Gario Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 Garpocalypse Ryan Davis ryandavismusic.net Game:Final Fantasy Tactics Remix Title: Lets Go To The Tavern And Get Plastered Ramza's Theme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p_V804lz2w Tavern https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1XF8NZudjI Hey folks at OCR. Throughout my time here in the VGM remixing community, Final Fantasy Tactics seems to have been one of those games that many want remixes of yet very few have ever been made. So, in my never ending journey to do styles not often seen in the vgm remix community, I did this Western European influenced Folk Metal ReMix of Ramza's Theme and the Tavern Theme from Final Fantasy Tactics. I absolutely adore the hell out of the game and i wanted to something interesting yet still fit with what was appropriate with the setting of Final Fantasy Tactics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 I... honestly don't know what you were thinking when you aimed for "appropriate with the setting of Final Fantasy Tactics" and came up with this. Interesting, yes--one of the strangest remixes I've come across. Mostly in a good way, but I do have some major concerns. First, the leads are consistently too quiet. The violin is the worst offender, but it's true for the other leads as well (except the vocalizations), especially but not only when the guitar is playing; for a rhythm guitar, it's way too loud in the mix. You need to rebalance your levels so that the lead comes through clearly at all times. Second, your interpretation of the Tavern theme is really liberal. Having been told in advance what the sources were supposed to be, I can pick up on the influence, but you don't use much more than the chord structure. Perhaps other judges will feel the connection more than I do, but I don't hear enough to call this predominantly based on the game music. Some of the note combinations sounded to me liked they clashed, but other judges will be able to give you more detailed feedback about that if I'm not imagining it. Overall this is pretty cool, and I'd love to be able to post it, but I definitely think the levels need adjusting, and I personally would have a hard time justifying the source usage as well. NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonAvenger Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Man, I'm really trying to hear the tavern theme in this, but I'm not really having any success. My guess is that the backing chords are a little inspired by it? If that's the case, the connection isn't really apparent. The treatment of Ramza's theme is pretty fun, though there's a good portion of the mix that feels like it's lacking in source when it's not playing (I assume there's some Tavern I'm not picking up on). The other arrangement/stylistic issue I had was with the vocals that come in later in the track. They feel a bit out of left field, and aren't really in tune. Might be an artistic choice, but I found them to be unneeded and didn't help the track. I didn't have as many mix issues as MW but I can see the issue of the rhythm guitars being a bit too strong overall. I though the leads were pretty clear, especially the recorder that came through just fine. Some minor adjustments there overall, but to me nothing was a huge deal. Foremost to me is that the Tavern source needs to be revamped so it is more apparent, or there needs to be a bit more source used in the sections that the Ramza theme isn't playing. The gaps are a bit too long overall. Fun upbeat take on a pretty sombor game though, hope to hear this again! NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_NutS Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Well, as someone unfamiliar with this soundtrack, I too am having a hard time making the connections. I can hear some connections to Ramza's theme, but even those are pretty interpretative. I didn't take as much issue with the rhythm guitar's balance, although admittedly they could be toned down slightly, it didn't obscure the other elements too much. I actually found some of the continuous cymbal hits did obscure some elements instead. Other than that, I could hear the different elements fairly well. I do have issues with the guitars though, and it's just how static they are. They should be providing energy and drive to the track, but the long sustained chords that go on and on really do nothing for the song. In the sections where there's some dynamism added to the guitars, you can feel how the song instantly gains personality and gets interesting (i.e. 1:22). But for the most part it feels like the guitars are just on autopilot for very long sections of the song. I wasn't a huge fan of the offbeat rhythm used with the woodwinds either, didn't feel very natural to me, specially since you have other woodwinds playing melodies on top of that. Not sure about the vocals brought in later... I don't know how they are supposed to fit thematically into this one. I think this is a good start for an interesting take on these themes, Ryan. But it's not quite there yet. I would like more interesting guitars rhythms that don't feel on autopilot, some trimming out of long-winded sections that don't seem to provide much connection to the sources, and perhaps some re-writing so the connection to your sources is more noticeable. If you want to keep things very interpretative I would suggest providing some breakdown or just pointers on how to spot the sources for us plebs who have never heard the FFT ost before (though I think the other js have heard it before and still had issues making a connection). NO (resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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