OCRA-0006 - Chrono Trigger: Chrono Symphonic

[Zer0]

Cool

[Compyfox]

To those who're interested:

Chrono Symphonic will be featured in next's VG Frequency episode (EP #84, Sat 3/25, 10pm EST) along with interviews and some previously unreleased material that will be available on the upcoming "Special Edition".

I'll talk about some new infos regarding the "Special Edition" in the official Chrono Symphonic Project History thread later. Just gimme a bit to pin down some stuff.

[Zer0]

I can't imagine what kind of crazy expectations some of you guys must have had, but I've been thoroughly enjoying CS since release day. Can't wait for the special edition.

I agree. The music owns and I have listened those tracks almost every day since I downloaded them.

That SE will be awesome!!

[Ikuaod2]

I know a lot of work went into making those tracks. As a whole, I liked them. Though I will agree with some other points that were brought up, the feel and mood to the tracks. Some of them could have been a little stronger, but there were many I enjoyed. So congradulations on the Music, I've been listening to it a lot. Overall it was good, but personaly I thought some could have been stronger. Thanks for the hardwork to produce the music!

[Gadiandi]

Chrono Symphonic is an excellent album! Thanks to everyone who worked on it. There were a few songs that I didn't like much but overall it is top-notch!

I think it would be great if a movie was made to go with the music but that probably won't be happening. Not any time soon anyway.

[The Mutericator]

The only thing I would have done differently is that I would have started out the first track with the clock ticking back and forth like it did in the game, and then built up from there.

Oh, and the final battle track would have been more like the original... crazy, off the wall (but still orchestral) instead of the royal, regal, knight-like version on CS.

But overall, I liked it. Not as much as Bound Together, which I'm still listening to, but it was pretty good.

[Daning]

Oh My God?

I got the shivers from this. It's just too good.

[RepressedChaos]

I really enjoyed the album my friends were asking me if I could burn them copys I cried when it was released in a good kinda way

[Claado Shou]

*sorry for posting bad thread.* so was their ever plans to do a cross section of this? cause it seriously seems half assed to do only one game in a series.

Chrono Symphonic focuses only on Chrono Trigger.

Site Projects work on a game by game basis. Someone (or a group of people) come up with an idea for a project, and foster interest and participation by remixers, artists, and fans.

In other words, if you want a Chrono Cross project, you should try to organize it yourself.

I would, but I have no musical talent other than my turntables.

Who said you needed musical talent?

Well, you at least need to be known and respected in the community for people to follow you... Stick around, grey; maybe sometime.

Interesting you say that, because when I started the project, NO ONE knew who I was. The only thing I had to my name was the TBMC (Theme-Based Mixing Contest) which lasted all of 4 posts and was called a shameless rip on the OVGMC (which I helped zircon organize, but nevermind that...). Everyone except for the remixers just thought I was some dumb*ss trying to make a name for myself (which was half-right...I'll let you decide which half).

So, as long as you can grab their attention, pay no mind to your postcount, or their discourse about your project. If you want it, go and get it. I did.

~.C.S.~

[RepressedChaos]

I'd absolutly love to be part of a remix project but I don't know how to remix period

[Nintendo-GuRu]

Well, seeing as how CT is one of my favorite games, I was more than enthralled to hear that there was a giant remixing project (I was also enthralled to hear about the Chrono Resurection, too bad it was shut down, RIP). I've listened to both the CD's a good 5 times, and I thought I'd throw on my input on each individual song. Some were magnificent, and I also thought that some of the songs were completely murdered. But anyway, lets start going down the list, eh?

*Note* I did look at each song as part of a movie score, not as if I were replaying the game.

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1)Inciting Incident - sephfire, good job man. I really liked the pickup at 1:19, with the addition of the toms. The melody switch at 2:30 was a little cheesy, I felt, but theres really not a whole lot to say. Overall, good job.

2)Morning Sunlight - Another good song. There was a nice little LOTR feel at 1:47 which was pretty cool, and I was really diggin' the piano at 2:04. Good work.

3)Blue Skies Over Gaurdia - Darkesword, you beast. The beginning to this song sent major CHILLS down my spine (I think I may have popped one =/). BUT, even though I loved the intro, I wasn't the biggest fan of the tempo change of the melody (from the original song). I think having it more upbeat really gives it a more sparattic feel, like you're actually at a fair. But the mixing was great, I just couldn't get into it.

4)To Lands Unknown - The pickup at 0:51 was nice. This song definitely had a movie feel, sounded quite professional. Good job, Sleepy.

5)Darkness Dueling - Haha, you pulled a Morrowind intro =P. The piano was GREAT in this song. Very nice addition. And in the larger scale, I think the overall song had a huge Gershwin feel, especially at 0:38. Quite an accomplishment, great job, Lunar.

6)Lucca's Arrival - Meh, an average song. The horns at 1:25 were rather cheesy. It really doesn't do anything for me.

7)Revelation of Fire - Claado, good job. The pick up at 0:35 was great, I could very easily picture the court scene again. But, the drums at the intro of the song were a little iffy, I didn't care for 'em too much. But I did like the song, good job.

8)Hymn of Valor - 0:57 was rad. Nice intro with the snareroll. Though, at times, I couldn't hear the song you were trying to remix... In other words, it felt as though half of it was your own composition. Meh, average.

9)Frog's Intervention - ellywu2, I apologize in advance for my comments on your songs, I really don't have anything against you, I actually like your other work... But anyway, Frog's Intervention. You barely scratched the surface of his theme. I mean, half the song was a giant crescendo into NOTHING. I mean, its very ethereal, it would be good for like Frog getting the Masamune (we'll talk about that one later) but this specific scene would be Frog kicking ass. Song = murdered. Didn't like it very much at all.

10)Denadoro Climb - PLBZ, great job. I was worried that the person who did this song would destroy it (mainly because its one of the prettiest songs in original score) but you did it perfectly. Not too powerful, not too soft, it was the perfect tempo, perfect volume, just a great all around job.

11)The Masamune - *Sigh* I loved the intro. 0:40 was awesome, I could totally picture Frog getting the Masamune for the first time, I swear I got a boner. But... you completely waste a great intro. After 0:40 you get soft a bit... then in 2:30 you come back in with the SAME EXACT THING AS 0:40! I mean, when you actually hit his main theme, its toward the end, and again, its ethereal. The best scene in the game is when Frog cuts the cliff to get into Magus's castle, and this would be the song that would be playing. HIS THEME SHOULD BE PUMPING, IT SHOULD BE BLOWING MY BALL SACK OUT MY BUTT. But no, its nice and soft and bleh. Song = murdered.

12)Darkest Omen - O...M...G... *erection*. Awesome work, by far one of the best songs of the entire score. I could totally picture Chrono, Frog and Marle running through the Black Omen, kicking ass. 2:48 was SO GREAT. With the addition of the vocals, ugh, I loved it. Awesome work, mv.

13)Confronting the Mystic - My two favorite songs of the game: Frog's theme, Magus's theme. I had high expectations of this song (considering you did it, sephfire) and I felt as though I was a little let down. The song was a good song in and of itself, but I was longing for more low end, more power, more... UMPH. It just felt a little empty to me. It was okay, though.

14)Door to the End of Time - Not much to say, Blake, great song. Very professional.

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I'll comment the 2nd CD soon, right now I have to get to Hist. class. Peace~

[Funky Munky]

Loved it. Four up. 10 Gold stars.

[Nintendo-GuRu]

Heres the continuation of my review~

Disc 2

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15)Manifest Destiny - OMGOSH SIRRUS. I lovedddddd the violinnnnn. One of the best songs of the score, by far. Perfect tempo, perfect volume, perfect mastering, perfect mix, ugh, perfect! Loved it. <3

16)Schala and the Queen - Not much to say about this one. I couldn't stand the vocals at 2:07. Ruined the song for me. The rest of the song was average, though.

17)The Third Guru - Claado, I did like this song, I just feel as though it gets very monotonous and repetitive. Good job, though, I felt as though it didn't go anywhere.

18)Beneath the Surface - Another very professional song. I could so easily picture the movie. I loved the pickup at 2:24. I do think that the vocals were very choppy, though. Good job, Rellik.

19)The Rising - Again, I felt as though this song didn't go anywhere. Was rather monotonous, great intro, but from there, not much build. Meh, average.

20)Chrono's Dream - Darke, this was awesome work. I loved the violin at 0:47, and the minor key at 1:38 was cool too. Great work.

21)The Chrono Trigger - Very mellow song, and it did its job well. Nice pickup with Marle's theme at 2:35, Russell. Nice work.

22)A Parting of Ways - 1:02 made me happy. Not much to say here, good job, even though some of it was a tad cheesy.

23)The Last Stand - I liked the intro, nice build. I do think that 1:14 felt very empty though. Once that is over, and the main melody kicks in, the song really picks up. Liked it, nice work RoeTaKa.

24)The New Beginning - This song was great. Nice addition with the town theme at 0:23, and I also liked the addition of the fair theme at 1:01. Decent job, Sleepy.

25) To Far Away Times - 0:00-0:23, "Wow, this is a very pretty intro". 0:24, "Wow, I really hate this song". Maybe its just me, I dunno, I just cannot stand the vocals. She went flat quite a bit, and beyond that, I just... Ugh. Just don't care for it. Meh, so-so work.

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So there you have it. Thats my overall look on the entire project. But, I am no expert, so don't listen to what I say. =P

Thank you to all who worked on the CS, it was and enjoyment (well, mainly).

[zikon]

LOVED IT!! TWO THUMBS UP! GREEN LIGHTS ACROSS THE BOARD!!!

[antacid03]

16)Schala and the Queen - Not much to say about this one. I couldn't stand the vocals at 2:07. Ruined the song for me. The rest of the song was average, though.

I guess I'm a Schala nut, 'cause I love this one. Had to read the lyrics before I got a full grasp on what was going on, but everytime I hear this play...

Thank you, Pixie!

[MajLink]

Yeah it was amazing, chrono trigger is my favorite game of all time, and so i was real happy when everyone of the songs was avle to do the game justice. I could still recognize my favorite tunes, but then at the same time they had a new twist. All in all i loved it. Out of all the songs my personal favorite is a toss up between either track 2 or 3, but still all the others were great!

[Green_Machine]

I'm really excited about listening to this, but at the moment only one person is seeding at a whopping 4kb/sec. Can some more people please seed?

[Claado Shou]

Just, uh, popping in for a sec. Just a tiny second...

...

...to let everyone know that CHRONO SYMPHONIC is now the most-torrented Site Project on OCR, and has NO signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Y'know, thought it might be worth, like, mentioning and stuff.

BTW, I'm in Guam, so Hafa Adai!

~.C.S.~

[John Revoredo]

some mixes are outstanding ( UNKNOWN FOR PRESIDENT!!!, YEAH). However, very few others aren't that good because their orchestra sounds fake . But , i have to confess that i liked it. I wish i could have participated

[mDuo13]

I just wanted to say that, even now, I am continuing to heartily enjoy this project. It is the only OCR project for which I have kept every single track. To everyone who participated: I am impressed. You have continued to prove that Chrono Trigger is the most remixable game ever made.

[DrNeedlove]

Inciting Incident by sephfire.

I could see this as the into to the CT film, as stated how you wanted it to be perceived. The pick up was done nicely as well as the change in tempo. Very nicely done.

Morning Sunlight by sephfire and SirRus

Calming, much like the morning after a great storm. It’s clean and fresh. The incoming piano was abrupt, but overall flowed well with the song. The melody was nice and easy to hear. The bells were a nice addition near the end. Very well done.

Blue Skies Over Guardia by DarkeSword

The transition from “Morning Sunlight” to this song was right on. The upbeat tempo makes this a fun song to listen to. It sounds like what the song is supposed to, a day at the fair. Fun and without a worry in the world. The tempo change was fresh and went well with the song.

To Lands Unknown by Sleepy Emp

Mysterious, dark, the stings are great. At :53 the pickup is done nicely. I am pretty sure that this would work with the part of the game, but to be 100% I would have to see the two together. Overall a nice piece.

Darkness Dueling by LunarHeart

The drums rocked!!! Very nice intro makes me feel like I am in trouble and need to run. This would work very well with the fights done in this part of the game.

Lucca’s Arrival by Zas

The song begins sad. Slow tempo makes you feel that Chrono and Marle are scared and not sure what to do. Not my favorite song, but done well.

Revelation of Fire by Claado Shou

Into was great, the cello was nice. The drums at ~:20 were a nice touch. :036 Here is where I think that the into and the rest of the song don’t mesh. The song from :036 to 1:13 remind me of the imps through out the game. With a little change here and there it could be a solid piece.

Hymn of Valor by Red Omen

Majestic intro, the calm before the storm. Very nicely done until 1:27. Not sure what went the music was saying. Then at 2:00 I could hear the melody again. Then at 2:53 the majestic feel, but some of the notes to me did not fit well. Not bad.

Frog’s Intervention by ellywu2

Sounds like a horror film, not sure the idea you had was put into music well. The changes at :54 were strange. I feel this does not go well with the part, but I might need to see them together. 1:50ish had a majestic feel to it, which I liked. I could feel Frog in this part of the song. At parts you needed to bring out the melody a bit more. The song ended abruptly. Cut out the beginning parts, bring out the melody and have an ending and you have a nice piece.

Denadoro Climb by PLBenjaminz

Very nicely done, fits well with the part of the game. The tempos and volume were done well. A solid piece.

The Masamune by ellywu2

The into was awesome!!! I could see the majestic sword coming together as one. I like the soft melody of Frog’s song, but the overall the part at 1:27 was too quite. My opinion is that you should have kept building this majestic theme. Then at 2:30 you pick back the great work you had at the into. Then quite, but not as before, then Frog’s song into a good ending. With some work this could be one of the best songs.

Darkest Omen by mv

Man you get right to the point. Nice intro. Fast, dark makes me want to run scared. The piano was done nicely. The piano around 1:38 and the choir there after transition well into the slower tempo. The chimes are a nice way to transition back into the dark omen feel. I love the piano again at 2:11 and on. Huge end, the choir again plays well with the feel of the music. A nicely done piece and is becoming one of my favorites on the album.

Confronting the Mystic by sephfire

This is a huge part in the game. The intro was nice, I could see the battle. Then Magus’s music with strings is always nice. The only complaint is the song could have been more. It is nicely done but could be a bit more powerful, maybe adding more of Magus’s theme.

Door to the End of Time by Blake Perdue

The intro was mysterious. Easy to see how the characters feel. The oboe and bassoon version of Frog’s theme at 1:44 was nicely done. Parts of this would also make a great ending theme for a CT movie. A very nice piece.

Manifest Destiny by SirRus

This was a hard song for me to review for I am tainted by Zealous Entropy by Ashane. If you have never heard that mix download it now!!! Now back to the song at hand. The violin was done very well. I could see a symphony playing this song and it goes well with the part of the game. One of the best on the album by far. Nice mix SirRus.

Schala and the Queen by ellywu2 and pixietricks

The intro was a bit slow, but I could see talking being done at this part, more of a background type of music. Ahhh pixietricks, a breath of fresh air into this song. You voice goes well with the music. Ellywu2 did a good job with the tempos and volumes as the words were being sung. 2:55, Magus’s theme, nice. Then a build up to the words, nicely done. Sometimes the music did not flow great, sounded like different songs. The change at 5:33 was nicely done. Very powerful. One of the better songs.

The Third Guru by Claado Shou

The strings are a nice play on the music. The cello was a bit loud and could have served better softer. It made the song repetitive. Quite it down and bring the melody up and you have a decent piece.

Beneath the Surface by Rellik

Powerful. A storm brewing, a fierce battle to take place. Then a calm before the voices are added, a nice transition. The end was great! Very nicely done.

The Rising by DarkeSword

Quick intro, dark, the choir sets the tone. Magus’s theme was done nicely. I could see the darkness in this song, as a story is being told, the truth unfolded. A nice song, then it just ends. Other than that, solid.

Chrono’s Dream by DarkeSword

Morning Sunlight theme was done well at the start, with a twist to show that things are not what they seem. Slowly the change was done to show Chrono seeing the differences. I could see this in the music. Nice.

The Chrono Trigger by Russell Cox

A very relaxing song. Mellow and soft. Then with some dark overtones you shift moods very nicely. A nice piece.

A Parting of Ways by Unknown

The song was done well. Internal struggles, as shown with Magus’s theme. Back and forth. A nice piece that easily gets its idea across. But I expect nothing less from Unknown.

The Last Stand by RoeTaKa

The build up was great. Made me feel how huge the battle to that was about to ensue was. The fast tempo was done well, not to sure at 1:23, did not sound right. Then at 1:40 back on track. I could “see” battle raging on. Lavos vs Chrono and his team. 3:10, a nice transition into the next part of the song. Some parts did not follow each other very well. A decent song.

The New Beginning by Sleepy Emp

The intro is right on here. A mixture of emotions is shown through out this song. Happiness, sadness, joy, excitement, hope. Very nicely done.

To Far Away Time by Reuben Kee and pixietricks

The intro was awesome. Then pixietricks comes in, very nice. Calming. This song could easily be shown as the credits role, and it would keep people in their seats. By far one of my favorites on the entire album.

Overall

This is a great album that should be downloaded by CT fans and those who may not of ever played the game alike. It is easy to get lost in the music and find yourself day dreaming about the parts of the game. An album that should be on everyone’s iPod ® or in their CD case.

[Kholdstare]

Personally, I loved every secon dof it. I just wish there was a little less coverage on frog's theme or magus (seemed kinda like overkill to me) and more on some of the other stuff. Or even if the project was the same but just had a few more tracks from some of the other music. Just my two cents.

Great job though!

[Magus05]

I'm not sure who all this is directed to, hopefully they will see it and know.

Chrono Trigger was the first video game that I ever had a true connection with. The story was so caring, and the characters were so memorable, it's the only game I can still pick up and play at almost any time.

That said, when I stumbled upon this project, I was very excited. I downloaded it, listened to it, and I can honestly say a few things.

1. Everybody involved is extremely talented. No need to name anybody specific; everybody involved should be proud of what they have created. Chrono Trigger was the first game that made me cry, and some of these tracks sent me back to the first time I played this wonderful game.

2. This has got to be the most amazing fan project ever. To take music from a game and recompile it into a modern form is one thing; but to extract the themes of each track and create entirely new songs is just outstanding.

I don't feel like writing an in depth review, I don't think it really fits the project. Is it perfect? Of course not. But neither was the game it was based on and I still loved it.

If I could have one request, it would be to have "To Far Away Times" slightly altered. I don't really like the japanese section of the song. Not knocking the vocalist, her voice is beautiful, I just think it kind of interrupts the song. But that's just my opinion. I realize there is a specific reason it was done, I just thought I'd put that out there.

Anyways, thanks to everybody involved. You have literally given me a bit of my childhood back.

[Luna child]

I'm a fan of Chrono Trigger since the 90's...

I've also been a fan of the OCRemix crew since '04 and been listening to y'all ever since.I enjoy listening to the 'Chrono Symphonic' album during work and class and hope to hear mroe mixes from popular old school games..

I just want to thank the artists who took the time to put together these wonderful mixes.

[SirRus]

Hah, wow as a hardcore CT fan myself, I feel like we have really done a service to CT fans everywhere. This was a spectacular idea - once again gotta give props Claado for the idea and seeing it through. Good job everyone, this is a classic project that I never get tired of listening to from time to time, because the themes are so nostalgic and we all did a great job with our reinterpretations and making them our own.