OCR01011 - Final Fantasy VII 'Philharmonic Suite: Part I'

[djpretzel]

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

[BowlOfCactus]

Absolutely fantastic.

That's all I can say. It's a bit late for me to give an in-depth review, and I don't feel like nitpicking, so I will leave it at that for tonight

[The Orichalcon]

Damn, this is the stuff that should have been in the Final Fantasy Movie.

Brilliant remix of 'Bombing Mission.' They don't come much better than this. You can just feel the emotion dripping off this one. It builds up so well.

Just to add, that ending was so fitting.

[GreatLeo]

Excellent orchestral arrangement from the site newcomer Jeremy Robson but to me he isnt a newbie I have heard much of his work years ago it seemed. He has done many other excellent FF arrangements most notably FF6's locke's and sabin's themes in the exact same kind of epic style as this one and also a FF megamix of various themes which is on his mp3.com site that is sure to please all you orchestral lovers out there. :)

[Rexy]

Whoa... this is beautiful. A highly powerful orchestral version of the opening. :) Anyone who hasn't heard it yet should leave this page and check it out right now! :mrgreen:

[Kamikaze Noodle]

This is incredible! The quality is simply dripping from this piece! The samples, the arrangement, the mastering, it's all perfect. Although at times something would come up and it would sort of ruin the feel by being too Midi-ish in execution, they are rare and overlookable. The feel of this piece is very cinematic and you can feel the emotion coming out of it. The breakdown at 4:20 made me soil my pants with its sheer awesomeness. I don't know enough about the original to pass good judgement on the arrangement, but it sounds a lot like the original. There are some parts I don't remember from the original though, so I guess those are your parts. Ah hell, with this kind of quality you could make a MIDI rip and I wouldn't care. This is just nice stuff. Nice Work! :nicework:

[FF3Setzer]

Well, having listened to the original hundreds upon hundreds of times, I've become very used to all the little nuances in the song that made it great. So, all in all the mix was amazing...but I'd say, I was sorta disappointed that there wasn't a harder bass on the bottom, that's sorta what made the song what it was, the very powerful beat. As well as at the end of every little trumpet riff, to have a loud cymbal crash. I was soooo sad that wasn't in there, it sorta killed the whole climax of the song. :(

But I mean, the quality is ungodly regardless. I'm shocked this wasn't just taken from some soundtrack. hehehe

[Meiguoren]

What a fine morning. I wake up, have my coffee and check the site. And what do I find? A Jeremy Robson arrangement. And I got all excited.


This guy has done some of the most amazing orchestral work I have ever heard. I've been following his stuff for a few years now, and I have yet to be disappointed. His track "A Falcon, a Whale and an Unknown Land" is one of my favorite orchestral pieces of all time.

But enough about that. What of this new arrangement?

I love this piece. There is so much power in it, but no single part ever becomes overpowering. The horns are used quite well and build the tension and excitement while the strings help hold it up.

The piece builds wonderfully, becoming more intense, and leading up to a wonderful break. Then after the break, the sudden silence fills up very slowly and peacefully, but the final twenty seconds are a bit eerie, giving little satisfaction and bringing up the feeling that all is not quite well.


So, Jeremy. How's that reworking of your Locke piece coming?

[pixlz]

what can i say except..... i *want* part II, nooooooooooooow

man. absolutely incredible.

[Cyro Xero]

Damn. If I had never even heard of Final Fantasy I would swear that this was from a Star Wars soundstrack. It sound exactly like it would be. Fantastic job.^_^

[UltimaAvatar]

beautiful man, what are you going to do with part II to sound this good? I love it, keep it up

[Mr. Wizard]

Expressing my awe is best explained by my gaping maw. Explaining my thoughts and feelings on listening to this piece is limited by the English language. I downloaded the song this morning at approximately 10:30am CST, and I am still listening to it at 12:44pm CST. I'm certain that going to work at 4:30 today will put a damper on my allotted "Listen to fricken' amazing music" time, and for that I'm saddened because I'll have to go five hours out of my day without listening to this gem of a remix.

Truly dynamic. Good god, this is nothing short of amazing. I eagerly look forward to your future works.

[Blake]

Wow, when I heard this, I didn't know what song he was remixing, then it slowly came back. Then I was like O_O HOLY SHIT I REMEMBER THIS SONG. It makes me feel like this part of the game was turned into like an oscar movie.

I am gonna loop this song while playing Warcraft III Frozen THrone.

[Faustt]

wow... just wow...

[danny B]

This song opens up with an incredible reinterpretation of the opening ambience of Final Fantasy 7. I absolutely loved it.

However, at about 1:35, from then on, what I really hear is a very high quality MIDI-Rip with minor additions. I'm not saying the arrangement is without skill, just without anything amazing to signify a mastery of arrangement. I'm sure Mr. Robson knows exactly what he is doing, but with these quality samples, I think it's imperative to reinterpret and reorchestrate to play upon the original and come up with something half-original. But that's just my take on it. If you're looking for a near-verbatim, high-quality version of the originals at hand here, this is great for you.

But I sure wish that people with gigas and super high quality samples would not depend on them so much to MAKE the song. Rather than use them as a crutch, they should be something to enhance a great arrangement. Again, I mean the artist no disrespect, but this could have been a true masterpiece with a bit more creative input and rearrangement. But if that's not what the intent of the song was, then so be it.

-SM

[Darkmoogle]

Woah, you've done incredible stuff with this... Honestly, I loved it more before about 2:09 when I finally remembered the original song. It's a good song, but listening to it back in the day for so long... I dunno. Maybe I grew not to like it. That doesn't mean this is any less good; new life into a song that many of us listened to for hours on end is always welcome.

And for the guy who's playing this while listening to Frozen Throne... Good choice. I used to make playlists of stuff like this while I was beta testing it. =D

[MegaManXxX]

Its like being in a dream state. From the first note that I heard it was just breath taking. A great arrangement. Its almost like listening to a acutally movie soundtrack. Nice use of brass, woodwind, and percussion. Very intense, with great sounds. Nice transitions through out. Great use of Strings. It's fucking great. Great Job. Can wait to hear part 2. I'm Out!! 8)

X

[Jarrid]

Hehe, Uematsu would probably even agree that this is extremely nice. So, when's Part II? :o

[Russell Cox]

But I sure wish that people with gigas and super high quality samples would not depend on them so much to MAKE the song. Rather than use them as a crutch, they should be something to enhance a great arrangement. Again, I mean the artist no disrespect, but this could have been a true masterpiece with a bit more creative input and rearrangement. But if that's not what the intent of the song was, then so be it.

*cries*

Ok, seriously now....

I had not wanted to post a review, as the few times I've been asked my comments on this song, half of those people came back with comments of "You're just jealous!" or "What, don't want someone else to write orchestral remixes?" This is my opinion of the mix in particular, and not toward the person -- I can't even remember his/her name while I'm typing this.

The beginning up to the swell of the orchestra is nicely executed, even if it comes out of nowhere and serves almost no purpose in that particular section. Then once the brass 'section' comes in it becomes sloppy. Nice and chaotic, but still sloppy. The marcato of the SAM Horns delays the attacks and makes them sound late, not to mention the horns are *SO* far back into the mix that they sound like they're into a completely different room. If you're using the "far" version of the horns then I wouldn't add any reverb as it sits well in almost any mix that has a decent amount. I know that a little 'lateness' is acceptable on the brass parts, but the horns just sound so late the by the time the notes are heard it's too late -- even the percussion is more in sync than the horns.

The dissonance around 4:15 is very nice and sounds great. But from here on out it just... dies literally. That may have been the point but once the quiet section begins it just sounds out of place after the "Bombing Mission" part. Is it bad? Not at all, but it just doesn't fit to me.

The spatial field seems to move on a few things -- the bones and the violins. When the violins play the staggered sustain they're on the left but when the runs begin in "BM" they're on the right/middle. THe bones also seems to drift from center, right, and back to center. Maybe it's just my ears....

[Woffester]

Ughh, you are such an arogant piece man...You're just jealous of his orchestral remixing skills.

[Shhteve]

This has to be the most incredible piece of work to hit OCR in GOD KNOWS HOW LONG. ..This is the kind of music I look forward to hearing, but never quite see on the site.. Very good work Jeremy Robson, VERY, VERY good work. This was a masterful piece of work, and I simply cannot put any more hype behind it.. You just need to hear it for yourself, this is GODLY. 8O !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[XZero]

When I read the write-up about this song, I noticed that there was some question as to the origin of this piece and whether it came from an orchestral album or not. I feel that it should have. This song is downright amazing, and it surpasses the quality of many songs on the Final Fantasy arranged albums. It has this cinematic quality that no FF 7 arranged song on a professional album ever boasted. (Of course, there were only ever 3 arrannged songs on the FF Reunion Tracks album to begin with) This is a stunning piece of music that no one should miss. Download it NOW.

[GrayLightning]

I have to agree with some of what Russell said. For me some parts simply were chaotic in a bad way. It just sounded disorienting. Little issues aside, this is still a great piece of work. Great knowledge of orchestration is displayed. I would have liked more of a personal touch as others have mentioned, but the overall quality of this mix can't be denied. Well done.

[ffmusic dj]

I listen to these arrangements all the time, but this is something else, I LOVE the intro, oooh my god, I just wish they made the intro like THAT, but when the main melody hits, .... no, ..... at 1:36 ... no that part is suppose to be more ... I dunno .. more .. KABOOM! just sorta ruined the song, but afterwords, I realise that the songs could have been much more, with ... drums? sound fx? SOMETHING MORE CREATIVE THAN WHAT I HEAR, UGH, this is why I havent remixed songs like these, cause if you dont add the right touch to the song, it dosent sound appealing, AAH! I hear it, at 3:46! DRUMS LIKE THAT! ooh but it leaves soo quickly, damn, but, this exit is nice, it sooth's down, I like.

now in all honesty, this is a good song, but, .. I dont think this sound would go good without drums. p.s., too much reverb.

[Ramaniscence]

In short:

Strings are decent for most part.

Brass is horrid throughout.

Intro is nice.

Outro is nice.

Piano is OK.

Song could be a straight midi rip if you ask me...

This song gets.

:?

1 wierd face, and..


<3 <3 < / 2.5 hearts

[ffmusic dj]

Hehe, Uematsu would probably even agree that this is extremely nice. So, when's Part II? :o

aah, no!
So, when IS Part II?

[OmegaPhoenix128]

Amazing. I like how it goes. Sooo

Nice. :D

[skyliner75]

Oh man, this mix is amazing. Im a violist and have played in many big works, but never have i heard of game music being turned into such a powerful arrangement :)

The Tranquil start, held strings and different instruments holding the tune, starting with a flute, building with the rest of the orchestra - much like Mahler's 1st.

Amazing finish, and above all the mix of the different themes in the game (i.e, Cid's to start) is amazing.

I cant wait for the 2nd part of this work!!! :D :D

[Veovis]

this is of professional quality. i am astounded. i gotta hear more from this guy, and soon!

[Musicman]

I like this alot. I have been waiting to hear a decent arrangement of Bombing Mission. I enjoy listening to it. Uematsu would love this arrangement.

[The Cabl3 Guy]

:o OMG this is the best mix ever. Jeremy Robinson I am your number one fan post, more stuff! This is great! I just registered to say that. Ive been using this site for over a year ever since vgmix went down & when I heard this I just had to say how great it was. I dont care what the critics say no one ever erected a statue to a critic. keep up the good work Jeremy :)

[Sockatume]

The opening... wow... so clever and inventive... then the main melody kicks in and... what happened?! It starts to dissapear into a mess of dodgy echoes and mistimed wind instruments... great ideas, but could definately do with some polishing. I'm not sure if it's the samples, or the recording and mixing method, or maybe the hardware itself, Case for a remastering if ever there was one...

But then it gets back into clear inventiveness at the end, and it's damned impressive. C'mon, tidy it up and it'll be a masterpiece!

[Elex Synn]

Hmh. Not too shabby. Not sure if I've heard a remix of this particular tune(s) before, but I like it.

[ZidaRose]

When I first listened to this song, my memory floated back to when I first started playing FF 7, the tone of it just reminded me so much of the shock I went through when I first started up that game. It's got a good sound, I do kinda agree on the drums, I feel like they could go longer or just change the timing a bit. Still, great remix. I found out surprisingly this lead into the song I just kinda slapped it on top of, "On That Day ..." by Russel Cox (just a little tip for those of you making those playlist, might be something you'd like). Still, I look forward to part II. I hope to hear more from ya.

ZidaRose

[Joshua Morse]

I won't sit and tell you what you need to change about the tune like most other people becuase it's not my place to. I will, however, tell you that I enjoyed your arrangement.

[frollo]

I am going to have to step in and say a few things. I don't consider this to be as good as the Reunion arrangements like some are saying (What, are you out of your mind?) nor am I going to harp on it for being "chaotic" and such. I am really curious how many of these there will be. Given the scope of this thing (this suite only includes only the material of the 1st track on the ost) I'd say that there wouold at least have to be a dozen before the game is fully represented.

That said...

This is one remix that takes all the conventions of videogame musi and throws them out the windows. The lack of reiteratrion (vgm is composed so that it loops, while "real" music is not) and the surprising inclusion of non-thematic, stylistically coherent original material amidst undeveloped inklings of NU's themes (Remember, in a video game, every track is practically it's own theme, while a film score will only have a few themes scattered about in barious forms). The result is that this is without a doubt the most successful remix in acheiving it's own narration. Other remixes try to link images or story to the music but only this remix knows how to do that. Even most VGM orchestral albums don't do this (not that it's a bad thing) with the exception of FF6 grand finale (although the orchestrated version of Aeris' theme managed to be narrative, despite a complete lack of the aforementioned "original" melody that frees a piece of music out of it's videogame asthetics)

The end of Robon's piece, at least to me, clearly narrates the meeting of Coud and Aeris after the bombing mission (or at least the aftermath among the rubble prior to their meeting) in which the lifestream theme (heard among the opening ambience that is associated with Aeris' face) is hinted at in a subtle minor-key reprise beneath a shroud of mesmerizing original composition, which blends seamlessly with the source material. I have meditated on such a style of ff7 remix but hadn't the talent to pull it off. Russell says that the music after 4:15 seems to die, but I think that it is the music after 4:15 that makes the piece such a revolutionary remix. I hope that it continues in this direction, and as a narrative remix, continues through the various themes at this pace, telling a significant chunk of ff7's story (Which like I said before, would need at least a dozen parts) not like this will happen, but I can dream.

[artemisjaeger]

I'm going to try to be very short with this.

This arrangement, as a whole is very good. I must say that I enjoyed it very much and I must send my compliments to him, as I don't think much of anyone could have done this.

Now, with that aside, there were some issues that really bugged me. At the section around 2'00", it started getting kind of odd. To me, the piano really didn't seem to fit until 2'34". And even then, the idea of 2'34" didn't last too long - and I wouldn't have minded that it didn't last so long if what it went into really lost a lot of its motion. Russell was right about the horns, too - there's too much delay on them, so they end up sounding out of time. The sound of the timpani seemed to be a little bit too soft. If it were a real performance, I would have probably called for harder mallets, but that's something that probably couldn't have been fixed and wasn't that big of a problem - just a little thing to note. If I were at a real performance, I might actually get somewhat bored... it seemed to get a little repetetive at that section.

Even though I had a lot of things to say that I thought could have been improved upon, I don't think at all that it was bad. Please don't think that I mean to offend in any way, it's just that those things I commented upon were things I found to my personal distaste. I can't imagine actually putting that together, myself. The whole piece was a great listen and I absoluetely cannot wait for the next piece he brings to OCR.

[MKnight]

This is a excellent piece of work, its pretty unique in some ways. My favorite part was at 2:00, I finally knew what I was listening to at this point. I cannot wait until part 2, this is just amazing..

[Sil]

I guess now is as good a time as ever to register and address some points brought up. But first I’d like to thank everyone for their feedback as it has been very helpful and has also inspired me to take the time to revise the arrangement a bit because I agree that there are parts that could use some fine tuning.

Noodle: It would be of great help to me if you could point out the spots where it sounds MIDI-ish because I’d like to fix these and be aware of them in any future projects.

Ff3setzer: I’m not too sure what kind of bass would be appropriate for the arrangement so any ideas would be helpful. I often had my subwoofer turned all the way up so it was difficult to hear where some parts could have used bass drum or whatever. Except for my changing the soundcard-based piano for the bass line (my processor couldn’t handle any more realistic samples playing at a time) I’d really be interested in hearing some suggestions. Quick contrabass and cello rhythms are also out of the question because at such a low register they wouldn’t sound too nice.

Ace!: My update of the Locke arrangement will have to wait until I can get some brass samples with a wide-range of capabilities. For now, my puny trumpet and trombone sections can’t handle faster passages thus what I have done already is unlistenable.

UltimaAvatar: You won’t be disappointed because Part II is my favorite for several reasons. 1) it sounds a lot more like what a real orchestra would play than Part I. 2) I put a lot more originality into it thus it will certainly satisfy those who hate anything that remotely resembles a MIDI-rip. 3) it’s based around a pentatonic scale which we all know did wonders for Ralph Vaughan Williams’ violin piece The Lark Ascending. 4) it’s soft and flowing like the calm after a storm, but still epic in scope. 5) it’s based on Red XIII’s theme along with the themes for Seto and Cosmo Canyon, what more could you ask?

SystemManiac: Although I had to study various MIDIs of the theme closely, it is by no means a MIDI-rip and any "additions" are in no way minor. I made the conscious decision the follow the original more closely than I ever have before because that’s the only way it could have been done. I considered other options in my several attempts to arrange this piece, but they failed miserably. I decided that this isn’t a piece that is theme driven. It is popularly denoted by it’s sound, it’s intensiveness, and its chaotic nature, so I had to take into account the piano, the strings, the trumpet/horn motifs, the basic features that constitute the original so that people would associate it with the original. This is no reason to question my arranging integrity. I’ve never relied on the quality of the samples to "make" the piece, and I agree that they should be used only to enhance arrangements. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I’d be interested to find out how much more creativity could be applied orchestrally to this piece.

Don’t get me wrong, though, I’m open to criticism, but I hate baseless assumptions about my work especially when they are derogatory. I’m actually fond of all the criticism I’ve received lately; all except for those that say this is nothing but a midi rip with high-quality instruments. Well, I’m sorry I fooled you into thinking this was going to be a true masterpiece just because the samples were of such high-quality, but they only are because I made an investment into upgrading my synthesizers for reasons other than arranging game music. This is just something I like to do once in a while because it is fun. If you want to see some real originality, you should check out my soon-to-be concert works.

Russell Cox (a name I remember): You bring up several valid points and I thank you for that. Often the brass is late, but I blame that on the samples themselves. I’m no genius when it comes to editing the instruments themselves, so I only have what came on the SAM Horns CDs, or the Xsample Brass CD. One way around this is to actually place the notes a bit early so the maximum amount of sound from the note matches the pulse, but that takes a lot of time and patience to get right, so I settled for what was already satisfactory. And, as I’m sure you’re aware of, the close-sampled horns sample is no better than the far-sampled one. I did try it, but it blended with the rest of the sound in such a way where it lost its distinctiveness. And besides, I love the far-sampled horn section, as it is very reminiscent of the kind of orchestra Jerry Goldsmith uses.

As for the panning, well, some samples have it naturally; others do not. I’d prefer it if none of them did because again, I like the concert hall sound and hardly ever move an instrument to the extreme right or left. I’m using two different trombone samples, and even when layered they just don’t have any power. One is panned naturally, the other is not, thus it is very difficult to use for realistic sound. Hopefully my next purchase is going straight towards SAM Trombones, and then SAM Trumpets immediately after that.

XZero: I have to agree with "ffmusic dj" that it doesn’t come close to the arranged pieces on the albums. Perhaps someday it will, but for every one thing about it that the listener hears as unrealistic or obviously synthesized, I can hear ten things that are just as bad (and unfortunately unalterable for the time being).

GrayLightning: Part II is definitely more personal than Part I, so be ready. The Bombing Mission, on the other hand, doesn’t leave too much room for originality, and in some respects, isn’t that how many would prefer it? Believe me, if I wanted to, I could distort a track to a point where it would be barely recognizable, but then all that would be is a distortion, not an arrangement. But that’s just my opinion.

ffmusic dj: I’m currently editing it to add more interesting snare parts, if that’s what you mean. Sound effects? I don’t think so.

skyliner75: Mahler’s first is one of my favorites of his. I also love Resurrection, which some say has the power to raise the dead. Hmm, I wonder if that would carry some significance in future FF7 arrangements…

Joshua Morse: Well, in defense of those who have already posted some suggestions, I wouldn’t mind hearing what everyone would have to say about making the piece better. I didn’t post this at OC ReMix for my own enjoyment.

Frollo: There will be as many as I have time and effort for. Whether or not the game will be fully represented does not really matter. I’m glad you found some depth and meaning in the arrangement beyond the themes, as a narrative structure is something I’m trying to achieve here.

Artemisjaeger: The problems with the piano and brass are somewhat beyond my control for now, but I will keep trying to fix them. The timpani is where I really got lazy and that was the first thing I began editing a few days ago. Right now I’m layering it with something that has a more definite sound and perhaps I will even make the part more interesting.

Thank you for your comments everyone. Hopefully you can see how much I appreciate them by responding like this. Also, if anyone has any questions about arranging for (MIDI) orchestra or has a suggestion for a piece that would sound awesome orchestrated, let me know.

[HappyBivouac]

The quality of the arrangement is probably better than I could do, but what's with this harping on about 'high quality samples?' A few of the strings and the brass sound pretty good, but overall the song sounds extremely fake. I am actually quite surprised at how impressed djp is with this.

[DrumUltimA]

Alright, overall I liked it alot. But I have some criticizms.


--I absolutely love the beginning

--The horns aren't the greatest
--Piano is great around 2:00
--make that 2:35
--Strings are great overall
--Still horns x.x
--percussion sounds great
--4:10 horns a bit sloppy
--love the harp at 5:10, flute at 5:15


Overall, the pads weren't all that real sounding (especially the brass), though the strings were quite fine. For strings and percussion, I have no complaints. Brass definately needed some work. Theoretically, in strict terms of the arrangement and not the sound, it couldn't get better. Serious hats off to you. Find some better horn (trumpet, bone, french horns, low brass etc) samples, or even better, get a live band to perform it. See if your local high school band is good enough. Other than that, great job =D

[TheShroud13]

I enjoyed this remix absolutely. The song was never a favourite of mine, but it always had a unique atmosphere to it, and you orchestrated and dramatized it very well. The opening was absolutely fantastic, and for the remainder of the piece your usage of dynamics and all of the typical arranging conventions was very well done. A very impressive mix and indeed far beyond my current abilities.

[OmegaPhoenix128]

While i was sitting here listening to this song at night, i noticed theres liek a wierd saxaphone thing in the first couple of seconds in the background thats feint. Maybe its just me and Im just hearing things, but what exactly is that?

[Russell Cox]

If I'm not mistaken you're talking about the trumpet soft glissando (i.e. pitch bend).

[Mythix]

this is the best final fantasy 7 mix ever .... FF7 is my favorite game , and i used to think that the music on the game could never improve....WRONG I WAS , YEEEEEEESSSS.....I applaud your greatness from this song , and i hope to hear many more songs by you ! oh this brings back great memories (except for the aries dying and all ) of a great game ! ~ Mythix

[fadeaway]

A nice remix that definitely lives up to its title. It really does sound like a philharmonic rendition. I personally don't like it enough to put it on a CD, but it is certainly worth a listen. I give it a third class recommendation.

[PhantomMagi]

Hmm. Very good. Very 'John-Williams-esque'.

[Ronyn]

Yay! Glad to see orchestral getting more and more popular. :D

I love the quality of this work, but I have to admit I was a bit disappointed by some things. For one, the verb is a bit heavy, it makes the strings and winds sound great but it makes the brass sound mushy, and really robs its articulation. Also, compositionally, when I'm hearing original material, all I hear is a bit of showing off of the samples, nothing great. But most of this song sounds like a direct rip of the game, which isn't the worst thing in the world but if I wanted to hear FF7 done orchestral exactly like the game music I've got plenty of recordings. And lastly, something is funky from about 2:20 to 2:30. I don't know what it is but it sounds like skipping in the end. It could just be a cool instrumental effect in there, if so I think it's out of place.

Overall though, I liked this one. :)

[The Berserk Fury]

He is a pretty good remixer. But not as good as russle.

[NovaSeaker]

I really only have one comment to make. When is part II coming? :D

[Dracofire87]

Hm. I just realized what the horns in the background of the beginning few seconds are. It's supposed to be imitating the city noises, such as car horns, that are in the background for part of the opening theme.

[frollo]

Sil: Mahler and Goldsmith? Can't wait to hear the future arrangements! Nice to see more vgm fans are orchestrally seasoned beyond John Williams.

Dracofire: The Car horns! beautiful interpretation. I thought it was the proverbial "Cry of the planet." See, now that's narration!!! Looks like this piece is getting better with age, as more people offer their interpretations.

[elman]

I agree with Systemaniac and GrayLightning.(who doesn't remember me from VGMIX!) The intro is just FANTASTIC, and when it started climbing to the main theme, I knew this would be an unbelievable Remix. But when your remix actually HIT the main theme, everything seemed to fall apart; it was too fast, much more midish than the begginning, and it felt like a cheesy TV action movie. The bombing run part sounded like it had it's percussion all out of place, and didn't seem to be as loud and, "declare" as much as the original. Still, it's a very good remix that I enjoy listening to, but there's always one "reorchestrated" Remix from VGMix that will always be in my heart, and unfortunately in a higher place than yours.

8/10

[SuperMoo3000]

This is one of my absolute favorite FF songs of all time, and I'm glad that someone decided to take it and make it his own. Wonderful job, I especialy like the fact that the ending fits in nicely with the beginning, making a continuous loop seem like one long song. Awesome.

[Keithius]

I really liked this song, despite a few things wrong with it (nobody's perfect).

From only 12 seconds into the song the theme suddenly came back to me, and it gave me shivvers - it was NIIIIICE. In my head I could imagine the opening credits to some movie starting to roll, like maybe the logo of the film company fading away as the screen says "XXX Pictures Presents... A YYY Film..." and so on. Very nice. I love music that brings images to my mind.

Then, right at 26 seconds, that small orchestral "rush" would bring to mind the title of the movie being faded in and out ... Then, as we move past 1:00 the tension begins to build, you know something dramatic is coming up, and then... 1:32... wow!

Of course at this point I hear the bane of many remixers... horns. Trumpets, trombones, etc. IMHO there is no substitute for real live horns. Synthesised (and to a lesser extent, sampled) horns simply sound "off". Pianos can be synthesised quite nicely, as can drums and other percussion type things... but the one thing that almost always grates on my ears is horns.... alas.

As the "bombing run" theme develops though, it turns very nice. The horn distortion isn't as bad here, and it sounds very "live orchestra" at this point. I like it very much, it just screams "action sequence."

Now I'm no remixer myself so I can't go into as much detail and depth as others might, but honestly the things I've mentioned so far are the really only negative portions to this mix. Overall, I rate it VERY highly, it definately gets added to my "orchestral" CD which I listen to in the car.

To remixer Jeremy Robson, great work, and I look forward to "Part II"
:)

[Dracofire87]

Is it just me, or do the first few notes of the opening theme sound like they were ripped from the Star Trek: The Next Generation theme?

[Zenigata]

I can't believe how well done this is! Awesome stuff. I love powerful orchestral tracks, and this one ranks up there with the best of them.

Also, about Dracofire's comment above, this song did give me a distinct Star Trek feeling as well. Particularly the soundtrack to the movie Star Trek: Generations.

[Temporal]

Is it just me, or do the first few notes of the opening theme sound like they were ripped from the Star Trek: The Next Generation theme?

They did sort of sound like it, but they certainly weren't... unless you want to say Nobuo himself ripped them, since that's exactly how the FF7 openning theme started! :P

[Juverna]

SWEET MOTHER OF HEAVENLY BLISS!!

This song made my heart race. It is so WONDERFUL. In fact, that was one of the tracks I recently listened to on the OST and thought, "Oh man, this would sound so great with a 'real' orchestra". Ahh! Fantastic job, Mr. Jeremy! Allow me now to swoon all over you!

I am so full of orchestral joy, I think I will die.

...

(That is the sound of me dying.)

[Tets]

What I love about this remix, other than being from a Final Fantasy 7 tune (yeah, I'm a FF7 music junkie :D), is that it sort of sounds like something from the Matrix soundtrack. I'm not sure if that was the entire point or what, I'm not even entirely sure what 'philharmonic' means. Fortunately that doesn't stop me from enjoying this mix. I especially like the breakdown around 4:11. It's just... like... whoa.

[chocobojoe]

Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! I love this piece! While the original melody comes through and is completely recognizable (an aspect I like), the song is still a complete revamp. I love it. Definitely an addition to my collection!

[Darkside783111]

When's 2 coming out?? I love this song keep up the good work!

[robochar]

This is simply amazing. This is truly a work of art. It's a beautiful arragement and even more well laid out. I am a violist as well and I've never played or will ever play anything like this. And lets just say I might give my left leg to do so.

[Wackotic]

I really enjoy this piece. Especially at 0:54 and 4:53. Too bad Jeremy's other remixes (http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/52/jeremy_robson.htmlurl) probably are too large or files to be on Overclocked Remix. I just love A Falcon, a Whale, and an Unknown Land, Symphony of Mana is beautiful as well. Definently stuff that would be on the silver-screen. It's top notch quality IMO.[/url]

[Eric Cartman]

3 words; Part two NOW. ^.^

[Dhsu]

Holy orchestra, Batman! Man, this is awesome...it's like...Uematsu meets Sakimoto. I have to admit I also did a double-take and had to check if this wasn't from some Orchestral Game Concert CD or something. I dunno what everyone's talking about with the "MIDI-rip" nonsense and stuff. This is an arrangement in every sense of the word. I can't wait for Part II...

Keep an eye on this dude, folks...don't be surprised if you see his name listed in movie credits someday. O_O

[The Orichalcon]

I still love this, had another listen, it's wonderful.

I just can't get over that little delay on one of the instruments. I dunno what it is. it's at 3:08 and another section. It just throws the timing out. Sounds like a trumpet.

Otherwise this is excellent. I want part two as well to complete the feeling.

[Darkside783111]

I still love this, had another listen, it's wonderful.

I just can't get over that little delay on one of the instruments. I dunno what it is. it's at 3:08 and another section. It just throws the timing out. Sounds like a trumpet.

Otherwise this is excellent. I want part two as well to complete the feeling.

Hmm I listened to the part and I feel no delay there whatsoever unless you mean a late drop (which I do not think is late at all) by the trumpet cords there; at 3:09 is where the low brass comes in do you mean that??

[The Orichalcon]

yes, the low brass is what I mean.

It just sounds out of time.

Like if this was the original timing (beat):

1 - - - 2 - - - 3 - - - 4 - - - 1 - - etc

The brass sounds like it is here (indicated by X)

1 - X - 2 - X - 3 - X - 4 - X - 1 - X - etc

everything else in the arrangement hits the beat exactly, this one seems to be offput. Throws it out of wack for me. It's my only nitpick with the song

it's between 3:09-3:13 and 3:27-3:33.

[BrassMaster]

Unless I am completely off base (I could very well be) but this is the first part of Best of FF7. Best of starts off with Opening theme (same as this) and then goes into the Bombing Mission. So... Part 2 should include at least Tifa's Theme and possibly President Rufus' march... Anyways, completely incredible song. I wish that we could play songs like this. Oh well, keep up the awesome work, and I look forward to part 2.

[DJ Pili]

This reminds me of 2 songs of 'Final Fantasy:The Spirits Within'. At the beginning, it sounds like 'Entrada' or 'The Kiss', I can't remember well which one; the second part sounds like 'Toccata and Dreamscapes'.

[johnh81818]

ummmm.... WOW.
If it were possible I would say this composition recieves a 20/10, 6 stars, 110%, whatever you want to call it.
I want this piece performed by a LIVE orchestra, and I want this performance to be recorded with a lossless codec (like flac, or .wav)

[Wysp]

When do we get to hear part 2?

[MDarkbladeM]

When do we get to hear part 2?

http://jeremy.narphonax.com/index2.html

How about right now with Part 3?

[Riddler Sensei]

Reminded me of Danny Elfman. Good schtuff.

[Air Man]

Brilliant arrangement; reminded me of how much I adore FF7's soundtrack.

[the frantic melon]

Dear god this is an unbelievable arrangement.
WE WANT PART TWO!!!

[Babysoft-chan]

Holy mother of Monkey D Fluffy! ( or so my sister puts it ^^;; ) This is an awsome remix! I've slapped myself so many times in the last 5:26 seconds for not downloading this sooner! This is the first and only remix that comes close to my love for "Rape of a Planet" by 'mp'.

I'll admit that the start is a little slow for my taste, but after 2:03 it's awsome! That's not to say that before 2:03 it isn't insperational. On it's own it's great, but it seems to be too slow for an intro to the rest of the song. No biggy! I still love it!

I'm overwhelmed by how greatly you remixed the opening to the best game ever! I would swear Nobuo (great man, btw) was in charge of this remix if I found it any where but on OCR.org . Excellent work!

[f00fbug]

hmmm.. sounding pretty freaking good. :) I have a knack for understatement.. any normally sane person would say: THIS REMIX FREAKING ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You must download! NOW!

[djleeroy]

Final Fantasy VII has to be my favourite game of all time and this really does it justice!! Beautiful use of orchestra and it's just like how the music should be if the game were ever released on PS2 or even made as a movie -Advent Children?-.
I could really picture the scenes when listening to this, like a hollywood movie or something. It has to be one of the best, if not THE best Final Fantasy remix on this site.
I love the way it goes into the action music, REALLY cinematic and just..... AWESOME.
All my 100 points are belong to this brilliant piece!! I can't describe how it makes me feel listening to this other than happy, and a certain sence of nostalgia (I was only 12 when FF7 hit the shelves and my much prided playstation).
I've praised enough. Whether you like classical music or not, Final Fantasy 7 fans really MUST download this. It won't fail to impress.

[Navi]

Dear god this is an unbelievable arrangement.
WE WANT PART TWO!!!

Part 2 and 3 exist.

Not to take the thread away from it's original intent. Which is to marvel at this glorious remix.

[Jared Hudson]

Hmm, I couldn't find that I reviewed this song, so I'm reviewing it.

Many people obviously have praised this mix, and for good reason. The only thing is, I personally don't believe it's as "great" as people say. The very first thing I notice is the amount of reverb. If reverb could talk, it'd say "TURN ME DOWN!". To me, it was only a mask for mistakes and imperfections of the piece, and sucked the life out of the mix. As for composition, it remained quite true to the originals, in which I praise, but at the same time, it actually became even more simplified than the originals. He never strayed away in a different direction. I also noticed many left out notes and a couple quick passages, probably mostly due to the restrictions of Robson's sample sets and articulations. I didn't see any real innovation in this piece, other than a great compilation of music using high quality sample sets. Don't get me wrong, the piece is enjoyable, but again, not as "great" as most say. Jeremy Robson is definitely talented, but needs to work a bit on mixing techniques, and a little more innovative thinking into his compositions. Definitely an enjoyable listen though.

Jared Hudson

[DarkAndrew]

Wow...really nice. I am a fan of classical music both in the remixing community and otherwise, and i really enjoyed this. Looking forward to part 2! :D

[Sil]

Jeremy Robson is definitely talented, but needs to work a bit on mixing techniques, and a little more innovative thinking into his compositions.

You're right; this piece isn't as innovative as it could have been. Difficulties arise when the source music is fast. I sincerely believe that Part 2 makes up for this. Thanks for the heads up.

[Escushion]

I'm a bit late in this, but, I don't think this needed to be more innovative. For every decent mix that severely alters the base theme, there's a really crappy one. I think it's a relief that someone decided to basically orchestrate and blend, rather than going completely ape-s*** with it. While those turn out good sometimes, there's no shortage of them. It's nice to get something true to its source for a change.

[Lyrai]

This is jaw-droppingly good. I can't really say what hasn't already been said.

And Parts 2-4 exist now, with the Finale being judged soon (I think)

[mattatafish]

i noticed that many people posted that there are more remixes in this series but upon serching i can only find the first and the finale. perhaps some coul post a link to the others? if so i would be highly appreachitive. thx in advance.
edit: well buggar. never mind, i found them. i personally don't care too much abut the complexity of anything. if i like it, i do. and i think jeremy has done some great stuff with these peices. i really enjoyed them.

[Arnexium]

I definitely agree with djpretzel when he says that this sounds professional. Jeremy took the already excellent ff7 tracks and meshed them into something beautiful that advent children would long for. Great job!

[Lord_Syruss_Khalai]

It may be quite later than everyone elses posts, but I have to say that this...this...symphony experiance, is qiote possibly thegreatest I have ever heard.

This song definately represents a story in and of itself. At the same time, it is quite representative of the game itself. It's as if the two things, song and game, are related, and closely, but one can be taken independantly of the other.

This is an amazing accomplishment, this music. And I am now a fan of yours. Keep up the excellent work.

~Syruss

[Ænru]

I almost missed out on Jeremy Robson's other arrangements. He only posted three submissions on this site, unless he has another name. I found his website with a lot more music from him, including FF7 Philiharmoic Suites II, III, and IV.

Here you go Jeremy.Narphonax.com (http://jeremy.narphonax.com/mp3s.html)

From there, another site called Soundclick.com (http://www.soundclick.com/) may prove interesting.

[Larryboy]

I have to disagree with Jared Hudson on this one. Of course, as a remix there isn't very much originality to this song. But let's face it... Some songs just deserve to be remixed more or less the way they are, so that the full potential of the song in question can come into blossom.

By the way, if I don't mistake myself I think can hear some pretty original parts as well. From around 4:00 and onwards things seem pretty new to me.

The technical talk just sounds like a conscious attempt to find faults in a more or less perfect arrangement. Of course there are things that could have been done better, but the overall quality of this remix still remains jawdropping.

Of course, this has a lot to do with the original work upon which it is built. But as I said earlier, some songs just deserve to be remixed more or less the way they are, so that the full potential of the song in question can come into blossom. And that's precisely what Jeremy Robson has done with this remix.

Kudos.

[tHe1SpAcECoWb0y]

Perfectly done, It put Tears in my eyes! Bravo!

[Bummerdude]

This is movie-orchestral material, it´s great! It got harmony, it got good instruments, and it has the adrenaline pumping mood from the game. If they do a real-motion-picture-movie, I would gladly vote this masterpiece to be the opening music.
Thank you robsondude, from all of us. :D :roll: 8) 8O

[lady zelda]

This had better be on the next re-release of FFVII. I love how the different themes are so well integrated together and the orchestra can make it smooth, foreboding, haunting, suspenseful, or simply beautiful. ^ Yup, I second that comment too! Disney soundtracks ain't got nothing on this remix. Keep 'em coming!

[idir]

>Very Good Music !! :D

[Jay-Zig]

Simply put, this may very well be the best track on this entire site. You can almost see right before your eyes images from a "Final Fantasy VII" movie when listening to this, as Cloud and Barrett run through secluded streets of Midgar heading towards the looming factory. I felt the beginning was a little rushed... as far as complaints go that is all. Absolutely amazing.

[Sonic Tooth]

Totally jaw-dropping! I don't feel right calling this a remix because it dosen't sound like a remix.

Congratulations on some fantastic work.

[Thin Crust]

Now I don't know what is better, this or the same song played by a Japanese orchestra.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dL5vF3Q3Nsk

[Uboichi2]

Hmm... I don't know...

Does anyone else the think the More Friends version of this song was ripped of from this Mix?

[42]

Wow this is a sloooow long build-up; the fact that this is like part one of five makes it at least understandable and shows how much forethought is in here. This is beautifully orchestrated and highly subtle; not a whole lot of things are going on here too quickly meaning the listener has to pay close attention.
In the end, I like it, very Hans Zimmer-ish.

If they do a real-motion-picture-movie, I would gladly vote this masterpiece to be the opening music.

Completely agreed.

[OA]

Nice dramatic score, though the brass seemed to sell some sections a little short with their attack. When things are in full battle mode though, it really works well. Powerful swells and driving rhythms keep the track moving forward, and some excellent dynamics. The ending is a little on the abrupt side, but it works decently enough. I think a softer touch to the final chords would have been more compelling.

Either way, this is an intense ReMix that deserves all the accolades that it has received.

[Cash and Change]

Marvelous, this is a spectacular piece. It sends shivers down my spine every time, and the thought of playing FF7 with this music is intense. It sounds like I'm sitting in the audience of an orchestra, delightful.