done with such fluidity... it is the technical aspects of the piece that don't sit well with me. i can hardly hear the piano when the strings come in and they are not very good sounding strings... they're quite jarring given the subtle and sweet piano tone. the chimes were a great idea, too but then they became too frequent and awkward in the soundfield as the piece moved forwards. you're only a step away from turning this into a knockout punch. i don't necessarily agree with the other judges on the arrangement angle as i think the simplicity is what gives this piece its intrinsic strength... but in order for it to work, the entire section in which you bring other players into the mix, you need to straighten out their placements relative to each other in the soundfield. as zircon suggested, maybe even replace the strings with a less intrusive pad. you'll be surprised how much more magnificent it would all sound if the piano was able to truly sing over the rest of the orchestration. anyways. i liked it a lot. you're almost there. NOresub

i definitely don't remember your first submission. perhaps my memory fails me but it might have been while i was on hiatus (it always seems like i am) in any case, reading over the old decision, it seems like most of the things that were addressed still need to be fixed. for one, that guitar still sounds godawful... i mean, even for a synth guitar. the strings work well, the arrangement is neat and aggressive... your atmospheric, starcrafty sounding sections work suspensefully well but there is too much disconnect in the parts when you have all the rockin out. the drums are far, far back in the soundfield and the synth guitar just doesn't do the writing any justice at all. it is a lot closer probably than i'm willing to admit but i really doubt that my disapproval of the synth guitar is at all tied to my obvious guitar bias; this is awfully close - the guitar makes it hard to listen to this very seriously. get a better sounding synth guitar... get a real one. i dunno but it doesn't work. a little eq and mixing in the crowded parts and you're good to go. NO