Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

==================Simple Review==================
Base Score: 5/10

Point Bonuses: +4
[+4] You know what? I’m shooting myself in the foot here, but I sincerely think this song deserves full marks. Or close to it… It is absolutely beautiful and delivers exactly what it promises; a funk remix of “Labrat”. If it wasn’t for that part around 2:09 that sounds exactly like the source material, this could easily be given +5 points…

Point Deductions: -0
[-0] No deductions. None. Whatsoever.

Final Score: 9/10
=================Extended Review=================
Introduction:
A complete retooling of “Labrat” from Jazz Jackrabbit 2, done in a seemingly trendy “funk” style. Does it hold a candle to fearofdark’s other works, or will we be left just blowing in the wind? Let’s boogie!

Song Analysis:
As mentioned, this is a complete retooling of “Labrat” from Jazz Jackrabbit 2. While not quite as funky as fod’s “Dark Groove Funk” or “Hell Freezes Over Funk,” it still has that wonderful funky vibe I’ve come to expect from these kinds of arrangements. Unfortunately, this particular piece of music seems to borrow a little more heavily from the original piece of music than “Hell Freezes Over”. As such, a lot of patterns (particlarly the patterns around 2:09.5) sound pretty much note-for-note, aside from the added drums.

Features/Sample Analysis:
More beautiful guitar samples with some equally awesome drums and synths mixed in. Everything is clear as a bell with no real grain to it. What more can I say?

Final Analysis:
Aw, fod… I’d say “you let me down,” but honestly, despite the fact it’s quite a bit too similar to the original Labrat, you really haven’t. I really, really like this piece! I just kind of wish you’d done something a little more funky with that “awe” area around 2:09.5…

Recommendation?:
HECK. YES.
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Your friendly neighborhood S3M/MIDI artist, Joseph “Doc Lithius” Collins

After taking a peek under the hoods of both files, I’ve come to this single, solitary conclusion:
The only thing that has been changed is certain aspects of Stereo Seperation and the notes of Pattern 7 have been shifted to channels 5 through 8. Also, Pattern 7 has been looped once.

In short, this is not even an edit. Switching channels does next to nothing, especially if you use similar(if not the same) channel panning.

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene… Joseph Collins
“Doc Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

DanYjel:
“CowBell”? That should totally be my new Jazz Jackrabbit 2 online username! Or maybe not! I dunno.

Anyway… I appreciate your unique insights to my music, DanYjel. Thank you! However, some bits of it confuse me. For example, is 300 Kilobytes really that weighty? I would think 300 Kilobytes would be a pretty nice size for your average Jazz Jackrabbit music, especially if it were to be converted and used in a stage or something. Goodness knows, some of these mammoth-sized files wouldn’t be very conventional to use in Jazz 2 stages. While one or two Megabytes might not seem like much all and all, it does take a lot longer for our Dial-Up friends to download.
Another thing that confuses me is that you mention around 3:38, there’s a “totally different beat”. Well, said beat is actually the exact same beat(and patterns) from around 1:42.5. The most major change-up occurs around 2:59.75 where the bassline changes entirely and part of the main “echoing foreground” disappears, sounding like it does around the beginning of the song. Though after 4:04, it leads into a very long fade-out. Is that what you’re referring to?

80s electronica wasn’t really what I had in mind when I made this music. I was trying to go more for an “electronica/rave” style, honestly. But now that you mention it, there is a bit of the 80s in this piece! Good ear! But what does “getting this from your head” mean? Do you mean it will get stuck in your head? If so, that’s very nice of you to say! Thanks!
Another thing that confuses me is how you seem to say that you like it in one instance, but in another instance, you don’t. If you could be a little more clear in describing what you do and don’t like about this song, that would be very appreciated.

Lastly, I have to ask this. If you don’t like this genre of music — which is roughly the same genre that artists like yourself and Luigi E. excel at — then why did you call it an “awesome tune, really”? And I notice you bring up the compartitively miniscule file size once more in your overall score. As a critic myself, I understand that sometimes, you have to look at something from all sides, but it seems like you let personal tastes get in the way of an otherwise decent review. It’s nice to know the score deserves an 8.0 aside from the fact you seem to have a sincere dislike for electronica and the 80s in general…

Thank you for taking the time to review my piece of music and I hope to hear from you in my next project! And before I forget, I absolutely love your new review format! It’s much more organized than your old system of (+) and (-). Though, I’m gonna miss that system… Oh well. Such is the price of progress, I suppose.

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene… Joseph Collins
“Doc Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

Note:This review co-written by fearofdark.(Not really.)

Introduction:
“Its just exoticus with all the samples changes and sped up”
It sure is!

Song Analysis:
“Its just exoticus with all the samples changes and sped up”
That it is. That it is… Nothing at all has been changed as far as the notes played.

Sample Analysis:
“Its just exoticus with all the samples changes and sped up”
Yes, I think we get it by now. It’s—

“Its just exoticus with all the samples changes and sped up”
Right, fine. But—

“Its just exoticus with all the—”
Shaddap!! [huff, huff] [ahem]
The samples are from other Jazz songs. They sound fine. There’s nothing much else to say here.

Final Analysis:
Well, all and all, I’d have to say that this song is kind of boring whatnot. fod? What do you have to say?
“Its just exoticus with all the samples changes and sped up”
And with that, we’re out.

Score: 5.0
”Its just exoticus with all the samples changes and sped up” Points: -3.0
Total Score: 2.0

Recommendation?:
“Its just exoticus with all the samples changes and sped up”
If, just in case you haven’t figured it out by now… But hey, if that’s your bag, then by all means.

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene… Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

[Rating (2) clearance. Reviews such as this are unacceptable. You are supposed to write a review, not quote it and add “i agree k”. Do not do this again. ~Cooba]

Yay! Pollutus!!

Introduction:
What do you think of when you think about Jazz Jackrabbit for the GBA? Is it fun gameplay? A good story? Or maybe awesomely awesome music? What’s that? None of the above?! Well… Maybe this will change your mind about its music. Then again, maybe it won’t.

Song Analysis:
IT’S…TOO…LOUD!! Dear lord, man! Towards the middle and end, it actually starts to crackle and buzz because you cranked it up so loud!
Anyhoo… If there was one thing I could say about this track outright, is that this really…brings the tainted atmosphere and polluted areas of Pollutus to life. While the GBA track was kind of lightweight and only just barely fitting to the area, this track is dark, deep, and I dare say even cold and metallic. Just like it should be.
The lyrics in the start don’t really add much, but they don’t take away anything, either. I can’t tell what they’re saying, but I don’t think it matters much either way.

Sample Analysis:
Like I said, areas of the song are a little too loud, but that’s probably more your fault(if you amplified it) than the sample, which sound good seperate, and terrific together.

Final Analysis:
All and all, this hollow and ambient piece of music makes Pollutus seem far, far more deadly and all the more ominous than its original GBA predecessor. I can only hope more GBA remixes and arrangements like this come out.

Score: 7.2
“I Can Do Basic Math!” Points: 0.3
Total Score: 7.5

Recommendation?:
Absolutely. Especially if you didn’t like the original Jazz Jackrabbit GBA soundtrack. This will definately make you think twice.

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene… Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

Dude. Use, like… I dunno. Anything else but RapidShare. I think even YouSendIt might be a better idea. Anyway…

Introduction:
Is bigger truly better? Does size matter? Can a 6MB file that’s 6.5 minutes long be all that it can be before 6AM, or will it have to be eighty-sixed with a six-shooter then deep-sixed in six seperate lakes? What does that even mean?! Read on…

Song Analysis:
What the Heck is this? This doesn’t seem to sound anything like any Jazz Jackrabbit song I’ve ever heard. Yes, the unused Menu Theme loop is in there, but for the most part, this is just generic dance music. Not even good dance music at that. Where’s the meat? It’s all drums and bassline. That’s boring. It needs lyrics.

Sample Analysis:
All the samples sound just fine to me. Just some general dance samples, drums, “pops,” synths, and basslines.

Final Analysis:
This…isn’t Jazz Jackrabbit, no matter how many samples you put into it. I think everyone’s just too polite(or otherwise) to point this fact out. As such, I’m not going to rate it. If I were to rate it, however, I’d probably give it a 4.7 due to the fact it’s so bland. Like unseasoned ground beef.

Score: N/A(Not a Jazz File)
”?!” Points: N/A(Not a Jazz File)
Total Score: N/A(Not a Jazz File)

Recommendation?:
No. Plain and simple.

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene… Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

Introduction:
Weighing in at an astonishing and highly unnecessary 10MB, is this 7.5 minute goliath truly worth the time it took to collaborate? Find out…now!

Song Analysis:
Some sections of the song sound like “Beach Bunny!,” such as the third section around 3:24. Some sections sound original. Some other sections take from other Jazz Jackrabbit songs, such as “Diamondus”.
And then around 5:28, things really speed up to about 2.5 the song’s normal speed. Why? I don’t know. It doesn’t add a thing to the song.
Going back for a moment, the beginning of this song reminds me of some 80s music. Specifically “Rhythm of the Night” by Debarge. Kind’a fun memorabilia there, actually. Whether it was intentional or not, I’ll probably never know, but it sounds fairly good and helps make this song a bit of a walk away from being “Beach Bunny! Arranged”.
Unfortunately, that seems to be all this song really has going for it, other than the beat breakdowns which seperate the few sections of the song quite nicely.

Sample Analysis:
The original “Beach Bunny!” samples with some generic “dance drums” thrown in to give this mammoth some moves.

Final Analysis:
Well, I don’t know how long this seven-and-a-half piece of work took to make, but it sounds like some decent work went into it. Still, it’s pretty average, far larger than it needs to be(C’mon! Even Modules are only Internet MP3 quality! Was 192Kbps really necessary?), and druges on a bit, despite the attempts to keep it fresh all throughout.

Score: 4.8
“Man, I Feel Old Now” Points: -0.3
Total Score: 4.5

Recommendation?:
It’s kind of groovy, but listening to it more than once might not be a good idea. So…no.

Edit:
My math skills need work. Scoring fixed.

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene… Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

Introduction:
Can the Bonus Track and Tubelectric from Jazz Jackrabbit co-exist in harmony?! Well, you’re asking in the wrong song. Find out why in this review.

Song Analysis:
The standard Jazz “Bonus” tune with a couple samples from Tubelectric. Nothing new has been added, but parts of the song have been rearranged.

Sample Analysis:
This is JJS. All Jazz Jackrabbit samples…all the time. It seems to be the bread-and-butter of aspiring Jazz musicians. So…no real comments here.

Final Analysis:
Ya can’t blame a guy for trying, I don’t guess. It’s not a bad song by any rights, but it may as well be an original Jazz Jackrabbit MOD file. By copying and pasting Patterns from either song as well as swapping and mixing samples from both, this song was born. And boring. But at least it’s not as bad as some of the things I’ve reviewed. But all and all, it’s nothing special.

Score: 5.0
“Creativity(or Lack There-Of)” Points: -1.5
Total Score: 3.5

Recommendation?:
Sure. Why not? Everyone loves Jazz Jackrabbit‘s original soundtrack.

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene… Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

Introduction:
Now this is an extremely funky rendition of “Hell Freezes Over” which sounds as though it has bits of “Jazz Be [Darned]” thrown in for good measure. So let’s measure how good…or bad this is.

Song Analysis:
As far as I can tell, this sounds like what you’d get if you merged Jazz and Funk.(…no, I don’t mean “Junk”.) In fact, it reminds me quite heavily of “Awakening Road” from the “Rockman X Arranged” soundtrack.(Which was basically Rockman X music jazzified.) The song itself seems like it has bits and pieces of “Jazz Be [Darned]” thrown in just for kicks. Either that, or I need to listen to “Hell Freezes Over” more closely.
The arrangement is more or less recognizable, but I sincerely doubt it could sound any better than it does even if it relied more heavily on the original track for its notes and whatnot.

Sample Analysis:
There’s no dirty samples here whatsoever. Lots of awesome guitars of varying types(which I might swipe later [shifty eyes]) and some really nice drum samples as well. Everything sounds terrific together and not a single note sounds out of whack or out of tune.

Final Analysis:
All and all, it’s a damned fine track that any Jazz(or Jazz) lover would appreciate fully. There are so many good things I could be saying about this, but words fail me. Utterly. There is no reason not to give this piece full marks. At all. It fades in wonderfully, loops perfectly, and is absolutely great to listen to. I’m not entirely sure it would work as level music, but I can’t see why not. This is definately going on my MP3 player next time I shift things around.

Score: 9.0
“I Can’t Think of Any Reason Not to Give This a 10.0” Points: 1.0
Total Score: 10.0

Recommendation?:
Yea, verily. Download this and listen to it if you haven’t yet. You will totally not regret it.

Notice of Mention:
Congratulations on getting the very first 10 I’ve ever given out! The sad thing is now I’m going to expect this kind of quality from you with everything you make. XD

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene… Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

Augh, dang it! I lost my entire review due to a freak accident with Outlook Express’ way of handling URLs… AODJalsd… While I cope with the loss, I’ll just say fer now that I wholey agree with LittleFreak’s review. Dang, darn, crappit! My poor review… T_T;

Review ta come.

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene… Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

Introduction:
The shortest and fastest rendition of Sluggion you’ve ever heard. Plain and simple.

Song Analysis:
From what I can tell, this song is the first several seconds of Sluggion, but not quite. The “echoing chimes” bit has been replaced by a simple guitar riff that scales downward for eight notes then repeats. The song itself is very short, comprised mostly of two patterns which repeat the same drum loop and guitars perpetually. While it sounds good, it doesn’t make for a very good Jazz Jackrabbit remix.

Sample Analysis:
Crisp. Clear. Well used.

Final Analysis:
A nice, short piece of work, really. Despite the fact it’s very short, I like it all the same. I guess I’m just a big fan of short, well-done songs.(Hey! Better a short, well-done song than a long, horrendous one.) Truth be told, there’s not much meat to it, but I think much more to it might be excessive.

Score: 3.4
“I Like It Regardless” Points: 2.3
Total Score: 5.7

Recommendation?:
Totally. It’s fun to listen to. Dunno about the “level” aspect of it, though.

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene… Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

Why hasn’t someone slapped this boy silly yet? Lemme take this time to write a general request:
You know what I’d like to see? A big ol’ level, or level pack, that has a series of pathways and route splits that make it so Jazz has to go one way while Spaz goes another. Or even something like this, but with a Change Monitor somewhere nearby, so you can change. Why hasn’t someone done this yet?

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene… Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

Introduction:
Your basic arrangements of Orbitus and Tubelectric slapped together to make one long song.

Song Analysis:
It’s pretty basic all and all. Around 2:41, the song switches over to something a little more drum-oriented. 3:27(Pattern 27) to the end consists of the same 16 notes played over, and over, and over, and over again using the sample from Tubelectric with no volume slides or cuts, no note cuts, and nothing to soften the blow between each note. At high volumes, this could be deafening; at low volumes, this is rather irritating.

Sample Analysis:
A couple new samples(or maybe some samples from Jazz Jackrabbit 2) mixed with some samples from Jazz Jackrabbit. Nothing much to say here. Robert A. Allen had good taste.

Final Analysis:
This song is irritating and repeatitive. You took a perfectly good song that had some depth to it and decisively hindered it.

Score: X.XX
“Originality” Points: X.XX
Total Score: X.XX
As per request, seeing as this is this person’s “first try,” scoring will be withheld. This is as “nice” as I get.

Recommendation?:
I don’t really recommend this to anyone. The song itself isn’t bad, but it’s a far cry from anything interesting.

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene… Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

Tol’ja I’d do it, and I did it, too.

Introduction:
Kind’a techno, kind of electronica, kind of groovy. This is a Dark Groove remix that sounds like it came

Song Analysis:
The song starts out lighter than Dark Groove and a little faster. In fact, it only sounds remotely like Dark Groove.(A passerby might argue that it isn’t, for example.) It’s also a bit repeatitious all throughout. Around 1:20 does the song start to show a little more “Dark Grooviness,” getting right into the groove with the original notes(roughly) of Dark Groove, which leads to a slight breakdown around 2:07.5. The song more or less repeats its various patterns(with some slight alterations) from then on until we get to around 3:10.5 where it goes into a full-fledged mess of rhythms and notes for a while. And I mean that in a good way. More repeatition ensues, then finally, the song comes to a nice fake close around 4:33 which leads into another breakbeat drum session, and finally, a mellow ending. It works, but as stated, it’s a little repeatitious.

Sample Analysis:
The samples are all much more crisp than the original samples from Dark Groove and, as far as I can tell, not many(if any) of the originals were used. Maybe the drums from another Jazz 2 song. In any case, all the samples sound good, and sound good together.

Final Analysis:
Repeatitious, but very worthy of any given Jazz 2 level. Plus, it’s a lotta fun to just sit back and listen to.

Score: 6.7
“Nondescript” Points: 0.5
Total Score: 7.2

Recommendation?:
Sure. As stated, it’s fun to listen to by its lonesome and could easily be implemented into any given stage.(Probably Heck or Castle. Maybe some technological stage.)

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene… Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

Introduction:
Ever feel like headbanging to the original Muckamok theme, but feel the tune is inappropriate to do so? Well, this tune is right up your alley, then!

Song Analysis:
Remember what I said about the original version, FOD? “This song would be freaking sweet with the right samples.” Well, guess what? I still think that holds true. This version is quite vastly different from your original “The Muckamok Rock”. Too different to compare, really. As the original version was rock, this version is somewhere between heavy metal and rock ‘n roll. However, the arrangement of this song is done up quite well. Nothing clashes and everything sounds great as far as I can tell. Except around 1:22.60(Pattern 16) where you inexplicably up the pitch on the guitars… Doesn’t sound that good. Additionally, the song is a bit repeatitive with no real “breakdowns” to it. A breakdown or two somewhere in there would not only prolong the life of the song, but make it sound all the more groovy, in my opinion.

Sample Analysis:
As stated, none of the samples clash, hiss, crackle, or sound bad at all. Your choice in samples is pretty nice. All the guitar samples are nice and crisp, as heavy guitar samples should be.

Final Analysis:
This is a slight step down…from the “original” version of “The Muckamok Rock,” in my opinion. Gone are the organs that made the first cut so absolutely awesome. Gone are the cut-off guitars. Gone is the arrangement…
Man… Listening to v1.0, I think I do prefer it to this one…but this one is pretty slick in and of itself, too.

Score: 5.0
“Arrangement” Points: -0.2
Total Score: 4.5

Recommendation?:
I’d recommend this, yes. It’s a neat, metal arrangement of Muckamok. But I’d also like to re-recommend the first version, too, which can be found here:
http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=3683

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene… Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

You people and your “Put Lori in 1.23” requests… =P

In addition to being able to now see every single sprite in every known version of Jazz Jackrabbit 2(yes, this includes the “prototype” version where Colonius 2 uses the music file mislabelled as “Medivo2”, though there is a little palette curroption in the menu sprites), you can also now rip each and every sprite with ease, as well as edit them just as easily. With this, combined with the Jazz Creation Station, I’d imagine someone with enough diligence could easily make a whole new game using the Jazz 2 engine.

All and all, this is one of the best tools to come out for Jazz 2 ever. I haven’t tested the manipulation capabilities of it personally, so I probably shouldn’t give a score…but I gotta say, I can’t think of anything more useful that could come out. Maybe a sound manipulator or something to rip/replace sounds… Dunno.

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene… Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

Introduction:
A techno/funk arrangement of a well-known Jazz Jackrabbit 2 song, and a chunk of a lesser-known Jazz Jackrabbit 3 song.

Song Analysis:
The song starts out with the opening “wiggities” from “Laboratory Level”. Around 50.5 seconds in, it coasts into a smooth arrangement of the last bit of “Jazz Jackrabbit 3”(the title song for said game) with some drums here and there. Overall, it’s a short song, but it sounds pretty decent, if not repeatitive.

Sample Analysis:
I dig the samples used in this song. Even though you used the same sample for the Labratory Level and Jazz Jackrabbit 3 main melodies, the samples themselves are nice. Not grainy, not fuzzy, not even slightly skewed. Ah, the wonders of FastTracker II Format.

Final Analysis:
This ain’t as much “Laboratory Level” as it is “Jazz Jackrabbit 3”.
(Specifically 1:44 onward in the original song.) While incorrectly titled(in my opinion), I can’t really think of what else you might call it, so… Yeah. Good, short song. Great for listening to. Not so great to use in a level.

Score: 3.5/7.0
”Jazz Jackrabbit 3” Points: 2.7/3.0
Total Score: 6.2/10.0

Recommendation?:
Sure! As I said, it’s pretty fun to listen to.

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene… Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

…was this trip really necessary?

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene. . . Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

Introduction:
Totally Insane Music Makers presents three music files that will eat your soul. And not in a good way.

Music Analysis:
I’ll be blunt. The only good song out of these three is Deckstar. And even it is no good. The only reason I specifically mention it is because it sounds like a half-arsed rendition of a generic 80’s song. Scraparap is a close second only because it’s quiet and mellow. Crysilis sounds like you got bored and decided to play with pitch bends and volume bends.

Sample Analysis:
The samples tend to clash worst of all in Crysilis and, for the most part, don’t seem to be anything other than the original Jazz Jackrabbit samples thrown in a blender. Again, not a good thing.

Final Analysis:
Overall, these songs sound like you all tried way the Hell too hard to make something work. Three times. And failed each time. They just plain don’t seem to work.
It might just be the pitches of the notes, or it might just be the weakness of each song. I don’t know. In any case, while being vaugely original in each instance, these songs are clearly nothing to write home about. These may have been better left under the couch cushions on a couple of 3.5-inch floppies.

Recommendation?:
No recommendation. Seriously. I’ve heard better things from VG Music.com circa 1996.

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene. . . Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2

Introduction:
Boredom forged in the facade of re-arranging music spawned this. But how does it stand up to the original pieces? Let’s find out.

Music Analysis:
For the most part, channels were added to each and every Module to give it more echoes, range, and the sort. Some timing and pitch bends were also fiddled with here and there. However, some of the music sounds almost entirely unchanged. . .and some, like the Boss theme, actually sounds worse!(In this particular instance, the Boss theme is hollowed out a little. Quieter.) This is mostly due to what I’ll be samples, however. . .

Sample Analysis:
. . .some of which were changed, not for the better, but for the worse. Samples like hi-hats and some of the other things are of lower quality than the original overall(even if they’re of higher bit-rate). In fact, a couple sound like they came right from the Sound Blaster Live! v5.1 SynthWave SoundBank. However, some of the samples, however, sound quite a bit better than the originals. There’s a few songs where the samples fit all the better.

Final Analysis:
Don’t get me wrong. Some of the songs truly do sound better than their original incarnations. Labratkid obviously tried to do this as best as he could. He wasn’t aiming for remixes. Just slight alterations. . .re-arrangements. . .things like that.(Like that Medivo thing I did a while back.)
I’d say overall, he did an acceptable job, but it’s not quite as nice as it could theoretically be. Maybe try using better samples, or at least different ones. Perhaps don’t rely so heavily on just adding channels and echos. Trying adding in some of that originality we’ve come to expect from you, LaRK. For example, with the sample you chose for the “Jingle Bells” thing in Holidaius, might I suggest pitch-bends instead of just jumping from note-to-note? Also, change the snare drum back to a “machine crash” in Scraparap. . . That song is so nothing without that. Use the one from Final Fantasy VI if you have to. Just change it back.

Recommendation?:
Sure. Why not? Nothing here is damaged or anything. For the most part, it sounds just as good as the originals, and in a lot of cases, slightly better. Exoticus sounds absolutely marvelous with the new xylophone samples, for example. Technoir sounds fairly decent, too.

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The “Simon Cowell” of Jazz 2 Online‘s Music Scene. . . Joseph Collins
“Dr Lithius” or “LithiuServer” on Jazz 2