Chimpazilla

I have to agree with my fellow Js, the overall mix is overly quiet and needs proper mastering to increase the overall volume while preserving appropriate dynamics. But the bigger issue is the sample quality. The strings (solo cello and string ensemble in particular) are dealbreakingly bad, and they play for so much of the track that they are totally distracting. The brass starting at 3:23 suffers from the same fake uncanny-valley problem. I think there are flutes in there, but as MW said they are almost inaudible. I agree with proph and MW that this is an excellent blending of these themes into a cohesive and emotional story. Clearly a lot of time and heart went into writing this, and it is really a very beautiful composition. I can imagine this with vastly better instrument samples, or better yet live played instruments, and it would be outstanding. But as it stands currently, it sounds like an orchestral mock-up or wip instead of a finished product. I would certainly love to hear it again with better instruments! NO (resubmit)

What a gorgeous source tune! Ok on to the remix. The intro is already super loud. The piano sounds very rigid and blocky, the timing with the violin is frequently off, and there are moments where the notes don't match, such as at 0:14 and again at 0:40; the piano and violin are playing different notes. At 0:33, the soundscape is now very heavy and the percussion sounds very loud, dry and very overcompressed. By 0:58 I am already hearing overcompression pumping across the track. At 1:49 the entire soundscape is smashed to smithereens, with crunching and unwanted pumping. The addition of the Hitler recording is a bit shocking and it's a very bold and interesting choice. I can see how this recording adds to the theme and feel of the track. I was alarmed when I heard it at first, not even because it is Hitler but because the recording is way too loud and dry, it dominates the track while it is playing. I think you can keep this idea, it's good, but it has to be mixed better. You need to turn the volume of it way down, and give it a touch of reverb so it sounds nestled into the soundscape instead of being heavily on top of it. It is menacing, but does not need to be THIS menacing. At 1:49 there is a note progression that makes no sense, I'm not sure if that was intentional but it does not sound good to me. At 2:34, the previously established soundscape stops abruptly and there is a short piano-only outro. This piano part sounds pasted on, as there's no flow from the previous section which was stopped absolutely cold. This is awkward. Ok, listening to it again, what about doing a very short white noise sweep to wrap up the previous section right before that last bit of piano? The sweep should stop abruptly right where you have the rest of the instruments stopping. That would make your abrupt outro idea work. I think you've crafted something very moody and cool here, but it needs a mixing overhaul. Go through and re-balance the volumes of things, most especially lower the industrial percussion volumes because they are too loud. Check the notes of the piano and violin, and make sure they match where they are both playing the same line. It would be very good if you could do some humanization on the piano so it sounds less blocky and gridlocked, and more natural/real. Lower the volume of the Hitler recording and add some reverb to make it fit into the soundscape. EQ all instruments so that nothing is playing in the low-lows other than bass and bass-drums. This will clear out inaudible mud and give you more mastering headroom. The last critique is the mastering, it is waaaaay too heavy and hot. Lower the gain on your final limiter by several db (I'm thinking 5ish), such that the overall track doesn't have that crunching and unwanted pumping. I look forward to hearing this one again. NO (resubmit)

Welp, at least we don't have any issues with source use here! Unfortunately I agree with my fellow NOs. Everything after 2:10 is so unique and weird and cool, but up until that point it is just the original source midi, played in the stiffest and driest way possible, no humanization. It's a player piano basically until the strings come in, and the pizzicato and staccato strings can play the fast lines but the legato strings drag, making it feel very awkward when all the strings are playing together. Then we get the harpsicord and xylophone which both sound extremely stiff, followed by more mushy legato strings (attacks are way too long) and it just sounds weird to me. Even if the rest of the sequencing were perfect, I would be sending this back just for the legato line starting at 1:34. The full section starting at 1:46 sounds a little better, but again, every single element sounds so stiff and uncanny. I love this idea! But it absolutely needs more attention to humanization in the first two minutes, and possibly some variations in writing so it isn't just the same midi from the source tune repeated that many times. I'd love to hear it again with improvements made though! NO

The Bravely Second sfx would have to be removed, first and foremost. This soundscape is really repetitive once it gets going. The arrangement seems to be multiple repeats of the same thing, followed by a fadeout. As the other two Js have said, there's a concern that the guitar in the arrangement is taken right from the source song. Regardless, the arrangement continues on in a very repetitive and non-evolving way. The energy, instrumentation and writing just repeat over and over, until the fadeout. That isn't enough arrangement creativity and development for OCR. The volume balancing needs another pass as well, as the clicky percussion is way too loud, and lead plucks are pushed backward into the soundscape. The mastering is on the loud side but I don't hear any over-compression artifacts but it's right on the cusp of that. NO

This is the third time I am evaluating this track. Re-reading my two previous votes, and listening now, I have to say WOW you have come a LONG way in your production skills, and as Emunator said, I admire your persistence with this, that is how a producer can get good, just keep doing and learning and trying. This really sounds loads better than the first two submissions. Give yourself credit for the progress you've made, it shows. My complaint however is still the same as in the last version, the arrangement is leaving me flat in terms of how it develops. There isn't a lot of motif going on and so the arrangement lacks structure and ends up sounding nebulous and repetitive as the same bass, pads, plucks and drums play the same patterns again and again and again. My suggestion is to vary things at different intervals: change instruments, change drum groove, vary the bassline writing, or add more lead motif over the top of it, something that is a memorable hook. What you are using as lead motif (which is the lead motif in the source) is so repetitive in this arrangement that it doesn't sound like a lead but more like a countermelody or backing element, making the track sound leadless, if that makes sense. At 1:48-2:30, that section would benefit from having some original lead motif written right over what you have here. It feels like a great soundscape to really say something with a motif, but nothing is being said there, it's a lush backdrop but nothing in front. If this one still doesn't end up passing our panel, and especially if you are frustrated, I suggest starting something new to work on, keeping all of our critiques in mind. Sometimes it is easier to start something new, doing things right from the get-go, rather than continuing to hack away at something you have worked with long enough that it haunts your dreams! It sucks to ditch an arrangement you've invested time into, but we have all done that (multiple times, most of us here), we have taken the lessons-learned from it and moved forward with more skill under our belts. NO

This arrangement has such a unique feel, as proph said it is full of space. Really nice 3D soundscape. The low end is full and satisfying, and there's just enough going on in the mids and highs to keep it interesting yet sparse. I love soundscapes like this. Piano sounds terrific. Such interesting sounds in the mix, like the breathy synth starting at 2:06. Balancing, mixing and mastering are on point. What a cool arrangement of this material, love it. YES

Well hello there! Great source tune, and I like the concept for the remix in chiptune! But I have to agree with my fellow Js that this arrangement comes off really repetitive as well as very conservative to the source tune. And the production is odd, I think the low end is broken? There is activity below 40Hz (mostly inaudible) and a dent between 40-80Hz, I can't say I've ever heard or seen a low end like this! The inaudible low-end content makes the master overblown without even sounding loud or having any impact. This production just isn't cutting it. The reverb on the chiptune is fine, but the overall balancing and mixing isn't there; the drums are too weak and the leads are too loud. Perhaps take this track to our workshop for further feedback. MW is right, this is a good start! Now take the time to learn proper production and arrangement skills. Everyone starts somewhere, welcome to OCR! NO

I really like this arrangement and concept, and the synthwave instruments are used well. I understand Larry's vote though. Like most of Gaspode's productions, the sound design falls just a bit short; it could be crisper, cleaner and more impactful. It certainly isn't bad enough to sink the vote, imo, but it would be great to bump the production up to the next level on these awesome arrangements. YES

Wow this is loud and overstuffed. By 2:00 my ears are already fatigued. The guys are right, this needs to be pared back severely. Each section can be cut by half, playing different combinations of things in each section, instead of ZOMG EVERYTHING full time. Wow. My brain literally hurts from this much stimulation. Everything is the same volume, and on top of that, the track is mastered so heavily, it is clipping all over the place and sounds super over-compressed and crunchy. All that said, I think this could be a great track! But it has to be sculpted into a workable arrangement by removing many elements from each section. In each section, one or two elements should be featured, with one or two backing elements. The featured elements can be varied in the sections, providing sonic interest and contrast. And the mastering has to be done much more gently. Right now it is mastered even more heavily than I would expect from an EDM track. NO

Square Enix sfx are a no-go right from the start, so those would need to be removed. But once it gets going, the arrangement is simplistic, underdeveloped and on the repetitive side. It needs further personalization as Larry said, by changing the writing, groove, instrumentation, melodies/countermelodies/solos etc. along the way. The track would also benefit from a proper outro instead of just stopping cold. The instrument volumes could also be re-balanced as the drums are all extremely quiet and the main lead is very loud. Nice vibe though, it's a decent start. As for the pumping, I'm suspecting it is sidechaining and not master over-compression because I don't hear any crunchy artifacts, but I could be wrong. It sounds to me like the entire mix is sidechained, using one compressor. The sidechaining is too heavy-handed, and does not release fast enough, which is made worse because there are multiple kicks in a row and not just one. This is giving a pumpy effect to the track, which is exacerbated further by the drums being generally too quiet in the mix. So it is a lot of gain reduction on the entire track, and in that volume-reduced dent, there is this very quiet kick, which feels so unnatural. In the case that the pumping is due to heavy-handed mastering, I always recommend bringing the overall volume up gently using two or three different compressors in your chain and then a final limiter. Each compressor should be using gentle settings, bringing the volume up in stages using different algorithms. This method allows more loudness with less chance of any over-compression unpleasantness. NO

This is SO lovely. As with the previous H36T submission I judged a few days ago, it's too damn short!!! I could easily see this being twice this length, with something slow and contemplative in the middle, perhaps an impactful spoken or whispered vocal, followed by a section with some gentle yet groovy percussion. BUT.... what's here is gorgeous. It's a dreamy mood; I love the rain dripping and storm sfx and the luscious female vocal pads. We'll take it. YES

I love this concept, the bass sounds amazing right away, full of presence. I love the clips of nature and kids playing in the park, perfect. This really is such a great idea. Sadly though I am on board with my fellow NOs, because there isn't enough development in this arrangement. Once the soundscape and vibe are established, it is two identical loops through the same material. I checked by layering the second half together with the first and playing them simultaneously and A/Bing too, and they are identical. Then the track ends in a lazy fashion by just.... stopping... mid bass-loop. Not enough development for OCR, but I enjoyed it nonetheless! NO

That's a LOT of content in just two minutes. I expected to be disappointed based on the length alone, but I wasn't; what is here sounds really excellent. But damn.... that's.... short. MW said it best, it sounds like a longer piece trimmed down to trailer cue length. And the intro is really stretched out, as are the few final notes of the outro.... streeeettttccchhhhhhhh and then reverb fade coasting in right at the two-minute mark. This thing is so epic, it really deserves to be a full-length piece. The combination of the two sources is creative and seamless, mixing is great (other than the weak drums that Larry mentioned), the arrangement has no repetition. Let's go with it. But H36T, don't you dare make anything this good this short ever again! YES

This arrangement feels completely different from every other Michael Hudak piece I have heard, and perhaps the age of the original submission has something to do with that. I certainly was not expecting synthwave! I actually really dig the left-panned tape-fail section; what a cool idea, and I think it was executed well enough although I think center panning would have been a better choice. I can see how it isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I like it a lot. I do agree with Larry though that the energy of the section that follows is somehow lacking, and I also feel the transition out of that tape-glitch section could have been more impactful with some filter automation (moving from mono to stereo) and/or sfx, swooshes or similar. I would say if this doesn't pass, at the very least shift that mono section to center-panning, and I think it will be more palatable to more people. For me though, the rest of the arrangement and soundscape fall short. The synths sound very plain, mixing is not quite muddy but indistinct, and the writing is noodley and often uninspired. The lead at 0:41 is quite bland and the writing is not too interesting. Meanwhile, the bass is playing a fast line and it somehow doesn't jibe energetically with the rest of the sound palette. (and Emu is right that the bass patch doesn't really carry the low end, in fact quite often the pads seem to be trying to do the bass's job in the lows) Actually I think that the overall energy and cohesion of the piece could be improved by sidechaining every element in varying amounts to get everything grooving together. The ending is rather abrupt... not a dealbreaker per se, but disappointing. I'm sort of borderline because this piece has many good qualities, but for me the mismatch of energy in the part-writing combined with some pretty vanilla sounds and disjointed/noodley writing is enough to put this under the OCR bar. It feels almost like a B-side track on an 80s 45RPM record that doesn't quite engage the audience. NO

I agree with MW totally. This is a massive improvement! Intro and outro are much better. The soundscape sounds really lush, although the drum elements are still way too dry. Wow those are some dry claps! In the section from 1:22-1:29 and again from 2:30-2:44, I feel like the lead notes clash with the bass and other element writing. Perhaps @prophetik music can elaborate on what I am hearing. I think that motif is directly from the source tune, but in the source tune the bass and countermelodic elements go better with that writing. Overall, my complaint is that this arrangement doesn't feel fully fleshed out. It's a nice soundscape but it is leaving me flat as a full piece due to lack of motivic development, and it ends up sounding quite repetitive. I like the drum groove change at 3:39! But the same bassline, lead and pads are playing the exact same thing over and over. I think adding some kind of lead melody, either from this or another source song (preferably from the same game) or something original over this soundscape, would add a ton of interest. As it stands it's just too static and undeveloped. Please be encouraged though, you're on the right track! NO (resubmit)