Liontamer Posted January 19, 2007 Share Posted January 19, 2007 Contact info * ReMixer name: Uboichi * Real name: Uub Jacobson * E-mail: uubjacobson@quicknet.nl ReMix info * Game: Final Fantasy X * Song Remixed: To Zanarkand Ever imagined how Final Fantasy X would’ve ended if Yuna did summon the final Aeon? I did. 5 years ago I wanted to make an orchestral version of To Zanarkand which would fit the sequence of that summoning. I based it on the way I played to Zanarkand on the piano back then. That was a big mistake. Really. The way I played it, that is. I didn’t know how to read notes, so I played the piece totally wrong. Also the original version of the mix turned out all wrong and ended up as a piano quartet. On top of that I played it in F# minor instead of E minor. 5 years later I listened to it again and thought I could make it better this time. Armed with better hardware, software and more experience I restarted the project. I left most of the piano parts intact and the piece is still in F# minor (stupid mistake -.-). So here it is. I hope you enjoy my big mistake. Uub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vig Posted January 25, 2007 Share Posted January 25, 2007 I hope you enjoy my big mistake. I'm quivering with anticipation. With an introduction like that, it must be a good track. The arrangement is very creative and evocative at times. Certainly a different spin on a popular track. The samples arent great, but they usually don't hurt. There are times when the string attacks are too slow for the part, and this sticks out. The first 2:00 is original material, with harmonic allusions to the original. This whole section is pretty strong. Then the track mellows out a bit, which kind of drags. I like how the melody is not the focal point of the mix. a lot of emphasis on harmony. However this technique is overdone, and the track sort of meanders without destination. However, overall the track has good dynamics. some of the lines arent well-written, lots of parallel octaves and such. I'm on the line on this one. I'll decide later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted February 11, 2007 Author Share Posted February 11, 2007 http://www.tzone.org/~llin/psf/packs2/FFX_psf2.rar - 102 "In Zanarkand" The tense opening certainly caught my ear. The samples were pretty serviceable, though the articulations on everything need work. Piano takes center stage at :53 with some beautiful, delicate stuff; performance sounds a little rigid, but the textures are pretty good regardless. 1:45 goes for some liberal arrangement of the source before going to the melody proper at 2:03. Didn't recognize anything from the source until 2:03, though the key change compared to the original seemed kind of pointless. In terms of dynamic contrast, the piece started coming up empty around 2:23 when, no matter what the instrumentation changes were, the intensity felt the same (the brass from 2:51-2:59 being the only exception, and even then, the samples sounded pretty thin). Brass at 3:52 was a pretty bad offender, the tone sounded more like an e-violin for whatever reason; do I have my signals crossed? I agreed with Jesse about the arrangement meandering around too much. The writing definitely needs more direction and better dynamic contrast built in. Closing section at 4:54 was pretty lacking, given how thin and mechanical the piano sounded. This a great base, but the "performance" need to be humanized more effectively, the samples need more meat on 'em, and the arrangement needs more substance both in terms of dynamics and direction. Definitely keep working on this one though, Uub. NO (rework/resubmit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Orichalcon Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 That intro sounds like a mix between the ending theme from Final Fantasy VIII and something from Edward Scissorhands. The mix itself is quite dull. I don't understand why you'd try to remix this piece in this orchestral style when there's already a mix on the soundtrack that does it far more professionally (Disc 4 - Ending Theme.) This is all right for a fun arrangement. But the samples are cack for the type of emotion you're trying to convey, and the arrangement drags on rather than reaching any real climax. Things get thicker around the 4:40 mark, but it's still the same poor samples ruining it. I hate to piss on a decent arrangement just because of samples. But with orchestral pieces, you either have to do a superb job with the bad samples, or get better samples. There's just no way around it. NO from me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 A lot of the samples here really don't sound too bad, really. The strings and piano for example sound quite good. I think the writing is the problem. Even with great samples if you don't write something interesting and dynamic for them to play... it's going to sound lame. Considering orchestration is something that some people study their whole lives it's not an easy task, and even the best samples won't fix a lack of practice, knowledge, or skill in that area. The arrangement of this mix is good in that it does do a lot with the original. The interpretation is clearly there. But the execution is lacking. As I said, I think the samples are easily good enough (they sound much better than free samples, which we pass regularly) and that the actual writing is the problem. The level of humanization is good enough, and the texture works.. there are no real problems per se. However as Larry and Vig noted, the piece just meanders. There's no real direction. The introduction was promising but it simply had no interest after that. You need more. I can't really give any specific advice on how to improve upon it besides just making the overall structure more interesting. NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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