OCR03161 - *YES* Final Fantasy 2 'A Kingdom Fallen'

[DragonAvenger]

final fantasy 2, overworld theme

this is just a last minute addition to the ff2 project. i had the idea for this remix a few years ago and then i kind of forgot about it. found it recently and shared it with a few people when brandon asked me to finish it for his project. this really isn't the kind of remix i typically make but i have some really fun new sounds courtesy of the chipsounds vst and the refx nexus 2 sid expansion as well as the electronic library for superior 2. i plan on learning these tools and using them more often to change things up a little. you are witnesses at the new birth of sixto sounds mk ii. hope you enjoy my new direction
-------------------

Edited June 18, 2015 by djpretzel

[Liontamer]

Wasn't a huge fan of how the source tune immediately got pushed way back at :08 when the the guitars came in, but as long as that's not a constant thing, that's cool. Interesting approach going for the chiptune-ish leads. Good personalization of the theme at 1:16; it doesn't take much for an artist to just add a little bit of their own flavor while keeping the structure intact; really nice stuff from Juan there.

From 1:50-2:21, I thought the rhythm guitar work ended up sounding a bit flooded. It's not that everything was muddy, not at all for me, but it was mixed in a way where the notes sort of slurred together; some more clarity would have been nice.

Moved over into some original writing at 2:22 with that C64 vibe, followed by soloing at 3:07. 4:03 went back to the source on SID lead. Good stuff overall for the final few minutes; a bit cramped, but excellent energy.

We didn't necessarily need to panel this one, but it's nice to formally comment on this new approach from Sixto. Juan did an awesome job combining the chip leads and influences alongside his signature rock style, and the arrangement's energy just grew and evolved over the course of the 6 1/2 minutes. It's like he's found a new toy, but damned if it didn't sound like he wasn't already familiar with how to put those tools to work. Great stuff!

YES

[DragonAvenger]

My biggest complaint was that the soundscape felt pretty packed a lot of times. Larry's description of flooded is probably the best way I can describe it. It didn't feel muddy, but it did feel like there was just a bit too much going on at times. That being said, the arrangement is very solid and I love the approach and mixture between the different elements going on. Very nice work!

YES

[OceansAndrew]

Not really sure about the mixing on this compared to a lot of Sixto's other stuff, but I think overall it's over the bar on both production and arrangement. Some section it felt like the guitars overall were overpowered by random synth elements (1:18's left panned synth for instance), and the piano was buried so far that I didn't even notice it the first listen through.

The arrangement is solid, with a lot of variation and personalization, and I love the dark snare sound, as well as all the chip stuff.

Needs a bit of tweaking to reach the level of polish of your other stuff, but it's still well above the bar for me.

Yes

[Chimpazilla]

Whoa, interesting combination of instruments here, I'm loving that. I absolutely dig that you transcribed this source to 6/8.

The song has such different flavors all through it. I wish I could hear the piano better after the intro. I love how the leadwork trades off from the piano, to synth, to guitar. Great dynamics, especially in the breakdown from 2:21 to 3:06. Source usage is more than enough, and the track has amazing peronalization. Soloing is dynamite.

Soundscape is packed, for sure, bordering on too busy at times, but it is nice and wide and it works for me. Yes, dat snare. Impressive and enjoyable mix.

YES