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OCR00991 - Final Fantasy IV "Over and Under"


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Wow. This is pretty damn awesome. You're remastering it? May I suggest that you up the volume on... uh... you, around 3:29 ~ 4:04 when the piece thickens up? You get drowned out a little, in comparison to the rest, and that's a damn shame. Other than that, I think the intro's a little long... you don't come in 'till 1:26, I think you could do so sooner.

Gripes outta the way. Wow. I think my favourite part of this is the solo 4:04 ~ 5:22. Great stuff.

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This beautiful piece of work is definitely up there with Starblaze's Incredible Singing Robot.. but I still think that the robot is much better. Being an advanced choir student, there is still a lot you can learn about singing silent, I'm not saying you did a bad job or anything, you did a wonderful job.. But you can improve your singing the more you practice. I hope that you'll keep it up and learn to improve, I look forward to seeing more arrangements from you. :D

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You should be damn proud of yourself silent. Also, if you're interested, I know a REALLY talented young lady who has an amazing voice. I'm going to show her the piece and see if she might be interested in putting a female voice on it (or even a duet, I think, might sound really nice!)

I know I'm not silent, but I know I would LOVE to see that happen, man! :D

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I'm normally not too kind on the idea of taking songs and throwing lyrics in them when lyrics aren't needed (seeing as how I immediately listen to the instruments instead of the vocals), but Silent did a good job here. I must say - I'm pretty impressed, and I'm not impressed that easily.

If you're working on remastering this song and it doesn't make it on OCR, you must send me a copy.

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Let me get the gripes outtaq the way first before I praise this song.

Piano was a bit misplaced in a few parts, and the points where it hit just suddenly with piano would've been better as transitioned. Also the ending notesof the piano at the end of song sorta gave me an 'Irk' feeling. You voice was pretty good, and I do agree that you're probably still pretty teen (around 18 or so). Put different kinds of empahsis on different words. I would have done it differently, but as I listen to it more, it settles in. I think i'm listening to it right now for the fourth time in a row :lol:

On a different note, I've heard my voice recorded and there were several moments where you sounded almost exactly like me. It was weird.

Anywho, this song kicked but. I love the main theme of FF4. It always gets me emotional and still stands as one my favorite pieces Uematsu has ever done. Everytime I hear it, I get tingly and weak inside because the song itself is heroically tragic. It's happy, but the kind of happy that happens just after you killed the beast but not before it slaughtered all your friends.

Yeah, so...sorry I can't explain it that well. Lyrics are amazing and I can see how they can be related to Cecil at different points. Alot of the time I related to it alot, with crap that I'm going through right now. ANd major props to doing original lyrics. You took an emotional song, and gave it lyrics you created from being stirred by this song.

I love this piece even more now and you for doing it. I await any cleaner version and future installments from you. Purely amazing work.

It kicks ass, Dark Knight style!

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Holy freaking crap this is a good song. I have had to fight the depths of hell to post to say how good this song is. I have no technical knowledge of music but this is by far one of the best remixes I have ever heard. I'm looking forward to seeing more stuff from silent in the future. Congrats on the song.

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Alright, I know i'll get flamed or molested or put on gay porn mailing lists for this, but I can't really say this is as excellent as everyone else says. Good, yes, but there are too many problems that simply drag it down to sounding "exceedingly amateur" that could have been prevented, I think, with a bit more effort.

First off, I'm sorry man, but I don't dig the vocals at all. There are a couple parts that rock my socks off, but mostly, it's just a note-for-note lyrical line that struggles to stay on tune and is plagued by cliche'd and unimaginative lyrics.

Take for example -

"All this pain and hatred, never knowing from whence it came..... but playing this game, it's always the same"

"As I look into your eyes..."

I have heard this thousands of times. I hate cliche's in lyrics. Hate hate hate. And while i'm not a huge lyrics fan, they can negatively affect a song. Take Staind for example, because strangely enough, this song suffers from the same problems that make me hate Staind's music so much(don't worry man, this is better than Staind ;)). Great distortion guitar work, but the lack of any attempt on innovation within the genre and subpar singing with unimaginative lyrics absolutely kills it.

If you want my advice, and you probably don't, try thinking outside of the box for lyrics. Avoid lyrical taglines such as pain, anguish, fear, and fall apart unless they are in a suitable context. "All this pain and hatred", for example, just makes me squirm with discomfort at its blatant attempt to elicit emotional response from a few weakly presented words. Think about what you're trying to say in your lyrics, and express it as eloquently as you can. Lyricism is an art. And it isn't difficult to construe cliche'd lyrics as a distant cousin of plaigiarism. Basically what i'm saying is that the lyrics in this song are so homogenous that they could be in any song, and could be interpreted to mean anything. You said it follows Cecil's story, but with such open-ended language, It might as well follow Howard the Duck, because "As I look into your eyes" and "playing this game" could reference a billion different things. Simply put, however strong the emotion in your singing, it doesn't matter if your words mean nothing.

The acoustic guitar intro sounds more like the artist is struggling to play it correctly than trying to reinterpret the rhythm in his own musical experience. Sometimes the strings aren't being pressed hard enough, and give that nasty, "empty" sound.

The drums lack any dynamic depth, and could have added a great deal of rhythmic interest, but instead lay flat except for some contrived drum fills.

The piano sample is awful, and the arrangement is questionable. It sounds like the artist was trying to do some interesting things with dissonance, but it comes out as a jumbled mess that is hardly musical near the end. This is not to say that the piano completely sucked. There were several passages that insinuated a solid knowledge of chord structure.

I understand this is "one take" or whatever, but even then, it sounds like it was rushed and unrehearsed. Comparing this style to Kurt Cobain or Alice in Chains is ridiculous. Yes, those artists seemed to shoot for simplicity and spontenaity in their music, but they played their instruments with an energy and voice that simply fucking rocked. "Tororian Love Song" doesn't express any emotion to me. Maybe i'm being extra harsh because the FF4 overworld is one of my favorite songs ever, and improvement upon it is immensely difficult.

As I said, I'll probably be raked over the coals by a crowd of fanboys, but I assure my tone is not of dismissal, but of genuine criticism that I hope silent will not take as a personal attack. I invite you, silent, to AIM or Email me if you have any questions about my comments, i'd be glad to talk to you about it if you would like.

-SM

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I like this song, but I don't think it's "incredible" in it's current form. Some of the harmonies sound off, like at about 5:00, and though the guitar playing is good, it's still a bit drab. I like being blasted with flowing audio, and though the song gets heavier later, it still just doesn't quite cut it. It's pretty amazing that you recorded a lot of this stuff in one take, but I'm really sensitive to off key notes, so a lot of your singing bothered me. Not to say that your voice isn't good, it sounds like you have talent. But at the moment, I would give this song a 6 out of 10. If you rerecord the vocals trying to stay on key, and spice up parts in the song here and there with synths or another guitar/drum layer, I think it would easily be a 10/10.

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ok theres a LOT to respond to here, as I just lost my internet connection cause of no money.

BTW, im 22, and I produce everything myself, this has been my first real year of recording on my computer, and I have a CD of 14 songs to show for it, most available at the website below :)

from rob:

well, this has nothing to do with troia

true, but the thing is, I had nothing else to name it, and i wanted it to do something with the ff4 world, so this stuck, I understand your confusion :)

from liquidsmoke:

Doing everything themselves, including playing, mixing, editing, etc

thank you for recognizing this, i think there are many out there that can criticize unfairly (which BTW I have not seen here) but not many who can actually walk the walk.

skulkrasha said:

I'll take a stab in the dark and say you're still in your teens

oops... must be real dark over there ;) I suggest you chk out my other stuff, perhaps ill seem older

Your voice is good, but I think it needs a little shining up

agreed. I was originally just on guitar, so my vocals need practice.

You've got a really nice set of lyrics, having read through them ... Did you write them yourself?

yes, they are totally mine, and i dont plan to change them :)

Dinobot 2 wrote"

By the way can you post the lyrics to your remix here?

they are on the page of the song, the words "original lyrics" are underlined.... just clik on that.

that was page one :)

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starblast wrote:

What kinda equip did you use?

Vocal mic: NAdySCM1000 condenser

Preamp/compresser: behringer ultravoice

Fender 1979 california acoustic

Epiphone Les Paul

Fender Bullet

Behringer V-amp2

Drumkit from hell

Stienway B grand piano giga

Fruityloops 3.5.6 (now i upgraded to 4.1)

shure sm57

BEhringer mixer

all types of cheap stuff

.;-. wrote

here comes this new 'silent' guy,

with the best music on the entire site!

i...... dont think so :oops:

DAle north wrote

thanks to silent and Star Salzman, I think I'll go ahead and throw mine out there.

cant wait to hear it

Aaron comica wrote

But in general, when it comes to music, I don't want foreplay, I want the whole enchilada, right now!!!!

then my next remix is right up your alley, actually, the arrangement is exactly the opposite....

Atomic Dog wrote

You should be damn proud of yourself silent. Also, if you're interested, I know a REALLY talented young lady who has an amazing voice. I'm going to show her the piece and see if she might be interested in putting a female voice on it (or even a duet, I think, might sound really nice!)

NOW were talking :) that would be cooool!

this was page 2

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and I do agree that you're probably still pretty teen (around 18 or so).

lol why do ppl think this???? :)

SysteManiac wrote:

First off, I'm sorry man, but I don't dig the vocals at all. There are a couple parts that rock my socks off, but mostly, it's just a note-for-note lyrical line that struggles to stay on tune and is plagued by cliche'd and unimaginative lyrics.

well, i didnt want to veer too much from the original melody, as i already had changed the chords a little, and wanted some real die hard fans to recognize it... and anyway, it changed at the end ;)

as far as unimaginative lyrics, i will give you

but playing this game, it's always the same

I agree, quite cliched. but its what i felt, and at the time i couldnt think of any other lyric that would fit better. if there would be something better , plz suggest it!!!

All this pain and hatred, never knowing from whence it came

dont remember hearing this one before, have you?

As I look into your eyes..."

ok, fine sure those words are cliched, but the context is more important

"its more like looking at myself, through someone else..."

sometimes looking at others that care about us can be like a mirror, cause they see things about you that you dont. that is what i was going through, and that is indeed what rosa and cecil went through.

(don't worry man, this is better than Staind ).

.....phew!!!! I almost died at that one...

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systemaniac contd.

If you want my advice, and you probably don't

youre totally wrong there, i want everyones advice, thats worth money to me, trust me. :)

Avoid lyrical taglines such as pain, anguish, fear, and fall apart unless they are in a suitable context.

this isnt all i write about, but what if I am feeling these things and want to express them?? sorry, but i write what i feel nothing else, end of story.

You said it follows Cecil's story

not in those words i didnt.

I said, originally, I didnt mean for it to have ANYTHING to do with his story, but my friend pointed out some intresting paralells, and it seems to have alot in common.

Simply put, however strong the emotion in your singing, it doesn't matter if your words mean nothing.

good point, but how much more complex were kurt cobains lyrics???

momma take me home, momma take me home

im a stain.... im a stain....

Hey

wait

Ive got a new complaint

......

its the way he sang them.. if he sang without emotion, it would be the converse. the great words would mean nothing.

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then my next remix is right up your alley, actually, the arrangement is exactly the opposite....

Don't take this the wrong way, but I would enjoy your next mix alot more if it was an instrumental.

Being a guitarrist myself, I gotta give it up to you on the stuff you got in this piece. I just don't like the way you sing, or your choice in lyrics.

I'd love to hear an instrumental piece from you.

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systemaniac contd 2

The drums lack any dynamic depth, and could have added a great deal of rhythmic interest, but instead lay flat except for some contrived drum fills.

yes, it is hard to work with these sampled drums... I wish I could just have a set in my bedroom of my apt. building, but its just not possible... the updated version may help this ;)

"Tororian Love Song" doesn't express any emotion to me.

to each his own... sometimes we just have to face the fact that not everyone is the same, and certain things evoke certain responses from certain ppl, and nothing else.

Maybe i'm being extra harsh because the FF4 overworld is one of my favorite songs ever, and improvement upon it is immensely difficult.

its my favorite as well, so I could understand your righteous indignation. ;)

snappleman wrote\

Gay ass lyrics.

ummmm ok, that constructive ;) what do you mean?

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Heh, well, what I mean is that your lyrics are cheesy, cliche, and have no real place in the song.

I know it's a love song, so you added lyrics that sounded like those of a love song.

I just think that you could have taken a bit more time with the writing and come up with some really well thought out lyrics.

Like I keep saying, I love your instrumental arrangement here, and for me, the lyrics just get in the way.

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I know it's a love song, so you added lyrics that sounded like those of a love song

this is interesting to me... what are the lyrics of a love song?? Arent confusion, pain and frustration as much love as other love songs??

but i understand your point of view.. I dont agree with it, but that is just the way it is ;) thank you for not being a blind fan tho, and stating your opinion. I really appreciate that.

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Wow, not around 18? Actually I was gonna say 19 or 20, and 19 is still teen years because it was the whole 'teen' at the end. I just thought you were around my age by like a year or so because there were so many times you sounded a bit like me...it was freaky.

I'll spare everyone from getting off topic with further inquiries about your voice since its more just out of my own personal insecurity.

I'm not good with criticism. I can't word things very well, by SysteManiac has seemed to cover that for us all. Agreed your voice isn't the best of them, but it didn't turn me off from the feeling of the song, which is the whole point. As for lyrics...I guess they do seem cliche...but then again, I never pay attention to lyrics that much. Maybe a thesaurus would come in handy? You could still keep the meaning with a more original word...

But I'm not being much of a help here. Awaiting future installments. Keep it up, because although this song does have alot of faults, it was original and different from what we usually hear around here. I wouldn't say you're the best as what you were at, but you got the passion for it, so thats enough to accomplish the mission. And remember, you can't please everyone. As soon as you change something, someone else will complain that it sucks. That's art...

Oh, And to you SysteManiac....

Frenzied Gay Porn Mail Attack of the Wombat!!!

-Colin

(never underestimate a wombat...the name alone is crazy)

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I was hesitant at first to download this song after reading the mix contained singing. I think (or thought) that singing in a remix sort of takes away from the whole point of remixing a track that didn't have singing in it in the first place (well for the vast majority anyway). However, this mix has changed the way I thought about said mixes. The lyrics relate to the FFIV story line nicely (sort of kind of, right?). Also, I thought it was awesome how he went from a quiet guitar solo into a rockin' mix. The mix kind of reminds me of Led Zepplin's "Stair Way to Heaven." Great mix and a must download for any FFIV fan.

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I love this remix and yes I'll agree that anyone that loves FFIV must download this. The only thing that would make me more happy though, is if there was a second edition of this to perfect it. I don't know what'd I do if that'd happen...maybe uh...listen to it? ^_^:)

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  • Liontamer changed the title to OCR00991 - Final Fantasy IV "Over and Under"

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