Final Fantasy 6 'A World of Decisions'

[khemael]

Hi !

Long time ago, I was working on a piano version for the Decisive Battle. The fact is even if it had good ideas, it was defined as repetitive : "This World of Decisions was Over just when it started".

That's why, after leaving this project far away for one year, I'm working on it again.

Here are only some "ideas", in three parts, as you'll see only a few part of the original melody is covered Here.

But I want to have in the same piece different way of covering the original theme.

First part is all about tempo snags, whereas the second is about some staccato's, and the third another way to play the melody, and might be more difficult to apreciate for some ears.

Here it is, and it definitely need a lot of feedback :

http://tchaiftp.free.fr/decisive.mp3 - OLD, see below

Thanx you for reading, and maybe for feedback.

(I'll try to do a better recording, since this live one still got some errors, but the playing style isn't easy to manage :/)

UPDATE : - OLD see below

http://tchaiftp.free.fr/decisive-wip2.mp3

new version, with an "overall shape" of the last part and ending.

more precisions :

http://www.ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?p=464119#post464119

TO-DO List : OLD - see below

- For the first part, a hard work on the tempo snags and the dynamic of the playstyle

- For the three first parts, an overall re-recording in order to have a better playing performance

- Writing a left hand for the last part

UPDATE V3 : OLD - See Below

Final Score, one bad note left, some cut-off bugs, but this is some kind of near-final ver :

http://tchaiftp.free.fr/awod_final_score.mp3

FINAL UPDATE : NEW

http://tchaiftp.free.fr/Khemael%20-%20A%20World%20Of%20Decisions.mp3

Master Key Change. Final Version, near-ready for submitting !

Original : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BW78PN6z50

[SplinterOfChaos]

Around 0:29, the notes kind of lose their enunciation. (Not high on piano terminology.)

Very enjoyable.

[HoboKa]

It's definitely original. And who told you that its overly repetitive??? There's a ton of OCR mixes that are far more repetitive than this. All 3 ideas work IMO, though the tempo snaps are a bit odd at times ><. Excellent live playing as well

AND WTF 65 views and only 1 comment before me!!?? wut are u ppl? Retarded??? C'mon we need more feedback for him , don't wait for Rozo to come in jeez.

[khemael]

Thanx a lot you two.

@Hoboka :

The Judge Panel told me it was over repetitive long time Ago, when only part one used to be, and covering all the rest of the melody. They were right, because even if the tempo snags where apreciated, they ended being realy suspected to be "there" and "there" and there wasn't any more "originality" in the old version after the first minute of hearing.

That's the error I'm trying not to make another time.

About the "odd" tempo snags at the first part, this come with the problem of the "freely" playstyle of the first part. The real work to do there is to get the "best" playstyle to go along with tempo snags to get it as must enjoyable as possible and also not being too much "odd" or "brutal".

There might be some "tempo snags" in the second and third part, especially when I'm weaving up and down on the keyboard. Theses ones are not intended. That is just hard to use the "prelude" playstyle with the "Decisive battle" score at these points.

Even if there is some errors in the second and third part, I think these ones are quite done, in a score point of view.

I'm actually working on the first part to have it better played, and I'm still waiting for feedback about the two others before working on the score anymore.

I'll proceed as step-by-step, because I don't want to reproduce the same errors as I used to.

[khemael]

A little bump.

200 views, and only two feedbacks ? Is it that bad ? :/

Edit : Rozovian showed me the way.

[Rozovian]

Grow some patience, buddy. Feedback come from people, and pople post when they feel like it.

Let's say that I post on feedback. I do so when I like to. I say what I like to. I hope it helps when I do provide feedback.

This isn't feedback. Not on the music, I mean. I'll probably be back to critique your wip. Just wanted to say that having to wait a day for feedback isn't a big deal. Or at least, it shouldn't be.

[Rozovian]

Okay, here's the feedback. I'm only vaguely familiar with source. I've certainly heard it, but can't remember or recognize it. Could also be that it's pretty late here. You should provide a link to source, if it's on youtube, it's easy to access. I'm just lazy. But no source link, no source comment.

If you make some changes in key, it shouldn't feel as repetitive. I don't find it repetitive, tho I can see why some would find it so.

The intensity curve is kind'a crazy. Personally, I don't mind listening to something like this, something that just takes me through some bizarre dynamic landscape, but others want a more clear progression. Still, after just two listens, I'm loving it. Most of it, the ending is a little dull, but the rest is just great.

I have a lot of respect for people that perform the music. I'm not a piano person so I can't necessarily spot all the flawed intricate details of it, I just attribute them to a realistic performance. Still, this is impressive, so you have the skill to get a remix on the site. I think this arrangement is varied enough, tho some more work on the dynamic progression would be nice. Keep in mind that nobody on the wip board is a Judge™, so don't take anyone's opinions as a sure-fire way to get a remix on the site.

Great track. I suppose you mostly have to worry about that perfect performance than anything else. Good luck.

[Keerarae]

I don't have enough skill in music to really give you good feedback but I do know when something sounds good and this most certainly does.

Even if it doesn't make it on OCR I think it's a wonderful adaption of the song. Excellent piano playing btw.

[khemael]

Thanx a lot for all your feedbacks.

The first post was updated with a "new version".

http://tchaiftp.free.fr/decisive-wip2.mp3

Nothing "new" from the first one, I mean I haven't done any re-working for now for the first three parts. But, cause of rozovian feedback, it is on the to-do list.

The "new version" contains the last part of the song, covering the original score which was not covered yet.

It is a very hard part to cover, because of :

1. The key change

2. I ended the third part with a crazy dynamics and hard keyboard weaving up and down.

Then, starting the score of the fourth part was hard. Hard to decide which would be a good playstyle to come after this third part.

However, I decided to redo the end of the third part, in order to preparing the key change not to be too much brutal. Tell me if it is good or not.

The change is just at 2:38.

Then the fourth and last part starts at 2:49.

As you can hear, the left hand is not written at all for now. from 2:49, it's only some kind of "overall shape" of the playstyle and what it would be. Little tempo snags are sometimes not really at the right place, but anyway the chords are final, just as the right hand notes. Tell me what you think.

At 3:46, the ending starts. I Actually Like this sweet ending. But with an ending starting with high notes, it would be better if the part just before was ending with down ones. Am I right on this point, or is the shape going good ?

Also, don't worry, the last part will be more "dynamic" and a little faster when I'll feel OK with the score.

The three first parts have been "finished", I mean the score is, but there is still the re-recording to do, which will be done when I'm happy with the lasts parts.

Then, here comes the to-do list, and any more interesting feedback will result in a more acurate to-do list :

- For the first part, a hard work on the tempo snags and the dynamic of the playstyle

- For the three first parts, and the last when score is finished, an overall re-recording in order to have a better playing performance

- Writing a left hand for the last part

*Awaiting feedback*

[kobuu]

i'm on board. i hear a lot going on though so sometimes i get a little confused but then the melody breaks through and i'm alright again. do i hear a bunch of different decisive battle themes in there. i know 6 but i can't place the others. also, love the little bit of prelude in there. great stuff and great playing. you've got some sick ass talent!

can't wait to hear the finished product.

-kobuu

[Rozovian]

Black Mages. D'oh! I knew I had heard it,other than in the game. And yeah, it's certainly there. Source use is fine, imo.

The transition to the new key feels a little too soft for me. Maybe that's just having heard too many church musicians do too many jazz transitions via weird chords in songs that already use more than one key sig. Meh, it works, and it's pretty.

I'm wondering what kind of changes you're planning to make to the overall structure and progression, since I can hear a somewhat cohesive progression in this. Either it took me a while to get into it, or I wasn't listening the right way before. Still, since you're gonna clean up some tempo snags and stuff, you might as well put some more work in the overall dynamic progression.

I like the basic curve of it, tho. Starts off normal, goes into the staccato section, breaks, goes into the next section, to another hard section, breaks, goes into the soft theme section, turns into the new key and ends pleasantly. Personally, I'd like a really strong section smack in the middle of this so it's building up to that, then winding down for the rest of the track, but that's me. Do whatever you've got planned, it's your remix.

This is gonna be great. It's already good, imo.

[khemael]

OK. Here it is :

http://tchaiftp.free.fr/awod_final_score.mp3

This is the "final" score of the song.

What's in there ? A Lots of tempo snags disapeared, and the dynamics are smoother now.

There is a big bad note at 1:04 which will disapear too at final recording.

There are also some cut off bugs here and there.

The only thing to do, other than a final recording, is to work for a last pass on the dynamics of the second part (from 0:40 to 1:15).

Waiting for near-final feedback.

[Rozovian]

I suppose it's the whole "final" thing that's getting to me, as I'm hearing more issues than before (tho fortunately not still the same ones ).

Not sure I like some of the tempo snags in the first section. Takes until 0:30 'til they sound deliberate enough, and even then, there's some weird "off" qualities to them. Need to be smoother, imo.

Some transitions feel rough. Like, 1:08, a little too much time spent before the chord is struck.

Some tempo snag or note miss around 2:22, doesn't quite sound pro enough.

Those are the things that bother me. You might want to run this via a judge over irc before submitting, since I really don't know exactly what the standards are for a piano arrangement. It's impressive and enjoyable imo, and that's enough for me.

[khemael]

Thanx a lot Rozovian.

The issues you mentioned are exactly the ones I'm working on before the final recording. Also, some of your remarks are about cut offs bugs I got during the recording.

As I said, this is the final Score. Not the final recording. I'm far from a submitable work here I think.

the parts from 0:30 to 1:15 are definitely going to be reworked. I think this part will be much like what I did with the V2 of the wip, which was smoother.

That, along with some bad notes which will disapear, a final and perfect recording, and I guess I'll be done with this.

I'll come here a last time before the sub when the final recording is ready

[SamuraiFoochs #Reload]

I find that it'd be sort of silly for me to comment on the recording issues since A) I largely don't know about that aspect of things besides "sounds good" and "sounds bad" and a lot of those issues have already been discussed. Just wanted to throw my hat in the ring and say that, in terms of arrangement/scoring, really cool ideas. I especially liked the usage of the prelude. Look forward to hearing the finished product.

[khemael]

Here we go, and here is the Final Product :

http://tchaiftp.free.fr/Khemael%20-%20A%20World%20Of%20Decisions.mp3

So, you'll note the Master Key as changed Radically.

Yes, it was in order to a better use of the dynamics. I really feel the dynamics have a better contrast in this key, anyway.

Waiting for a last-time feedback before submitting, and thanx all for the help !

[Rozovian]

All right, I'll treat this as a completed work then. Starts of just fine.

0:26 you rolled into the melody in a tempo boost that felt a little rushed, and seemed be some notes missing 0:30 area. That section overall, seemed to need some work anyways.

1:28 ...something weird wit the timing.

1:59 something similar. Your transition into the final staccatos there just feels... offtempo.

I keep getting lost in the track, so it's evidently in a pretty good shape.

In the arpeggios before 2:40 your seemed to have some kind of swing or note emphasis going. Not sure that's intentional. I don't have a problem with it, but if its not intentional, it might start bothering you when (I think it's more a question of when than if) the track gets posted.

Around 3:00 your left-hand and right-hand playing don't seem to synch. Again, not something I'm much bothered by, but thought I'd point it out anyway. Same thing around 3:50.

In spite of these things, it's highly enjoyable, and it would surprise me if the Js would plain NO it. I had a hard time finding the issues because the track just made me float away. Awesome work, man. Awesome work.

[khemael]

Thanx a lot Rozovian. After a pass at #ocrwip, I'm working on a last pass of post-processing for the sound, and then it'll be submitted.

Next news when the judges want to