Liontamer Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 This is for posted & aspiring OC ReMixers, and I'm interested in your thoughts. 1. Why do you think so many people submit and share their remixes to OCR? 2. Why do YOU do it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skrypnyk Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 1) Aspiring attention whores. 2) Certified attention whore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamphibious Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Well, I think its a great way to share your love and appreciation for great video game music. I'm sure a lot of people like to add their own spin to some of the music that they enjoyed as they played the games the love. Its also a good way to get your name out there, due to the popularity of OCR. Sometimes lesser known games are remixed, which is a great way to show appreciation for some of the great soundtracks out there that might go unnoticed otherwise. I haven't submitted anything yet, myself, but I certainly hope to soon. I love taking an enjoyable theme from a game and adding my own spin on it. Its a great way for me to practice production, personally, but its also really fun to take an existing theme and see how you can alter it in interesting and exciting ways. Of course sometimes its just plain fun to remix something. I guess many people here do it for the fun of it, which is awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BardicKnowledge Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 1) OCR is a great venue to get your music heard -- the community reaches quite a few people compared to the average YouTube video, for instance. It also places one's works in a greater context, which is usually impossible to do as an individual (without sounding pompous, in any case). 2) To participate fully in a community that enriches so many aspects of my life. I get so much out of the site that I enjoy giving back any way I can, whether that is m yearly donation in April, or singing now and then when I'm asked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 1. Because they like VGM, performing music, writing it, mixing it etc. and want to share their interpretation of their favourite video game music with tons of VGM fans. 2. I'm just in it for the fame and the women. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Strader Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 This is a good opportunity to share my REAL answers to these questions after that embarrassing sleep-deprived rant I did for that random dude at MAG. 1. Why do you think so many people submit and share their remixes to OCR? I think the people who submit, get posted, and stick with it continue because they understand the advantages of having music released through OCR, such as being a part of the larger vgm community and having their music be heard. OCR has become a really good place for quality music, and being posted is a testament to someone's abilities as a musician, especially if they struggled hard to get there. 2. Why do YOU do it? NO REASON AT ALL! BWAHAHA!! Kidding.. haha... If it weren't for all of the remixes I made over the last couple years, I probably would not have improved as much as I did as a musician. I make good stuff now, and I have OCR and specifically people like OA's input to thank for that. I still remix after having so much lined up to release because it is a hobby that I have grown to love, even though it takes SO LONG for the music to get released here. TOO LONG! I'm growing as a musician to places I am discovering and that are different from where I would have thought. Also I keep doing it because I feel like it validates my inclusion in the community, otherwise I would probably disappear again.. for years... like I did between 2001 and 2009... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darangen Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I make the arrangements because I love the music. I submit them to OC ReMix because I want to give back to the community that got me started. I've been downloading OC ReMixes since I heard Terra in Black by Ailsean back in 2000, when the site was an awful orangish color. I want to share what I create with people like those that came before me did. Plus remixing vgm gets you all the ladies............right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DusK Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 1. People have a lot of different reasons for subbing and sharing music on OCR. That's kind of a big question imo, and there really is no short answer to it. 2. Because I enjoy making music, remixing VGM being a part of that, and OCR is a community that (at least according to the mission statement) revolves around the "appreciation and promotion of video game music as an art form" through interpretive arrangements of video game music. It's the chance to be heard and be a part of something larger than myself that shares the same respect and love for VGM and chooses to tribute it in that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ectogemia Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 1. Attention, tribute, practicing chops (DON'T SAY IT.), attempting to integrate further into the community, experimentation, so forth. 2. I do it because I love the end product. Creating a piece of music is already the shit. Creating something that is peripherally your own while nostalgic and familiar at its core is the shit2x. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonetic Hero Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 This is a good opportunity to share my REAL answers to these questions after that embarrassing sleep-deprived rant I did for that random dude at MAG. Lol, random guy = my big brother Matt (on the forums as [synonym synonym] OOPSIMEAN Sonic Charlatan) 1. People love to be a part of a community; and oftentimes it's hard for people like us geeks to find a community that we actually feel drawn to. It's also a great way to get your music out there and improve yourself, as was mentioned. 2. I'm actually studying to become a composer. The community has taught me a LOT about electronic composition after a few short months (and I'm still learning, and incredibly excited about it); I knew literally nothing about sound production coming into the workshop with my very first piece from FL Studio (a Pitfall remix) in early June, and now it's in the "to be posted" queue. If that isn't a testament to the helpfulness and knowledge of the people of OCR, I don't know what is. The prestige of the community is also giving me an edge for the world of composition, especially after listening to the people I look up to, which is basically everyone in the community who's better than I am (which is a TON of people ) but especially guys who are making a living doing what I want to be doing, like zircon, BGC, and Danny B to name a few (and djp, almost forgot he wrote for a game). And I've always wanted to have composer buddies to push me, but I haven't had that until recently. It's great to be friends with guys like Ecto, Ben Briggs, Emunator, etc. to get quick, honest, and very useful feedback, and in turn hear their pieces and pick stuff up from them that I could be doing to improve my work. In short, why am I a part of the community? Because of everything about it Music is an always-changing entity; there's always something you can learn, and this is a great place to find someone to teach you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darangen Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 practicing chops You mean spohc oiduts rellik? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaMonz Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 1. I think OCR is one of VGM's greatest bastions (among the few communities that promote it in such a gratifying way), which is very inspiring for people who love this art, and who would like it to be more respected in general. Keep it up people, and the world might stop thinking VGM is bloops and bleeps! 2. I love arranging VGM. It provides me with a profound satisfaction that I cannot really explain. So I do my best at ReMixing music that I love, and I submit it in order to try and share this satisfaction with as many people as possible, so maybe it can inspire them just like other ReMixes inspired me (and keep inspiring me). Very interesting thread btw! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ectogemia Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 You mean spohc oiduts rellik? Sorry, I don't speak Hebrew, but I did catch "rellik" in there. Yes, please. Lol, random guy = my big brother Matt (on the forums as [synonym synonym] OOPSIMEAN Sonic Charlatan)1. People love to be a part of a community; and oftentimes it's hard for people like us geeks to find a community that we actually feel drawn to. It's also a great way to get your music out there and improve yourself, as was mentioned. 2. I'm actually studying to become a composer. The community has taught me a LOT about electronic composition after a few short months (and I'm still learning, and incredibly excited about it); I knew literally nothing about sound production coming into the workshop with my very first piece from FL Studio (a Pitfall remix) in early June, and now it's in the "to be posted" queue. If that isn't a testament to the helpfulness and knowledge of the people of OCR, I don't know what is. The prestige of the community is also giving me an edge for the world of composition, especially after listening to the people I look up to, which is basically everyone in the community who's better than I am (which is a TON of people ) but especially guys who are making a living doing what I want to be doing, like zircon, BGC, and Danny B to name a few (and djp, almost forgot he wrote for a game). And I've always wanted to have composer buddies to push me, but I haven't had that until recently. It's great to be friends with guys like Ecto, Ben Briggs, Emunator, etc. to get quick, honest, and very useful feedback, and in turn hear their pieces and pick stuff up from them that I could be doing to improve my work. In short, why am I a part of the community? Because of everything about it Music is an always-changing entity; there's always something you can learn, and this is a great place to find someone to teach you I was being entirely too lazy when I typed my response. Had I expounded upon what little I said, my response probably would have been just about the same as Pete's here. OCR isn't a tunnel for the individual remixer nor a vacuum for the listener. The dynamic between the stars and the aspiring stars is fantastic. Where else can you get a professional composer to listen to your music, critique it, and explain how to fix it *all for free*? You god damn people have been so helpful... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody Wedel Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 1. I'm going to have to side with DusK with this one. Certain individuals may submit to OCR because they simply love vgmusic; others might do it to get their name out there, for their 15 minutes of fame. Another person might've held OC ReMix on such a high musical pedestal for years that their dream was to improve as a musician and get posted on the site. There are an incredible amount of scenarios and I feel this varies from person to person. 2. I haven't exactly submitted any remixes to OCR as of yet, but I have contributed to a few tracks from a to-be-posted OCR project album (DKC3). I can say I worked on said tracks because I love vgmusic and OC ReMix as a whole, nothing else. I wouldn't have minded if I wasn't even credited for the mixes in question, that's how much I'm not in it for the "fame". After all, I *do* have OCR to thank. I wouldn't even be a fraction of the musician I am today (which isn't much to begin with ) had it not been for listening to mixes and reading others' critiques. It's almost incredible how such impeccably talented musicians are willing to help out aspiring mixers by providing extremely valuable insight, whether it be critiquing music in depth, recommending quality soundfonts/VSTs, samples or so on. I don't post much, but I lurk A LOT and some of the most heartwarming threads I've ever seen on any forum have been on here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chernabogue Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Why do I sumbit songs? Because I want to PASS THE PANEL! More seriously, I love VGM and making music, so submitting to OCR will (maybe) allow me to share my passion with other fans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozovian Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 1. It's the only famous enough site for video game music to be worth submitting their masterpieces to. OCR Y U NO UNDASTAND MY GENUS? 2. I'm so damaged by ocr's idea of remixing that I can't do too conservative stuff anymore. I don't have anywhere else to take my meandering messes. The community here seems to like my work, so I keep at it. Can't quit the site until the sd3 project is done anyway. Besides, it's taught me lots to hang around and make stuff, listen to stuff, and crit stuff. I still have stuff to learn, and can't think of any better place to learn than here. On that note, why isn't ocr accredited as an educational institution? Comparing the musical degrees and *ahem* chops of today... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yami Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Well, I haven't submitted anything yet, but I'm here to learn, because since I first heard of OC there was one song which never got remixed (and it still isn't) so I wanted to do my own remix of that song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloodeyezack Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 1. cause I enjoy my type of music, and assume everyone else feels the same. 2.Though I I'm not a OCRmixer. (though I would like to be) I submit cause Ansem told me too. but really I will submit cause its a goal that will help me improve my skills in this art that is OCR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavos Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I submit mixes because I love making remixes, but I like it even more if people can listen to them and enjoy them. I submit to OCR because it makes me so much better as a musician, because of all the feedback on the wip/project boards and of course the evaluation of the judges themselves. By having the bar this high, it really psuhed me to continiue improving: I had a goal to work forward to. If I compare my pre-OCR stuff to the things I make now, there's a world of difference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pokemoneinstein Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 1) pretty much everything everyone else said. Attention, improvement, etc. Often to prove to themselves or others that they can get accepted. 2) I've only done it once, and that was to get a piece of music that I love more attention, because it deserves it. I plan on submitting things in the future, but mostly as songs that I want to make, and when they're done, there isn't much point in not trying. The most important thing to me when making music is perfection, so there isn't really any downside to submitting, because either way, I get tips and criticisms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Hakštok Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 1. Why do you think so many people submit and share their remixes to OCR? Probably because they want their music to be acknowledged by both expert musicians and also the general public, and to get feedback which would help to improve one's production/arranging/playing skills. 2. Why do YOU do it? Well, mostly because I want to know where I'm at with my musical skills. I'm trying to improve as a musician and I think OCR is a great place for that. When I compare my current works with the ones I posted in the WIP section a year ago, I see drastic improvement, all thanks to the feedback from this community Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doulifée Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 i don't thank you for asking you elitist jerks. :mrgreen: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexy Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 1. Why do you think so many people submit and share their remixes to OCR? It can be for a number of reasons. Some may want to write music and get to share their creations with the world. That can be a very common reason because what other outlets are there? Back in 2005, we were spoiled for choice with OCR having the pinnacle of them, VGMix being free for user submissions, Remix: ThaSauce having a more relaxed atmosphere, RPGamer's Sound Test section being very welcoming for RPG remixes, and the Dwelling of Duels to be a part of if you're a live instrument player. But now the climate has totally turned itself on its head. VGMix is dead, hence it seems as if more and more people have gone to send stuff here to get a chance to be heard. Sound Test has trickled down its updates to the point that we are lucky to have an update 2 months after the last (believe me, I sent "The Feather's Reflection" over there back in June complete with the sheet music and it's still not up ). R:TS has also slowed down its updates. And the Dwelling of Duels, while standing strong and having become a more friendly environment now than in previous years, still is no place for someone merely equipped with no live instrument connections. So if anything, the community climate appears to be "OCR or bust"; I know some people may say Youtube, but if there's anything I've learnt from my time there, it's that the audience there is generally too "demoralzingly devoid of substance" (taking a leaf out of djp's book haha) to even pay attention to what you've done. So really, for the artist out there, there's barely anywhere else to go other than OCR. That brings me to another point: They want to improve as a musician. Sure, I know we have the workshop for that, and indeed one of the mixes I had passed was a result of extensive time in the workshop, but even then the judges may find out things that others could not. They also to me appear to be friendlier than they were a few years back as well - even some of the harshest veterans had more digestable feedback that would benefit your work for the better. And to be honest, I don't think the newer (more improved!) version of "Hogtied" would have existed without that feedback. But back to the workshop. That helped form one of the two Crash Bandicoot tracks I had passed - although that actually took a while to come to a conclusion. The performance was refined extremely well and I recall that Stevo LOVED how it turned out (thank you man ); however, at some point in mid-November I was told that there was a conditional yes due to the piano sample used. After some quick work with a different one, it got the formal pass from that judge and the track reached the TBP list that weekend. Even now I'm still refining my solo piano technique, but I feel that I will indeed be getting there. And let's not forget the obligatory point 3 - They want to be famous. You have to admit it - with the amount of industry credentials the site has, people may think that remixing game music is the way forward. For most it can be, but what about some of the more deluded people that this site has drawn, and the meme origins from some of these? ("Can the judges djp", "Your opinions as of late are ridiculous", "(deadly) (production) (cuts)" etc) And look at the amount of older blood here too - I've seen people deciding to suddenly jump in onto the site when they were approaching their 30s, and we've even had rare instances of people remixing in their 40s on here. To be honest, I feel more inspired by people like that than the younger blood, because it tells me something about their modesty and their feelings towards the site, not to mention telling some of us hard-on-our-luck people that we can never outgrow this scene any time soon. tl,dr; Fame, No other way to share music, Self-improvement. 2. Why do YOU do it? The question you really should be asking is, why DIDN'T I do it in the past few years? That was a time when I felt as if I wasn't going anywhere within the community, with VGMix going down and my involvment within the wider community taking several negative blows. At that point, I just wanted to take a more care-free approach to writing music, hence deciding to remain as strictly an album artist (I'm on the site without panicking about the judges) and doing the occasional remix while I try to pursue a more realistic career. And indeed, I let go of the PRC right when I was starting work. But in spite of all this, I've been with this same company for 3 years. It's not at all what I wanted to do, and though my work has been more central over the years, I felt as if I was cheated out of my studies for something like that. If there's anything I missed since my school days, it's the thrill of building as a person. Suffice to say, there had been a 5-month delay between Brandon Strader asking me to send "Hogtied" to the panel and me actually sending it; part of it was Brandon not even sending his end of the blurb, true, but part of it was also my fear of the panel - for what I felt ended up being a great collaboration, I didn't at all want to have my pride destroyed again. And I still wasn't confident when I sent "The Feather's Reflection" over either, over a month since the Threshold listening party. Only when I saw "Hogtied" on the blue TBJ list did it make me think I should make a move on it, and indeed I did. And to be honest, after everything I faced with my solo piano works circa 2005, I honestly wasn't expecting it to pass, let alone get four straight YESes. Then that following April I started to push myself and try "one last time" to get a Crash Bandicoot mix past the panel, because that was my goal since I discovered the site - to witness one make it on the front page. It's part of my adolescence, and part of my namesake. I felt that the only way I could even get past the site, or even come close, was by means of writing solo piano arrangements. So you can color me surprised when the OTHER Crash mix, written for the Dwelling of Duels the following month, passed the panel first! o_O And at that time, I had a more positive outlook. So to sum this up - I submit to the site because of the great PR between the submitters and the staff. My means of musical expression, while a great thing to dive into, can be seen as a mere second in comparison to something like this - not every song I make gets eventually sent over, simply because I feel some don't tend to fit within OCR's mission. And sure, I may have Brandon pulling my leg every now and again making me think that the staff are the opposite to what I'm thinking ( ), but I pledge a lot of trust into the site to make sure it all works out, and will do everything I can to keep on refining my technique. At this point last year I considered myself lucky enough to even have 2 songs on the site; now, I feel as if there's a way to really bring myself out. It's a long post, no need to read it all at once, but my feelings about it need to be said, hahaha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion303 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Initially it was because my free unix shell only allowed 100KB of web space (you read that right) and I needed somewhere to host my terrible FF prelude remix. After that, it was because it felt good to have my name plastered on a growing (now huge) community. And I'm forced to continually get better as the bar gets higher, which is never a bad thing. As to why others submit, I'm guessing the reasons are going to be exactly the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guifrog Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Passion for music, improvement, sharing, attention, fame, extra money with my own original stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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