[Dafydd]

Originally Posted by MindWanderer

Doing that would make the mixes due on Dec. 26, the day after Christmas, which, based on the procrastination levels I've seen, would probably result in fewer mixes being turned in rather than more.

I also find that the longer I have, the less likely I am to finish something.

[Xarnax42]

Originally Posted by MindWanderer

Because of the upcoming holiday week, I'll also be announcing the next episode tomorrow and extending the voting period to 2 weeks.

Well, crud. I somehow interpreted that to refer to the voting period that just ended. Sorry, I missed that. :/

At least reviews can never be late!

2 Sizes, 4 Swords, 8 Bits - I really love the high-energy melodies, and the way you layered different wave types gives a really rich texture to your mix. A few of the transitions are a little awkward, and some of the parts with either a slower tempo or minimal instrumentation don't quite work as well -- the nuances that carry the energy of such a section in a live piece are much harder to pull off with these sounds. Overall, super catchy and a fun listen.

A Passing Dream - Had to look up the source on this, and props for such an ambitious effort. In addition to some of the smoother parts, the source bounces a lot between aggressive and just chaotic in a way I can't appreciate so well on first listen. Anyway, you've done a lot of great things with it. I don't know why it's taken so long for guitar[or other live instrument]/chip
fusion to become a thing, but it works so well. Really love all of the chip arps throughout, and the soloing is great too. Triangle was a bit different choice for the lead at 1:32, but works over the rhythm guitar. The section starting at 2:00 gets pretty muddy. Like Kuolema, I really need a break from that syncopated background that goes from 2:40 basically to the end. It's both loud and really repetitive. Other than that, though, I like the energy and the vision to really do justice to the source. Good stuff.

Cool Side of the Mountain - Originally a pretty bluesy arrangement, now a bit more of a lounge jazz. With familiar sources, not surprisingly, I almost always prefer more conservative arrangements, and I think there's definitely room to appreciate the same restraint when dealing with genre. I'm on board with the organ, and there are a lot of great arrangement ideas here. The reverb makes things pretty muddy, and an EQ that favors the lower frequencies doesn't help with that. I'm not sure if you chose any of your sounds to fit the theme, but if this entire arrangement were redone with live instruments (or realistic samples), it would have a ton of potential.

Remembering the Storm - You and your sound effects :P The flourishes supporting the original melody are the standout of this mix. I don't really love the lead synth. The countermelody at 0:54 is really nice. Overall, I think the production could be quite a bit crisper and the arrangement could be longer and maybe if when I played this song my speakers could erupt with cookies and glitter rainbows and then we can talk postability.

Originally Posted by Kuolema

Originally the track was going to start out 8-bit and then morph into something else

This is exactly what I had planned to do. Since I was also inexperienced with chiptunes, the first thing I did was just recreate my source with the basic square, square, triangle, and noise tracks. I've started going back to toy with the melodies to make it an actual mix, but here's my unpolished 8-bit cover: http://www.jessedeacon.com/music/asgard8bit.mp3

Also, on the offchance anyone was interested, you can check out the gingerbread displays that were basically the reason I didn't get a track done here.

[TheRexAsaurous]

Originally Posted by Xarnax42

Remembering the Storm - You and your sound effects :P The flourishes supporting the original melody are the standout of this mix. I don't really love the lead synth. The countermelody at 0:54 is really nice. Overall, I think the production could be quite a bit crisper and the arrangement could be longer and maybe if when I played this song my speakers could erupt with cookies and glitter rainbows and then we can talk postability.

Yeah all i'm gettin is some burnt muffins right now.

Glad you dig the countermelody - I'm starting to realize crazy countermelodies are my musical signature, so to speak.

Just a question - about the lead synth, are you talking about the chippy pulse wave or the obnoxious saw-ish thing halfway through?

Oh, and nice 8-bit cover, I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with it.

P.S congrats to Kuolema/wildfire!

[Kuolema]

First place?
Wasn't expecting that!
Thanks so much guys .
And of course thanks to wildfire for all the support/advice!

[wildfire]

Originally Posted by Kuolema

First place?
Wasn't expecting that!
Thanks so much guys .
And of course thanks to wildfire for all the support/advice!

D'awww :3

But really, all the props go to you. All I did was provide comments on each section of the song. You're the one with the cool ideas. Plus, your track makes me really want to compose a purely 8bit track.

[Xarnax42]

Originally Posted by TheRexAsaurous

Just a question - about the lead synth, are you talking about the chippy pulse wave or the obnoxious saw-ish thing halfway through?

The one that plays the melody at 0:29 - I just figured out why, too: it's that same off-putting color as when a singer sounds too nasal.

Originally Posted by wildfire

D'awww :3

But really, all the props go to you. All I did was provide comments on each section of the song. You're the one with the cool ideas. Plus, your track makes me really want to compose a purely 8bit track.

Dooooo iiiiiitttttt.

[Tuberz McGee]

Dude! Kuolema and Wildfire, yáll did an awesome job.
I just KNEW that you were gonna snag first place. :D