OCRA-0014 - Final Fantasy IV: Echoes of Betrayal, Light of Redemption [Archive] - Page 2

A-RoN

08-13-2009, 03:28 PM

I'd say this is one of my favourite OCR albums of all time as Final Fantasy 4 is my favourite RPG IMO. Then again, I may be speaking biasedly as many different opinions are coming out from reviews here and I actually enjoy the contreversy for once. The genres covered here really add an emphasis to the atmosphere Uematsu was looking for. It's got everything from rock, metal, electronica, ambient, traditional house-trace, and even classical. It's a good break from my current listening studies of beats (oh no! Double A's trying to be the next DJ Premier!)

I think the arrangements are excellent as both creativity is expressed and the source tunes are easily recognizable. People may complain about sticking close to the original especially with simple tracks like Theme of Love for Guitar Duet or Almost Fell for the Trojan (actually, that one goes off), but these ones are great to listen to when I'm just chillin. C'mon people! Enjoy music for music, so the real can be brought back to the people!

The highlights for me are songs that have The Fabul Men's Choir which consist of OCR members who individually made some tracks here. I especially like Fighting for Tomorrow which sports some savagely oriental big beat mish-mash. It kinda sounds a little j-pop especially at 1:43 Not a big fan of the ambient tracks as they drag. I wanted a little more Wu Tang clan style for Damcyan Castle (er...pretend I didn't say that). Edward's Dream Quartet reminded me of Truth Behind the Project for Crisis Core...good stuff here. Survival Instinct was one that absolutely blew me away. I've been trying to produce a good drum and bass track and this guy beat me to the punch nicely. I thought it was a cinematic hip-hop track at first but then the boss theme comes in with an assault of some bangin' breaks and synths. But of course, my favorites are bLiNd's tracks. They absolutely outshine joecam's bling-bling and thank God he's been healed of his hospitalized condition back in 2008. I have to get a club dancing with Path of Deception and Bridge of Eternity has been on repeat for a long time in my car. A bunch of Facebook friends of mine now want a download button on my MP3 player application because of this song...he he. The bonus track I love this Radio is a good one to play off an 8-track if you still have one and can get one of these old skool puppies pressed. Calcobrena After a Night of Dinner and Dancing is just cool, zyko must be one of your influences, huh? Of Fiend and Man is interesting. Cinematic/rock/electronica can make ears bleed if not done properly (especially noticed this with the way the swelling horns and strings were mixed in). Tweek's stuff gets better as he continues remixing. The humour in some of the tracks is GOLD! I especially enjoyed Metal Mage (I WANT MILK!) If there was a form of sexual inuendo in that, I can't tell, but hey, it's funny! That's what counts. Ana(pro)logue at 1:01, 1... 2... 3... wow... And please give Zeromus the Serialist another keyboard...preferably a Korg Triton synth. And I almost forgot. In Edward's Dream Quartet at 2:02. I don't know why? I just find that bit until 2:11 funny! Although, if this was actually done with a real professional orchestra, I'll take it back.

To conclude, this album has too much sizzle but still has alot of steak to it. I'm highly surprised at how much work has gone into this one. So many collaborations! So many tracks! Excellent coverage off a game that's so under-rated today even with the DS release which was actually very addictive and challenging. What's not to like about FF4 and what's not to like about the music from the original sound track and this album? Download!

Cyril the Wolf

08-13-2009, 10:51 PM

The humour in some of the tracks is GOLD! I especially enjoyed Metal Mage (I WANT MILK!) If there was a form of sexual inuendo in that, I can't tell, but hey, it's funny! That's what counts.

I want Milk? LOL! Its not sexual innuendo, since the original lyric is "I WANT METAL" so... yea...

*cough*

Regardless, glad you liked my track! :D

Level 99

08-14-2009, 01:22 PM

I want Milk? LOL! Its not sexual innuendo, since the original lyric is "I WANT METAL" so... yea...

*cough*

Regardless, glad you liked my track! :D

I was waiting for you to say this. I'm saying it was "I want milk" from now on because it's just that much more delightfully unrelated to the song, style, or anything else.

Oh, and thanks A-RoN for the review, and glad you enjoyed my take on calcobrena. I do enjoy zyko's work, but I don't think that was my influence this time around.

Actually, thanks again to everyone for all the reviews.

ZealPath

08-14-2009, 11:28 PM

My brother thought it was "I Want Milk" too at first, I guess it does kind of sound like that if there's no context, mind you, the metal style of the song should be context enough.

Anyone have the full lyrics for "Rhymes with Elixir"? Been having a lot of fun with this song but there are some parts I can't quite make out lyrically.

08-14-2009, 11:53 PM

Rhymes With Elixir

Rhymes with Elixir

(chocobo)
no introduction needed; heh, y'all know me-
even g's in thier 30's just can't seem to outgrow me.
rockin mimmit greens and chill sippin on potion-
busting phat gold rhymes to take you across the ocean.

every title that i'm on gets a new kind of class-
you think these games went platinum because of tidus and his whiny ass? (i hate you dad)
everyone be beggin for me up in their mix-
i got more guest spots than even Ludacriss.

OG to the core, you'l never see me stressin-
album sales through the roof; record gains is the direction.
sucka MCs get buried at my discretion-
and the shawties hanging round; I just make my selection.

from Babil to Fabul I keep the rhymes coming
but when the red wings regulate suckas all start runnin
but you know i'm standing tall, no matter what they've got equipped
'cause i'm rolling posse deep, even though i'm on a solo tip

Chorus
Chocobo, chocobo you're so fine
you've got more bling than all of these guys
Yo, chocobo's so hood
this song is very good

Yo, this bridge goes out to the one and only DJP
and i gotta give props to the sexy women
so Shiva break it down, and tell em how you livin'

(shiva)
Ok boys, let's turn the temperature down,
I'm the queen of the North, the coldest woman around.
Those fools are frozen solid - leaving no trace,
Don't even think for a second I'm only ribbons and lace

You think you can fight me, you don't stand a chance
Gonna bury you sucka, I'll drop an avalanche
As slippery as ice, and as brilliant as snow
My rhymes are so slick, there's just no stopping the flow

My body refined in a sub-zero climate
But my beauty isn't something you can imitate
You think you can own me, but I'm the dominate
I'm so hot you won't melt, you're gonna sublimate

All the heroes showing me nothing but lust
Cuz my bling be glittering like diamond dust
And the other ladies can't seem to suffice
Cause there's just no comparing to this mistress of ICE.

Chorus

(tonberry)
In the cold dark shadows, yea that's where I live,
And if your party runs up on me then you'll be tastin' my shiv,
So if we ever cross pathes you best be usin' your brain,
'Cause this is TONBERRY fool, and I'm the real T-Pain.

(cactaur)
You'd better not blink since i move so fast
don't ever be dissin me, i'll bust a thousand caps;
my needles are tiny, but the're my only attack
so thugged out with street cred, my power's at max;

prophetik

08-15-2009, 02:14 AM

i have to admit, that track is AWESOME. can you sub it at olr?

ZealPath

08-15-2009, 11:03 AM

Thanks for the lyrics!

Just to add something else meaningful, I have to say I'm really enjoying some of the bonus tracks now, especially Phantom of the Zeromus, and I Love this Radio. I really only went through the bonus tracks once initially, but there are some definite gems now that I've started to spend more time with them.

The clash between the growling Zeromus in Genesis of Destruction, versus the opera like, almost too proper Zeromus in Phantom makes the two songs seem completely different even though they are very similar aside from this difference. I can fully understand why Genesis was used as the album track but I really think the opposing male and female singing voices in Phantom worked awesomely, and even created an interesting harmony at times. It's certainly staying in my head more than Genesis did (and how can anyone not love the "NO... GET BACK!!" part).

I Love this Radio is very unique, it was very nice to get a rendition of Theme of Love that kinda threw the original atmosphere of the song out of the door and just had fun with it. This track just kinda plays with the melody, creating a catchy groove that I've been having a hard time getting out of my head as well. The ending with the "radio" sort of sputtering out was a nice touch. This track for me, is basically the equivalent of the Still Alive tune you hear on those radios in Portal, for FFIV... I know people here played Portal so that shouldn't be too obscure a reference.

Anyway, it's clearly time for me to do a track by track review, I just have to to find the appropriate method of doing so as there's no way it's going to fit into a single post.

Cyril the Wolf

08-16-2009, 02:21 PM

... Phantom worked awesomely, and even created an interesting harmony at times. It's certainly staying in my head more than Genesis did (and how can anyone not love the "NO... GET BACK!!" part).

I wish I thought of that, because NO... GET BACK, works soo much more awesomely than my like... vague attempt at a dying screech of sorts...

Oh well, live and learn. XD

Aubri

08-19-2009, 04:04 AM

Awesome! I can always use another FF remix!

I can't quite manage to hold this much music in my head at the same time after only one listen, but I'll note songs that left an impression on me. Note that I'm not a musician myself, so my reactions tend to be more emotional than technical.

The first song kicks off the album in grand style. I love orchestral versions of video game music, and this could be the opening for a movie.

The "99 Red Ballons" opening in Ana(pro)logue kinda gave me whiplash. Made me chuckle when I recognized it, but it also broke the fourth wall (so to speak) for me. I see what you did there, but... I'm not sure it worked.

RDX Necklace takes an awful long time to get started. I realize the source material doesn't offer much to work with, but my ears just plain get bored by the 2 minute mark.

Just the title of Golbez 'n Goblins makes me laugh.

The harmonies in Fighting for Tomorrow remind me of a hard-to-define Belgian band called "Encryption" I heard a few years ago on Radio Rivendell. Yours is much less repetitive, though. :)

Rhymes With Elixir is a great entry in the grand tradition of non-serious chocobo remixes. Shiva's line about making you sublimate made me laugh aloud. :)

Until the Tower Falls is definitely a standout among the instrumentals. The epic fanfare ending is perfect. :)

I absolutely love the over-the-top "rock opera" feel of Genesis of Destruction. It kind of reminds me of the latter part of "Darkness and Starlight" on Black Mages 3, which you should take as an enormous compliment. I'd like to see the lyrics, though!

On Genesis vs. Phantom, I think the ideal would kinda be a mix between the two (re-remix?). Like as in, the music from Genesis (which I prefer), with the Phantom vocals overlayed on the growly Zeromus noises that are saying the same thing at the same time... if that makes sense. Like "No! Get back! Nooooooo..." overlayed with "Rar! Growr-rar! Raaaaaaaaaaar..."

DragonAvenger

08-19-2009, 04:40 AM

Rhymes With Elixir is a great entry in the grand tradition of non-serious chocobo remixes. Shiva's line about making you sublimate made me laugh aloud. :)

That was one of the lines I was most proud of writing. Science FTW.

Glad you overall liked the album!

ZealPath

08-19-2009, 05:17 AM

I wish I thought of that, because NO... GET BACK, works soo much more awesomely than my like... vague attempt at a dying screech of sorts...

Oh well, live and learn. XD

haha, well don't worry, I liked what you did as well! On top of that I have to give you props for being able to pretend you're Zeromus and give it all you've got, that has to take some doing. That goes for anyone doing lyrics on this or any mix that are supposed to be in character btw, I know it probably feels like a stretch when you're singing it but hey, they turned out pretty well!

I think for me, I found the singing a little more unique since we've had a few (http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR01824/) growling (http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR01865/) mixes lately (and particularly liked the short parts that were sung in unison), but both versions of the Final Battle are pretty sweet as far as I'm concerned.

I like Aubri's comparison to the Black Mages' Darkness & Starlight as well, good call, I get a similar vibe. I think this probably resonates a little more since it's in english, which obviously helps.

audio fidelity

08-19-2009, 08:20 AM

RDX Necklace takes an awful long time to get started. I realize the source material doesn't offer much to work with, but my ears just plain get bored by the 2 minute mark.

well the idea was to have a long cresendo - the melody is almost impossible to make out until about the 2 min mark - and we wanted the soundscape to take over - just try to allow yourself to let the mist burning scene takeover and i think you'll find the enjoyment in the track

I absolutely love the over-the-top "rock opera" feel of Genesis of Destruction. It kind of reminds me of the latter part of "Darkness and Starlight" on Black Mages 3, which you should take as an enormous compliment. I'd like to see the lyrics, though!

Thanks dude! The track and album just really lent it self to the idea. You'll find the lyrics in the tags - and on the site whenever it gets posted :/ (ahem?)

Nutritious

08-19-2009, 05:35 PM

Just to add something else meaningful, I have to say I'm really enjoying some of the bonus tracks now, especially Phantom of the Zeromus, and I Love this Radio. I really only went through the bonus tracks once initially, but there are some definite gems now that I've started to spend more time with them.

The clash between the growling Zeromus in Genesis of Destruction, versus the opera like, almost too proper Zeromus in Phantom makes the two songs seem completely different even though they are very similar aside from this difference. I can fully understand why Genesis was used as the album track but I really think the opposing male and female singing voices in Phantom worked awesomely, and even created an interesting harmony at times. It's certainly staying in my head more than Genesis did (and how can anyone not love the "NO... GET BACK!!" part).

Hey, thanks! I'm really glad you took the time to check out the bonus tracks. I was worried the "No/Get back" part would come off too cheesy, but I guess it worked after all :).

I wish I thought of that, because NO... GET BACK, works soo much more awesomely than my like... vague attempt at a dying screech of sorts...

Oh well, live and learn. XD

Well, I didn't come up with that until a long time after Genesis was done, unfortunately. The screaming in your version does work with the context, though.

The first song kicks off the album in grand style. I love orchestral versions of video game music, and this could be the opening for a movie.
Until the Tower Falls is definitely a standout among the instrumentals. The epic fanfare ending is perfect. :)

I absolutely love the over-the-top "rock opera" feel of Genesis of Destruction. It kind of reminds me of the latter part of "Darkness and Starlight" on Black Mages 3, which you should take as an enormous compliment. I'd like to see the lyrics, though!

On Genesis vs. Phantom, I think the ideal would kinda be a mix between the two (re-remix?). Like as in, the music from Genesis (which I prefer), with the Phantom vocals overlayed on the growly Zeromus noises that are saying the same thing at the same time... if that makes sense. Like "No! Get back! Nooooooo..." overlayed with "Rar! Growr-rar! Raaaaaaaaaaar..."

Thanks for the compliments :). Very interesting idea combining both vocal parts - that had never crossed my mind. Really, the idea for this track came after Genesis was completed as I wanted to have a more classical/opera version of the track. Just about all the orchestra was already written for the Genesis version, so it just came down to tweaking it and adding my own vocals for zero. I'm glad you liked parts of both versions.

Abadoss

08-19-2009, 06:33 PM

Hey, thanks! I'm really glad you took the time to check out the bonus tracks. I was worried the "No/Get back" part would come off too cheesy, but I guess it worked after all :).

In your defense, Phantom does do that a lot in PotO...

Aubri

08-19-2009, 09:28 PM

well the idea was to have a long cresendo - the melody is almost impossible to make out until about the 2 min mark - and we wanted the soundscape to take over - just try to allow yourself to let the mist burning scene takeover and i think you'll find the enjoyment in the track

It does remind me a bit of Fallout, or the overworld music from 2300 AD in Chrono Trigger.
You're right -- at the time I was listening with my full attention, and two minutes is a long time when you're in that mode. I wasn't really expecting an atmospheric piece, which accounts for my negative reaction.

For the record, RDX Necklace did go into my list of background music to use in my tabletop gaming sessions.

Aubri

08-19-2009, 09:48 PM

Thanks for the compliments :). Very interesting idea combining both vocal parts - that had never crossed my mind. Really, the idea for this track came after Genesis was completed as I wanted to have a more classical/opera version of the track. Just about all the orchestra was already written for the Genesis version, so it just came down to tweaking it and adding my own vocals for zero. I'm glad you liked parts of both versions.

I kinda picture Zeromus in this context as Golbez's actor in a huge sequined outfit/parade float with a golf cart under it so he can move around the stage.

Thanks dude! The track and album just really lent it self to the idea. You'll find the lyrics in the tags - and on the site whenever it gets posted :/ (ahem?)
Oh, I see. Awesome! Thanks! Also, I'd like to note that I'm not saying I dislike Phantom. I'm just a sucker for rock opera. (Or maybe I'm just a sucker.)
(BTW, I was trying to refer to the duel between Draco and Ralse. Just to clarify.)

Palpable

08-21-2009, 02:47 PM

Shamefully, I only got to listen to the full album a week or so ago (I blame life) but I loved it. Very consistent, and if there is an overriding theme, it's not the style or genre or mood, it's that things sound epic. Seriously, track after track, these songs hit hard and it suits the soundtrack. OK, OK, there are some good quiet moments in there too. It's very hard to pick favorites, so I'm not going to try. Yep, I'm taking the easy way out. Great job, everyone involved.

DarkMajin

08-22-2009, 04:31 AM

Where can find the lyrics for the two Zeromus songs?

Somewhere it was said lyrics could be found in the "tags", but I do not know what those are.

Any help?

Thanks....

Aubri

08-23-2009, 02:25 AM

Where can find the lyrics for the two Zeromus songs?

Somewhere it was said lyrics could be found in the "tags", but I do not know what those are.

Any help?

Thanks....

Every mp3 file encodes a certain amount of non-audio information collectively called tags. This contains information like the track title, composer, track number, and so forth; every mp3 player I know of displays some of that information while the track is playing.

As for how to view the tags directly, it depends on the mp3 player you're using. If you're in iTunes, right click on the song and click Get Info, then click on the Lyrics tab. Windows Media Player works the same way if you check the Info Center or right-click on a song in the playlist pane and click Advanced Tag Editor. On an iPod, just click the center button until the notes come up. For WinAmp, double click on the song title to view the tags, and the lyrics appear in the Comments field.

Phantosanucca

08-24-2009, 09:38 PM

This is quite the fine album. A lot of variety, a lot of experimentation, invention and a lot of knockout tracks. It might be a bit guitar-heavy in the long run, but that's nothing I see as an inherent flaw. The first cd is something I listen to from start to finish every time. I am enraptured by the remix of Another Moon. I thought real bravado and strength was given to the Baron, Red Wings and Battle themes. Level 99 and Audio Fidelity's take on Damcyan Castle gives Edward something to really cry about. bLind's tracks are all highlights. Songs that I wasn't entirely crazy about in the game spring to life here. Even the outrageous choice of doing a rap remix of the Chocobo theme is unapologetic for its absurdity. It keeps a straight face, and it works.

Echoes of Betrayal, Light of Redemption is definitely something this community ought to be proud of. That said, I take issue with two things:

The first of which: Much of the tracks run on long. Very long. Ridiculously, needlessly long. And a lot of it is just fluff, having little to nothing in common with the source material and not always expanding or improving upon the foundation. Were the remixers intimidated, perhaps? Did they feel like no one would appreciate their interpretation(or contribution) over Nobuo Uematsu's compositions? Some tracks are so bloated, they have anywhere from 3-5 minutes of extra material. Not all of it bad, but even then, it's asking a bit much. There is a time to know when to draw the line, to make your point and move on. It's too much of a much of too much... At least I think that's how the saying goes.

For some examples of this, see the Rydia, Edward and Zeromus tracks.

Speaking of, let me make it clear now that the first 23 seconds of "Genesis of Destruction" is the absolute best part of this album. It never occurred to me in my wildest dreams that Zeromus could have an operatic take on his theme, the same way that skyrocketed Sephiroth to infamy. It makes the following paragraph(s) all the more painful, because it gives us a peek at what could have been, and what -should- have been.

Now that that's out of the way, the Zeromus remix is a crime-scene, a place where a brilliant final boss track was brutally defiled.

This is not because it has lyrics. This is not because it has vocals. It's not because there are many remixers credited. It's not because it shares almost no relation to the song it's supposed to be based off of. I can't identify much in common, even after listening very carefully to individual parts of the chorus, verses, bridge, bass and any subliminal messages that may have been imprinted to get us to donate more to OCRemix.

I hate it because it ignores or forgets a lot of what makes the original song so effective. Whereas the DS remix is terrible mostly due to the choice of sounds, this is an-all around catastrophe.

What happened? I'm not convinced it is a case of too many cooks in the kitchen, and it's certainly not the fault of the recipe. It is simply an embarrassing, excruciating mix that doesn't belong on this album, on this website, or on the portfolio of anyone involved. I do not believe the people responsible are bad at what they do. I'm sure they intended to make a great climactic song to cap off the album. I'm sure they will all do great things in the future. Hopefully they will never do anything again like: "Together, we'll fight for, OUR WORLD", followed by the worst conceivable Nathan Explosion impression repeatedly telling me to "Die!". It is Icarus, reaching too high and collapsing into the waves.

This does not ruin the album for me. There is too much good here for that. But oh, does it ever leave a scar.

Level 99

08-25-2009, 01:09 PM

KyleJCrb

08-25-2009, 03:15 PM

I'm pretty sure he was kidding, Stevo. Donate to OCR today!

Abadoss

08-25-2009, 03:52 PM

and any subliminal messages that may have been imprinted to get us to donate more to OCRemix.

Was this meant as a joke or did you really think you found subliminal messages in the song about donating more to OCRemix? My sarcasm meter broke yesterday in a facebook status thread. :tomatoface:

I'm pretty sure he was kidding, Stevo. Donate to OCR today!

I don't know. I put subliminal messages in mine... Clearly, they haven't worked, as I have received no moneys and I'm not yet King of Ireland...

Phantosanucca

08-25-2009, 05:25 PM

Was this meant as a joke or did you really think you found subliminal messages in the song about donating more to OCRemix? My sarcasm meter broke yesterday in a facebook status thread. :tomatoface:

That was my futile attempt at this thing you Earth-People call "Comedy". Although I fear by saying it, I've given someone out there the idea...

Level 99

08-25-2009, 05:35 PM

That was my futile attempt at this thing you Earth-People call "Comedy". Although I fear by saying it, I've given someone out there the idea...

It does explain why I've attempted to donate more to OCR lately. Not successful since my credit line is quite capped, but I should still get an A for effort.

audio fidelity

08-26-2009, 12:35 AM

Now that that's out of the way, the Zeromus remix is a crime-scene, a place where a brilliant final boss track was brutally defiled.

This is not because it has lyrics. This is not because it has vocals. It's not because there are many remixers credited. It's not because it shares almost no relation to the song it's supposed to be based off of. I can't identify much in common, even after listening very carefully to individual parts of the chorus, verses, bridge, bass and any subliminal messages that may have been imprinted to get us to donate more to OCRemix.

I hate it because it ignores or forgets a lot of what makes the original song so effective. Whereas the DS remix is terrible mostly due to the choice of sounds, this is an-all around catastrophe.

Sorry - don't usually address criticism but as far as source - i painstakingly went through each section following the source extremely close

The problem that comes off is some of the elements are lost with mixing the vocals so up front. But the harmony is near verbatim minus the chant which is the same progression from the another moon track before it.

There is source scattered through every section. The bassline is near verbatim from the original. The hooks are all over the place (stacked 4ths). The verse has in two different variations that come across more apparent in the serialist version. But besides the chorus, yes - the vox melody isn't really source at all.

Go through the serialist version without the vox and tell me you still can't hear it.

Phantosanucca

08-26-2009, 02:43 PM

Sorry - don't usually address criticism but as far as source - i painstakingly went through each section following the source extremely close

The problem that comes off is some of the elements are lost with mixing the vocals so up front. But the harmony is near verbatim minus the chant which is the same progression from the another moon track before it.

There is source scattered through every section. The bassline is near verbatim from the original. The hooks are all over the place (stacked 4ths). The verse has in two different variations that come across more apparent in the serialist version. But besides the chorus, yes - the vox melody isn't really source at all.

Go through the serialist version without the vox and tell me you still can't hear it.

I have.

I've TRIED. I'll believe you if you say the song is in there, somewhere, but not if you say it's actually audible.

Monobrow

08-26-2009, 11:51 PM

Jay, I kinda agree with him to an extent. I can appreciate most of the songs from a musical kind of standpoint easily, however I can get that from a layman's standpoint, a lot of the songs deviate in ways that someone who is deeply nostalgic about the music might not agree with.

For example, I love your might of baron song, especially when that badass geetar comes in, but I do think that towards the end it meanders in ways that people who love FFIV might not appreciate as much as anyone else listening to the songs without much FFIV OBSESSION BACKGROUNDS! And once again, most people will probably go through these songs a few times before really paying attention to what is happening behind the scenes... They look for familiarity first and foremost.

I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but I can see why anyone would be a little disappointed, especially at first, considering the perspectives where they are coming from. The FFVII project kind of felt the same way to me as well actually.

One song that irks me from this perspective is actually Blind's Golbez song, believe it or not, no offense! I don't have anything bad to say about the production, or the details and cool beatz and arps and synths etc. about the song itself, EXCEPT THAT he changed the original chord progression in a way that the song loses its badass feel.

Golbez is this badass organ guy, the minor chord progression was just perfect... And Blind changed it up, and I am not exactly sure why. That, I think, would be a good example of a great remix (which IMO could be taken as an original without the Golbez FFIV stamp to the average listener) deviating from the source in such an important way enough to maybe disappoint an avid fan of FFIV.

A LOT OF SONGS make up for this though, and are great so this is really me just trying to get to the bottom of why anyone would feel this way. In other words, I can understand the complaints. However guys, as far as complaining goes, what I find is best to do is just appreciate what you do like, because honestly, nothing is going to change what you don't, as far as these remixes go :J... And there is plenty out there to like!

zircon

08-28-2009, 04:01 PM

Phantosanucca

08-28-2009, 04:47 PM

LuketheXjesse

08-28-2009, 05:17 PM

That's one way of looking at it, although I welcome a remixer putting his or her own personal spin on a composition. The issue here is that the original stuff seems to stretch out until it takes up more than half of the song, dwarfing the source. Instead of finding the proper balance.

As for the Zeromus track, I really like what they wanted to do. I believe my disappointment isn't the result of a lack of trying on their parts, but insufficient means of getting their idea across. It doesn't really work within their range of talents. It is too grand a concept. For what they were attempting, they would need an orchestra and trained opera singers or something. Sometimes there's only so much a handful of people can or should do.

While I thought the female vocals could have been a bit better, I think the team did just fine in terms of trying to achieve an epic finale; an entire orchestra can easily be created artificially with the right samples and mixing, and being a trained singer doesn't mean squat if you're not passionate or you aren't born with a good vocal tone. Now personally I didn't like the Zeromous track (or maybe I haven't listened to it enough) but there's no denying the creativity AND the work involved here, so surely you can, at the very least, appreciate that aspect of the song. If not, I'd enjoy seeing you try to make a better remix.

As for being upset with the remix not having enough of the original source, just try to look at it from a more musical perspective than a nostalgic one. I'll readily admit enjoying conservative remixes more than liberal ones (hence why I enjoy making Mega Man METAL RAWR), but once you give a liberal mix enough of a chance, and abandon the perspective of listening to the song for pure nostalgia, you could find a really great piece of work. I will say, however, than I don't enjoy an energetic song being turned to something ambient, or vice versa, unless the melody REALLY lends itself to making a good transition for such.

Just chill, bro. Appreciate it for what it is: Music.

bLiNd

08-28-2009, 06:30 PM

Huh? The progression in bLiNd's Golbez mix is the same as the original. They're both minor. The original is Em -> F# maj/E -> Em -> F# maj/E -> Em -> F#maj -> Gmaj, etc. Pretty much just those three chords over and over. bLiNd's is identical, starting at 0:32 in his mix. Literally.. same chords, same voicing. Later in the song, ie. 0:45, he does change up the bassline, but the chords are still virtually the same.

yessir, i kept it the same until the beat drops. I changed the chord progression at that point by making the bass follow the root of the chord instead of keeping the dissonance that keeps it so evil sounding. Now i understand what monobrow is saying about the nostalgic feel, but the key here is to remix the track and make it your own right? I wanted to change the genre from evil church organ music to like golbez in his disco suit jammin on the dance floor. anyway that was my idea of it. hybound did his take on the alternate motif of golbez which is much more true to the original in that sense so you get the best of both on the album imo. To each his/her own...

JaDE ARaN HaRuNo

08-28-2009, 06:49 PM

One song that irks me from this perspective is actually Blind's Golbez song, believe it or not, no offense! I don't have anything bad to say about the production, or the details and cool beatz and arps and synths etc. about the song itself, EXCEPT THAT he changed the original chord progression in a way that the song loses its badass feel.

Golbez is this badass organ guy, the minor chord progression was just perfect... And Blind changed it up, and I am not exactly sure why. That, I think, would be a good example of a great remix (which IMO could be taken as an original without the Golbez FFIV stamp to the average listener) deviating from the source in such an important way enough to maybe disappoint an avid fan of FFIV.

I'm trying super hard not to be offended by this - he did an amazing job with that track. So MANY people agree. You have no idea what you're talking about. No disrespect to you, of course. I'm very well-mannered. OCRs-to-be get rejected quite often because they drag the source too long or just too much instead of turning it into their own. This site is called OC ReMix... as in... remixing it to your own flavor of sound and creativity. There is NOTHING wrong with the song. It's a REMIX. If you need or want nostalgia, just listen to the original track in the OSV. I don't know how any other way he could've remixed it. Lol Besides that point as Jordan and I are both electronic lovers to the max...We both know most people would have NEVER thought Goblez could be turned into a good house song. That is enough to call it a great song.

audio fidelity

08-29-2009, 01:17 AM

jade - just sticking up here for mono - cause i don't think she meant to say she thought the song was bad at all but that her expectations of where the song could go didn't match with hers

which is the inherent problem for remixing a song and having someone not like it from where they are coming from and how they feel about the source - it's tough right - but i guess hearing something in a new light can be as rewarding as it is frustrating for others

i thought the golbez 90's house version was a cool change-up myself - it still comes off dark but in playful kind of way (my fav of blinds tracks on the album) - another thing that could be said for the golbez motif - is that it's also featured in hy bound and cotmm's tracks - which are two different takes on the same theme - so everyone gets what they want - hopefully :/ hehe

Megaman1985

08-29-2009, 02:32 AM

Out of all the remixes on this album, i only kept bLiNd's three mixes. :nicework:

Bridge to Eternity & Path of Deception(both10/10)... when i listen to these two, i feel like these are the originals.

Golbez 'N Goblins(7/10)... this one not so much as i listened to the others first & thought this would sound more or less the same as those. :puppyeyes:

LuketheXjesse

08-29-2009, 05:11 AM

I'm just gonna go ahead and say that Kidd Cabbage's song is the shit.

/metalbias

EDIT: I guess I'll review some of this sucka while I am here. Note that these are in completely in random order. In fact it's just random songs I felt like listening to that I picked randomly. So ya.

Might of Baron: Great idea with great execution. I just wish the Guitar tone was a little better. Not much else to really critique here, this is pretty awesome.

Full of Courage: Good, but I wish there was more energy here. I guess that what Might of Baron is supposed to be for.

The Flying Machine: Really awesome and packed full of punch and emotion. Really makes me wanna break out the game again. Excellent work, if not just a tad short.

Read the Sine: More of a sound experiment than an actual song. Too quirky for my taste, although it is pretty creative. I just wish there was some sort of climax here instead of a bunch of soundscapes going on. Recommended only for synth junkies.

Emerald Beauty: Really like this one. That lead sound that comes in at :58 confuses me though; what instrument is that? Reminds me a lot of Dali Village from Final Fantasy IX, which is a HUGE compliment, my friend. Saxophone parts are gorgeous, too. Nice work.

RDX Necklace: You really have to approach this one from a certain perspective to truly appreciate it. It's meant to capture the mood of the actual scene where the summoner's village is burned to the ground, and does a remarkable job. It's awesome in a movie soundtrack kind of way. It's a surreal, soundscape type of audio like Read the Sine, but actually relates to what's going on with the actual source. Very cool.

Of Fiend and Man: I remember not liking this one at the listening party, but listening to it now, I actually like it. Like RDX Necklace, you have to approach this one from a movie soundtrack perspective, and I ended up finding this song pretty good in the end. There's some parts that are BEGGING (especially the last minute) for louder, more obvious/metal guitar parts instead of the Orchestral elements hogging all the attention. Still a good remix, though.

I'll review more if I feel like it. I guess these were in order after all..

Phantosanucca

08-29-2009, 08:03 PM

If not, I'd enjoy seeing you try to make a better remix.

It is fortunate then, that I don't have to be a great artist to appreciate great art. Or to tell the wheat from the chaff.

Not that I wouldn't try. But hell if I can figure out this FL Studio demo of mine, and other than that it's just midis for me. Being a musician is expensive and confusing. I credit anyone who can wrap their heads around this technology, or an instrument. That doesn't let Genesis of Destruction off the hook, however.

As for being upset with the remix not having enough of the original source, just try to look at it from a more musical perspective than a nostalgic one.

There is nothing wrong with a liberal remix. There is something wrong with a 7 minute long remix where 5 minutes aren't in the same ballpark as the original composition. A professional knows where the line is between a remix and sampling. Many of you are at or near that level of professional quality, which is why this soundtrack is sometimes so baffling.

I'll readily admit enjoying conservative remixes more than liberal ones (hence why I enjoy making Mega Man METAL RAWR), but once you give a liberal mix enough of a chance, and abandon the perspective of listening to the song for pure nostalgia, you could find a really great piece of work. I will say, however, than I don't enjoy an energetic song being turned to something ambient, or vice versa, unless the melody REALLY lends itself to making a good transition for such.

Just chill, bro. Appreciate it for what it is: Music.

This is not the first time people have made the assumption that I or others dislike some of these songs just because of some rose-tinted nostalgia that can't be lived up to. Or that someone had the audacity to dislike some of these tracks just because they aren't straight arrangements. Maybe(and hear me out on this one), but MAYBE some of the songs in this soundtrack just... aren't... that... good? Am I really being that unreasonable here? Are OCRemixer's egos truly that fragile?

The comments that I've seen(and given) here have been overwhelmingly positive. But when someone makes a decent critical point about one(1) song, suddenly they're just not listening to it right? My, but that is a convenient philosophy. One that says a lousy track is never the fault of the artist. Disagreeing over the quality of music is one thing, but I find it insulting when my ability to listen to a song "properly" is put into question.

audio fidelity

08-29-2009, 08:27 PM

making music is the real experience - and i implore that you genesis is the track that's changed my life - it simply became what it wanted to - and i'm satisfied - atm thats all i care about but thanks for the crits yo

Monobrow

08-30-2009, 07:51 PM

I'm trying super hard not to be offended by this - he did an amazing job with that track. So MANY people agree. You have no idea what you're talking about. No disrespect to you, of course. I'm very well-mannered. OCRs-to-be get rejected quite often because they drag the source too long or just too much instead of turning it into their own. This site is called OC ReMix... as in... remixing it to your own flavor of sound and creativity. There is NOTHING wrong with the song. It's a REMIX. If you need or want nostalgia, just listen to the original track in the OSV. I don't know how any other way he could've remixed it. Lol Besides that point as Jordan and I are both electronic lovers to the max...We both know most people would have NEVER thought Goblez could be turned into a good house song. That is enough to call it a great song.

You need to chill out and realize that this is just my opinion. I'm not going to back down from it just because "so many people like this mix" or disagree with me or any of the reasons you said up there. What I said I'm sticking by and I don't even think of it as offensive. I pointed out that the change did make the song lose the feel of the original in a way that I did not like. Big deal!

It's nice that you like it and are gung ho about it like this, however to take personal offense to a remark like that about his song?

It's nice that you are defending your dude, however none of the stuff you're saying has any concrete relevance towards whether I should like the song or not.

Every post in response, except for yours, shows that I know EXACTLY what I am talking about. The difference is, while what he did may irk me, you and others think it's awesome. :J

All I care about when I hear a song is whether I like it or not, and I listed the reasons. You think what he did was creative, that's cool. Hell I guess I should agree... But I still don't like the song for the same reason I said a few days ago. And honestly, I'm glad I didn't say this in the review thread because man what a shit storm that would have been! So I'd chalk it up, because 1 person not liking the song out of 120955 isn't so bad.

which is the inherent problem for remixing a song and having someone not like it from where they are coming from and how they feel about the source - it's tough right - but i guess hearing something in a new light can be as rewarding as it is frustrating for others

Thanks Jay. I didn't mean any offense (hence the "no offense" in my original post) This was pretty much what I was talking about, and what others were talking about, which is why I brought the Blind Song up in the first place (not to "attack" blind but to bring up a point and since his song is the first song that comes to mind when listening to the whole "true to the source" argument, I talked about in what way it irks me as an example)

prophetik

08-30-2009, 07:54 PM

hey i downloaded all the tracks but i deleted them all because they aren't chiptunes just wanted to tell everyone who spent two years creating them that they all are terrible k peace btw MAKE MORE MUSIC

does anyone else think that the above statement mirrors most of the critics of this album? entitlement is a BAD thing, lurkers.

Cyril the Wolf

08-30-2009, 10:54 PM

Emerald Beauty: Really like this one. That lead sound that comes in at :58 confuses me though; what instrument is that? Reminds me a lot of Dali Village from Final Fantasy IX, which is a HUGE compliment, my friend. Saxophone parts are gorgeous, too. Nice work.

I'll review more if I feel like it. I guess these were in order after all..

Glad you liked it! It's supposed to be a violin... I dunno what that means for you, but, yea!

Rozovian

08-30-2009, 10:59 PM

It's supposed to be a violin... I dunno what that means for you, but, yea!

Probably means that you're doing all right. Wasn't mistaken for bagpipes. Which it can also sound like. I speak from experience and many a secret fail.

Cyril the Wolf

08-30-2009, 11:08 PM

O_O Bagpipes? Whoa... Bagpipes tend to sound more like an annoying Oboe to me or something. But hey

everyone has secret fails! :D

bLiNd

08-30-2009, 11:11 PM

You need to chill out and realize that this is just my opinion. I'm not going to back down from it just because "so many people like this mix" or disagree with me or any of the reasons you said up there. What I said I'm sticking by and I don't even think of it as offensive. I pointed out that the change did make the song lose the feel of the original in a way that I did not like. Big deal!

It's nice that you like it and are gung ho about it like this, however to take personal offense to a remark like that about his song?

It's nice that you are defending your dude, however none of the stuff you're saying has any concrete relevance towards whether I should like the song or not.

Every post in response, except for yours, shows that I know EXACTLY what I am talking about. The difference is, while what he did may irk me, you and others think it's awesome. :J

All I care about when I hear a song is whether I like it or not, and I listed the reasons. You think what he did was creative, that's cool. Hell I guess I should agree... But I still don't like the song for the same reason I said a few days ago. And honestly, I'm glad I didn't say this in the review thread because man what a shit storm that would have been! So I'd chalk it up, because 1 person not liking the song out of 120955 isn't so bad.

Thanks Jay. I didn't mean any offense (hence the "no offense" in my original post) This was pretty much what I was talking about, and what others were talking about, which is why I brought the Blind Song up in the first place (not to "attack" blind but to bring up a point and since his song is the first song that comes to mind when listening to the whole "true to the source" argument, I talked about in what way it irks me as an example)

Hey Monobrow,

Dont take offense to her offense either..its obvious you have a bond to the original track and there are plenty of mixes that irk me the same way so I totally understand your opinion of the track. But I guess you just have to look at the goal and purpose of the remix. I had several goals to make with the song. One was to stay true to my remixing style. Two was to change it in a way that would make it original so I could make a front page post. Three was to actually STAY true to the original as best I could as well as make it my own (which is what zircon pointed out is that I used the intro and buildup with the original progression and the used my own progression as the hook). Those were the hardest factors. I was really asked to take the track over because overcoat was sitting on his. I looked at it as a challenge because that track is REALLY hard to remix! Its hard to make anything out of it. Its really awesome on its own and its hard to come up with anything even remotely interesting, now hybound proved me wrong but that is a different source even though its the same motif and thats just the nature of creativity. But the fact is you still complimented my production and sounds even though you just couldnt connect with it. But DJP did say it was badass in the writeup :P even though you said it lost its badassness (is that a word?) I guess its two different types of cool or badass sounding music.. At Magfest my goal in my genre was proven, it really made people go nuts! It was a cool way of taking a villains theme and making it a floor anthem.

Anyway, my wife has a strong attachment to that song so thats why she wanted to defend it, she didnt mean anything personal towards you and i know you didnt mean anything towards me either. Just the heat of the moment and the emotions that come with music can bring someone to speak their mind. So anyway thank you for your comments monobrow and zircon and audio fidelity. Lets all get along now....

Monobrow

08-30-2009, 11:38 PM

Sure thing :J

Hell, I just want to say that this isn't how I view all remixes, I like what I like, and what I don't like I do usually try to see the reasoning for whatever someone is doing. Some remixes that change things about the original I really really like, and others I just don't find the choice that great... Apples and oranges.

This song didn't particularly hit the mark with me, but I'm just one person, it's just my opinion, and I really hope that you guys can see where I am coming from without thinking of it as an attack (it's not, why would it be?)

I was really just using your song as an example in the argument, and god knows we've all heard this argument before, about the balance between source and arrangement. I am sure some people didn't mind the changes, and hell they enjoyed them. But you are right, I have a very special attachment to this game and to that song in particular from wayyyyyyyy back. I thought of what you changed in the song as an important factor that made the original what it was, and I didn't see why. You explained it and thanks for that, and I can see why you did it that way. The difference here being, I thought what you changed up was probably the most important thing in the song, and you were giving it your own stylistic...twist... So maybe it's like this, to me the original badassness was lost, however you put your own badassness... back in? And yeah, I complimented the synths, details, etc. etc. for a reason.

Yeah badassness should be a word.

And no, I am not taking offense of Jade's offense, er... defense... She's like a linebacker or something. Anyway, I was just surprised that she got so worked up! It's opinions, yo! And like I said originally, NO OFFENSE! I will chill out and not be set off but crud okay? WE COOL LETS ALL CHILL <3 WE COOL!

bLiNd

08-30-2009, 11:56 PM

group hug <3

Level 99

08-31-2009, 12:38 AM

I think we all learned a valuable lesson today: never judge a book by its cover.

No wait, it's don't cry over spilled milk.

No, that's not it either.

Hmm, I think we all should eat COOKIES!

bLiNd

08-31-2009, 12:48 AM

NOOO

cupcakes!

Level 99

08-31-2009, 12:52 AM

Can't we do both? I'll make cookies and you make cupcakes, we'll meet in the middle.

Cyril the Wolf

08-31-2009, 12:53 AM

Forgive me, but I do believe the correct choice is: Chocolate Chip Muffins.

bLiNd

08-31-2009, 12:53 AM

yea but jade has to make the cupcakes not me :P

Monobrow

08-31-2009, 02:02 AM

I prefer pancakes or cobbler!!!!!!!!!!!!

08-31-2009, 02:26 AM

+ 1 cobbler here please.

This thread is no longer about FF4 and is now about delicious desserts.

KyleJCrb

08-31-2009, 02:52 AM

Cobblers of Betrayal, Pie of Redemption.

Nutritious

08-31-2009, 03:18 AM

I'll just see myself out now

DragonAvenger

08-31-2009, 03:31 AM

There is a corner store where I teach trumpet lessons that sells Key Lime Pie Soda.

Yes, you read correctly. Tastes pretty good, too.

LuketheXjesse

08-31-2009, 03:55 AM

Glad you liked it! It's supposed to be a violin... I dunno what that means for you, but, yea!

wha....really? It sounded like a cross between an Accordion and a string instrument of some sort...either it's a weird violin sample or my idea of a Violin is completely mixed up with something else.

w/e it fits the song :}

There is a corner store where I teach trumpet lessons that sells Key Lime Pie Soda.

Yes, you read correctly. Tastes pretty good, too.

That sounds delicious as hell.

prophetik

08-31-2009, 11:49 AM

isn't that jones soda?

Armhan

08-31-2009, 03:18 PM

I joined this forum just to say that this new FF4 album is so so awesome and WAAAAY better than the "remix" of the DS version... really a fantastic work.

I love the orchestrated pieces!!!

Can't wait to hear other FF releses...

Emunator

09-02-2009, 01:25 AM

Can't wait to hear other FF releses...
I'm guessing you've heard Voices of the Lifestream (http://ff7.ocremix.org/) already, right? :-) If not, I'd highly recommend it; it's just as high of caliber as this project.

Armhan

09-02-2009, 10:52 AM

Yes, right! I know it :)
But, I don't know... I liked this ff4 release more (even if in general I prefer ff7 soundtrack)!
Maybe because ff7 had so many remixes, CDs etc...

I never heard ff4 sounding like this! The transition from a early snes soundtrack to a professional orchestral remix made me... errr... happy! ahahah
It's awesome!

I can't wait to hear a ff6 and 8 orchestrated album like this one :)

Rozovian

09-02-2009, 08:23 PM

Anyone interested, I've posted my thoughts on the album on my blog (http://rozovian.wordpress.com/tag/final-fantasy/). Brief comments on every track on the three main discs. Yes, I'm totally ignoring the bonus disc. :P

prophetik

09-03-2009, 12:13 PM

totally got my boxed disc today. the case had a crack in it, but it's on the back and not very noticeable. it feels so cool to see my name in the booklet!

talk about an excellent way to listen in the car.

edit: rozovian, i think your review of my track is totally appropriate. i have no idea what the hell it was either =)

Level 99

09-03-2009, 12:52 PM

Ouch, prophet, crack in the case? Ah, it's easily replacable, right? As long as the art isn't damaged. Still waiting on my shipment, hoping it gets here today. I'm preparing the Link-opens-a-treasure-chest soundclip on my phone for when I rip it open and hold it thusly in the air.

DragonAvenger

09-03-2009, 07:22 PM

I am quite content with my 2 (nearly 3) copies.

Abadoss

09-03-2009, 07:53 PM

Nutritious

09-03-2009, 09:31 PM

Still waiting here :(

Level 99

09-03-2009, 10:25 PM

Still waiting here :(

Yeah, mine didn't arrive today. Crossing fingers for the weekend! They'll keep me company when I'm doing work-stuff!

Cyril the Wolf

09-04-2009, 04:19 PM

My copy had the same problem that prophet did...

I'm also missing Disk 1... Uh... yea. Issue! I dunno why either. its weird.

Its awesome though.

09-04-2009, 04:58 PM

wait.. missing disc 1? like it's not there?

My copy had the same problem that prophet did...

I'm also missing Disk 1... Uh... yea. Issue! I dunno why either. its weird.

Its awesome though.

Cyril the Wolf

09-04-2009, 05:32 PM

wait.. missing disc 1? like it's not there?

Yes, as in physically absent.

09-04-2009, 06:21 PM

Yes, as in physically absent.

Unacceptable. I'll fix it.

Cyril the Wolf

09-04-2009, 06:31 PM

I appreciate it. :D

prophetik

09-05-2009, 02:41 AM

i just listened to the first disc a few times. i really, really like 'the sky holds no angels for us'. great title, guys! the guitar at the beginning - all delayed and that - sounds really fantastic.

Level 99

09-05-2009, 03:02 PM

Aww, shucks. Thanks, Prophet! That actually means a whole lot coming from you, considering you were one of the first friends I made in the remixing scene. Just you wait til we get the zelda stuff fully underway :-o

Emunator

09-06-2009, 02:09 AM

i just listened to the first disc a few times. i really, really like 'the sky holds no angels for us'. great title, guys! the guitar at the beginning - all delayed and that - sounds really fantastic.

Tru dat!

I've put in almost 2000 listens to this album's tracks combined, and I have to say that "The Skies Hold No Angels for Us" is the best, without a contest. Completely moody, atmospheric, and downright-beautiful at times. It didn't quite hit me with the first listen, but by the 50th listen I'm pretty sure it's become one of my all-time favorite rock songs! Brilliant job, audio fidelity and Level 99 :-D

ilp0

09-08-2009, 07:46 AM

I got my copy just now and digging it LOUD here in the middle of an arctic breeze and polar bears!!! This is just brilliant stuff, the art work and all :D superb job OA and other people. My favourite tracks after quite a few listens would be
-Theme of love for guitar duet
-Read the sine (just sweet)
-Somewhere to hide
-Finale part two, took a while to get used to but has grown to be a very neat peace of music.

Level 99

09-08-2009, 01:50 PM

Tru dat!

I've put in almost 2000 listens to this album's tracks combined, and I have to say that "The Skies Hold No Angels for Us" is the best, without a contest. Completely moody, atmospheric, and downright-beautiful at times. It didn't quite hit me with the first listen, but by the 50th listen I'm pretty sure it's become one of my all-time favorite rock songs! Brilliant job, audio fidelity and Level 99 :-D

Hey, thanks a lot, man. It's greatly appreciated, and I'm glad you enjoy the rock!

Edit: I got my physical copies in the mail yesterday, and thankfully the only damage suffered was one of them having the little holdie-bits in the center of the disc break in one case. <3 to OA!

Monobrow

09-09-2009, 10:52 PM

Kinslayer

09-10-2009, 04:41 AM

I'm just curious...is there a way to get physical copies of the album, or is it only the contributing artists that get physical copies? After listening to several of the tracks of the album, I really want it...the only problem is: Bittorrent has been giving me a bunch of shit lately and it downloads so slow that it would take three years for the album to download, and I don't know anything about Ports to fix it...if it's possible to get the CD's I'd rather do it that way...especially since I don't have to worry about losing a Physical copy as much as an MP3

Arek the Absolute

09-10-2009, 07:30 AM

I think you had to be a part of the project to get one. Only reason others not involved got got one *just got mine in the mail :3* is because of the quiz contest OA held where you had to win one.

KyleJCrb

09-10-2009, 08:46 AM

Or you helped out behind the scenes with media saturation or something (which I did, but didn't get a hard copy because I couldn't afford to donate to the cause).

Kinslayer

09-10-2009, 10:57 AM

I see, well thanks for the intel...I'll get in touch with one of the site staff and see if I could buy one...a CD set that size retails for $30-50.00 and I'd be willing to pay shipping as well, physical copies are just better for me because I tend to have problems with iTunes losing MP3's and having to redownload them.

KyleJCrb

09-10-2009, 11:10 AM

Talk to OA, not site staff.

DragonAvenger

09-10-2009, 06:35 PM

You can't download the tracks individually from the website and throw them on a CD?

prophetik

09-10-2009, 07:01 PM

LuketheXjesse

09-10-2009, 07:25 PM

iTunes

http://www.winamp.com/

Kinslayer

09-11-2009, 05:31 AM

It's personal preference, I think it's collector worthy, music I value in high regard I simply don't like just copying the tracks and throwing them on any old CD...

I'm getting Winamp anyway to stream the OCradio station, however, I have to use iTunes, I have an old iPod and it won't put music on it without iTunes.

OA?

audio fidelity

09-11-2009, 11:19 AM

i don't think it's legit to sell anything - cause it's non-profit and we'd be breaking those terms

and oa doesn't have the physical - djp does

and i still think it's stupid we don't have a full album mp3 download - i sure wouldn't want to download all the 40+ tracks individually if i didn't want to use the torrent and download over a gig of stuff

DarkeSword

09-11-2009, 12:43 PM

Palpable

09-11-2009, 01:47 PM

OCR doesn't sell the albums, but we do give some out, which is in line with the site's policy about keeping the music free. In addition to the trivia contest mentioned here, we've given out some copies of the album at conventions. That's probably the best way to get your hands on one - come to our panels! There are a limited number of copies, of course, so no guarantees.

prophetik

09-11-2009, 07:28 PM

audio fidelity

09-11-2009, 09:14 PM

The torrent is multi-file. If you only want the MP3s, just select those in your client.

Still seems like some peope don't want to do torrents which was my point

Otakatt

09-14-2009, 01:41 AM

I got my copy, I got mine! It's gorgeous and pretty and awesome and I nearly creamed myself when I got it.

<3<3<3

I'm gonna take pictures sometime and show my friend and tease him about the fact I have a copy and he doesn't. >>;

Kinslayer

09-14-2009, 10:23 AM

Mr_Hairball

09-21-2009, 01:08 AM

Slowpoking on getting to this album, but I wanted to give my input. Torrented this almost right after it came out just because I think Final Fantasy music and I go download it, and there have been a lot of great things that have come out of this site. Now I was a little hesitant about this album because FFIV is actually pretty low on my list of FFs that I like and I didn't really find the music to be all that memorable. But I download anyway. First thing that catches my eye is the The Ana(pro)logue. I think, "Yes! Another remix of one of the best tracks in this series!" I was psyched. I saw that Another Soundscape remixed it and was glad because I remember his track Too Much Fighting off of Voices of the Lifestream and I really liked that. I couldn't bring myself to finish this track. I was so put off by the way this one track went I didn't listen to the rest of this album until a few days ago. I remembered I'd had it, cleared some space on my iPod and uploaded it.

First thing that comes to mind was as I was listening to this, on a couple of the tracks, I had to stop and look at who the mixer was, "Is this...? Yup, it's bLiNd." Guy's probably my favorite mixer on this site, so I noticed the level of quality of his tracks immediately. As always, I was happy with them, Golbez 'N Goblins, Path of Deception and Bridge to Eternity were all excellent. Full of Courage, The Might of Baron, Tellah's Prophecy, Metal Mage, and Treason were also tracks that caught my ears' attention. And of course Genesis of Destruction (Which is a wonderful title, by the way. Kudos to whoever came up with it.).

Other than that, I was on the whole underwhelmed by this. It probably has to do with the fact that I'm not a terribly big fan of the game itself so the music doesn't really invoke some sort of positive emotional response out of me like Voices of the Lifestream did or a Final Fantasy I album might. Good effort by all involved, though. I can recognize the talent put into this even if I didn't like most of it, and there was definitely a lot of that.

KyleJCrb

09-21-2009, 03:25 AM

Well, that's okay, I'll just email djp and get the stuff I need for it later, mainly album art/CD label art...I'll probably just download it all and burn it...

(and I don't hate torrents, I hate waiting on Bittorrent)

If I uploaded a rar or zip of the tracks, would that help? It honestly probably wouldn't be that much faster than the torrents, though.

NovaSeaker

09-21-2009, 02:42 PM

Is there someplace to get the lyrics for these tracks? Genesis of Destruction sounds amazing and I'm trying to find the lyrics for it but can't.

Tansunn

09-22-2009, 12:53 AM

Check the ID3 tags. I'm using WinAmp to view them with View File Info (Alt-3). The MP3s have them in the ID3v2 tags in the Comment space. The FLACs have them under the Advanced tab in the COMMENT property.

If you're using WinAmp, I recommend using the FLAC version to read it because the Comment space for MP3s is only 3 lines high. The window for FLAC properties is 10 lines high and a little wider.

SoulinEther

09-24-2009, 02:45 AM

I wish I checked out Phantom of the Zeromus earlier! I mean, I understand the more rock opera approach of the actual track on the album, but this comes off as more operatic (possibly due to the non-cookie monster vocals, guitar, and kick drum), and I wish those involved could have pursued it further (it sounds a little rough?). And, alright, the male vocals sound a little strange but they work pretty well.

Path of Deception is really engaging. I'm most impressed by its structure, and of course its amazing sound. I was a little put off by its more minimal buildup (when compared to Bridge to Eternity), but once you get into the meat, it takes you places.

Evoking the Dawn is my favorite rendition of Prelude + Rydia. Pretty moving stuff.

The Flying Machine... wow. It weaves together three (four?) themes so perfectly. The orchestration is good, great production too. I wish it were longer, but I fear it would overstay its welcome if it were much longer.

Eminence Grise and Genesis of Destruction have grown on me - an eerie, then epic culmination of everything leading up to the ending of the album.

...and Kind of Green? I am not sure what the hell's the deal with the title, but I like it for relaxation purposes. It's sort of like a happy ending to a good story. Much like FF4's. Cool.

avaris

09-29-2009, 08:20 PM

Just saw this on the accepted songs:

(2009/04/21) Final Fantasy 4 'Rhymes With Elixir'

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA oh my :shock:

DragonAvenger

09-29-2009, 08:23 PM

Just saw this on the accepted songs:

(2009/04/21) Final Fantasy 4 'Rhymes With Elixir'

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA oh my :shock:

That's been accepted for about 2-3 weeks now. I personally can't wait for it to be posted.

Emunator

09-30-2009, 12:23 AM

...and Kind of Green? I am not sure what the hell's the deal with the title, but I like it for relaxation purposes. It's sort of like a happy ending to a good story. Much like FF4's. Cool.

I always assumed it was a reference to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kind_of_Blue

Abadoss

09-30-2009, 12:29 AM

I always assumed it was a reference to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kind_of_Blue

It is. tenchar

ZealPath

10-01-2009, 02:38 PM

Just saw this on the accepted songs:

(2009/04/21) Final Fantasy 4 'Rhymes With Elixir'

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA oh my :shock:

Oh epic, I definitely can't wait for that review thread! :lol:

Edge

10-08-2009, 07:45 PM

A really good album indeed, with a little problem : the electro !
Yeah, songs like "Anaprologue" or "Read the sine" are preatty goods, but there is too much pieces of that kind of sound. A bit disappointed.
Then, I agree that Echoes of Betrayal, Light of Redemption is a great, great, great recorded. My favorite piece is, without a doubt, "Blue Planet in mode 7"...
What an arrangement ! Congratulations to Nathan Rich ! But after all, the others songs are amazings too, and I thank all the remixers who worked on it !

Hyjinx

10-12-2009, 05:10 PM

I've been trying to download this music project this whole weekend and I either get an error after a while or no progress on it what so ever. Has anyone else had problems downloading it? I'm using BitTorrent 4.27.2 on OS X 10.5

audio fidelity

10-13-2009, 11:29 PM

you have a mac and your not using vuze?

seriously?

http://www.vuze.com/

let us know how it goes - and make sure those ports are open

Level 99

10-22-2009, 10:31 PM

Remember when FF4: EOBLOR was released? Man, that was awesome. :nicework:

DragonAvenger

10-23-2009, 01:57 AM

Remember when FF4: EOBLOR was released? Man, that was awesome. :nicework:

The listening party was hella fun. Complete with male strippers. Well, male nakers.

KyleJCrb

10-23-2009, 04:57 AM

Remember when FF4: EOBLOR was released? Man, that was awesome. :nicework:

Ee-oh-Bloar.

prophetik

10-23-2009, 05:20 AM

The listening party was hella fun. Complete with male strippers. Well, male nakers.

nakers is such a funny word.

10-27-2009, 10:14 PM

and the plural (that doubles as a verb), nakies

prophetik

10-28-2009, 12:23 AM

it can be descriptive, too - nakier

OtaConnor

11-17-2009, 10:40 PM

"Genesis of Destruction" from the FF4 album, where can I find more info on the song?

I'd like to learn more of how it was recorded and created. I cannot get enough of the song, and as an aspiring remixer for this site someday in the future, this song just blows me away- and I'm dying to learn more about it, and how it was made. :)

Dyne

11-17-2009, 10:54 PM

Well, one day, in the OverClocked Labs, DJPretzel found a special magic formula for super soft pretzels. Then he mixed that with Pro Tools, some T-Racks, and a little FL Studio for flavor...

Okay, I'm being a jerk.

Seriously though, why not just ask the artists that made the track? I figure that would be easiest. You can find their forum profiles via their ReMixer profiles if you search for "artists" using the search bar at the top right of the page.

11-17-2009, 11:00 PM

courtesy of the track mastermind, and all-around good guy, Jay:

Alright...where to start. This track, Zeromus, was originally conceived by me and OA as the finale track to the FF4 project Echoes of Betrayal, Light of Redemption. And later blew up to be something well beyond either of our control. It is a result of all the people around us in the project and actually came together rather haphazard. We never could have imagined a track like this from the start. We started only knowing we wanted it to be faster and more intense than the original and were already planning on having Justin (Nutritious) come in for the orchestra. I originally had the idea of just a bombastic instrumental but when Andrew (OA) started talking about using vocals is when it took off.

We first had the idea for just a female vocalist and came up with the concept to have the lead be the embodiment of the prayers from the storyline in the game. Naturally we now needed the voices of the prayers, and who better to enlist than all the members of the project as a collective choir. I went and tracked down every single person from the project to enlist. About 22 people were able to come through and I am proud to say I used every track given to me from all the singing (Larry the Liontamer included) to the spoken word section during the female entrance.

In a rough order of who supplied the most material the choir is made up of:

Children of the Monkey Machine, DragonAvenger, Vampire Hunter Dan, Moonlapse, audio fidelity, OA, The Prophet of Mephisto, bustatunez, Mazedude, Level 99, Liontamer, theultravisitor, Loka Lafevre, Nathan Rich, Long Dao, Wiesty, Rozovian, Hy Bound, AeroZ, Abadoss, Avaris, and Ramaniscence.

We were able to get my composition teacher’s wife actually who came though and did a fantastic job as the lead female. Marcin Bela, my teacher was a big help for the song who guided me with lots of feedback and was the one who suggested the key change. How the male lead came about was kinda by accident. He showed me these tracks where he was screaming his guts and I took note of that later coming to the realization that this track could use a real Zeromus antagonist to heighten the drama and intensity. And the track from there became the rock opera epic that it would become.

I ended up taking over the direction of the track and laying down a bare-bones template for OA and Nutritious to follow. They did a fantastic job really bringing everything out I hoped for for the track. Andrew (OA) helped out with a lot of the arrangement, did all of the guitar work, and together, he and I wrote the lyrics inspired from the game. I generally wrote the female and male leads, and Andrew wrote the background Zeromus narrative and choir parts. Connor (Cyril the Wolf) improv’d the breakdown section where he loses it and helped out with a line or two of the other parts. I wanted it to be fresh for him to do that improv so I actually begged him to wait months and months to not listen to the track and lose the feeling of it being a fresh take. Thanks Connor! :) I am also rather thankful for Justin not killing me with all the tempo changes and modulations that made his job a complete nightmare. You did an awesome job buddy.

The plot here is simple if you know the game. Cecil and crew do battle with the ultimate bad guy who is living on their moon, that is the most hateful son of a gun around - Zeromus. He actually is killed before their eyes but is brought back to life; which is where the lyrical narrative from Zeromus comes from in the whispers and background screaming parts. In the story, everyone is knocked down and it seems like all hope is lost but what ends up happening is everyone on Earth is wishing and praying that the group will defeat this evil. It is their words of encouragement that ultimately guide the group to victory and which is the premise for our arrangement. We have the lead female (embodiment of the prayers) enter accompanied by the choir’s words of inspiration to make the connection of who she is. From there we have the narrative being delivered by the choir and Zeromus who actually goes back in forth with the ones fighting for the future of the planet. We have a section where the two trade off with different levels of intensity with their backing arrangement signaling their contrast. The chorus comes in as an actual battleground section where the instruments enter together and fight for dominance. The first time around we find Zeromus quite powerful and unrelenting. Which gives way later to his own breakdown in our breakdown. We then take a moment to reflect with the choir almost losing the hope to go on. But find the strength and from there ramp back up for battle and in the 2nd chorus to find Zeromus losing control and ultimately the battle.

The original source is littered throughout every section of the mix. The Breakdown where Zeromus losing it being all based on expanding that awesome dissonant syncopated section from the source. The only original section comes in the chant which is actually a borrowed section from OA’s previous track ‘Eminence Gris’ uniting the two together but still keeping with the motif of the source bassline through the progression. The OCReMix edit sadly needed to be cut short for the sake of quality and lost this section but it is included on the final release.

The mix was quite complex with about 255 choir takes maxing out my logic session and another 100+ tracks counting busses in the final mix. I tried my best but was fortunate to be able to get some help from zircon in the final stages. I sent him all the tracks with my volume automation and he tweaked things and mastered the track to get things to where you hear it now. Thank you Andy.

Other people to thank are Gary Earl and Audix for their awesome feedback that helped the track and for their stabs at mastering the track which were all fantastic in my opinion.

I really think this is the only track in the world that is actually deserving of something this ambitious and it is again the result only because of the people around me. This track has been a wonderful testament to what the community can accomplish together and I am so thankful for everyone; it became ultimately what it wanted to be and was out of my hands.

I would also suggest checking out the ff4 website for some extra bonus tracks inspired by this mix. Justin (Nutritious) is doing an arrangement focusing on the orchestra and voices with him actually taking over the part of Zeromus in an operatic way. And I am putting together an atonal version where all the parts will be played with just grand pianos. CotMM is also putting together an extended version of his take on the source. Who knows what else may come up.

The entire list of people connected to this track are as follows:

audio fidelity, Nutritious, OA, lisabela, Cyril the Wolf, Children of the Monkey Machine, DragonAvenger, Vampire Hunter Dan, Moonlapse, The Prophet of Mephisto, bustatunez, Mazedude, Level 99, Liontamer, theultravisitor, Loka Lafevre, Nathan Rich, Long Dao, Wiesty, Rozovian, Hy Bound, AeroZ, Abadoss, Avaris, Ramaniscence, Marcin Bela, Gary Earl, Audix, and zircon

Breakdown of credits:

audio fidelity: arrangement, lyrics, drums, synths

Nutritious: orchestra

OA: guitar, arrangement, lyrics

lisabela: female lead (prayer), and supporting female parts

Cyril the Wolf: male lead (zeromus)

Zeromus Choir: Children of the Monkey Machine, DragonAvenger, Vampire Hunter Dan, Moonlapse, audio fidelity, OA, The Prophet of Mephisto, bustatunez, Mazedude, Level 99, Liontamer, theultravisitor, Loka Lafevre, Nathan Rich, Long Dao, Wiesty, Rozovian, Hy Bound, AeroZ, Abadoss, Avaris, and Ramaniscence.

special thanks: Marcin Bela, Gary Earl, Audix, and zircon

OtaConnor

11-18-2009, 02:28 AM

Whoa... thank you so much OA! Gotta say that was an AWESOME read. I've been working for months now on a remix of Dark Messenger from FF9- and this song inspired me to want to add vocals. I've got a male lead singer coming down next week to help with lyrics, as well as the song's composition, and we hope to get some recording done.

At least I know I am on the right track, if both Jay and I are really making Logic sweat :)

Still though, what a damn great song! Really inspiring to me as I hope to write at a quality of such someday :)

Nutritious

11-18-2009, 07:16 AM

Lots and lots of work.

And yes, I did almost kill Jay after all those tempo changes :P. FL Studio + wavs + 27ish tempo changes = nightmare.

audio fidelity

11-18-2009, 05:42 PM

Ota thanks for the nice comments yo - it's nice knowing people appreciated the concept and execution of grandiose finale.

Best of luck with your track. If you ever need crits I'm sure me and OA would be glad to listen to your track.

Also I do plan on taking another crack at the mix. I'm getting some more toys soon and would like to try another shot at it.

And Justin the tempo changes came about through Andrew's suggestion to have te track be slower at parts. It worked and was a good learning experience ya?

EDIT: I should also say that I kinda make or sound like my comp teacher was the singer ha. I should edit that part for Connor showing me the track with him screaming about the muffin. Can I get a link please :)

OtaConnor

11-19-2009, 04:59 AM

Audio- you bet! Hell, it's even awesome seeing a comment from you on my post.
And I'll definently run my track by you guys sometime! As while I am doing this one myself, I'd love to discuss ideas with you sometime for other tracks.
Again as an aspiring remixer for the site, and film and game composition major, what better practice than to learn and/or work with the pros?

EDIT: Whatever this is about the muffin, I need to hear this. And probably would have made a pretty good bonus track ;)

ZealPath

11-20-2009, 02:11 AM

That was a great read about the finale, I still really really love this album and that track (along with it's sister track Phantom) is one of the many reasons it is so amazing.

I still haven't managed to sit down and review all the tracks on this album, partly cause it would take forever, and partly cause even now, I am just starting to really get to know some that I didn't take an immediate liking to, but it is certainly a safe bet that EoBLoR (weird abbreviation :lol:) will be my favorite OCR album for a long time to come.

audio fidelity

12-05-2009, 03:42 PM

so zeromus didn't make the cut - but with some new toys and fresh ears i'm gonna try to take him on again - that is all for now

Cyril the Wolf

12-06-2009, 03:35 AM

For those who like muffins. And those who like long metal screams......

http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/109299

I assure you, one take, no editing. :D other than the distortion on the spoken part.

Meyichi

12-11-2009, 12:33 AM

I might just be missing it somewhere, but...

Could we have the lyrics to "Phantom of the Zeromus?" <3

Epicepic opera song.

Nutritious

12-13-2009, 06:11 PM

I might just be missing it somewhere, but...

Could we have the lyrics to "Phantom of the Zeromus?" <3

Epicepic opera song.

Thanks :). Lyrics below:

(Choir)
Ahhh! Zeromus!
Ahhh! Zeromus!

(Female Lead)
Take this moment,
Into reflection,
And remember your path

We believe in you,
Supporting your trials,
Please hear our distant prayers for you

Together, we’ll fight for our world,
And protect it from this fiend

(Choir background)
Fire from within

(Zeromus)
Let me show you how to suffer,
My hate is supreme,
And you will not stop me! No!

(Choir background)
Essence born of hate

(Female Lead)
Never we will lay down to
Your sick and twisted lunacy

(Choir background)
Cleansing bloodstained wings

(Zeromus)
Life will cease when all is destroyed,
I will bring the end,
So come and meet your fate!

(Choir background)
Deep beyond Hell’s gates

(F. Lead)
We must bring this dawn

(Zeromus)
Dark will overcome

(F. Lead)
A new hope must become

(Zeromus)
There is no hope now

(F. Lead)
United we are strong

(Zeromus)
I will break those bonds

(F. Lead)
Our prayers will overcome

(F. Lead)/(Zeromus)

And with the havoc that you/I have wrought,

That’s brought the dark that tested our/your hearts,

We won’t let you bring eternal night

(Zeromus)
Try and stop me now

(F. Lead)
Zeromus we won’t go without a fight!

(Zeromus)
Your journey ends here!

(Choir)
Growing stillness,
In the heavens,
Darkness deeper,
Than the night,
Forcing all to,
Flee or perish,
No one leaves,
This place alive,

Come within now,
Desolation,
Mirror surface,
Bathed in black,
Endless silence,
Through the terror,
Perfect hope,
Begins to crack

Ahhh! Zeromus!
Ahhh! Zeromus!

(F. Lead)
Together, we’ll fight for our world,
And protect it from this fiend

(Choir background)
Fire from within

(Zeromus)
Let me show you how to suffer,
My hate is supreme,
And you will not stop me! No!

(Choir background)
Essence born of hate

(F. Lead)
Never we will lay down to,
Your sick and twisted lunacy

(Choir)
Cleansing bloodstained wings

(Zeromus)
Life will cease when all is destroyed,
I will bring the end,
So come and meet your fate!

(Choir)
Deep beyond Hell’s gates

(F. Lead)
We must bring this dawn

(Zeromus)
Dark will overcome

(F. Lead)
A new hope must become

(Zeromus)
There is no hope now

(F. Lead)
United we are strong

(Zeromus)
I will break those bonds

(F. Lead)
Our prayers will overcome

(F. Lead)/(Zeromus)
And with the havoc that you/I have wrought,
That’s brought the dark that tested our/your hearts,
We won’t let you bring eternal night,

(Zeromus)
I must stop this light!

(F. Lead)
Zeromus we won’t go without a fight!

(Zeromus)
No! Get Back! No!

Fishy

12-13-2009, 07:07 PM

Cyril the Wolf

12-14-2009, 12:34 AM

That was epic.

Why thank you Fishy.

Just goes to show you how you don't need to have 7 minutes to be epic. Just 2, with concentrated muffin-y justice.

DragonAvenger

12-15-2009, 01:23 AM

Nobuo Uematsu now has a copy of EoBLoR along with a note explaining to him what it is (and how awesome he is) courtesy of my friend Fenix who attended the FF concert last Saturday

Also....signed by the man himself.
http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/2918/signedcdsffiv.jpg (http://img704.imageshack.us/i/signedcdsffiv.jpg/)

prophetik

12-15-2009, 04:55 AM

that's really cool!

avaris

12-15-2009, 02:25 PM

holy organic poop batman!

Meyichi

12-15-2009, 06:40 PM

Thank you very much for the lyrics, Nutritious...

... And that's absolutely amazing, DragonAvenger. O____O

RitiTroll

12-16-2009, 02:11 AM

So I just discovered this site from a link from TV Tropes. FFIV may not be my favorite FF game ever (It belongs to one whose roman numeral also begins with an I with only one numeral following it) but it is my favorite soundrack of Final Fantasy, even when it comes to arrangements and remixes both professional and... I hesitate at using the term "Amerture" about works such as this, but I hope my intent comes across properly.

I checked it out. I don't love every song on the soundtrack, but I'm not going to harp on that. I'm going to talk about the songs I like to inflate egos.

The Flying Machine: At first, I was stupid and barely listened past the beginning going "Ohmygodthisisn'tthemaintheme!" The Main theme is one of my favorite songs from this game. It was the first song from this game I heard, as well (specifically the Celtic Moon version). It's probably very high on my list of favorite songs ever! Of course, then I decided to sit and listen to it, figuring it was a very lovely "Into the Darkness" arrangement if nothing else. It doesn't remind me of FFIV, to be honest. It's well done, with the melody very present. I love the almost mechanical feel to it, especially when the "Into the Darkness" theme is played, with each part leading to another. I'm a huge fan of webcomics, so I hope it doesn't hurt the arranger's feeling that this song makes me think of the "Incredible Falling Machine" part of Girl Genius, which unfortunately beat out the lovely map of FFIV as my image of choice only by virtue of the name bringing that image up. Were it names something else, I probably could bring up images of the world of FFIV.

Golbez n' Goblins: I love this one. It is awesome. I think Golbez deserves a break from being all mopey, he should be glad he got a remix that would have been awesome for something like a unique boss battle theme.

Metal Mage: Can I say that it actually kind of makes me laugh. The kid acts just like how Palom would if Metal existed there. It's an awesome song in it's own right, but the demands from the kid just make it stand out the most with memory and a bit of a laugh thrown in.

Fallen Dragoon: The last one I can say I really loved. I'm a bit of a Kain fangirl, since from my first Final Fantasy game, I thought dragoons were awesome, so Kain is the definition of awesome. I especially love him in the DS version, well, when I had it in Japanese, with his voice and how his name was Ka-I-n, so I always felt he was cheated on "Suspicion". Fallen Dragoon really captures how he's like before, during, in-between, during again, and after his brainwashing.

Some songs I found enjoyable, but not "OMG AWESOME" were: Edward's Dream quartet (I also actually kinda like Gil, and pulling it into different styles surprised me in a good way), Almost Fell for the Trojan (Mostly based on the name of the song, but pretty nice listening to the same), and Calcobrena after a night of Dinner and Dancing (I would have liked more of the original theme in it, but still lends an interesting take to this lovely off-kilter waltz)

Cyril the Wolf

12-16-2009, 03:57 PM

Metal Mage: Can I say that it actually kind of makes me laugh. The kid acts just like how Palom would if Metal existed there. It's an awesome song in it's own right, but the demands from the kid just make it stand out the most with memory and a bit of a laugh thrown in.

And you, my good person, recognized the point of the song. Props to you, and thanks for the ego inflation.

Now excuse me while I apply pointy objects to make sure it doesn't inflate too much. :tomatoface:

Level 99

12-16-2009, 04:33 PM

*pulls plug on Cyril's ego*

Not until after we finish Kirby-ska, dude! Oh, and Magma Heart too. After that, attach whatever helium containers to your ego you want, for now I want you on planet Earth, haha!

Oh, and thanks for those other kind words RitiTroll. I've learned a lot of what to do and what not to do from that song. :nicework:

KyleJCrb

12-16-2009, 04:33 PM

So I just discovered this site from a link from TV Tropes.

Man, I love that site. Welcome aboard! I hope you find a lot more stuff that you enjoy.

Link Mauve

12-25-2009, 03:26 PM

Hello!

I cannot install flash on my computer, and so there is no video on the main page. I have modified a little this page on my server to use the HTML5 video tag, so all the users of Firefox 3.5+, Chrome 3+ or Safari 3.1+ can view it without installing a plugin on their computer. The flash-based viewer is shown for users of others browsers.

You can view it here: http://www.linkmauve.fr/ff4.ocremix.org/

The video is transcoded from youtube, but if I could transcode the original video it’ll look a lot better! Also the first shown image can be changed, it’s just a JPEG.

Can you replace the main page by this one? Thanks in advance! And ask if you have any question about the video tag.

ezekiel2517

12-26-2009, 05:46 AM

is there a particular time when seeds are more active? i'd like to get the torrent with all the goodies instead of just the songs, but the 7 weeks download is rather discouraging :razz:

audio fidelity

12-30-2009, 11:24 PM

ezekiel - your sure you have your port open for your torrent client ya?

7 weeks is garbage - i still hate that we don't have a full mp3 download :(

Level 99

12-31-2009, 04:17 AM

http://www.mediafire.com/?gm3mmjyyjte

There, there's a temp full MP3 archive hosted on my mediafire. If bandwidth becomes an issue over time, however, I will remove it.

It clocks in just under 450 mb, and is all that's in the official release except no FLAC.

LuigiFan

04-05-2010, 02:48 AM

I downloaded this album right when it was released, and to be quite honest with you did not care too much for it. Sure, there were some great tracks, and the quality is great as always, but I wasn't familiar with the source material, having never played FFIV, and so the songs were just that - songs that were okay, but I didn't feel like the album made that much of an impact on me.

HOWEVER...

I just recently finished playing through FFIV (on the GBA port). I finished the game, and suddenly remembered that this album existed, so I gave it another listen.

IT'S SO MUCH BETTER.

Seriously, not only do I know the source material now, but I know the story, which really ties the whole album together. I realize that the focus of the album was to tell the story with the music, and really, you did - I can see that now that I know what the story is. This album is crafted incredibly well - props to the project directors for envisioning it and to the artists for following that vision.

Also, my two favorites are Fighting for Tomorrow and In the Land of Dwarves. Fantastic.

audio fidelity

04-13-2010, 03:29 PM

EmpyClaw

07-15-2010, 11:11 PM

I decided, after years of listening and lurking, to take the plunge and post a comment/review.

This is probably my favourite album of the lot, which I find surprising given that FFIV is not my favourite source music (VII being my favourite). It's the album as a whole that really does it. While I certainly have my favourite pieces, and ones that I do not listen to as often, as a whole I think that it is an incredibly powerful piece.

One of my favourite things about this album is how I continue to find hidden gems in some of the songs that draw me in for multiple listens.
One of those songs is RDX Necklace. The very first time through I didn't give it much thought, but returning to it, I realize more and more just how much is going on and how intense it really is. If you ever get the chance to be in a big space with a decent sound system (like a theatre of the like), and you can play this song, it's truly amazing. Everything about it just fills the space: the impact of the explosion, the power of the melody, the crashing of the debris.

There's so much I could say about the different tracks. I love The Might of Baron and the imagery it instantly creates. Songs like Metal Mage or Fighting For Tomorrow bring the characters and places to life. I can see Palom and feel Fabul.

Rhymes With Elixir caught me completely off guard when I first heard it, but it instantly became a favourite. It took me a day before I got to Disc 3 because I kept going back to listen to it over and over. I thought it was delightful, hilarious, and clever. Also, any song that can work sublimate into the lyrics is gold in my books.

The two parts of the Finale are another set of tracks that sat on repeat for a while. They're so wildly different in feel, but fit together so well. I listened to them often for inspiration or energy while writing. I love them to bits.

When I first played FFIV I was about 8 or so. What I love about this album is that is can help transport me to that time when imagination and fantasy were so much more vivid and exciting. I can drift into imagination and find inspiration in the music.

Thank you so much for the amazing work.

08-23-2010, 09:10 PM

funny that a non-OCR friend found this video and linked me - looks like a ridiculous chart. I'd much much much rather play this on an actual guitar- it'd be some much easier:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZfcSwQSFsQ

JoshuaBizich

12-23-2010, 09:32 AM

Loved this album when it came out. Burned all 3 discs and listened while driving for work all day long. I got hooked.

A Night of Dinner and Dancing is my favorite. Reminds me of some Darkside of the Moon.

Might of Baron kicks major ass.

The reason I am posting this is because for the last 5 months I have been working on my own little project. I turned Final Fantasy IV in to a shmup. This album was the inspiration driving that project and serves as the soundtrack.

Here are some youtube links to see it in action. The full game is uploaded to that channel also.

This is the battle with OctoMammoth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJST18V0ZG8

Here is the song Genesis of Destruction. A Shmup Rock Opera.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFUSDkUwGLw

Here are some screenshots:

http://www.underground-gamer.com/imagebucket/Title_Screen_for_web.gif

http://www.underground-gamer.com/imagebucket/Untitled-14.gif

I really just wanted the talented people who made this album to see what it is like to have their music put in to a game and see it in action. I gave full credit to OCRemix and all of it's groups.

This was all done out of love.

12-23-2010, 03:38 PM

omg this is amazing :o

i wish i wasn't on a mac so i could play it. :-(

JoshuaBizich

12-23-2010, 05:52 PM

Thanks!
I was going to try to compile a MAC version for you but I can't. I looked and gamemaker for mac only goes to version 7. This was made with version 8 and it states right on the download page they won't jive.
Sorry.

Track 15, Disc 1: Fighting for Tomorrow.
This was the one I selected for the last stage as it sounds very urgent and the chorus goes with the pacing of the level vey well. I cut this song and used the second half for the last boss battle as it hits nice and heavy.

What you guys did was awesome. Square should get this album on the PSP remake.

Thanks again for checking it out!

justinrpg

03-03-2011, 09:49 PM

is there any link to this OC album soundtrack that isn't a torrent as i can't use torrents?

DragonAvenger

03-03-2011, 09:51 PM

is there any link to this OC album soundtrack that isn't a torrent as i can't use torrents?

http://ff4.ocremix.org/music.html

Brew

05-17-2011, 05:32 PM

How did I not know about this album for so long? I need to be visiting this site more often..

FFII/IV is and will always be in my top 5 favorite games of all time. Let alone a video game, it was the first plot that ever really gripped me and wouldn't let go. And as a kid who'd read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi but never dealt with death, those moments in the game stung pretty bad. Like, when Palom and Porom sacrificed themselves for the team and Tellah couldn't undo their spell and that damn piano started to play... I dunno, I think the window was open and blew some dust in my eye or something. It went the other way too, like when it seemed that they were totally boned when the Giant awoke.. then that one explosion came out of nowhere, followed by the Red Wings theme, and everyone you'd met in the game had teamed up to help in the fight.. that was one of the most touching and perfect moments in video game history as far as I'm concerned.

I dunno if this is just being filtered through the lens of myself as a kid, but nostalgia is a powerful thing, that's for damn sure.

So this collaboration is a pretty awesome project and I've been listening to it a lot lately. I like how it isn't just one style, and explores the different ways that people interpret the original music. The game only had so many songs and a lot of them were repeated throughout the plot, so its also cool to see how people saw the tone of something in relation to the scene it was used in.

Its been awhile since I last played this game and in fact only recently started a new game of FFIII/VI but I might put that on hold to run through this one again. Or at least finish the third playthrough on the DS. (I got frustrated trying to beat Proto-Babil at as low a level as possible). But either way, I would totally agree with the sentiment that its a completely different experience listening to these songs having played the game.

The opening track, "Full of Courage" is just wow. Seriously, wow. I'm not sure I would have necessarily mixed in the overworld theme just as it was getting to the "battle" portion of the Red Wings theme, but from a director's standpoint relating to the movie playing in my head, I can understand wanting to take an aerial view of the landscape before getting into the action. Try to set the tone that the world is a wonderful place and in need of protection from this elite, honorable, and victorious fleet.

And of course the next scene is in Castle Baron and the rock-opera stylings of "The Might of Baron" simply kicks ass in every important way. I might have mixed the guitar a little bit louder here and there, but whatever - I don't care, stellar track.

The album continues with a lot of unexpected turns - as I said above, I like that the album wasn't just one style, even if I may enjoy certain stylings more than others. Its been a good workout for my car's speakers too (got a new car recently). Songs like "Overture ~ Tellah's Prophecy" and "Read the Sine" actually make my pants vibrate against my shins in a most peculiar way while driving, so they have a unique tactile element to them. The intro to "Ana(pro)logue" for some reason made me think of The Neverending Story. When the horn started playing, I pictured Ben flying on Falcor..

"Rhymes With Elixir". Falcon needs a drill but worry not coz Cid'll fix her? When this one started, I raised an eyebrow. Soon started to laugh. I'm also a fan of older Bloodhound Gang, so there's that. And yes, I love the fact that they worked "sublimate" into a rap. I'd call this one a hidden gem. Had to look up the lyrics, couldn't figure out what the chorus was saying. "More bling than olive-berry skies?"

Loved the mens' chorus for Fabul! Really helped highlight the "iron will" vibe of Fabul, that you do not mess with them. While Baron is mighty, fighting is these mens' lives. I just wonder if their training involves lifting a large hot kettle with their forearms..

At first I didn't like the kid in "Metal Mages", but its growing on me. I can totally see Porom at a club/bar where the band is playing and totally getting down, limbs flailing, losing control, flinging fireballs randomly, the final "That was Awesome!" with him standing in the middle of a smoldering heap of debris, smoke clearing to show blue skies, everyone else crouched down, arms over their heads.

"OMFG" did a great job emphasizing the tension of the situation.

And my gawd, Rock Opera featuring Slipknot as Zeromus for the final battle? Total nerdgasm. The Epilogue music stayed pretty true to how I remember it, and left me smiling remembering the victory of finally winning mixed with the sadness that it was over.

I think the only actual complaint I have with the whole set - and I debated on even saying anything negative, but its mixed with positives - was "Of Fiend and Man". Ironically, the reason this song bugs me so much is because of how much I actually like it! If I thought it sucked, I wouldn't care.

It just seems like it wasn't finished. Not that its lacking in quality, but that quite literally, when the final mix was being laid out, someone accidentally left the tracks with the actual battle theme on "mute". There's this amazing rock opera framework, solid percussion, good orchestration, the strings and horns doing the "response" portion of the first part of the main melody to good effect, a little bit of very subtle guitar you can hear in the background, I'm getting all amped up ready for whatever crazy melody arrangement they're going to do, will it be electric guitar? Strings? Horns? Synth of some kind? Driving too fast and awaiting the start of the Battle, the beat drops and it goes into a different song. Is this still Battle 1? They just shifting gears? "Fiend" is in the title, is this from the Four Fiends? Then the song ends, and I frown. (edit - Listening to the album through my crappy desktop speakers at work and wow is the relative volume higher on the guitars. Not sure if the acoustics in my car happen to cancel out the frequency these guitars are on or what. They're still sort of in the background instead of taking lead, but at least I can hear them pretty clearly here)

But, JMHO. If they decided to re-release the track with nothing changed other than some additions of lead melody, I would probably look like Randy when he finally got some internet in the refugee camp.

Anyway, I can't express how happy I am that I found this compilation and would like to offer heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to it! (Its actually a major reason I donated to OCRemix last week.)

Kuolema

07-25-2011, 07:36 PM

I know this came out forever ago, but I'd just like to give my thoughts on it.
I love this album.
I really like almost every track, which is pretty rare for a 50+ track album covering a bunch of genres that I don't normally listen to.
The first few tracks make a fantastic album opener, and it manages to stay consistently good throughout. I love that there are so many different styles on this album, and yet all the tracks feel very similar!
Seeing as I'm not as familiar with FFIV's music as I am some of the other games in the series, I was kind of surprised that I liked it as much as I did, but man it really works!
That's one of the things that I like about OCRemix as a whole; most of my favorite remixes are from games that I haven't even played.
Anyway, I think everyone did an amazing job on this album, and I'd like to thank everyone who worked on it (even if it is a couple of years late) :P.

Abadoss

07-26-2011, 01:30 AM

DimeTower

08-18-2011, 05:09 AM

To all artists on what I deem to be in the top-3 albums available by OCRemix:

First, THANK YOU! Your efforts and dedication are loved by so many more than you think. I have been listening for months, and finally had to get an account just so I could post about how great this album is.
While a shocking amount of tracks were good-to-excellent (very few do I pass over), some tracks truly stood out. All of these are 5-star efforts, above and beyond 'good' and into 'absolutely memorable' territory.

Full Of Courage: What an opening.
Read The Sine: One of the most unique entries on the album and one of my favorites. What a distinct effort on this one!
Golbez N' Goblins: Only one other track on the album gets things kickin' as much as this awesome track does.
Mystic Variations: To do justice to this tune is an incredible accomplishment!
Fallen Dragoon: Holy ----. Maybe my favorite song on the entire album. The use of melody and overlaying harmonies - the choice of instruments - one of the most evocative, engaging, and moody pieces I've ever heard. WOW.
The Still Land: Major props must be leveled for taking a song with such a simple beginning and turning it into such a haunting, beautiful song. Wow was this incredible.
Bridge To Eternity: This, along with Golbez N' Goblins, is physically impossible to listen to and not have your blood start pumping.
All Your Calcobrena Are Belong To Us: So unique, so memorable!! This is so fun to listen to.

I'd like to make one last acknowledgement of the special vocal efforts made on pieces like Somewhere To Hide and Finale Part II. It is a tribute that these vocal efforts didn't just avoid detracting to the piece; they added to it, and in both cases, I can't imagine the song being without them.

To everyone on this album, this was, and has been, a special treat. Thank you.