[djpretzel]

Yo djpretzel,

I am a returning remixer named BogusRed.

This is my own piano arrangement of "Overworld-Main Theme" from Final Fantasy 7.

I've delt with the sound font issue that the judges were complaining about with my earlier remixes. I think this is one of my best recordings yet.

Here's the file:

Thx
-BogusRed
aka Susie

[DarkeSword]

There is an overwhelmingly human touch to this song; it's dynamic, expressive, and intimate. Highs are high, and lows are low; it's not what we typically get, but I love it. Midranges might resonate a bit too much for some; I think it's fine.

The arrangement is pretty straightforward, but I think the human touches and small intpretations make this piece work.

YES

[zircon]

The opening makes this seem a little dull.. and overall I have to say that the sound could be better. More of a 'stereo' feel, more brightness, and less midrange resonance could really help. The sample itself isn't bad, I think it's just the processing that you need to work on. Keep tweaking that. Arrangement-wise, there's certainly a strong human feel to it. The main giveaway that it is sequenced is that too many chords have notes that all strike at the same time, and some of the swung passages just don't sound right. However, in terms of dynamics and interpretation of the original, it's quite good. For piano mixes, those areas are especially important, and clearly there's a lot of effort put into tempo and rhythmic changes.

A close call for me, but I'm going to go with a YES.

[Liontamer]

http://www.tzone.org/~llin/psf/packs2/FF7_psf.rar - 201 "Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII"

Nothing glaringly bad about the piece. I liked the presence of dynamics and so forth, and the performance was very spirited, but the arrangement and production were still lacking in my opinion.

Arrangement had many nuanced touches like Darke mentioned, but still came across as too conservative. Adding some new support work under the melody and altering the rhythms slightly wasn't enough. Especially keeping in mind that you remixed a 6+ minute piece in the FF7 Main Theme, this really didn't take enough creative liberties with Uematsu's piece, instead following the source tune pretty closely most of the way through. Noir's Jenova for Classical Piano was more successful in adding personal flair within a conservative rearrangement.

What was up with the ugly-sounding key change at 3:14-3:15? [shrug] I also didn't mind the muddy piano tone so much, but sections like 3:15-3:37 sound particularly poor and murky on the production side. You don't have to embrace the treble or anything, but give some of the higher frequencies some lovin'.

Frankly though, while I liked the performance, and could live with the production, I feel that the mix wasn't as creative on the interpretation front as it could have been. Looks like it has a good shot at passing though, so best of luck on the rest of the vote, and I look forward to hearing more of your work, Susie.

NO (refine/resubmit)

[danny B]

This is an adept arrangement, and a competent performance. Some parts can almost fool the ear into thinking it's real. The lo-fi recording actually helps the realism factor, by making it sound like a live performance that just happens to have a bad recording.

However, the arrangement is not so great that it overcomes these easily fixable sound problems. It needs more high end clarity, and some of the key changes, etc are awkward. The way I see it, the arrangement is on the good side of passable, but the lo-fi recording is too negative to get this one above the threshold. Let's get some lovin' on the mastering and we'll give 'er another go. LEAVE NO FREQUENCY BEHIND!

NO

-D

[Digital Coma]

This arrangement is very conservative and only varies significantly after the three minute mark. I really have no problem with the recording; sounds fine, just not very stereo. It's obviously improved since BogusRed's last submission. The performance is held back throughout the piece and her skill is only hinted at when the movement picks up; I say she's much better at flowing, constant pieces like Into The Golden Sunset than this restraining conservatism. Moreover, the arrangement is not nearly as good.

NO

[GrayLightning]

This is one of my favorite themes from the soundtrack. The arrangement here isn't as conservative as it sounds at first glance. There's a lot nice additions interspersed between the familiar straightforward passages, and the work underneath the melody certainly makes it an evolution enough for me where the arrangement isn't really a question. I had no problem with the production issues, yes they are issues, but I would rather have the charming grit here than something cold, clinical and percise. Digital Coma makes good points with regards to her Golden Sunset mix.

Overall I felt this was a good arrangement, good performance - one that kept me interested all the way through. Charming, moving and passable despite some flaws. YES

[The wingless]

I don't think we should have reservations on a piece simply because the artist doesn't max out their piano skill to 100 in a song. Sometimes, restraint is beautiful. Hell, sometimes I play with 100 lb. weights on my hands, for fear my true power would destroy the piano.

I also don't see why conservative should be a bad word in this forum. If it's stigma'd, why not call this piece minimalist (at least the first half). Again, unless I'm just misinterpreting the other judge's criticisms, slow and steady can sometimes win the race.

I enjoyed this. For me, this was like watching somebody draw a perfect circle freehand. Nothing fancy, but the entertainment comes from seeing clean and unfettered discipline. A girl and a piano and that certain imperceptable *something* binding the two together.

Very nice. Pleasant, we'll call it.

YES

[Israfel]

I wouldn't call this a conservative arrangement. Actually, to me, this is somewhat close to the ideal balance of new and source material.

So, the question is: does the lo-fi quality of the recording merit a rejection? And in my opinion, it doesn't.

YES

[analoq]

largely a trite piano arrangement of the ff7 theme.
it timidly follows the structure of the original until things get taken down a notch near the end.
my certified opinion on the recording is... Ehh.

yet it kept me entertained during the course of the piece. the player knows when to slow down and speed up, when to plunk and when to arpeggiate.
yes (borderline)