big giant circles

BUMP. Week extended until the end of the year. Original post edited with some tracks that need some love above all others. Let's keep in mind this is what this site is all about, please. The music.

All around, pretty cool stuff. I like it. Interesting arrangement as well as interpretation. There are a few times where I couldn't help but cringe at the compression--seems there may have been a couple volume issues you may have overlooked before your final render, such as 0:45 (where the breakbeat comes in), 1:39, 2:26; pretty much anywhere there's a build and crash. it'll only bug the listener if they're actively listening for it though--otherwise it doesn't really detract. Anyway, pretty energetic and otherwise engaging take on the original themes. Definitely good stuff. It is, however, to my extreme regret that your intro sounds like a terrible record player. You need to fix that. Such a thing is completely unacceptable here. NO Uh, I mean YES

BUMP man, definitely doesn't look like we're going to finish this thing strong, this year. oh well.

(click picture)

i personally propose having 2 or 3 separate cooking threads. 1 for entrees, 1 for snacks, and 1 for desserts. my $0.02

This isn't going as well as I'd hoped. There's still plenty of remixes (on the first page, even!) that have only 2 or 3 reviews. If not a full page worth, can we not at least get them up to 5 or something? /me cheers crowd on

apparently teh Darkesword is teh Fatty thread's arch nemesis. http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=97708 however, I'd still like to hear your feedback.

Well, let me start by thanking David for such a complimentary and flattering write-up. I hope I'm not the only one who enjoys the good things djp has to say about all the mixes that get posted here. Also, thanks to all the other judges, and particularly Larry for nominating me to the position, which I've enjoyed immensely. Apparantly the intro wasn't mind-grating enough to repel the judgefgts. And speaking of the intro, that brings me to my second of all. With all the gripes about "all the dumb mixes that get posted nowadays are totally predictable and sound the same", I'm a little surprised and ever so slightly taken aback as to the disdain for the intro. Not only do I personally view it as a creative and unpredictable style integration (let's face it, compared to my other mixes, who would have expected a mix to start that way?) but it's absolutely perfect for setting the mood I was shooting for--walking in to a majestic, magnificent city from the bleak, troublesome world, and having your weariness washed away by awe. Anyway, let me clarify that I'm not insulted by anyone's comments regarding the "omg, ick" intro. However, I would have expected more people to look past it's intentional vinyl, scratchy, detuning (especially after recent debates on remix qualities) and have a little more appreciation for what it adds to the mental imagery it conveys and the track in general. Thanks to Mustin, avaris, and anyone else who has (or might) express appreciation for it. And despite my ranting, thanks to everyone else for your kind comments. Rock on. Oh, and thanks to souliarc for your rofl sig

Bump. Still plenty of time left to show the love for the music.

rofl, awesome, man!

filtered flangy funk, folks! definitely reminiscent of standards past, yet this is a fun tune to listen to. It serves as a good example (when comparing to his later stuff) at David's own progress as a musician and arrranger. This was posted over six years ago, and I only wish I could have done anything half this good that long ago. This one's got pep. No, download it, have a listen, and do a barrel roll, kids!

Agreed. Just focus reviewing the mixes. Great idea though to get some reviews for neglected stuff. spot on. don't get me wrong. this is not a "themed event" as much as it is just a specific theme to focus on, if that makes sense. just something to help those of us who get so caught up in forum discussion/debates to send some love out to the otherwise neglected tunes on here.

Great energy - one of the first songs I stumbled across after finding my way through the OCR door. Lot's of fun. Makes me want to drive fast.

[EDIT]Let's carry this through the 31st, try to finish strong for '06. Let's show the love. Here's a list of some tracks that need your positive feedback: http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2570 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3161 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2160 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2757 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2841 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7562 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3119 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1845 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3010 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2322 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2639 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2749 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3048 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2665 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2538 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3207 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3218 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2153 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2725 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3031 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2417 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3219 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1900 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1938 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2334 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2933 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2948 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2292 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2662 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2997 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2708 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2502 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2070 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2101 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2188 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3044 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2563 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3108 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3013 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2718 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3184 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1849 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2744 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2947 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2727 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2427 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3009 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2746 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3154 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2995 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2842 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2574 http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2645 There's plenty more, too. These are just some of the ones that have 2, 3, or maybe 4 reviews. Take 5 minutes and review 1 or 2 of them![/EDIT] Hi guys and gals. BGC here. I'm hardly active in the forums as you all know, and personally, I don't give the hairs off a rat's rump about so many of the arguments and debates and otherwise weird discussions that go on here. HOWEVER: In the (alleged) spirit of the season of good tidings and good will, let me just say that this is a music appreciation site. And as such, I propose that this next week, starting from December 17th at 12:00AM until December 23rd at 11:59AM, that everyone make a point to listen to as many remixes as you can that you've either never listened to before, or that have less than a full page's worth of reviews (that would be 14, at least) and say what you liked about that particular mix. *EDIT* In that respective remix's review, not in this thread. If you have nothing good to say about that particular remix, my personal suggestion would be to move on to one that you can, but whatever, that's your call. Feel free to reply (or not reply) to this thread as you wish, I could care less. If you think this is a good idea, don't waste time here--get to reviewing!!! (I suggest starting on page 29.) If you think this is a bad idea, then I simply wish you a happy holiday season. That is all.

i guess it's still worth reviewing, but i couldn't help but notice the filesize. (6.3MB) quoth the submission standards: i'll get to voting on this one later. just thought i should point that out.

Way too similar to the original. Basically a trance cover, for what it's worth. You've essentially replaced all the acid leads with more stereotypical trance synths. Piano riff is pretty darn verbatim. Same key, same riffs, same general progression. Opening reverb + delay + ping pong was kind of obnoxious, but that had very very little to do with my vote. There's your reasons chief. NO Now then, if I could address a couple things on a slightly separate note. First of all, if you don't think it'll get a spot on the site, why bother submitting? That's just a crappy attitude, bro. Second of all, what the hell do you mean "How about leaving some real comments as to why..." Perhaps I may seem like I'm getting all bent out of shape over nothing, as perhaps you meant nothing by it, but c'mon man. Dude, read our dang votes. 98% of them usually lay down exactly that very thing, AS WELL AS what usually needs to be done to earn a spot. Your wording sounds as if you attempt to villianize the panel as simply stamping a vote with no measure of reason or rationality. Eff that, dude. You can't really expect polite feedback when you lay it out like that, now can you? Oh, and winamp can edit ID tags, btw.

I'm pretty much with the majority here. I personally think this is more than likely an easy YES with a better sampling rate/encode/whatever. uh, POSSIBLY

Wow, the levels are waaaay too low. This is a pretty song, and it's also pretty good. I hate to say though, it seems like you may have hit a wall as far as the continuing interpretive factor goes. Longer, sure, and that's cool, but I just really didn't feel like the mix took any further direction. Not sure if you intended to make it so quiet; really, ought to be auto-NO'd in it's current state, just for that alone. Don't mean to sound harsh, but you gotta triple check mechanical flaws like that before you submit. You show potential as an arranger, for sure, don't let the rejection get you down. Sometimes, we get so eager to get a mix passed, that we'll immediately take the initial rejection and immediately try to remedy it, and the result often seems forced, and either therefore sloppy, or eles lacking in what it would otherwise achieve after a healthy pause, and re-assessment. I think such a break would do you good on this one. Nice work, but I think it could still use a little work. Best of luck with this and/or other projects bro. NO

Wow, what a cool idea for the intro. Never would have thought to develop that melodically, props, bro. Waaaaaaay too much high end on the drums. The dulcimer(?) at 1:05 seemed a little dry, and a little close to center, I kind of wish you'd panned that one wide and toggled it. Man, this is a pretty song. I had to turn my phones down halfway through, because the high end was borderline ear-piercing. And I consider my self to have a fairly high tolerance to higher frequencies. You gotta tweak that, boss. Aside from the EQ, the production seemed adequately executed. Stylistically, this kind of reminds me of the Blue (Shooting Star Mix) (definitely worth checking out, if you haven't already). Ya know, really, the EQ is my only bother. The arrangement is fairly conservative, but I have no qualms considering the quality of the source, and the fact that it's nowhere close to rip-territory. Anyway, back to the EQ, I think it's far enough off that it warrants a NO, but that's all I got. Bring those levels down a notch, tweak some random other mastering quirks as you feel so inspired otherwise, and I'll be happy to slide a YES your way. NO tweak and resubmit

rofl, dude, leave the mouseclick. that's classy. or classic, rather. whatever, either way, that's awesome. seriously, that's trademark. Very pretty vibe. Nice warm synths, nice cool drum groove. Very pretty vocals. Giving me chills, now. Well, I guess I'm gonna stop there. I have no qualms with the mix--it meets the guidelines as far as I can hear, and it gave me little happy warm tinglies. Welcome Aboard

This is definitely snoody hotel-lobby/elevator music if i ever heard it. Man, my prime meridian-biased comrade is justified in his request for some smooth jazz geetar. Would have been dice for the track for sure. Definitely lacking in terms of creativity here. Smooth vibe, but it's nearly verbatim of the source. Sorry man. Chalk it up to learning, and come back for another shot down the road. What's with the watery ending? NO

Well, while I won't be passing this, I'll definitely be keeping the file for future listens--pretty enjoyable. I agree; I wish more people would do stuff like this. I suppose the "live performance" trend snowball is a-rollin'. I predict that within a year or two's time, I bet we'll see a lot more subs like this, and a lot more of those subs will probably be passable. The arrangement is pretty decent, and the performance as well, but that being said, the performance was far from it's potential. Being a former brass player (trumpet), it seems like you guys were trying to practice next to a sunday school worship session or something, and you didn't want to be too loud as to not disrupt the reverence next door, and therefore, the dynamics seemed to cause a little bit of mischief for your track, here. Need to tell your guys to push from the *die-a-frag-um*, especially during the quieter parts, thus countering the tendency to play flat. I would have like to hear more forte-love in this one. Yeah, definitely cool, but a weaker performance than I would prefer. Not to say you did a BAD job, I just didn't feel the emotion. The ending is a prime example. You guys could have really belted that fanfare out with more heart, ya know? Anyway, I definitely enjoyed and respect this highly for what it is. Best of luck in future endeavors, my man. NO

Cool intro. Mastering on this one is pretty ouch. way too much noise. you could definitely stand to bring your levels down a couple notches before you're final render. Very minimal arrangement. The synth fills and fx are cool and all, but there's like, no deviation in practically all other areas. Drums, melody, etc. More personalization, and you're closer to green. This is pretty cool and all, but we're not looking for a mere sound upgrade. This site would have hundreds if not thousands more remixes if that were acceptable here. NO

Really pretty source, I really like the opening synth. I really wish the second underlying string chord had been an inverted 5th, rather than a 7th, but bah, no biggie. What's with the production on this one? This is probably the worst mastering I've ever heard. Well, I'm feeling generous, so I'm gonna overlook the extremely novice mixing, and focus on the other aspects of the song. ROFL No really, I think this is borderline over the bar. Decent arrangement, and of course, production is keen. Some things I didn't quite like so much, but in the grand scale of things, didn't turn my vote were as follows. I would have liked to hear some half-timing in the drum accompanyment--I think that would have diversified the vibe of the mix quite well if executed well. And the guitar sounded a little choppy, but not devastatingly so. In terms of mood, this one is a lot like Ziwtra's Skyline mix, in that it makes me want to jump up and take on the world, and all that fun, happy stuff. Interesting how it closes with the electric guitar and the trance-synth. Unique combination, for sure. Anyway, really nothing else to say, nice work. SURE

Has anyone read about the super-high frequency ringtone that kids are downloading to their phone because adults can't hear it, and therefore, the kids won't get in trouble at school? Well, read all about it if you haven't. That's what I was thinking during the first 20 seconds of the track. I hate to sound uppity here, but that's bad form, K-man. Step back and regroup, and you'll agree that that's not going to appeal to very many people. Anyway, aside from that, let's see what else we have here. Man, a midi is the best we could come up with sourcewise, eh? K, so be it. The intro to this reminded me of the theme from Shrek. Very medieval kind of sound going on with those flutes. Fairly pretty arrangement kicks in around 1:18. Interesting for sure, intentionally leaving the full orchestra out for the most part, only to come in and add some volume to the sound at the end of certain phrases. I guess my main concerns are that your cut-offs seem a little mechanical, and therefore unnatural. I'd work more with automating the volume, rather than just relying on reverb alone to add the sustain effect to the notes. The ending seemed kind of abrupt. Not sure what to suggest to you there, but I don't think it fit. You have a pretty decent piece of work. Main gripes are really, to completely shave off the [pixietricks]dog-whistle[/pixietricks] intro, and work on your volume envelopes. Only then, will you know the power of the dark side... Good luck with this one, as I say to most all mixes that are better than good, but not quite up to their max, feel free to bring this one back down the road. NO