ReMix:Chrono Trigger "Close Door All Way" 6:43

By Star Salzman

piano strings synth duration-long

Arranging the music of one song...

"Sealed Door"

Primary Game: Chrono Trigger (Square , 1995, SNES), music by Nobuo Uematsu, Noriko Matsueda, Yasunori Mitsuda

Posted 2009-02-17, evaluated by djpretzel

Star Salzman himself writes:

"Following up the last remix that I made (Forever until tomorrow) proved to be really difficult because I kept thinking folks would judge me for a decrease in quality. So I decided to stop caring about that and write something fun instead of “totally awesome”. Mainly this is a return for me to the world of music (last remix was actually a fluke), so possibly expect to hear more from me soon!

Also I just put adsense on my site so this could just be an evil evil marketing ploy. I’d appreciate it if you linked my site in the review, if not, no biggie."

Somewhat disappointingly, it looks as though in the interim Star has removed said Google ads, so any urging on my part to convince you to visit his site and spastically click would be fruitless. He does however have Paypal set up for donations, so that's http://starblast.org, where you'll find quality music... and god knows what else. Star's last mix was indeed a tough act to follow, and I respect & somewhat relate to his decision to just do something fun and freewheeling and not try to keep one-upping himself in the same general arena.

This is a non-vocal arrangement of 'Sealed Door' that blends solo strings & piano with a distorted acoustic kit and plenty of synths, both of the rising, twinkling arpeggio variety and the dirty, filtered groove/build ilk. Warm, quick-attack pads, too. Drums get increasingly chopped/affected towards the end, which also gets more striking and at the same time distant, with the whole thing eventually being funneled down a bitcrushed drain of noise very artistically. Everything here is good, but it's almost more interesting to talk about what's not here; Star often has elaborate, spotlighted synth solos and very active basslines, but the synths here are mostly accompaniment, and there's really not much of a bass to speak of, resulting in a sound that is decidedly different from his other stuff. When in his submission letter he mentioned working on something "fun," I was actually expecting something a little more indulgent and hyperactive - this is more like a stark, strangely serene post-apocalyptic landscape painting, executed with all of Star's production chops but more restraint and meditation on the arrangement side.

Bottom line is, I don't think Star should be worried about folks judging him for a decrease in *anything*, and should do pretty much whatever he wants, especially if this is the result. I think a lot of people know him for his vocal mixes (as well they should - they're fantastic), but his instrumentals have been rock-solid and memorable as well, and this one's no exception. I truly hope Star's got more in store for us in 2009, as his mixes have always been - and remain - something to look forward to.

― djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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LordRegent251
on 2022-04-12 23:45:18

This one's back in my heavy rotation as well. Found it back in 2018, forgot about it for a while, then something reminded me. So glad it did.

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Black_Doom
on 2018-12-17 10:25:49

Gosh, I've been listening a lot to this one lately! I really love it :D It may seem a bit loud, too distorted and just... Weird? It doesn't seem quite cohesive at first, but it quickly grew on me. The atmosphere here is absolutely breathtaking, man. Especially enjoy that part from 4:46 - sooooo good! Absolutely top-notch stuff :)

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Schneau
on 2012-12-17 14:37:12
so possibly expect to hear more from me soon!

Sad that this hasn't happened :(

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Koriantor
on 2011-12-08 03:12:22

The song that began my love of creative synths. The soundscape is quite unique and I can't get enough!

:nicework:

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Catharsis
on 2011-11-29 18:38:52

Just thought I'd get on here and say how I still love this mix. It's still in my "Top OC Remix" playlist. So many varying themes throughout it, yet they all mix well. Great source, too.

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metaphist
on 2010-07-03 11:25:49
Strange name...

FYI, Has to do with the fact that the source plays after you open the special sealed doors in CT. Man, I miss CT...with all the retro madness going on these days, they should bring it back for a proper 2d sequel. DS where you at? Anyone played the DS remake, BTW?

Off topic much. Still love this remix :D

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Liontamer
on 2010-07-02 12:29:14

Also thought I posted here too. Super strong stuff, per Star's usual. He's great at pulling off those grandiose soundscapes.

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delbuster
on 2010-07-02 12:14:13

this is my favorite thing on ocr

lol

flying synths are awesome

i'm confused, i thought i posted on here before. but yeah.

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ReliableAudioWeaponSystem
on 2010-07-02 09:34:06

Strange name, fantastic sound - I fell in love with this one instantly. 4:00 - 6:43 is simply superb, and I especially like 5:28 - 5:36. If this is deviation from the norm for Salzman, I wish to hear more. 0:00 - 0:15, I can't quite put my finger on why, just seems a little off in general... but not to the point where it detracts from the overall track. My final answer: a musical masterpiece.

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Delzhand
on 2009-05-08 22:59:33

The section from 4.00 to 4.31 makes me tingly every time.

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metaphist
on 2009-05-08 11:45:14

This is currently at the top of my rotation. I love the hi-hat work in the first sections. And the beat is so hard...Salzman's the man.

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Platonist
on 2009-04-22 07:34:13

after a few months, i just had to get back to this, now that i know the remix by heart i have to say WOW, incredible incredible .. it's so distorted and loud, yet so gentle to my ears ..

this is my favorite Star Remix since Duck Blur!

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Polo
on 2009-04-14 05:35:42

I dig how the source's feeling of hopelessness has been revamped into a mindset of finding one's way through time. Whether it's boldly grinding into industrial/electronic dominance or taking minimalist breaks, this mix is expressive every second. The strings that play over the percussion add a sweet touch without getting sappy (2:27 = 3). The reverbed piano in particular adds a lot of depth, even in the background.

It only gets better around 4:46, when the latest melodically liberal chunk takes hold, turning up the sense of lost exploration a notch. The electronic synth quips at 5:43 and 6:15 are the icing on the cake. I can almost imagine the "crash" ending is what someone hears right before ending up at the End of Time.

Two thumbs all up.

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Mtlbro
on 2009-04-13 16:39:56

It's soooo LOOOUUUD but it's soooo GOOOOD!!

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OA
on 2009-03-23 17:50:51

Great stuff, cool synth and an excellent feel for the track's strengths, which you've improved with your own material pretty seamlessly. Mastered a bit hot I think; it hurts when the prominent cymbals come in, but nothing that a volume adjustment doesn't fix.

Crazy distorted ending as well, it works awesome and really reminds me of Lavos.

Recommended!

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Chrono Trigger (Square , 1995, SNES)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu,Noriko Matsueda,Yasunori Mitsuda
Songs:
"Sealed Door"

Tags (4)


Genre:
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Piano,Strings,Synth
Additional:
Time > Duration: Long

File Information


Name:
Chrono_Trigger_Close_Door_All_Way_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,267,191 bytes
MD5:
188fc038029e9808471e05fe9f7d5aaa
Bitrate:
122Kbps
Duration:
6:43

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