ReMix:Final Fantasy IV "Dreams of Glory" 3:06

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A certain well-known plumber should be making his grand entrance early next week if all goes well, but for today we've got a kickin' FF4 Cid arrangement from Audio Engineering, courtesy Argle, that blends aggressive rock with lofi synth leads for a pumping blend of chug & grit:

"I took the original march and sped it up to make synth rock. Initially was going to record some guitar leads, but honestly I suck at the guitar. And I like the way it turned out."

DarkeSword did, too:

"This piece really comes together for me around 1:12. Really love how you scale back that big energy stuff to keep things from getting super tiring. I've been judging a bunch of tracks tonight and they all seem to be really aggressive, high energy tracks with a lot of loudness happening. When doing big soundscapes like this it's important to give the listener a break once in a while, so these sections where you pull back a bit are nice to have. Really fun arrangement that doesn't wear out its welcome either."

Listener fatigue is a real thing, and no matter how much ass you kick, you gotta play the loud/soft game at some point just to avoid your music being mentally associated with name brands like Excedrin and Tylenol ;) Adam does that here, and like Shariq says, it helps lend the mix some dynamic contrast and reel things back in before the next barrage. Audio Engineering director Mirby writes:

"Argle took to covering this track quickly, knowing exactly what he was going to do with it. Which was great, because he was taking over for someone who was unable to finish their mix for this. A quick turnaround proved to me that getting Argle on board was a very wise decision. Little tip for project directors out there: Argle is a great asset if you get him on board."

While that's more advice to other directors than commentary on the track itself, it's nevertheless cool to hear that this piece was turned around fairly quickly, because you'd never guess it - Adam's usual polish & detail are present, the arrangement is creative and works well, and the energy is abundant. Great stuff - check out the rest of Audio Engineering for even MORE Cid!!