From the Bottom of Night ~Chrono Trigger Remix~

[Cyril the Wolf]

Alright, here we go. I had an idea long ago for remixing the "sad theme" from Chrono Trigger (titled At the Bottom of Night on the soundtrack) though for some reason I thought it was titled Endless Nights, so I wrote out some lyrics.

After much deliberation I decided that this would be great as a power ballad, or even a jazz ballad style song so I cast in in that role. This WIP copy is purely acoustic with a lead acoustic guitar, the chords and my voice (please tell me if it sucks)

I am looking for suggestions, based upon the arrangement of the melody and the form, please. If those fundamental things are all good with you guys as they seem to be to me, then I will go ahead and add the other fluffy stuffs... and you know, mic the guitar instead of direct lining it.

MIDI of Original

"Endless Nights"

[Minyobi]

If it means anything to you, it almost seems as if you are parodying power ballads in this song. If this was done on purpose, then everything is fine, vocally. If you are being serious about the ballad, you really need to record those vocals again.

When the vocals first started, I honestly thought that they were being played in reverse.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I really don't think the vocals are the problem. The problem is everything else. You are fairly well on-pitch, and I like the tone of your voice. These vocals would work great in the right context.

But this isn't the right context, at least not in its current state. The guitars have WAAAAAAAAAY too much high-end (though that's probably just due to recording with a piezo instead of miking it). The guitars are very heavy in the most crucial frequency range for vocals, so all we can hear is the other stuff. The vocals seem to lack clarity, but I think that's just because the guitars are covering up that key frequency range.

I think a fuller soundscape with quiter guitars (miked instead of piezo'd) would help a lot. Bring in some other instruments to fill things in. Also, I'd double the guitars and pan them to opposite sides.

[DragonAvenger]

I find this interesting, because I have lyrics written for At the Bottom of Night myself, and I went into a completely different direction lyrically (I think, it's kinda hard for me to make out the words). Could you post your lyrics? It makes things easier for me.

I'm planning on getting a jazz combo (live or otherwise) for my background, so go power ballad! (Just kidding, do what you want, of course)

You've got a good start with this, though you do have some ways to go. There are some spots that need work with the vocals. The beginning comes to mind because it's a sudden entrance, and as Minyobi said, you really can't make out what you're saying since it's so low. Aside from the fine tuning, I think you have a good voice and you can decently pull this off. Keep working on it.

[Cyril the Wolf]

Okay guys. It's been a couple days. Thanks for all your reviews, it really helped me mold the way I was gonna do this. Of course I was going to always mic the guitars. But doubling the acoustic strumming was something I didn't think of, so thanks Geoffrey Taucer for that great suggestion.

This is still a wip, duh. Not finished at all. I have to think of a small solo for the intro (or just the beginning two notes and creatively fade out) and of course FINISH THE SONG!

However, this is the idea I have, I really like how it turned out. This is also a rough mix, so it may not be perfect. I think the drums are a touch two loud and the chorus Electric guitar part could come up a little. Also my vocals are far from final, I am still unhappy with my performance. Also, just in case I tweak them, I'm not gonna post the lyrics, hopefully you can get an idea about that.

Thanks for all the help and enjoy!

Endless Nights Demo 1