Posted 2017-11-20, evaluated by the judges panel


Not one but TWO beautiful new age/orchestral arrangements from Rebecca E. Tripp today, covering fan favorites from Chrono Trigger AND Donkey Kong Country 2!!

Even without these two mixes, Rebecca's had an amazing year on OCR, so this combo effectively cements her status as the most prolific ReMixer of 2017! It's been quantity AND quality, though, which is extremely impressive; she's tailored her sound and landed on a specific palette of instrumentation which, while she still mixes it up from piece to piece, she can wield very effectively & efficiently. These two mixes, while from different SNES classics in their own right, are essentially siblings, both incorporating world, orchestral, & new age instrumentation for an ethereal, upbeat, & transporting blend. She writes:

"This is the long overdue "Corridors of Time/Time Circuits/Kingdom of Zeal" arrangement I've been planning since I was something like 14 years old, a mix of orchestral, new age, and world-type sounds. I never felt I could truly do it justice before now. Perhaps I still didn't succeed - but I could not put off doing a remix of this Mitsuda masterpiece forever. This cover comes from the heart, as the original Chrono Trigger track is a long-time favorite of mine... I realize that this is not unique to me. The theme is popular as heck. Anyway, I hope you all like it!"

This theme has obviously been arranged up one side & down the other, and even in the genre/style Rebecca excels at, but she still brings her unique part-writing approach and otherworldly atmosphere to the mix, resulting in something new. Judges did have some critiques on attacks/releases and articulations; the soundscape itself is wonderful, but occasionally certain elements stick out a bit; Chimpazilla writes:

"There is a lot of variation in what instrument is playing lead, which I think is wonderful. I have the same nitpicks as the other Js about too much reverb/release on the lead sitar, and unnatural envelopes on the strings and choir, but each of these elements plays a bit and then gets out, so it isn't bothering me that much. If this doesn't pass, and even if it does, please pay special attention to your articulations, attacks/releases, reverbs, and learn to automate CC11 well so that your strings and choirs can sound the most realistic possible. The track overall can stand to be several db louder. But this arrangement with all its twinkly wonder is too good to pass up."

Good, MIDI CC-specific advice :) I might have dialed the BPM back a couple, too, personally. Choirs in particular are rough to blend, especially with thicker sustained chords and exposed releases, but they're also one of the components Rebecca has been utilizing more & something that differentiates her pieces, along with extensive bells, chromatic percussion, & mixed woodwinds. We've heard "Zeal" in this general style before, but this mix applies Rebecca's particular flavor & approach and is well worth disappearing into. Enjoy!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 3 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
DimeTower
on 2017-11-22 02:32:31

A gorgeous work here. By all accounts, at least the remixer knew what she was walking into - I'd postulate this is one of the top-3 most remixed songs in the history of OCR - and so I was pretty guarded, and only gave this a shot because of the ridiculous FF forest melody that the remixer put on the site earlier. Well I tried this and I'll be damned if this isn't one of my favorite takes I've ever heard. It's close to the original, but it (dare I say) enhances the ethereal feel and touch to a level of wonder. I was going to write about it in detail, and then LamanKnight crushed it, so I'll just quote the end:

On 11/20/2017 at 5:41 PM, LamanKnight said:

Yeah. Something about the gentler instrumentation, the Eastern-sounding quality, the smoother articulations... maybe it's just my layman's interpretation, but I find it comes across as "kinder." And so, I like this almost more than the original. I think it's a beautiful piece of work.

The ending from 3:48 on doesn't disappoint either. Wonderful, disquieting, inviting, and memorable on a piece that has no right to be so. Well, well done.

avatar
LamanKnight
on 2017-11-20 17:41:25

I remember that for most of the time that I ever walked around the Kingdom of Zeal, I always felt a little uneasy. It was like I somehow knew, even from the moment I set foot in it for the first time, that something was off about the place. (And of course, as the game goes on, you find out just how "off" a lot of things are.) Maybe it's the uncommon opinion, but I felt that same quality present in the original "Corridor of Time" theme. So even though the music in the original soundtrack is meant to be beautiful and calm, I always found that it made me feel just a little bit on edge the whole time.

Anyway. As I listen to this, it reminds me of that one line that an NPC in Kajar says to you: "Your power... differs from ours. It's difficult to describe, but in you I sense a strange... kindness."

Yeah. Something about the gentler instrumentation, the Eastern-sounding quality, the smoother articulations... maybe it's just my layman's interpretation, but I find it comes across as "kinder." And so, I like this almost more than the original. I think it's a beautiful piece of work.

avatar
Liontamer
on 2017-11-17 12:12:57

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

Sources Arranged (2 Songs)


Primary Game:
Chrono Trigger (Square , 1995, SNES)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu,Noriko Matsueda,Yasunori Mitsuda
Songs:
"Corridor of Time"
"Schala's Theme"

Tags (11)


Genre:
Classical,New Age
Mood:
Chill,Mellow
Instrumentation:
Bells,Choir,Chromatic Percussion,Flute,Hand Drums,Harp,Strings
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Chrono_Trigger_Zeal_Breeze_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
7,424,081 bytes
MD5:
c6f4065aca135d6b07b767891485beb4
Bitrate:
216Kbps
Duration:
4:31

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