Frequently Asked Questions

For questions on submitting an arrangement, please see Submission Standards and Instructions.

What is OverClocked ReMix?

For more information, please see our Mission Statement.

OverClocked ReMix is a not-for-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 from other video game music sites is the breadth of its content. We offer music from almost any style imaginable. Hillbilly, techno, rap, orchestral—you name it—we accept ReMixes from virtually any console or computer game soundtrack. Anything from Shinobi to Katamary Damacy is fair game.

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 since grown more popular and more important than its parent site. 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 re-arrangements than remixes (think of this as the difference between a "remix" and a "ReMix," mmmkay?). Also note that this site is commonly referred to in abbreviation as both "OCR" and "OC ReMix".

How did it start?

OverClocked ReMix started in late 1999 when David Lloyd, aka djpretzel, decided his musical skills were getting a little rusty because he didn't have a regular "ritual" or habit of consistently composing.

djpretzel says, "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."

After searching and finding lots of specialized sites, namely C64 and Amiga remix sites, djpretzel found there was nothing that encouraged multiple genres or even tunes from a variety of platforms. From the beginning when djpretzel began accepting submissions, they were fantastic and have improved ever since.

djpretzel says, "The momentum and enthusiasm from the ReMixers 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."

To date, OCR has more than 1,500 ReMixes and 28,000 registered users from around the world.

Who is this "djpretzel" bloke?

djpretzel, also known as David Lloyd, is the founder, designer and site administrator of OverClocked ReMix.

djpretzel says "Or more accurately, I am a long-haired whiteguy© from Northern Virginia, USA, born 7.25.1979. My Outlook Inbox is frightening."

djpretzel also provides writeups for every ReMix on the site, helps ReMixers with technical and equipment advice, and by-passes the judging process to contribute his own ReMixes to the site in a shameful insult to democracy.

What’s the process for getting a ReMix posted?

For more information, please see Submission Standards and Instructions.

Submissions are evaluated by either djpretzel or the site's judges panel. The judges panel currently consists of 10 community members, with judges providing their own evaluation for a submission as part of a vote for its passage or rejection. If passed, the submission is made freely available on the site as an official OC ReMix. The bar is set very high for aspiring OC ReMixers, with only 5-7% of all submissions actually making it through the entire process.

Isn't this music copyrighted?

Yes, the original soundtracks and source tunes which OverClocked ReMixes are based on are copyrighted material. We are not out to infringe on the copyright owner's rights by making money off of their content. We are a fan site, and all material on OC ReMix is freely available and contains information on the source tune's game origin and composer (if available). The ads and merchandise on this site go only to pay for bandwidth, hosting, and other administrative costs. We are a not-for-profit web site established to honor the video game industry, not detract from it. We at OC ReMix encourage users to buy professionally released video game music soundtracks to support 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 site administrators asking them 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/DVD. Paying for the price of the blank media, itself, is OK.

• Don't download tons of mixes from the site via HTTP - use the torrents. This really helps us out, 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 slow. You can really help OCR 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. 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 may 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 want to put it in. 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 the site administrators. 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 the writeups for songs are positive?

In reference to the text that djpretzel writes that accompanies each posted ReMix, many have noted (complained, criticized, etc.) that djpretzel's opinions are a little on the optimistic side.

djpretzel says, 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 writeups 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 "writeups" 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. OC ReMix has 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. If all you want to do is download SquareSoft techno, so be it, but you'll be missing out on tons of great songs. We've decided not to implement a system that would encourage that kind of navigation.

A third reason could potentially be that djpretzel would feel lonely having the only piece in the hillbilly genre, but we 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 in its representation of the non-commercial game arrangement community. However, there will always be pieces that some people may not like whether due to a ReMix’s genre, game source, etc.

Expressions like "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and "one man's trash is another man's treasure," trite as they seem, 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 forum 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.