ReMix:Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom "Nial and Nowhere" 2:08

By Quinn Fox

Arranging the music of one song...

"Town 1"

Primary Game: Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom (Sega , 1990, GEN), music by Izuho Numata

Posted 2002-08-31, evaluated by the judges panel


Quinn Fox had some excellent source material to work with here - we share a mutual appreciation for the PS3 soundtrack at large, and this track is definitely a standout. I think Quinn did an admirable job with this light, floaty, angelic, largely harp + choir arrangement - a big fan of the original, there are things I would have done differently, and I might one day cover this myself, but I did enjoy this rendition. It's a fairly direct interpretation of a rather short piece, adding more ornate instrumentation and minimalist brush drums. General observation from the judges was positive, but noted that the piece was largely mid-to-upper frequencies and could have used some EQ to beef up the all-but-absent low end. I'd like to add in that I think the original is one of the more flagrant examples of how the Phantasy Star soundtracks can compete head-to-head with the works of Nintendo and Sony guys like Uematsu and Mitsuda. Overlooked and undervalued, I've seen recently that the original Phantasy Star series will be coming out as 'Phantasy Star Collection' for the Gameboy Advance. Not sure how I feel about the original games on a Nintendo console (actually, I'm pretty sure I find it disturbing and a bit unholy) but it'll be interesting to see what they do with the music. Coming back from my tangent - not necessarily Quinn's best work, and I feel given the strength of the source material he could have pushed himself a bit further, but an enjoyable piece nonetheless. If you've never even heard the original, don't hesitate at all.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Quinn X5
on 2010-03-27 01:48:45

After years of never explaining...

The fadeout was indeed rushed, but not quite because I didn't know what else to do with it. I was essentially beyond excited to have people hear it; I posted it to VGM within minutes of applying the fadeout. "Listen, listen, listen!!"

I'm not a hater of fades.... many of my favorite recording artists and bands have done them for ages, but in this track, I certainly wish I had decided to spend another day or two with it; try to add more of my original nonsesne, etc., and give it proper ending. Still proud of it, though.

Thanks to all who have listened and commented.

~Quinn

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DragonAvenger
on 2009-12-18 21:51:19

The lack of low end seems to be throwing me off on this one. Because it's missing a strong base (the bass is the base, haha) the mix feels almost uncomfortable where it is. I think having the lower end would have really helped things out here.

I also have to agree with everyone that as soon as the mix seems to settle in it cuts into the fade out. Having a fade isn't the worst thing ever, but this one feels like it's thrown in at an inopportune time.

The mix just isn't working for me.

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tweex
on 2009-10-16 11:21:26

Another piece that gets right to the point without any delay! Some people may not like these brief pieces, but I actually enjoy them. Almost like an interlude. The fade in is quite nice and the bells sound, as all your mixes thus far seem to, chilled and mellow. The hammer dulcimer is a little jarring for me, but it's not a huge factor since it only debuts for a short time. The fake choir sounds nice even though it's clearly synthetic; it adds a nice texture to the piece. The track is all about the different colors and elements with nothing being too prevalent, and I approve.

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Liontamer
on 2009-07-14 08:53:23
Fault one: The length. It's way to short. Especially since the end of the song really starts to build. You get into it right as it finishes.

Fault two: The fade out. TERRIBLE. It gives it a feel that the ReMixer didn't know where he was going with this... or didn't know where he wanted to go with it, so he just didn't go anywhere with it. The fade is the biggest 'What the-?' I've heard in a while.

Fault three: Taking the first two faults in mind, I feel this mix could have had more. The ReMixer is certainly talented enough. I truly feel he could have taken more liberties with the song. Make us go somewhere. While I can tell the differences, there's not enough to them. Of course, I won't say what that 'more' could be, that up to the ReMixer, but it definately left me wanting 'more'.

I can see what was meant about wanting the length to be extended, but that was never a big deal. It got in, it got out; win.

Also, harping on fadeouts regardless of context is one of the dumbest criticisms ever in the community. It was always dumb when Prot did it, and it's dumb now. :lol:

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evktalo
on 2008-12-16 09:20:07

Nice source. Interesting sounds, quite unique, a bit muffled. Horrible fadeout.

--Eino

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OA
on 2007-04-18 11:35:50

Fantastic mood, but that ending just makes me sad. :(

I pretty much agree with all of the other reviews; It has a wonderful nostalgic feeling, and a very serene atmosphere, but it is dragged off to fadeout land just as things are getting good. It seems like Quinn just ran out of an idea, and I think that he should have just shelved the mix for a few months and come back to it rather than do the fadeout.

A half baked classic, if that's even possible.

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Bummer
on 2006-01-07 08:50:28

Sounded very dreamish, I guess the harps and strings helped with that. It's like your being in a perfect little town where kids play in the streets and there's flower shops and cafés in every corner.

I love how it then goes over into something that sounds like a music box. Like if someone is reliving his or hers childhood. When i read the other comments about this one, I prepared my mind for what supposed to be a horrible fade-out. I can agree that it doesn't fade very quickly, but it ain't bad if you would say.

Peaceful regards to Quinn, nicw work.:nicework

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jordex
on 2004-11-18 20:35:10

It's so beautiful, I wish it was longer!

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The Coop
on 2003-03-31 18:50:21

I like what was done with this tune. But I'm going to have to agree with the others here and say it's definitely too short. Just as the song gets going, and builds to what could be a new area not found in the original or perhaps some variation on the originals theme, it fades out. It left me feeling like it wasn't done... like it was ended prematurely.

I think this is a cool sounding remix that was brought to a finish before it was ready to be done.

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GrayLightning
on 2002-12-24 23:40:52

Cool. This is just one of those chill songs, dreamy even. I'd like to see quinn do more of this kind of style.

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PrOfUnD Darkness
on 2002-09-13 16:03:27

Nice melody, but I agree is too short. When it starts to get cool, it ends :-/

Cool anyway.

PD

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Hamu-Sumo
on 2002-09-07 04:31:49

It's a nice quiet piece of music, but it's too short and the end is not good enough. Then I find it happened too little. Too little changes and this make the remix a little bit boring.

Quinn Fox. Get the criticism and your next remix will be wonderful :)

6/10 (1=worst; 10=best)

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Evilhead
on 2002-09-03 02:06:57

I love this mix. Its is a truely beautiful piece, and it really captures the music's original feel. The things Quinn Fox added to the piece as far as instrumentation and effects are compatible with the song's original mood and really enhance it. This is really important because I think a lot of remixers are good technically, but in the end they are simply taking melodies and dropping them on top of their own beats, which can have good results, but often ignores the song's true feel that lies beneath the notes. I think to truly remix is to capture what the original composer was trying to express, or at least to understand it. And I think he's achieved this! PSIII music definitely had a unique feel to it, very dreamy in parts, which lent to the fantasy-aspect of the game. Really some of the best game music ever. Overall, this is one of my favorite remixes ever. Great work!!

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endblink
on 2002-08-31 18:26:33

I think I must of heard some WIP version that was floating around out there, because when I first saw this posted up on the homepage, I couldn't believe it had made it.

I re-downloaded it and was surprised to hear it sound so much better... but still needing more work.

Fault one: The length. It's way to short. Especially since the end of the song really starts to build. You get into it right as it finishes.

Fault two: The fade out. TERRIBLE. It gives it a feel that the ReMixer didn't know where he was going with this... or didn't know where he wanted to go with it, so he just didn't go anywhere with it. The fade is the biggest 'What the-?' I've heard in a while.

Fault three: Taking the first two faults in mind, I feel this mix could have had more. The ReMixer is certainly talented enough. I truly feel he could have taken more liberties with the song. Make us go somewhere. While I can tell the differences, there's not enough to them. Of course, I won't say what that 'more' could be, that up to the ReMixer, but it definately left me wanting 'more'.

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orkybash
on 2002-08-31 12:32:14

Phantasy Star III 'Nial and Nowhere'

Well, I can't compare it to the original, but this is overall a very strong effort. It's short, but there's one fine arrangement packed into the two minutes this song runs. However, two things really ruined it for me. The first was the way the song faded - I've never liked fades, and this was implemented especially poorly (next time, give the user some clue that the songs about to end). Also, the engineering is way off. This needs some major EQ work to put some highs in, since it sounds really muted right now. But if you can get past the flaws, this really is a worthwhile download.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom (Sega , 1990, GEN)
Music by Izuho Numata
Songs:
"Town 1"

Tags (5)


Genre:
Waltz
Mood:
Mellow
Instrumentation:
Harp
Additional:
Time > 3/4 Time Signature
Time > Duration: Short

File Information


Name:
Phantasy_Star_3_Nial_and_Nowhere_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
2,132,138 bytes
MD5:
e1b535b390c04c901d00e3294c027baa
Bitrate:
128Kbps
Duration:
2:08

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