OCR01512 - *YES* Amberstar 'AmberTrance'

[Liontamer]

Hi there

My Name is Beat Gregoric alias VIRTUALVIBE and i produced a sweet trancy Amberstar (Amiga) ReMix. I’m 26 Years old and from Switzerland (yes Cheese and Cows The Song isn’t the opening-Theme, but its from inGame Level 11 or something like that. It would make me happy enormous, if u can build in it in your Playlist / Database.

My Homepage: www.virtualvibe.ch Under Section Downloads u will find the Track.

I’m still working on a new Remix called Venus the Flytrap, wich is also from the Amiga.

So then I hope my AmberTrance will pleases u and please give me a Feedback.

Thx and greeting from Switzerland J

Beat

[Vig]

in trying to download this track i accidentally "bewerten"ed "sehr gut," which is opposed to "schlecht." I'm not sure I made the right decision.

This is passable, if not revolutionary trance. can't however make a decision until i hear the original.

[Liontamer]

http://www.exotica.org.uk/tunes/archive/Authors/Game/Hippel_Jochen/Amberstar.lha - "hipc.Misty_Orc_Hop"

Kinda of funny, I Googled for more info on the original soundtrack and found that he spammed a couple of demoscene sites with this same track. Well, nothing wrong with trying to pimp your material out there.

Well, it's a decent track, but still rather boring in terms of the synth design. Melody really picked up at 1:05 with some thicker beats and kicks. Decent change in dynamics and feel at 2:02, though again the bleh synth design undermines the writing choices.

I can roll with the bread and butter sounds, and Jesse's right in that the arrangement is at least alright, but the production on everything is pretty underwhelming. Maybe it's just my experience with Remix.Kwed.Org and AMIGAremix, but many artists from the Commodore scene could produce a much better sonic result than this with the same samples. On that level, this needs to enhanced via more creative post-production. For me, the arrangement doesn't make up for how bland the track sounds. Maybe you'll have better luck with the others though, so good luck bro.

NO (refine/resubmit)

[zircon]

I dunno, the production is at least solid. There's some automation going on, variation in the percussive patterns, decent synth design. I wouldn't agree that it's "underwhelming" aside from the drum samples being rather generic. However, I do think that throughout the course of the song, the texture is too plain. What I mean by this is that basically you have the same type of sounds throughout, even if you're making small layering changes. If you listen to stuff by, say, bLiNd, sgx, binster, or tefnek, all of whom make pure electronic mixes, there's more sonic changes going on. In this mix, there's very little difference between the synth sounds from one part to the next, or even from one sound to another. To me, this makes the mix a lot less interesting than it could be. There are more sounds than detuned saws!

In regards to arrangement, I like what you did with the source, but the structure could be better. It's hard to say where the beginning, middle, and end are. Skip to 1:10 and you've got a nice big melody going on there with the beat in the background. At 1:45 it's a similar soundscape. 3:04 the bass isn't moving around, but again, there's about as much going on. In short, there's not much progression here. From a purely technical standpoint you did rearrange the theme, but looking at the big musical picture, it's done in a way that isn't engaging to the listener, in my opinion.

Don't be dissuaded from submitting here again. This is a good track, and it's not far from our standards. Keep at it and you'll get a mix on this site before long.

NO

[JJT]

maybe it's because i'm not as much of a stickler on production/sound design, but for me this is over the bar, if just barely.

the arrangement is plenty creative. though it's true that the synth design isn't as varied or creative as it could be, that's not enough to sway my vote.

this probably won't pass anyway, but as far as I'm concerned this gets a

BORDERLINE YES

[Malcos]

I think the production on this is well done, although I do agree with the comments that the synths could have sounded more interesting. This is very borderline imo, although I'm going to go for a NO on this occasion.

[zykO]

i, on the other hand, think this rocks.

i hear nothing bland about this. i've heard a lot of bland submissions tonight... and this is not one of them; this has a lot of life to it so i'm not sure where you're getting the bland impression.

the production, like malcos said, is well done. i have no qualms there at all. very nice.

arrangement is rad. for a trance track, even, it is really adventurous which is refreshing. the crowd in the beginning = score. definetly kept my attention

put it this way, i'm all doped up on vicodins right now and couldn't get up and run if my apartment caught on fire; but i'm dancing in my seat to this.

you got my vote, son

YES

[big giant circles]

Definitely not revolutionary, but definitely pretty cool, and fairly well done. I'm with zyko on the crowd thing--mucho gusto.

I like the change-up at 2:06, initially. Gets a little boring immediately after until about 2:36, where it starts to build back some momentum. However, from about 2:49 onward, it's just sort of coasting until it stops. Kind of anticlimatic, IMO.

I think it's still fairly cool for the most part, but I have yet to download the necessary plugins to compare it to source. Will vote officially later.

[Jillian Aversa]

BGC hit the nail on the head; everything past about three minutes is fairly bland. I was kind of expecting the crowd to come back in with some final reactions, but hey, that's cool.

Definitely bouncing my way through this track. It's catchy and fun, demonstrates some decent arranging skills, and the production sounds A.O.K. I don't see anything wrong with the straight-forward approach you've taken. It's not terribly daring, but doesn't have to be. You've got all the basics down and a good deal more.

The change at 2:07 was somewhat abrupt. That's my only real gripe. If this mix passes, hopefully our comments will help encourage you to keep drawing in knowledge and influence.

YES

[big giant circles]

Well, I guess I get to be teh n00b ti3br34k3r, zOmGz0rzz!!!!!11!!!eleven!!!1!!one!!!11

Upon listening to the source, this is passable on the arrangement level as far as I'm concerned. 2:20 onward was a bit of a let-down in terms of expectations, but overall, this song was decently constructed. The gating was nicely-done, and the crowd effect blew my socks off. The theme itself is catchy enough. 1:05 suffers a little clipping/overcompression, but it doesn't cripple the piece, nor sway my vote. I would have preferred for the crowd to make a 2nd appearance in the 2nd half of the tune, but that was your call, and while it's not what I would have rather heard, my preference is not what this vote is based on.

YES

I do look forward to your future submissions, as well.

[Liontamer]

Well, I guess I get to be teh n00b ti3br34k3r, zOmGz0rzz!!!!!11!!!eleven!!!1!!one!!!11

Nope. Vote's too close at 4Y/3N, IMO. I'd like to see what the others think.

[big giant circles]

whoops, my badz. i was told it was a 4 Y thing. I was kind of nervous about casting my vote for that very reason.

[The Orichalcon]

whoops, my badz. i was told it was a 4 Y thing. I was kind of nervous about casting my vote for that very reason.

Don't mind Larry, he's just asserting his authority as the dominant male. He might try to pee on you too.

[Liontamer]

whoops, my badz. i was told it was a 4 Y thing. I was kind of nervous about casting my vote for that very reason.

*pee on yo leg*

[big giant circles]

*pee on yo leg*

well, it's better to be pissed on than pissed off.

no, wait. shit.

[zykO]

regardless...

what is the pressing majority weigh-in? who's left that we haven't heard from?

[Liontamer]

regardless...

what is the pressing majority weigh-in? who's left that we haven't heard from?

DarkeSword, The Orichalcon, Vigilante

[The Orichalcon]

The production in general is all right, but some of the synths in this are a little too raw and loud for the over-all sound of the mix, as though they slipped through the compression cracks. The beats sound good and are repetitive, which I'd expect anyway.

The arrangement isn't engaging at all. This is another of those trance mixes that doesn't really try to engage the listener with an outstanding arrangement, but instead tries to rely on good sounds and production and beats to carry the piece through. Don't get me wrong that the arrangement is good here, and it's enjoyable in a background music scene, but does it pass the OCR bar?

I'd have to say, no it doesn't. The beats are good, but the rest of the track sounds bland, and as much as I'm going to get a load of shit from the trance public over this, you can't let the beats carry the mix through. As zirc said, you use the same sounds right the way through the mix, and even the beats become repetitive. The switch-up at 2:10 was welcome but was executed poorly in my opinion. The detuned synths that you've used sound quite lame in comparison to the overall soundscape you had built up to this point. And the jabby bass-synth sounds way too raw and loud, giving it a newbish sound that is most unwelcome. The rest of the mix from there is carried by the beats, no question. There's no melody at all from the last minute which is unforgiving for any piece of music that's only 4 minutes long.

NO

[DarkeSword]

Well I think this is a pretty solid piece altogether. Nice beats, nice construction, good enough arrangement. I don't think it sounds "bland." It's an older-style synth design, but no less viable.

I like it.

YES

[Vig]

The production and synth design are not superb as they might be in a binster mix. However, they are well above adequate. I have no gripes on the prouduction end. Lack of innovation does not get points off...just misses out on some bonus points. The arrangement is solid. Good dynamics, enough variation to keep me interested for four minutes.

This has all the makings of a solid track. Nothing revolutionary, but that's OK.

YES