big giant circles

Dang, I'm gonna side with Andy on this one. It IS a solid arrangement, but it does need some work. I really do love the interpretation of the mix overall--it's really beautiful and has a very emotive quality to it that I enjoyed immensely. The arrangement is expansive and well thought out, IMO. I personally don't mind the simplicity in general, but the one terminal flaw this mix bears in my opinion is the drumwork. It just doesn't seem to fit at all sometime, and it is a little on the repetitive side. Seems like they should be softer for one, and slightly more processed, with less \_/ and more --- (those are EQ settings, btw). It's not my place to tell you how to write your song, really, but IMO, a song like this would really benefit from some subtle delay and ambient reverby hits in the drums. I'm just saying In short, you have a really beautiful, somber piece that's kind of paired up with some rather spartan hip hop drumwork, and they don't quite fit naturally together. I honestly don't think this should need much more to get over the line. Please resubmit it. In the interest of it not taking forever, please PM me, or OA or Palpable or something, and we'll be sure to fast-track it back to the panel, because I think you're really close. RESUB

Hi Jason, thanks for the submission. Definitely not a bad start. It's beginner/novice's work sure, but Palpable is right in that is has some promise. I think with a little practice and some time in the WIP forums, you could be cranking out some pretty solid submissions. I thought the arrangement was decent, if perhaps a bit long. I think it should have probably started wrapping itself up and tried to finish somewhere between 3 1/2 - 4 minutes. That would have given it some good time to groove out for a bit without becoming too repetitive. The production also needs some work, that's really just something that comes with practice and experience, but you'll get there, and that's where soliciting feedback from WIP forums etc will come in handy. Find articles and tutorials as well and learn what you can to help you fill out the sound field without things becoming muddy, thin, or cluttered. Also, do your best to create your own beats and rhythms etc. It's perfectly fine to use loops, but I find they're best to use as a supplement or base to your work, not as a featured part. In this case, the drums and kick scratch are all from the old FL loop library or sampled from one of the demo songs. I mean, that's fine man, but try to add your own flavor in there too. It takes more work, sure, but the result is always worth it. I did enjoy the submission, keep at it! NO

I am learning this as well. Though mine isn't considered a corner desk as much as an L-desk. It's been good to me, but as I've accumulated more hardware, it hasn't quite been able to accommodate it that well. If it were a non-music-workstation-desk, it would be baller, because it would be really easy to set up 3 monitors on.

Ok ok, I'll vote for real. I love the groove. Lots of sparkling timbres and syncopation coupled with a really energetic bassline and sweeping pads. I dig it, yes I do. I think Roz knows our general guidelines, but he likes to push the limits with his arrangments, and hey, I can appreciate that. (Larry might not, but he smellz). I think one really follows the same approach as Winglesses infamous "One Girl" mix. (Even uses a thunderstorm!), and I for one, really love that song. Since I'm one of the judges who does NOT strictly adhere to the stopwatched 50/50 rule, I can appreciate and acknowledge the connections, though they feel much more sparse simply because of 1) the textures/instruments that are representing them and 2) they are slightly altered which makes them harder to distinguish on the first listen. Anyway, so all that said, I think this is probably my favorite of all Ad's fine work, and I'm personally happy to accept this as the first stand-alone rendition of the Windmill Hut (well, that can stand up to our modern-day scrutiny, that is, because this one is pretty old-school, and probably wouldn't even make it to the panel now-a-days.) Now THAT being said, I'd say your arrangement just BARELY scraped by by the skin of its teeth YES 'aight now, go whip us up a crappy MIDI-rip. YOU OWE US THAT MUCH AT LEAST.

NO I'll die before I let a remix of "the Windmill Hut" on the site. I'm not even going to listen to this rubbish.

I'm cool with your vote, but I'm curious, does there not seem to be a pretty intolerable amount of clipping going on there? So anyway, so far, the performance, and drumwork are rocking my socks. But my ears do not appreciate being attacked with such ruthless malice and disregard to my long-term hearing. So at the very least, I'm going to be 100% adamant that in the event of a PASS, that we get a version where the master volume is fixed. That being said, screw both of you guys for making this vote difficult I can understand where both my comrades are coming from here. It also seems like we like to throw around the word "cover" a lot lately, and we've never really attempted to distinguish what that actually means. And I hate to say it, but our history shows that we don't always give consistent treatment to a song that seems "cover-ish". I myself have arranged mixes where the melody seems generally fairly under-interpreted, maybe even the general vibe. I don't think I've ever really come so close as this mix simply because OA's right. If the Genesis could pull off guitars like this, then it'd probably just be an out-right NO. That being said, take that "Icy Peaks" from a while back. It was pretty much verbatim melody, and though I LOVED it, I think I was the only person who voted NO because it was pretty much a cover on (very beautifully recorded) violin. Apparently we came to the conclusion that the emotion from a human performance is acceptable interpretation because it adds power and emotion to the mood. I think that's going to be the saving principle behind this vote. It's dangerously conservative, which is generally something we like to avoid getting TOO close to around here, obviously, but as Andrew mentioned, there's sections where it is actually expansive upon the original. YES (was conditional, but changed to plain. see below.)

The bass could definitely stand to be pulled back just a notch or two, but it wasn't like outrageously loud I tough, just a bit louder than it should have been is all. Don't let OA throw hate on your lo-fi thunder, I think it's awesome, and very atmospheric. So far, it looks like this is shaping out to be a groove track. While I don't mind groove tracks, I do sort of require that they make appropriate use of the the source music. So far the most identifiable part of your remix is the piano riff, and it's not exactly something that you can easily (or should) stretch out into a 5 1/2 minute remix. There's some good ways that you should probably be able to able to work in the additional melodies and countermelodies that the Metroid Title music offers so that it doesn't seem like you've created an entirely original groove track that just happens to feature a brief cameo with the piano playing a few notes from the original theme. I think the mix is just a little on the hot side, so maybe lower the bass a bit, bring the master down just a hair as well, and then make the rest of the source tune more identifiable, and you should be able to go for a pretty solid resub. Good luck man, looking forward to hearing it if you do it! RESUB

Man, I like what I'm hearing! Very goovy arrangement, in a style that I wouldn't expect right off from Justin. I really like the synths. There does seem to be a lot of high-end on this one, but it's nothing terminal, and it's certainly not the first mix to bear a lot of strong upper frequencies. This one went in a totally different direction than the source for sure, which is quite a bit more percussive, light, and uh, bouncy? Instead this one sound more resolute. Sounds kind of Commander Keen-ish, as well. Well, I dig the arrangement, and the production is cool. I didn't hear the original version, but I thought the snare sounded fine in the newer one. I'm also a fan of the lush string breakdown at 2:02, I thought it added some nice contrast to the piece. Always glad to hear subs from Justin, and always glad to hear subs that show that an artist can be successfully diverse. YES

The solo strings sound pretty decent, IMO, they sound much better with some reverb on 'em, and most of the demo songs are pretty dry is the problem there, I think. Andy, it seems to work fine for me...? /shrugs. Also, EW is a nice guy, but he's not always the most helpful.

Eh, I wouldn't say personality, I'd just say quirkiness.

Sounds like it's a toss up between the shower and the countertop for you!

so far, this is true. Granted, we've only seen the first 2 levels of one campaign, so maybe there will be some redeeming dialogue. But thus far, the new characters lack the charm and endearing qualities of the original 4. I mean, the redneck kid is kind of funny, and I have an affinity for Nick because he's kind of the suave badass type, but they just seem more generic in general than the others. I thought I remember reading somewhere a while back that the paths of old and new survivors might cross at some point in the future. That would be STELLAR. Also, another thing I've noticed about the new AI director is it does a MUCH better job of making sure there's always zombies. Like, before, if you threw a pipe to clear our a room, or just got done fighting an event, it wouldn't respawn idle horde nearby. In this, you'll finish fighting off a horde, walk around a hedge or corner, and there's still like 20 zombies standing there. Also I got to play with the magnum tonight. Me likey much very sweet it super is.

What's funny is that a lot of L4D1 servers had already modded those things, and they were super awesome and fun. It's nice to see Valve officially implemented them. The only thing I wish Valve would do is make an official 8v8 versus game. Oh sweet balls, that would be awesome in L4D2.

I'm trying to think of things that they are inevitably going to have to change/address once the masses start whining, or people find ways to take advantage or certain exploits/glitches. Let's start a list of predictions. Let's start with wagering which new things are likely to get nerfed come the first update. Weapons: My guess is the AK47 just because it's probably my favorite weapon so far. Special Infected: hard to say, but I'm guessing it'll be the charger, just because I think that's the one that's going to be the most effective at really screwing up a team in vs. Anyone else want to share your theories?

oiseehowitisthen. Well excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me for being a total time noob.

Also, the weapons are random at start as well instead of just shotgun and SMG. And sometimes there's melee weapons as well. Plus the infinite horde events is a lot of fun (really hard though!) We had some problems with that just because we didn't know exactly what we were supposed to do once we got to the end of it. We pushed the button, but the zombies still keep coming for a couple minutes, and we had no idea what to do. Also, all the added things like the defib, the adrenalyne, the boomer bile, all that stuff is awesome too. Supposedly the AI director will also change the weather as well as randomly generate certain areas of the game as well I've read. Didn't really get to see any of that in the demo, but I'm looking forward to it. Also, the walking witch is pretty tough to avoid sometimes.

haha, that is awesome. Can't wait to see that happen in versus GT, I do not believe you are on my steam list. This must be remedied. (I should be easy to find)

Nice track. Because it's inevitably going to come up in the review thread, it's worth noting that while Amy's voice (intonation mostly) is not flawless, I think she does a well enough job, especially without using any autotune or other vocal fixer-uppers. I suppose it gives the track a more organic feel, and there's definitely nothing wrong with that. That being said, I don't think a subtle amount would have hurt it necessarily, but I do want to make it clear that she can certainly carry a tune well enough for it to not impede my ability to admire her voice. Alright, now that that's out of the way, this is a really nice arrangement. I am especially appreciative of the strings, and kudos are most certainly in order. I don't really have any real production gripes now that Amy has gone back and added some much-needed reverb to sofen the edges just a little bit, although as I was telling Vinnie the other night, I think it wouldn't have hurt if she had put maybe just another 5% reverb on her vocals. I feel like they don't quite match the spaciousness of the guitar. Plus, just a bit more and it would have made me feel like this is they type of performance that's sung in a concert hall, which would be some complimentary brain imagery while listening. But whatever, very minor gripe. YES

Track is called "Moving Forward", which it's certainly not at this point, and we need to address this quickly, guys. Here's a bit of a breakdowns. 0:00 - 0:14 intro obviously references 0:25 of Source (Intro Stage Music) 0:15 - 1:05 is the main melody of (Intro Stage Music) starting around 0:38 and going until about 1:18ish. 1:06 - 1:18 mm, I'm not sure I could tell what it was referencing so I guess it's all original. 1:19 - 1:31 I THINK was a variation of the main melody from the same source. 1:32 - 1:44 is back to the same riff as the first 14 seconds. 1:45 - 2:09 pretty clearly references the Neo Arcadia stage source 2:10 onward goes back to the same backing progression he used from :15 - 1:05, but he changed it from the original and there's no lead this time, so I'm not sure that we can count that as viable source arrangement since the melody was the connector before. Alright, there it is. Do what you want with that guys, but make it quick. Let's keep the line moving! Ok then. First off, thanks for the Submission Austin. This is definitely not a bad track. Here's some specific feedback. The number one thing that jumped out at me is the volume. It's probably just a bit louder than it should be, and there was quite a bit of clipping going on, so it might not hurt to turn your master volume down just a bit and maybe throw a limiter on there as well just in case you go over just a little. You don't want to JUST throw a limiter on there without turning down the volume, because then it's just going to over-compress your track, and while that might get rid of clipping, it won't sound very good. But anyway, I do think the overall audio quality took a hit because of the clipping. Easy fix. I really don't mind the setup here at all--I'm talking about the instrumentation, and even the general EQ for the most part. It's kind of meant to be a loud, in-your-face, thrashing remix, and I can appreciate that. I enjoyed the dirty textures and feel for the most part. I thought the filtered bit at 1:05 was especially awesome. That being said, it does need a little bit of touching up on the EQ and mixing in a couple places--the main one being that middle section from 1:18 - 1:32ish. The mix got reeeeally muddy there, and I couldn't really make out the melody very well, and all the instruments just started fighting for space and things just sounded very jumbled there. And then again the very last leg of the mix (like 2:22 until the end) just had too much going on. All that coupled with the loudness issue definitely brought the quality down noticeably. So if you could touch those up, that would definitely improve the overall quality of the track substantially. And that's not to say the track is bad or anything, I really enjoyed it. Just clean up the production, make it quieter (well, enough that it doesn't clip anyway), and it might not hurt to maybe revisit the main melody on that last segment under the vocals, just to solidify the connection between your remix and the original tune, I think you'd have a good shot here. Good luck, hope to hear you make some fixes and resubmit this one. NO - RESUB

This is a highly interpretive mix, and pretty darn well done. I don't think I ever heard the original, so here's a fresh listen. Nice job with the overall groove shift. Source is pretty laid back and quirky, kind of makes me think of some kind of cartoony late-night robbery or something, and then OA force fed it a box of power bars or something. Thanks for the breakdown, but I'd also say that the connections are reasonably identifiable even without the assist. Production sounds pretty well-balanced, the kick isn't muffled with the bass, guitar sounds pretty solid (both performance and mixwise) strings are decent--maybe a little over-exposed towards the beginning but that gets remedied quickly, and for whatever reason, I really dig the overall tone of the drums. YEP

ditto. had some crazy fun, looking forward to more! *edit* though honestly, we should sue valve, because I was in no way prepared to have that much fun, and I feel that I need to be compensated for the extra endorphins that my brain had to consume.

if the only reason you bought the game was to play it a week before everyone else then you are a dumbass and lol look at me im too cool to use a period and im pretending to make compelling speculation and argument but im not lol

Well, let me stock up on guns, ammo, and explosives first, and then just hijack a Taco Bell delivery truck or something and let it run it's course. True true. I do think that instant, range free global communication (internet mostly) has only thrown gas on the flames. I mean, I'm not saying people didn't pitch tantrums over stupid stuff 20 or more years ago, but I guess back then it was just limited to a person and however far their circle of friends ran. It's pretty common knowledge that people are FAR more likely to complain about something than praise it, so I dunno, I guess the theory is that people may have always been shitheads, but now we've given them the tools to gather together in uncontrollable masses and spread their numbers to not only other shitheads, but those who were sitting on the fence between shitheadedness and non-shitheadedness, as well as the people who are just sheep who go where the masses tell them to go. It's a sad, sad predicament.

People are such morons. I TOOK OFF WORK SO I COULD PLAY A DEMO OF A GAME THAT'S GOING TO BE FULLY AVAILABLE SOON ANYWAY AND I DEMAND COMPENSATION FOR MISSED TIME AND ALSO BECAUSE I AM A TOOL AND UNHAPPY WITH MY LIFE IN GENERAL AND IF I DON'T GET MY WAY I'M GOING TO BE A GENERAL BLEMISH TO MODERN DECENCY AND INFLUENCE A SURPRISING AMOUNT OF PEOPLE TO DO THE SAME. I'm not sure how making awesome games suddenly entitled Valve to the absolute worst community of pure shitheads, but it magically happened. If not getting to play a game demo for a few more hours is REALLY the worst of your problems, then shut the hell up and turn on CNN world news or something. Assuming there's even a hair of a shred of sense and human decency in them (I'm sure there's not) they SHOULD see that they really have nothing to complain about. Our society needs some kind of overhaul. I just can't imagine that people acted this way over such trivial things 20+ years ago.

Not necessarily. I think it's a mentality that's pretty much been adopted by all. Perhaps the biggest demographic for L4D is probably kids from 16-25, but the "I deserve everything I want on my own terms with little to nothing in return" attitude is kind of prevalent in most people these days. At least, most Americans I'd say. I'm really not entirely certain how the rest of the comparable world behaves, but I'd wager it's nowhere near as badly as us.