OCRA-0006 - Chrono Trigger: Chrono Symphonic

[Tegeran]

Yikes. I just stopped my server from seeding the torrent for a while to let it just serve the mp3s (I'll start seeding again when things cool down a little).

My 10mbit/sec connection bursts to ~20. The torrent was holding steady at 15mbit/sec plus the HTTP traffic from the mp3s. Apparently, somebody likes Chrono Symphonic.

[Claado Shou]

Thanks for the nice comments, everyone. As for the less-favorable comments lingering out there, you can't please all of the people all of the time. I hope you'll listen to it again without listening for what's wrong, and just enjoy everything that went right.

As for Zas's issue...the same thing happened with mv and Russell Cox. They didn't get to me in time, so I took what they had said in the past and fluffed it up. Now that we have the chance to correct it (since they're paying attention now), we will. I'm sort of indisposed ATM Zas, but tell StarZander what to fix and he'll do it as soon as he can. And if I remember correctly, on the last dozen or so pages of the other thread, you said that Battle with Magus was in there. So that's why I put it in.

Compyfox, please stop trying to make everyone aware of the imperfections in the site. Just be happy it's released, instead of upset that StarZander couldn't be here to release on time. You broke so many deadlines yourself, it's essentially the pot calling the kettle black. It'll get fixed eventually.

As for everyone else, please continue to share your thoughts. I appreciate all the enthusiasm.

~.C.S.~

[Ab56 v2 aka Ash]

My real gripe with this project (even though it's really good) is that a few source tunes were used so much that I lost interest in some tracks. Just check out the remix track listing at the CS page. Frog's Theme makes FIVE appearances! Battle With Magus has six! I know they're both good tracks and I'm not opposed to using source tunes more than once, but that was total overkill if I do say so myself.

Some personal favorite tracks are:

Morning Sunlight - sephire, SirRus

Door to the End of Time - blakey

In terms of the imagery, I can totally see Crono and the gang tentatively taking steps in a cold, musty courtyard toward a sleeping old man and seeing the portals to all the other times on their way. That was beautiful man.

Schala and the Queen - ellywu, pixietricks

Crono's Dream - Darkesword

Shariq, this is creepy as heck, ji. The transition from the happy feeling to the sense of impending doom was smooth.

I will write more when I finish reading Frankenstein

[underburntskies]

My real gripe with this project (even though it's really good) is that a few source tunes were used so much that I lost interest in some tracks. Just check out the remix track listing at the CS page. Frog's Theme makes FIVE appearances! Battle With Magus has six! I know they're both good tracks and I'm not opposed to using source tunes more than once, but that was total overkill if I do say so myself.

I would agree if it were just a remix project. Since this is the soundtrack to the Chrono Trigger "movie," I personally feel that the repitition of certain themes is appropriate.

Anyway, I just want to say that I've been following this project since Claado Shou first proposed the idea back in 2004. All that I can say is that everybody involved has done an incredible job. In my opinion, this is easily the best site project that I have yet heard. Fucking beautiful.

[Dhsu]

But honestly, that website you linked to is mainly for pop singing, and even then they aren't set rules. There is a lot more liberty than you would think, and in classical singing it's a whole different story. I probabaly know a lot *more* about this stuff than you, no offense. I have two Japanese teachers at Johns Hopkins, plus a Japanese vocal coach at Peabody Conservatory of Music...

Well, 18th century theory principles aren't the be-all end-all of composition either, but they apply to other genres as well and following them keeps music from sounding weird. Besides, Chrono Trigger isn't exactly what I'd call classical Japanese music.

Of course, if your two Japanese teachers and Japanese vocal coach say it's all right, then I suppose I can't disagree. Carry on.

[Jillian Aversa]

Besides, Chrono Trigger isn't exactly what I'd call classical Japanese music.

The game is Japanese and the project is symphonic. I think that's enough to warrant some classical decisions.

[mikelee]

My real gripe with this project (even though it's really good) is that a few source tunes were used so much that I lost interest in some tracks. Just check out the remix track listing at the CS page. Frog's Theme makes FIVE appearances! Battle With Magus has six! I know they're both good tracks and I'm not opposed to using source tunes more than once, but that was total overkill if I do say so myself.

I wanted to wait until I had listened to the whole album a few times before saying anything, but I felt like I should respond to this first.

On one level, I have to agree that there seems to be some overuse of source tunes. But that's not really my complaint, because I think that it was pretty cool that a single project could use certain source tunes so many ways, in so many interpretations, and in so many different contexts. There may a couple of times when this doesn't work as well, but in general, I feel that it's a cool thing when a single mix can interweave different themes in it. And if you think about it, there are definitely lots of movie soundtracks that use the same melodies more than once, perhaps changing from major to minor, or at a different tempo, or for totally different scenes.

My real complaint, though, would be the omission of certain tunes. Of course I respect the decision to keep the scope of the cinematic interpretation down as movies always make these decisions out of necessity, but there were some memorable tunes I really miss (particularly the part where the trumpets come in during Magus's tune, the epic parts of the World Revolution theme, and many of the dungeon themes, like the sewer music). Overall though, I'm very much impressed. Great job, and thanks to all who made the project what it was.

-Mike

(full review to come later...might not be for a few days though)

[Edit] Well, I just noticed the part I was talking about in the Magus theme in Unknown's Parting of Ways, and the little oboe solo take on it works extremely well. Just goes to show I ought to stick to my word and wait until I stop using this thing as background music and really give it a serious listen before saying anything about it... [/Edit]

[DragonAvenger]

I'm on my second listenthrough at the moment and I love it! I really like that you had the specific goal of a movie soundtrack, and it really sounds exactly like it. Very nice.

I am dissapointed that I didn't hear a full on "To Good Friends" mix in there. When coupled with "To Far Away Times" I feel like it holds much more power.

[arias]

But honestly, that website you linked to is mainly for pop singing, and even then they aren't set rules. There is a lot more liberty than you would think, and in classical singing it's a whole different story. I probabaly know a lot *more* about this stuff than you, no offense. I have two Japanese teachers at Johns Hopkins, plus a Japanese vocal coach at Peabody Conservatory of Music...

Well, 18th century theory principles aren't the be-all end-all of composition either, but they apply to other genres as well and following them keeps music from sounding weird. Besides, Chrono Trigger isn't exactly what I'd call classical Japanese music.

Of course, if your two Japanese teachers and Japanese vocal coach say it's all right, then I suppose I can't disagree. Carry on.

Why argue? The professionals must have it right. The trained must have it right. There is no value in the opinions of the untrained, or lesser trained. Or so some people claim

Still think people can do with a little more modesty, and not take the negative comments as "unable to please everyone" but appropriate feedback that you can choose to consider whether or not to take upon as direction to improve. Or discard, if your musical vision differs.

Following this post, I received PMs..

Do you stalk me? I swear, the only times I see you post are to get on my case. You're a prick.

Oh sure, balancing out opinions, uh huh. (troll)

Well, I surrender. No matter, good work on most of the stuff, people.

[Zeality]

Slashdot has still not posted the news.

If someone else has connections or wants to try, please include mention of the interview and Coliseum 2.0.

[SirRus]

I have listened to nearly the whole album in random order and am now going through "chronologically" so to speak. A lot of these have rocked! I'll give my full impressions of some of my favorites later, but for now I have to say to seph, it's a good thing we threw in those church bells into our collab - it flowed real smooth into Darkeswords "Blue Skies" mix, I think it might even be the very same bell sample! Hah, great work everyone, I am very very impressed with all the talent that went into this project, from music composition to production to organization and presentation. We rock.

[watkinzez]

This was the first site project I listened to all the way through without going ahead and spoiling it. Blame bitorrent on that one. I'm glad I did, though, as Chrono Symphonic doesn't seem to work half as well separately. Not since Relics of the Chozo has a logical progression been used to effect within the entire collaboration. Not without a few hiccups on the way, however.

The album opens with Inciting Incident, which was always a good start to open with. It's short, sweet, a nice build up that tugs on the CT fanboy's nostalgia they've had ever since finishing the game. Here we begin to see the fruits of Compyfox's labour, this track having been released for quite a while. The main difference is the percussion, being much deeper and more satisfying. It sounds good, but to agree with Gray and Larry, a feeling of dryness comes across somewhat.

From its beginning, Morning Sunlight seems a little redundant due to its similar intro, but does end up being an asset to the album. The use of piano in the latter stages brings a warmth to the track, and acts as a 'calm before the storm' entry. Despite its relative obscurity in the context of the album, this came across rather well, and is one of my favourites.

Blue Skies Over Guardia was always a favourite Darkesword track of mine, preferring his orchestral works over others. Though it may seem cheap to simply reuse that track in this release, the blow is softened by Roland's mastering- now the lower end has more power than before.

I've never heard any of Sleepy Emp's work before (unless a name change was in order), but I have to say that I was impressed with his work and To Lands Unknown. A pity this had to end prematurely in order to work with the script.

The dark intro set a good mood for a battle track, but I'm not sure the piano quite worked for Darkness Dueling. Nice soloing, but I wasn't quite feeling 'an onslaught of robotic enemies'. For its short time in the spotlight, the song repeated the melody twice, so maybe the lack on length on it was a good thing after all.

Zas' recent Prelude mix on OCR was a good track, and definitely advocated his talents. I don't feel Lucca's Arrival was quite as good, but was a nice addition to the album. One thing that striked me, however, was the mastering- Prelude gave off more power than this track, though that may have more to do with the composition than Roland's work.

Seeing Claado Shou's name on the tracklist always gave me an uneasy feeling, not having heard his work before, as well as being a relative newcomer in the community. Revelation of Fire brought mixed feelings upon listening- the strings seemed mechanical, as was the rest of the composition. I don't feel like the Trial source tune worked well in this context, which was always more trivial compared to the big bad Lavos. Length also seemed to strangle this one a bit, not allowing a sufficient buildup in the song.

The opening drums on Hymn of Valor were a little underwhelming, midi like in nature. Good news, then, that they gave little indication on the rest of the song. This one was good, a sufficient buildup projecting power without being particularly loud.

I'm glad ellywu2 came through in finishing his work on Chrono Symphonic, as his songs always indicate power and pacing. Frog's Intervention is possibly my favourite track on the album (which may or may not have to do with the source tune). Nevertheless, this one does the Frog theme justice in my words, an epicness present with use of volume and build to end up with a great representation of one of the coolest source tunes for a frog ever.

At first I though PLBenjaminZ was the same as Neil Benjamin of Far Away Memories and Tragedy of a Bullet- no big loss, as Denadoro Climb turns out to be a decent spin on the oft covered Wind Scene. Nothing much to say here, as it's what you'd expect in such an arrangement. I'm a little perplexed on why such a source tune was used in this song, however, Underground Sewer being the actual tune played in this section of the game.

ellywu2 with Frog's theme again, yet The Masamune manages to be an entirely different take on the theme. You can tell that the scene which this plays in would be a classic movie moment, upon seeing the Masamune glinting atop the rock. Though being of the same source from the same artist, this track also manages to be one of my favourites.

I doubt a mixer as prominent as mv needs help on his work, as Darkest Omen doesn't do much wrong per se. It is precariously close to the source though, and its place here in the track list seems very strange. In terms of the Frog/Cyrus flashback, it doesn't work at all. Orchestration wise, it's great.

As good as the source tune is, Confronting the Mystic fails to do the same thing to the listener. Diving head first into the main tune seemed premature and goes against what the original tune was doing in the first place. In other genres, I'd praise the variation from the original, but for a bombastic orchestral score, the buildup just isn't there. Sorry, sephfire.

I wouldn't have counted Door to the End of Time to premiere Chrono Symphonic on the OCR front page, but after, actually listening to it, one realises its flair in using several source tunes to recreate Chrono Trigger on the silver screen. From the interesting intro to the fading ending, the transitions help capture the feeling without being too long or tedious. I've always liked Set Sail, and to see more from Blake is a treat. Nice work.

We've heard it far too many times, but SirRus manages to prevent the Zeal melody from sounding bland and a 'been there, got the t- shirt' vibe. Manifest Destiny actually capitalizes on the Eastern flavour of the source, oft overlooked by other mixers. Like the respective section in the game, this song is fairly short, and thankfully doesn't outstay its welcome.

I'm not sure what to think with the Schala and the Queen collaboration. The longest track on the album, I got a vibe of medleyitis initially, and I'm not sure whether the transition to vocals worked too well. Even knowing that they would appear, the sudden onslaught of Japanese made me go, "What're you doing here, Miss Goldin?" extrakun's comment on a karaoke vibe felt apparent, the volume change too much in a small amount of time. After overlooking that issue, however, the song manages to create an interesting experience. Even now I'm not quite sure where it's going to go compositionally, which could be seen as a plus or minus. I'm leaning to the more positive side personally, the ending capping off a long track well.

Mr Triplett returns once more in The Third Guru, with much the same problems as his first track on the album. Upon first listen, my thought was that the two tracks were originally one, cut in half with a melody painted over. Though that may sound harsh, I feel that it's noticeable enough not to ignore. I hope that you, Andrew, use these tracks to improve your musical ability, as they do contain promise, just too mechanical.

Rellik is a multi talented musician, evident in both his electronica and orchestral works. Though the name is already taken, Beneath the Surface manages to take the desperation in the original source tune and use it with flair. The power and volume is impressive, I wish it were that much longer.

Mr Ansari second track on the album is more a bridge than a seperate song, The Rising acting as a prelude to the imminent battles ahead. Nothing amazing, but it doesn't really have to draw attention to itself. The short length helps it cover the repetition.

A double Darkesword with Crono's Dream. Really a black sheep on the album, Shariq accomplishes something different as compared to the rest of the songs. The descent into an unsettling, off key rendition of the theme is an interesting and fun to listen to effect, but it would have been cooler if there was more of an ending to the piece.

If you've heard one Russell Cox piece, you've heard them all, not that that's a bad thing. For such a turning point in the score, The Chrono Trigger seems to lack an emotion that would be needed at this point. Standalone, however, it's a nice song, which may be a little too quiet. The ending helps wrap things up with a sudden burst of sound and energy.

Tyler Heath rocks. There's no doubting that fact. A Parting of Ways uses bursts of sound to help keep the listener interested, and breaks up the monotomy to create a great experience. The dynamics really make the song, and help create a precursor feeling to the next track, and the final battle.

The Last Stand was a great surprise to me, a sign of maturation from RoeTaKa's musical ability. I could never envision him doing an orchestral piece, but here Alex manages to deliver a emotionally powerful final battle score. Some of the transitions were a bit stunted, and a bad note is apparent at 5:18 , but the final product worked well in the album (I'm liking 3:25 as a glimmer of hope), standing up to expectation. I'm confident we'll see the name RoeTaKa on OCR's home page soon enough.

The aftermath, one expects something something mushy and soothing, but the explosion of orchestra in The New Beginning definitely helps round out Chrono Symphonic in a grand way. This is really a great ending to the album, no complaints here.

Acting as the ending credits solo piece, the rendition of To Far Away Times is a great piece. Despite my listening to it far too many times before the project's release, it still has a freshness in its composition, lyrics, and singing. A great collaboration from Reuben Kee, pixietricks and Claado Shou.

Despite some improvements that could be made in various areas, I feel that this came out rather well. It's not my favourite project (I doubt anything will ever top Kong in Concert for me), but this was quality. I thank everyone that helped make this a reality. And I'm not even that big a fan of Chrono Trigger (still haven't beaten Lavos, dammit).

[100_PERCENT ROEMER]

If you've heard one Russell Cox piece, you've heard them all, not that that's a bad thing. For such a turning point in the score, The Chrono Trigger seems to lack an emotion that would be needed at this point. Standalone, however, it's a nice song, which may be a little too quiet. The ending helps wrap things up with a sudden burst of sound and energy.

Personally I think the very soft and simple section with just the xylophone (I probably spelled that wrong, and I don't know if it's even that instrument) from 2:18 to 2:33 is a very emotional part of the piece. I only wish it lasted longer.

[sephfire]

As good as the source tune is, Confronting the Mystic fails to do the same thing to the listener. Diving head first into the main tune seemed premature and goes against what the original tune was doing in the first place. In other genres, I'd praise the variation from the original, but for a bombastic orchestral score, the buildup just isn't there. Sorry, sephfire.

I can't argue with you. Such are the limitations of the 2 minute time limit. There are probably ways that such an intro could have been forced in, but as far as "script-adherence" goes, I still stand by my arrangement decisions with this one (mostly).

As long as I'm explaining, I had imagined a lot of the emotional buildup being driven by the scene's pre-fight dialogue. Then the chorus/string buildup would come in just as Magus made it clear that he was about to kill himself some intrusive pre-teens (by lifting his scythe or whatever). Then the music moves straight into the battle. Halfway through, the intensity drops as a resounding BOOM alerts everyone to Lavos's awakening. Then the panicky music at the end plays as everyone tries to escape the huge vortex.

Again, things could definitely have been reworked. If I were to do it all over again, I'd concern myself less with the script and more with service to the source tune. I may eventually create an extended version of the track for OCR submission to do just that, but until then I'm still quite proud of the remix as it is.

BTW, great work everyone. This is definitely a real treat.

[100_PERCENT ROEMER]

Ack, I can't believe I haven't even written a simple "Thank You" yet

So yeah, THANKS!!!

[watkinzez]

As good as the source tune is, Confronting the Mystic fails to do the same thing to the listener. Diving head first into the main tune seemed premature and goes against what the original tune was doing in the first place. In other genres, I'd praise the variation from the original, but for a bombastic orchestral score, the buildup just isn't there. Sorry, sephfire.

I can't argue with you. Such are the limitations of the 2 minute time limit. There are probably ways that such an intro could have been forced in, but as far as "script-adherence" goes, I still stand by my arrangement decisions with this one (mostly).

As long as I'm explaining, I had imagined a lot of the emotional buildup being driven by the scene's pre-fight dialogue. Then the chorus/string buildup would come in just as Magus made it clear that he was about to kill himself some intrusive pre-teens (by lifting his scythe or whatever). Then the music moves straight into the battle. Halfway through, the intensity drops as a resounding BOOM alerts everyone to Lavos's awakening. Then the panicky music at the end plays as everyone tries to escape the huge vortex.

Again, things could definitely have been reworked. If I were to do it all over again, I'd concern myself less with the script and more with service to the source tune. I may eventually create an extended version of the track for OCR submission to do just that, but until then I'm still quite proud of the remix as it is.

BTW, great work everyone. This is definitely a real treat.

Cool. An extended mix would be something to look out for, Magus seems to be a tune everyone overlooks because it's such a good track in the first place (though Unknown's piece on the project was pretty good).

[PLBenjaminZ]

At first I though PLBenjaminZ was the same as Neil Benjamin of Far Away Memories and Tragedy of a Bullet- no big loss, as Denadoro Climb turns out to be a decent spin on the oft covered Wind Scene. Nothing much to say here, as it's what you'd expect in such an arrangement. I'm a little perplexed on why such a source tune was used in this song, however, Underground Sewer being the actual tune played in this section of the game.

Sorry to disappoint you for not being whoever that is lol... I'm just some dumb kid who started trying to remix Chrono Trigger songs last year when out of no where an opportunity to make an orchestral arrangement of one of my favorite games presented itself, so I auditioned and what do you know I got accepted. Denadoro Climb was the fourth arrangement I've ever made in my life (with the audition peice being the third) and the second arrangement I made actually was Underground Sewer, so I didn't think I'd want to arrange the same song twice...

Anyways, great job on the project everyone! It turned out to be a lot better than I expected it to be. My favorite piece by far is A Parting of Ways. It has a lot of feeling to it and I just like the instrumentation for some reason (the bells, but OMG WAS THAT A GUITAR at 2:59!?!? I WISH I COULD'VE USED GUITARS ON MY PIECE LOL!); but mainly the way Unknown protrayed Magus was what made it great to me. I can't wait for the Special Edition now! Remastered tracks and new ones I want more~

eDit: cool 50 posts i'm a dan hibiki now, whatever that is

ps: i like red guitars... and pineapple.

[SirRus]

yeah i heard guitar in unknowns track wtf.. it is definitely one my faves though

[Funky Munky]

I've listened to more of the soudntrack since my last post, and I have one thing to say:

Thank You

Chrono Trigger music is so amazing, and this only boosts my love for the game's music.

I've heard the first song several times now and it still sends chills down my spine...

This will be on my most played list for a long time...

[Ice Dragon]

Wow, this is excellent stuff. I'm big on orchestral music and in fact I have a big 100+ song playlist of orchestral and piano remixes that I really enjoy. I was looking forward to something less aggressive than past site projects such as the Doom and Metroid ones. I really like Chrono Trigger music as well, so overall I was ready for a project like this. This is definitely a well done album.

1. Sephfire – Inciting Incident 3:36
   Excellent, nice introduction. I really liked this.
   
2. Sephfire, SirRus – Morning Sunlight 4:23
   Nice. I'm always a stickler for some good piano. The violins really rocked, I got chills when I listened to this for about the 4th time (I listen to this album in order, and only in order). Still, I wish there were 'more' violins. That is to say, normally I think of an orchestra as having more violins playing. So layering violins might be interesting for this.
   
3. DarkeSword – Blue Skies Over Guardia 4:40
   Not much different from the original that I listen to regularly, but I do notice a difference with the 'clapping'. Even so, I really like this still. Personally though, I wish there were 'more' violins.
   
4. Sleepy Emp – To Lands Unknown 2:06
   Woohoo, I'm digging this. Just way way way too short for me. The complaints about violins in previous mixes doesn't hold for this one, it really sounds like you have a good orchestra-sized team of violinists
   
5. LunarHeart – Darkness Dueling 2:10
   I really like this. I like the pace. Just way way too short, like the last one. I felt like the piano was just getting good and then it stopped
   I heard someone else say that this didn't sound appropriate for a scene in which Chrono & Co. are attacked by a horde of robots. I agree, but I would have expected something more electronic anyway so this works for me. Besides, I didn't read the script so I don't have any preconceived notion about how this should sound Although I did play Chrono Trigger.
   
6. Zas – Lucca's Arrival 3:05
   Excellent. I felt that about half-way through I was entering Bowser's castle, but anyway... I really enjoyed this one. A little on the short side, but not bad.
   
7. Claado Shou – Revelation of Fire 2:21
   I really liked this, certainly a more epic take on the trial theme. I always liked the trial theme. Feels a bit short though.
   
8. Red Omen – Hymn of Valor 3:36
   Me likey. I think you really captured the feeling of valor in this mix. I really enjoyed this and it always seems to capture my attention when I'm listening to this album. It just feels like it ends too abruptly. I was just getting into the horns and bam, they're gone. Could have used being a bit louder, except for that last 35 seconds, that's plenty loud
   
9. Ellywu2 – Frog's Intervention 3:43
   I love the original mix you did a while back, and I love this one just as much. This is even more epic sounding as well, it really captures the feeling I got when I played Chrono Trigger, really awesome. Just one problem. It ends WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too abruptly. WAY WAY WAY to fast. Scary fast.
   
10. PLBenjaminZ – Denadoro Climb 2:31
    This rocks, I really enjoyed this. Just waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too short.
    
11. Ellywu2 – The Masamune 4:09
    This rocks, I listened to the beginning part about a dozen times when Compy Fox gave use a preview of it. Epic almost sounds like an underestimation. Frog's theme kicks butt, and so does this mix. I could use more violins though.
    
12. mv – Darkest Omen 3:41
    This was probably my least favorite mix in this album, sorry to say. Maybe it is the source theme, but I just can't get into this song. I have it among some others of mv's mixes, and I certainly like those others more. The ending seems a bit abrupt as well, same as some other mixes in this album.
    
13. Sephfire – Confronting the Mystic 3:41
    Woo, goose pimples. I love this, but it is just waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too short!
    
14. Blake Perdue – Door to the End of Time 5:34
    I like this, it really does have the End of Time vibe to it at the beginning. The mixture of themes with the End of Time vibe was awesome, it was sort of like everybody was reminiscing about their homes at this point. I really enjoyed this one, kudos.
    
15. SirRus – Manifest Destiny 2:34
    Ah, the zeal theme. A lot of people really like this theme, but I am not as enthusiastic about it as them. Still, this was really good. I think the bass was just a bit too harsh in this one. I had to turn down the bass on my Klipsch 2.1 speakers before the windows blew out . Was a bit short too.
    
16. Ellywu2, Pixietricks – Schala and the Queen 6:34
    The schala theme has definitely gotten some attention among vgmixers. I liked this. I see it as sort of a tribute to the guys that made all this great music in the first place, so I don't mind the Japanese. Plus the singing is really good, very emotional, so only love there.
    Some have complained of a 'karaoke' feel to the vocal parts, but I see it as an internal prayer or song by schala, a monologue of sorts, so therefore the music being softer during the vocal parts seems appropriate to me. Excellent overall.
    
17. Claado Shou – The Third Guru 2:17
    This was alright, no real climax or emotion. Seemed more like an intermission piece to me. Good thing it was short or it would have seemed more like an orchestra/trance mix
    
18. Rellik – Beneath the Surface 3:07
    I like Rellik's past stuff, and this is no different. I really enjoyed this. This did end a bit abruptly, though.
    
19. DarkeSword – The Rising 2:07
    This was alright, it does feel like it leads into the next song a bit though. I can imagine Lavos' rising being ominous, and this gives that feeling perfectly. A bit short, but for this mix it seems appropriate.
    
20. DarkeSword – Crono's Dream 2:23
    This is decent. It seemed a bit repetitive to me, and I didn't enjoy the dissonance as much as others have. Maybe it's because I haven't read the script, but as music without a script is was lacking.
    
21. Russell Cox – The Chrono Trigger 3:27
    This was a bit slow going for me, but it was pretty good getting near the end. It actually had a bit of a music box or lullaby feel to it. I liked it.
    
22. Unknown – A Parting of Ways 4:18
    Unknown is good, always good. This was excellent, I really enjoyed it. The ending was awesome.
    
23. RoeTaKa – The Last Stand 5:33
    This is really good. I do get that feeling that a last stand is going down with the intro, like it's all or nothing. The last quarter was probably my favorite part of this mix. It ended a bit abruptly though.
    
24. Sleepy Emp – The New Beginning 2:54
    Yaaaa, they won! Excellent intro. Like you last mix you make great use of those deep trumpets or horns (I'm not a musician so I can't tell, but it's one of them ). This is kick butt stuff.
    
25. Reuben Kee, Pixietricks – To Far Away Times 3:52
    It's the end? Dang. Well, this was a good ending. Personally, the choice to mix Japanese and English rubs me the wrong way. Someone else said that it seemed pretentious (he seemed to have a chip on his shoulder, not sure why), and I'd have to agree. I think someone was just trying to show off . The Japanese seemed to just barge in uninvited. It was a shock at first to me. I guess one could see it as another tribute, but I don't know...
    

Overall, I say this was an excellent album and was fairly well done. Many of the songs should have definitely been longer, and too many of the songs had abrupt endings. From what I hear, there were time restrictions for at least some of the songs. Bad decision in my opinion. I think the remixers should have been given more flexibility to add that 'personal' touch to their songs to develop and expand the song they remixed a bit more. Also, I think some of the songs could have used a more orchestral feel to them, like with the violins for instance (I commented about this in some of the songs already). I also agree with others that some of these songs where a bit on the dry side, but I imagine trying to make all the songs fit with one concert hall was challenging considering the difference of bass levels in many of the songs (especially with Manifest Destiny).

One of the best albums on this site. Great job everybody, and thanks!

[Alex]

After listening through the entire album, I feel I must register on the forums and express my thanks to everyone involved in the project.

Thank you for such a wonderful Chrono Trigger collection -- this album rocks!

Your talents are truly amazing!

[Jillian Aversa]

Reuben Kee, Pixietricks – To Far Away Times 3:52

It's the end? Dang. Well, this was a good ending. Personally, the choice to mix Japanese and English rubs me the wrong way. Someone else said that it seemed pretentious (he seemed to have a chip on his shoulder, not sure why), and I'd have to agree. I think someone was just trying to show off . The Japanese seemed to just barge in uninvited. It was a shock at first to me. I guess one could see it as another tribute, but I don't know...

I'm sorry you feel that way. The reason Claado Shou thought both Japanese and English would be appropriate is that it is a common occurrence in movie credits, which tend to feature a bilingual pop song. I assure you that it was not pretention on his part; he doesn't even know Japanese. Also, Evilhead did the translation and I sang it because we were asked to. Simple as that. It was meant as a tribute, yes, but moreso just because that's the way things are often done in the business.

[Ice Dragon]

Well, I don't normally watch the ending credits of a movie so I don't normally hear the music at the end either.

If you wanted to do it the 'Japanese way', you'd have done most of it in Japanese and then had one word or phrase in English (Japanese pop seems to do that often). That's something I might have been able to understand As it is this is orchestral, not pop, music so I'm not sure how it fits logically.

To be clear, I meant no offense by my comments. I'm just a lowly listener is all I think every person should be given honest and constructive criticism for the work they do, so I try to do my best in both regards.

[DarkeSword]

[*]DarkeSword – The Rising 2:07

This was alright, it does feel like it leads into the next song a bit though. I can imagine Lavos' rising being ominous, and this gives that feeling perfectly. A bit short, but for this mix it seems appropriate.

[*]DarkeSword – Crono's Dream 2:23

This is decent. It seemed a bit repetitive to me, and I didn't enjoy the dissonance as much as others have. Maybe it's because I haven't read the script, but as music without a script is was lacking.

In my defense (), the project's main idea was 'movie score.' I wrote these tracks to underscore what was happening in the scenes I wrote for; I had the script open while I was composing these.

Doing something in the style of a movie score doesn't automatically mean 'Hollywood quality sounds;' it means accentuating what the audience sees with what the audience hears. That's not to say that movie scores can't or shouldn't be strong melodically, but the approach I took with these two tracks was different than the approach taken when writing standalone tracks.

Actually, it's one of the (very few) things that I don't like about this project; some of the songs try to stand on their own too much rather than strive to be integral with 'the movie;' the most serious offender being Blue Skies Over Guardia! In retrospect, it would have been a better idea to use something more akin to djpretzel's Jethro and Vash at the Fair; if I was watching a CT movie and Blue Skies was playing the whole time that Crono and Marle were at the fair, I'd get sick of it.

In the context of the project's theme of 'movie score,' I think that The Rising and, in particular, Crono's Dream, are successful pieces, and I'm very proud of what I was able to accomplish as far as melding thematic material and invoking certain moods. I'm not an orchestral arranger (despite past arrangements I've done), which is why they're simple pieces, but I think that they're some of my best works in terms of realizing the original intent I composed them with.

[herograw]

afk