ReMix:Final Fantasy VIII "Realization" 5:29

By Heath Morris

Arranging the music of one song...

"Truth"

Primary Game: Final Fantasy VIII (Square , 1999, PS1), music by Nobuo Uematsu

Posted 2008-02-09, evaluated by the judges panel


Though critically well-received at the time, FF8 doesn't seem to have aged as well as its immediate predecessor, or enjoyed as much fandom or creation of auxiliary works. It's interesting; I remember trying to play it at the time and being entirely put off by the complexity of some of the menuing and combat options. I know you hardcore (and even mediumcore) RPG guys and gals out there love this stuff, but I actually think Square could get some new fans by reviving the essential concept of Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest - in other words, RPGs for dummies. Seriously, I love the exploratory nature of RPGs, the storytelling, and of course the excellent music, but I don't have the patience, time, or interest to micromanage character upgrades and/or inventory that involves thousands of options, millions of permutations, and - most importantly - abundant free time. The soundtrack for VIII, however, is a different story; most of the tracks are very accessible, and Eyes on Me in particular is a classic, and also one of the best-selling VGM singles of all time. Siamey gives us an interesting trance-oscillating-with-orchestral take on Truth, a piece less familiar but still very solid. Larry gives us the play-by-play:

"Nice intro keeping the instrumentation style of the original melody but beefing it up as well the trance elements surrounding things. Hit the source's chorus at 1:35 for a nice change of pace. I thought the oboes were all good myself. Moved back into the trance groove at 2:51 before the source melody returned at 3:18, albeit pretty low in volume to me. Nothing wrong with it playing second fiddle until 3:33. Nice variations on the chorus at 3:32 to keep everything fresh. Definitely enjoyed the writing of 4:54's final section for the close. I was feeling all of the sound choices involved. Good stuff all around. Solid production, dynamics, and sound variation, complimenting a creative, well-developed arrangement."

Essentially you've got Heath's HQ trance style dodging in and out of orchestral breaks, which prevents the piece from being danceable non-stop, but also makes it far more interesting. 2'10", with the rising and falling melody finally breaking into full stride, is pretty darn catchy. I really think the ReMixer did a good job on ALL the transitions - things slide in and out on cues that seem very natural. Making these types of changeups sound natural is hard work, though, and Morris did an A+ job of handling that aspect. The source material lends itself well to a trance arrangement, and the production is definitely smooth. It does feel at times that things are a little left-heavy, with the majority of stronger elements leaning to that side of the stereo spectrum, but it's far from blatant and doesn't significantly affect the overall mix. This is one of the more accessible and solidly produced FF8 ReMixes out there, and our first trance coverage of the game's score in quite awhile; great work from Siamey that infuses his staple genre with symphonic instrumentation for an enjoyable and compelling end result.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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DimeTower
on 2015-03-06 01:09:46

I was very impressed at how well this song adapted to trance! I don't care if it's 7 years later, it's the first time I've heard the song... and it brought me a smile. :)

Well done!

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Lucentas
on 2008-12-06 22:02:34

A very awesome mix, each element is handled so fluidly.

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Radiowar
on 2008-03-24 19:54:07

I wasn't really into this at first, but it's really grown on me. I think I like it even more than Highwind Throwdown and that was a great song. Definitely among the best trance on OCR.

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Martin Penwald
on 2008-02-22 16:47:19

Good, straight unts. Really diggin' the breakdowns.

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windkirby
on 2008-02-16 16:54:16

Just plain awesome. I love this mix! The only one small beef I have is that the format ABAB seems to give a little too much to the second part when it's the first one's harpsichord that gets stuck in my head. Still great, though!

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Sole Signal
on 2008-02-15 18:13:46

Very cool. Nice clean mix, with esp good bass work.

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OA
on 2008-02-11 11:41:52

Great variation on this, it progresses really well and stay interesting throughout. The sounds used all fit together well, though I do agree with Palpable on the piercing quality of the harpsichord (which is still a really cool sound, it works well, it's just a little hard on me), and the thinness of the oboe. Nothing worth sweating, really. The beats are fantastic, and the gated synths are perfect.

Speaking of gated synths, I was kindof hoping for some during the oboe breakdown to keep the rhythm intact a bit more. I totally understand dropping the beats, but rhythmically it sortof stopped a bit too much. Great chance to catch your breath before starting up again. :-)

I've always been a fan of your style, and this one takes all of the good and mixes it with a very nice arrangement. Great work dude. :-)

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Dectilon
on 2008-02-11 05:31:17

"...but I actually think Square could get some new fans by reviving the essential concept of Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest - in other words, RPGs for dummies."

FF:MQ bombed far more than FF8 ;)

As for the track, I thought it sounded a bit uninspired at first until it changed gears so to speak. ^^ Now I just think it's awesome!

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Fishy
on 2008-02-10 12:09:40

I finally completed this game the other week, so I enjoyed this even more then I would have. FF8 needs more remixes, a very enjoyable soundtrack if a little short.

Boom-tiss with class. gg Heath.

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siven7
on 2008-02-09 21:44:10

Awesome mix - I really like the bass groove throughout the whole thing. I find it a little bit on the long side, but it's never boring or uninteresting. Really nice work!

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Jewbei
on 2008-02-09 19:59:18

I really enjoyed this mix Siam...good shit its always good hearing fresh music from you. congrats and keep at it!

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Jaybell
on 2008-02-09 19:32:03

I do enjoy some straight up unts once in a while, and this certainly feeds me my daily recommended dose of unts. My only complaint about unts is that it gets kind of repetitive? But, since that's kind of the point with unts, so it works.

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Platonist
on 2008-02-09 18:30:05
totally rad!

haha! nice attitude bro :mrgreen:

and yes i agree, really nice track! this goes on to my s-e-walkman-phone thingy ! :nicework:

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Siamey
on 2008-02-09 18:13:21

totally rad!

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djpretzel
on 2008-02-09 15:25:58

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Final Fantasy VIII (Square , 1999, PS1)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu
Songs:
"Truth"

Tags (3)


Genre:
Trance
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Synth
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Final_Fantasy_8_Realization_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,351,173 bytes
MD5:
7ea5eea4e0b66549e762ff83140f1520
Bitrate:
128Kbps
Duration:
5:29

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