Chrono Compendium
News and Updates => News Submissions => Topic started by: CptOvaltine on December 31, 2017, 06:09:01 pm
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Happy New Year's Eve everyone!
I wanted to share a project that I'm working on with everyone! I'm a classical/film composer who also happens to be a huge fan of the Chrono series, and Yasunori Mitsuda's music. So as a pet project, I decided to re-imagine one of my favorite games and it's soundtrack as if it were a movie score. This album is still in development, but will also be accompanied by a beautiful hand drawn art book that helps depict the scenes in each track.
This is a high quality, rough, full-length preview of track 02 from my upcoming album "Cross Symphonic" which takes the soundtrack for Chrono Cross and gives it a cinematic re-telling of the story via symphonic orchestra and choir.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jaw6FzF4nxM
I also have preview tracks of the 1st track, and a portion of the 3rd and 4th tracks if anyone is interested!
I hope you enjoy, Let me know what you think!
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Hey, this is great! There aren't many projects done for Chrono Cross's soundtrack as a whole, so I look forward to hearing more!
Happy New Year!
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Happy New Year to you too!
That's actually one of the reasons I wanted to do this project, the soundtrack for Cross is criminally under-rated. Final Fantasy gets the star treatment, even Trigger has it's fair share of good orchestral albums, (mostly fan made) so I wanted to give the same treatment to Cross.
I'll be launching a kickstarter in a few months to help put the finishing polish on everything, and to pay the royalties to Yasunori Mitsuda. In the meantime it would be a huge help if you shared the music around, the more exposure the better! :)
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I'm listening to this right now as I type, it's really cool! Great job! :D
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I'm glad you like it! There is a lot more to come, so make sure to check out my youtube often! I'll also post more about the project as things develop! :)
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I'll listen to this after work. this sounds amazing!!
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I missed this post until now and just gave the linked track a listen... It was great! Good reminders from roaming around Lizard Rock, Fossil Valley...
...and then hot damn that transition into the Another World theme. The brass and strings at 1:45 was fabulous. It had a Trek-ian / Jerry Goldsmith crescendo, which is rad.
I've subbed to ya on YouTube. In fact, I went and watched quite a few of your other videos. Your live FFVIII videos and other Chrono pieces are excellent. When I listened to the first tune you posted, I thought the acoustics were really impressive and that most of the instruments were very live sounding (for an electronic composition). And then I saw your other videos and realized you're a straight up composer and musician, which explains why it all sounds so good. Can't beat live orchestration.
Great stuff and can't wait for the final product.
Will all of this be Chrono Cross? Any Chrono Trigger at all?
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I missed this post until now and just gave the linked track a listen... It was great! Good reminders from roaming around Lizard Rock, Fossil Valley...
...and then hot damn that transition into the Another World theme. The brass and strings at 1:45 was fabulous. It had a Trek-ian / Jerry Goldsmith crescendo, which is rad.
I've subbed to ya on YouTube. In fact, I went and watched quite a few of your other videos. Your live FFVIII videos and other Chrono pieces are excellent. When I listened to the first tune you posted, I thought the acoustics were really impressive and that most of the instruments were very live sounding (for an electronic composition). And then I saw your other videos and realized you're a straight up composer and musician, which explains why it all sounds so good. Can't beat live orchestration.
Great stuff and can't wait for the final product.
Will all of this be Chrono Cross? Any Chrono Trigger at all?
Sorry for the late reply! I'm really happy to hear you enjoyed the track! (And some of my others!) It's always really encouraging to know that people enjoy these arrangements. So thank you for listening, and for your kind words!
You're absolutely right that nothing beats a live orchestra. I'm a bit of a purist so I'm constantly trying to find the most natural sounding virtual instruments. I rarely, if ever, write for non acoustic instruments. I'm a big fan of classic film scores, like Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Bernard Herrmann, and really wanted to recreate that golden era of film scores using the Chrono soundtracks.
To answer your question, this album will be exclusively about Chrono Cross. Although a few of Triggers themes make there way into this album, little easter eggs that help connect the two worlds. I do have a Chrono Trigger piece coming out on YouTube later this month, and am seriously considering doing a Chrono Trigger album if this one does well.
I'm actually talking with someone right now about the possibility of this album seeing an orchestra and a studio in the near future. More on that later if anything pans out! ;)
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Awesome! As I've said, I am subbed to your Youtube channel and just listened to your new upload. Great work as always. So good I went back and listened to the entire Chrono Symphonic playlist again.
:)
Concerning Pursuing a Viper:
You really do have a great ear for brass in full orchestration. I've always felt that brass gives a bombastic quality to pieces when properly utilized, and you've nailed it again. That is to say you've nailed the whole piece, not just the brass.
I love the wind down and quiet that starts at about 2:00 and the flutes that build back into the song around the 2:30-2:45 mark. Where you mix in the Song of Life at the 3:25 mark is an amazing build up and release. So epic!!!
In conclusion:
All in all, I can't wait for the next piece. Awesome work JP (can I call you JP? hahaha). I hope this continues to pad your portfolio for paid work, because this is seriously legit stuff. I will be first in line to pay money for the album when it's ready. This is hands down some of the best Chrono Cross remix/arrangements out there that's not from Yasunori Mitsuda himself.
I bet if he heard this he'd give it his blessing, and I'm not just stroking your ego. This is good. Really good.
Also, you should post over to r/chronotrigger on Reddit. This needs more visibility!
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I'm grinning ear to ear after reading your comment! Thank you! I'm ecstatic that someone other than myself can pick out all the themes I sneak into the music. I've played this for 4 or 5 other long time Chrono Cross Fans, and they usually recognize two thirds of what I pack into these tracks, so it's a relief to hear that there are fans out there that can hear what I'm doing!
It's funny that you would mention the brass specifically, when I first started writing music for orchestras I was almost exclusively a string guy. (I grew up playing the cello.) Brass was easily my weakest area, so I spent a lot of time studying and improving my brass writing. It's great to hear that it's paying off!
All in all I'm really encouraged and honored to hear that you are enjoying the album so far! It would really be a dream to be able to get a copy to Yasunori Mitsuda when all is said and done. I would love for him to hear how his music has inspired me and this album.
Thanks for the suggestion! I hadn't even considered reddit, I'll head over and see if anyone bites! Please let me know if you have any other ideas on where to post this. I would love to get it in front of as many fans as possible. Now that I'm about halfway through writing the album (I'm aiming for somewhere around 12 tracks, covering about half of the game and soundtrack.) I'm starting to make plans for the final product. There will likely be a kickstarter in the next few months, I'll be sure to keep you posted!
Since you have been following the project, how do you feel the music is covering the story? Do you feel like the music does a good job at telling the story, or is it to vague? Of course I have to leave out a lot of details, but is the main idea there?
I really appreciate your comments and support. It absolutely invigorates me, and keeps me writing. It's really hard for me not to just post full tracks of everything that I'm writing, I want to share it with other fans, but then what's the point of making an official album? haha I do post a lot of clips on Instagram that never make it to YouTube that you may be interested in. @brokenskyproductions is the profile I've been using.
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Sure, I'll gladly follow on IG!
I'm going to give the five tracks you have posted in sequential order again to get a feel for how it translates the story and the overall feel that I get, but I'm pretty sure you've got it covered. Just a double check and to see if I can pick anything new from it.
As for Kickstarter, I don't know how much I can donate, but when the time comes, I'll gladly chip in.
I'll post again in a day or so after listening to the five YouTube tracks again.
NINJA EDIT:
In Torn Between Worlds, the fact that you threw both Star Stealing Girl and both Schala's Theme and Zeal's Theme into about 30 seconds speaks to the fact that you know what you're doing in telling the story. And then to add in To Good Friends from the ending of Chrono Trigger... I don't think I need to listen to the other tracks to know you're capturing the story. You clearly lay out who Kid actually is and how she's related to the larger Chronoverse as a whole.
Man, this track alone has new things hidden in it each time I listen. A great kickoff.
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I really appreciate the feedback.
My biggest fear is that there isn't always enough thematic material to represent each major character in the music. Lynx for example doesn't really have a "great" theme to represent the character. In A Theft For a Life I wrote Lynx a little motif to represent him, which you hear again during track 06 (I posted a clip a few days ago.) while Serge encounters Harle at the Hermits Hideaway. Her theme there also consists of an altered version of A Child Lost in Time. I don't want to be to presumptuous by adding my own material into an already fantastic soundtrack, but at the some time I'm not sure those little details are always obvious, so I don't want people to lose track of the story while listening.
Obviously you have to a general idea of what the story is to follow along, but I don't want to be to vague either. I've already taken a few liberties in skipping both Termina and Goldove's themes (to which I plan to bring into the album later when it fits a little more naturally with the thematic narrative.)
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I meant to say anything the other day, but I heard your awesome Chrono Trigger tune last week. World Revolution, baby! :)
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Hey! Thanks man!
I wrote that one for a friends CT video that's coming out in a few weeks. I'm really glad you like it! I took some liberties with it and wasn't sure how people would react, since I added a fair amount of original material. Either way, I loved writing it, I feel like it really gives an epic over view of the conflict from Trigger!
So I have some news I want to share with you a little later about Cross Symphonic, in the meantime I thought I would post a clip from Track 06 that I'm working on right now. I'm using the Dragon Knight theme to represent Radius, and his altercation with Harle. I'd love to hear what you think!
https://www.facebook.com/JohnPaulHaywardMusic/videos/2080336455575690/
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Sounds awesome. Really big and boisterous at the beginning, which is what I would expect from the Viper clan and their dragon riders. It fits Radius as well, seeing the connection he and General Viper share.
Sounds excellent!
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I’ve been meaning to listen to this and I kept forgetting; I just listened now and OMG this is amazing! I subbed and will definitely be going back to listen to some of the other things you’ve posted. I wish this was on Apple Music so I could download it and add it to my Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross playlist. I cannot even express how much I love this!!
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Thank you so much! I'm really glad you like it! I can't tell you how much it means to me to see everyone enjoying the tracks!
My plan always was to get a complete album onto different streaming and download services, so it will eventually make it to Apple music. :) It'll still be a little while though, as I'm only about half way through the album and am only able to work on this on weekends.
The support and feedback that I get from everyone really inspires me to keep going, so please comment and share the videos around! I love to hear feedback, so if you ever have any ideas about where you think the album should go, or there is something that you want to hear or say, I love to hear those things! I don't always listen, (haha) but they sometimes spark ideas of my own that help propel things further. :)
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Please let us know when it makes Apple Music. I waaaant iiiiiiitttt! Ha ha!
If you're taking requests, my absolute favorite song from Chrono Trigger is Yearnings in the Wind. Someday I'm going to learn piano and I want to cover it. That's a few years down the road though.
I completely understand how happy comments make you. I've started doing art again, I've been doing drawings and I'm also trying my first stab at a digital painting right now from one of my pencil works, and it means a lot when people comment or favorite one of my works on Deviant Art. If you want to take a look my link is https://princessnadia78.deviantart.com/ (https://princessnadia78.deviantart.com/). Most are good but some are meh, but all are learning experiences! I've been getting favorites but no comments! I want feedback! LOL I do also have my own thread here under the Fan Art section.
I wasn't planning on plugging myself, but I figured from one artist to another.... ha ha! Anyway please keep it up, I absolutely LOVE your music!!
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No worries, I will definitely let everyone know when it's finished! haha
Funny that you should mention Yearnings of the Wind...When I was first putting together my composing rig that's the song I tested everything on. I started another arrangement of it last year that I never finished. I do want to get back to it, so maybe this will be the push. haha If the Cross Symphonic album does well then I fully plan on tackling some of the music from Chrono Trigger too.
That's awesome that you draw! I'm a horrible artists, (visual anyway) so I always admire people that pursue that craft! You should post some Chrono Cross stuff! :)
Thank again for the kind words! I fully plan on working harder, and hope to have the rest of the album finished by the end of the year. Then it's just a matter of licensing.
I'll be posting some news about the album in this thread in the next few weeks, so make sure you check back!
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I will definitely keep checking!
Yes finish Yearnings of the Wind! It's such a beautiful song, and well, 600 AD is also my favorite time period. Ha ha!
I will eventually do some Chrono Cross stuff too. I have several things I'm working on now, but I'll get there! I'll keep you posted. :)
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I still haven't finished Yearnings of the Wind, but I was asked to do an arrangement of To Far Away Times for a friends review of CT that's coming out later this month. I thought you might be interested in that. :)
https://www.facebook.com/JohnPaulHaywardMusic/videos/2090637444545591/
There's still some Cross Symphonic news coming down the pipeline. Probably around the first week in May. I'll have a new preview for everyone along with the news. :)
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but I was asked to do an arrangement of To Far Away Times for a friends review of CT that's coming out later this month
Sounds great so far! I love the strings at around -0:20 on the video you posted.
Slightly off topic, but the Compendium is doing a little arts celebration later this spring called Dream Splash. We've done it a few times in the past, but it's been a full decade since we've done one. They normally follow some sort of theme and it's just an excuse to create some awesome art (in whatever format the creator desires). We'll definitely have a music category, so you should consider entering.
Winners receive:
-Bragging rights
-You can say that you won a competition for the most hardcore of Chrono fans
-A custom forum tag
-Other stuff without monetary value
So yeah, nothing of monetary value, but it should be fun! Just a thought.
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Sounds like fun! I would like to contribute more to the community apart from shamelessly plugging my Chrono arrangements. Plus it could be great exposure for Cross Symphonic!
Is there a link to a contest thread, or page of rules/guidelines?
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We haven't gotten that far yet. I should have that ironed out in a week or two and there will be a formal announcement.
Entering will be as easy as posting a new thread in the appropriate section of the Compendium and posting / linking to your categorized entry.
I plan on leaving some ramp up time for people to work on things, though, so there will be plenty of time.
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Awesome! Well keep me posted, I'm very interested!
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Damn right son I saw your new upload today!
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What did you think?
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Truth be told, I had to add it to my watch later list; I didn't have time to listen to it yet.
Seeing that I haven't sat down to listen to it yet, I will definitely double post and come here later to update with thoughts. Nice to see a Chrono Trigger upload!
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Heard it. Loved it. Can't wait for moar.
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Heard it. Loved it. Can't wait for moar.
I'm glad you loved it! Thanks for listening! No worries, there will be more... (there already are more) I'll have more to say about that later. :)
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Just wanted to let everyone know I'm still alive and working! Now that my performance season is over I can focus more on Cross symphonic. So track previews will be coming out more often!
Here's a clip of the Ghost Ship theme. Maybe a little unorthodox, but it fits in nicely with the three other themes I'm using for this section.
https://www.facebook.com/JohnPaulHaywardMusic/videos/2104316519844350/
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Sounded great -- very movie-esque. I can't wait for the final version!
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Sounded great -- very movie-esque. I can't wait for the final version!
I'm glad you like it. I know this one is pretty subtle and will be tough for most to catch, since I only used the last four bars of the theme. But I think it makes sense in context, it's only a brief point in the game, and the atmosphere works to give you that "fog is closing in" feeling.
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So I've hit a little bit of a road block, maybe you guys can help me out with.
Just as a PSA, there are some spoilers in this post...if that's still a thing with a 19 year old game.
I've just finished track 06 (which is Dragon Knight with the Ghost Ship and a few other themes sprinkled in there) and am debating how I want to proceed with the album.
My original idea was to continue one with a track featuring the Mount Pyre and Fort Dragonia themes, then a track featuring Lynix's motif culminating in Kid's "Death." But then I got thinking about the Fairy Island conflict and the Water Dragon, and the little tid bit about Kid's backstory at the end of all of that and thought it might be nice to include that in some way.
So my thought was to maybe insert a track centered around Kid (which would make a track about her supposed death a little more impact-full) and leave out the Mount Pyre and Fort Dragonia themes since they really don't further the plot in any way other than to represent locations.
What do you think about that? How do people feel (story wise) about leaving out any sort of reference to Mount Pyre, Fort Dragonia (for now) and possibly the Water Dragon portion in favor of doing a track centered around Kid?
Thoughts?
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I'm not musically inclined at all, so this might not be feasible or even helpful, but what about a duality-type thing with a Water Dragon Isle / Kid track followed by one of Mount Pyre / Lynx?
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I've thought about something like that, and the Mount Pyre/Lynx thing could work well I think, the Water Dragon/Kid is tricky though. I'm not a fan of medleys, so I would need a track that could represent the Water Dragon, and one for Kid that could be blended together seamlessly.
Out of curiosity, what song from the ost do you think best represents the Water Dragon?
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"Garden of God" is what I hear when I think of the Water Dragon. Granted, that's the theme for all the Dragons, but it is the first time we hear it in the game. Razig's idea of having dual themed songs sounds neat, and "Garden of God" and "The Girl Who Stole the Stars" (Kid's theme, right?) are pretty similar enough, in my opinion, that I think they could blend well. Mitsuda blended the latter really well with "Schala's Theme" in the arranged album.
Of course, obligatory "I'm not a musician" note here. But I still believe "Garden of God" is the best fit for the Water Dragon.
Also, really glad to see you're still working on this project!
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Hey Kodokami! I had to take some time off to finish up some work, but now I'm back at it in force! I plan to have the rest of the album finished up by the end of the summer, or somewhere near there.
I had immediately thought about Garden of God as well, my only reservation there is that I wanted to save it for a later track that I had planned that focused on the dragons, but maybe now is as good a time as any to introduce it. I can always reuse the theme later. As for Kid, I briefly introduced her theme mixed with Scala's in the first track, I think I can expand on that with Garden of God. I loved how Mitsuda mixed them in the arranged album.
It sounds like to me that the general consensus is to try and work in the Water Dragon/Kid scenario into the album. That gives me a place to start then!
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So I definitely think that Schala's Theme + Star Stealing Girl (assuming that's what you're referring to as Kid's theme) should be it's own piece. It shouldn't be diluted with anything else. Both are iconic and the tune should be solely focused on Kid.
Garden of God definitely makes me think of water -- not just because it plays when meeting the water dragon, but because it's the song that plays over the Sea of Zurvan on the Chrono Cross title screen.
Side note: Any time I go snorkeling in a tropical environment (which isn't often, but I've managed to do it a few times) I think of this tune while I'm exploring the corals and what not. :)
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I had the same thought, that mixing other tracks with themes centered around Kid would devalue the track. However, I came up with something rather interesting at the piano last night. So now my new plan is to use elements of Kid and Scala's themes (yes, I'm using Star Stealing Girl as Kid's theme) much like I did in the first track, but perhaps a little more subtle. I'll save a full Kid track for when you realise she's still alive.
It'll be interesting to see some reactions on the track, as what I came up with sounds a lot darker and more ominous than the track does in the game. It will definitely hint at a darker purpose to the dragons. It'll also draw a small thematic connection between Kid and the Dragons, which I think is cool.
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Garden of God definitely makes me think of water -- not just because it plays when meeting the water dragon, but because it's the song that plays over the Sea of Zurvan on the Chrono Cross title screen.
Wow, you're right. This song is actually the first song we hear in the game (after the opening cinematic with "Time's Scar", of course). Can't believe I missed that. It's definitely got that dreamy feel of the ocean.
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Alright guys, I spent the afternoon working on the track. I want to give you guys a little preview for helping me out. I'll reset the link after a few days, so make sure you listen to it soon! :)
Please be aware that this is a rough export, there will be some small balance issues, as well as a few random pops and clicks.
https://soundcloud.com/john-paul-hayward/07cc/s-shSnA
I'm curious what you guys think. I know it's a darker version than the original, but I wanted something that conveyed the devastation of the Fairy village, as well as hint that something might not be quite right with the dragons. I plan to sneak in a few Kid references as well to show the connection to Kid's flash back, as well as the small connection between her and the Dragons.
I'd love to hear your thoughts! The track is still in progress, so if there's something that really bothers you, now is the time to speak! :D
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I love it. It almost sounds like a unique/original tune for the first 30 seconds or so.
The chimes that come in around ~0:25, along with the deep strings ~0:40, and the deep bell gongs -- they remind me of Yoko Shimomura's work. I can't put my finger on it.
Maybe this?
https://youtu.be/HtYEt0H1Wuk?t=2270
Or it may be another piece she's done. She's done a lot of jRPGs, to be fair. Damn it, now I want to play Legend of Mana again. It has been a good 12 years or more...
Regardless, back to the tune.
When the Garden of the Gods theme finally hits ~0:52 it's great. You did a really good job with the choral arrangements. It's very subtle overall and very fitting.
Then, at 1:01 it kicks into gear. I have no idea what instrument it is, but it's lovely. Some sort of soprano oboe or cousin (piccolo?)? Anyway, with the rain or water flowing sound (I'm not sure what it was in the ambient background) it all merges together perfectly.
A++ work. No critiques here. Nothing but love for this album! It's quite fun listening as it shapes up. :)
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That's a relief! I was afraid that it might be too different or dark for people, so I'm really glad you like it! I'm trying to keep certain sections very recognizable, as there are a lot of very different places I want to take it. Kind of like my ghost ship section, the theme is there, but sometimes it's only recognizable by the feeling it gives you.
I had the idea for the whispering choir last night when I was trying to sleep. They're randomly saying words like "fire, water, earth, wind, light, dark, life, death" etc. Its a cool effect that almost sounds like voices on the wind, there's something oddly soothing, yet unsettling about it. If I were to have a live choir do it they would slowly get louder before they cut out, and all of them end on the word "water."
The instrument you're talking about is the oboe, just in its upper register. :) the rain sound is created by a rain stick, which sounds even cooler in real life! So I'm keeping with my "all acoustic instruments" moto. Haha
I'm really excited to show this album to everyone, so it means a lot to see you enjoying it and getting as excited (or nearly haha) as I am!
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I was afraid that it might be too different or dark for people, so I'm really glad you like it!
Definitely not too dark or different. Besides, this is your interpretation. This is art, afterall, and you're the man with the paintbrush. You do what speaks to you. But yeah, definitely not too different (I mean, it's not like you're doing a metal or midi chiptune version, hahaha).
I had the idea for the whispering choir last night when I was trying to sleep. They're randomly saying words like "fire, water, earth, wind, light, dark, life, death" etc. Its a cool effect that almost sounds like voices on the wind, there's something oddly soothing, yet unsettling about it.
I had no idea they were words -- now I definitely have to go back and listen and see if I can make them out!
The instrument you're talking about is the oboe, just in its upper register.
Although I'm a musician myself (percussionist), I went the rock band route and my knowledge of traditional instruments is pretty thin. I had no idea an oboe could get that high!
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Definitely not too dark or different. Besides, this is your interpretation. This is art, afterall, and you're the man with the paintbrush. You do what speaks to you. But yeah, definitely not too different (I mean, it's not like you're doing a metal or midi chiptune version, hahaha)
Well that's good to hear! I'm a little battle scarred from seeing some other friends arrangement albums getting torn to shreds over "losing sight of the original." Final Symphony also comes to mind. (If you're familiar with it.) Some fans, myself included, absolutely love it and think it's brilliant. Others say it's just an orchestrater showing off and it's completely lost the original piece.
I've always been of the opinion that my version (or any version) of a piece doesn't change the original, so I'm not sure why some people get so up in arms...none the less, it still sits in the back of my mind when I venture away from the original.
I had no idea they were words -- now I definitely have to go back and listen and see if I can make them out!
I probably should have worded that better. haha That sentence would only apply if a real choir were to perform this. So I wrote those words in the music, but what's in the recording is a bunch of nonsense Latin since that's all my samples can do. :D
Although I'm a musician myself (percussionist), I went the rock band route and my knowledge of traditional instruments is pretty thin. I had no idea an oboe could get that high
Oh! That's cool! did you over do any orchestral percussion? If so, you'll like some of the effects I'm using with the Vibes and Crotales.
The Oboe has a pretty big range! It's comfortably playable from about C4 through E6. If you have a good player they can tack on a few more notes on either end. I personally love it's timbre and use it as a solo instrument often - although it can get some flack at times for being a little "duck-like." haha
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I've always been of the opinion that my version (or any version) of a piece doesn't change the original, so I'm not sure why some people get so up in arms...none the less, it still sits in the back of my mind when I venture away from the original.
I dunno, people on the internet can just be a-holes. Interpretation is to be expected and not everyone is going to like everything; simply have respect for was created and if you like it, great, if not, someone else will. I agree -- a new interpretation doesn't detract from the other. The recent Secret of Mana release comes to mind -- for example, you don't like the remixed music or graphics of the remake? Great, but it's cool, but you still have your original version to hold on to. Nothing lost, nothing gained.
I feel the same way about continuing the Chrono Trigger series -- even if the Dream Team is discarded and Square Enix isn't the same trusted source of gaming it once was, *something* is better than nothing. I'd rather reinvigorate the franchise with a flawed revival (which could always end up being great) rather than let it continue to stagnant into oblivion.
Oh! That's cool! did you over do any orchestral percussion? If so, you'll like some of the effects I'm using with the Vibes and Crotales.
I was in band in elementary school and did jazz band and marching band for a year in middle school. We then started moving a lot and with all the moves, I quit doing the whole music thing. It was hard trying to constantly jump into new groups of established musicians, and I started getting into rock/indie music, so I went that route instead.
So I went from playing Joe Zawinul's Birdland to the Sex Pistols' God Save the Queen (I got really into punk rock in middle school, which then led me down the road).
So I definitely don't have a big comprehension of orchestra and what not. But if you want to talk about My Bloody Valentine or Radiohead, I'm all over it,m hahahaha....
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In my opinion, this kind of work should contain enough of the original to be recognizable, while also standing on its own so you're not just reinventing the wheel.
I think you've accomplished that quite well.
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I dunno, people on the internet can just be a-holes. Interpretation is to be expected and not everyone is going to like everything; simply have respect for was created and if you like it, great, if not, someone else will. I agree -- a new interpretation doesn't detract from the other. The recent Secret of Mana release comes to mind -- for example, you don't like the remixed music or graphics of the remake? Great, but it's cool, but you still have your original version to hold on to. Nothing lost, nothing gained.
I feel the same way. It's always strange to me to see the internet rain on someones parade! I've seen many bad Chrono arrangements, that doesn't make the original music any less enjoyable!
I feel the same way about continuing the Chrono Trigger series -- even if the Dream Team is discarded and Square Enix isn't the same trusted source of gaming it once was, *something* is better than nothing. I'd rather reinvigorate the franchise with a flawed revival (which could always end up being great) rather than let it continue to stagnant into oblivion.
I've got mixed feelings on this one. I tend to lean a little more into the "don't mess with it" camp. Although, I would be very interested in a new Chrono game if it were announced. I would support it and give it a fair shot. If it were complete rubbish I would be disappointed, but it wouldn't ruin the series for me.
So I definitely don't have a big comprehension of orchestra and what not. But if you want to talk about My Bloody Valentine or Radiohead, I'm all over it,m hahahaha....
Not exactly my cup of tea anymore, but I used to be really into alt/punk rock in high school. haha
In my opinion, this kind of work should contain enough of the original to be recognizable, while also standing on its own so you're not just reinventing the wheel.
I think you've accomplished that quite well.
I think it should definitely be recognizable, but it's hard to gauge how recognizable it needs to be for some. There are some listeners that if you deviate at all from the original they lose their minds over how you've butchered the song and ruined all that was holy. Then there are those that prefer that you only include short nods to the original and completely change it up. I probably lean a little more to the latter, but I certainly appreciate a true to form orchestration as well.
I'm really glad you feel like I'm striking a balance here. I'm trying to bridge both worlds, so it's refreshing to see that it's working! :)
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Alright guys, I just finished track 7. I'll post a a small preview here for you sometime tomorrow. In the mean time I have a new question.
I've finally settled on 14 tracks total for the album for a couple different reasons. The first 8 tracks follow the story up to the dimensional distortion that Lynx dumps Serge after switching bodies. I already have plans for the final track on the album, so here's what I'm trying to decide:
Should I try to finish out the story in the remaining 5 tracks, and if so what songs from the OST are most important in terms of story?
Or...
Should I try and hit a good stopping point in the story and plan to produce a "Cross Symphonic 2," or EP" (depending on how much material is left) if this album does well enough? If so, then where would be a good split point?
Thanks guys!
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I'm always of the mindset that one should never put a dead stop on one's art projects.
So the question is --
Do you think you can push out another 8 tracks for a second EP without it being forced? If not, finish up the next few tracks and call it a complete album.
If a second EP is contingent is dependent on the success of the first one, just finish the album as is.
Nothing is worse than a story not coming to it's conclusion. Happens way too much on television shows!
:)
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There's plenty of ost content to do another album, however it would be more of a "Chrono Cross greatest hits" album, since the tracks that are left over are town themes and various map tracks that didn't fit into my vision for Cross Symphonic.
I'm inclined to finish out the story, but there's a lot of ground left to cover in only five tracks. I don't want it to feel rushed, or like I skipped to much. That being said, after you get Serge's body back, a good portion of the story that's left is optional.
So if I did a track covering the dimensional area, one covering the dragons, one for the chronopolis/ deadsea area, and a final battle track, is that going to be enough, or is that cutting to much content in your opinion? I could possibly add one MAYBE two more tracks, but there are some logistical issues that make that a little more difficult.
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Based on that, wrap up the five tracks you've got, maybe add one or two more if you feel you've not scratched a particular itch.
1. So you have Sprigg and the Dimensional Vortex...
2. Add one about Marbule (and the Song of Life if not already represented).
3. Then Chronopolis / Dead Sea / battle with Wazuki (that song man! those feels!)
4. Another for the dragons (and you can roll in Terra Tower or whatever if you wish)
5. Then the final battle track.
Which now that I think of it, what did you have in mind for the final battle? The Song of Life that the Chrono Cross element creates? I ask because the final battle was silent otherwise, hahaha...
I also wouldn't say no to your interpretation of "Radical Dreamers ~ Unstolen Jewel ~" (RADICAL DREAMERS ~盗めない宝石~). That song is gold. It may also be your interpretation for the final battle track, I dunno.
I mention the Radical Dreamers song because I feel it is the ultimate bookmark for Chrono Cross. The song itself, plus the vivid imagery of the ending, really bring the story to a close. Schala is freed and decides to search for her loved one(s). Your version wouldn't need to be acoustic or need the lyrics; I think you have the chops to orchestrate it and keep the same invocation of emotion of the original.
Just a thought.
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I really appreciate the input! This list helps me organize my thoughts, haha.
1. So you have Sprigg and the Dimensional Vortex...
2. Add one about Marbule (and the Song of Life if not already represented).
3. Then Chronopolis / Dead Sea / battle with Wazuki (that song man! those feels!)
4. Another for the dragons (and you can roll in Terra Tower or whatever if you wish)
5. Then the final battle track.
I like this list, Marbule hasn't been represented yet, and it is significant to the story. I've been playing around with a few ideas trying to decide how I want to represent it so that it stays consistent with the rest of the album.
The Chronopolis and Wazuki will be fairly straight forward. I just need to figure out how to meld a couple tracks together without coming accross as a medley.
The Dragon track is already in the works!
I want to touch on the Sea of Eden, and the battle with FATE. (also using the motif that I've been using for Lynx all throughout the album) This might need to be an additional track that I wasn't counting on.
I really wanted to do a Kid/Schala track, so maybe it's worth adding another track to cover that and the burning orphanage. The biggest issue is that it messes a little with the timeline, since technically that happens before the group heads off to Terra Tower, which is something I wanted to highlight in the Dragon track.
Which now that I think of it, what did you have in mind for the final battle? The Song of Life that the Chrono Cross element creates? I ask because the final battle was silent otherwise, hahaha...
I have a few ideas. ;) They probably won't quite align with what the game does in that section, but it should represent that scene very well, of course ending with "Life - A Distant Promise" while releasing Schala from the Time Devourer.
I also wouldn't say no to your interpretation of "Radical Dreamers ~ Unstolen Jewel ~" (RADICAL DREAMERS ~盗めない宝石~). That song is gold. It may also be your interpretation for the final battle track, I dunno.
Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about this track! It, and "Scars of Time" are staples in the OST, so they'll both have an appearance of some sort. ;)
So while typing this it's becoming very apparent that I need to find a way to add two tracks to the album - 16 total. If I did that would you feel like the story is accurately represented, (based on my outline) or is there still something lacking?
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I definitely think that would encompass it all. And don't worry about Kid's song being a little out of order; I don't think anyone would think twice about it. :)
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I wonder if having the Kid/Schala track as the penultimate track would work? It could lead into "Life ~Distant Promise~" which, since it already carries the theme for RADICAL DREAMERS, could work as the end of the album.
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As promised here is a a preview of the full track! Again, it's a private link that I'll reset in a few days, but I wanted to show you guys as a thank you!
https://soundcloud.com/john-paul-hayward/from-water-to-fire/s-zLjso
I definitely think that would encompass it all. And don't worry about Kid's song being a little out of order; I don't think anyone would think twice about it. :)
Awesome, then it sounds like I have a game plan!
I wonder if having the Kid/Schala track as the penultimate track would work? It could lead into "Life ~Distant Promise~" which, since it already carries the theme for RADICAL DREAMERS, could work as the end of the album.
Oooo...that's a good idea. I may actually do both, then reprise it, if you will, for the final track. Let me play with it and see what comes out!
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As promised here is a a preview of the full track! Again, it's a private link that I'll reset in a few days, but I wanted to show you guys as a thank you!
https://soundcloud.com/john-paul-hayward/from-water-to-fire/s-zLjso
I am late to this thread, having only recently returned to the Compendium, but that is gorgeous!
Where can I find your formally published work online?
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As promised here is a a preview of the full track! Again, it's a private link that I'll reset in a few days, but I wanted to show you guys as a thank you!
https://soundcloud.com/john-paul-hayward/from-water-to-fire/s-zLjso
I am late to this thread, having only recently returned to the Compendium, but that is gorgeous!
Where can I find your formally published work online?
Hi Lord! I'm really glad to hear that you like it! The Cross Symphonic album still has a TBD release date, but I'll be sure to update everyone one where and when they can get it as soon as things are set in stone.
I've posted some other sample tracks from the album on my YouTube and soundcloud that you can check out if you like, I'll link them below! I also frequently post snippets of in progress tracks on Instagram. :)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/JohnPHayward
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/john-paul-hayward
Instagram: brokenskyproductions
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Awesome! I will check it out.
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Awesome! I will check it out.
That's great! I'd love to hear your thoughts after you listen!
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So, I went and listened to a bunch of musics on your YouTube page! I think someone else used this word upthread, but you have a very "cinematic" sound that is quite well-developed. Very sophisticated; no amateur work here. Your powers of arrangement are very good. Your music is quite enjoyable to listen to, not just the stuff I know but the original pieces too.
As a fellow artist, compliments only go so far, so additionally my great constructive criticism to you is: Sound mixing is the puzzle standing between you and the greatness of, say, a Samo Studios.
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So, I went and listened to a bunch of musics on your YouTube page! I think someone else used this word upthread, but you have a very "cinematic" sound that is quite well-developed. Very sophisticated; no amateur work here. Your powers of arrangement are very good. Your music is quite enjoyable to listen to, not just the stuff I know but the original pieces too.
As a fellow artist, compliments only go so far, so additionally my great constructive criticism to you is: Sound mixing is the puzzle standing between you and the greatness of, say, a Samo Studios.
I really appreciate the kind words, thank you! I'm glad you like my work, it's always interesting to hear peoples feedback and to see what they think.
You've really nailed my weakest area, which is the sound engineering aspect of my work. I deal with live orchestra's as often as I can, so the sound engineering/midi mock up phase is always just a means to an end. That, of course, means that I never had to learn to develop that skill since it never really matter. That's something I'm working to change! :)
Sam is a very talented musician and engineer. I worked with him on his latest album that's coming out, and I can say he's a very nice guy with a lot of passion and experience in what he does! He and I use a lot of the same libraries, yet he always gets a much cleaner sound than I do. I suppose it goes to show you that EQ and mastering go a LONG way. haha
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As an (amateur!) composer myself, I certainly admire good sound mixing because I absolutely suck at it!!
How cool that you got to work with Sam! I love his style. He has some of the most inspired phrasings and timbral choices.
Anyhow, I look forward to hearing more of your work too!
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As an (amateur!) composer myself, I certainly admire good sound mixing because I absolutely suck at it!!
How cool that you got to work with Sam! I love his style. He has some of the most inspired phrasings and timbral choices.
Anyhow, I look forward to hearing more of your work too!
Do you have any examples of your work? I would love to listen!
Sam has a great ear for cinematic orchestration! It blows my mind that he has next to no formal musical training. He really has an incredible talent that he's developed, I'm a huge fan of his Chrono album.
There will definitely be more to come! Stay tuned, I'll be posting some more in this thread, and will be sure to let everyone know when I have more information about this album!
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I wanted to share a clip from track 08 with you guys. This track cover's Lynx's original theme, as well as the battle atop Fort Dragonia.
I'm a bit nervous about this one, since Lynx didn't have a theme in the game, and this scene was largely silent during the game, so most of this track is original music. I really wanted to represent this scene, so here it is!
Let me know what you think!
https://www.facebook.com/JohnPaulHaywardMusic/videos/2111154332493902/
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Stellar. It was also nice to see your working style, with game and composing program side by side. :)
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Stellar. It was also nice to see your working style, with game and composing program side by side. :)
What you couldn't see is a huge score underneath the video. haha Usually I have the video on the left screen while I write on the big one. Although I only really use the video when I want to depict certain scenes.
What do you think? Does it do Lynx justice?
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It totally did Lynx justice. I don't have any suggestions or thoughts further than you got it nailed down!
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Awesome! I think this was probably the hardest track to write. Things should get a little easier now that I'm back to arranging existing music. (It'll also be nice to stop working on horror movie music late at night. haha)
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Man, these are great, CptOvaltine. I'm so excited for when your album's finished.
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Man, these are great, CptOvaltine. I'm so excited for when your album's finished.
Thank you! Its refreshing to see everyone enjoying them! My guess, barring any unforeseen delays, that I should be finished with the writing by August. Then it's just a matter of licensing and artwork! :)
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Just a little update. I posted a clip from track 09. So far this is probably the most "true to form" track on the entire album.
https://www.facebook.com/JohnPaulHaywardMusic/videos/2114051625537506/
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So I must first admit that the Arni Village theme is probably one of my favorite pieces from the entire Chrono Cross soundtrack. I had no idea that it was going to be included in the album! I was thinking this track was going to be for Marbule and the whole Nikki/Fargo music motif of the demi-human village. This must be part of the effort to add a few more tunes. :)
That all being said, I'm so used to this being a fairly simple tune; the Home World version being an upbeat guitar and resonating bass and flute, and the Another World version being a more lowkey piano and acoustic guitar version. I don't know if I've ever heard a fully orchestrated interpretation of this song.
I gotta admit, this may honestly be my favorite track to date. It's hard to tell without hearing all the tracks cohesively, but the flute and underlying strings is downright stellar. I now have a craving to play Chrono Cross, as this hit my nostalgic simpler-times funny bone to the core. The transition to the -0:23 portion/chorus(?) and the subtle swells and rises of the strings from here until the end is spot on ethereal goodness.
Hot damn.
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Haha I love the enthusiasm! Although it's only fair to point out this is "The Bend of Time" not "Arni Village"...although the Another World version is very similar to "The Bend of Time" which is also played by a solo guitar. I love that it takes you down nostalgia lane, though. That's exactly how I felt while writing it.
This track represents that oh so confusing Van Gogh esq area with Sprigg - post body switching. It felt right to keep it simple, sort of lullaby-ish with the strings and winds. It's a bit of a welcome relief to the album, as the early tracks are more laced with the drama from the story, it's nice to have a breather. Which is kind of how I felt about this area when playing the game as well. Later on there's solo violin excerpt, as well as a slight emotional shift as I introduce a more melancholy/less menacing version of Lynx/Harle's theme. Ultimately it will make the round trip and end with "The Bend of Time".
Track 10 is on to Marbule!
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Haha I love the enthusiasm! Although it's only fair to point out this is "The Bend of Time" not "Arni Village"...although the Another World version is very similar to "The Bend of Time" which is also played by a solo guitar. I love that it takes you down nostalgia lane, though. That's exactly how I felt while writing it.
Listening to it again when not loaded with Ambien and insomnia definitely paints a different picture. You're totally right! Not sure where I was going with it last night. The songs are wildly different, except, you know... The Dimensional Vortex and Arni Theme are both subtle acoustic pieces?
Regardless, beautifully done and I stand by everything else said!
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Haha I love the enthusiasm! Although it's only fair to point out this is "The Bend of Time" not "Arni Village"...although the Another World version is very similar to "The Bend of Time" which is also played by a solo guitar. I love that it takes you down nostalgia lane, though. That's exactly how I felt while writing it.
Listening to it again when not loaded with Ambien and insomnia definitely paints a different picture. You're totally right! Not sure where I was going with it last night. The songs are wildly different, except, you know... The Dimensional Vortex and Arni Theme are both subtle acoustic pieces?
Regardless, beautifully done and I stand by everything else said!
Haha I'm glad to hear that it doesn't need Ambien to be enjoyed! :lol:
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So, I've been working on the Marbule sequence for the past few days...and let me tell you, this has been the HARDEST theme to work with on the whole album. It's such a simple tune. It loops very easily, which makes it a pain to turn it into a full fledged track.
In my attempts, things got a little...dark...haha. I was trying to represent boarding the Zelbess and finding a happy, fun cruise ship, slowly realizing that the captain is corrupt and the workers are paid and treated like slaves. Of course it later moves on and into Nikki's concert. (sans electric guitar...sorry (#notsorry))
Here's the preview!
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjq-J56n4AV/?igshid=13098wkckgbne&utm_source=fb_www_attr
Let me know what you all think!
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Sounds great! Nothing to add beyond that.
Also -- I'll subscribe to you on InstaGram. I don't use it often, but now I know you handle, one more method to keep my eyes on this and future projects.
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Thanks for following! Instagram is probably the best way to stay up-to-date with what I'm doing, the next best would be my facebook page. I just suck at updating anything really. haha
I'm glad you like it. If you're willing I would like to share the full track with you when it's finished and get some feedback. This one has been such a struggle to write and I feel like my sudden transitions are going to give the listener whiplash.
I've had a few other people listen, and they think it's fine, but they also aren't familiar with the source material, so I'd appreciate some feedback from someone that knows the game and song well.
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I'm glad you mentioned the Instagram thing because I didn't even notice that! I'm such an airhead sometimes. LOL Followed!!
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Thanks for following! :) What do you think of the Marbule preview? Is it to weird?
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I do have to listen to it yet but I definitely will after work! I check in a fair bit on Instagram ( I used to be better but I've been slacking lately! Ha ha!) so It'll help me keep a better tab on your work. I tend to check in on here during work but I can't watch the videos then, so this will help!
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No worries! I think I'll have the track finished today. This one is probably my least favorite on the album, but that could just be my frustration speaking. 8)
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I just thought of something.... one of my favorite songs from Chrono Cross is the music for the Miguel battle... have you done that one yet or will you being doing it soon? That song is so haunting and beautiful, I just LOVE it!
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I haven't done that one yet! Though my next track is about the Chronopolis, so it's likely to make an appearance soon. :D
It's definitely a song I want to include in some form.
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Ooooo yay! I can't wait! I just think that track is so beautiful. :)
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What do you think of the Marbule preview? Is it to weird?
I listened to this again and am really digging it. I like the flutes and subtle woodblock. Since it's an instagram vid I can't time stamp it, but there are some really strong parts in the one minute snippet we hear. I think any negatives you feel with the piece come from your own struggles with putting the piece together. :D
On that note, I don't think I noticed last night how well you incorporate the pirate ship music into the piece. It flew over my head yesterday.
Are you going to have a part melt down into electric guitar solos as Nikki and the Magical Dreamers? Gwahahaha!
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Are you going to have a part melt down into electric guitar solos as Nikki and the Magical Dreamers? Gwahahaha!
While this might be disappointing, there's no electric guitar solo. Sorry (#notsorry) haha I did use the full orchestra for Magical Dreamers though, and I like what came out...although it turned a little more heroic then I intended, but I think it works!
I listened to this again and am really digging it. I like the flutes and subtle woodblock. Since it's an instagram vid I can't time stamp it, but there are some really strong parts in the one minute snippet we hear. I think any negatives you feel with the piece come from your own struggles with putting the piece together. :D
That's a relief! Although maybe I should keep holding my breath until you hear the full track. I'm not sold on all of the transitions between sections. I feel like it gets a little whiplash-y, but like I said before, others seem to think it's fine and it's all in my head...so...I don't know. I finished the track last night, and will be working on the editing this afternoon. I'll post another limited time full preview for you guys to take a listen. I would love to get some feedback on what you think!
On that note, I don't think I noticed last night how well you incorporate the pirate ship music into the piece. It flew over my head yesterday.
That was my favorite part of this track! It fit so well it even surprised me, since they're very different keys, and one is swung while the other is straight. I was also able to fit in parts of Termina Home and Another in a couple places which I thought was cool.
I'll post a preview link in a few hours!
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I will wait with bated breath.
:o :cry: :shock: :oops:
That's my crappy attempt to make a montage of a nu holding his breath.
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I will wait with bated breath.
:o :cry: :shock: :oops:
That's my crappy attempt to make a montage of a nu holding his breath.
That's a great montage!!
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Hold your breath no more! Here it is!
https://soundcloud.com/john-paul-hayward/village-from-the-sea/s-YS2oV
Like before, this link will go dead in a few days. I'm actually a little more at peace with the song now, but I would still love to hear your thoughts! Does it do the job of telling the whole Nikki/Demi-human story arch?
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I think so!!! This piece is absolutely beautiful!!!
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Yup, you nailed it. The transition to the ghost ship was really subtle and tasteful. I honestly wouldn't have noticed it at first, especially with the variation of the Marbule theme over it (just changed key). Then you come back out with the swell at 1:40 with the grandiose and brass fanfare rendition. Hot stuff, baby!
I really like this, although I'll say the 1:40 to 1:50 mark is probably the first time I didn't think I was listening to a live orchestra. I'm not sure why, but something about this segment felt inorganic in the sound quality. Could be a mixing thing, since this is the pre-mix copy. Not a bad thing at all, just an observation. Once the brass kicks in at 1:51, though, it seems to be fine.
I love the slightly increased tempo and subtle horns at 2:18. And the plucked strings at 2:28 and beyond. Then the brass comes back in and the swell at 2:42 -- here is where you are really getting to shine! I love the deviation you do in the little bridge back into the final big fanfare.
That fanfare, by the way, totally reminds me of something big and grandiose that Joe Hisaishi would write. I dunno, maybe a big bathhouse song from Spirited Away or a royal fanfare from Howl's Moving Castle. If you aren't familiar with him, that's supposed to be a compliment. Oh, and if anything, you could loop this fanfare portion (from 2:51 to the end) -- it was really jiving and I was almost disappointed it dropped off and ended when it did. Seriously. You could run with that for another 20 or 30 seconds.
All in all, you nailed the piece. I really enjoyed and I think you managed to capture the plight of the people well. It was fun and airy and then dipped into the darkness for a moment. Good stuff.
If only you had Nikki trying to nail those notes and then start shredding it on the guitar. /s/
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Damn. Really loving that fanfare. Reminds me a lot of FFXII's soundtrack, which I love.
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I think so!!! This piece is absolutely beautiful!!!
Thank you! :) I'm really glad you're enjoying it!
Yup, you nailed it. The transition to the ghost ship was really subtle and tasteful. I honestly wouldn't have noticed it at first, especially with the variation of the Marbule theme over it (just changed key). Then you come back out with the swell at 1:40 with the grandiose and brass fanfare rendition. Hot stuff, baby!
Thanks, Boo! I'm glad you picked up on the Ghost Ship! I thought for sure it was too subtle!
I really like this, although I'll say the 1:40 to 1:50 mark is probably the first time I didn't think I was listening to a live orchestra. I'm not sure why, but something about this segment felt inorganic in the sound quality. Could be a mixing thing, since this is the pre-mix copy. Not a bad thing at all, just an observation. Once the brass kicks in at 1:51, though, it seems to be fine.
I know exactly what you're talking about. It's my stupid Viola samples. They have some real trouble with the fast turn around in the Zelbess theme. I'll work on them for the final product. Worst case I just need to pick a different sample for that section and it should clear up.
That fanfare, by the way, totally reminds me of something big and grandiose that Joe Hisaishi would write. I dunno, maybe a big bathhouse song from Spirited Away or a royal fanfare from Howl's Moving Castle. If you aren't familiar with him, that's supposed to be a compliment. Oh, and if anything, you could loop this fanfare portion (from 2:51 to the end) -- it was really jiving and I was almost disappointed it dropped off and ended when it did. Seriously. You could run with that for another 20 or 30 seconds.
Total compliment! I love Joe Hisaishi's work! He's been one of the composers that I've been listening to for years. I thought about looping the fanfare, making it a big party, but something seemed right to end it earlier, as if Serge and co are sneaking out the back while everything is still going on!
If only you had Nikki trying to nail those notes and then start shredding it on the guitar. /s/
Haha well, Electric guitar doesn't fit my MO very well. Even if it IS in the game, I felt like I should stick to the orchestral narrative that I've created.
Damn. Really loving that fanfare. Reminds me a lot of FFXII's soundtrack, which I love.
Kodokami! Thank you! I also love XII's soundtrack, so that is a great compliment! I only hope I deserve it! haha I suppose we will see when I release the full album... :o
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New preview for Track 11 is up! I'm really loving the way this one is turning out! It's a little on the dark side, but I'm going to try and progressively build this one into the battle with Miguel. This track uses themes from both The Dead Sea and the Sea of Eden, since I'm trying to loosely cover both areas. I'm going to slip in a track for Kid next, followed by the Dragons, and the Final Battle. (Which will likely not be a battle track at all. haha)
Let me know what you guys think! I would also love to hear what themes you pick out!
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj81HC8Hqqr/
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New preview for Track 11 is up! I'm really loving the way this one is turning out! It's a little on the dark side, but I'm going to try and progressively build this one into the battle with Miguel. This track uses themes from both The Dead Sea and the Sea of Eden, since I'm trying to loosely cover both areas. I'm going to slip in a track for Kid next, followed by the Dragons, and the Final Battle. (Which will likely not be a battle track at all. haha)
Let me know what you guys think! I would also love to hear what themes you pick out!
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj81HC8Hqqr/
I think it's great. Sounds very unique and I had to stretch my memory to isolate the songs; the video clip you showed at the Isle of the Damned fit really well, too. I'm curious to hear the whole song, though.
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I think it's great. Sounds very unique and I had to stretch my memory to isolate the songs; the video clip you showed at the Isle of the Damned fit really well, too. I'm curious to hear the whole song, though.
That clip is actually from the entrance to The Dead Sea, but it had the same atmosphere. I know the music isn't the most identifiable at this point. I sprinkled in themes from Isle of the Damned, The Dead Sea, Dragon Night, Chronopolis, and Scars of Time all in that one minute clip. Some of them are a little hidden though. haha It's going to progress into The Dead Sea theme, and then morph into Prisoners of Fate in the end. It's kind of a vague track, but I'm hoping it hits all of the bullet points.
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PRISONERS OF FATE?! Oooooo I can't wait to hear the full track!!
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PRISONERS OF FATE?! Oooooo I can't wait to hear the full track!!
I know how much you love that song, so I'm going to really try to do it justice! :D
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On my first few listens, I heard, in order, a melody from Chrono Trigger that I couldn't quite place, "Departed Souls" (one of my favorites), a jingle that I thought was from Trigger's "Memories of Green" or maybe Cross's "Earth Dragon Isle", and that final 3 note progression I couldn't quite pinpoint at first--though I now realize it's the opening to "Dead Sea".
I don't hear "Isle of the Damned" or "Scar's Time", and I think that jingle is either still "Memories of Green" or maybe "Chronopolis". Speaking of which...
I was trying so hard to pinpoint that first tune that I swore was from Trigger, and then I got it: "World Revolution"! Except... Listening closer... It's also "Chronopolis". THEY USE THE SAME MELODY??? How did I not know this? :o
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You nailed some of these! That's awesome, since I thought some of these would be too obscure for sure!
Since Instagram doesn't give you a time stamp, here is the link to the Facebook post. I'll give you a time stamp for all of themes. :D
https://www.facebook.com/JohnPaulHaywardMusic/videos/2121862591423076/
0:16 - "Chronopolis" in the Clarinet
0:25 - "Scars of Time" The opening is played with the Bassoon in the background, it only lasts for a few seconds.
0:35 - "Isle of the Damned" Right after the crash the Harp and Marimba play the arpeggiated line from Isle of the Damned, only once though.
0:35 - "Dragon Knight" the Violins play the main melody from Dragon night underneath the Isle of the Damned theme.
0:41 - "Chronopolis" comes in with the Harp. I mostly use the rhythm, as I change the chords to fit the mood.
0:52 - "The Dead Sea" The Flute plays the melody, although it is twisted and distorted, again to fit the mood, but the essence is there. The Crotales (the high pitched bell sounds) play the last half of The Dead Sea under the main melody - again twisted to fit the mood.
I didn't include any CT themes, so if you heard them it's a complete coincidence! haha 8)
I knew the "World Revolution" theme was similar, I didn't think it was the same though. I'll have to check it out for sure!
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Has anybody made a list of all the leitmotifs in the Chrono soundtracks? I can catch the big obvious ones like Cross's Home World map theme referencing Trigger's main theme because it lasts for so many notes, but shorter ones fly right over my head. Sometimes I get the feeling that I should recognize a phrase (is that the right word?), but I can never seem to place it.
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I never made the connection between the two songs until now, and I think it's because the clarinet you're using to play the "Chronopolis" theme sounds much more like whatever instrument was referenced for "World Revolution", whereas the actual sound in "Chronopolis" is muted, almost in the background.
Regardless, I think it's awesome that you can incorporate so many themes into these songs without it sounding jumbled or out of place. The subtlety in some of them is perfect.
Has anybody made a list of all the leitmotifs in the Chrono soundtracks? I can catch the big obvious ones like Cross's Home World map theme referencing Trigger's main theme because it lasts for so many notes, but shorter ones fly right over my head. Sometimes I get the feeling that I should recognize a phrase (is that the right word?), but I can never seem to place it.
That's a good question! And something I think we should investigate.
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I never made the connection between the two songs until now, and I think it's because the clarinet you're using to play the "Chronopolis" theme sounds much more like whatever instrument was referenced for "World Revolution", whereas the actual sound in "Chronopolis" is muted, almost in the background.
Regardless, I think it's awesome that you can incorporate so many themes into these songs without it sounding jumbled or out of place. The subtlety in some of them is perfect.
Has anybody made a list of all the leitmotifs in the Chrono soundtracks? I can catch the big obvious ones like Cross's Home World map theme referencing Trigger's main theme because it lasts for so many notes, but shorter ones fly right over my head. Sometimes I get the feeling that I should recognize a phrase (is that the right word?), but I can never seem to place it.
That's a good question! And something I think we should investigate.
I can totally see that!
Thank you though, I love to weave everything together using themes to represent characters and story elements. I think it makes the music so much more interesting! So I'm really glad that you don't think it's jumbled or messy!
Has anybody made a list of all the leitmotifs in the Chrono soundtracks? I can catch the big obvious ones like Cross's Home World map theme referencing Trigger's main theme because it lasts for so many notes, but shorter ones fly right over my head. Sometimes I get the feeling that I should recognize a phrase (is that the right word?), but I can never seem to place it.
I've never actually made a list, but I constantly hear little references to Chrono Trigger while I'm listening to the soundtrack. It's really awesome actually! Maybe that would be a good project for the community!
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I posted another preview for track 11, this ones for you PrincessNadia78. 8)
https://www.facebook.com/JohnPaulHaywardMusic/videos/2123523557923646/
It's a bit of an interlude, so it might be a little difficult to pick some things out, but wait until the end. ;)
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Sorry to triple post guys...Let me know if this is too much! :roll:
I finished track 11, and I'm really happy with the way "Prisoners of Fate" went down! I'm posting a link to the "Prisoners of Fate" section of the song, I would love to hear your thoughts!
https://soundcloud.com/john-paul-hayward/11-where-time-stands-still/s-m6j3k
I'll take the link down on Sunday.
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OMG I need this! I put my phone to my ear and listened to it in a restaurant and I seriously started crying. My hubby wondered what was wrong. Ha ha! It’s just SO BEAUTIFUL, I can’t even pick it apart and tell what I loved best about it because I love the whole thing!! Awesome work!!
*EDIT* I also played this in my car and in surround sound like that sounded SO AMAZING. Also I made hubby listen to it. Lol
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I'm really glad you like it! I went the "epic death scene" route, rather then the soft, mournful version. I knew it might be a bit of a gamble, but I'm really happy with the outcome! I think it's one of the more impactful tracks on the album!
My only regret is that I wasn't able to include any reference to Lynx, Fate, or the frozen flame on this track. So there's a chance that the whole section may go un represented in the album. I'm toying with the idea of a Kid track, maybe I'll try and throw in the Frozen Flame theme there (since that's where you get her back) and see how that works out.
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I really loved it. I need that track in my life!! I thought it was very impactful. Your music is just amazing!
I think that's a good idea. I think you'll find a way to fit it in!!
*EDIT* I just had to share that now I have this song stuck in my head. At work. LOL
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Thank you! I'm pretty proud of how that track turned out! I think it'll probably be one of the stand out tracks on the album. We're in the home stretch now!
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So I didn't get to listen to the linked version here, but I did hear it on Youtube. I loved it. It had a really nice flow to it and encompassed a lot in the 2.5 minutes or so.
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It's on YouTube?! I must find it after work so I can listen again! I love, love, LOVE this!!
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So I didn't get to listen to the linked version here, but I did hear it on Youtube. I loved it. It had a really nice flow to it and encompassed a lot in the 2.5 minutes or so.
I'm glad you liked it! The final track is around 5 mins, so this preview gives you a pretty good idea one what to expect from the rest of the track!
I was torn between extending the "Prisoners of Fate" section (since it's only about 2 minuets of the total) or keeping the total time limit to around 5 mins. Ultimately the latter won out. I feel like songs that exceed 4:30 get to be a little much...at least for me. Maybe I'm crazy though!
It's on YouTube?! I must find it after work so I can listen again! I love, love, LOVE this!!
I posted a preview late last night! :)
https://youtu.be/oXUKx3Cb59E
I'm really glad you love it! Seeing people really enjoy what I'm working on makes all the late hours and hard work worth it! It really motivates me and keeps me going! So thank you again! I'm really excited to release this whole thing, and only hope that you all enjoy the full album as much as these clips! :)
After some thought, and listening to what I've written so far, I really think that I need to insert a Frozen Flame/Kid/Schala track at this point. It's really the last MAJOR part of the story that I've only vaguely covered. After that, the Dragons, then the Final Battle! Almost there!
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Thank you for the link, now I can listen to it on the way home!! :D
I know what you mean about the song length and I have to agree.
That is true, all of those elements are an important part of Cross. I really need to play this game again!! I really can't wait to hear the whole album when it's done, it will be AMAZING!
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Absolutely! I have videos for all of the Cross previews on there! (though not ever track has a preview!) So you should check them out when you have a minute! :)
It's hard to keep the length down when I covering such large swaths of story...though at this point in the game they start re-using themes rather than introducing new ones, so it gets difficult to not just be repetitive as well. haha
I'm shooting for a fall release, but there's still a lot to do in the meantime! Including all of the legal stuff, which I'll need to do a fund raiser for in the next month or two. If you know anyone that loves Chrono music, please let them know about the album! The more the merrier!
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Do you think you'll do a Kickstarter? If you do you should post it here, I know I would contribute what I can.
Minuet... I see what you did there. LOL
I've always loved music. I listen to all kinds, I don't stick to one genre. I was in choir for 8 years, so I learned to really appreciate and love music. Of course I can sing worth a crap now... ha ha! Voice lessons are on my list of things to do!
I will definitely share!!
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Do you think you'll do a Kickstarter? If you do you should post it here, I know I would contribute what I can.
That is the plan, though it's hard to calculate what I'll actually need until I'm finished with the album, or really close. I'm on track to be finished by the end of July, which means I need to start thinking about licensing, mixing and mastering, distribution (assuming people are even interested in physical albums) etc. I will be sure to let you all know what's going on once it's all ready!
Minuet... I see what you did there. LOL
Haha I wish I were that clever...and that this was the first time my fingers have been faster than my brain... :D
I've always loved music. I listen to all kinds, I don't stick to one genre. I was in choir for 8 years, so I learned to really appreciate and love music. Of course I can sing worth a crap now... ha ha! Voice lessons are on my list of things to do!
Oh, that's cool! I sing in two professional choirs now! I've been singing in choirs since elementary school, then was introduced to a composer/conductor in college who is a big part why I decided to pursue composing rather than performance! I still sing in his choirs today. :)
I will definitely share!!
Thank you so much! Marketing and getting the word out is by far the hardest part of all of this for me! So any help is greatly appreciated!
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Do you have any recurring themes that play a significant role throughout the album? I'd imagine the Frozen Flame, Kid's theme, or even the Lynx's theme you mentioned would be one of them.
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Do you have any recurring themes that play a significant role throughout the album? I'd imagine the Frozen Flame, Kid's theme, or even the Lynx's theme you mentioned would be one of them.
I use several recurring themes, most notable would be Kids (and Schala's) theme, the opening of Scars of Time, the theme I wrote for Lynx, and the "Dragon Knight" theme, which I am mostly using as Radius' theme.
There are other themes peppered throughout that have recurrences, but these are the only ones that carry through a majority of the album. I do use orchestration references to other tracks ALL over the place, like using the repeating string pattern from Scars of Time (when it breaks into the rhythm section) for example. So if you listen closely you'll hear elements of the original tracks spread all over my arrangements.
Oddly enough I never thought to reference the Frozen Flame theme, although that would have made sense! haha
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That is the plan, though it's hard to calculate what I'll actually need until I'm finished with the album, or really close. I'm on track to be finished by the end of July, which means I need to start thinking about licensing, mixing and mastering, distribution (assuming people are even interested in physical albums) etc. I will be sure to let you all know what's going on once it's all ready!
Definitely keep us posted! Please put this on iTunes!!! :D
Haha I wish I were that clever...and that this was the first time my fingers have been faster than my brain... :D
:lol: :lol:
Oh, that's cool! I sing in two professional choirs now! I've been singing in choirs since elementary school, then was introduced to a composer/conductor in college who is a big part why I decided to pursue composing rather than performance! I still sing in his choirs today. :)
I actually started in choir in elementary school myself! I really miss being in a choir actually. We had so much fun, and I was in one up until I graduated from high school! Just now, my voice is so... bleh. :(
Thank you so much! Marketing and getting the word out is by far the hardest part of all of this for me! So any help is greatly appreciated!
I will help any way I can!
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Definitely keep us posted! Please put this on iTunes!!! :D
My goal is to get it onto every digital store and streaming service! Whether this happens or not will completely depend on licensing costs, and if I can successfully raise the money! haha
I actually started in choir in elementary school myself! I really miss being in a choir actually. We had so much fun, and I was in one up until I graduated from high school! Just now, my voice is so... bleh. :(
I think all of us singers feel the same way! I'm sure it's much better then you think it is!
I will help any way I can!
I really appreciate it! Thank you!! :D
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So...this track didn't turn out AT ALL how I intended...
This is a very different take on the Frozen Flame theme. I've also mixed in my Lynx theme. I'm planning to work in elements from the battle music with FATE as well as a few other tracks. I'm interested to hear what you guys think of this! Is it to off the beaten path?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkRcVHLH0pB/?taken-by=brokenskyproductions
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I forgot to listen to this all weekend!! :o Is it still up? I would like to listen to it after work!
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No worries! It's just an Instagram post, so it's still there. :)
I'm still writing it too...these types of pieces take FOREVER to write!
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Sounds great. Nothing in particular to point out.
Also, I assume you have kickass speakers. The quality of that recording was awesome.
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Sounds great. Nothing in particular to point out.
Also, I assume you have kickass speakers. The quality of that recording was awesome.
Not too weird? I had someone tell me it barely resembles the original...which is true, but they didn't mean it as a compliment...
I was fortunate enough to find a very nice pair of Dynaudio (a studio brand if you aren't familiar) 12'' speakers for an awesome price a few years ago! They are amazing! I know that my stuff doesn't actually sound that great on most people speakers/headphones...that's a product of my poor mastering skills. One of the many reasons that I want to have all of these tracks mastered for release once I'm finished. That should really make everything shine on most speaker systems.
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Not too weird? I had someone tell me it barely resembles the original...which is true, but they didn't mean it as a compliment...
I had to listen to it again without the video. The video walks through the events and times perfectly to the video you were watching, so it seemed like it fit just fine.
I do agree that it sounds/feels wholly different from the original theme, but that can be chalked up the fact that the two have very different tones. The Chrono Cross version is fairly mysterious and subdued in harps and more delicate instruments. Your version is quicker (or feels quicker) and is larger and more boisterous, with brass and fanfare.
I get what the other(s) were saying in that it sounds very different, almost unrecognizable. I don't think they're wrong in that. But I don't think your rendition is bad or wrong, in fact, it's almost more fitting concerning the events that transpire: having reached the depths of Chronopolis, a confrontation with the heart of Project Kid in the Frozen Flame, and a final confrontation with Lynx/FATE. A lot all at once and worthy of brassy fanfare.
If you don't feel confident in the vision you've laid out, you could always merge the two styles. Start loud and brassy and turn to more quiet and harpsical or vice versa. Or utilize the original as some sort of middle transition or something.
Either way, this version has my blessing. I view this as your interpretation through and through, and I am the first to say that any deviation is definitely NOT a bad thing.
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Not too weird? I had someone tell me it barely resembles the original...which is true, but they didn't mean it as a compliment...
I had to listen to it again without the video. The video walks through the events and times perfectly to the video you were watching, so it seemed like it fit just fine.
I do agree that it sounds/feels wholly different from the original theme, but that can be chalked up the fact that the two have very different tones. The Chrono Cross version is fairly mysterious and subdued in harps and more delicate instruments. Your version is quicker (or feels quicker) and is larger and more boisterous, with brass and fanfare.
I get what the other(s) were saying in that it sounds very different, almost unrecognizable. I don't think they're wrong in that. But I don't think your rendition is bad or wrong, in fact, it's almost more fitting concerning the events that transpire: having reached the depths of Chronopolis, a confrontation with the heart of Project Kid in the Frozen Flame, and a final confrontation with Lynx/FATE. A lot all at once and worthy of brassy fanfare.
If you don't feel confident in the vision you've laid out, you could always merge the two styles. Start loud and brassy and turn to more quiet and harpsical or vice versa. Or utilize the original as some sort of middle transition or something.
Either way, this version has my blessing. I view this as your interpretation through and through, and I am the first to say that any deviation is definitely NOT a bad thing.
I really appreciate that. I feel confident and comfortable with the direction I've taken with all of these tracks, even though some tracks (like this one) deviate so far from the original it's almost easier to say "inspired by" rather than to say it's an arrangement.
That being said, I wanted to do an arrangement album of Cross music, not re-write the soundtrack completely. It's been fun, albeit, difficult to find a perfect balance. Obviously you'll never please everyone, but I like to try and find a general consensus.
To speak to this track directly, I agree with you. While I love the Frozen Flame theme, it was always an odd fit for me at this point of the game. The revelations in that scene plus the energy of confronting Lynx/FATE always seemed like a BIG moment where the villain theme blares followed by a bombastic boss theme. I have the same issue with the battle music for FATE, it's always felt off to me. Never the less, I tried to incorporate elements of both into this track, and there are sections that are true to the original with a more up-tempo flare.
It's comforting to know that there are people like yourself that are open to divination from the source material. I've seen some pretty nasty reddit and youtube comments on other peoples arrangements that took a little artistic license...
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It's comforting to know that there are people like yourself that are open to divination from the source material. I've seen some pretty nasty reddit and youtube comments on other peoples arrangements that took a little artistic license...
Bah, people can be assholes. I see the same thing in just about any fanon (particularly Star Wars). People bitch and moan when you don't deviate enough (see the gameplay for the remake of Secret of Mana, or Star Wars: The Force Awakens), and they bitch and moan when you deviate too much (see the music for the remake of Secret of Mana, or Star Wars: The Last Jedi). People feel like if it's not their interpretation of how it should be, then it's blatantly wrong.
Regardless, this album is going to be lit!
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It's comforting to know that there are people like yourself that are open to divination from the source material. I've seen some pretty nasty reddit and youtube comments on other peoples arrangements that took a little artistic license...
Bah, people can be assholes. I see the same thing in just about any fanon (particularly Star Wars). People bitch and moan when you don't deviate enough (see the gameplay for the remake of Secret of Mana, or Star Wars: The Force Awakens), and they bitch and moan when you deviate too much (see the music for the remake of Secret of Mana, or Star Wars: The Last Jedi). People feel like if it's not their interpretation of how it should be, then it's blatantly wrong.
Regardless, this album is going to be lit!
Haha the Star Wars fandom has to be one of the most toxic things out there...I feel sorry for anyone that is working on anything Star Wars related.
Like I said, you can't please everyone. I'm not under any illusion that this album will be received well by the entire community. I know there are several people, even on the Chrono reddit, who aren't a fan of orchestral renditions in general, so I'm sure there will be some negativity. My hope is that the majority likes what I'm doing though!
Regardless, this album is going to be lit!
Man, just knowing that the few of you that have been active in this thread are supportive, and generally psyched for this album is amazing! It's the kind of motivation that keeps me writing into the 10th hour. I can't say thank you enough! Hopefully everything can gain enough attention and momentum to get it funded and released in the next few months!
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I know there are several people, even on the Chrono reddit, who aren't a fan of orchestral renditions in general, so I'm sure there will be some negativity. My hope is that the majority likes what I'm doing though!
The only thing that would appease these people would be:
1.) A 8-bit chiptune downgrade, or
2.) All speed metal covers
Bahaha!
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2.) All speed metal covers
You know, I have noticed a lot of metal covers for games like Chrono Trigger and Kingdom Hearts lately. I find it so...bazaar. I can't think of style further removed from the original. Hahaha
I guess there was that trap mix posted on the Chrono Trigger reddit the other day...
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I keep forgetting to respond to this thread. :shock:
I did listen to the track and I really liked it! I thought it was beautiful. And to those naysayers... well they don't know good music! I cannot wait for the entire album!
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Thank you! I couldn't do it without all of the support!
If this project is received well, and there's enough fan excitement, I may want to tackle Trigger with the same concept. I'm also eyeing some of the classic Final Fantasy games, if you're into those!
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PLEASE do Chrono Trigger! I would be the happiest person EVER!!
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I'm also eyeing some of the classic Final Fantasy games, if you're into those!
At this point, I'll support whatever you work on, hahaha... But yeah, if it's a SNES or PSX-era RPG, I probably played it. Final Fantasy, the Mana Series, Xenoblade, Lunar... I love them all, so any new album sounds great.
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PLEASE do Chrono Trigger! I would be the happiest person EVER!!
I've definitely been toying with the idea. I'll probably do it regardless of how well this one does. haha But how quickly I do it, and to what extent, will depend on how well Cross Symphonic is received. If there's little interest, or the feedback is overwhelmingly negative it'll take the wind out of my sails.
At this point, I'll support whatever you work on, hahaha... But yeah, if it's a SNES or PSX-era RPG, I probably played it. Final Fantasy, the Mana Series, Xenoblade, Lunar... I love them all, so any new album sounds great.
Sounds like we love the same era of gaming! I've been making a list of different OSTs I want to play with. Some of the top ones being:
Chrono Trigger
Secret of Mana
Xenosaga
Xenogears
Final Fantasy IV, V, VI
Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX
Legend of Zelda
Lufia II
There's enough content on that list to keep me busy for the next 10 years! haha
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In all honesty, I don't see why your album wouldn't be well received. Everything I've heard so far has been absolutely awesome!
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Well, my biggest fear is that the album will never actually get the chance to succeed. I've always been horrible at advertising, so I'm actually fairly worried that nobody will actually know it even exists...I'm going to try to do a lot more for this one then I've ever done in the past, so we'll see what happens!
On the Final Fantasy note, I wrote a tribute for the 30th anniversary a few months ago. I was going to submit it for Square's contest they were holding, but was never able to submit it due to a glitchy web page. I thought you guys might like to hear it! (if you haven't already)
I tried to represent the main themes from every game through X. Some are a little obscure, but I would love to hear if you catch them all! :D
https://soundcloud.com/john-paul-hayward/final-fantasy-30th-anniversary
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Quick question, does anyone know where I can get a hold of the OST and/or a piano transcription of the music for Radical Dreamers? (The text adventure, not the song from Cross.)
I'm thinking about maybe using the title track that I heard somewhere on this site in Cross Symphonic.
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Quick question, does anyone know where I can get a hold of the OST and/or a piano transcription of the music for Radical Dreamers? (The text adventure, not the song from Cross.)
Sorry, no joy on my end. But if I know what song in particular, I don't mind trying to help Google-fu some sheet music.
I also realized that I had never responded to the other comment you had made! My bad!
Well, my biggest fear is that the album will never actually get the chance to succeed. I've always been horrible at advertising, so I'm actually fairly worried that nobody will actually know it even exists...I'm going to try to do a lot more for this one then I've ever done in the past, so we'll see what happens!
In all honesty, I had no idea how successful VGmix albums really are, but if I can help in any way (Reddit post), I will gladly do so. I also feel like the Compendium has sort of adopted you and your album moreso than we traditionally do, so I think the mods can even leverage a front page news post and stuff. It's obviously not huge, but it is a show of support. Outside of Reddit, I have no idea where I'd even go to help advertise.
On the Final Fantasy note, I wrote a tribute for the 30th anniversary a few months ago. I was going to submit it for Square's contest they were holding, but was never able to submit it due to a glitchy web page. I thought you guys might like to hear it! (if you haven't already)
I had actually already heard this LOOOOONG before you posted. A while back I had seen it on your Instagram and Soundcloud and, as a Final Fantasy fan (especially the XII and before era; I have yet to play Lightning Returns or anything released after it), I loved it. I listened to it again just now for the kicks and giggles.
And hot damn, you fit in a lot in that <5:00 track! Fanfares galore, with plenty mixed in. It was fun picking out the parts I know. Hearing this again, I have to agree that advertising is probably your weak point. Because your work is pure gold.
In all seriousness, are you a musician in some capacity as your day job? Do you do much composing of original pieces?
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Sorry, no joy on my end. But if I know what song in particular, I don't mind trying to help Google-fu some sheet music.
I also realized that I had never responded to the other comment you had made! My bad!
I went digging, and found the recording I was talking about, it's called "Prologue ~ Summer Nights"
https://connorhelms.bandcamp.com/album/radical-dreamers-15th-anniversary-remake/
If you could help me hunt down some sheet music, that would be awesome!
In all honesty, I had no idea how successful VGmix albums really are, but if I can help in any way (Reddit post), I will gladly do so. I also feel like the Compendium has sort of adopted you and your album moreso than we traditionally do, so I think the mods can even leverage a front page news post and stuff. It's obviously not huge, but it is a show of support. Outside of Reddit, I have no idea where I'd even go to help advertise.
That would be amazing! It's incredibly humbling to hear and see all the support from you guys! If the community truly would be open to promoting my project, it would be an honor!
Anything you can do would be a huge help! I know there are several sub Reddits dedicated to remixes, covers, etc. Maybe when the time comes we can combine efforts to get the word out! The more people we can get talking about it, the better!
There are also a few VG remix sites like OC remix that it might be beneficial to reach out to them. I'll also be flooding all of the Facebook groups dedicated to music and to Final Fantasy/Cross to see what I can drum up!
I had actually already heard this LOOOOONG before you posted. A while back I had seen it on your Instagram and Soundcloud and, as a Final Fantasy fan (especially the XII and before era; I have yet to play Lightning Returns or anything released after it), I loved it. I listened to it again just now for the kicks and giggles.
And hot damn, you fit in a lot in that <5:00 track! Fanfares galore, with plenty mixed in. It was fun picking out the parts I know. Hearing this again, I have to agree that advertising is probably your weak point. Because your work is pure gold.
I'm really glad you enjoyed this one! I feel like this piece was done a great disservice, since I wrote it for that FF30th contest, and then was never able to submit it, so it never really found an audience. I was really proud of how it turned out, so I like to promote it here and there when I can!
It does pack a lot in there! haha My goal was to represent each game through X with the prelude being the common link between them all. Some of the references are pretty obscure, I'm not sure anyone will pick out IX's reference without me pointing it out. haha Thank you though, I know I say it a lot, but seeing people in enjoy my arrangements, and hearing the feedback is truly what motivates me to keep making them!
In all seriousness, are you a musician in some capacity as your day job? Do you do much composing of original pieces?
I am! I got my degree in vocal performance (opera and classical singing) and perform regularly in different choirs often accompanied by orchestras. I studied orchestration and composing privately with the conductor of my university choir, who is also a very accomplished arranger, composer and conductor.
I've been very fortunate to have produced a couple albums with an orchestra and choir/solo singers comprised of my own arrangements. I also write and arrange regularly for professional orchestras and choirs around the USA. All that being said, the starving artist stereotype is pretty accurate...so I started a publishing company last year to help sell my own sheet music, as well as provide professional services to other composers.
I do write my own music, though with Cross Symphonic and some of my other projects it's been a little while since my last original piece. I actually am in talks with someone about composing a 50 min original score for a ballet this winter! I've always been a huge fan of film and video game music, so ultimately I've been pushing to break into that world. I entered a film scoring competition in 2016 and placed 10th in the world, 1st in the USA (out of those that entered that year.)
Here's a link to one of the pieces I wrote for that. I actually drew some of my inspiration from some of Mitsuda's later work for this piece!
https://soundcloud.com/john-paul-hayward/stormlight
That was probably way more in depth of an answer then you wanted. haha Thanks for reading through it all! :)
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Anything you can do would be a huge help! I know there are several sub Reddits dedicated to remixes, covers, etc. Maybe when the time comes we can combine efforts to get the word out! The more people we can get talking about it, the better!
Yeah, I don't see why mods/admins can't do a formal news post about your album release. And when the times, you and I (and any others who are interested) can touch base on when/where we want to place some intentional messaging/announcements/posts/etc. I am more than happy to help (just know that I am a huge lurker online and don't have much of a social media presence, so I don't have long-standing accounts anywhere except Reddit and Instagram).
In all seriousness, are you a musician in some capacity as your day job? Do you do much composing of original pieces?
I am! I got my degree in vocal performance (opera and classical singing) and perform regularly in different choirs often accompanied by orchestras. I studied orchestration and composing privately with the conductor of my university choir, who is also a very accomplished arranger, composer and conductor.
Good. I went to Lee University here in TN and they have a HUGE music program. I had a few friends who were involved in the music program, although I personally wasn't involved.
I asked because you should consider composing for video games and putting yourself out there; I totally think you have the chops for it. Assuming such an option was interesting to you, of course. Not that I can help, but I think you have a good flair for film or video game soundtracks.
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Anything you can do would be a huge help! I know there are several sub Reddits dedicated to remixes, covers, etc. Maybe when the time comes we can combine efforts to get the word out! The more people we can get talking about it, the better!
Yeah, I don't see why mods/admins can't do a formal news post about your album release. And when the times, you and I (and any others who are interested) can touch base on when/where we want to place some intentional messaging/announcements/posts/etc. I am more than happy to help (just know that I am a huge lurker online and don't have much of a social media presence, so I don't have long-standing accounts anywhere except Reddit and Instagram).
In all seriousness, are you a musician in some capacity as your day job? Do you do much composing of original pieces?
I am! I got my degree in vocal performance (opera and classical singing) and perform regularly in different choirs often accompanied by orchestras. I studied orchestration and composing privately with the conductor of my university choir, who is also a very accomplished arranger, composer and conductor.
Good. I went to Lee University here in TN and they have a HUGE music program. I had a few friends who were involved in the music program, although I personally wasn't involved.
I asked because you should consider composing for video games and putting yourself out there; I totally think you have the chops for it. Assuming such an option was interesting to you, of course. Not that I can help, but I think you have a good flair for film or video game soundtracks.
That would be fantastic! We can talk more about it when the time comes!
I would love to compose for RPGs and fantasy films. It's a hard world to break into, I've been trying for the past 5 or so years. Though, part of that is my fault since I've busied myself with other projects and gigs rather then try and break into an internship or something like that.
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"Prologue ~ Summer Nights"
Is the remix name? From what I can find, it's the name of "Day of Summer" from Radical Dreamers. The remixed version, with the name you provided, is from the 15th Anniversary album of Radical Dreamers from ~2011. The author was a guy named Connor Helms.
https://connorhelms.bandcamp.com/album/radical-dreamers-15th-anniversary-remake
Assuming this is the case, I haven't found sheet music for the remix, but I did find sheet music for the original tune. It looks like it encompasses the entire instrumentation, which should be handy.
http://josh.agarrado.net/music/anime/index.php?searchterms=radical+dreamers+one+summer+day
I highly doubt this is what you're looking for, since this almost seemed too easy, hahaha...
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Very interesting! It's not exactly what I was looking for, but this might actually be a little better. Now to see if I can make it fit! Haha
*Edit
I took a look at this with the audio, and it's almost identical! Thanks for the find, I actually hadn't had the chance to go searching for it yet, so I'm glad it was easy! Thanks for doing that!
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Well if it's not the same, let me know and I'll get to huntin'! :D
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Well, I've finally come off of my 4th of July vacation and Track 13 is in progress!
https://www.facebook.com/JohnPaulHaywardMusic/videos/2147856095490392/
I also re-listened to everything I've written so far, and it was a bit of an emotional experience...I've worked really hard on these tracks, and I'm incredibly proud of them. I really can't wait to share this with everyone!
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Very nice! I like how you've not only played with the pacing (sped it up), but you toyed with the speed of the notes, too. In certain places there are longer pauses then the original version, with other notes happening faster in their appropriate measure(s). I dunno what that's called from a music standpoint. All in all, it's a nice interpretation that takes take away from the original, and it definitely puts a unique spin on the tune (which is one of my favorites from the game).
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I'm glad you like it! I wanted to give it a little breath of life, more of a hopeful vibe, while trying to preserve what makes the original so great. My program plays the rhythms pretty strictly, so it accentuates the quick changes. It would likely sound more like the original with live players.
The idea is to continue to build on the track, layering in Schala's theme, and maybe a few others ultimately climaxing with sweeping string lines, then quieting down until it ends. I really wanted to touch on Kids backstory and her character with this track. The sensitive, scared girl hidden behind the rough exterior.
We'll see if it plays out that way. Haha sometimes they take completely unexpected paths!
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Alright Boo, I just posted an extended look at track 13. Since this is your favorite song I want to hear your thoughts! I love the direction this track is going, and I think it captures the essence of the original quite well, though it might be a little more romantic then some would care for. haha
What do you think?
https://www.facebook.com/JohnPaulHaywardMusic/videos/2150005555275446/
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Okay, so all I can say is... I got goosebumps at 0:42. That big build with the strings (and later the brass) was phenomenal. No lie, I got goosebumps from it.
So mission accomplished.
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Okay, so all I can say is... I got goosebumps at 0:42. That big build with the strings (and later the brass) was phenomenal. No lie, I got goosebumps from it.
So mission accomplished.
You made my whole day! When someone gets goosebumps I know I've done something right! I'm taking the weekend off to do some family stuff, but then I'll be back at it on Sunday night/Monday. Hopefully I can keep the momentum going through the end of the track. The end is so close I can taste it, this is the hard part for me. When it's this close to being finished it's so easy to rush things, so your and the communities feedback will be more important then ever for these last few tracks!
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Slightly off topic, but I have a question Boo...
I'm behind in my Cross Symphonic writing due to the holidays, but I still want to enter/contribute to the Dream Splash competition. Would it be acceptable to enter the Kid/Schala track I'm working on now? I was thinking about it last night, and when I think of Zeal I ultimately think about Schala, and her struggle to combat her mother who is obviously being effected by Lavos. I think the track represents her conflict, as well as it's resolution through Kid.
Edit: I posted a new clip tonight! As always, thoughts and comments are welcome!
https://www.facebook.com/JohnPaulHaywardMusic/videos/2155204804755521/
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I'm behind in my Cross Symphonic writing due to the holidays, but I still want to enter/contribute to the Dream Splash competition. Would it be acceptable to enter the Kid/Schala track I'm working on now?
Totally acceptable.
https://www.facebook.com/JohnPaulHaywardMusic/videos/2155204804755521/
Wow, that's really big. I didn't expect it to get that epic in scope, and I really like it. I caught half a dozen other themes also making an appearance. It sounded great!
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I've been following this thread on and off for a while and love this concept. Since I am rarely at my physical PC, where I would listen to this), I am waiting until the finale to listen to this as one final masterpiece. Please post up the link the album when you finish. I'm pretty excited to hear what you've been up to.
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I've been following this thread on and off for a while and love this concept. Since I am rarely at my physical PC, where I would listen to this), I am waiting until the finale to listen to this as one final masterpiece. Please post up the link the album when you finish. I'm pretty excited to hear what you've been up to.
Thanks for dropping in! I will totally keep everyone up-to-date, as well as edit the first post with links and the like when the time comes! There is going to be a fundraising portion in the near future that will help determine the scope of this whole thing. There's even the possibility or recording this with a live orchestra if we can hit a huge funding goal!
In any case, I really appreciate you taking an interest in my work! :)
Totally acceptable.
Awesome! Then I will happily enter this once it's done!
Wow, that's really big. I didn't expect it to get that epic in scope, and I really like it. I caught half a dozen other themes also making an appearance. It sounded great!
I had always intended for this to continue to grow, though I'm not sure I imagined this much drama, though the more I write, the more it feels right for this track. Kid has an incredibly rough and complicated past. I mean, being raised in an orphanage, and then watching the women that raised you murdered as well as your home burn down with everyone you knew inside has got to screw a person up.
To me this track really embodies Kid, it starts off showing you what she exudes externally. A bit rough, and carefree, and then slowly peels away the layers revealing the pain and sorrow she bottles up. Through it all you realize that she copes with it all through grit and determination, both for revenge, and to protect those that she loves.
At least that's how I see it. I know most people will have their own take on these, which is great! If I can bring out some sort of emotion in people then I consider this a success!
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I had always intended for this to continue to grow, though I'm not sure I imagined this much drama, though the more I write, the more it feels right for this track. Kid has an incredibly rough and complicated past. I mean, being raised in an orphanage, and then watching the women that raised you murdered as well as your home burn down with everyone you knew inside has got to screw a person up.
To me this track really embodies Kid, it starts off showing you what she exudes externally. A bit rough, and carefree, and then slowly peels away the layers revealing the pain and sorrow she bottles up. Through it all you realize that she copes with it all through grit and determination, both for revenge, and to protect those that she loves.
I can totally get your interpretation and agree with it.
One can argue whether or not Kid = Schala, but regardless, she is pivotal to the game and adding more fanfare feels really fitting. Not only for all the things she reflects, nor how she's grown from her experiences, but all that is also underlined by the fact that she, you know, is a daughter-clone-something created by/from Schala herself.
After typing this out, I needed to go back and listen to what all I could catch, and I needed to double check that Schala's Theme made it in there. Sorry that I couldn't remember!!!
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can totally get your interpretation and agree with it.
One can argue whether or not Kid = Schala, but regardless, she is pivotal to the game and adding more fanfare feels really fitting. Not only for all the things she reflects, nor how she's grown from her experiences, but all that is also underlined by the fact that she, you know, is a daughter-clone-something created by/from Schala herself.
After typing this out, I needed to go back and listen to what all I could catch, and I needed to double check that Schala's Theme made it in there. Sorry that I couldn't remember!!!
Haha no worries! There's a lot going on in that minute clip.
In my opinion, while Kid is a clone of Schala they are still separate entities. I'm not positive that the game treats them that way, but to me a person is defined by their actions and experiences, not their genetics. A perfect example is that Kid has an accent and Schala doesn't. Maybe I'm reading to much into a design choice, but that to me is evidence that the different experiences have shaped both characters uniquely.
I wanted to draw the undeniable connection to the two with the music, but unlike a lot of arrangements, I wanted this one to portray Kid as an individual, (which is ultimately how I see her) hinting at elements of Schala rather than the other way around. Like you said, it seemed to fit her character to continue to build into this epic, emotional track. Given the chance to work specifically with Schala's theme (maybe in a Trigger album???) I'm not sure I would take the same approach. Schala is gentle soul, and I think her music would/does reflect that.
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Here's the full track preview! This is "The Orphan Dreamer" I would love to hear what you guys think!
https://youtu.be/9ThFlfD8S8I
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Just listened to the whole tune. It sounds AWESOME!
Can't wait for the final album. :)
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Just listened to the whole tune. It sounds AWESOME!
Can't wait for the final album. :)
Thanks Boo! I'm happy with how it turned out! I thought working in the 3 main themes at the end was a nice foreshadowing of the connection everything has with each other.
Anyway, 2 story tracks and 2 bonus tracks to go!
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Oh man!
More to go than I thought. Four more tracks? I would have guessed one or two. Good news for the listeners, bad for you doing the actual work, hahaha
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Oh man!
More to go than I thought. Four more tracks? I would have guessed one or two. Good news for the listeners, bad for you doing the actual work, hahaha
You aren't kidding...the burnout is strong right now! Especially with it being the summer rush with my publishing business! The next track is the Dragon Track, which is another fastish track. So it's going to take a little while to finish. Then I'm thinking I'm probably not going to do anything for the final battle track, instead I'll catch the song of life from the end of the battle.
As for the the two bonus tracks, those will be a surprise. :D
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All I can say is that I'm looking forward to it!
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can't wait!
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Thanks guys! I'll do my best to make sure this album doesn't disappoint!
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Thanks guys! I'll do my best to make sure this album doesn't disappoint!
From everything I've heard, how could it? It's going to be AWESOME!
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Thanks guys! I'll do my best to make sure this album doesn't disappoint!
From everything I've heard, how could it? It's going to be AWESOME!
Well thanks! I just hope I haven't over hyped it... You know, something about giving away all the good parts. yadda yadda. haha
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I think we're a very small subset of your target demographic, so I think you'll be fine!
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I think we're a very small subset of your target demographic, so I think you'll be fine!
I'm sure you're right! :) We'll see how well this whole thing comes off.
Part of what inspired this was the Distant Worlds albums, and the Final Symphony concert series. I love those, and I wanted to create a Chrono album/series that could rival those both in terms of arrangements and production. Of course I can't be objective about my own music, so I'll have to wait and see what feedback I get once I release this.
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As popular as the Chrono series is, we are trumped by the sheer numbers of FF fans.
I do think this quality rivals that, however.
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As popular as the Chrono series is, we are trumped by the sheer numbers of FF fans.
I do think this quality rivals that, however.
I'm glad you hear you think so!!
It's true, the FF fanbase is WAY bigger then the Chrono, although I think it's safe to say that the two bleed into each other. I also think that the Chrono OST's are pretty highly regarded in the FF fanbase, so I'm hoping we can get some support there!
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Here's a clip of the Dragon track. So far so good!
https://www.facebook.com/JohnPaulHaywardMusic/videos/2169561133319888/
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So far so good!
I would have to agree. :)
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So far so good!
I would have to agree. :)
Glad you approve! Only a few more weeks and the writing will be finished!
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https://www.facebook.com/JohnPaulHaywardMusic/videos/2171943736414961/
This will be the last preview from track 14. I'm really excited to share this one with everyone! It's a blast!
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If this gets enough momentum to it, I'd love to see this on a kickstarter or something of the like, to get a full-blown orchestral set playing for an audience. Would definitely donate what I can.
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If this gets enough momentum to it, I'd love to see this on a kickstarter or something of the like, to get a full-blown orchestral set playing for an audience. Would definitely donate what I can.
That's the plan! I'm working on the final 3 tracks right now. I have everything ready for an orchestra to perform/record, now it's just a matter of money.
The scale to which this album is produced (Midi or live orchestra) will completely depend on fan support. I plan to put something out either way, but if I can get the support I want to go big...like...really big. I've already laid some ground work, but I'll have to talk more about that a little later.
I've got a kickstarter planned tentatively for the first part of September, so spread the word and the tracks/previews that I've posted! The more people get behind this the further we can take it! :)
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I'm still alive guys. Had to take a few weeks off to work on some other projects, but I'm back at it!
https://www.facebook.com/JohnPaulHaywardMusic/videos/303032006919669/
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Sorry to triple post. I just wanted to share this preview with all of you. It's been quite a ride, and this track marks the end of the story (but not the end of the album) so it feels like a big moment. haha
I would love to hear your thoughts!
https://www.facebook.com/JohnPaulHaywardMusic/videos/226881524668697/
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Loving your work. I hope to be able to sit down and listen to it from start to finish to get the whole vision. Awesome job!
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Looooooove iiiiiit!
Oh boy, I can't wait!
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Loving your work. I hope to be able to sit down and listen to it from start to finish to get the whole vision. Awesome job!
Looooooove iiiiiit!
Oh boy, I can't wait!
Thanks for listening, and for following this journey! Both of you, it means a lot! This album has been such a bag of mixed emotions, I really can't wait to share it with all of you. Things are on track to release this year. I'll have more news to share soon.
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Alright guys, I need some opinions. I'm finishing the same track I've been posting previews too, and I thought it might be kind of cool to transition into the the main theme from Trigger for a couple of reasons.
One of which is that I like the idea of bringing the whole adventure full circle. My fear is that this song might be TOO iconic and it takes you out of the whole Cross mentality. So I'd like your opinions. Does this fit, and is it to much? Or do you like how it brings the story full circle? Keep in mind that this section takes place during Kid's monologue at the end of the game right before the credits roll, so think of this as the outro to a movie, right before the credits roll.
*Edited to remove the link*
After sleeping on it and talking with a few people, it just doesn't work. I'll save those ideas for Trigger - if that album ever happens.
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Ok, I need to do some listening! Work has been busy and I haven't had a chance to listen but I will now! :D
Please do a Trigger album! I really want to hear your rendition of "Yearnings of the Wind!" Puh-lease? :D
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Ok, I need to do some listening! Work has been busy and I haven't had a chance to listen but I will now! :D
Please do a Trigger album! I really want to hear your rendition of "Yearnings of the Wind!" Puh-lease? :D
I hope you like what you hear! :) I'd love to hear what you think!
I'm a little cautious of a Trigger album. I would love to do a Trigger album at some point. When that happens will totally depend on how well Cross Symphonic is received.
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I'll definitely give it a listen after work!
Oh and I forgot to mention that I'm playing Cross on my phone right now! I just started it over the weekend. I haven't played it in AGES! I forgot how much I like that game. I'm trying to play it without consulting a LP or a guide. We'll see how far I get. Ha ha!! I really love my Android!
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I'll definitely give it a listen after work!
Oh and I forgot to mention that I'm playing Cross on my phone right now! I just started it over the weekend. I haven't played it in AGES! I forgot how much I like that game. I'm trying to play it without consulting a LP or a guide. We'll see how far I get. Ha ha!! I really love my Android!
That's awesome! I play through Cross around once a year or so. Still one of my favorite games! I played through it on my tablet last time, but I have to agree...Android is the bomb. haha
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Alright guys, I need some opinions. I'm finishing the same track I've been posting previews too, and I thought it might be kind of cool to transition into the the main theme from Trigger for a couple of reasons.
One of which is that I like the idea of bringing the whole adventure full circle. My fear is that this song might be TOO iconic and it takes you out of the whole Cross mentality. So I'd like your opinions. Does this fit, and is it to much? Or do you like how it brings the story full circle? Keep in mind that this section takes place during Kid's monologue at the end of the game right before the credits roll, so think of this as the outro to a movie, right before the credits roll.
*Edited to remove the link*
After sleeping on it and talking with a few people, it just doesn't work. I'll save those ideas for Trigger - if that album ever happens.
Sorry I didn't get a chance to listen and give feedback. I trust your judgment, though. You can do this!
PLUUUUUUUUUS ULTRA!
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Alright guys, I need some opinions. I'm finishing the same track I've been posting previews too, and I thought it might be kind of cool to transition into the the main theme from Trigger for a couple of reasons.
One of which is that I like the idea of bringing the whole adventure full circle. My fear is that this song might be TOO iconic and it takes you out of the whole Cross mentality. So I'd like your opinions. Does this fit, and is it to much? Or do you like how it brings the story full circle? Keep in mind that this section takes place during Kid's monologue at the end of the game right before the credits roll, so think of this as the outro to a movie, right before the credits roll.
*Edited to remove the link*
After sleeping on it and talking with a few people, it just doesn't work. I'll save those ideas for Trigger - if that album ever happens.
Sorry I didn't get a chance to listen and give feedback. I trust your judgment, though. You can do this!
PLUUUUUUUUUS ULTRA!
No worries, Boo! I like what I came up with, and think it wraps the story up nicely. :) I'll be working on timelines and what not for the next week or two, and should have something to share on the release soon!
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A final clip. This marks the end, and the beginning. :)
https://www.facebook.com/JohnPaulHaywardMusic/videos/290322378232854/
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Man, it's bittersweet both you saying that the fact that it's over that song. That song has always made me feel things. Good job orchestrating what is normally a purely acoustic piece. Very nice indeed.
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Man, it's bittersweet both you saying that the fact that it's over that song. That song has always made me feel things. Good job orchestrating what is normally a purely acoustic piece. Very nice indeed.
I totally know what you mean. This one has been interesting to arrange. I know it's important to a lot of people, so I've more or less left the structure of the song alone. I tried to keep the same tone as the original, keeping the song mostly in the strings, allowing for a few swells, all in all I think people are really going to like this one.
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I have a question for you, Boo.
Would you be interested in listening to a track privately and answering a few questions?
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Gladly! PM me.
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Sent. :) feel free to reply, or post your thoughts here. Though please keep which track it is private, as it's sort of a bonus.
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Secret Tracks?! Hidden songs?! Ugh the suspense....
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Secret Tracks?! Hidden songs?! Ugh the suspense....
Soon... :wink:
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So... not to toot my own horn for listening to this one track early (only because I previously stressed how it's my favorite song in the entire Chrono library, and easily top 3 of all video game library), but I have to brag on CptOvaltine's work. Not just on the next track, but on this whole project.
For real. I'm feeling super pumped for this guy, and I hope he does, too.
If you all haven't already, please make sure you support him on Facebook with a like. Or follow on Instagram. Or whatever. Our man JPH deserves it. This is probably the biggest thing to come out of our community in quite some time and it deserves all of our respect and support.
Can't wait!
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So... not to toot my own horn for listening to this one track early (only because I previously stressed how it's my favorite song in the entire Chrono library, and easily top 3 of all video game library), but I have to brag on CptOvaltine's work. Not just on the next track, but on this whole project.
For real. I'm feeling super pumped for this guy, and I hope he does, too.
If you all haven't already, please make sure you support him on Facebook with a like. Or follow on Instagram. Or whatever. Our man JPH deserves it. This is probably the biggest thing to come out of our community in quite some time and it deserves all of our respect and support.
Can't wait!
Thank you so much, Boo! I don't really know how to express my appreciation for you, all of you and everyone's support without being overly sappy. I can't tell you all how much it means to me, your support has really helped push me through the tough times with this album, and driven me to produce some of my best work! I really can't wait to share this with everyone, and I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it.
I'll have more to say as I wrap up post production!
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So... not to toot my own horn for listening to this one track early (only because I previously stressed how it's my favorite song in the entire Chrono library, and easily top 3 of all video game library), but I have to brag on CptOvaltine's work. Not just on the next track, but on this whole project.
For real. I'm feeling super pumped for this guy, and I hope he does, too.
If you all haven't already, please make sure you support him on Facebook with a like. Or follow on Instagram. Or whatever. Our man JPH deserves it. This is probably the biggest thing to come out of our community in quite some time and it deserves all of our respect and support.
Can't wait!
Where can I Facebook like this? or Instagram follow this?
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I might as well become CptOvaltine's agent and/or leader of his fanclub at this point. Bahahaha!
Just kidding, I am just passionate about this project. I feel connected to it, seeing that we've been plugged in and listening in on the process for a whole nine months. It's almost like it's our baby, almost ready to be born into this world...
Here are CptOvaltine's links:
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/john-paul-hayward
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/JohnPHayward
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnPaulHaywardMusic
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I might as well become CptOvaltine's agent and/or leader of his fanclub at this point. Bahahaha!
Just kidding, I am just passionate about this project. I feel connected to it, seeing that we've been plugged in and listening in on the process for a whole nine months. It's almost like it's our baby, almost ready to be born into this world...
Here are CptOvaltine's links:
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/john-paul-hayward
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/JohnPHayward
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnPaulHaywardMusic
Haha both positions are open, Boo. :D. Thanks for the plug, you're better at it then I am! Haha
I'll also plug my Instagram and Twitter. :)
Instagram: @brokenskyproductions
Twitter: @johnpaulhayward
In reality you guys are like family. You really took in and supported Cross Symphonic from the beginning. Over the whole course of the project I've shared clips, and received valuable support and advice through the whole process. I can't thank you all enough, especially you, Boo!
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Good begets good, amiright?
PLUUUUUUUS ULTRA!!!
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Good begets good, amiright?
PLUUUUUUUS ULTRA!!!
I sure like to think so. :D
I'm almost through editing all of the tracks. The first and second track received some pretty extensive orchestration edits, parts of them will sound like brand new tracks!
Here's a little clip from the new and improved track 1 :https://www.facebook.com/JohnPaulHaywardMusic/videos/731928917158360/
I'm hitting some walls with the release...I'm not sure that a 2018 release is possible anymore. I'll let you all know when I know!
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Take your time. I'd rather it be better and wait longer than have it be less complete and rushed out the door.
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Take your time. I'd rather it be better and wait longer than have it be less complete and rushed out the door.
I agree with this 110%! That being said, I'm very excited for the album!
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I'll do my best to polish it as best as possible before I release it! :)
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Take your time. Was just listening to some of this over the weekend. Keep it up!
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Take your time. Was just listening to some of this over the weekend. Keep it up!
Thanks, Chrono.
I hope I don't over-hype this album. XD All in all everything is running smoothly, things are just taking a bit longer than expected.
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Hey guys, so I'm not overly publicizing this yet, but I've uploaded all of the edits and re-writes for tracks one and two on my soundcloud. (links below) I wanted to share them with all of you! These tracks are FINISHED. With a little mastering they could be ready for release!
Track 01: Torn Between Worlds
https://soundcloud.com/john-paul-hayward/torn-between-worlds-cross-symphonic
Track 02: Far From Home
https://soundcloud.com/john-paul-hayward/far-from-home-cross-symphonic
The youtube tracks are not updated, so if you want to hear the difference between the original version and the final version you should check those out!
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Hey guys, so I'm not overly publicizing this yet, but I've uploaded all of the edits and re-writes for tracks one and two on my soundcloud. (links below) I wanted to share them with all of you! These tracks are FINISHED. With a little mastering they could be ready for release!
Track 01: Torn Between Worlds
https://soundcloud.com/john-paul-hayward/torn-between-worlds-cross-symphonic
Track 02: Far From Home
https://soundcloud.com/john-paul-hayward/far-from-home-cross-symphonic
The youtube tracks are not updated, so if you want to hear the difference between the original version and the final version you should check those out!
Awesome! will do over the weekend
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Cool! I hope they lived up to the expectation!
I will have something to tell you all on Monday/Tuesday, so make sure you drop by! :)
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Hey all,
So, as promised here is an update on Cross Symphonic, and the future.
Back in January, right around the time I posted this thread, I started doing some research on licensing the music. During that process I was introduced to someone who was very interested in helping me produce this album...for a live orchestra! Long story short, we had planned to launch a Kickstarter in September to help offset the costs of an orchestra with an expected record date in October...well, obviously none of that happened. I haven't been able to get in touch with the interested party recently, so I'm not exactly sure what's happening, or if they're even still interested in this project.
That's where I'd like some feedback and/or some help. I've put enough time and energy into this now that I don't want to skimp on anything. So I have 1 of 3 options available:
1 - I can launch a Kickstarter to raise enough money to license the music, commission some art work, and send the tracks to be mixed and mastered - ensuring that virtual instruments will sound great on everyone's speakers...not just mine. This would be a digital release.
2 - Keep trying to get in touch with the previously interested party to see if I can get the ball rolling again. This would be a limited physical release (including CD and Vinyl) and a digital release.
3 - I can launch a very ambitious Kickstarter to fund an orchestra + choir myself. This would be a limited physical release (including CD, Vinyl, album art poster) and a digital release.
Because of some work commitments whatever I choose will happen in February. If I haven't heard back from the previously interested party by then, I'm inclined to go with option 3 and take this on myself. I have several years of experience working with orchestras, as well as 2.5 orchestral/choral studio albums under my belt. While this would be the most ambitious project I've worked on, it's not out of the realm of what I already do.
When writing Cross Symphonic I had always envisioned this being performed by a 90 piece symphony orchestra. (For reference that's about the size of the orchestras used for the Star Wars movies) An orchestra this size costs anywhere from $60k - $90k depending on a few factors I have yet to decide on.
I've already laid all of the ground work and received quotes to contract an orchestra as well as pricing for several different studios. (Including the studio where The Force Awakens was recorded.) I've spoken with a conductor and researched the licensing requirements. All that's left is to come up with the money. If I could even fund-raise half of the budget I think I could figure out a way to get the rest.
My question is, do you think the fan interest is there to raise that kind of money, and if so would any of you be interested in helping me get the campaign in front of as many interested people as possible? For those that are interested in actively advertising both the campaign and album, I would happily let you listen to a private playlist of the entire album. :twisted: #bribery
I've always wanted to give the music from the Chrono series the same treatment - if not better- than what Final Fantasy gets. To my knowledge there isn't a big budget studio album dedicated to anything Chrono related out there. I would not only like to change that, but would like to set a new standard for video game albums in the future.
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I'm definitely loving the background you already have for this sort of project, (ie. previous orchestral work). I live in Canada and will most likely have to watch any orchestra created out of this on youtube or some other facet, but none the less I'm excited.
My personal thoughts would be to continually contact your interested party (let's call them... Sunstone Records), just in case they magically reappear, but continue your kickstarter to raise funds. Any funds produced could always go towards helping fund Sunstone Records and their initial proposal. At the same time definitely go forth with your full-blown project.
Now what sort of assistance would you be looking for specifically? I'm sure some of us here could probably pick up a few things here and there depending on the size of the project.
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I'm definitely loving the background you already have for this sort of project, (ie. previous orchestral work). I live in Canada and will most likely have to watch any orchestra created out of this on youtube or some other facet, but none the less I'm excited.
My personal thoughts would be to continually contact your interested party (let's call them... Sunstone Records), just in case they magically reappear, but continue your kickstarter to raise funds. Any funds produced could always go towards helping fund Sunstone Records and their initial proposal. At the same time definitely go forth with your full-blown project.
Now what sort of assistance would you be looking for specifically? I'm sure some of us here could probably pick up a few things here and there depending on the size of the project.
Well the good news is that we can ship to Canada, so any album that we create will definitely be available to you!
I think that's a smart approach, although launching my own kickstarter could cause some problems with Sunstone Records (which is actually a cool name, maybe I should make that a thing. haha) Since they wanted to launch their own kickstarter, and already have an audience to promote it to.
Ultimately my biggest shortcoming is marketing. I've never been successful at marketing...well...anything really. So my greatest fear is that if I try to take this on it will fail miserably simply because no one saw it. If you guys are interested in helping we can create a group chat, google doc, or something where we can get together and see if we can come up with a basic strategy. Basically a plan to promote the kickstrater/album in various gaming communities, facebook groups, anywhere that Chrono music can find a few supporters. If we found 1,000 people who were interested in donating $100 we would be almost completely funded! I'd like to think there are more then a 1,000 people out there that are interested in Chrono Cross and wouldn't mind throwing a few dollars at this project.
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1 - I can launch a Kickstarter to raise enough money to license the music, commission some art work, and send the tracks to be mixed and mastered - ensuring that virtual instruments will sound great on everyone's speakers...not just mine. This would be a digital release.
2 - Keep trying to get in touch with the previously interested party to see if I can get the ball rolling again. This would be a limited physical release (including CD and Vinyl) and a digital release.
3 - I can launch a very ambitious Kickstarter to fund an orchestra + choir myself. This would be a limited physical release (including CD, Vinyl, album art poster) and a digital release.
I would honestly recommend tiering it. Have different goals on the kickstarter, and the different goals will determine what gets done.
For example:
Raise $10k, you can get a digital only release as is.
Raise $25k, you can get the recordings mastered and do a digital-only release.
Raise $50k, mastered version and a full physical release.
Raise $100k, fully orchestrated version.
Something along those lines. And you can have rewards for backers. For example, donate $20+, you get whatever the best digital version ends up being. Donate $50, you get a full physical release plus the digital one. Donate $100+ and they all of the above plus a little goodie or something. Tiered rewards for backers.
That way, no matter what goal you end up hitting, you can get it out there and aren't limited by scope once you hit the first threshold.
Basically a plan to promote the kickstrater/album in various gaming communities, facebook groups, anywhere that Chrono music can find a few supporters. If we found 1,000 people who were interested in donating $100 we would be almost completely funded! I'd like to think there are more then a 1,000 people out there that are interested in Chrono Cross and wouldn't mind throwing a few dollars at this project.
Man, if only you got the blessing of Mitsuda's blessing on this. That would give it yet another level of endorsement we could leverage in marketing. I am not the most marketing savvy, but I do think you could hit up some mainstays of reddit (r/videogames, r/jrpg, r/music, whatever), plus whatever else the cool kids are doing these days. I can promise the first $100 donation.
:)
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I would honestly recommend tiering it. Have different goals on the kickstarter, and the different goals will determine what gets done.
For example:
Raise $10k, you can get a digital only release as is.
Raise $25k, you can get the recordings mastered and do a digital-only release.
Raise $50k, mastered version and a full physical release.
Raise $100k, fully orchestrated version.
Something along those lines. And you can have rewards for backers. For example, donate $20+, you get whatever the best digital version ends up being. Donate $50, you get a full physical release plus the digital one. Donate $100+ and they all of the above plus a little goodie or something. Tiered rewards for backers.
That way, no matter what goal you end up hitting, you can get it out there and aren't limited by scope once you hit the first threshold.
That's a solid approach, and one I had already planned on. When talking and planning things out it was decided it would be best to set the kickstarter goal at around 20K - 25K. That way we were pretty much guaranteed that it would be successful. This was of course when I had Sunstone promoting this to their audience.
I think the plan is solid though, set a relatively low threshold for backers. Maybe in the 10K range, which would be plenty for licensing and probably a very small physical release. Then we can set stretch goals for things like Vinyl, larger physical release etc. Somewhere around the 20K - 30K mark we could do a live recorded EP with a smaller orchestra.
There's no way we could record the full album with that, but we could likely get 3 or 4 tracks in front of an orchestra. Although it's a bit of a waste, as you spend the most time and money in the first few hours of recording while the orchestra learns to play in the new space and gets a feel for each other as well as the conductor. Not to mention studios charge an arm and a leg for big set ups but short record times.
If we could hit the 50K - 60K mark I might be able to pull off coming up with the rest of the budget externally, but it would be a huge gamble for me. If this didn't pan out I would be in trouble. If we hit the 70K+ range I would guarantee the album and the larger orchestra.
There would of course be backer rewards. Essentially pledging to the kickstarter would be like pre-ordering the album. The more you pledge, the more swag you get. $10 - $20 would be a digital download of the album, $30 - $50 would be a physical CD, where as $80 - $100 would be a Vinyl. Then you can break into the bigger tiers, $250 could be a signed CD & Vinyl for example. (Not that anyone would care about my signature. haha) We would have to come up with some nice rewards for big spenders. We could also do limited tiers - so for the first 5 people to donate 1K they can attend the recording session if they live in the area, or something like that. There are plenty of possibilities, we would just have to think about it.
Man, if only you got the blessing of Mitsuda's blessing on this. That would give it yet another level of endorsement we could leverage in marketing. I am not the most marketing savvy, but I do think you could hit up some mainstays of reddit (r/videogames, r/jrpg, r/music, whatever), plus whatever else the cool kids are doing these days. I can promise the first $100 donation.
:)
Haha I see what you did there. ;) If I had a way to get in touch with him I would try and see if there was any way that he would endorse the album. That would go a LONG way. I think the only way to really get it in front of him would be to use reddit and twitter. If enough people start talking about it, and tagging him in tweets/hashtags, it could potentially get in front of him. From there all we could really do is hope and pray he decides to promote it or not.
Ultimately, whether Sunstone gets back in touch with me or not, if I could do this myself I would prefer it. There are a lot of strings, not to mention a 10 year revenue sharing contract that is involved with them producing this. If I were able to do it myself I would have a lot more bargaining power and control over the production. Afterwards I would have no problem signing with them and having them handle distribution. It would set me up with a lot more flexibility to work on my next tribute album...which I would really love to be Chrono Trigger.
I really appreciate the support, and the willingness to help/donate! :) If you guys would like to help out, and are interested in hearing my mock ups I would be happy to create a private playlist for you guys to listen to the full album as a thank you!
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I would be interested in a CD of the album.
I don't remember where I read it, and I don't know if it's true, but I've heard that Mitsuda is very reasonable about licensing. Especially Chrono series stuff, since it's his favorite thing he's ever done.
A lot of fully funded Kickstarters still end up failing because they go a little too nuts with all the bonus goodies and forget to set aside enough money to actually get all that stuff shipped out. Is there really enough demand for vinyl to make it worth the expense? Not just the expense of producing it, but also consider the heavy-duty packaging it will require.
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I would be interested in a CD of the album.
I don't remember where I read it, and I don't know if it's true, but I've heard that Mitsuda is very reasonable about licensing. Especially Chrono series stuff, since it's his favorite thing he's ever done.
A lot of fully funded Kickstarters still end up failing because they go a little too nuts with all the bonus goodies and forget to set aside enough money to actually get all that stuff shipped out. Is there really enough demand for vinyl to make it worth the expense? Not just the expense of producing it, but also consider the heavy-duty packaging it will require.
I was actually able to get my music in front of Mitsuda via Sunstone last year, and he was very receptive to the music. However, without Sunstone's involvement I have no connection to him, or anyway to contact him. The licensing isn't really an issue, as most licensing companies have access to all of the Cross licenses I need. It's more the exposure I'm worried about.
A year ago I would have agreed with you about Vinyl. I've had some very interesting conversations with a few self promoters, as well as Sunstone, and they both say that Vinyl is one of the best incentives in a campaign representing upwards of 60% of revenue/pledges. I guess in the collectors market it's a big deal.
Fortunately I own a small publishing company, so I'm very accustomed to shipping goods. I also have negotiated rates with UPS and USPS that will give me an edge up on everything.
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A year ago I would have agreed with you about Vinyl. I've had some very interesting conversations with a few self promoters, as well as Sunstone, and they both say that Vinyl is one of the best incentives in a campaign representing upwards of 60% of revenue/pledges. I guess in the collectors market it's a big deal.
Weird. I feel like a dinosaur for insisting on having CDs as a backup instead of just trusting everything to digital. I can't imagine wanting something even more outdated and obsolete just to put it on a shelf. Why don't the hipsters go for something real old school and insist on wax cylinders?
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A year ago I would have agreed with you about Vinyl. I've had some very interesting conversations with a few self promoters, as well as Sunstone, and they both say that Vinyl is one of the best incentives in a campaign representing upwards of 60% of revenue/pledges. I guess in the collectors market it's a big deal.
Weird. I feel like a dinosaur for insisting on having CDs as a backup instead of just trusting everything to digital. I can't imagine wanting something even more outdated and obsolete just to put it on a shelf. Why don't the hipsters go for something real old school and insist on wax cylinders?
Haha give it time. They have to insist on 8 track tapes first, then we'll get back there. ;)
Needless to say, if funded there will be CDs. :)
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I can't imagine wanting something even more outdated and obsolete just to put it on a shelf. Why don't the hipsters go for something real old school and insist on wax cylinders?
Believe it or not, vinyl's outsold physical CD sales in the US last year. It's a booming industry, and not just for the hipsters. Tons of the vinyls coming out now have lots of collector's bonuses.
I collected records until about 2006; you could find the occasional vinyl here or there, but most modern releases were rare or hard to come by. I quit simply because it was so expensive and I moved to purely digital music. I do get why people enjoy it though -- there's something raw about the sound. It's not the pure, clean audio of super-mastered digital collections; rather, it's raw and rough and that adds something (depending on context, for example).
Some of my favorite bands were best when they used shitty recording equipment and recorded it all in a garage or little studio. Then, once they get big and can afford a full studio and mastering, there's something sometimes lost. Not always the case, but I've seen it happen.
But yeah, it's interesting to see the confusing renaissance of vinyl.
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Some of my favorite bands were best when they used shitty recording equipment and recorded it all in a garage or little studio. Then, once they get big and can afford a full studio and mastering, there's something sometimes lost. Not always the case, but I've seen it happen.
I know a few bands that suffered from this...I think it has a lot to do with the label they sign with. Labels definitely have a "sound", and usually it's a very generic, cookie cutter approach. Triple AAA games *coughcallofduty* suffer from this too.
Anyhow, if any of you are interested in helping me promote this album, please let me know! I'll send you a private link to a playlist of the album. I don't want anyone to go out promoting something that they haven't experienced...maybe you won't want to promote it after you listen! haha
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I'd be willing to help out, especially in a Kickstarter to get a physical CD. :wink: Or even an orchestra! Just last week I went to hear a live performance of Harry Potter music, and it was magical (no pun intended). I would love to listen to live Chrono music in person.
As for advertising, I don't use much social media anymore, but I could spread the news around Facebook, Tumblr, and Reddit.
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Dude! The Harry Potter orchestration was in my city this weekend!
...I didn't go...
I didn't know about it until after the fact.
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I'd be willing to help out, especially in a Kickstarter to get a physical CD. :wink: Or even an orchestra! Just last week I went to hear a live performance of Harry Potter music, and it was magical (no pun intended). I would love to listen to live Chrono music in person.
As for advertising, I don't use much social media anymore, but I could spread the news around Facebook, Tumblr, and Reddit.
Which Harry Potter was it? One of the first 3? John Williams is one of my all time favorites, and his score for Harry Potter 3 is amazing! I'm going to see it live on December 3! I actually just went to Ghost Busters in concert on Sat, which was a blast!
I subscribed to my local symphony's movie series. They're doing 10 or so films this year, so I've been having a blast living some of these scores! I'm very excited for Star Wars this spring!
I'd love to have you on board to help advertise things around! Maybe we can set up a group chat somewhere so that we can all co-ordinate where we're going to advertise so we don't have a bunch of overlap!
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I'd love to have you on board to help advertise things around! Maybe we can set up a group chat somewhere so that we can all co-ordinate where we're going to advertise so we don't have a bunch of overlap!
The Compendium has a Discord; we may be able to create a thread there. If there are concerns with who could see it, it may have rights access. We can also do the same thing here.
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I'd love to have you on board to help advertise things around! Maybe we can set up a group chat somewhere so that we can all co-ordinate where we're going to advertise so we don't have a bunch of overlap!
The Compendium has a Discord; we may be able to create a thread there. If there are concerns with who could see it, it may have rights access. We can also do the same thing here.
Either option works for me! The only criteria is that we can limit viewership to those that are directly involved with me and the project. So whatever works best for everyone is fine by me.
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Alright guys. I'm starting to pull together marketing material, and beginning to work on formulating a plan for the kickstarter. Part of that includes coming up with a logo/album art.
Who are some of your favorite digital artists that you think would be a good fit for Cross Symphonic? Send me all the names and links, no name is to big! haha
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Oh man, I am completely out of touch in regards to digital artists.
Maybe go through DeviantArt and look for a cool Chrono piece? Then you can reach out to the artist and see if they want to do a custom piece for the album?
Just a thought.
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Oh man, I am completely out of touch in regards to digital artists.
Maybe go through DeviantArt and look for a cool Chrono piece? Then you can reach out to the artist and see if they want to do a custom piece for the album?
Just a thought.
Haha that's funny. I actually did exactly that two days ago. I currently have two very talented artists interested in working on this, I'm just waiting for their quotes before we move further.
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You should get LicaWolf! She was a member here once, and even did Boo's and my current avatars :D
Unfortunately, her DeviantArt page seems empty now, and while she used to have her own website, I don't see it anymore.
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Can you link me to some of her stuff? I'd love to check it out!
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I'd love to show you her official website, but I can't find it. I wonder if she took it down...
We do have some of her art hosted here (https://www.chronocompendium.com/Forums/index.php?topic=9094.0) and here (https://www.chronocompendium.com/Forums/index.php?topic=9340.msg207227#msg207227). Just check the Fan Art sections.
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I'd love to show you her official website, but I can't find it. I wonder if she took it down...
We do have some of her art hosted here (https://www.chronocompendium.com/Forums/index.php?topic=9094.0) and here (https://www.chronocompendium.com/Forums/index.php?topic=9340.msg207227#msg207227). Just check the Fan Art sections.
Thanks for the links, I'll see what I can scrounge up!
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I do miss Licawolf. Years ago we talked about doing a children's book together, but then she dropped off the face of the earth. I PM'd her once here a year or two ago and never got a reply.
Wherever you're at Licawolf, I hope you're well.
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Oh man, I am completely out of touch in regards to digital artists.
Maybe go through DeviantArt and look for a cool Chrono piece? Then you can reach out to the artist and see if they want to do a custom piece for the album?
Just a thought.
My thoughts exactly
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I'm very happy to announce that ZeroCartin has signed on as the artist for Cross Symphonic!
(https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/intermediary/f/357044ff-0871-4311-bc8c-b9b295cff0cc/d5kjjik-abe7d335-f359-4099-a202-bc111598c17a.png/v1/fill/w_1095,h_730,q_70,strp/poster_punch__chrono_trigger_by_zerocartin_d5kjjik-pre.jpg)
I think he's going to be a fantastic fit for the album, and I'm very excited to be working with him!
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Nice! I'm excited to see what y'all come up with!
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Nice!
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Nice! I'm excited to see what y'all come up with!
I'm pretty excited! I suppose even if the album flops, we should get some pretty nice art out of it. :D
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That's awesome! This is one of my fav pieces.
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That's awesome! This is one of my fav pieces.
Agreed! When I ran across this picture a few months back, I had to track down the artist! Lucky for me, he was super interested in the project! 8)
So small update/question. I've finally come up with a tentative budget for Cross Symphonic to be recorded live by some of the top musicians in the United States...and it's...ahem...large...
In order to even have a chance of funding this thing I'm going to need to get this campaign in front of as many people as possible. I've been toying with the idea of using Reddit/Facebook/Google ad targeting to promote the Kickstarter once it's launched. Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences with any of these platforms? Have these types of ads ever grabbed your attention? Is it worth investing some money into, or are they more or less irrelevant?
I've already invested quite a bit into this project, and I'm more then willing to invest more, but I don't want it to go to waste. Ultimately I want Cross Symphonic to deliver an experience that no other game album has. A cinematic, musical journey through a wonderful world. A retelling of a story that we all love. I don't want to skimp because "it's just video game music," or "the fans won't notice if you trim the orchestra," or "nobody cares if you use cheaper players." Mitsuda's music deserves a world class experience, and so do the fans that love and support this franchise.
*steps down from soap box*
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Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences with any of these platforms? Have these types of ads ever grabbed your attention? Is it worth investing some money into, or are they more or less irrelevant?
I've already invested quite a bit into this project, and I'm more then willing to invest more, but I don't want it to go to waste. Ultimately I want Cross Symphonic to deliver an experience that no other game album has. A cinematic, musical journey through a wonderful world. A retelling of a story that we all love. I don't want to skimp because "it's just video game music," or "the fans won't notice if you trim the orchestra," or "nobody cares if you use cheaper players." Mitsuda's music deserves a world class experience, and so do the fans that love and support this franchise.
Personally no experience using these platforms but I can attest to the fact that they have grabbed my attention. Whether or not I was interested was clearly dependent on the context.
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Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences with any of these platforms? Have these types of ads ever grabbed your attention? Is it worth investing some money into, or are they more or less irrelevant?
I've already invested quite a bit into this project, and I'm more then willing to invest more, but I don't want it to go to waste. Ultimately I want Cross Symphonic to deliver an experience that no other game album has. A cinematic, musical journey through a wonderful world. A retelling of a story that we all love. I don't want to skimp because "it's just video game music," or "the fans won't notice if you trim the orchestra," or "nobody cares if you use cheaper players." Mitsuda's music deserves a world class experience, and so do the fans that love and support this franchise.
Personally no experience using these platforms but I can attest to the fact that they have grabbed my attention. Whether or not I was interested was clearly dependent on the context.
That's good to know! It looks like Reddit only allows images, but maybe a nice cover art/demo video could potentially cause you to click on the link? The more I toy with this idea, the more I like it.
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Reddit ads have probably grabbed me the least. Facebook and Google ads have a way of.... punching you in the face with the ads sometimes.
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Reddit ads have probably grabbed me the least. Facebook and Google ads have a way of.... punching you in the face with the ads sometimes.
Good to know. Thanks for the input, it'll help me finish up the planning stages. Things are going to snowball starting in February!
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I'm working on a promotional video right now, and have some animation ideas. Does anyone know any 3d animators that would like to recreate a look-a-like scene from Cross's world with a simple character animation?
I can provide more details if anyone knows anyone/is interested. The clip would be between 30 - 150 seconds. I am willing to pay.
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Thought I would share some test footage with you guys to see what you think!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_lSP7MmS3E&feature=youtu.be
This is a private, Compendium only, video. :D
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Ooooh, that moon reveal. I'm excited.
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Ooooh, that moon reveal. I'm excited.
I wish I were good enough at this stuff that I could render some of Cross's world for the album reveal trailer...sadly this is about the extent of my abilities. Haha So I'll probably improve on this idea with some credits, a logo, maybe change up the animation a little.
I think it'll be a cool album reveal trailer though. I'm trying to capture that whole movie opening vibe!
Fun little side note, you can't see this in the test footage, but there is a small circular mountain ring on this world map, exactly like the dead sea. So when I was creating the night illumination map for the dark side of the world I placed a single bright light inside of that mountain ring to represent the Chronopolis. :lol:
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That's a stellar vid! I like the moon reveal.
Can't wait!
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Very nice. It's little details like chronopolis that will really ring to true fans
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Thanks guys!
I know I've said this many times before, and have always had to back track...but the kickstarter is launching soon. This time there is no outside involvement to screw up my plans. I'm shooting for the first week in February. It's going to be one uphill battle, but nothing ventured, nothing gained!
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Hey guys, this is a preview link for the kickstarter page in progress. I would really appreciate any and all feed back you might have! As of now I only have the rewards listed. Over the next 3 days I'll be adding content leading up to the launch on Feb 4.
I specifically would like to know if the rewards are clear, and are desirable. If not, what could I change to help you pledge?
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/johnpaulhayward/1154193467?ref=4c7yin&token=c5d5abc5
It's almost time!!
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Woohoo!
So just my two cents, but I feel like the early tier rewards are too accessible.
For example: $15 gets the album and a poster. I feel like that should be moreso around the $20 or $25 mark. I say that because the production of the poster plus the shipping and handling has got to really eat into the bottom line, especially when it's international.
EDIT: Nevermind. I read through it again and realized that I was looking at Early Bird and non-Early Bird.
Are there plans to sell the CDs and vinyl's individually?
And what if the Kickstarter goal isn't met? Then what?
Have you considered having your kickstarter itself in tiers, something like below:
Raise $50,000 - Physical CD release
Raise $75,000 - Vinyl release
Raise $150,000 - Live orchestra re-recording
That way it's not an all or nothing release. Just a thought.
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As you've realized, those are early bird rewards. There are only 100 available, then after that the price point rises. I feel like one of the best values is the Kid tier, personally. But you are totally right about the shipping. Fortunately, I have access to some shipping discounts through my publishing company that will help with all of that.
Other then that, did you feel like the different tiers offered a good value? Is there something that you would have liked to see in a tier that isn't there, or maybe at the wrong price point?
Are there plans to sell the CDs and vinyl's individually?
Are you talking about post kickstarter? The answer is yes...and no. Currently my plan is to only offer the physical rewards during the kickstarter. After the campaign ends, I'll sell of excess stock. I wanted to gauge interest before I decide to restock or not. The physical editions will always be somewhat of a collectors item, so they'll be priced higher than a regular CD. Probably somewhere in the $20-$30 range for a CD and $40 - $60 for a vinyl.
I think it's important to make sure I'm giving some sort of value or incentive to buy the CD or vinyl through the kickstarter, I don't want to slap all of my backers in the face to just turn around and sell the physical merch for less then it took to get them in the campaign. It's a weird balance. Thoughts?
And what if the Kickstarter goal isn't met? Then what?
Have you considered having your kickstarter itself in tiers, something like below:
Raise $50,000 - Physical CD release
Raise $75,000 - Vinyl release
Raise $150,000 - Live orchestra re-recording
That way it's not an all or nothing release. Just a thought.
Those are good ideas. I've talked with people about doing something similar and have more or less decided on the following strategy:
I'm going for broke with this campaign. Full symphonic recording, high quality art (which I just got the semi-finished file today. This art is going to be INSANE!), limited edition physical prints of all merch with a collectors quality packaging for different backer rewards, the whole shebang! In the event the campaign fails, that's not the end of the project. We'll reevaluate the project and scale back accordingly, and launch again.
Depending on what kind of interest we received in this campaign that could be anything from trying to release a fully recorded album in chunks, or simply having the midi mastered with a physical release, or maybe just pay for the licensing and digitally release the tracks as is. It just depends.
Everything I've read says that the campaign needs to be as clear and focused on one objective as possible, even in your stretch goals, so I feel like keeping this campaign specifically about realizing the story from Cross through a symphony orchestra is the best approach.
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Gotcha. It all sounds good -- I hear what you're saying in regards to the physical releases.
As for the tiered structure, I just want to make sure this project meets the goal. $150k seems like a lot, but I don't know much about the ins and outs of similar projects. Thus my initial tiered approach perspective.
All I know is that I will be a day one backer.
How long will you have the kickstarter open for? 30 days? 60 days?
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You're absolutely right. $150K is a lot, and it's going to be a massive uphill battle to get it funded. In terms of similar projects, it's honestly not that much. A symphonic album of this caliber would run closer to $200k - $250K depending on the approach. There are a lot of costs that I can eat myself when it comes to music preparation, orchestration, score production, music librarian tasks, etc. Since I can do all of those things myself I don't need to hire them out, and that saves a good chunk of change.
In terms of video game cover albums, this is a lot of money. These types of budgets are reserved for top tier albums, like Distant Worlds or Final Symphony - the sponsored stuff. But then again, that's what I want to achieve with Cross Symphonic, a top tier experience.
Companies like Materia collective do a lot of recording over seas, and with smaller groups. It's significantly cheaper, but I feel like the trade off in quality isn't worth the price break.
I have my doubts about getting this funded, but I have to try! If I fail we'll scale back and try again! If we succeed then it's time to start all over again with Trigger. After all, it's the 25th anniversary next year. ;)
Edit: I forgot to answer your question...it's a 30 day campaign.
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The campaign is almost complete. The video is a placeholder right now, as are the audio tracks. I'll also be adding a few simple graphics tomorrow, but everything else is pretty much done.
Could you take a look and let me know what you think?
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Sure! Feel free to hit me up here or via text.
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Sure! Feel free to hit me up here or via text.
Awesome, thanks!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/johnpaulhayward/1154193467?ref=4c7yin&token=c5d5abc5
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https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/johnpaulhayward/1154193467?ref=4c7yin&token=c5d5abc5
[/quote]
I think this one is my fav description:
Glenn グレン
A tier for dual-tech enthusiasts. Double the rewards for you and a friend. After all, you can't X Slash alone.
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Awesome, thanks!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/johnpaulhayward/1154193467?ref=4c7yin&token=c5d5abc5
No logo in the video? Once it fades out for a bit it just stays back for 5-8 seconds. Would be cool to put the logo in there. Granted, I am sure re-rendering would suck.
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https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/johnpaulhayward/1154193467?ref=4c7yin&token=c5d5abc5
I think this one is my fav description:
Glenn グレン
A tier for dual-tech enthusiasts. Double the rewards for you and a friend. After all, you can't X Slash alone.
[/quote]
I tried to have a little fun with the tier descriptions. I thought it might be fun for people to add little tie ins to the game/series. :D
No logo in the video? Once it fades out for a bit it just stays back for 5-8 seconds. Would be cool to put the logo in there. Granted, I am sure re-rendering would suck.
The video is just a place holder right now. I'm working on the final video over the next day or two. There will be some clips of me speaking, some text, I am going to re-render the intro and slow it down a bit, maybe change the camera tracking a bit, add the logo...etc. There are still several place holders visually.
Right now I mostly need people to read through the text and make sure it clearly explains the project and my goals with the project. If there are sections that are confusing, or seem unnecessary then I want to trim as much fat as possible.
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It's looking great so far, CptOvaltine. Can't wait to see that artwork. Maybe add more for readers to learn more about you and possibly listen to your previous work?
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It's looking great so far, CptOvaltine. Can't wait to see that artwork. Maybe add more for readers to learn more about you and possibly listen to your previous work?
Do you think people would be interested in that? I never know how much - if anything - to include about myself. I did put a bio of sorts in my profile, so if you click on my picture you can read my bio. I'm not sure when you checked last, but I also added links to all of my social media accounts at the bottom. Should I do some more?
I'm going to show the art in the video, and then halfway through the campaign I'm going to release the second one to help excite people!
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Oh, I didn't see that. All good then!
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Oh, I didn't see that. All good then!
Awesome! I'm starting to get pretty excited! Fingers crossed everybody, twoish days to go!
If you have any suggestions at any point, please let me know!
Boo, I'd like to talk with you about getting something ready for the reddit.
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Better start drinking your ovaltine, Captain, 'cause it looks like you have competition (https://www.procyon-studio.co.jp/special/cclive2019/indexen.html?fbclid=IwAR0g2tNL6FRmLs4QjPT1tsLwM2tsqt2xYpZ4QTQbyrZgvqd97Ivz4hNwRRA) from THE MAN himself. :lol:
But for real, you still have my support. I have no doubt that your soundtrack will be successful (And more accessible than Mitsuda's!).
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Better start drinking your ovaltine, Captain, 'cause it looks like you have competition (https://www.procyon-studio.co.jp/special/cclive2019/indexen.html?fbclid=IwAR0g2tNL6FRmLs4QjPT1tsLwM2tsqt2xYpZ4QTQbyrZgvqd97Ivz4hNwRRA) from THE MAN himself. :lol:
But for real, you still have my support. I have no doubt that your soundtrack will be successful (And more accessible than Mitsuda's!).
Yeah...I saw that! I'm glad he's doing something. Lucky for me it's a Japan only concert series, and it's not orchestral. Haha
Hopefully I can still get the word out with that going on. I'm hoping that him announcing that concert will help me by getting people excited about Cross!
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Hopefully I can still get the word out with that going on. I'm hoping that him announcing that concert will help me by getting people excited about Cross!
My thoughts exactly.
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We. Are. LIVE!!!!
https://kck.st/2Svaz1i
I've never been so nervous! haha
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Fellow Compendiumites -- please go and support this amazing project and our friend CpyOvaltine!
I know I am about to back it and take advantage of the early backer rewards, but we want to support our friend and the Chrono series.
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Fellow Compendiumites -- please go and support this amazing project and our friend CpyOvaltine!
I know I am about to back it and take advantage of the early backer rewards, but we want to support our friend and the Chrono series.
I shall be forever known as Cpy! ;)
Thank you all for the support. As you probabaly know, I've had to take down the campaign due to a licensing misunderstanding on my part. I'm working through it with the proper parties, and will re organize, and relaunch as soon as possible!
This is only a set back, I'm still going to get this album out to you! :)
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*UPDATE*
Everything has been worked out, and Cross Symphonic is cleared for production! I'll be relaunching the kickstarter in the next week or so. Stay tuned!
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Woohoo! Great news!
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Woohoo! Great news!
Thanks Boo! I'm excited to see things progress! Let's start coordinating about the launch, I'm putting together a press kit for some other media outlets I'm hoping to snag, I'll pass one along to you for the reddit and compendium.
You don't happen to know any of the mods for the Cross reddit do you?
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A little video for you guys before it goes public tomorrow. :)
https://youtu.be/JvftpqB0tko
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That is sexy as hell. Nice!!! 2/26 it is!
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Thanks boo! I really liked how it turned out, got to get everyone pumped! :D
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.... so what's going on? it's launch day, no?
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Thanks for checking in, I was just coming to post! It's been a mad house trying to get everything together...haha
But....it's LIVE once again! http://kck.st/2Eknvhk
Hopefully you guys will check it out and help spread the word! We're going to storm Reddit tomorrow!
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I wasn't able to get back online till late at night. I think I missed my chance at the early bird prize! *Cries*either way I've backed it. Good luck!
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I wasn't able to get back online till late at night. I think I missed my chance at the early bird prize! *Cries*either way I've backed it. Good luck!
There's still some left!
Thanks! Here's to hoping we knock it out of the park! :)
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looks like Mitsuda himself has advertised this as well, and it has shown up on a larger Chrono fb fan page:
https://www.facebook.com/Yasunori-Mitsuda-34644784396/?__tn__=%2CdkCH-R-R&eid=ARCaF3IbWrC0EuAFJ9oPqXH1mSmPnCWp89RekFUfZjoHI_hWzjo79qQM0rX1Cz2836HV5GscfawXnIoc&hc_ref=ARQ5OkvBH3TmRWGjbYdvBfBFB2mv5qFSHI_11GSlIdAJjQb_Va6eiBpBmIqubMXEkrM&fref=nf&hc_location=group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/38091754842/
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The first one is actually a fan page. I know the admin there! That's been a huge help though!
The Chrono Trigger group is great! I hadn't heard of that one!
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Wohoo!!! So glad to see this bad boy up and running. We'll need to post a news update here at the Compendium as well. I'll do that later today.
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Wohoo!!! So glad to see this bad boy up and running. We'll need to post a news update here at the Compendium as well. I'll do that later today.
That would be a huge help! It looks like pledges have started slowing down, so anything we can do to keep things moving, the better!
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I'm really sad that it looks like this won't reach its goal. Do you have any backup plans in case that does happen? Perhaps a Time Egg up your sleeve to change FATE?
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I'm really sad that it looks like this won't reach its goal. Do you have any backup plans in case that does happen? Perhaps a Time Egg up your sleeve to change FATE?
"Never give up! Never surrender!" :lol:
Yeah, it's a bit of a bummer, but I guess I'm not overly surprised. I'm an unknown composer coming out of nowhere trying to fund a high profile project. I had hoped that it would catch on and we could do it, but it doesn't seem like that was in the cards. That being said, 20K and 450 backers is nothing to scoff at!
I'm working on Plan B right now. It looks like most people want me to relaunch the campaign, so I'm thinking about relaunching with a lower funding goal of around $10k - $15k to have the MIDI mastered. We'll then set some stretch goals for live recordings with different sized orchestras and go from there!
I still think this can happen, but even if we don't meet the stretch goals we'll at least have some good mock-ups we can release. In the meantime I'm going to start writing for my next tribute project. :)
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I'm not sure as to the location that this was to be set, but what about setting it in a nice sized stage and include tickets in the sale? "Pre-sale tickets" if you would.
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I'm not sure as to the location that this was to be set, but what about setting it in a nice sized stage and include tickets in the sale? "Pre-sale tickets" if you would.
The Kickstarter was never for a live performance, only for a live recording for an album. I want to do a concert in the future, but there's quite a bit of red tape a legal issues I have to wade through before I can do that. How soon/if that happens totally depends on reception.
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In case some of you don't know, I'm going to launch a much smaller Kickstarter at the end of April to fund the MIDI mock up tracks. We'll do some stretch goals for live solo performers, and then move into a small orchestra and up.
I think this way we're guaranteed to end up with at least SOMETHING to release later this year.
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So glad to see that this lives on!
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So glad to see that this lives on!
It does indeed! I've even started the pre-writing stage for my next project: Chrono Trigger! Though it will be a little while before I start the actual writing.
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So glad to see that this lives on!
It does indeed! I've even started the pre-writing stage for my next project: Chrono Trigger! Though it will be a little while before I start the actual writing.
This I'm a bit more excited for.
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Haha I'm not surprised. It seems that most people favor Trigger over Cross - even in terms of soundtrack...which I find strange personally, but that doesn't change the fact that Trigger is incredible.
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Haha I'm not surprised. It seems that most people favor Trigger over Cross - even in terms of soundtrack...which I find strange personally, but that doesn't change the fact that Trigger is incredible.
I think when it comes to the soundtrack it might not even come down to how great either one is, but if you've invested significantly more time into one game (as I have with Trigger), you have literally spent that much more time growing with that music. Because of how much more frequently I've heard the music from Trigger, it means so much more to me regardless of a side-by-side comparison.
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Haha I'm not surprised. It seems that most people favor Trigger over Cross - even in terms of soundtrack...which I find strange personally, but that doesn't change the fact that Trigger is incredible.
I think when it comes to the soundtrack it might not even come down to how great either one is, but if you've invested significantly more time into one game (as I have with Trigger), you have literally spent that much more time growing with that music. Because of how much more frequently I've heard the music from Trigger, it means so much more to me regardless of a side-by-side comparison.
I totally get that. The music becomes associated with the time spent playing the games, so there's a lot of nostalgia attached. A good chunk of fans prefer Trigger and have invested HUGE amounts of time into it, so it really shouldn't be a surprise that it's soundtrack is probably more revered - even if Cross's soundtrack is generally considered to be better.
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Oh man, that new art Rowye and you put out for this is amazing. I can't wait to see it on a physical CD.
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You aren't kidding...I'll show you guys a little sneak peak of the digipak from the next update. 8)
I seriously cannot wait to move forward with this!
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let's be honest... that is the sexiest album art in the history of musicdom.
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I tend to think so. :D
The bad news is the Schala Edition is no more...couldn't justify the cost of it...the good news is that some of the premium design elements have made their way into the standard edition. I think all in all this will be one of the sexiest physical editions I've ever seen. ;)
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You aren't kidding...I'll show you guys a little sneak peak of the digipak from the next update. 8)
I seriously cannot wait to move forward with this!
*drool*
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It's that time again, the Kickstarter launches on Tuesday at 2PM MST!
I would love to get some feedback on the new campaign. Most importantly, I want to know if the add-on stuff makes sense!
Please note that there isn't a video yet. I'll be uploading that in the 9th hour. :D
Anyway, let me know your thoughts!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/johnpaulhayward/1167683496?ref=814802&token=c55c095b
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The add-on stuff makes perfect sense. While I was reading I was actually wondering how to get just one poster, and you answered that wonderfully, step-by-step.
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That's good to hear! Does the shipping bit make sense as well? And how is the overall flow, does everything seem to be in the right place?
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Will the physical posters be shipped folded or rolled?
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Will the physical posters be shipped folded or rolled?
Rolled...always rolled.
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Will the physical posters be shipped folded or rolled?
Rolled...always rolled.
Awesome. Harle-level pledge it is, then! I'll probably spring for the digital posters, too, because damn that artwork is amazing.
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Will the physical posters be shipped folded or rolled?
Rolled...always rolled.
Awesome. Harle-level pledge it is, then! I'll probably spring for the digital posters, too, because damn that artwork is amazing.
Woohoo! Yeah the art is mind blowingly good! Rowye seriously knows how to capture a scene...
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Yeah, I am pumped for this. Kickstarter is today!
Time to make a news post...
CptOvaltine, do you want to send me a quick blurb for the Compendium front page? I would write it myself like last time, but seeing that this is a re-launch, I want to be mindful of how you are approaching this and I fear I wouldn't be able to do it justice.
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I'll write something up for you this afternoon, but it won't be until after the campaign launches. I have a few loose ends to tie up before I hit the big green button! :)
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We are LIVE: http://kck.st/2UQBW2T
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I think I got the first spot again, but if so, it wasn't by much. I'm glad to see the project is really jumping!
:D
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I think I got the first spot again, but if so, it wasn't by much. I'm glad to see the project is really jumping!
:D
Are you Matt? If so you totally got it! :D Yeah, people seem really on board with everything this go around!
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We've been funded!!!!! 8) :o :shock: :? 8) :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Bahaha! NIIIIIICE! Congratulations, CptOvaltine -- you deserve it!
Next step is to hit the next goal! I can't wait!
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Bahaha! NIIIIIICE! Congratulations, CptOvaltine -- you deserve it!
Next step is to hit the next goal! I can't wait!
Thank you! I honestly couldn't have done it without all of you guys.
Yeah! I'm really hoping that we can make it at least through the first two stretch goals. It will really make the album shine!
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I think I got the first spot again, but if so, it wasn't by much. I'm glad to see the project is really jumping!
:D
Are you Matt? If so you totally got it! :D Yeah, people seem really on board with everything this go around!
8)
You should bump the GameFAQs thread (https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/196917-chrono-cross/77536540) with the new Kickstarter info, let more people know it's happening.
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Good idea! I'll do that as soon as I remember my password. :P
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You got Mree to do vocals? Wow. I've been a fan of her music for a while. This project really is perfect.
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You got Mree to do vocals? Wow. I've been a fan of her music for a while. This project really is perfect.
Yeah man! I had never actually heard of her before now. I've been trying to get a hold of Laura Shigihara for vocals, but she's pretty much impossible to reach...that or she's really good at ignoring e-mails and messages from random weirdos. ;)
Anyway, my brother ran across her channel while searching for voices. I fell in love and sent her an email. The rest, as they say, is history! haha
I'm really excited to see how everything turns out, she's even learning the Japanese lyrics for me. :)
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Just a heads up that Cross Symphonic comes out on Bandcamp tomorrow! I can't believe we're almost there...
It should be on iTunes and the rest within the next week or so, but I was a bit late getting things submitted. Licensing for everything really put a delay on things.
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Woohoo!
I got my email this morning about availability for donaters. I can't wait! Almost two years in the making (or more) and now it's finally (almost) here!
Three cheers for the glorious CptOvaltine!
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Woohoo!
I got my email this morning about availability for donaters. I can't wait! Almost two years in the making (or more) and now it's finally (almost) here!
Three cheers for the glorious CptOvaltine!
Aw shucks, thanks, Boo! 8)
It's officially out now! So excited to hear what you all think of the album!
http://bit.ly/2Xuprxc
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I get paid on Friday. I can’t wait!!
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Guys, if you haven't checked this out... this is the pinnacle of gaming orchestration albums. For real. It's stellar stuff, in some places better and more emotive than the original soundtrack.
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I’ve listened to bits of it, but I can’t wait to listen to the entire thing!!
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Guys, if you haven't checked this out... this is the pinnacle of gaming orchestration albums. For real. It's stellar stuff, in some places better and more emotive than the original soundtrack.
Wow, thank you, Boo! Really, that is one of the best compliments I've received, and it completely made my night!
Thank you, and everyone else here for all of the support through the whole process. You guys encouraged me through the process and have been around from the beginning to the end. I really hope you all get the chance to listen and to enjoy the music!
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@CptOvaltine -- Normally I have the television on while I work and am not in meetings, and recently I've had your album on repeat. It's amazing. For real. I cannot sing high enough praises for your work, my friend!
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I agree with Boo completely. I’m listening to it now and omg this is so amazing! I’m definitely telling my gamer friends, I’m absolutely in love with it!!
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@CptOvaltine -- Normally I have the television on while I work and am not in meetings, and recently I've had your album on repeat. It's amazing. For real. I cannot sing high enough praises for your work, my friend!
Well thank you, Boo! That means a lot, it really does. :) I hope this can make the rounds in the Chrono community and others can discover and enjoy it as well.
Speaking of, I tried to post it to Reddit on the launch day and the post kept appearing greyed out with a red X on the top right corner. Google told me that means the post was removed, so I'm not sure I ever posted an announcement on Reddit that the album was out... Did you ever see anything?
I agree with Boo completely. I’m listening to it now and omg this is so amazing! I’m definitely telling my gamer friends, I’m absolutely in love with it!!
I'm so glad you like it, and were able to finally listen! Yes, please tell everyone! I think that if people will give it a chance they'll really enjoy it, it just needs the exposure!