rRPC - The Remix Role-Playing Competition (Congratulations to Jason Covenant and evktalo)

[Jason Covenant]

To be honest, I actually didn't have the time to listen for both sources, but here you go:

If you don't listen to the sources, you won't know how they were used. I'm not sure how you can judge remixes for source usage without knowing how the sources were used.

Blackout Tower, and no judge felt like either source was missing. ChaosRayZero on YouTube said, "I was wondering where the Elecman music was when it hit me... Playing it in minor key like that was GENIUS!!! ^~^♫". It's basically a mood change with the source. Depends on how you take it, but I think it was a-ok.

Yea, almost everyone does that. Personally, I like to change most things in major to minor. The difference is it's usually still pretty easy to pick out the source with the change.

0:03.51 - 0:05.94 = Source (0:14 - 0:22)

0:07.44 - 0:09.71, etc. =/= Source (0:14 - 0:22) <--- similar, sounds like a modal shift, same rhythm, but not close enough, IMO

0:19.55 - 0:22.04 = Source (0:14 - 0:22)

0:36.04 - 0:38.06 = Source (0:14 - 0:22)

etc. Wherever that harp plays those notes.

You've got better ears for source than I do. I can hear that connection now, but it is really tenuous. Not only are the intervals different, so is the note emphasis. So basically all we have to go off of is rhythm, and it's a very common, nondescript rhythm. Even if we count it, it's an extremely thin use of source by itself. The point of a remix is to pay homage to the source material. If that's all there is from that source, I think the remix misses the mark.

[Supercoolmike]

Ya i can do a lil breakdown Jason. timaeus222 Covered most of it in his evaluation, but those harps and pizz strings at the end were from the sherincal song. The Low notes were from 0:48 from the source video ( the horns being played), while the high notes of the harps and pizz strings were orignal ideas... the reasons I think my portrayal of the sherincal song might not have been heard is that there not in the same tempo and not in the same note duration...and since the sherincals notations were far apart from eachother, I added more notations for the in betweens (also to help portray my version of the saturos theme to mix together)... Also, I might have to agree with you on how thin the source material was Jason. I tried to make sure my use of the sherincal song was plentiful. Its just that IMO, the sherincal song is one giant build up song, of course the emotion is there but there was hardly a melody there to support the emotion that is being portrayed. So I instead tried to make the notations from Sherincal support the chords of the satorus theme. If you got more questions, I shall answer them.

[Yami]

Demons Next Door: Interesting use of the sources, really cohesive, too bad it's so short, and it's a bit loud.

Pokey the Poker: First I thought it was a purely orchestrated piece, until it really started. Great execution and I think this has the possibility to become an OCRemix. It's really groovy!

My Doom is Bigger: When I first listened to the remixes I didn't want to focus on the sources, but on the remix itself, so I didn't look up the sources. Well, I needed to break this rule, because I instantly recognized Gades, but I didn't know where from, and I needed to look it up. Ok, long story short. This really captures the villain vs villain aspect, and you can really feel them wanting to one-up each other. Great mix, with a better production I could also see it end up on the front page.

Chaos and Destruction: Pretty good remix, the execution is great, and rocks big time, but unfortunately the bad recording quality takes a lot out of it. If you have a better microphone, you could really enter DoD with this piece.

A Stormy Sniffle: Uh, this is something you should never listen to at night, it's a pretty scary and villainous piece. Great source usage, and interesting execution.

Wandering eyes: I really liked this one and it was a close decision. Great sounds and great source usage, but unfortunately a bit short.

Soul Rape: Wow, dubstep with a hint of orchestra. Nice. The sources were discoverable, but not too easy (or my ears tire), but it was possible. Too bad it was a bit short.

[Ethan Rex]

So I guess whenever I rendered my track, it rendered in mono. No chance to fix it since I'm headed to work now, but I thought I'd give you guys a heads up - that's not how it supposed to sound.

[djg-music]

Submitted mine just now. Hopefully I can get some reviews up later today. Overall, all the submissions have been really impressive!

[Eino Keskitalo]

Sent mine in! What a painful learning experience. I probably don't have the time to vote on the villains, unfortunately.

[FenixDown]

Alright, all the heroes have sent in their tracks! I don't know how likely it is, but I'll keep the deadline as it was in case any of the Fallen want to send something in. Voting for the Villain bracket closes in just a little over an hour from now, so if you haven't let your voice be heard yet, time is running out.

[FenixDown]

The deadline for submitting mixes for Hero Bracket Round 2 and voting for Villain Bracket Round 1 has passed.

The balance of power between the villains shifted as they took decisive actions against one another. What had once been eight denizens of darkness soon dwindled down to four. And the defeated were bound into servitude under the rule of the ones who vanquished them. As the ranks of the four remaining villains continue to swell, the battle for supremacy rages on.

Villain Bracket Round Two: Subjugation

After a hard-fought battle, four of the Villains have been defeated and were enslaved by their respective opponents. The Villains still in the running have only grown stronger with the inclusion of their new servants. The deadline for the second round of the Villain Bracket is noon EST on Monday, July 7th. Here is the rundown for this week’s match-ups:

Jason Covenant (

) vs. Mindwanderer (

)

Xenonetix (

) vs. Ghetto Lee Lewis (

)

Summons for the Villain Bracket are as follows:

Jason Covenant can summon Anorax’s Deathevan

Mindwanderer can summon gercr’s Dark King

Xenonetix can summon Saint Paradox’s Team Skull

Ghetto Lee Lewis can summon Supercoolmike’s Saturos

Also, for any Villains who were eliminated in the previous round, you have the option of mixing your theme with any one of these world map themes:

If none of these themes appeal to you, you may also mix your character theme with the theme of any other Fallen character’s theme, even those from the Hero Bracket. You are also free to collaborate with any Fallen participant, including Heroes. If these mixes are submitted by the round’s deadline, they will be included in the download for this round.

Now go forth, Villains, and lay claim to what is yours!

[FenixDown]

Voting for the Hero Bracket Round Two is now open! You may download the round’s zip folder here. Voting may be done in the rRPC Social Group and will remain open until noon EST on Monday, July/7. Be sure to vote in every match up or else your vote will not count. If you want to post reviews of the round’s tracks, do so in a single post in this thread.

For easy access to the source themes used in each round, check out the rRPC Roster.

[timaeus222]

If you don't listen to the sources, you won't know how they were used. I'm not sure how you can judge remixes for source usage without knowing how the sources were used.

Yeah, I get that, but I was judging based on the arrangement flow and dynamics with the time I had. Like I said, I didn't get the time to do that, but if I did, I would have. Lewis had more modern production, but what drew me in more with mike was the new time signature and the lesser repetition. I liked Lewis's too, but I thought it was closer of a round than it might seem to others. The gating contributed to that repetition for me. Besides, production isn't supposed to be the top criterion, so I put source adaptation (read: source transformation) above production.

Edited June 30, 2014 by timaeus222

[MindWanderer]

Hard week to compare, the styles were so radically different. Some thoughts:

• Awakes a Hero: These sources combine together really naturally, and djg really capitalizes on that. Very much in the original style of both sources, and well done for that. The flip side of that is originality, though; I personally don't feel like this deviates far enough from the sources to be interesting.
  
• No More Chips: Heh, these sources don't combine together naturally at all, and Ethan capitalizes on that fact really well! Really original and interesting, but clearly uses both sources--although a little light on Frog, it uses the main motif from it extensively, not to mention the energy level. The highs get a little muddy in places, but otherwise it's good, clean production. It does get just a little repetitive by the end. Solo riff is nice but disappointingly short. Fleshed out and cleaned up a bit more, and this is a solid start at front-page material IMHO.
  
• Until The Very End: Again, two sources that blend together almost effortlessly. Vocals are just a tad off-key and could stand some better enunciation. The problem with a traditional vocal piece is that the verse-chorus-bridge structure relies heavily on the vocal performance to carry it, because by itself it isn't an interesting arrangement approach.
  
• Stranger in a Strange Land: Mixed a bit quiet. Enviro-trance like this also generally needs to be pretty long to get up to speed, and I feel like this never quite makes it, and stays feeling thin throughout. The motifs of the sources are definitely there, but I feel like the very style causes them to be under-utilized.

[Supercoolmike]

Also, for any Villains who were eliminated in the previous round, you have the option of mixing your theme with any one of these world map themes

is it possible if I could just do a mix from one of those 4 songs without doing my saturos theme? or its mandatory to include it when I pick one of those 4 Fallen songs?

[FenixDown]

Keeping with the premise of the compo, everyone should use their character themes in their mixes.

[Xenonetix]

Everyone should use their character themes in their mixes.

Except when summoning?

[DarkeSword]

You can't summon if you're one of the Fallen.

[MindWanderer]

I think I finally manhandled Pokey's theme into something usable. It's so short, and the melody only uses 3 notes (one of which is bound to be an accidental), that the hard part is keeping it recognizable--it's not nearly as iconic as, say, Elec Man's theme, so small deviations make a big difference.

Now, if I could only figure out how to transcribe the B part (0:14-0:18)....

[Jason Covenant]

I think I finally manhandled Pokey's theme into something usable.

...into vocals, right?

[FenixDown]

Some thoughts on the tracks currently up for voting.

djg-music - Awakes a Hero - The first thought I had when I drew the Fire Emblem Awakening source for this match-up was how well it already went with Ramza's Theme. The mix itself is pretty good, though a bit on the conservative side, not that that necessarily is a bad thing.

Ethan Rex - No More Chips - The second thought I had when I drew this round theme was along the lines of how Frog's Theme did not quite naturally fix together with the Fire Emblem source. But that didn't stop you from tackling it with guitars blazing. You already brought up an issue with the audio and I would definitely like to hear this again after that's been corrected.

Yami - Stranger in a Strange Land - A nice, atmospheric blending of the two themes. Does sound a bit sparse though. I like it, but I would like there to be more to it.

evktalo - Until the Very End - I really like the lyrics you wrote for this song. The vocals could do with another take, and as Mindwanderer stated, some of the lines need better enunciation. I like the feel of this one and I hope you try again with the vocals when you are able.

Thank you all once again for submitting your tracks. I can tell you guys are stepping up your game. I'm looking forward to the next round. Speaking of, I have determined the source themes for Hero round 3, and I'm pretty stoked about it and I hope the two remaining heroes will feel the same way when they see their round theme.

So, I know tomorrow is a national holiday here in the States, but I hope that isn't enough to prevent people from continuing to vote, nor drawing our villains away from their music for too long.

[FenixDown]

Can I get an update from the Villains on how their mixes are coming along? Also don't forget to vote everyone.

[Xenonetix]

Can I get an update from the Villains on how their mixes are coming along? Also don't forget to vote everyone.

I've had very little time this week, but I've set aside all of tomorrow to finish it and send it to you. - Tricky pieces to mix together though.

[MindWanderer]

Hit some writer's block for a while, and ended up making a couple of choices I'm not 100% happy with, but can't think of anything better right now. On the last section of the arrangement now. Once again, tomorrow is production day; hopefully I won't get sick this time.

[Supercoolmike]

is there a specific way u want the naming to be done for the fallen? (This isn't mentioned in the list from the first post)

[Xenonetix]

When will the Villain bracket on the first page be updated?

[Anorax]

is there a specific way u want the naming to be done for the fallen? (This isn't mentioned in the list from the first post)

I think it follows the naming pattern for whatever type of mix you did.

Fallen Character Theme mixed with a map theme = Hero filename.

Fallen Character Theme mixed with other Fallen Character = Villain filename.

[gercr]

It was really hard to vote, all the entries were really good.

Also, If I manage to make a bonus, how should I name it?

Edited July 6, 2014 by gercr