[djpretzel]

Email sub file Wind Scene FINAL.mp3
"Wind Scene" is also the name of the source; need to contact the artist for a more unique mix name - LT


Christian Pacaud
cpacaud@saintstudios.com
http://agora.ulaval.ca/~chpac2/


Chrono Trigger
Wind Scene

CRNO TRIGGAR REEMIX !!!!111omg
...
Seriously, this is an arrangement I did for the Chrono Trigger Piano Collections project on the SquareSound forums. Excuse the extremely original title.

[DarkeSword]

Wow, nice use of dynamics throughout the piece. I'm really enjoying this arrangement. Lots of expressive lines and interesting interpretation of the theme. I love ever-changing aspect of it. Lots of twists and turns, all performed very well. Plenty of nice harmonic ideas too.

YES!

[zircon]

I'm pretty pathetic.. I can't tell whether this is live or not. I'm leaning towards "it isn't" because it seems to me like everything is loud and 'hard'. Usually, human performers incorporate at least SOME soft notes, which I didn't notice very much of hear. It's a common problem from just about any piano sample besides the very modern ones. But anyway.

This was definitely not what I was expecting. LOTS of cool arrangement stuff, modulation, and plenty of building on the original. Sound quality is good throughout, with either good recording or a good sample used. At first I was thinking that there is an excessive amount of reverb and sustain used, but I think that just adds to the emotional element. On the other end of the spectrum, I do feel that at times this is lacking in dynamics. It's boisterous and up front, with few quiet and expressive sections. The fact that it's on the short side doesn't help; perhaps extra dynamics could have been added in an additional section placed somewhere towards the end of the mix. I'm not sure.

While I do have a few gripes, they're not enough to bring this mix below our standards.

YES

[Harmony]

Hmm...This sounds great but kLuTz's 600 A.D. in Piano has already set the bar for this piece in this style. Unless someone tells me otherwise, I'll be judging this mix with that in mind.

[DarkeSword]

Originally Posted by Harmony

Hmm...This sounds great but kLuTz's 600 A.D. in Piano has already set the bar for this piece in this style. Unless someone tells me otherwise, I'll be judging this mix with that in mind.

Klutz's piece is a fairly straightforward interpretation of the theme. It's hard not to compare, but the drastic differences present themselves at the very outset.

[Harmony]

Originally Posted by DarkeSword

Klutz's piece is a fairly straightforward interpretation of the theme. It's hard not to compare, but the drastic differences present themselves at the very outset.

Understandable, but I don't think that the differences are drastic at all. The pieces are similar enough imo to directly note that the problems that Zircon mentioned aren't there in the kLuTz mix. In any case, my vote won't hinge on the comparison of the two since that really wouldn't be fair to Christian, and as Gray points out, isn't my job as a judge. On with the voting...

There’s much to enjoy here. The arrangement is wonderfully lively, the performance is masterful and there are tons of melodic variations on the theme packed into just under 4 mins. No section feels underdeveloped, the build, climax and resolution are all very pronounced and well executed, and as a result I actually think that this mix benefits from its brevity.

The problems that Zircon mentions are all dead-on though. I think this piece, especially the first 2:50, suffers from the poor velocity dynamics of the sample. While the piano sample is beautiful on it’s own, the lack of softer notes keeps the quieter sections brighter and more harsh than they should be. This contributes to a feeling of limited expression from the pianist and restricted dynamics of the piece as a whole. This is evident by comparing the performance to kLuTz’s remix of the same theme “600 A.D. in Piano.” Although the two are not entirely stylistically equivalent, it’s still noticeable that sections of the present mix are lacking some of the warmth and emotive power of kLuTz’s mix. This mix makes up for that however in it’s powerful forte sections which the piano sample is perfectly suited for.

I have to say that the final note that hangs for 13 seconds feels odd and should be faded sooner. In the end though, my gripes are not enough to warrant a NO. This mix will make a fine addition to the volumes of Chrono Trigger mixes and will add one more solo piano performance to my personal collection. Great work as usual Christian.

YES

[Liontamer]

http://www.snesmusic.org/spcsets/ct.rsn - "Wind Scene" (ct-1-09.spc)

Yeah, I checked out kLuTz's take on the theme. I'd say it was valid to check that and compare with it, but I didn't have any problems with this. Frankly, this was more interpretive. Christian's piano arrangements are always kind of strange to me, since he frequently goes the dissonant route. What the hell happened at :13 or 2:26 for example?

Anyway, the first minute or so was pretty straightforward, though I liked the supporting material as well, which really added to the piece. After 1:20, we had some decent original stuff until 1:45 really kicked in the arrangement. Nice tempo and style changes. Good stuff at 2:48 going for the delicate last section. Resolution could have been cooler, but hey.

The piano sounds nice and rich the whole way through. Glad to hear a piano track with some nice body to it that sounds full and not a victim of too much sustain pedal. Solid work, Christian.

YES

[GrayLightning]

For the record, as Harmony noted - We take previous mixes into consideration, but no one mix holds the bar. The key question for any mix still has to do how it relates to the current bar/avg of our standards, rather than how it compares to one mix.

Now for the mix some slight gripes I thought there was too much sustain and reverb, especially with how bright this piano still sounds. I wish you EQ'd some of the higher frequencies. It's too bright and harsh at times.

Cool arrangement overall though, and certainly very nicely executed. Sweet ending too.

YES

[Liontamer]

Contacted Christian about revising the name, and he got back to me really quickly:

Originally Posted by Liontamer

Yo Christian. Just closed out the vote on your CT submission at OC, so congrats on the YES. Just PMing you cuz we don't post any mixes where the name of the mix is the name of the source tune. Can you offer a revised name for it? Doesn't have to be anything too involved. Anything simple like "Wind Scene for Piano", "Saint of the Wind" (I referenced Saint Studios ) or anything else you can come up with is fine. No hurry, so get back to me when you feel like it. Congrats again. It was nice stuff!

Originally Posted by CPacaud

Awesome.... Lemme think.

"Memories from the Wind Scene" ? Yeah, I think that's good.

Can't wait to read the judges' comments !

Excellent choice, sir. We deliver for you! [/Postal Service]