OCR04637 - *YES* Final Fantasy 7 "Dreams; Nightmares"

[Liontamer]

Contact Information
Username: H36T
UserID:37144
Website: https://www.youtube.com/@H36TRemasters

Submission Information
Arrangement Game: Final Fantasy VII
Name of Arrangement: Dreams; Nightmares
Song Being Arranged: The Nightmare begins

"How often have you turned through the night. Each turn of your body turns a new page in your dream. The doors to the Dreamworld make no sense and the rooms even less. You can't find your footing though there is something beautiful to it all, something deep, maybe even precious . As the night grows old however things become more...blurry and muffled. Tainted with confusion, your dreams twist and bend. They rot into a vile, distorted mess.

The nightmare...begins."

Qualitatively, that is what the song means to me and was its inspiration. From a more critical standpoint, I've had a lot of feedback back and forth concerning stylistic choices and some of the writing. Especially concerning balance between instruments, usage choice, and the like. Perhaps the biggest controversy was this song originally ended abruptly and later I attached a free sample of a guy waking up (as if waking up from a dream). However, it seemed hit or miss. I always wanted to do something like Dream Theater did with "Pull Me Under" or as I've heard in a few other songs (Utada Hikaru maybe?). Well, for this submission I decided I'll just compromise and fade out instead. Other than that...I think YMMV on the percussion at the end as well. Anywho, hope you enjoy my take on The Nightmare begins.

[Liontamer]

Hearing H36T's arrangement approach is somewhat formulaic, which can sound like a knock against it. It feels like the genreral formula is a melodically conservative structure with relatively similar instrumentation to handle the melody, then lots of textural exploration and expansion via original instrument and vocal clip additions. If you like, you like, if you don't like, you don't like; I can appreciate it.

Basically has an extended intro until the source theme finally comes in at :53.5 and stays in play the rest of the way. The second half from 2:23-on was more interpretive with the added drumming, whispy vocals, tense strings and gradual escalation helped shore this up from an arrangement standpoint. The last 45 seconds were arguably getting more indulgent, but I personally didn't have a problem with it; it helps complete a nice arc.

YES

[MindWanderer]

Structurally conservative, but with a ton of added textures, notably the vocals. I'm a little borderline on whether it's transformative enough, but it sounds great. The second half branches out way more than the first half; I think the last 45 seconds are actually some of the strongest of the piece. I'm happy with it overall.

YES

[prophetik music]

some dense pads initially with noodly voice samples to start. the cello sample here really isn't my thing - the swell on each note sounds extremely artificial to me. the original arpeggiated guitar line comes in at 0:54, and is essentially the same as the original (sounds like a similar key, tempo, instrumentation). there's a lot of textural pad work over top to help mix it up, but the main body of this entire middle section is very much the original's writing. the cello's writing and execution was better around 2:00 mark.

there's a huge build to about 2:24 and some percussion added at this point. i don't know if i'm really feeling the drums, but the 3 over 2 pattern between the drums and arp was interesting. there's more textural elements in here and a lot more exploration in the vibe, which is a neat change. the fadeout ending is a copout imo - a sudden, abrupt waking sound like you described would have been a great bookend to the piece.

i'm on the fence here. the first 50ish seconds are essentially new writing. the middle minute and a half is almost entirely cribbed from the original. the last <2 minutes are solid arrangement work. ultimately i think that the volume of arranged material is high enough that i think this is over the bar, but this is close, and i think that having several tracks in a row with similarly disconnected arrangement methods from the source (ie. layering vocal noodles over top of the original as it was in the track) is not a great method moving forward. i don't think there's much blood left to squeeze from that compositional stone.

i think this is over the bar. the mixing is clear enough, i have no complaints about the mastering, it's got enough arrangement, the parts that don't sound good or are super-basic are balanced well by the more complex work in the latter half of the piece. i'd say this is about as close to no as i could go without getting there though.

 

 

YES

[Emunator]

Count me as one of the judges who’s generally on board with H36T’s style of arrangement, so it’s no surprise that I found myself really enjoying this on multiple fronts. The original writing fits seamlessly into the vibe of the original, even if it is segmented rather discretely into “original” and “cover” sections. 2:07 is a particular moment that really caught my eye, when the low strings harmonize with the cello line. The new drum groove toward the second half of the track leads to some really interesting rhythms. There’s enough moments where your original additions and sound design elevate this beyond just being a cover in my book.

Couple of nitpicks - I loved the tone of the cello and the expressiveness on the sample, but when it was super exposed starting at :31, the legato transitions felt a little choppy. Not as big of a deal once the supporting instrumentation came in to pad things out. I understand why you settled on a fade-out ending, but this one felt particularly weak. Even dropping the drums out and letting the instrumentation fade naturally on a slower curve would have been fine, but this just happens too abruptly. 

Overall, I’m sold here despite a few non-mission-critical reservations. Keep ‘em coming!

YES