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Chrono Cross on Scare Tactics?


Souliarc
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So this is just bugging the hell out of me. Had "Scare Tactics" playing in the background and then I heard some music...

[link has been removed by Youtube]

It's around 1:10.

I thought the music was from FFX (Guadosalam, Underwater Ruins...) or something but I can't track it down.

Whoever can help me gets a free hetero digihug.

And if this is is FFX material, do you really think Square would have given permission to use their music? I mean, it seems like it kinda dumbs it down a little bit and I can't see Square going for that.

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Somewhat related to this:

I have a Thai movie called "Bangkok Haunted". In the movie, Aeris's theme is very clearly ripped off, and I highly doubt Square gave their consent to use it.

I will find a clip at some point, but it should be no surprised that Uematsu's work has been ripped off outside of the VG world and, because of the disconnect, people have been none the wiser.

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Sounds a hell of a lot like the first ten seconds of
from Chrono Cross to me.

YES!

*gives hetero digihug*

*pinches butt*

Woah woah woah! Got a little too excited. Sorry.

Thanks for getting that right. My point still stands though as it's still Square. I smell something fishy.

Somewhat related to this:

I have a Thai movie called "Bangkok Haunted". In the movie, Aeris's theme is very clearly ripped off, and I highly doubt Square gave their consent to use it.

I will find a clip at some point, but it should be no surprised that Uematsu's work has been ripped off outside of the VG world and, because of the disconnect, people have been none the wiser.

I am curious to hear this.

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Direct comparison of Bangkok Haunted to Aeris Theme. So blatant.

Thanks for taking the time to showcase this and make it more known. The artists deserve some credit AT LEAST. It's not my intellectual property, but I'd prefer for a theme that sown into a specific story line to not be milked throughout different mediums.

I tried listening to the OP's link, only to find out the video was removed due to copyright infringement.

The irony is astounding.

Gah! That is pretty funny though. I updated the OP (couldn't find another clip).

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  • 1 month later...

I know this thread is old but I just heard that 20 second snippet from Chrono Cross again, but this time looped in "Gone in 60 Seconds" (Nicholas Cage version). It's towards the end. After Memphis breaks Calitri's wooden chair in the factory.

Maybe somebody with more experience in licensing music can explain this? It's just a little disheartening, because like I said before, I doubt Square-Enix would have given them permission to use it as iconic as the series is. So... is this possible blatant disregard for ownership something composers can expect if even big budget movies are doing this?

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Hmm... I'm not sure if it's even possible that 'Gone in 60 Seconds' could have ripped off Chrono Cross, simply because it came out before that game was released in America. The composers of that movie could have imported a version of that game and got the music from that, of course, but it's very unlikely that there's plagiarism going on, here.

It's probably just an unusual coincidence. After all, there's only so many ways to combine notes together before they all start sounding the same.

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Hmm... I'm not sure if it's even possible that 'Gone in 60 Seconds' could have ripped off Chrono Cross, simply because it came out before that game was released in America. The composers of that movie could have imported a version of that game and got the music from that, of course, but it's very unlikely that there's plagiarism going on, here.

It's probably just an unusual coincidence. After all, there's only so many ways to combine notes together before they all start sounding the same.

So, if that drum loop was available before the game, then how could Yasunori Mitsuda claimed it as him composing it on the OST? Does Yasunori REALLY use drum loops?

The musical section is quite distinct too so I don't think it's coincidence.

Again, that's a fairly common commercially available drum-loop. No need to panic about it.

As a long-time fan of the Chrono Cross OST, I'd find it very disappointing if Yasunori used loops. And as someone who doesn't support stealing somebodies work, I'd also find it disappointing if it's that commonly accepted in the industry. Now, if Square did license that loop out, which I would be surprised if they did, okay, but because there are so many different scenarios, that's why I've "panicked" about it. I'm curious. That's why I made the thread. To spark discussion.

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Drum loops can be a fantastic base-point for a song. Why make your own that's not as good, when you can use something that matches exactly the mood you're looking for? In code, it's called boilerplate. In music, it can take on the form of loops. There's no crime in using them, nor shame to be had, as long as the loops don't form the meat of your song.

Drum loops can be licensed, I believe, either individually, or as part of a pack. If you listen to most TV shows, there's a lot of stings and loops that recur frequently, simply because serialized programs don't have time to compose an entirely new set of songs for each new season; it's just not practical (and they skimp on the music budget, to, I suspect).

I'm actually somewhat surprised I haven't heard that particular loop more than I have. It's shown up once or twice in various other songs I've heard, mostly in games. Quite the nifty one.

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Why make your own that's not as good, when you can use something that matches exactly the mood you're looking for?

Personally, I would not choose this path. I may use loops to audition certain rhythms, but ultimately, if I can't create something as well as something else (and this goes for ANYTHING), I learn how to. I pick it apart and understand what makes it tick. This will ultimately help me in the long-run, adding to my basket of creative possibilities. With music in particular, picking apart a rhythm will help me understand the articulations, instruments, duration, timing, pattern, intonation, syncopation... there are so many elements to understand. I actually recently did this with the "Amen Break" and learned a lot.

So it seems the general consensus is that Yasunori used drum loops in his music. I guess the inherent problem for me, personally, is that since now I'm hearing this loop in other works of art, the Chrono Cross OST ("Chronopolis" in particular) has lost a bit of its originality and uniqueness. Not the most disappointing thing in the world, but it puts things in perspective.

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Well, think of it this way, then: how do you feel when a song lifts a passage straight from Bach? Or adds a wisp of Rachmaninoff? Disappointed, or happy that such motifs have been carried and used creatively in multiple works?

I think drum loops are actually an area in which the creativity of a work can be expanded on, simply by their inclusion, if used properly. You hear an easily-identifiable sound. You know you've heard it before, in a different context, but that song was much more fast-paced and exciting than this one... this is cool, mellow, and rather a bit mysterious. One sample, multiple structures built from it.

While drums aren't melodic (which does hurt their case somewhat), I'd say a similar concept applies here. And while I do understand the vital importance of originality, I'd urge you to take a look at where you're at: this site is devoted to the derivation of new material based on the old, restructuring what has already been made to make something new. All composers do this to a degree: they build off of what others have done before, play with it, learn new things about the structure of music itself, and then use it as a launching pad to make greater things.

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I don't think it's in the same category to compare using drum loops to the objective of this site. There's a big difference between clearly RECOGNIZING the song used and arranging it in your own way, and pasting on a drum loop from some random 500 loop library and calling it your own. Same thing for being influenced by a composer. Influence is totally different from rearranging and sampling.

I am not opposed to using loops or sampling. DHS's Bando alle Seghe ReMix is wonderful yet it uses a drum loop Enigma's "Sadeness Part 1". The loop is easily identifiable and not that unique (in general AND to Enigma), but it fits perfectly. Enigma themselves use Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" quite a bit. Of course, there's also Prodigy's use of a drum loops and samples in "Smack My Bitch Up". There are countless examples of sampling and loops being used.

The key here is to define the threshold for "used properly" as far as drum loops go and where drum loops should be used appropriately. As far as creative inclusion, I can concur on that, but really only if the person including the loop understands the drum sequence. If you're just clicking through, auditioning loops and decide on one, and leave it at that, that to me is not creative. It's just like hitting a "random" button and hoping something works. As far as loops being used properly, I don't think their presence belongs in most video games. Reason being because when people play a game, the music is a unique experience to them and they pair it with the game. If you hear that same melody or drum sequence elsewhere, it dumbs down the the unique experience with the game itself. I don't see it as a good tactical decision to help your game have lasting value.

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