ReMix: Final Fantasy VI 'Rachel's Gift'
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- Game: Final Fantasy VI (Square, 1994, SNES)
- ReMixer(s): James George
- Composer(s): Nobuo Uematsu
- Song(s): 'Forever Rachel!'
- Posted: 2003-05-24, evaluated by the judges
Newcomer Maestrodeclure, aka James George, offers an atmospheric, spacious orchestral arrangement with an interestingly processed intro that seems to be run through a wah+phaser effect, or VCF/touch wow and similar, lending a synthetic quality to the first thirty seconds until it goes away. Vigilante, the newest addition to our Judges panel, writes: "On the whole, this mix has great dynamics, and good development, and the only gripes i could find, while noticeable, are minor and dont detract from the listening experience significantly. i think its one of the more interesting and well done orchestral mixes i've heard.", while previously citing the call for perhaps an ambient pad during the rather spartan intro and questioning the necessity of the intro DSP. I personally am not too sure about some of the later transitions, but definitely dug the watery, effected intro and outro. Your experience as always will differ, as well it should, but it was the consensus of the Judges that overall this arrangement had a mature, polished sound to it. It takes a couple risks here and there, as well, and isn't your garden-variety orchestral transmogrification. The ReMixer would like to note that this mix is in turn based off an existing arrangement by Micheal Huang. So, a strong first submission of a ReMix based off an arrangement of several tunes from FF6 - there ya go. Great first sub from Maestrodeclure.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the This song is so beautiful. I remember once upon sometime last year
I was listening to this song at school while doing an assignment in
the computer lab, and when the part at 2:28 came in, I just stopped
and started staring into space with my mouth slightly open.
Beautiful.
- ChloroPhil on December 13, 2006
Beautiful.
- ChloroPhil on December 13, 2006
Geoffrey Taucer wrote:Liontamer wrote:Geoffrey Taucer wrote:James George wrote:Geoffrey Taucer wrote: Got some nice intro stuff, but starting around 1:22, it turns into a note-for-note cover of the Fantasy Reborn arrangement of the same song until Celes' theme comes in. Then, at 3:28, it goes back to being a note-for-note cover of the fantasy reborn version.
Taucer's criticism is fair. However, the only parts that are "note-for-note" are the intro (source), outtro (source), and some of the structure and underscoring of the main theme. If you listen closer though there is a lot of added harmony; at that time I didn't want to touch the melody.
In all fairness, I've considered how lucky I was to get this passed then. I'm sure it wouldn't get passed now, and I'm not clueless as to why, don't worry.
If it stays on the site, score. If it gets dropped for QA, that's cool too. I would love to remake something more my own with my new equipment. Technologically, I couldn't do it then (AWE32, need I say more). I owe this mix getting posted to Vegas and a good engineering class, not to my equipment. Que sera sera.
It's definitely well-executed. I would love to hear more of your stuff.
What a coincidence...
Is this going where I think it is? I hope so.
To Alaska? I think not. You got some strange hopes, Jeremy
- Liontamer on November 30, 2006
Liontamer wrote:Geoffrey Taucer wrote:James George wrote:Geoffrey Taucer wrote: Got some nice intro stuff, but starting around 1:22, it turns into a note-for-note cover of the Fantasy Reborn arrangement of the same song until Celes' theme comes in. Then, at 3:28, it goes back to being a note-for-note cover of the fantasy reborn version.
Taucer's criticism is fair. However, the only parts that are "note-for-note" are the intro (source), outtro (source), and some of the structure and underscoring of the main theme. If you listen closer though there is a lot of added harmony; at that time I didn't want to touch the melody.
In all fairness, I've considered how lucky I was to get this passed then. I'm sure it wouldn't get passed now, and I'm not clueless as to why, don't worry.
If it stays on the site, score. If it gets dropped for QA, that's cool too. I would love to remake something more my own with my new equipment. Technologically, I couldn't do it then (AWE32, need I say more). I owe this mix getting posted to Vegas and a good engineering class, not to my equipment. Que sera sera.
It's definitely well-executed. I would love to hear more of your stuff.
What a coincidence...
Is this going where I think it is? I hope so.
- Geoffrey Taucer on November 29, 2006
Geoffrey Taucer wrote:James George wrote:Geoffrey Taucer wrote: Got some nice intro stuff, but starting around 1:22, it turns into a note-for-note cover of the Fantasy Reborn arrangement of the same song until Celes' theme comes in. Then, at 3:28, it goes back to being a note-for-note cover of the fantasy reborn version.
Taucer's criticism is fair. However, the only parts that are "note-for-note" are the intro (source), outtro (source), and some of the structure and underscoring of the main theme. If you listen closer though there is a lot of added harmony; at that time I didn't want to touch the melody.
In all fairness, I've considered how lucky I was to get this passed then. I'm sure it wouldn't get passed now, and I'm not clueless as to why, don't worry.
If it stays on the site, score. If it gets dropped for QA, that's cool too. I would love to remake something more my own with my new equipment. Technologically, I couldn't do it then (AWE32, need I say more). I owe this mix getting posted to Vegas and a good engineering class, not to my equipment. Que sera sera.
It's definitely well-executed. I would love to hear more of your stuff.
What a coincidence...
- Liontamer on November 29, 2006
James George wrote:Geoffrey Taucer wrote: Got some nice intro stuff, but starting around 1:22, it turns into a note-for-note cover of the Fantasy Reborn arrangement of the same song until Celes' theme comes in. Then, at 3:28, it goes back to being a note-for-note cover of the fantasy reborn version.
Taucer's criticism is fair. However, the only parts that are "note-for-note" are the intro (source), outtro (source), and some of the structure and underscoring of the main theme. If you listen closer though there is a lot of added harmony; at that time I didn't want to touch the melody.
In all fairness, I've considered how lucky I was to get this passed then. I'm sure it wouldn't get passed now, and I'm not clueless as to why, don't worry.
If it stays on the site, score. If it gets dropped for QA, that's cool too. I would love to remake something more my own with my new equipment. Technologically, I couldn't do it then (AWE32, need I say more). I owe this mix getting posted to Vegas and a good engineering class, not to my equipment. Que sera sera.
It's definitely well-executed. I would love to hear more of your stuff.
- Geoffrey Taucer on November 29, 2006
Geoffrey Taucer wrote: Got some nice intro stuff, but starting around 1:22, it turns into a note-for-note cover of the Fantasy Reborn arrangement of the same song until Celes' theme comes in. Then, at 3:28, it goes back to being a note-for-note cover of the fantasy reborn version.
Taucer's criticism is fair. However, the only parts that are "note-for-note" are the intro (source), outtro (source), and some of the structure and underscoring of the main theme. If you listen closer though there is a lot of added harmony; at that time I didn't want to touch the melody.
In all fairness, I've considered how lucky I was to get this passed then. I'm sure it wouldn't get passed now, and I'm not clueless as to why, don't worry.
If it stays on the site, score. If it gets dropped for QA, that's cool too. I would love to remake something more my own with my new equipment. Technologically, I couldn't do it then (AWE32, need I say more). I owe this mix getting posted to Vegas and a good engineering class, not to my equipment. Que sera sera.
- Ronyn on November 29, 2006
Geoffrey Taucer wrote: Got some nice intro stuff, but starting around 1:22, it turns into a note-for-note cover of the Fantasy Reborn arrangement of the same song until Celes' theme comes in. Then, at 3:28, it goes back to being a note-for-note cover of the fantasy reborn version.
For that time, that level of coverage was fine due to the personalization involved in James's instrumentation and new writing added during those sections. They also didn't take up the majority of the track, the majority being James's own arrangement ideas.
I agree that nowadays, something like this probably wouldn't pass, due to borrowing too much from an existing arrangement. But it's not as if James wasn't upfront about the mix also being inspired by the Michael Huang/"Fantasy Reborn" arrangement of Forever Rachel! in the first place.
- Liontamer on November 28, 2006
Got some nice intro stuff, but starting around 1:22, it turns into
a note-for-note cover of the Fantasy Reborn arrangement of the same song
until Celes' theme comes in. Then, at 3:28, it goes back to being a
note-for-note cover of the fantasy reborn version.
- Geoffrey Taucer on November 28, 2006
- Geoffrey Taucer on November 28, 2006
"Forever Rachel" is one of my favorite tracks from Final Fantasy
III/VI so I was overjoyed to find an orchestral interpretation of
it and this fit the bill. While I can be very particular, I also
liked the inclusion of "Celes's Theme".
However, unfourtantly whether it was intentional or not, you missed the accidental in Celes's Theme (aka. Aria Di Mezzo...). I believe the wrong note occurs at like 2:33 in the song. It seems that a lot of remixers miss this as well when they cover Celes's theme and I too realized I was missing the accidental as well for a long period of time when I used to play this on the piano.
So yes, it's only one note, but that one accidental magnifies the drama of the Celes/Opera piece so much. Listen for it next time and then listen to a version that misses the note and you'll know what I'm talking about.
Well now that that's out of my system, this is still a great piece and the brooding, yet hopeful mood of "Forever Rachel" was perfectly snared. At least an 8 out of 10 for me when "scoring" this piece.
- Jay-Zig on June 21, 2006
However, unfourtantly whether it was intentional or not, you missed the accidental in Celes's Theme (aka. Aria Di Mezzo...). I believe the wrong note occurs at like 2:33 in the song. It seems that a lot of remixers miss this as well when they cover Celes's theme and I too realized I was missing the accidental as well for a long period of time when I used to play this on the piano.
So yes, it's only one note, but that one accidental magnifies the drama of the Celes/Opera piece so much. Listen for it next time and then listen to a version that misses the note and you'll know what I'm talking about.
Well now that that's out of my system, this is still a great piece and the brooding, yet hopeful mood of "Forever Rachel" was perfectly snared. At least an 8 out of 10 for me when "scoring" this piece.
- Jay-Zig on June 21, 2006
This is absolutely beautiful! I love how the song tells a story...
a lot of reMixes fail to do this, plainly copying the original and
changing the tempos and instruments, etc., and I personally find
those boring and unoriginal. This reMix takes two of my favorite
themes and adds passion and story to them, not to mention interest.
This is definitely worth a download, and I recommend it to anyone!
- RoseBrass on October 6, 2005
- RoseBrass on October 6, 2005
In the game, this was one of my favorites. Not only
that it sounded good, but it sounded so sad that I just wanted to sit there and listen to it after loop and loop. Anyhow, great that you kept the same emotional feeling in the song, and then had some of "Celes" theme as well. This is so good that I want to cry. :cry:
- Bummerdude on September 19, 2005
that it sounded good, but it sounded so sad that I just wanted to sit there and listen to it after loop and loop. Anyhow, great that you kept the same emotional feeling in the song, and then had some of "Celes" theme as well. This is so good that I want to cry. :cry:
- Bummerdude on September 19, 2005
I love this remix. This is my personal favorite ff6 song, so I am
usually really harsh about remixes of it, but this was really well
done. I wasn't a major fan of the long pauses at the
beginning,(note: that section was the only part of Huang's
arrangement I disliked) but an easy 9/10.
- Blackthorne on February 20, 2005
- Blackthorne on February 20, 2005
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