Final Fantasy VIII: Collision Course - History

[jnWake]

3 hours ago, Ivan Hakštok said:

Ok, I wrote a quick post this morning because I needed to go to work, here's a longer post:

A good remix of Force Your Way doesn't exist...yet. The Black Mages version is awful, and the Dissidia Duodecim version doesn't utilize the good points of the theme. There are a few decent ones on Youtube by random people. But none of them is creative enough. The theme has a few awesome elements that are under-utilized even in the actual theme, and that's one of the reasons I don't like Nobuo's compositions and why I rarely remix FF. But I'll make an exception this time because FF8 is the most fun FF game next to FF12 (and FFX-2 if you count spinoffs).

What I had in mind will probably require a massive collab. I'll post the exact details once I'm done with a midi arrangement. Force Your Way is by far the best boss theme in the whole FF series (even though, like I said, Nobuo fucked it up), and it deserves treatment as such.

Get ready.

You know what to do if you need synths

That actually goes for everybody but I'm not sure if many people are interested in a keyboard player that's easily replaced by VSTs haha.

[Brandon Strader]

11 hours ago, HeavenWraith said:

I'd like to get my hands on "Liberi Fatali", in case it's still available. Will probably be challenging, but I think it'll be lots of fun to work on that source.

7 hours ago, Gario said:

Y'know, Liberi Fatali is a very crucial track for the album. I think making it into a super collab centerpiece for the album would be a very good idea (something like Black Metamorphosis for the FFVII album years back). I may regret it later, but I'd be super on board with helping on a collaboration of that nature for that track, Heaven permitting.

I wanted to be fair to HeavenWraith which is why I gave him the claim -- he had a few mixposts, so that was all on the up and up.. however I am now agreeing with Gario. Something big needs to be arranged for the opening just as something big for the ending would be ideal. I am hoping HeavenWraith isn't upset or offended by the idea of leaving it open to get some form of mega-collab going. I'd like to hear back from HeavenWraith about his thoughts on this, hopefully he is still checking the forum!

9 hours ago, Amphibious said:

Well friggin' jeez all the good ones got claimed overnight! (Well, the rest are good too but speak less to me)

Hey throw me down for "Maybe I'm a Lion", that's a rad track, though I'll have to try to do a version that's not like the Black Mages version

Hahah... I hope you know what you're getting yourself into! Though certainly making a version different than what has already been done and what is implied (i.e. heavy metal) would probably be a good thing. But it still has to be excelsior.  

8 hours ago, MindWanderer said:

Heh, could have sworn Brandon said he was done doing albums after FFIII.  Glad he changed his mind, though!  This is shaping up to be one hell of a tracklist already.

(Was kind of hoping someone could finagle him into doing an FFMQ rock album next, but this is probably even better.)

I did say FF3 would be my last big project, but I guess I couldn't let the suckers go. (projects or OCR, you decide )
Also not a huge fan of FFMQ or finagling In reality this very well could be my last BIG project though, since these take 2-3 years.. can I see myself doing this in 2020? That's the question. Either way, let's make this one really really good, and hopefully some other people come out of the woodwork and say "you know what, I think I'll do FFX right now" then we can do both. 

8 hours ago, OA said:

ill sign up for Ride On

OA! Yes! I was wondering when/if this might/ could possibly happen! I am so happy it is!

 

7 hours ago, zykO said:

gimme silence and motion or compression of time or both

I'll give you both but then I'm claiming "Trust Me" before it gets snapped up by some greedy dude who tries to claim 3 things.  

Just to add on to the end of this, I am AMAZED at the response to this over a 24 hour period... people still love FF8 and Nobuo Uematsu! Even the second half got filled up, hahaha!!! I hope you guys maintain that momentum and I don't have to claim more than 2, although I would really like to, it's about time we get an album going where I don't gotta fill in the blanks!

[DragonAvenger]

Don't have a recording set up JUST yet, but I'd be interested in doing vocals if someone needs them.

[XPRTNovice]

Waltz for the Moon and Drifting please

I'm up for collab on my instruments too. SAx clarinet guitar piano vocals some trumpet mandolin kazoo

[Brandon Strader]

Just now, XPRTNovice said:

Waltz for the Moon and Drifting please

I'm up for collab on my instruments too. SAx clarinet guitar piano vocals some trumpet mandolin kazoo

Wow! You got it, Joe! I am particularly excited what you do with Waltz for the Moon, but also Drifting should be a pleasant surprise as well, very good songs and I know you will do a great job with them. Sorry I'm out of likes, they seem to not refresh per day but instead 24 hours later from when you last used one.. but I'll get all the likes handed out eventually

[Gario]

16 hours ago, Sam Ascher-Weiss said:

give me "the castle" thank you

YESSSSS yes yes yes yes

No amounts of likes can go out to this that would ever do it justice.

OH by the way if anyone needs any chiptunage for a track they're doing I will be very happy to contribute. I mean, Sam won't need it, of course, but if anyone else needs some chippin' for their studio, my chops are killer.

[Brandon Strader]

8 hours ago, Wiesty said:

How about a remix of Mods de Chocobo by all the forum moderators.

I asked them in an email about this but as awesome as it would be, I say don't get your hopes up...  

[Sagnewshreds]

I'm pretty surprised that Breezy isn't on this list. Looking forward to seeing what other tracks people claim that also aren't on the list. But I do hope someone does a nice Breezy remix

[zykO]

6 hours ago, Brandon Strader said:

 

I'll give you both but then I'm claiming "Trust Me" before it gets snapped up by some greedy dude who tries to claim 3 things.  

 

 

oh you mean like how it just begs to be arranged with  the other two? it's ok, i'm not greedy  

[Eino Keskitalo]

Nice going! I appreciate the invite, but being swamped with other tracks to finish (and having no personal connection whatsoever to this particular FF) I won't be claiming at this point. Doesn't feel necessary at this rate!

[Brandon Strader]

Throwing this out for someone to take, but "Wounded" in the style of this song (with vocals!) would be amazing!

 

 

 

A lot of the stuff that's not included in the tracklisting is overly militaristic, or stuff that repeats on central themes or motifs that are already included in the tracklist, for example, "Where I Belong" despite having an awesome intro section, then just goes directly into the Balamb Garden melody... that comes up so often in the OST. "Love Grows" is another example, it's a great theme but it's basically "Eyes On Me', technically "Waltz for the Moon" is too. That's why a lot of those themes aren't included even though it'd be awesome to cover them, it would just end up being too much of the same theme. 

But there's a lot that isn't listed that could still be remixed... and hey, with the right idea, maybe someone could even cover one of these themes that is just a rearrangement of existing themes if done right. 

[Wiesty]

Very excited for this...not only did I get one of my favourite tracks of all time before it was snatched up...but I'm hoping to get the jazz collective involed as well. So great to see such enthusiasm for a game that is commonly regarded as a flop by critics. The ost on this game is second to none. 

[Chris Porter Music]

Thanks for putting me down for "Blue Fields". Really looking forward to this project!

[Chernabogue]

Brandon, I'm pretty sure you may complete the tracklist in the OP at this point. Let's remix all the songs!

[HeavenWraith]

Oh boy, there's a lot to address...

I'm still in progress of ordering my thoughts and ideas for the Liberi Fatali remix so apologies if it's just incoherent blabbing, but I will try to convey what I have so far. The style of choice would be my usual symphonic metal (with experience from these four remixed tracks - putting this out here just in case someone looks at my posted mixes and thinks "I can see metal alright, but absolutely no symphony") with more emphasis on the symphonic part (including full orchestra and four voice choir) and I was planning to stick closer to the source this time around instead of going hipster with the source as I usually do. A rough layout of the song I have at the particular moment is this:

1. A rather drawn out ominous and menacing orchestral/choral intro build-up with lots of references to the source, slow chord progression with dissonances (particularly in brass).
2. Guitars/drums/bass come in, tempo picks up, this part is more of a cover/rearrangement of the source with alterations.
3. A bridge section with various instruments exchanging melodic and con bravura solo sections? Not entirely sure, haven't thought too much about this yet.
4. Reprise (see point #2), leading to climax.
5. A rather sudden drop in energy (just like the source tune on its final chord), orchestra closes off the piece.

I am very welcoming to the idea of collaboration because, frankly, this is a very ambitious source to work on plus things I have in mind will require a ton of effort to pull off, so division of work would help a lot. There are a lot of things to do, and just to list a few...

• Composition - I imagine this would be a rather step by step process where people can listen to drafts, give feedback and improve the piece.
• Orchestra - I am using EWQL orchestral VST, which is sufficient, but there may be better alternatives that other people have. Additionally, if there's someone, who has a lot of experience in orchestral articulation and humanization, his/her input would be invaluable and make the piece a lot livelier.
• Choirs - again, I an using EWQL symphonic choirs, but I bet there are great voices out there to fill the role. Or just better choral VSTs.
• Drummers/bassists - both of these I usually have programmed, which is sufficient in most cases, but it's always better to have live recordings.
• Guitars - guitar is one of my main instruments, but there's really a lot of stuff to record, including double-tracking, solos, solo backings, dives, clean chords and arpeggios, etc. etc.
• Mixing/mastering - while I enjoy the challenge and I was getting the hang of symphonic metal mixing recently, it's a huge load of work and require hours to get it right without pushing important instruments into obscurity, I'd be very happy if someone helped out with this.

Ultimately, we would need some kind of place to chat and polish ideas, like an IRC channel, but that can easily be arranged at any point.

Let me know what you think of this plan. Currently I'm on holiday abroad until the 10th and might not be checking for replies every day, so bear with me.

[Brandon Strader]

Plan seems good, but I think a thread in the subforum would be better than outdated IRC! Definitely need that live bass but you can get by with programmed drums. EWQL I like the SO percussion and the choirs are good, but I'd look elsewhere for the strings/violins, like LASS. The brass might be passable but there are better options, I personally don't have them though. 

This would make a great collab and would be the perfect opportunity for one, for something big. Hopefully we can sort that out. 

Not sure whether it would include writing to a midi, or compiling different peoples' midi writing based on a central tempo and key... but it'll be interesting to figure it out, and having a thread on the subforum will help a lot with accomplishing that, and we will get that sorted out

There's really only 4 left to claim?  

[audio fidelity]

19 hours ago, HeavenWraith said:

Oh boy, there's a lot to address...

I'm still in progress of ordering my thoughts and ideas for the Liberi Fatali remix so apologies if it's just incoherent blabbing, but I will try to convey what I have so far. The style of choice would be my usual symphonic metal (with experience from these four remixed tracks - putting this out here just in case someone looks at my posted mixes and thinks "I can see metal alright, but absolutely no symphony") with more emphasis on the symphonic part (including full orchestra and four voice choir) and I was planning to stick closer to the source this time around instead of going hipster with the source as I usually do. A rough layout of the song I have at the particular moment is this:

1. A rather drawn out ominous and menacing orchestral/choral intro build-up with lots of references to the source, slow chord progression with dissonances (particularly in brass).
2. Guitars/drums/bass come in, tempo picks up, this part is more of a cover/rearrangement of the source with alterations.
3. A bridge section with various instruments exchanging melodic and con bravura solo sections? Not entirely sure, haven't thought too much about this yet.
4. Reprise (see point #2), leading to climax.
5. A rather sudden drop in energy (just like the source tune on its final chord), orchestra closes off the piece.

I am very welcoming to the idea of collaboration because, frankly, this is a very ambitious source to work on plus things I have in mind will require a ton of effort to pull off, so division of work would help a lot. There are a lot of things to do, and just to list a few...

• Composition - I imagine this would be a rather step by step process where people can listen to drafts, give feedback and improve the piece.
• Orchestra - I am using EWQL orchestral VST, which is sufficient, but there may be better alternatives that other people have. Additionally, if there's someone, who has a lot of experience in orchestral articulation and humanization, his/her input would be invaluable and make the piece a lot livelier.
• Choirs - again, I an using EWQL symphonic choirs, but I bet there are great voices out there to fill the role. Or just better choral VSTs.
• Drummers/bassists - both of these I usually have programmed, which is sufficient in most cases, but it's always better to have live recordings.
• Guitars - guitar is one of my main instruments, but there's really a lot of stuff to record, including double-tracking, solos, solo backings, dives, clean chords and arpeggios, etc. etc.
• Mixing/mastering - while I enjoy the challenge and I was getting the hang of symphonic metal mixing recently, it's a huge load of work and require hours to get it right without pushing important instruments into obscurity, I'd be very happy if someone helped out with this.

Ultimately, we would need some kind of place to chat and polish ideas, like an IRC channel, but that can easily be arranged at any point.

Let me know what you think of this plan. Currently I'm on holiday abroad until the 10th and might not be checking for replies every day, so bear with me.

I haven't heard your work till now. I gotta say I really enjoy the progressive nature of it. Very cool ideas. I will be up for helping you with mixing, drum programming, and bass. I'll let you take lead and just give you feedback. But I'll be picky to get this right and we'll take this track to the next level. Liberi Fatali is such a critical track for the soundtrack, so its gotta be good. I can reamp your tracks so if you'll keep the dry recordings as well and that can give us options. I could do the same with orchestra, but you should just blend it how you like it. EWQLS should be fine enough but don't commit the ambiance. I'm not sure if they give multi mic placements only with the more expensive libraries. I can give you a lot of criticism on orchestration. In a rock format hinged on sounding contemporary though you really don't need the theory as much as much as an ear for what sounds right because so much gets lost in the mix. Feel free to message me with your thoughts and we can connect.

[audio fidelity]

Also need to say how I love how OA took "Ride On" its under the radar from the rest of the track but always stood out to me. Fun track.

[Brandon Strader]

OA is Ride On

[Careless]

Just wanted to say a quick thanks for letting me be involved. This is my first time being involved in an OC Remix project and I'm quite excited!

[zykO]

i'm just gonna do somethin really weird, somewhat zykotik and all zykedelik with Silence and motion

compression of time is going to be uncompressed and refashioned with a tub of verb and tea leaves

the combined effect will be similar to the effect the plastic bag has on the dumb weiner in strader's sig

[Brandon Strader]

I'm really excited, and I want to get some opinions on a WIP date. I don't want it to be so soon that a bunch of people start dropping out, but not so far away that this stretches into 2019. 

A good starting point would be to ask current remixers who signed on what works for them. Some people have already started which is awesome, but not everyone can do that. 

 

 

Or uhhh.. don't mind me.. I didn't say anything... 

Edited February 4, 2016 by Brandon Strader

[Hipnotyk]

I would like to be a part of this.  Long time musician, but I've finally got my feet wet with production over the last 8 months (4 of which I was finishing up college).  I just recently participated in the Materia Collective FF8 project, contributing covers of Never Look Back and Movin':

If this is sufficient for me to pass the audition, I would like to tackle Lunatic Pandora and The Salt Flats.

[starlight buffalo]

i saw this retweeted on twitter. i had done a quick cover of Balamb Garden last year for a friend, and came to see how things were shaping up. i'll be interested to hear some of the work for this. it would be nice to try to participate, but time is unfortunate and little. 

i had thought it might have been nice to revisit this and possibly expand on it (Balamb Garden ~SeeDs of the Future~), so i'm a bit jealous of the people who claimed it! but super eager to see what they do with it!

if i find any substantial time, i'll check occasionally to see if there are any lingering tracks. good luck everyone!

 

[David Kiraeth]

I made this overture remix 2 months ago. Surely not enough for your standards quality but I could work again on it in order to make it better!