Israfel

As analoq mentioned, some of the sections are actually pretty interesting - particularly the harp section. But those synths are rather cheesy and not terribly convincing. To be honest, it sounds a bit like the synth sounds that one finds in GM presets. And the section at 2:11 is perhaps ill-advised- it feels almost like a new piece has started and the effect is quite jarring. Has it's moments, but the synth elements in particular need more work. NO

-rather lopsided form, unfortunately. A 3 minute piece with a one minute intro is simply going to feel a bit incomplete. needs more development to offset the length of the opening -a tad simplistic throughout. And the sample quality is somewhat cheesy. A decently enjoyable mix, but not quite passable. Perhaps you could work on adding more to the game theme- most of the additions were rhythmic, maybe you could try a few melodic or harmonic variations. NO

The flute that's included with cadenza isn't too bad. Kinda heavy on the vibrato, but it's pretty useable and one of the better freebies. Cadenza can be downloaded at http://www.hammersound.net

Gray's music has been increasingly cinematic and lush these past few months and this mix is no exception. When I say cinematic I don't necessarily mean orchestral, but rather that the music has a very expansive, or even epic, quality. I particularly love the way the dissonances are handled in this mix. Long drawn out suspensions (for instance the choir at 2:05) that beg for resolution until... at last the tension is concluded. Despite the preponderance of sustained notes, the piece gives the feeling of a constant forward momentum- of a seemingly calm river that hides a powerful undercurrent. Beautiful work.

I haven't had a chance to listen to everything, but what I have heard has been pretty top quality. When DC first approached me about this project, he mentioned how he was interested in capturing a wide variety of personal styles and genres, and without a doubt he managed to do that. You really have to hand it to DC- a cursory glance at the Gen Disc. boards shows how many people are interested in doing these large-scale projects - and how they almost always fail. It really takes a dedicated leader to see these things through and I think DC deserves a lot credit. From gathering the remixers, getting the website up - and not to mention putting up with lunkheads like me who fail to follow through with their obligations - you're talking about quite a bit of time seeing this project to completion. So congrats on a job well done- it was truly a success.

Pretty fun mix. It really captures that sort of bouncy, happy and ultra-melodic feel that I associate with 80's game music. So while you changed up the style and took it in some cool new directions, it still manages to stay rather faithful to the original in spirit. Groovy work, man.

Well, actually... I'm surprised that I haven't commented on this mix yet. But in the interest of full disclosure, any mention of engaging orchestral arrangement in this mix should really be aimed at Gray. My involvement in this piece was extremely minimal- in fact, the mix was already considered finished when I first heard it. All I really did was add the horn melody at 2:40, as well as little background stuff like the harp chords at that same section. But all the same, I enjoyed working on the mix, and hope that I can do more collaborations in the future. Preferably one that I'm more involved with.

Pretty sparse arrangement at times (1:15 and 2:36 in particular are just way too empty). Rather undeveloped as well unfortunately, and as a result the mix feels a bit short. Decently enjoyable, but there's just not enough meat here. NO

I see that the panel is as prolix as ever. I fail to see how this is just an upgrade though- the theme has been greatly developed and the harmonies have been changed to a more traditional tonal context. If anything, this is too divergent from the original. I can hear how he took the melody and developed it- although I can't help but feel this is still too original. I don't know, this is tricky... I'll come back to this one later. But I would suggest the others listen to it again- it's certainly no mere sound upgrade.

I'm not normally one to do this- but this just barely rises above the "original with drum loop" mark. It unfortunately has no chance of being passed, so in the interest of clearing the queue: NO OVERRIDE

EDIT: After some thought, I'm not entirely sure that determining a mix's eligibility is my concern. If a mix exceeds the 6mb limit, includes material from a pop song, or does any number of things which are presumably at odds with the site's guidelines- is it my job to call foul and immediately dismiss the mix? It seems to me that my main purpose is to separate the wheat from the chaff so to speak- to give my opinion on a mix's overall worth. With that in mind, I will maintain my "yes." As far as whether or not the mix is eligible to be posted- I will leave that decision to the one who penned the guidelines.

Buy a tuner I know that self-aware mediocrity is considered a legitimate aesthetic amongst some, but I can't in good conscience pass this. This reminds me of FTOP - I never did like them. NO

That .sid doesn't seem to like my player. Here's a different one in case others have the same problem http://www.dovermusic.com/music/other/Sweet.sid

....uh, ok. Manages to be rather cool, completely absurd and embarrassingly pretentious all at once. You have lush orchestral textures, various old school games described with a completely serious sense of urgency (recited in thick Scandinavian accents, no less), and the thematically justified inclusion of a certain Eurythmics hit. Pretty standard checklist of how to make a successful remix... I tentatively give a thumbs-up on this one (haven't heard the original). It would be a shame if it doesn't meet the guidelines though- it's just so....so...European. YES (Is it just me, or does this kinda sound like Nightwish's more romantic moments?)

Yeah, the others pretty much have this one covered. A bit too simplistic at this stage to pass. NO

Yep- definitely real. It's a neat trick though for real violins to not "sound real at all." Couple things: as has been noted, the playing is horribly out of tune at times- whether or not this enhances the atmosphere is up to the listener I suppose. I would prefer an in-tune version... Somewhat simplistic arrangement- but it gets more interesting as the mix progresses Has a few annoying performance flubs, but at the end of the day it's a decently satisfying gothic and subdued take on Kraid's Hideout (that depends perhaps too much on atmosphere to mask its technical deficiencies). Enjoyment of the work will likely depend on one's tolerance for less than professional playing- a few more takes would have greatly benefitted this mix. YES

Mixer: Riddler Sensei -------------------------- When I first started this, the intent was to see how much bass my friend's subwoofers could take. After tinkering with it a bit, I decided to tone the bass down a bit to a tolerable level and make it a real mix (though the bass is still rather heavy). Obviously, the main point of the mix is the bass; there's a lot of it. There are complimenting high parts, but the intent is to loose yourself in the heaviness of the bass part and kind of space out to an extent.

ironic, perhaps? hehe Although, in my defense, I would contend that my mixes are firmly grounded on the thematic material of the original piece- and often they owe more to the original (and are perhaps less liberal) than most people realize. I'm reminded of Gwilym's review of my Castlevania mix: But yeah...I'll shut up now.

heh- that middle section reminds me of Secret Chiefs 3 or Mr. Bungle Really cool stuff- nice variety, quite stylish and imaginative all around. The mixing does hurt though- some instruments are much too up front, and everything sounds overcompressed But if you can get past the mastering, there's a pretty good mix here. YES

Nice Euro-speed metal thing going on here. Production is a bit lacking, but overall it's a fun mix in a style that we really don't see here often. Not perfect, but good enough- and besides, I'm partial to the genre, so I have to go with a YES

Music, being an abstract art, is rather well-suited to conveying the nebulous and intangible concepts of psyche and emotion. And this mix successfully draws on those unique characteristics of music to capture the darker affections and lure the listener in to its little Orphean nightmare. A pensive expression of the "creeping and encroaching evil." YES

I was actually digging this at first with the cool little vocal sample, but after awhile the simplicity of the arrangement really started to take its toll- it never gets any more complex than a two part (bass/melody) texture. Groovy vox, but the arrangement errs on the simplistic/straightforward side. NO

I'm all for liberal arrangements, but in this case it seems like at least half of the thematic material is completely original. Actually, it sounds like you have a piece with two themes- the first one is of your own invention, and the second is the Morrowind theme, but you seem to spend most of you time developing the first theme. Maybe after more listens it'll suddenly dawn on me that the first (seemingly original) theme is derived by variations on the Morrowind theme, but until then, NO

I'm going to have to go with a YES on this one- and as that will surely be the minority opinion, I'll try to offer some explantion. First of all, this idea that the piece was originally passed because of confusion of what it was a mix of, is baffling to me. "Whisper and Mantra" and "Holy Intruder" are for all intents and purposes, the *same* piece of music. How this mix could be an acceptable rearrangement of "Whisper" but too similar to "Holy Intruder" is beyond me. Second, it's interesting that while "Holy Intruder" and "Whisper..." are fairly unremarkable pieces, this mix is almost always described (by the panel and listeners) with such modifiers as "avant garde," "dreamy," atmospheric, "melancholic" - it's clear that this mix conveys a certain "artsy" gloom that is wholly absent from the original. When I first heard the mix I was under the impression that the harmonies had been thickened- but according to Brad the exact opposite occured, the arrangement is actually stripped down from the original. But this aural illusion is no accident, and most likely occurs for two reasons 1) guitar, like piano, strengthens the effect of dissonance- thus making the chords sound more complex than perhaps they truly are 2) Brad is using alternate tunings- not adherring to the equal temperament tuning that is constant thoughout the vast majority of music- this more than anything is probably what's responsible for the thick, dense and unabashedly dissonant textures which are heard in the mix (and yet are absent from the original). Perhaps on paper this was simply a transcription, but in practice I believe an entirely new musical statement was made- an introspective and minimalist statement. And that's why I think the mix should stay.

It's mainly the production that keeps this one down for me. The swirling panning and the massive reverb just give the mix an overall muddy quality. Sample quality is lacking as well, but I understand that that can be hard to fix. But it is cool that you mixed Uninvited- loved that game. NO