ReMix:Chrono Trigger "In the Green Gloom" 6:20

By Argle

Arranging the music of one song...

"Secret of the Forest"

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

Posted 2014-09-08, evaluated by djpretzel


We JUST posted a great Chrono Trigger ReMix from Argle, but while that was a relatively straightforward take on one of the game's most popular themes, this is an ambient, otherworldly exploration of lesser-tread territory:

"I've wanted to make an ambient remix of something for awhile. The question is, which theme? It would have to be something that could be slowed down and stripped down, but still recognizable. I decided on "Secret of the Forest." Hope it doesn't bore you to death."

Au contraire; I was rather captivated, myself. The intro reminds me "Halcyon And On And On" for a bit, before modulating minor and making it relatively clear that a beat is NOT going to drop. That's cool; we don't get much straight ambient stuff these days, and I'm glad Adam decided to step up. At 3'16" there's some operatic vocalizing that enters that really reminds me of the Donnie Darko OST, specifically the scene in the movie theater, and the whole thing really envelops & enshrouds the listener in a curtain of texture. Larry writes:

"This is a piece one could easily repeat all day. That said, I'm not mad at Argle, but whenever he plays it for self-deprecating lulz in his submission letters, I feel like we miss out on fuller insight into his creative process, which is a shame for something as pensive as this. Adam definitely leaves you wondering why he made this besides wanting to do something ambient. Why this specific approach? Just curious.

Equal parts tranquil and melancholy, this track certainly doesn't bore ME to death. The piano, strings, winds, and pads sounded beautiful & lush, and the nature SFX was also applied with a soft touch to the soundscape. The vox introduced at 3:16 was my personal highlight among a texture already full of them. Before I even clicked play, I figured "It's Argle, it'll be good." And it was. :-) Enjoy the journey."

Ditto all that, including the part about requesting more background/context - always appreciated, especially when artists are tackling a new genre, to get backstory on the challenges, inspirations, techniques, etc. involved in a mix. For a COMPLETELY different take on the same piece, see Homeslice's year-ending dubstep + chiptune rendition from 2013; it's both crazy & inspiring how one composition can lend itself to such diverging interpretations, but that's what we're all about, eh? A little refreshing to see more ambient, beatless stuff, and a very welcome surprise that it came by way of Argle, who proves that no genre is safe from his talents. Excellent.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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eggsngaming
on 2016-10-04 22:39:47

If there were ever a good reason to get good headphones, this is it. The buildup in the first minute almost makes me feel like there's cool air blowing on my neck and giving me chills. You imagine that you are IN the forest in this game, or in a hidden forest that wasn't in the original game. You're surrounded by mystery and yearning.

Growing up, I think we all imagined what it would be like to actually BE in the settings of NES games, or SNES games, or PS1 games, etc. We imagined being Crono and leading the team through the enveloping story and time periods. This mix transports you to that place only music can.

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gyrrakavian
on 2016-10-03 17:05:22

Gorgeous!

Argle, Have you thought of doing a music based resource pack for MineCraft, and would you be opposed to someone using this in an MC resource pack provided they credited you?

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Necrox
on 2015-12-04 16:57:57

Sweet soundscape; the SFX feel part of it and not just tacked on as well. Subtle entrance of the arp was quite nice and the reverbed piano is just right. I agree that the vocals were a nice touch. I gotta applaud Argle for making such a minimal mix that doesn't outstay its welcome at all.

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metamorphosis
on 2014-11-18 17:11:36

A great cousin to Aeroz's more chip-tuney, upbeat effervescent version, this remix truly brings out the atmospheric feeling of the original in a deep way. Congrats.

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Octagon
on 2014-11-03 07:21:37

Incredible. This feels like a sister remix to "Green Amnesia" - excellent tunes for melancholy night driving.

The echoing texture is just beautiful, reminiscent of the non-nightmarish parts of the forest music in Xenogears, and also CotMM's works.

Strangely enough, I expected a bit of "Higher Than Can Be Carried By Wings" from Wild Arms 3 at about 1:48

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Black_Doom
on 2014-09-11 11:18:37

Wow, this is really ambient. I've never heard a ReMix like this one. Yeah, there are some ambient mixes here, but this one is different. It has great mellow atmosphere. The soundscape is pretty lush here. Nice work.

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shadowpsyc
on 2014-09-10 21:10:00

Really good choice of style for this, the original already made me think "man I could just zone out listening to these arpeggios f o r e v e r"...and at over six minutes it does still feel a little short. Beautiful work!

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Crulex
on 2014-09-10 11:30:28

Now this is ambiance that doesn't ever even come close to being boring. Something like this is peaceful, tranquil and beautiful, and it says something when you can make an ambient ReMix that goes six minutes long seem to pass by in half the time. The instruments, the effects, the mid-mix vox, everything just seems to be engaging to listen to. Outstanding work.

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evktalo
on 2014-09-10 04:22:50
this idea came from Patrick Burns Balance and Ruin track, which I really like. and like djp says ambient is relatively rare here. so I had a hankering to do some.

That's awesome, because I was also thinking of that track as an example of ambient on OCR and how much I liked that one too. So it's like.. you did this track for me. Thanks! :lol:

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OverClocked PodCast
on 2014-09-09 23:16:47

Mesmerizing, this is. I think evktalo put it well-- I need some stray asteroids ASAP.

My only complaint is that I need to get some work done tonight and this ReMix is luring me into a trance.

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timaeus222
on 2014-09-09 16:30:12

Ambient is rare because it's soooooo low energy, and might be boring if it's too unchanging. But you did it well. In fact, it felt shorter to me than it actually is.

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Argle
on 2014-09-09 11:29:02

I can understand Larry and djp when they express interest in hearing about the process, but honestly most of the time I don't have all that much to say about a track. it's like, here's a track, I was feeling this genre at the time, hope you like it. :lol: this idea came from Patrick Burns Balance and Ruin track, which I really like. and like djp says ambient is relatively rare here. so I had a hankering to do some. I guess the unique challenge of this track was designing animal and other sfx that are shout outs to the original forest sounds, rather than just ripping the ones from the game. my favorite occurs about halfway through. :-)

Did they... slow this down even more than the original?

half speed, actually. :-)

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Melody of Light
on 2014-09-08 22:55:31

Did they... slow this down even more than the original? The original was always a bit gloomy, yet had a thoughtful beauty to it. This mix was hauntingly beautiful the entire way through. I'm impressed. I probably haven't heard every mix for this song that exists, but this one strikes me as being incredibly unique. Masterfully done!

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evktalo
on 2014-09-08 16:40:06

Sooooo goooooooood. Superb sound, I love a good grand ambient piece and it's lovely to see some on OCR. A cold, clear sense of yearning and sublime.. makes me want to search ancient ruins on stray asteroids beyond the orbit of Saturn and stuff.

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Liontamer
on 2014-09-08 02:44:55

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

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Chrono Trigger (Square , 1995, SNES)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu,Noriko Matsueda,Yasunori Mitsuda
Songs:
"Secret of the Forest"

Tags (2)


Genre:
Mood:
Chill
Instrumentation:
Additional:
Time > Duration: Long

File Information


Name:
Chrono_Trigger_In_the_Green_Gloom_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
9,208,345 bytes
MD5:
bc24b9153a92dcea58a762643f9a147b
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
6:20

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