Liontamer Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 Artist Name: jnWake Collabing artist: Jabo. So, about the arrangement. I made this for Dwelling of Duels' Final Fantasy month. When the month started I wanted to do something creative and/or obscure, but as soon as I sat down on my keyboards my hands took over and started playing the FFVII Boss theme and I was like "ok, we're gonna do this". After all, as much as I love trying to cover less known stuff, there's also value in taking a popular track and trying to make it your own. Initially, I was going to make this a synth-only cover of the track (to separate it from the usual guitar driven rock approach) and even wrote the entire arrangement like that, but DoD shenanigans led me to eventually recruit Jabo on guitars. We switched some leads from synth to guitar and added some rhytm guitars here and there, which honestly improved the track. It's not straight up metal all the time and instead switches from synth focus and standard metal, which gives it a somewhat unique flair IMO. Anyway, the track eventually placed #3. I got some feedback related to drum volume so I made some changes and that's what you hear now! Source usage: Original track is pretty varied, so I'll try to make a detailed explanation to make judging simpler! Original can be basically separated into 5 sections: A (0:00-0:24) B (0:24-0:41) C (0:41-0:52) D (0:53-1:04) E (1:04-end of loop) Now, for the remix: 0:00-0:30: Based on A. 0:30-0:40: Chord progression from A. 0:41-0:53: Arpeggios from B over different chords. 0:54-1:04: Variation over the second part of B. 1:04-1:32: Variations over A (Jabo snuck JENOVA's melody in here). 1:33-1:55: Solos over the chord progression of A. 1:55-2:18: Riff based on bass from C. 2:18-2:32: Lead from C over a different chord progression. 2:32-2:54: Based on D, changed chord progression again. 2:54-3:17: Main melody from E, changed chord progression again. My fave part of the arrangement! 3:17-3:54: Melody based on the backing strings from E. Ends with arpeggios, just like the original (different arpeggios tho). 3:54-end: Repeat of the intro. Hope you enjoy! Games & Sources: Game: Final Fantasy VII Source: "Fight On!" https://ocremix.org/song/130/fight-on YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_GUWdkJQgw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 intro synths are just what i expected (and wanted, tbh) - i love the organ layered in there. track is pretty loud right off the bat. 0:30's groove shift is great and the guitar lead there is perfect. the arps going into a singing melodic line at 0:41 into 0:54 is very Octavarium-esque. the jenova bit was a clever idea, and continuing to use the triplet-quarter motif through this section does a nice job keeping it moving forward. solos are great and the subsequent ensemble work is a great contrast. 2:18's rising section with new chords was a great idea and again very DT-esque in the methodology. 2:54's a clever shift - both in how you used new chords and in the shift in the beat to a half-time beat for a bit to emphasize the broader scope of the backing parts. there's a recap for an ending and that's that. as expected, this is dope. your arrangements have become a consistent source of fun in the inbox over the last several months. excellent work with a proogy approach that doesn't rely exclusively on DAS CHUGCHUG in the guitars to make something interesting, engaging, and intense. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted December 15, 2023 Author Share Posted December 15, 2023 Opens up with good proggy, synthy energy. This synth line was shrill at times, but no huge deal. The style and textures of the arrangement move around a lot, but it flows well from segment to segment and has fun dynamics. The guitars during 1:21-1:33 were mudding things up a lot, and you notice a lot more clarity after 1:33. Ha, very creative rhythmic change at 2:32; definitely haven't heard the theme approached like this before. 2:54-3:17 was mixed too hot, and I felt like the texture got muddy and cluttered again, as well as having some piericing higher frequencies, but we'll live. Two segments of iffy mixing can't stop this tour de force. Wonderful treatment of the theme, boys! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 I actually find the retro synth approach a little off-putting. Not objectively so, but still. Maybe because I've heard so many remixes of this exact track using that same approach. The organ in particular is overused. I also have a problem with one of the percussive synths you used, first at 0:30, exposed in 0:52-0:58. Sort of a cross between a chime and a hat. It has a crazy long tail that sometimes gets sustained for several seconds, and it just turns into a wash of high-frequency white noise for me. It's really irritating. That's probably just my old man ears, though; I imagine it won't bug most listeners. Otherwise, this is a perfectly serviceable take on this track. Lots of interpretation, lots of original content, never loses track of the source material. I particularly liked the ending, starting at 2:54, that messed with the harmonies. It's a little busy but not in a way that obscures anything that I could pick out. Good stuff, which I'm sure a lot of fans will enjoy. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexy Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 Your detailed source breakdown was helpful and helped me appreciate your arrangement craft big time. This approach broke down the individual segments of the theme and built upon each one in turn, all with a charcuterie board of concepts and interpretations. You've got parts where you overlay the melody over different chord structures, the sneaky Jenova cameo, a couple of sections where you kept the chord progression of the segments but went into brief noodling, and then you caught me off-guard from 2:32 with two key signature changes in a row - first into 7/4 for the D section twist, and then into straight 4/4 rather than 12/8 for the dive into the E section at 2:54. I'm very impressed with your scale of twisting the source while maintaining a solid structure overall. It's also a well-mixed track overall, with clean performances throughout. I sensed some great guitar tones from Jabo's side, beefy Hammond organ action, and plenty of layered synth instrumentation complimenting each other. The lead saw wave does sound exposed when alone, but when noodling for solos, there was enough done with pitch bends and modulation to make it feel fuller. The same applies to your snare tone, but it's not to the point where it's overlapping with anything or poking through the landscape. Here, the entire production line wanted to sound like 90s-era Dream Theater, to fantastic results - and I can roll with it. You got my approval, you two! It's a fun prog twist on a classic battle theme - mad props! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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