OCR01130 - Final Fantasy VI "Squaresoft Variation"

[Protricity]

Having trouble accepting the opinions of others again? Well too bad, the others don’t care.

Anyone notice the clipping around the 2:14 mark? How about the poor eq and reverb?

Reliance on gigasamples will only get one so far, and yet there will still be a point that lack of technical skill will still catch up with them.

[endblink]

Having trouble accepting the opinions of others again?

Nope. I have no problem with other people's opinions. If you don't like the piece, it's your lose.

I've just never been comfortable with how you like to pretend that you know what you're talking about when you obviously don't. I'm just sayin'.

lack of technical skill

Case in point. Just remind me: Which one of you is the professional composer again?

Hmmm... interesting.

Actually, the reason I asked my bro about it was to maybe understand where you were coming from, 'cause that section you pointed out to me sounded fine.

So, thank you, Prot, 'cause if it weren't for you, we might not have learned exactly why and how Soule knows what he's doing.

[Protricity]

I've just never been comfortable with how you like to pretend that you know what you're talking about when you obviously don't.

Sorry then dude. I can't help you with that.

Anyway, please sticks to reviews alone. If you want to talk about other issues upto and including what I dont know, we can do it in PM. This forum is strictly for reviews.

[GrayLightning]

Protricity is entitled to his opinion. I will slightly disagree with the eq and reverb comment though. Normally orchestral mixes are eq'd as little as possible. The reverb sounds very good in my opinion. It's very dense and rich. My only slight complaint is the reverb is slightly too wet, but that doesn't at all take away from the quality of this mix.

[AarowSwift]

Wow, I haven't seen this much ass kissing since donkey mating season ended.

This is a beautiful piece of music and a no-brainer for my collection, but there are a lot of pieces off this site that speak to me more. Saying that this is the best piece on the site is, well, not an opinion I share. This is a fantastic piece, but there are a lot of other pieces I've pulled from this site that I'll play more often than this. This musical track is one amongst many that belong on the top tier of quality.

[nostalgic gen]

Anyone notice the clipping around the 2:14 mark?

No clipping here even at considerable volume. There is a trill being played that might be confusing you though. I suppose it could sound like crackling on a lofi system.

Reliance on gigasamples will only get one so far, and yet there will still be a point that lack of technical skill will still catch up with them.

Well given that this is an orchestral piece, and seeing it's unlikely how he'd hire an orchestra for the sole purpose of providing OC with a remix, I don't see what else his options are. He's clearly not just fired up gigastudio and played a .mid file through it but has spent a lot of time putting this arrangement together. He obviously knows his way around both this (vast) sample library and a *real* symphony orchestra. From that pov I'd say technical skill is displayed in abundance and I can't really see where you're coming from.

[The Xyco]

My goodness, I'm in tears, this is indeed a glorious day for OCR.

[Spiritsnare]

Oh My God is right. I registered on the forums...just to reply to this mix.

And what can I say? Beautiful. This is a very nice arrangement of Terra's (or for those who STILL DON'T GET WHAT IT IS, the intro thing with Vicks, Wedge, and Terra walking through Narshe.)

Goddamn, this is brilliant. But I can't share the love for Soule's other songs, as I haven't played anything that has his work in it. But this just takes the cake - excellent blend of notes (and a bit of ambient-sounding blank space, too, at 1:46~2:20). Like an earlier reviewer, I can actually IMAGINE this being played at a concert, like the upcoming Dear Friends concert at LA. Lucky people, you.

Hallelujah. I don't know what else to say, because I am just stunned right now. THIS IS RECOMMENDED. DOWNLOAD IT NOW. NOW. AND NOW.

[SoZ]

... I do believe I just wet myself. This is the kind of thing I fantasize about. (I'm talking about the music, not wetting myself, by the way.) THE Jeremy Soule producing an arrangement of my all-time favourite game theme. (Overplayed? Bah!) Not only that, but it is one of the most gorgeously arranged remixes ever submitted to OC. The execution is also flawless and the resulting sound so rich and well balanced that it is pure aural joy.

I don't know about anyone else, but I keep hearing hints of Yoshihiro Ike's Blood The Last Vampire soundtrack in here. I think it's the rythmic strings over the main theme that do it.

-= SoZ =-

P.S. Yes, I have just registered on the forums for the sole purpose of posting this. The mix is so darn good I just had to say so.

[TromboneSamurai]

Meh...it's all right. Analogically speaking, in some portions it feels like a horn player who seems to be drawing in breath the right way, but when it comes time to deliver, he hasn't a clue about how to fill the bell with rich, full sound.

All in all, the first eight bars of Terra's theme seem to be plunked in there with a smattering of dissonant strings thrown in between. The string progressions feel like they could've been plucked out of a DeBeers or Mercedes Benz commercial. Hum drum, at best. Even the instrumentation seems to be a bit off, but I'm just an amateur brass player. What do I know?

Perhaps "Terra's Theme for the CG Orchestra" wasn't the best route to go with it. I like the original composition as much as the next guy, but if I'm going to be treated to three and a half minutes of the first eight bars, I'd like a little spice instead of a morose symphony that tosses the melody back and forth between instruments.

Classically, peices entitled "Variations on Song X" usually include several key and tempo changes, and may even reverse the melody. But then I could be overlooking the fact that there is no 's' at the end of Variation in the title. Still, Variations on a song are supposed to be pieces where composers flex their creative muscle, and there were only scant traces of creativity here.

I also don't quite agree with the little brass there is in the peice used for schwarzandos in a handful of places. But then that's more of a matter of personal preference as I'm a symphonic band instrumentalist, and less inclined to a medium of music that has me count to four eighty times, play a smattering of notes, and then go back to counting.

After deeper thought, perhaps the biggest force behind the peice is the novel quality that A) It's by Jeremy Soule and It utilizes high quality synth that comes with being in the business for a number of years. I've only whitnessed Soule's work first hand in KotOR, and the variations on established Star Wars themes were much more interesting, musical, and memorable. This mix, however, feels uninspired, fails to go anywhere we haven't been before, and hasn't evoked anything within me.

But I can't ignore the good intentions behind it, so kudos to Mr. Soule for his effort. I just think it could have been much better.

[Sil]

three and a half minutes of the first eight bars

Congratulations, you just figured out what a "variation" is.

[Dhsu]

Hm....I never noticed that he didn't actually use the entire theme. No wonder it was so short.

Anyway...no offense, but your dixieland-waltz-salsa suggestion doesn't seem to be too practical. Just because the song is short doesn't mean he has to leapfrog between half a dozen styles. I think Jeremy's done an excellent job of expanding on the theme each time he repeats it without becoming repetitive or monotonous, and he ends it at exactly the right time in order to avoid making it so. Just because he's consistent doesn't mean he's boring.

[Navi]

Very nice orchestral work. The Epic feel works well with this theme. I really dont have much to say about this peice. Apparently I am the only person on these boards who hasnt played a Jeremy Soule composed game, so i have no previous knowledge of the name. This mix is beautiful, well arranged and well produced. I really dont see any problems, and in all true honesty (given the nature of the mixer) i dont expect any simple issues like clipping to be apparent (unlike certain people's mixes ).

I don't see where any arguement can be made against the quality of this mix. Nice, nice work, sir.

[Bahamut]

Very nice orchestral work. The Epic feel works well with this theme. I really dont have much to say about this peice. Apparently I am the only person on these boards who hasnt played a Jeremy Soule composed game, so i have no previous knowledge of the name. This mix is beautiful, well arranged and well produced. I really dont see any problems, and in all true honesty (given the nature of the mixer) i dont expect any simple issues like clipping to be apparent (unlike certain people's mixes ).

I don't see where any arguement can be made against the quality of this mix. Nice, nice work, sir.

Well here's some that he composed: Secret of Evermore, Total Annihilation, Dungeon Siege, and Morrowind, to name the most notable games. The only one I haven't played that he composed is Morrowind...I should give that a shot sometime.

As for the mix, after a few listens, I'm really appreciating this, and not just because of the sample quality. I'm really liking how the instruments are being used here, intertwined in such interesting ways which makes classical music so good.

[soapdishbandit]

I am new here to the forums but not to the website. Being a musician myself I have to say Jeremy Soule has a very nice sound to his writing. I wonder where he got his samples from. I use a K2500X, and an Alesis, along with sound fonts I find, etc.....

Secret of Evermore was my first game I played by him doing the music and I for one loved it. The Ostanato pattern by the strings and the orchestra is very moving. My biggest compliment again is the high quality samples he uses. I mean, not to be disrespectful to anyone out there who doesn't compose or is not necessarly a musician but being a musician, I was even fooled at a few areas in the music, thinking it was a live orchestra.

Againk, Kudos Jeremy! Look forward to many more arrangements!!!

Jeremy Barnes

p.s. If you read this, can you tell me what equipment you used for this composition. Thanks!

[Jared Hudson]

A mix that shows when you understand your equipment, a great mix can be achieved. This is why Jeremy is well grounded in this industry. Great production, and composition as well. Although, I do notice MANY of pieces are in this same nature.....very intimate, lush, and somewhat flat, but rarely. The reverb seems to be slightly thick, but it's fairly clean, and I can tell Jeremy used it for the emulation of the concert hall.

Again, great mix and composition. You know you're good, so admit it.

Jared Hudson

[Quack]

I'm not going to elaborate on what I think of this mix. It's just beautiful.

What impresses me more though is that Mr. Soule actually took time out of his life to contribute something to this site, and to the remixing community in general. He's not just some hack remixer doing this as a hobby, so his support is really quite generous.

[risingson77]

Very, very nice.

I rather like the exploration of Terra's theme. Nice dynamic changes and the like.

...and to think I almost didn't download it! "Oh God, not another FF6 remix..." Only DJP's gushing recommendation got me to download.

As for clipping, if I listen hard with the sound up I can hear a small click in the right channel around 2:14. Than again, I've heard clicks on many tracks on my PC, so it's probably just my shitty audio system.

[yoshi1001]

Every so often, I feel compelled to look at a mix to a game I've never even played. This is one such occasion (I know, I really should play it). As far as orchestral mixes go, this is clearly one of the best technically. I could see this as the opening credits to a movie. That being said, I would have liked to hear more, perhaps a full movement with some other themes thrown in.

[jezon2000]

[leena fighter]

Wow, this makes me want to go out and play the games he's composed for. Really great stuff, this is definitely a cut above the rest, especially considering how many Terra remixes there are. It also makes me want to go play VI again X3

Damn, man. OCRemix sucks for having such good remixes like this.

[TheVagrantTKM]

Jeremy Soule?!?! The genius who composed the Icewind Dale soundtrack?! So stricken with disbelief was I that I half-conviced myself this was some kind of really early April Fools joke.... Until I heard the tune! Three cheers for Jeremy for supporting this site! Three cheers for DJP for creating it! Hip Hip Hurrah!

[MDKaltered]

This is sweet. If you like orchestral mixes, then download this. Now.

[Ashgad]

Now I'm not a big fan of Soule's original work (gasp), but this is very nice. All of the specific compliments I'd pay it have been given a dozen times by now in this thread: the rich sound, the deep understanding of how each instrument should sound, the general excellence of the arrangement in general, etc. However, I must say that the brass lines in this track are very weak; virtually every time one of them is even audible, there's an over-strong drum-and-string line covering it up. Other than that, no complaints.

[Nigel Simmons]

WOW! Sounds almost like a John Williams version of the Final Fantasy theme!