Author Topic: SymphoniC Final Fantasy VII Soundtrack Project.  (Read 27538 times)

Covarr

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Re: SymphoniC Final Fantasy VII Soundtrack Project.
« Reply #25 on: 2011-07-31 16:02:50 »
I don't see what the issue is with changing things up a bit. If people really want something as close as possible to the original, that's what FinalFanTim's remastered soundtrack is for.

My personal opinion is that it's great to have another option being worked on that is close enough to the originals that it can work in-game (unlike Voices of the Lifestream, for example), but at the same time unique enough that it doesn't just feel like a rehash of what's already out there. I agree about the dynamics being a little off, but other than that I really like it.

SymphoniC

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Re: SymphoniC Final Fantasy VII Soundtrack Project.
« Reply #26 on: 2011-08-01 01:08:06 »
A good point has been made. The drum samples I used aren't of the best of quality, plus I may have cut the bass frequencies on the track a bit too low. The part that sounds supposedly gentle, I intentionally left drums out, it should give you a "free flying" sensation, a huge release of tension. I have a strong musical background, but I still need improvement in the mixing department. So the feedback is awesome. I strive to get all of these mixes sounding as professional as possible, not easy. I will point out that I have a surround sound system and very high quality headphones with deeep bass, so I hear a lot of power in that mix, while those with normal computer speakers and average headphones won't hear what I'm hearing dynamically. I listened to the mix on cheap computer speakers and the difference is phenomenal... in a very bad way. The bass drums are almost not even present, same with the bass itself. So, the mix itself is very blamable. I will correct this. Thanks again for the feedback.

Harruzame

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Re: SymphoniC Final Fantasy VII Soundtrack Project.
« Reply #27 on: 2011-08-09 09:51:46 »
Wow! Guitars abound in this version of J-E-N-O-V-A ...Although it has a feeling of a " Transformers - Anime" soundtrack for the most...but musically its amazing!!!... If this was used in the Advent Children Movie..I might have been "headbanging with a Buster Sword"...If you know what I mean   :-D

I wanna see where this project leads to....kudos to you man!  :mrgreen:




SymphoniC

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Re: SymphoniC Final Fantasy VII Soundtrack Project.
« Reply #28 on: 2011-10-18 02:24:37 »
I haven't forgotten about this project. I'm working on a lone wolf music project... something unique and I'm busy with other things so I've little time for this project at the moment. But an interesting thing to think about is... how to maintain the "FFVII feel" and make the music more contemporary? I thought a metal Jenova song was perfect, because it's aggressive, like a tense battle song should be. The story is different for the Opening theme... Nobuo used Synth Bass and Repeating Snare sample, along with Strings and Synth Lead to convey that "Futuristic feel" that goes along with the showcase of Midgar for the first time in the Opening video. These songs don't really match with the original game, but I feel strongly that (with a little work) they would do well in a remade, modernized FFVII with today's graphics. Any thoughts on this? 

NetHead

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Re: SymphoniC Final Fantasy VII Soundtrack Project.
« Reply #29 on: 2011-10-19 05:07:18 »
Hi SymphoniC,

I've run into the same kind of thoughts on my latest project as well. I think FF7's "percussive metal" sound (similar to an anvil being struck) contributes to the steampunk feeling of the game, as well as the various synths you mentioned.

I see a parallel between the techniques Uematsu used in FF7 and those used in 80s musicals like Les Miserables or some of Andrew Lloyd Webber's shows. A lot of times when a new technique or new tool is introduced to the "pop" music world, everybody will overuse that technique at first as they experiment with it. Later, everyone settles down and that technique finds its niche in the recording world.

Go back to the 80s when synths were in style. Les Mis experimented with the blend of early synths and an orchestra, and the original orchestration was quite synth heavy. Now fast forward to the mid 90s, when the PSX sound chip offers enough polyphony and enough sound memory to start mimicking a full orchestral ensemble. Now it's Uematsu's turn to play with the same synth/orchestral scoring.

For Les Mis' 10th anniversary concert, the music was reorchestrated and synths were more conservatively used (not so much as synths, but as simulations of real instruments like harpsichords or mallet instruments). If there's a melodic line that you find odd in your arrangements, maybe ask yourself if the original composers and sound techs included those lines simply because of the novelty of the PSX sound chip, and maybe if so how you can use that material in a way that blends with the rest of the ensemble a bit better.

If it helps, here are some audio examples:
Les Mis - Opening: 1985; 1995
Les Mis - Waltz of Treachery: 1985; 1995

Anyways, love your stuff. Keep on rockin' in Midgar!