OverClocked ReMix

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OverClocked ReMix
Image:OCR4.jpg
URL http://www.ocremix.org
Commercial? No
Type of site Video game music tribute site
Registration Optional
Owner David "djpretzel" Lloyd[1]
Created by David "djpretzel" Lloyd[1]
Launched December 11, 1999[2]
Revenue Not-for-Profit
Current status Active

OverClocked ReMix, also known as OC ReMix or OCR, is an organization dedicated to preserving and tributing video game music through interpretation with new technology and software, as well as various traditional means. The primary focus of OC ReMix is its website offering hundreds of free fan arrangements, information on game music and composers, resources for aspiring artists, and a community of video game music fans.[3][4]

The webmaster of OverClocked ReMix is David W. Lloyd (aka. "djpretzel"),[1] who began the site in late 1999[5] as a spin-off of his gaming and emulation related 3D webcomic, OverClocked.[6][7] The format was derived from Commodore 64 arrangement website C64Audio.com (then a host for many fan arrangements), with Lloyd choosing to expand the focus to all games regardless of game system.[8][9][10][11][12][13]

There have been over 1,700 "ReMixes" (musical arrangements) hosted on the site[14] submitted by over 500 "ReMixers"[15] from a variety of genres such as classical, heavy metal, dance and bluegrass.

Contents

[edit] Purpose

Opinions on the purpose of OCR are mixed; a controversy mainly centered around the definition of ReMix and the originality or level of composition involved. Much confusion has resulted over the ambiguity of the term remix,[16] which in musical terms typically involves minor changes or musical alterations, although it can technically mean any alteration of a song (which means it often overlaps with more specific terms such as arrangements). Lloyd himself has said that this is unfortunate,[17] since the site is dedicated to original rearrangements of classic themes,[18][19] not merely changing minor details or plagiarizing the work of others. For this reason, he coined the use of the word "ReMix" to refer to an arrangement, as opposed to a remix.[20][21][22][17]

[edit] Submission process and site standards

The submission process at OverClocked ReMix is a two-tiered system, consisting of a preliminary evaluation by David Lloyd, Larry Oji (Liontamer), or a designated member of the site's judges panel, followed by a more thorough review by the judges panel.[23][24] In the preliminary review, an arrangement is examined for violations of submission guidelines (detailed below) and immediately rejected if a violation is apparent. Conversely, particularly outstanding ReMixes or those produced by well-known artists in the community may be approved before reaching the judges panel.[25]

In most cases, however, a submission will pass on to the panel of judges. These members are usually either accomplished artists or contributors to the community. After unanimously receiving either three negative or four positive votes, the submission is either rejected or accepted and posted on the main site. Voting can be extended up to a majority decision if necessary. If a submission is a clear standards violation after reaching the panel, a judge has the power to "NO Override" it. David Lloyd also has the power to veto the judges' decision, although instances are very rare. The judges' decisions are viewable on the site forums.[23]

The changing or amending of site standards and policies is a closed process. On occasion, the approval, removal, or rejection of a ReMix will be questioned by the community of OCR.[26][27] One such case was the medley (and later individual arrangements) of songs from the SNES game F-Zero by bLiNd,[28] where there was much heated debate as to why that particular submission was not given the approval by the judges. The community will often pressure djpretzel and the Judges Panel to reform their policies, and when suggestions are not immediately considered, extensive debate and even flaming can ensue. Judge selection, and the process behind it, can also occasionally lead to controversy.

[edit] ReMix removal and lockdowns

Although there have been over 1,600 ReMixes hosted on the site at different points in time, 165 mixes have been removed[29] due to human error and stricter criteria in the site's standards.[30] During a "lockdown," all ReMixes between a certain minimum and maximum identification number are reevaluated for submission and standards violations. Such violations can include MIDI rips (taking a MIDI file found from VGMusic.com or elsewhere on the internet, sprucing it up, and passing it off as one's own original work), stolen/unoriginal music, covers, overly-liberal arrangements, or obvious sub-par execution.[29]

There will also be times where a ReMix will be removed at the artist's request.[29] When a feud over administrative decisions caused virt, prozax, and mp, as well as several others, to leave OCR to found VGMix, they demanded that their ReMixes be removed. Others who left asked for their works to stay, although they would not submit future works anymore. Lloyd complied with this, and these mixes, along with other "OC ReMoved" songs, are considered a collector's item by some (although they are in reality not that hard to find). After this, however, some who removed their ReMixes from the site requested to return, and this was granted with the provision that they not remove their work from the site again.

[edit] Albums and other projects

Many projects have been undertaken by the OverClocked ReMix community in efforts to enhance or promote its main website. Some, such as an official OCR Winamp skin and download manager (called "OverClocked ReCollections"), have abandoned after long periods of inactivity. Among the successful projects, however, are an internet radio stream called Ormgas and BitTorrent distributions of ReMix archives. OverClocked ReMix also had an official podcast, VGDJ, lasting from May 22, 2005 until January 20, 2007. Drawing mainly from newly-released music on OCR, the show complemented the site in seeking to raise awareness and appreciation of video game music, aiming largely to introduce newcomers to OCR.

A trend among ReMixers has been the creation of "collaboration projects," arrangement albums of entire game soundtracks by multiple artists. These are typically published in the site's "Spotlight" section on its front page. The current list of completed site projects, in order of release, are:

[edit] Industry recognition

Several video game industry professionals have praised specific OC ReMixes tributing their compositions, including Alexander Brandon (Tyrian/Unreal Tournament), Barry Leitch (Top Gear), Nicholas Varley (Syberia), and David Wise (Donkey Kong Country). OverClocked ReMix itself has been praised for its work by several highly recognized figures including Doom lead designer John Romero, Tommy Tallarico, George "The Fat Man" Sanger, and Jeremy Soule. Alongside a handful of other professional composers, Sanger and Soule have both submitted their own arrangements to OC ReMix.

Several amateur artists, many directly drawn to video game music arrangement by OC ReMix, have seen their interest in video game music catalyze into professional music opportunities, including Dain "Beatdrop" Olsen (Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA 2), Jillian "pixietricks" Goldin (Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword) and Andrew "zircon" Aversa (Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix).

In late 2007, OverClocked ReMix was commissioned by Rey Jiminez of Capcom of America to provide the soundtrack for Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, featuring both the original game music and an arranged soundtrack consisting of modified versions of existing OC ReMixes and album project tracks, as well as several new arrangements created for the game, marking OC ReMix's first professional venture into video game music.

[edit] Community

The OverClocked ReMix community consists largely of video gamers and musicians. There are many accomplished artists and programmers among them. Alongside word of mouth, the mention of the website in several publications has led to the community's growth.[33]

[edit] OverClocked ReMix forums

The discussion forums are where the vast majority of community interaction occurs.

Community subforums include "Community" (formerly General Discussion as of January 14, 2007), where members can discuss video games, music, and other related topics, Politics, Philosophy & Religion (PPR), where members can discuss more serious topics not suited to the Community forum, Help & Newbies, and where members can ask questions about the site as well as receive technical assistance.

On January 6, 2007, the "UnModerated" forum was deleted from the forums. A new "Off Topic" section was put up on January 14, 2007, allowing a much wider array of discussion not fit for "Community" or its subforums, not as a replacement for UnModerated, but to allow discussion similar to UnMod, as long as it isn't completely nonsensical conversation.

Site-related subforums include ReViews, where members can discuss ReMixes posted to the site, ReQuests, where members can request particular pieces to be arranged, Judges Decisions, where the Judges Panel posts their decisions on submitted arrangements, and Site Projects, where members organize community projects and collaborative efforts that benefit the site.

Music-related subforums include two Works (In-Progress & Completed) (WIP) forums: one for video game arrangements, and the other for original pieces and arrangements of non-video game music. Both Works forums are places where artists can post their work for feedback. Another music-related forum, ReMixing, is a place where members can read tutorials and discuss techniques for music composition and production.[34][35] The most recent addition to the music-related subforums is the Competitions forum (added January 14, 2007), which is home for all the various competitions run by forum members.

The Judges and Moderators also have their own private forums that aid in the running of OCR.

With the exception of Judges Decisions and Site Projects, the forums are currently moderated by site members Bahamut, Liontamer, Xelebes and zircon.

[edit] #OCReMix IRC channel

The IRC channel, located on the EnterTheGame network, was created by ReMixer and former judge Children of the Monkey Machine on November 21, 2000. It is frequented by a comparatively small group that has a culture of its own while many #ocremix regulars do not frequently post on the forums. The channel itself was originally moderated by a small group of channel operators. Due to the real-time nature of IRC, the operators had to be extremely vigilant to thwart occasional disturbances that occurred. Eventually, one by one, the channel operators grew tired of constantly policing the channel and started moderating less often resulting in discussions becoming more open and controversial. During much of 2003, flooding proved an issue and many of the original operators moved on with their lives. Because of the lack of moderation, during late 2003, David Lloyd brought about a reform of the channel, citing its general unfriendliness to newcomers and negative reflection on the site as a whole.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c David W. Lloyd (djpretzel). Bio - david w. lloyd / djpretzel: pretzel logic (http). djpretzel.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  2. ^ Sunday, December 12th 1999 (http). retrogames.com (1999). Retrieved on 2007-10-26.
  3. ^ OverClocked ReMix; David W. Lloyd (djpretzel) (2007). About Us - OCRWiki (http). OverClocked ReMix. Retrieved on 2008-01-10.
  4. ^ Victor: What they're telling you is that this music is important and the website's mission is to catalog it and to [...] throw some light on it, show that it is significant and that it is as powerful as music in any other form of entertainment. Lucas, Victor (2004). Game Break: ocremix.org (video). The Electric Playground. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  5. ^ Julian Dasgupta: When was OCRemix originally launched? How many songs were there available at launch? / David Lloyd: I don't have the specific date, but in the 4th quarter of 1999. Dasgupta, Julian (Spunior) (2002-11-23). (Re)Arranged: An OC ReMix Q&A (http). Gamers with Jobs. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  6. ^ Lloyd started the site as an adjunct to OverClocked, a webcomic about the game emulation scene, but it soon became apparent that the music remixing side project was more interesting and popular than the site's original purpose. Maragos, Nich (2005-08-18). Gaming's Rhapsody: Third Movement (http). 1UP.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  7. ^ djpretzel: It initially started as a side project for a 3D web comic about the emulation scene called simply 'OverClocked', hence 'OverClocked ReMix'; basically, I used the comic as a way to improve my skills at 3D design and Photoshop, and I figured I should do the same for music. Ondrey, John (2006-02-17). Interview with OCRemix's djpretzel (http). N-Philes. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  8. ^ David Lloyd: The Commodore 64 scene, which specifically remixes music from C64 games, existed before OCR was started. I looked at what they were doing and said to myself, "This idea would really work for any computer or console. Why limit it?" Van Buskirk, Eliot (2005-02-09). Video Game Remixes: How, Where, and Why? (http). Archived from the original on 2005-07-21. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  9. ^ There were existing archives of game remixes, but Lloyd's broke ahead of the pack due to his unique approach to the site. "It was the first to open things up to music from all consoles, computers, and arcades as well," says Lloyd, "and to encourage a variety of musical genres, such as jazz, orchestral, electronica -- even 'hillbilly.' Prior to OCR, there was a large scene devoted to primarily electronica mixes of Commodore 64 titles. I decided, half out of a love for a wide variety of musical genres and half out of my Sega Master System fanboyism, that something with a broader scope would draw more people in and allow for more variety and freedom." Maragos, Nich (2005-08-18). Gaming's Rhapsody: Third Movement (http). 1UP.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  10. ^ David Lloyd: Prior to OCR, there was a large scene devoted to primarily electronica mixes of Commodore 64 titles. I decided, half out of a love for a wide variety of musical genres and half out of my Sega Master System fanboyism, that something with a broader scope would draw more people in and allow for more variety and freedom. Maragos, Nich (2005-08-18). Gaming's Rhapsody: Third Movement (http). 1UP.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  11. ^ djpretzel: I'd always been a fan of game music (though admittedly more Sega than Nintendo, in my youth), and while there were sites out there that did remixes of Commodore 64 music, usually in techno, there was nothing that was open to games from all platforms - computers, console, arcade, handhelds - and which encouraged mixing in all genres, i.e. jazz, classical, rock, etc. instead of just electronica. Hence OCR was born. Ondrey, John (2006-02-17). Interview with OCRemix's djpretzel (http). N-Philes. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  12. ^ djpretzel: Late 1999 - there were two motivations. One was that I wanted to force myself to do more music, as I was slipping a bit, and was also interested in learning aspects of arrangement. The other, stronger factor towards creating a public, open-genre, open-platform game remix website was that nothing like that existed at the time, and I was 100% sure that it should. I didn’t necessarily think it’d grow as quickly as it did or reach the point where it is today, but I knew it was a niche that needed to be filled. Wallis, Alistair (2006-07-05). GameSetInterview: OCReMix's DJ Pretzel (http). GameSetWatch. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  13. ^ David Lloyd: [A]t the time, there was a mixing scene that focused only on Commodore 64 music, with an electronica emphasis, but I love arranging, and I wanted an outlet where I could hone my skills while encouraging others to branch out and do the same. From the very beginning, the intent was to encourage games from all platforms, arranged in as many musical genres as possible. That’s what made us different – that was the ‘big idea’... King, Darryn (2007). The NL issue 885 - Interview with djpretzel (http). 3D World Online. Retrieved on 2007-12-22.
  14. ^ OverClocked ReMix (2006). OverClocked ReMix - Listing: ReMixes (http). OverClocked ReMix. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  15. ^ OverClocked ReMix - Listing: ReMixers (http). OverClocked ReMix (2006). Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  16. ^ The term "remixes" is actually something of a misnomer, but it's the word that's stuck. What most remixers really do might be better called an arrangement, reworking some aspect of the video game's original soundtrack in an entirely new musical style or genre. Mieszkowski, Katharine (2002-03-18). Hot salsa Tetris (http). Salon.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  17. ^ a b Hipster, please!: Despite the fact that you take great pains to prevent such misinterpretations, is there still lingering confusion concerning the traditional concept of a remix (referring to a more cosmetically altered form of an original work) versus that of a ReMix (which is generally much more comparable to an arrangement or full reinterpretation)? Do some people still not get it? / djpretzel: Some people still don't get it, but most do. All you have to hear is a single ReMix that's really been drastically rearranged for it to click: "oh, they're not just sampling the game music and adding beats - it's much more". It's a pretty unintuitive term, and the mixed capitalization doesn't really disambiguate it much, but it hasn't been too terribly problematic, either. Z. (2006-08-15). Reverence Through ReMixing (http). Hipster, please!. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  18. ^ David Lloyd: As to what we look for in a mix, it's essentially a balance between production - going beyond what the original hardware was capable of, mixing and mastering in a way that yields a polished result, etc. - and arrangement. Arrangement is harder to describe, but the idea is not to just take a game theme, upgrade the samples, and put drum loops on top - from day one, I intended OC ReMixes to be more interpretive, more creative: to change the original musical genre from rock to jazz, add an original lyric, slow the tempo down or speed it up, modify the chord progression, add a countermelody, or throw in a guitar solo. Maragos, Nich (2005-08-18). Gaming's Rhapsody: Third Movement (http). 1UP.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  19. '^ Hipster, please!: Would you say that ReMixes share a commonality with modern mash-ups/bastard pop , specifically with that genre's focus of the juxtaposition of unrelated works and styles? / djpretzel: A limited commonality, yes. Mash-ups certainly have a similar spirit of repurposing to them, and certainly go beyond the traditional confines of normal remixing. I've heard some damn good ones, too. However, they're still limited in scope to using borrowed audio from the original pieces, lacking the flexibility that comes with rebuilding a song from scratch. I think mash-ups are more about finding interesting intersections between tracks, whereas ReMixes are more about finding totally new directions to take tracks in. I might be biased, but I also think the latter approach is more honorific of the pieces' original composers. That being said, there's some great stuff being done on the mash-up front, and I think we overlap with its ideology of juxtaposition and reuse. Z. (2006-08-15). Reverence Through ReMixing (http). Hipster, please!. Retrieved on August 23, 2007.
  20. ^ OverClocked ReMix (2006). OCRWiki - Frequently Asked Questions: Why is it called "OverClocked ReMix"? (http). OverClocked ReMix. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  21. ^ David Lloyd: [...] One of the approaches I take is intentionally NOT to listen to a track in detail before I ReMix it - in other words, to go from memory alone, and see how my own memory differs from the real thing. This can result in so-called "happy accidents", where you remember the song a certain way which was not the way it really was and that's what constitutes the "arrangement". / Other times I'll just be humming something from a game, and suddenly think to myself "how would that sound as a funk track?" or "how could I turn that into an orchestral march?" or what not[...] Dasgupta, Julian (Spunior) (2002-11-23). (Re)Arranged: An OC ReMix Q&A (http). Gamers with Jobs. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  22. ^ David Lloyd: It's more about honoring the original composition by putting your own spin on it, interpreting it, [and] making it your own, while at the same time maintaining enough of the source material to [make it] recognizable. When the Warsaw Philharmonic plays Mahler, it's a different ballgame from when the London Symphony Orchestra performs him. And we're trying to give game music a similar degree of respect by showing how it can be reinterpreted. Van Buskirk, Eliot (2005-02-09). Video Game Remixes: How, Where, and Why? (http). Archived from the original on 2005-07-21. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  23. ^ a b OCRWiki - Judges Panel (http). OverClocked ReMix (2006). Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  24. ^ David Lloyd: To closer evaluate submissions and implement more-refined, clarified standards, a judges panel was created. Nowadays, I take an initial stab at weeding out mixes that clearly violate our standards, but everything else goes to the judges panel to vote on. So you get a good degree of consistency and quality for every mix that's posted. Van Buskirk, Eliot (2005-02-09). Video Game Remixes: How, Where, and Why? (http). Archived from the original on 2005-07-21. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  25. ^ OCRWiki - Submission Standards and Instructions (http). OverClocked ReMix (2006). Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  26. ^ David Lloyd: Our judges will stick to their guns on our standards. Even if we know a submission would be wildly popular because it's from a popular game, if it doesn't mix things up and truly reinterpret the original song, it won't be posted. Van Buskirk, Eliot (2005-02-09). Video Game Remixes: How, Where, and Why? (http). Archived from the original on 2005-07-21. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  27. ^ David Lloyd: Of course, it's a political process, and as Lincoln quite quotably noted, "You can't please all of the people all of the time." It's a difficult task to fairly and objectively evaluate remixes from different games in different genres. Nevertheless, we feel this quality-control process is vital to fulfilling the fundamental goal of the site: posting reinterpretations of game music that honor the originals through their creativity. Van Buskirk, Eliot (2005-02-09). Video Game Remixes: How, Where, and Why? (http). Archived from the original on 2005-07-21. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  28. ^ OverClocked ReMix Judges Panel; David W. Lloyd (djpretzel), Jesse Taub (Vigilante), Ari Asulin (Protricity), Stephen Malcolm-Howell (Malcos), Michael Dover (Israfel) (2003-06-10). *NO* F-Zero 'bLiNd MegaMix' *PRIORITY* (http). OverClocked ReMix. Retrieved on August 23, 2007.
  29. ^ a b c OCRWiki: ReMix Changelog (http). OverClocked ReMix (2006). Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  30. ^ David Lloyd: Way back in the day, the process was very casual, and I essentially posted those mixes I thought sounded good enough using my own personal set of criteria. As the site grew and a community grew around the whole concept, things became more defined. I realized--we realized--that we were really not just talking about taking game music and putting drum loops on top or swapping in higher-quality samples, but [we were talking] about rearranging the whole piece, sometimes going so far as to change the genre [by] adding original solos and lyrics, too. Van Buskirk, Eliot (2005-02-09). Video Game Remixes: How, Where, and Why? (http). Archived from the original on 2005-07-21. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  31. ^ Lloyd, David W. (djpretzel) (2005-04-06). ReMix: Road Rash 'sierra nevada-tan' (http). OverClocked ReMix. Retrieved on 2007-10-18.
  32. ^ Lloyd, David W. (djpretzel) (2007-04-05). ReMix: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 'Eastern Ice Field' (http). OverClocked ReMix. Retrieved on 2007-10-18.
  33. ^ Eliot Van Buskirk: How has OCRemix.org grown? Was it slow and steady or all at once? Because right now, it looks like the biggest site of its kind on the Web. / David Lloyd: It's been relatively slow and steady, but certain events have triggered influxes of new visitors over the years. The site's been mentioned on Slashdot a couple times, [it] was featured on an episode of the Tech TV show The Screen Savers, [it was] spotlighted in Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine, [it was] mentioned briefly in SPIN, etc. Van Buskirk, Eliot (2005-02-09). Video Game Remixes: How, Where, and Why? (http). Archived from the original on 2005-07-21. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  34. ^ Martin: If you want to get into this yourself, they have some pretty good tutorials about how to get started, what emulators you need, all the stuff that your gonna need to ReMix your own video game songs. Sargent, Martin (2001). Site of the Night: remix.overclocked.org (video). The Screen Savers. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  35. ^ There are also tutorials on the site that instruct you how to make your own videogame remixes. Sargent, Martin (2002-04-30). Site of the Night: Overclocked Remix (http). G4. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.

[edit] External links

[edit] Press and interviews

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