Submission Standards and Instructions

For information on the process after submissions are received, please see Judges Panel.

This document describes the process for submitting music to OverClocked ReMix and the standards by which submissions will be evaluated. By submitting your music to this site, you are agreeing to our Content Policy; please read it first before proceeding.

Languages: Español / Jouhou

1. Format

1. Submissions must be WAV format audio files.

• Audio must be at least 16-bit, 44.1kHz stereo and will be encoded as a 16-bit, 44.1kHz stereo VBR1 MP3.
• If you have lost your original project files and cannot provide a WAV of the required quality, please note this in your submission comments.
• Do not tag or name your file with "OC ReMix", "ocremix.org", etc.; we will do this ourselves if your submission is accepted.

2. We strongly recommend submissions between 2 and 7 minutes in length.

• Anything longer may delay evaluation.
• Anything shorter OR longer risks not featuring the original source music prominently & consistently.

3. Submissions must have an original title. Do not name your submission after the source track, the game title, the genre, or yourself.

2. Ownership

1. Your submission must be your own, original arrangement.

2. Only submit works which you yourself participated in the creation of; do not submit on behalf of others.

3. Your submission does not need to be newly or exclusively created for OverClocked ReMix; past arrangements made for other personal, community, or commercial projects are welcome, so long as any previous contracts or terms are not prohibitive.

4. If your submission involves multiple artists, ensure that all artists:

• Are named in the submission information
• Agree with the terms of our Content Policy
• Are credited with the name and profile information they wish to be represented by on OverClocked ReMix

5. If an artist does not wish to be credited in a collaboration, they do not have to be. If they would prefer to be mentioned in the submission writeup instead, please indicate that in the submission information.

3. Acceptable Source Material

1. Submissions can arrange music from any video, computer, or arcade game, with the following qualifications:

• The music must have actually been used in the game; a bonus track off a commercial game soundtrack does not qualify.
• The music must have been composed specifically for the game or first published (or recognized) as the game's soundtrack. Movie themes such as Star Wars or licensed songs from games like Gran Turismo do not qualify.

• Current exceptions: Portions of the Tetris soundtrack, containing Russian folk music and classical music, and portions of the Frogger soundtrack, containing Japanese nursery rhyme music.

• Sound effects alone are not considered music, and submissions primarily consisting of them will not be accepted.
• Games that are shareware, freeware, or personal projects may or may not be accepted at our discretion. We strongly recommend arranging music from commercial releases to avoid any problems.

2. Submissions incorporating more than one source are allowed, but are not given special consideration or leniency with regard to the submission standards.

• Your submission will only be assigned to a single game in our database, regardless of how many games' music it contains.
• Your submission must have a strong focus and direction. Medleys must sound like a single song, not multiple songs pasted together.

3. Any incorporation or arrangement of source material not from games (mainstream, classical, etc.) should be extremely limited.

• Brief usage of non-VGM sources is acceptable, but mashups and extended sections arranging non-VGM sources are not allowed.
• Any direct non-VGM source usage must be explicitly mentioned in your submission comments.

4. Arrangement

1. Arrangements in any genre of music (for example: techno, jazz, rap, rock, classical) are acceptable, so long as the genre itself does not conflict with any other arrangement criteria.

• Submissions must have a primary focus on musical elements; this excludes extensive focus on narration/voiceover (e.g. audio drama, audio books).

2. Your arrangement must be substantial and original.

• Submissions must be different enough from the source material to clearly illustrate the contributions, modifications, and enhancements you have made. Acceptable arrangement often involves more than one of the following techniques:

• Modifying the genre, chord progression, instrumentation, rhythms, dynamics, tempo, or overall composition of the source material
• Adding original solos, transitions, harmonies, counter-melodies, lyrics, or vocals to the source material

• Taking the original game audio and simply adding drum loops or using an existing MIDI file and assigning new instruments does not qualify as substantial or original arrangement.
• Submissions must not include any sampled audio, including sound effects, from material owned by Square Enix or its subsidiaries.
• Submissions should be long enough to convey arrangement; generally, this requires at least two minutes of material.

3. The source material must be identifiable and dominant.

• While interpretation and original additions are encouraged, arrangement must not modify the source material beyond recognition.
• The amount of arranged source material must be substantial enough to be recognized.

5. Production

1. Submissions should be cleanly and clearly produced.

• Recordings should be reasonably free of distortion, hum, clicks, pops, or other unintentional audio artifacts.
• Volume levels should be normal compared to the average recording.

2. Production must show significant attention to sound quality, mixing, mastering, and utilization of effects.

• Synthesized and sampled elements must be reasonably sophisticated.

• General MIDI sounds from low-budget soundcards are not sufficient when superior samples are available online for free.
• Overusing common presets, relying heavily on prerecorded loops, or employing nothing but basic tones or "chiptunes" is discouraged.

• Instrumental and vocal performances should be recorded clearly. Performances should be well-executed with regard to tone, pitch, and rhythm.
• Submissions should be mixed with regard to volume, panning, and effects so that individual elements are clear and an appropriate sense of space is maintained.

6. Evaluation

1. Submissions that do not meet format, ownership, and source material requirements may not be evaluated.

2. Submissions may still be rejected without further evaluation if either arrangement or production requirements have clearly not been met.

3. If all requirements have been met, submissions will be evaluated based equally on arrangement and production criteria, taking into account more subjective factors such as originality, variety, and quality.

4. Submissions will generally be evaluated relative to recently posted ReMixes; ReMixes posted over a year ago may not represent current standards for arrangement and production.

5. Submissions that are revisions or new versions of existing, posted ReMixes will only be evaluated as additions, not as replacements, and must be substantially different. Revisions are not encouraged and may be held to higher standards.

7. Instructions

1. Submit only one submission at a time. Multiple submissions sent together will not be evaluated.

2. Wait two weeks between submissions. You do not need to wait for your previous submissions to be evaluated. Submissions received more frequently than two weeks apart will not be evaluated.

• Resubmissions that are meaningfully revised after a past rejection can be expedited back to the judges panel at any time. Please include *RESUBMISSION* in your comments, and a link to the previous judges decision.

3. Ensure that submissions are final, polished works: once posted, they cannot be revised.

4. Submit your arrangement using our Submissions form.

• If you cannot access the form, register a forum account.
• For anything else (questions, suggestions, etc.), contact us on our Discord server or contact admin@ocremix.org.
• Please indicate if you have a special request regarding the date or manner in which your submission is posted.

5. Have patience. Check the Currently in the Judging Process page, the Judges Decisions forum, and the homepage to see if your submission was accepted. If you do not see it on the judging queue, contact a judge about it.