Let's talk about Ys music - http://www.mmcafe.com/ Forums


Original message (1576 Views )

Maou
1878th Post



user profileedit/delete message

Gold Carpet V.I.P- Platinum Executive





"Let's talk about Ys music" , posted Mon 21 Dec 12:05:post reply

Yes, of course we have had the Ys thread recently, which finally convinced me that if I ever manage to play this series like I've been planning to, Oath will probably be the one, but one thing I can talk about now is the music! Koshiro Yuuzou's stuff is magnificent, of course, so this might be the place to ask: given the several billion Falcom albums available, can anyone off the top of their head think of which album would have the superior mix of the PCE version of First Step Toward Wars?

If not, stave off my disappointment and use this thread to talk about your favorite tunes, and favorite mixes of said tunes!





人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は...

[this message was edited by Maou on Mon 21 Dec 12:10]

Replies:

Pollyanna
2810th Post



user profileedit/delete message

Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master





"Re(1):Let's talk about Ys music" , posted Tue 22 Dec 04:53post reply

I love the Symphony Ys version of First Steps Toward War. It's also on the "Very Best" CD, which is a really nice compilation. The (Provincialism) Last Moment of the Dark on that CD is totally awesome, too. I like how they mixed both of Dark Fukt's themes. There just aren't enough arranges of the final battle theme from YS I, if you ask me.

The JDK Band version of "To Make the End of Battle" on the "Very Best" is also stellar. That's like...the definitive version for me. Well, it was, until the Ys 7 promo concert version I posted a while back. The Ys Complete version is nice as well.

Oath has the best overall soundtrack in my opinion (thanks to the quality of its arranges), but I have to give the Ys I soundtrack the most credit for its er..."historical significance". I like every single track on that soundtrack...probably one of the reasons I'll play the game over again almost every time they bring it out.

The new Ys Soundtracks have great openings, great boss themes and absolutely nothing else. This is felt very strongly with Ys 7. Still, the OP and boss theme from that game, the Origins OP and the 6 OP and boss theme are some of my favorite Ys themes. The JDK Band 2008 version of "Release of the Far West Ocean" is especially nice, despite that CD being somewhat lackluster on the whole (although that might be because I'm not a Sora no Kiseki fan).

On another note, I highly highly recommend the Zwei Arrange CD to any JDK fan. It's simply one of the best game albums I own (and I didn't even care for the game).





青春謳歌 弱肉強食

Phoenix
925th Post



user profileedit/delete message

Red Carpet Regular Member++



"Re(2):Let's talk about Ys music" , posted Fri 25 Dec 09:00:post reply

It's been so long since I've touched any Ys game... But "to make the end of battle" is one of my fave tracks hands down. There's a possibility that Falcom might bring Ys 1 & 2 Chronicles PSP to US along with Brandish PSP... And I'm also hoping that Ys 7 will rise above expectations. Temple of Solomon has always been one of the most memorable tracks to me as well. Oath in Felghana's "Valestine Castle" and "Be Careful" are also quite excellent.





[this message was edited by Phoenix on Fri 25 Dec 09:48]

Pollyanna
2812th Post



user profileedit/delete message

Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master





"Re(3):Let's talk about Ys music" , posted Fri 25 Dec 13:48post reply

(bored at relative's house Christmas ramble)

I forgot to mention in the year end thread that Ys7 was a real mixed experience for me. The system is really nice (excluding the fact that it's more effective to roll everywhere than run) and the boss fights are fun (as usual), but there's way too much text and needless running around. The story is uninteresting and the presentation is poor. A game like that could really benefit from more...erm...minimalistic storytelling.

I never quite finished the game. I started skipping dialogue out of boredom, then realized that I had no idea what I was supposed to do. Maybe I'll pick it back up later...I'm sure I've got more than a few good boss fights left.





青春謳歌 弱肉強食

Amakusa
829th Post



user profileedit/delete message

Red Carpet Regular Member+



"Re(2):Let's talk about Ys music" , posted Sun 27 Dec 17:40post reply

The Oath soundtrack is really good. Origin's soundtrack is pretty good for much the same reason.

I feel the Ys Chronicles soundtrack is rather weak overall, particularly considering it's done by the same team as Ys 7. As for Ys 7 itself it has an awesome opening and boss themes as its standouts, although for some reason it seems as if they put all the work on that set because they know that gets the most attention.





I found Kagami's sword in a junk yard.
I will rule the world and find that truly good cup of coffee.
"Dink-a-dink-a-dink-a-do."

Pollyanna
2815th Post



user profileedit/delete message

Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master





"Re(3):Let's talk about Ys music" , posted Tue 29 Dec 06:23post reply

Before I go into my rant, let me summarize by saying I just checked out the Ys Chronicles soundtrack on a recommendation and I believe it is absolutely one of the "must-hear" Ys CDs. Get it now get it now get it now.

quote:

I feel the Ys Chronicles soundtrack is rather weak overall, particularly considering it's done by the same team as Ys 7.



How is it weak!? And what do you mean "considering it's done by the same team as Ys 7"? The Ys 7 soundtrack is the weak one, (excluding the blatantly awesome opening and boss themes, as you mentioned). We're talking about the same soundtrack here, right? The new PSP one?

Although many of the songs on the Chronicles soundtrack have had better mixes somewhere, I don't believe the songs have ever sounded so good together. To me, Chronicles replaces the PC Engine version as the definitive Ys I&II soundtrack in the same way that Oath does for Ys III.

It was so much fun to hear a hard rock "First steps toward War", the bass and haunting violin on "Dreaming" was really unique, "Holders of Power" flat out rocks like crazy (if only those were real drums!) and I was so thrilled to get a good mix of the final battle theme (finally).

On the Ys II end, I love the super high speed "To Make the End of Battle" and the violin (on the extended version) added a nice touch (especially in tandem with the guitar afterward). I can't even pick a favorite among the rest of the tracks..."Ruins of Moondoria" has such a powerful sound and I love the flavor the acoustic guitar adds on "Tender People", "Palace of Salmon" (!!!). I wish they would have incorporated that sound into some of the more hard-rocking songs, but it's hard to nit-pick on such an excellent soundtrack.

I really can't see any complaint with this CD other than "it rocks too hard". Really! What does Ys I and II better than this!?





青春謳歌 弱肉強食

Amakusa
830th Post



user profileedit/delete message

Red Carpet Regular Member+



"Re(4):Let's talk about Ys music" , posted Wed 30 Dec 16:17post reply

quote:

Although many of the songs on the Chronicles soundtrack have had better mixes somewhere, I don't believe the songs have ever sounded so good together. To me, Chronicles replaces the PC Engine version as the definitive Ys I&II soundtrack in the same way that Oath does for Ys III.



Well you know what the main problem is? It's still a MIDI-restricted piece of crap, with a rather 1-to-1 replacement of notes with a better quality instrument. Even if I'm really mistaken and it really was done with a live band it still sounds restricted by its forefather. It's almost as if the arrangement was purposefully done that way just to avoid reinterpreting entire tracks. They would pretty much have to as a complete musical replacement for Eternal (the in-game version of "To Make the End of Battle" is proof positive of this when you put it next to the extended version also released).

Compare that to what was done with Oath's soundtrack, which was also done without a live band, and it doesn't sound so restricted. Some of those tracks are reinterpreted from the source material, sometimes greatly so. On the other hand, it also had the rather huge advantage that Oath was built from the ground-up rather than being slapped on top of an existing game.

Even if the Ys 7 soundtrack isn't the greatest on the planet, it still demonstrates that the current arrangers aren't completely brain dead when it comes to doing their work.

quote:
the bass and haunting violin on "Dreaming" was really unique,


I felt it was flat-out inferior to the version in Origin, or even Eternal. Whatever they used for the main instrument had no solid tone behind it.

quote:
and I was so thrilled to get a good mix of the final battle theme (finally).


There's two versions of the final battle theme, in fact. Nearly all the versions of Ys I are of the short version, unfortunately.


quote:
On the Ys II end, I love the super high speed "To Make the End of Battle" and the violin (on the extended version) added a nice touch (especially in tandem with the guitar afterward).


The thing is, the extended version was the only track that even tried to do something, and the difference it makes compared to the rest of it makes it stand out even more at just how much of a lost opportunity there was.

Maybe it was a technical limitation, or maybe it was the most practical solution, but I can't possibly accept something that purposefully restrains itself as a great soundtrack.





I found Kagami's sword in a junk yard.
I will rule the world and find that truly good cup of coffee.
"Dink-a-dink-a-dink-a-do."