OCR01298 - Chrono Trigger 'Predetermination'

[djpretzel]

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

[Z-Saber]

Very beautiful arrangement of the main theme, with a little bit of a certain Chrono Cross string progression thrown in the beginning if I'm not mistaken. Very nice piece that transitions into several genres that all mesh into a great remix. I'm really starting to like your style, Unknown.

[Aamean]

I really like this, it seperates the author's originality and the song itself very well. There is certainly enough variation to keep it original and interesting over a long period of listening.

He uses the main Chrono Trigger theme at crucial points. It kicks in after just enough variation so it's not overdone, but more a welcome site and establishes a strong "OH YEAH" feeling inside of me.

The ending does seem a bit awkward. From listening over, a more natural ending seems to occur from 2:40 to 3:16, or even 3:17 to 3:45ish. The bells
just leave me waiting for an encore that doesn't come.

edit: Forgot to mention, love the title and how it fits with Chrono Trigger.

[AngrySquirrel]

Yeah, at first it seems like a fighting game's martial kind of theme, then it lapses more into a New Age kind of thing. It was alright, not exactly the kind of changes in tempo I expected.

[BlueMage]

I think I requested something along these lines. Thanks Unknown! Killer track!

[big giant circles]

great stuff here!

the beginning it very very Halo-ish, which i dig, seeing as i thoroughly the music of marty m.

as stated priorly, arrangement is wonderful. parts of this gave me bumps. such as the predominant melody cenetered around the 3:00 area. nice leads throughout - as in, nice choice of instrumentation. the sampling is quite well enough. and i enjoyed the ending.

well done, unknown. song = recommended.

[HershDawg]

Great arrangement, a little jazzy. Keeps the mood throughout but just a little strong on the Sop. Sax. thats about all i have to say about balance issues. Nice fade at the end.

[Fray]

Jeez, I really love this. Some very clever and energetic orchestral work!

[Tyler Heath]

Great arrangement, a little jazzy. Keeps the mood throughout but just a little strong on the Sop. Sax. thats about all i have to say about balance issues. Nice fade at the end.

I think you may be reviewing the wrong song. D:

[arias]

The arrangement is great; it doesn't have the typical build.. and I can't fully visualise the entire message of the song, but I have to say that the introduction was a work of genius. Excellent buildup.

However, the great remix is marred by poor samples, notably the Brass/Lead Trumpet sample is really a letdown.

Apart from that, I'm excited to see more of your works. Good work.

[Strife.]

I'd say the best part of this remix is the beginning. the start of this song is very cleverly done, but I thought after a little less than a minute it lost my attention. This is probably because there's so many chrono mixes out there, but I dunno. good job, either way.

[SpaceDrake]

I absolutely love this mix right up until about 3:17, where it just sort of... dies. The way the remixer follows the original tune fairly closely from about 2:00 onwards, you're expecting a HUGE orchestral hit at 3:17 as it sweeps into the grand finale. Instead, it sort of meanders and dies out, which was acutely disappointing.

Yes, I know part of remixing is doing new things with old songs... but if you're going to follow a piece as closely as it has been here, then certain things must be done to make it "work", in my view. And here, the powerful, sweeping finale is one of those things. Remove that and the whole song falls flat.

Of course, I'm cruel because I care. As I said, up till 3:17 I adore this mix; if it DID have the powerful finale, it'd be like musical porn. (And I mean that in the best way possible.) Let me put it this way: if a version of this IS remade with the big finale, I'd download it in a heartbeat.

Anyway. Kudos to the remixer, but the ending needs work.

fin.

[zircon]

SpaceDrake: give the arrangement another shot. I initially agreed wtih you, expecting a big finale - but I've come to really enjoy what Ty did with structure of the mix. It's very original.

[SpaceDrake]

I have, zircon, I have. But the lack of a powerful finale just kills it for me, no matter how much I want it NOT to. This one needs a powerful finale to really "click", for me at least.

[Thornless Rose]

very nice.

[PhenomaJohn]

I still haven't been able to listen to or download this mix for some odd reason...I'd love to, but I keep getting redirected to random ads...it's a problem I've never had before here...help?

[Nintendo_Ace]

This is an excellent arrangement. Maybe its just me but i'm hearing bits and peices of several themes in here...
I really like the tempo changes, very atypical. The way it flows from one style to another is great though i definately have to say I like the begining best. I oculd go with 4 minutes of just that!. The ending isnt a problem to me.

The only criticism i have of htis mix is the trumpet. Its not very far above a midi. It just doesnt do the instrument justice t all.. A shame its already been submitted, I wouldd have enjoyed the chance to record the part.

Overall, though, this is a fantastic mix. keep up the good work.

[jorgandar]

this is great work..

watch the clipping though..maybe it's just my speakers but every once and then there is this noise like it's clipping. anyway, this is wonderful.

[leena fighter]

Ooh. I liiike. I really like the tempo changes and the overall feel. My only problem is.. When i first started listening I thought it might be a remix of the primitive mountain song. Which would have kicked all sorts of ass, considering this theme is a /bit/ overdone.

Just a bit.

But it's still good regardless.

[SpaceDrake]

Am I really the only one here who thinks the song really suffers due to the ending? :?

[TheAmazingSPAMBoy]

Am I really the only one here who thinks the song really suffers due to the ending? :?
I think so...

Anyway, this entire song is superb. There's so much diversity and energy to it. I absolutely love it, and I can listen to it on repeat for a good long while. Great stuff.

[SixthFlyingMan]

Am I really the only one here who thinks the song really suffers due to the ending? :?No, you're not. I mean, after all, 2:42 thru to the end... Yeah, that REALLY carries across the image of seven heroes, transcending even time itself to vanquish an alien beast as it prepares to wipe humanity off the face of the earth. Come on! Where's my big, climactic, heart-pounding, holy-frickin-crap-thats-awesome ending? No, it goes out with a whimper and a fart, not the whistle, bang and lightshow that would do justice to the rest of the piece...

If not for the horrible ending, this piece would be on my hard drive now. Good job on the rest of it though.

[ella guro]

For the most part, I really liked this. The ending (contrasting to what some other people feel in this forum), especially, adds to the depth for me and makes it feel like a more ...thought-out arrangement. The percussion is also a good addition, and it gives everything a little more flair.

I do have an objection with the way the main melody has been changed. I understand it's done to fit the progression, and part of my objection has to do with being so accustomed to the way the original is. But the change makes me wince a little bit every time I hear it. But in the end, it doesn't detract much from a pretty excellent mix. Good work, ty.

[StClair]

Some people here are, IMO, too locked into the "must have a BIG FINISH!" school of composing. Low-key endings are good too.

Would this mix be "better" if it had a brassy finale at 3:17 and then dropped down to the current ending?

(I love it as-is. The first bit made me think not so much of Halo as certain passages from Princess Mononoke, and the rhumba-ish mix of the main melody is a real toe-tapper.)

[Tyler Heath]

I don't understand at all how there could have been a huge brass-'n-kickass finale at 3:17. I also don't understand why you (SixthFlyingMan, SpaceDrake) refuse to view the song as a progression as opposed to a single idea. Chrono Trigger is full of development, full of change and evolving characters/plots/emotions. I was trying to capture that concept of change, and to claim that Chrono Trigger was comprised entirely of seven heroes traipsing through time on a whirlwind adventure is arrogant and ignorant. I wrote the ending that way on purpose, and I could honestly care less about how you think I should have written it.

So maybe write out how you think it should have gone, send me a sample, and then I might think about changing it. Maybe.


man, I really come off as an ass in this post.

[Nobbynob Littlun]

Reminds me a lot of Chrono Cross as well. Maybe it is just the kind of progression it goes under, or maybe it has bits of the tune, I played both games too long ago to remember.

Brass at 2:08 is kinda flat sounding. Probably would be okay with better samples, but with the ones you've got, try working around it in the future :( Maybe on the upper bound of their notes, quietly slip one in at a higher register for a little umph... I don't know.

Watch out at 2:50, with those strings moving up to higher notes their synthishness stands out more. Perhaps cutting back on volume, having two of those strings going in a chord with different vibrato - I don't know. They're your samples, it's up to you to :)

Good rearrangement, tempo changes (which is uncommon, takes some initiative/inspiration). I liked it.

[cobaltstarfire]

While the trumpet sound isn't exactly "characteristic" of a trumpet, the sound isn't bad either, I've heard a simular sound out of a real trumpet before (being a trumpet player myself.) I think the patch suits the song wonderfully, midi-ish sounding or not (which to me that's a not because midi-ish trumpet sounds like crap.)

I really liked the progression of this entire song, the beggining is very pretty, and the end too. The middle section is very fun to listen to for me with the nifty strings and percusion, and like I said I like the lead trumpet and the way it was mirrored by other instruments, it really adds to the sound.

I think in the entire song the only change I would personaly make is bringing out the bass drum hit at 2:40. But that's probably a matter of stylistic taste. And spending years with band directors that would have done that had we been playing a song such as this.

Er anyway... nifty song I like it and sometimes want to listen to it several times before moving on to the next.

9/10

[Wicked]

I'm late in posting anything on this song. I should have the day it was released on the site because it continues to rock my world to this day.

When those drums hit...I start bobbing my head. It makes me want to get out of my seat and mamba (or try to) my ass off. The word I think of when I try to describe this song is "primal" until it starts to get less groovy and softer. I don't have any qualms with this or the ending at all. This conveys a sense of hopelessness for the cause they're fighting for or something similar I can't place my finger on.

Excellent work. You continue to be one of my favorite remixers. :)

[Terium]

Real late on my reply, but meh.

I think the song's great. It's very powerful. Full of emotion.

man, I really come off as an ass in this post.

Nah. They really insulted your work. What can you do? So what if the ending wasn't uber climatic? It doesn't hurt the song too much. If you just listen to it without devoting 100% of your attention to it, you don't even notice. I think the ending's fine, personally. It's smooth. Now, if you took it and had drawn it out for 30 seconds more, maybe I'd agree, but you didn't, so very nice work.

At first I didn't like the transitions very much, but they really grew on me. Now it's a whole new story. I think it was because I was so into the impacting smooth sound before 2:50 (I think around there). Though now I don't really mind them.

Like I've said before, the song is very powerful. You must have some pretty good equipment in order to generate something that sounds like it could be in an actual PS2 game like this.

Look forward to hearing more.

[Bummerdude]

Too bad that the mixer is Unknown, because this
one was mindblowing! Dude!

[YearXero]

Great mix, loved it, but it does kinda remind me of Chrono Cross, with that whole military thing near the beginning. The first tempo change hit me as a bit of a surprise at first, but it works, works very well. and the ending fits it just perfectly. Keep up the good work!


PS - a note to this "dude"

Too bad that the mixer is Unknown, because this
one was mindblowing! Dude!

Don't know if you intended to sound like you actually thought the mixer was not known, but if you look at the profile of the mixer, Unknown is the alias of a mixer, Tyler Heath, who is one of my faves

[Drack]

I liked the intro, and how it kicked back in at 2:10. I also liked your drum samples :wink: I also liked the way you used the strings around 3:00. What kind of message are you trying to send with this mix?

[meccaneer]

I am so tired of Chrono Trigger remixes. Remix Chrono Cross!

I really dig this mix... and all of unknown's stuff, really.

Solid arrangement, tonal balance and emotive force. I can't complain much... except for some of the brass... I don't like brass. And the climax is different than expecting. Like your get to the top of the roller-coaster and just roll straight ahead.... It's different; not bad.

[DragonFireKai]

I really like how the song rolls in out of the basic intro. Very well done.

[OA]

Pretty cool shift in the backing chords for this, and a lot of really good additions, both immediately noticeable and subtle. Production was clean and pretty well balanced, and there were lots of good hints at source even in the more liberal parts. Really nice stuff, check this one out. :-)