OCR00912 - Secret of Mana 'Desert Snowstorm'

[djpretzel]

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

[Psycrow]

Spiffy :P

[DaleNorth]

NICE!

[Straziante]

Isn't this the same guy who did the FF9 cell phone remix? No wait, that was zid. This remix had me on the intro. Excellent addition to the SoM remixes, and finally something a bit more upbeat! That bass had my booty shaking. Highly recommended.

[Dj Orange]

I used to listen to a lot of jungle and intelligent dance music. I always thought that SOM music would integrate very well with those two genres. I once tried to mix the ice forest theme in such a style. I failed; my mix sounded too empty, and my samples sucked. THIS is what I was trying to make. I LOVE this. There's so much variety! This is definitely my favorite Secret Of Mana mix!

[SlashEdgewind]

well I love any music that square does.. and most of the remixes that are here are kicking, and this one is no exception, of course. and besides, SoM was one of my favorite games of all time... just right behind FFVI.

Slash

[The Nephian]

The work invested in this arrangement is quite apparent. This is a good thing. Well-balanced sound levels and generally crafty sample choices are the icing on the cake.

The primary selling points are as follows: Diverse, intelligent & lively sound programming / effects use. Meticulous detail in articulating the original themes without duplicating them. The last two minutes of the piece deliver a down-to-earth, respectful & mellow rendition of one of the game's generally overlooked selections.

The piece could have been sliced in two without my noticing, but I personally did not mind the combination of said (fairly different) segments. The eclectic style and fun of it all was refreshing. Recommended listening, for sure.

[EmpressAurora]

Beautiful. That's all I have to say...absolutely beautiful. I have always been a huge fan of the Secret of Mana soundtrack (available at Animenation, as well as the arranged version...*waits impatiently for hers to get here*) and this is the kind of remix that makes me close my eyes and imagine scenes. It's right up there with Israfel's SoulBlazer remix. Desert Snowstorm has a very quirky (in a good way) rhythm in the first half, the 'snowstorm' part, but my favorite is definitely the 'Desert' section. The percussion is very well done, and the dynamics of the wind instruments are not too loud and not too soft. Very well done. Five stars.

[Moggie]

I'm impressed! I was holding my standards high for the next Ziwtra mix, and I'm really happy it was another SoM mix, as I've loved that OST since 1993. I don't think many other people have remixed these, and its a fresh change. It makes me get all goosebumpy and nostalgic, as all the other good SoM mixes have.

Nice work, Ziwtra. Hope to see more from you soon. Please do more Secret of Mana!

[sgx]

Smoothness in mah ears! Great. The second half is my favorite. While the first half is well done with great samples, drums, and synth effects, it feels a bid odd to me, and it changes often which kinda messes up the flow a bit. Maybe more steady drums with more pronounced beats 2 and 4 emphasis would help. But that's nitpicking, and I don't know how it could be done better other than that. The second half is beautiful and a bit more cohesive. This whole mix has exceptional audio quality with the perfect EQ, and awesome work in making stereo separation noticeable, but not annoying. This stuff really adds a lot to the mix. Top notch stuff.

[SsaiskK]

ziwtra's basslines own .
if im not mistaken, same sample as he always uses (well same style at least), and i LOVE it =D

[Temporal]

I love the beginning... up to about 0:48... then it gets kind of weird. I think the rest is good... but the begginning got me all excited for something more than it ended up being, and kind of spoiled the rest for me. ::shrug::

The rest of the song is growing on me. I think this will still make it into my "best of OCR" playlist. :) Ziwtra is quickly becoming one of my favorite remixers.

[BrettUltimus]

All's good with this mp3 mix. Anything that can get my senses going, and make me want to dance to the beat is a good mp3 to me.... however, the only thing that got me with this piece was the sudden shift from 2:31 and 2:32... thats probobly the only problem with it, even though a very minor one. All in all, I really do like this peice. Good job!

FINAL SCORE: 9.5/10

[Lomion]

Beautifully arranged indeed. Very neat introduction and a catchy interpretation of the desert music. Couldn't really find the snow music in there, but that failure must be on my side. More plaudit from another fan of the series. Keep on keeping on!

[ZenDadaist]

:)

I love it to bits! It's one of my current top 5 favourite MP3s at the moment and it's likely to be staying there. It's nice to see the little-heard Ice palace theme and the blending of the Kakkara Desert works a lot better than I thought it might. The song is nicely varied - it doesn't drag on and changes enough to keep interest but not so much that it loses the flow. I'm impressed!

[Shhteve]

I've had this remix for quite some time now, and I'm suprised I never even commented on it. This is definitely some good stuff to zone out to, it brings back the fondest of memories of this game. Ziwtra definitely has some excellent talent, keep it up.

[herograw]

this is so good that i almost ruined it by listening to it so much. it's like so good that it automatically goes onto music playlists that have nothing to do with the song's genre or anything to do with videogames. i had to literally cut back from listening to it out of grave fear that i might possibly get burned out, though that's probably not possible.

it sounded good in WIP and even better after all the changes. my "ziwtra" playlist only has 4 remixes. please make this playlist longer :D

-rob

EDIT: damn typos

[Jonathon Striker]

Woah man! This is just too much for me. I was feeling kinda Anime/RPGish and wanted to just fly into battle with this theme. THis is so awesome, absolutely beautiful. I give it a 10/10, and this will be the first track on my personal SoM tribute CD.

[Less Ashamed Of Self]

On the professional level, no questions. I also listen to it too much...
One of my favourite MP3's of all time... I love the somewhat muffled string samples that fade in at 1:25ish and then bounce around at 1:44ish the best, the crackle adds that snowstorm feel. That muting effect around 1:43 and 2:04 is delicious. The percussion is intelligent enough to listen to on it's own but mixed it with the instruments and the many other layers... gorgeous gorgeous mp3.
Keep up the good work Ziwtra

[MrNemo]

This, I think, is the best song I've heard on OC Remix so far. The professionalism displayed, the talent, the attention to every detail, every effect, every unsuspected sweep, jingle bell, everything... I am just amazed by this effort. I applaud anyone who spends this much time perfecting a song; I hope to one day approach this caliber of arrangement and sequencing. Serious ear candy.

[big giant circles]

Great great stuff. Excellent production. Lot's of talent shown here. You definitely know how to use that software, free or no.

Another one of my favorites.

[Pip is uh.....]

Wow this peice is brutal! Its so damn good! It's full of so much energy. When I first heard the song it was like it kicked the shit outta my ear drums and left them begging for more. Really great trippy techno. Could you expect anything less from Zwitra?
Kudos man you put together a slammin peice.

[[blunai]]

Very much like his Terranigma Zue song, this is filled with an earthy melody and powerful beats. It characterizes Zwitra's style nicely. Any Zwitra fan would be insane to pass this one up.

[RimFrost the Tourianist]

An actionpacked SoM remix , i liked it alot.
Interresting and innovative, it stands out from most other stuff sent in sofar..

Thumbs Up ,Ziwtra !

[Bummerdude]

The beginning caught me directly, the synths and beats unleashed at almost the same time with awesome samples and arrangement, just great. It changed its course suddenly afterwards, i could recognize that pop-ish style from "Stomp the Summer Sky", same goes for the string sample used after that part.

Things sort of melded into each other later, then it changed radically at 2:34 again. This time I loved it. The drums used was astonishing, I love those kinds that gives away that bright sound. :D And there was no changes now at least, Ziwtra kept this safari theme and succeeded well with it, in my opinion.

This is indeed a remix, not only techno but also something more foreign. Sweet. :D

[avaris]

Yes more and more FFA and SoM musical goodness. I've listened to this a few times, but it is def one of those songs the more I hear the better it sounds.

Very high production values all around, i think it's also one of the better soundscapes Ziwtra has constructed. Breakdown at 2:35 was a great idea, and the new melody that came in shortly after was an even greater idea. Even though the new melodies in the 2nd half seem to produce very different emotions than the composition in the beggining I still like it. You gotta appreciate this unique song structure, bc it does work. Keeping the similar sounding rythms is what ties in the the 1st and 2nd half for me.

[42]

I can't really label this one for some reason.
:?
.....
Towards the end, it gets more coherent-ish.
In the end, I don't really care for this mix, it's not bad but its not really my style. I'll pass.

[Marmiduke]

Yes! A Secret of Mana mix that isn't new age or filled to the brim with tubular bells. And what's more, it's energetic, bright and expertly made.
It's actually one of the most confident sounding mixes I've heard on the site; things are so strong on all fronts. Genre-bending is one thing, but pulling it off so satisfyingly is quite another. The result is something that sounds both effortless and laborious at the same time. It's a great achievement, and a really inventive variation from usual Kikuta fare.

[OA]

Ziwtra has carved out his own legacy by focusing on tightly arranged instrumentation with exceptional care to details, and this song is one of his strongest. The percussion and bass specifically are highlights, with synths accenting specific bass notes throughout.

Great variety in sections while still remaining cohesive, and superb forward momentum.

This is a stellar mix; simply virtuosic.

[tweek]

Once again, an intro by Ziwtra that helps get us ready for what's to come. Hahn really enjoys the juxtaposition of the soft intro that leads into a fast and frantic song, and it works exceptionally well. I love the bass here! It grooves really hard and anchors the track by bridging the gap between the very fast drum work and the slower synth lines. The stuttering/gated synths are absolutely divine and add some much dynamics to the track. The glitchy synth section was also very well executed. This mix is a bit different from Hahn's previous pieces as this track focuses more on the textures than a melody line, and I have to say, I definitely feeling it! Don't get me wrong, there is melody in here, to say the least, but the brilliance of this track is in the detail and the dynamics. We also get a healthy dose of the pan flute that Youngjin likes to use! Excellent work!

[-RK-]

This has been one of my very favorite songs for a very long time. It's beautiful and inspiring, and completely timeless.

Thank you Ziwtra.