Frequently Asked Questions

What is OverClocked ReMix?

OverClocked ReMix is a non-profit site that accepts high-quality submissions of arranged or "ReMixed" videogame music from talented ReMixers the world over. These arrangements are more than just updated versions of the original tracks, but are reinterpretations, often in an entirely different musical genre than the source material. What sets OverClocked ReMix apart is the breadth of its content - any musical style, from techno to hillbilly, and any console or computer game soundtrack, from Shinobi to Diablo II, is fair game.

For more information, please see our Mission Statement.

Why is it called "OverClocked ReMix"?

This site started off as a spinoff site of www.overclocked.org, an online comic about the emulation community. It has now grown more popular and arguably more important than its parent site, and hence consumes more of my time. The comic was named "OverClocked" simply because it sounded cool. The word "ReMix" was chosen but is not necessarily appropriate, as the tracks here are more arrangements than remixes (think of this as the difference between a "remix" and a "ReMix," mmmkay?). Besides, "OverClocked Arrangements" would have sounded gimp. Also note that this site is commonly reffered to in abbreviation as both "OCR" and "OC ReMix".

How did it start?

OverClocked ReMix started when I (djpretzel) decided my musical skills were getting a little rusty because I didn't have a regular "ritual" or habit of consistently composing. I loved old videogame music, and I loved arranging, and I put the two together and figured I would make it a sort of exercise, and learn a little in the process. From the beginning, though, after searching the net and not finding anything that really filled the niche, I thought that a site should exist that hosted and encouraged this sort of thing. There were lots of specialized sites, namely c64 and Amiga remix sites, but nothing open and nothing that encouraged multiple genres rather than JUST electronica. So I decided that from the outset I would accept submissions. To make a long story short, the submissions were fantastic and have improved ever since, and the momentum and enthusiasm encouraged me to take time away from some of my other web activities and focus it here - a decision I have not yet found myself regretting.

Who is this "djpretzel" bloke?

djpretzel, yours truly, is a long-haired whiteguy© from Northern Virginia, USA, born 7.25.1979. FAQs aren't really the place for extensive bios, so I'll focus on my role here: I am the founder, designer and administrator of OverClocked ReMix, and also the initial judge of all submissions. Most submissions are then passed on to the judges panel, while some are posted directly and others are rejected. I also contribute ReMixes myself, bypassing the entire judging process in a shameful insult to democracy :) I write the little blurbs for every posted ReMix, and try to steer the site down a path that avoids some of the pitfalls that moderate to super-popular sites fall into. Whenever time allows, I also try to provide technical assistance or advice on my areas of limited expertise, concering gear or mixing. My Outlook Inbox is frightening.

Isn't this music copyrighted?

Yes, the original works which OverClocked ReMixes are based off of are copyrighted. We are not out to infringe on the copyright owner's rights by making money off of their content. ReMixes are not sold, and ad banners on this site go only to pay for the bandwidth / hosting that it requires. Thus far, there have been no complaints. I would hope that any copyright owner that visited here would recognize we are only trying to express our appreciation for their creations. Think of ReMixes like free fan art, which gets mailed in to gaming mags all the time and never raises eyebrows - the only difference is the medium. OC ReMix encourages buying professionally arranged OSTs in support of game music.

How do I get the ReMixes?

Most visitors will only ever read this section of the FAQ :) There are several ways to obtain OC ReMixes. There are also several ways not to obtain them. Let's cover a couple of the ways not to first:

• Don't email me asking me to send you a ReMix, or a CD or DVD of ReMixes, or "ONE BIG ZIP WIT ALL DA REMIXES". Please!

• Don't BUY ReMixes from anyone selling them on cd / cd-rom for anything more than the price of the blank media itself (in that case, it'd be okay).

• Don't download tons of mixes from the site via HTTP - use the torrents. This really helps us out, and helps others out, and is easier than you think.

Downloading via BitTorrent

BitTorrent is the single best way to get A LOT of ReMixes without costing OverClocked ReMix a lot of bandwidth i.e. money. If you're intent on downloading dozens, even hundreds of mixes, use the torrents. Please. It's the single best way you can help us with bandwidth while at the same time enjoy the mixes. See http://bt.ocremix.org for details.

Downloading via HTTP from http://www.ocremix.org

Downloads via http from this site can sometimes be fast. Other times, they can be the opposite of fast - that is, slow. You can really help both me and the site by only downloading a couple mixes a day, and trying the other methods every once in awhile. The more people downloading at the same time, the slower the downloads. I won't go into numbers, but the bandwidth to deliver these files is very expensive, and the ad banners don't cover it all, so please understand this before you post saying 'the download speed sucks!' etc.

Downloads will often begin fast and then slow down dramatically to less than 1Kb/s - this is a known issue, not a problem with your computer. Again, you can help prevent this by trying some of the other download methods below. Also, you might want to use a download manager like GetRight or Download Accelerator that will let you resume your download if it should happen to time out.

Technical problems you might encounter with HTTP downloads

• If you want to save the download to your hard disk: right click the link and select "save target as," then browse to the directory you wanna put it. Don't keep downloading the same song to listen to it directly off the site. That's probably the single worst thing you could do in terms of our bandwidth and your own.

• If your computer tells you the download is "MPGA" and not MP3: your computer is lying to you. Your MIME types are off or something. Don't email me. Try renaming the file or reinstalling your mp3 player of choice, i.e. Winamp, etc.

Downloading from IRC

If you are using a client like MIRC that supports DCC file transfer, you can often find kind, generous souls who will send you a specific ReMix or even several. Best place to check would be #ocremix on irc.enterthegame.com (for more info see 'Chat')

Downloading via P2P: Gnutella, WinMX, Napster, etc.

You can usually find some OC ReMixes, especially from the more popular games (ahem, squaresoft) on P2P / file-sharing clients. For Gnutella, we recommend Limewire, but there are lots of other choices as well. There's also WinMX, Napster, etc. Searching on 'OC ReMix' is one of the faster ways of finding what's out there quickly.

Downloading via USENET

The usenet binaries newsgroup alt.binaries.sounds.mp3.video-games is where OverClocked ReMixes are often posted. We suggest the Agent or Free Agent newsreaders.

Why have some songs been removed?

ReMixes may be removed from this site for a number of reasons - if a ReMix is determined to be 'stolen' i.e. not created by the submitting artist, if it fails to meet several of the other submission guidelines pertaining to originality and content, and at the request of the ReMixer as well. A changelog is maintained.

How come all your write-ups for songs are positive?

In reference to the text that I (djpretzel) write that accompanies each posted ReMix, many have noted (complained, criticized, etc.) that my opinions are a little on the optimistic side. It has often been said that I pick out the good parts and ignore the bad, and that my "reviews" are way too charitable. Let me emphasize - these are not intended to be reviews, merely write-ups indicating my opinion of the positive elements of a ReMix and why I think someone might find it worthwhile to give a listen to.

I try to highlight specific things I think a ReMixer did right, and will sometimes mention a particular element that I think could be improved, but the point is to give listeners a general picture of the song, some of the highlights, and some (hopefully) amusing & insightful commentary - not to provide a comprehensive evaluation or review of the piece relative to other songs on the site, or in the hopes of giving the ReMixer in question a detailed rundown of every last thing I think is wrong or right with their track. These are NOT reviews - I try to be careful and always refer to them as "write-ups" instead for this very reason. I unfortunately do not have the time to provide what I would consider an exhaustive, helpful review for each piece - hopefully, some of the ReMixers and fans on the site will do this job for me on the ReViews forum.

Why aren't the ReMixes categorized by genre, i.e. techno, jazz, orchestral, etc.?

This has come up a few times in discussion or email and is worth addressing here. I have no intentions of categorizing pieces by genre. We've discussed this matter several times on the forums - what it boils down to is a feeling that:

• There are many pieces that don't fit nicely into genres or have multiple genres, and putting them in "miscellaneous" and "multiple" categories would be kind of lame and

• Part of the purpose of the site is to open people's minds (and ears) to new horizons i.e. variety. If all you want to do is download Squaresoft techno, so be it, but you'll be missing out on tons of great songs. A system that would encourage that type of navigation, however, is not something we've decided to implement.

A third reason could potentially be that I'd feel lonely having the only piece in the hillbilly genre, but I think the first two reasons are strong enough.

Why aren't the ReMixes ranked by popularity or numerical ratings?

We try to maintain a high level of quality in reviewing submissions, and believe that the music posted on OCR sets a benchmark and represents the non-commercial game arrangement community positively. However, there will always be pieces that aren't to some people's liking, whether due to genre, game, etc. Opinion is subjective though - trite as they seem, expressions like "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and "one man's trash is another man's treasure" are quintessentially true. To separate out the "best" mixes, even by a majority vote, would sway any new visitors towards those mixes and away from pieces that they might otherwise have enjoyed. Instead, we have a review system that lets everyone voice their opinion on a mix, and include a numerical rating if they choose to, but not in any "tallied" or averaged way. If you consistently find mixes you don't like and want to avoid "wasting your time", we suggest keeping track of which games, composers, and remixers you tend to enjoy, and downloading those mixes. However, we truly encourage experimentation, curiosity, and an open mind. We don't believe a rating system, or segregating out the "good" mixes by an arbitrary or democratic factor, would support that ideal.