OverClocked ReMix
OverClocked ReMix, also known as OC ReMix or OCR, is a website dedicated to reviving the computer and video game music from yesterday, and re-interpreting it with new technology and capabilities. This site's mission is to prove that this music is not disposable or merely just background, but is as intricate, innovative, and lasting as any other form, as explained by the site's mission statement.
The webmaster of OverClocked ReMix is David Lloyd (djpretzel), who began the site in late 1999 as a spin-off of his 3-D webcomic, OverClocked. The comic primarily covered topics relating to gaming and emulation. The site grew, and many other artists submitted ReMixes to Lloyd's site. Currently, there are over 1,350 ReMixes hosted on the site, ranging in genre from classical to heavy metal to hillbilly. Aside from his role as webmaster, Lloyd also writes arrangements ("ReMixes") that can be found on the site.
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 word remix, which in musical terms typically involves minor changes or musical alterations. Lloyd himself has said that this is unfortunate, since the site is dedicated to original rearrangements of classic themes, not merely changing minor details or plagiarising the work of others. However, he notes that OverClocked Rearrangements is a less catchy name, with none of OCR's history. For this reason, he coined the use of the word ReMix to refer to an arrangement, as opposed to a remix.
Submission process and site standards
The submission process at OverClocked ReMix is a two-tiered system, consisting of a preliminary evaluation by David Lloyd himself, followed by a more thorough review by a judges panel. In the preliminary review, the potential ReMix 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.
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 receiving either four "YES" or "NO" votes, the submission is either rejected or accepted and posted on the main site. Voting can be extended up to a majority decision of six "YES" or "NO" votes 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 rightfully also has the power to veto the judges' decision, although instances are very rare. The judges' decisions are viewable on the site forums.
ReMix removal and lockdowns
Due to human error and increases in site standards, there have been many ReMixes that have been removed from the site over the course of its history. 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.
There will also be times where a ReMix will be removed at the artist's request. When a feud over administrative decisions caused virt, prozax, Mustin and mp, as well as several others, to leave OCR, 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. 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.
Controversy and reform
On occasion, the addition, removal, or rejection of a ReMix will be questioned by the community of OCR. The community will often pressure DJP and the Judges Panel to reform their policies, and when suggestions are not immediately considered then extensive debate and even flaming will ensue.
Community
The OverClocked ReMix community consists largely of video gamers and musicians. Members are part of a typically youthful demographic, perceived by some to be a source of irritation and immaturity. Despite this, there are many accomplished artists and programmers among them. There are two primary congregation points for members of the community: the OverClocked Remix forums and the official IRC channel, #ocremix.
The discussion forums are where the vast majority of community interaction occurs. It contains sub-forums including General Discussion, Reviews & Technical Assistance, as well as many that are musically related, including a Work in Progress forum and ReMixing help. More controversial is the UnModerated forum, which is free of all but the most basic restrictions in terms of netiquette. UnModerated, known as UnMod, is quite laden with bad taste in humor and flavorful personalities. With the exception of the Judges Panel (invisible to everyone except the Judges), Judges Decisions, Site Projects and UnModerated sections, the forums are currently moderated by site members GrayLightning, Smoke, DarkeSword, zircon, Mythril Nazgul and Liontamer.
The IRC channel, located on the Enter The Game network, was created by Children of the Monkey Machine and is frequented by a comparatively small group, generally around fifty people. The channel itself was originally almost unmoderated, and treated the same way as the UnModerated forum on the site. 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.
Projects
Many projects have been undertaken by the OverClocked ReMix community. Some, such as an official OCR Winamp skin and download manager (called "OverClocked ReCollections") have been unsuccessful or abandoned after long periods of inactivity. Among the successful projects, however, has been an internet radio stream called "Ormgas" and large BitTorrent distributions of ReMix archives. There is also an official OverClocked Remix Podcast, VGDJ, which was created by community members Rayza and Aurora.
A recent trend among ReMixers has been towards the creation of "collaboration projects," ReMixes of entire game soundtracks by multiple artists working in a team. These are typically published in the site's "Spotlight" section. The current list of site projects are as follows: Relics of the Chozo, Kong in Concert, Hedgehog Heaven, Rise of the Star, and The Dark Side of Phobos, being remixed albums of Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Kirby's Adventure, and Doom, respectively.