Lockdown Decision - OCR01001-OCR01250

[Liontamer]

We only have a few candidates for removal. Having gone through everything, here are our potential removals:

Violations:

1. Die Hard Trilogy 'I Love The Airport'

http://www.ocremix.org/detailmix.php?mixid=OCR01046

mv shitted on this one for essentially being a bad version of the source material;

2. Ys 'Beat of Terror'

http://www.ocremix.org/detailmix.php?mixid=OCR01051

http://www.zophar.net/nsf/ys.zip - NSF Track 5; cover

3. Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun 'PharoTeknical'

http://www.ocremix.org/detailmix.php?mixid=OCR01070

Gecko Yamori and plenty of others have crapped on this for not being different enough from the source, both structurally and instrumentally.

4. Streets of Rage 2 'Funkdreamer'

http://www.ocremix.org/detailmix.php?mixid=OCR01090

Rip/cover; original section from 1:50-2:21, i.e. not much;

5. Donkey Kong Country 'Strolling The Mines'

http://www.ocremix.org/detailmix.php?mixid=OCR01101

Samples original instruments with their notes verbatim from Life in the Mines (dkc-12.spc). A good trance song built AROUND the source material.

6. Usagi Yojimbo 'Homage to Amida Buddha'

http://www.ocremix.org/detailmix.php?mixid=OCR01111

As much as I enjoyed this one, Subtune 1 :'-( ; original guitar work from 1:43-2:15 & over the top of the source tune from 3:21-end/4:22, so I'd love to say this is a good cover with VERY basic additions, especially since the SID sounds flimsy as hell; I'm in the minority though

7. F-Zero GX 'Dr. Stuard (Jeff & Toad Air Team Challengers)'

http://www.ocremix.org/detailmix.php?mixid=OCR01193

Violation of current submissions standards; Relies on direct usage of the original;

8. Earthbound 'Dreaming on Distant Shores'

http://www.ocremix.org/detailmix.php?mixid=OCR01234

Remixes essentially a 5-second source tune ("A Flash of Memory" - mo2-045.spc), but changes it around so much that this is more inspired by EB than a remix of it; most reviewers can only place vauge similarites with several others tunes, which I see as well; love the track but it might have to go; NEED ANY OTHER POSSIBLE SOURCE USE CONFIRMATION

May be violations:

9. Final Fantasy 10 'The Final Summoning'

http://www.ocremix.org/detailmix.php?mixid=OCR01017

Mostly-original composition + PS2 in-game vox; zykO basically admits as much in his review, as he was the original collab partner for the mix project; some support chords resemble the note progression of the source tune; one or more of us will receive death threats for this one getting cut;

Notes

King of Fighters 2000 'ReBirth'

http://www.ocremix.org/detailmix.php?mixid=OCR01037

Gecko often goes for a cover style that we've approved in the past; may not even remotely be a violation, but I'd like to know what was done with this;

NOT BEING CONSIDERED: Ari & Larry have now listened to the original and agreed that it's not a violation of any type; this was just an issue of needing the source tune to verify the mixing of a more recent game, and not necessarily an accusation of being a violation

Xenogears 'Child of the Stars'

http://www.ocremix.org/detailmix.php?mixid=OCR01213

This recent mix does not meet judging standards as already explained

NOT BEING CONSIDERED: This is not a case of simply being a rip/violation, but of being too straightforward/unoriginal of an genuine arrangement attempt to pass the judges' panel. This is being reconsidered as a judging issue and not as a lockdown/violation issue

[djpretzel]

Thanks, Larry, for getting the ball rolling.

If everyone could please, please help with this effort, and get ready to vote on whatever list we come up in a flurry/hurry, I'd really appreciate it, as the sooner we can release a new torrent, the better!

[Digital Coma]

This list is complete. Begin voting on all mixes according to category.

[Protricity]

Violations:

1. Die Hard Trilogy 'I Love The Airport'

Cant find the original song in the ost. Nevertheless, this is one of those gut feeling YESs. I mean, its just really obvious. Also we have testimony from several respected members of the community. A questionable YES it gets.

2. Ys 'Beat of Terror'

YES Clearly a rip

3. Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun 'PharoTeknical'

YES Far too close to original. Samples original. Big time violation.

4. Streets of Rage 2 'Funkdreamer'

YES. Direct rip. Minor improvements.

5. Donkey Kong Country 'Strolling The Mines'

YES Very well done, but we must stand by our rules even for impressive songs like this.

6. Usagi Yojimbo 'Homage to Amida Buddha'

YES I said this was a rip from the beginning. This is a remix site, not a homage site. I have the original if anyone wants it. Though there is very minor 'enchancements' to this song, it still qualifies only as a minor upgrade. I'm not much abated by the live guitar later on.

7. F-Zero GX 'Dr. Stuard (Jeff & Toad Air Team Challengers)'

YES Exactly the same as the original with sfx and slight differences. Dissappointing.

8. Earthbound 'Dreaming on Distant Shores'

This is the same problem I had with that recent black omen remix. If anyone votes no on this and yes on that, then they should explain why this should go and not that.

This is not enough of a violation to warrant removal. NO

May be violations:

9. Final Fantasy 10 'The Final Summoning'

NO The chords that support the vocal from the game are present throught the mix. Furthermore, I very much liked how jared kept using the vocal in different ways using different chord progressions, and different instruments. The only issue with this song is that it may be too original, but that is out of the scope of this lockdown. We're looking for violations only. Had this gone through the panel now, it probably would not pass. I wouldn't pass it. But through our relaxed lockdown guidelines, I feel that it should not be swept up.

[Digital Coma]

Violations:

1. Die Hard Trilogy 'I Love The Airport'

YES - insubstantial original, but no excuse for so much repetitious rippage and verbatim notes with sfx additions

2. Ys 'Beat of Terror'

YES - rip

3. Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun 'PharoTeknical'

YES - original extensively sampled

4. Streets of Rage 2 'Funkdreamer'

YES - too much rippage

5. Donkey Kong Country 'Strolling The Mines'

YES - samples original instruments playing original notes verbatim; mostly original song otherwise

6. Usagi Yojimbo 'Homage to Amida Buddha'

YES - too much rippage with a few additions

7. F-Zero GX 'Dr. Stuard (Jeff & Toad Air Team Challengers)'

YES - rip; this is a very obvious trend from Cyborg Jeff

8. Earthbound 'Dreaming on Distant Shores'

YES -

[05:38] * Digital_Coma is playing Mother 2 - A Flash of Memory (0:04/0:55)

[05:39] <Digital_Coma> um

[05:39] <Digital_Coma> the whole mix comes from just this?

[05:39] <Liontamer> apparently

[05:40] <Digital_Coma> that's two fucking chords

[05:40] <Digital_Coma> fuck this

Definitely beyond the boundaries of 'liberal rearrangement.' Having listened to the barely-even theme, I see how ridiculously deviant this "mix" is, having no relation to the Earthbound soundtrack other than in style.

May be violations:

9. Final Fantasy 10 'The Final Summoning'

Borderline, come back to it later

[GrayLightning]

5. Donkey Kong Country 'Strolling The Mines'

YES - samples original instruments playing original notes verbatim; mostly original song otherwise

I need to get these mp3s this weekend. But I heard this before DJP posted it. Someone explain exactly what "samples original instruments means." I know what it means literally, but what does it mean in this context? Granted it's been 6 or something months since I heard it, but I don't remember such violations.

[Digital Coma]

The instrument samples used to play the melody are exactly the same as in the original. Exactly. They play the exact same notes as in the original. Exact same.

[djpretzel]

If the instruments were the same but the notes altered, you could say there was arrangement. If you switch that, you could STILL say there was arrangement in terms of instrumentation. When both are identical, yeah, it's a little problematic, and you have to look elsewhere, in this case to that track's underlying trance structure, which is additive in relation to the original.

[Digital Coma]

I consider the underlying trance structure to not have enough relevance to the verbatim source material; in other words, the trance is too original and the melody instrumentation IS the original.

[Liontamer]

I consider the underlying trance structure to not have enough relevance to the verbatim source material; in other words, the trance is too original and the melody instrumentation IS the original.

I don't mind the use of the source tune verbatim, since Rapture actually used the same soundbank as the Rare team; that's actually pretty cool. My main problem is the fact that the I agree that the trance structure isn't tied into "Life in the Mines" nearly enough to consider the track a rearrangement rather than original trance material with the source tune referenced on top of it.

IMO, the source material is not integrated with the original material, it's just over the top of it. I didn't hear any chords from the original used in the trance work to piece it together with the source. To me, it's just a more sophisticated example of using, say, the Mario theme and then putting a good beat underneath it that sounds good but has nothing thematically to do with the Mario theme. At some point I feel the two aspects should piece together through rearrangement.

I've got zero problem with Rapture using the same soundbank the Rare team used. Just the fact that it's source tune placed on top of an original; if you removed the source tune use from the track, you wouldn't hear a single thing that's from "Life in the Mines", so I'm not feeling it as a rearrangement.

My votes are coming sometime either shortly after VG Frequency or later tomorrow, no later than that.

[djpretzel]

1. Die Hard Trilogy 'I Love The Airport'

Yes - too similar to the original.

2. Ys 'Beat of Terror'

Yes - essentially the original with better samples. My mistake.

3. Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun 'PharoTeknical'

Yes - a bit harder time with this one, but when compared to the original, the improvement are solely in the sonic realm, and don't involve an overhaul so much as a polishing. Scott still did a good job, and I'd still rather listen to his version of the track, but it's an upgrade, not an arrangement, in the end.

4. Streets of Rage 2 'Funkdreamer'

Yes In a 3'30" song, 30" represents 1/7th of the whole thing, so I'm not sure Larry's comment that that's "not much" is accurate. I'm a little more borderline on this, but would still probably say it's too similar both in instrumentation and arrangement...

5. Donkey Kong Country 'Strolling The Mines'

http://www.ocremix.org/detailmix.php?mixid=OCR01101

Yes - the trance is original, and quite good, no questions there. But it's essentially a very competent, well-constructed trance framework that's been placed under the main two melodic elements from the original - harp and calliope lead. It's totally okay to use the samples from the game, and in this case would have worked fine, had the sequencing not also been taken from the game without any alteration. These two elements are the foundation of the mix, and without them you're left with, as I said, a framework. They are too essential, when combined, to not have been altered/arranged in some fashion. Still fun to listen to, as are most if not all of these, but not a ReMix.

6. Usagi Yojimbo 'Homage to Amida Buddha'

http://www.ocremix.org/detailmix.php?mixid=OCR01111

No - Listen to the whole thing, and listen closely. If you just listen to the first bit, yeah, it sounds like a rip. I was fully aware of this similarity when I posted it, unlike some others, and still think the sum total of the changes/additions made give the mix a different flavor. The soloing may not be abundant but what's there fits perfectly, as do the very subtle additions that are throughout - the LOUDER elements of this mix are the ones that unfortunately derive from the original, and the additions are all more subtle and background, but in a piece like this, they're very crucial. This probably represents my threshold for similarity to the original, but when studied VERY closely is not enough of a violation to remove.

7. F-Zero GX 'Dr. Stuard (Jeff & Toad Air Team Challengers)'

http://www.ocremix.org/detailmix.php?mixid=OCR01193

Yes - too similar, direct sampling from original in excess.

8. Earthbound 'Dreaming on Distant Shores'

http://www.ocremix.org/detailmix.php?mixid=OCR01234

I have a hard time with this one. I hate telling anyone it's toooooo different from the original, especially when we see the opposite so much more often. It's a minimal original to begin with - not four seconds long, not 55 as it loops within the SPC, but still pretty short. It also consists of basically two chords and a somewhat computeresque melody of notes arranged around those two chords - no verse/chorus structure, very basic rhythm. It's not unlike much of the Earthbound soundtrack in that regard. I have a hard time seeing how anyone could ReMix this without doing what Rellik's done, that's my problem. In the end, this probably represents my threshold on the other side of the fence - given the source material, I'm not quite sure how anyone could avoid the criticisms we're throwing at it, it does use the original (and change it, as well), and other aspects (production, additions) are quite good. I'd say no. I think the definition of what a ReMix can be stretched to this limit - perhaps no further, however - when the source material itself is as sparse and intermittent as some of Earthbound's is.

May be violations:

9. Final Fantasy 10 'The Final Summoning'

http://www.ocremix.org/detailmix.php?mixid=OCR01017

Perhaps Jared thinks he slipped one past us and got an original through based solely on the inclusion of a vocal motif from FFX, but the mixers have been up front about this, and frankly, it's the presence of the original vocal passage that makes this track memorable. Without it, it would be a pretty lackluster original, in my view. So, they built a structure around an in-game melodic vocal sample, BUT the structure is not only good, but relies upon the original - NEEDS the original, in fact - to work as well, and also puts the very simple motif in a richer, more elaborate context, changing the vibe.

It's not something I'd encourage in the future, it's something I think the panel should evaluate VERY carefully, and the extensive in-game sampling is problematic.

But I'd still say no.

[Liontamer]

Violations:

1. Die Hard Trilogy 'I Love The Airport'

YES

texx tried to do some things with it both arrangement & rearrangement-wise, and no one's condemning it for having a very minimalist sound style. In terms of working with the source tune however, I believe this is too simplified of a reinstrumentation effort overall that doesn't give of a unique-enough take on the original.

2. Ys 'Beat of Terror'

YES

Definitely a verbatim rip/cover

3. Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun 'PharoTeknical'

YES

Very cool track, but I felt the area of 3:10-3:40 was the only section that didn't specifically rely on the foundation of the original. The rest of the track featured the most prominent parts of the original with minorly-arranged percussion from the original on top and some light synth modulation underneath. If the changes of the arrangement of the percussion were more dynamic compared to the source, I definitely would have NOed this. Definitely a great remix, but not one that I feel fits the ReMix standards here.

4. Streets of Rage 2 'Funkdreamer'

YES

I'm somewhat biased, because I like the original and the funk vibe here is good. There's nothing inherently wrong with straight arrangement, but the creative take of the artist in terms of the sounds and/or additions has to be pretty dynamic in order to get my support. "Tactile Freefall" & particularly "Space Cowboys" are recent examples that I feel illustrate how to stick closely to the structure of their source tunes but also feature substantial instrumentation ideas that significantly change the feel and upgrade the original. I feel "Funkdreamer" is about halfway there in doing this with the style, but is ultimately only a minor genre adaptation compared to those other post-1000 examples; even the bongos that are here are actually punched up from the Genesis version if you listen really closely. If I heard some substantial sounds additions (rather than changes) compared to the original, I would have been down.

5. Donkey Kong Country 'Strolling The Mines'

YES

As much as I hate to remove an actual composer's work, this really is a trance original simply built around the source material, even though the source material usage isn't a rip. I didn't hear anything significant done to weave aspects of the source into this original trance work, much like the Metroid submission we rejected fairly recently only more sophisticated.

6. Usagi Yojimbo 'Homage to Amida Buddha'

NO

As I said when I flagged this for consideration, I say this is a good cover with VERY basic additions. I may be in the minority here, because this doesn't change the feel of the source's sound enough, like "Funkdreamer", BUT this adds a lot more here compared to the SID via several varying types of countermelody that are somewhat hard to notice without active listening, along with the inclusion of the original guitar work for a notable portion of the track. Not much in the way of polyphony at times, but there isn't any specific formula/context for how a straight arrangement's additions best sound, and frankly I feel it's a lot easier to get a straight arrangement of a SIDtune or NEStune up to par given how minimal-sounding many of those source tunes are.

While not as sophisticated or substantial as "Space Cowboys" additions, I felt this worked in adding other support sounds/instruments to give the remix enough additional elements compared to the original, especially since the SID sounds flimsy as hell and you get the aforementioned guitar work coming in over the top of this one from 1:43-2:15 & 3:21-4:22 to add something to it for over a third of the track.

7. F-Zero GX 'Dr. Stuard (Jeff & Toad Air Team Challengers)'

YES

Relies way too much on the original for the foundation of the mix. No offense meant at all, but whereas Scott Peeples' "PharoTeknical" is an example of a great remix that nonetheless doesn't fit the guidelines, I felt the changes made here were less substantial than that. I would have loved to have heard the SIDtune-style section used more.

8. Earthbound 'Dreaming on Distant Shores'

NO

The four notes of Rellik's first measure (:04-:07) are a viable arrangement of the first four notes in the five-note pattern in "A Flash of Memory" (:00-:01), then Rellik alters those notes in a slightly different pattern for the second measure from :08-:11. The four notes of Rellik's third measure (:12-:15) are also a viable arrangement of the four notes in the five-note pattern in "A Flash of Memory" from :02-:04, then Rellik alters those notes in a slightly different pattern for the fourth measure from :16-:19. That 15-second rearrangement is the basis of this ReMix. Muting all but the 7th voice of the SPC helped isolate the source tune melody.

I placed this one up for consideration on account of all the reviewers who stated that they didn't hear the original in this. But Rellik's arrangement of the source is used prevalently throughout the course of the remix and is undoubtedly the foundation of the track. The question was whether the use of the original was recognizable in the context of the mix, and upon close inspection of the SPC I now understand that it is.

I'll be the first to admit that the connection was tough to place, but it's there. Great job of building up a minimal idea into something much more. The usage of this piece of the source tune is very minimal, but I love remixes of minimal pieces of a source tune as long as the connection I hear is solid.

May be violations:

9. Final Fantasy 10 'The Final Summoning'

NO

Not even considering the direct sampling of the vox from the game itself, the baritone horn plays the recognizable arrangement of "Song of Prayer" female/lead vox from :47-1:00, then a slight rearrangement of it from 1:00-1:07. The horn uses the recognizable arranged structure of the female lead of "Song of Prayer" from 1:23-1:29. The cello arranges from 1:50-1:57, with the last two notes providing the main connection to the note pattern of female lead vox.

At 3:19, Abram McCalment's transition into the guitar solo, especially with the last three notes from 3:23-3:25, is a simplified arrangement of "Song of Prayer", before he provides direct use of source's note progression through call-and-answer with the sampled vox from 3:26-3:53.

Checking the original PSF, the choir singing the source tune, "Song of Prayer", is a full choir. That being said, I focused my attention to the male vox providing support chords for the more prominent female vox, and indeed Jared's whole note cello moves in a note pattern similar enough to the notes of male vox support in "Song of Prayer". Though that probably wasn't a purposeful thing, that wasn't my concern. You hear Jared use the cello this way throughout the mix (e.g. 1:16-1:22, 1:30-1:43, 1:57-2:09, 2:25-2:38, 2:45-3:11, 4:07-4:34). Considering that I feel Jared referencing the male vox support chords of the source tune with a similar note progression from the cello is viable rearrangement, there's nothing making me feel this needs to be removed. If I hadn't made the connection of the cello to the male vox, this track would have been too original in my eyes.

[GrayLightning]

1. Die Hard Trilogy 'I Love The Airport'

YES - too much similarity to the original is the main issue here.

2. Ys 'Beat of Terror'

YES

This isn't a rip. I know the theme well. There are minor additions here and there. Like the staccato rhythm of the strings. Yura always does a great job with his execution. But this is too conservative a take of the mix and is not arranged enough for our comfort, but this isn't a mere rip in my opinion.

3. Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun 'PharoTeknical'

YES

Great job, and great production, but unfortunately is more of an upgrade arrangement wise.

4. Streets of Rage 2 'Funkdreamer'

YES

I find this tricky. There's some arrangement going on here and GY did a great job here with the production department. More arrangement work here would have been great, because everything else was in place for something awesome. Kind of borderline on this, but I sadly am slanted to vote for removal.

5. Donkey Kong Country 'Strolling The Mines'

YES

This one was definitely a hard one for me to decide on. Both sides of the fence are definitely feasible, and I don't have a strong views either way with this mix. I have no issue with it using the same/sameish banks of the original. I don't think that's an issue here at all. I'm going to slant to vote for removal only because I can agree with some of the previous statements made where the underlying work here is not integrated/related enough with the original. Cool piece for what it is though, but a valid arrangement by the site's standards? Probably not.

6. Usagi Yojimbo 'Homage to Amida Buddha'

NO

Yeah there's a lot that borrows from the original, but there's a lot of additions here that just work. I'm going to say keep the mix as there is enough unique material interwoven in the mix. If this were on the panel I'd probably borderline reject it, but as the lockdown rules are more lenient I'm going to vote to borderline keep it.

7. F-Zero GX 'Dr. Stuard (Jeff & Toad Air Team Challengers)'

YES

I loved this, but unfortunately I did not have access to the source material initially. Dissapointed with CJ. I expected more. Too much reliance on the original.

8. Earthbound 'Dreaming on Distant Shores'

NO

I'm voting to keep this. For the reasons DJP eloquently mentioned. I don't know how one could arrange a theme like this without doing what Rellik has done. The question that we might have to ask ourselves is where do we put a limit on source materials? If the source material was 10 seconds, how can we really judge that for arrangement purposes. This mix really pushes the limit for me on what something can be arranged. The original was also really trashy (I have no doubt that some drug induced 7 year old composed this theme. ) Rellik did a good job with the source material.

9. Final Fantasy 10 'The Final Summoning'

NO

I never liked this one to be honest. This one was really pushing the limit for me of what an arrangement is. But considering the source material, it's argueable on how this could have been arranged otherwise. I feel this has some similarity with the Rellik issue. Questionable ratio of original/arrangement, but it's not a clear violation for me anyway - so I'm going to vote to keep it.

[DarkeSword]

1. Die Hard Trilogy 'I Love The Airport'

Too similar to the original. The only thing changed is really the drums and the airport effects. Some decent synthwork, but not enough change.

YES

2. Ys 'Beat of Terror'

NSF rip with nice samples. Try RPGamer instead. They like this stuff.

YES

3. Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun 'PharoTeknical'

There are parts of this that even sound the same, as far as textures. I just don't think it's different enough.

YES

4. Streets of Rage 2 'Funkdreamer'

Again, this feels like an upgrade rather than a remix. There are some parts like the sax and bass breakdown that are a bit original, but on a whole, the mix uses the same instrumentation and style as the original.

YES

5. Donkey Kong Country 'Strolling The Mines'

Argh so borderline on this one. It's really good trance, but it doesn't really attempt to remix the source material in any way. It's just built around it. The melodic line never passes to an original sound save the section at 2:30; there's no melodic play, either. Meh. Coulda been a contender.

YES

6. Usagi Yojimbo 'Homage to Amida Buddha'

Borderline. Sounds are very similar, but I'm going to have to say that the guitar adds enough countermelodic ideas to warrant retention. I'd NO JUDGE it, but this is just lockdown.

NO

7. F-Zero GX 'Dr. Stuard (Jeff & Toad Air Team Challengers)'

Rip. 'Nuff said.

YES

8. Earthbound 'Dreaming on Distant Shores'

I can't for the life of me understand why this was even flagged in the first place. I compared both songs and I immediately picked up on the specific melodic hit points in the remix. Excellent remix of short source material. This is the essence of originality in remixing.

NO

[Malcos]

1. Die Hard Trilogy 'I Love The Airport'

Don't hear any difference from the original in this one really, apart from the drumbeats.

YES

2. Ys 'Beat of Terror'

This is like an upgrade of the original.

YES

3. Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun 'PharoTeknical'

Very well produced, but too similar to the source.

YES

4. Streets of Rage 2 'Funkdreamer'

I did like this one, but I must be objective. This is in the same style as the original, and has too

similar a groove. There is the saxophone section that is original, but I'm not sure if it is enough.

YES

5. Donkey Kong Country 'Strolling The Mines'

This doesn't really add anything to the original, doesn't mix it up. Not an easy one.

YES

6. Usagi Yojimbo 'Homage to Amida Buddha'

I'd say this is a keeper - there are lots of little touches in the background if you listen really carefully, and the guitar features quite prominently in this mix. The SID track is so sparse it would have been blatantly obvious if he hadn't added quite a bit to it.

NO

7. F-Zero GX 'Dr. Stuard (Jeff & Toad Air Team Challengers)'

Wow this is almost exactly the same.

YES

8. Earthbound 'Dreaming on Distant Shores'

Well there wasn't much to go on here, but I think it's still recognisable, particularly because a similar sound was used. But there wasn't much source to begin with. Good remix, this.

NO

[Protricity]

anallock said he'd vote on this today, but I think we're good as it is. Everything seems pretty unanimous.

[Liontamer]

anallock said he'd vote on this today, but I think we're good as it is. Everything seems pretty unanimous.

Danny Nowshky might be down for voting tonight as well, and we still need Binnie, Shariq & Steve to solidify the vote on Final Summoning, since that one was so questionable.

[Vig]

1. diecrud: YES omg too close to the original

2. "beat off terror" YESrip/cover/verbatim/etc

9. Final summrnig NO look if this is a rip you might as well take off May fortune smile upon you for the same reasons. the vocal clip was all there was to the original, i have no problem with him building a song around it, especially considering the song he builds has a chord progression analogous to the vox line

i'll get around to all of them the next time i'm out of bed.

[danny B]

1 - Die Hard Trilogy

- YES Doesn't compare to the original. Quality and originality issues.

2 - Ys

- YES No real arrangement here. NSF + Samples. ROFL.

3 - Command and Crud

- YES It's rockin and rollin, yea - but man - this is an upgrade, not a remix. Sorry dude.

4 - Streets of WAAAA

- YES sped up a bit, not really much more than sample upgrade with minor improvisation.

5 - Donkey Dong

- YES It's been said, and much more eloquently than I. Radical trance original surrounding some donkey dong action.

6 - Some asian bull#@%&

- I can't play this mysterious SID file. Until then, if it's not a rip, sound quality and orchestration, etc is fine.

7 - F-Rippo

- YES Rip. Could this be OCR's Nukkus?

8 - Earfbound

- YES Gonna have to go with mah dawgs on this. Sound inspired by, yet not entirely true to the original. Sorry dude.

9 - Jared Fagson's Final Crap

- NO Think I reviewed this one. Great example of how to effectively expand on a small idea, while remaining true to the original. GJ GG AFK LOL

[djpretzel]

Voting is closed.

All pieces except for Usagi, Earthbound, and FFX will be removed.

-------------------------

You may have already seen the dicussion thread regarding this process at http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=44269 - essentially, similar to the lockdown we underwent when OCR01000 was posted, we've taken a look at OCR01001 to OCR01250 (technically, the last two haven't been posted yet) and reevaluated mixes, looking for standards violations that were really inarguable. Six mixes have been removed as a result of this process, after voting by a majority of the judges panel that indicated consensus or near-consensus on most of the candidates.

The decision thread is available at http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=44147 , and is the best way to get an idea for why we did this, what we were looking for, and why each of us felt the mixes in question - while each of them enjoyable pieces of music by talented musicians - weren't in alignment with that the site is calling a 'ReMix'.

Now, it's important to understand, we're not saying people didn't like these mixes. Hell, WE liked them, or most of us did. We're not saying that by removing them, OCR is now 100% pure and a far better website, etc., etc., nor are we casting aspersions on the mixers who spent time and energy creating and submitting these pieces. We're just saying that, in these cases, someone (that'd be me) wasn't as intimately familiar with the original as he should have been, and pieces that - while they have a lot of other great qualities - were short on arrangement got through and were posted.

So, why bother? People like the songs, so why not just let them stay on the site? There's plenty of places to make music available online; we feel that OCR is special because, ostensibly, it MEANS something that the piece is here. Specifically, it indicates that, in the estimation of myself and/or the panel, the mix in question isn't just great music, but also pays homage to the original by interpreting it. Determining what constitues due interpretation is the panel's and my own challenge, and it's not easy, but it wouldn't be fair to the many mixers that submit if we didn't apply our policies as equitably and fairly as possible across the board.

When we feel like we KNOW, i.e. we're pretty damn sure, a piece is far too close to the original to be on the site, and that it's having been posted is the result (usually) of not comparing it in depth with the original, we feel like we owe it to ourselves and every other mixer to take action. OCR is meant to represent a collection of songs that jive with a certain idea - that the game music of yesterday and today is strong enough, in its own right, to warrant reinterpretation. That idea is only furthered - the hypothesis only supported - when mixes are posted that feature a substantial amount of arrangement.

Removing songs is never going to be popular, with almost anyone. Especially the mixers, who may or may not agree with the panel's decision, but in either case have had their music on the site for awhile, only to see it removed. I'm an idealist, perhaps too much of one, so I can see it from that perspective, but I don't blame people who aren't for being... displeased. I can only say that our intentions are to preserve the mission statement of the site, and that doesn't always mean pleasing everyone, or even a majority, depending on the circumstances.

For awhile, for those who want a last chance to download the mixes in question from OCR (they are most likely available from mixers' personal sites or elsewhere on the net), I'm keeping the files online at the following locations:

http://www.ocremix.org/songs/temp/Command_and_Conquer_Tiberian_Sun_PharoTeknical_OC_ReMix.mp3

http://www.ocremix.org/songs/temp/Die_Hard_Trilogy_I_Love_The_Airport_OC_ReMix.mp3

http://www.ocremix.org/songs/temp/Donkey_Kong_Country_Strolling_The_Mines_OC_ReMix.mp3

http://www.ocremix.org/songs/temp/F-Zero_GX_DrStuard(Jeff&ToadAirTeamChallengers)_OC_ReMix.mp3

http://www.ocremix.org/songs/temp/Streets_of_Rage_2_Funkdreamer_OC_ReMix.mp3

http://www.ocremix.org/songs/temp/Ys_Beat_of_Terror_OC_ReMix.mp3

And, lastly - but importantly - I'd like to thank the judges panel for working on this; it's not fun work, no one really jumps in joy over the result, but it's all part of the job...