ReMix:Final Fantasy "Saga Prelude" 2:28

I really like the way that this mix was presented: framed with an orchestra warming up and an audience. It's especially interesting to hear something like that in an older mix like this and to see what was the movers and shakers way back when. Especially compared to newer mixes, the arrangement is pretty conservative and those sound effects aren't too modern (it sounds less like an actual orchestra and more like an orchestra being simulated for an snes or something). Still, it's worth checking out to see how things were back in the day.

The great thing about this "Review an entire Artists body of work" is that I'm being introduced to remixers I didn't even know were here!. Well, here we go with Steve Pordon. Final Fantasy prelude has been a classic through gaming, and we have a very traditional rendition of it here. The opening section with the awkward pause in between the two sections was a little jarring for me even though Steve was trying to give the idea of an orchestra warming up. Cool idea, but the execution was pretty weak on it. The arrangement is very straight forward with not much variation. The production value is the biggest issue I have here and it sounds like it's right out of FF7 or even FF6. However, despite all of that, I'm looking to hear how Steve grows as an artist.

The tune thing at the beginning didn't really bother me that much, as it did for other people. I dunno why... Maybe it just helps to set up the mood in my mind? That and the applause at the end gives it sort of the feel of a live performance.

The samples then go and ruin this. I mean, I don't think they're *zomgzhorribad*, but they do sound really fake, even to me. Just not at all authentic. It makes the arpeggio sound almost.. stiff. There's nothing nuanced about it. The arrangement itself is pretty straightforward, but I can't complain about that because honestly? I love the prelude and the simplicity of it.

This is something I would love to hear with better samples and a little more TLC. It was uploaded so long ago so I can't help but wonder, "Wow, what if they tackled this one *now*?"

That tune-up at 0:06 was ouch . Production is probably the biggest problem here, and I think Bardic said things best.

the intro, and the synth that fades in and out, sounds EXACTLY like someone elses! [ex-plosion]

it sounds good, but just to "synthesizer in a box" ish.

-cant always hit the hammer on the nail.

if you changed it with something else, it would sound really good.

i understand the "REMIX" side of the site, however, remix the song, not just the music.

The first half:

The song is good because it is so close to the original.

The remix is weak because it is so close to the original.

The second half:

Others have said that the samples are bad, but I like the change up from being too close to the source. Interesting but not as epic as the source.

Quoting everyone else. The samples are bad, there isn't another way to put it. Arrangement is alright, but I personally think it's nothing particularly special. I can't really find anything interesting that makes me want to listen to this, and the tune-up/applause make me groan.

This piece needs to be listened to knowing the context -- realize that it's submission 276 for a reason. The bar for production has been raised considerably since this mix got posted.

With that said, I liked it overall. The MIDI tuneup at the beginning was extremely funny (and the joke wouldn't work if the samples were better). The conductor's tap, however, really DOES need a quality sample to be effective, and the remixer doesn't deliver.

The arrangement is quite good -- an appropriate level of countermelody and new direction for an orchestral piece. Well worth a 2nd listen once you adjust to the poor production quality.

It comes down to this: If you can listen to unprocessed Finale files, you can listen to this. It's basically well-arranged General MIDI. The musicianship is there, but the same could be said of any number of arranged MIDIs on vgmusic.com -- where this mix ultimately should reside.

Sorry, but I really didn't not like this. I really think you should rework it.

ouch ouch ouch.

The samples need some serious improvement here. The arrangement was a step in the right direction, but the arpeggios were close to making my brain explode.

The tune-up sounds artificial and annoying. The tapping of the conductor doesn't sound right. The piece itself is 'jagged' in its sample quality, and sounds more or less like a midi rip. This is one of the few pieces on OCR that I think do not belong there.

However, I think it has potential if the author improves the sample quality a WHOLE lot, and improves upon the arrangement to make it truly orchestra-quality.

Yeah, have to agree with zirc here, I have played this game and I recognize that "piano". Maybe it isn´t the exact one, but it sounds very familliar.

I did get that orchestric feeling, but it sounds like the conductor is Donald Duck. If you just try, I bet you can make it sound like Beethoven or someone else in that category.

CotMM summed up what I was going to say nicely. The tune-up sounds artificial and annoying. The tapping of the conductor doesn't sound right. The piece itself is 'jagged' in its sample quality, and sounds more or less like a midi rip. This is one of the few pieces on OCR that I think do not belong there.

However, I think it has potential if the author improves the sample quality a WHOLE lot, and improves upon the arrangement to make it truly orchestra-quality.

This is a pretty interesting ReMix, but not in the best way. It's not absolutely horrible, but as CotMM said, it's a little "rough." The recording quality is kinda nasty, with a lot of fuzziness and stuff. Overall, it's a decent mix but not an incredibly good one.

The intro is the sound of an orchestra tuning up, which is interesting, and I think a nice touch. The main FF prelude arpeggio is played on a piano, with few or no changes from the original. The song hits an arrangemental peak at about 0:43, with some nice chords and stuff. For the next 45 seconds or so, it's just the piano, over and over again, and it gets a little annoying - at about 1:29, though, the background comes back and it seems quite a bit better - and it continues for a little while, before dropping off into flat prelude for a few moments before coming back with a second piano, finishing off the segment, and ending with an applause sound byte - another nice touch, but I don't know that the song really deserved the applause. Simple arrangement, poor sound quality, and (you might say, thankfully) only 2:31 - it's not exactly Mr. Pordon's best work - it's something of an earlier piece from him, and a nice reminder that we don't all start out perfect - everyone gets slowly better, and even such skilled remixers as Steve weren't always as good as they are now.

Final Fantasy 'Saga Prelude'

This one makes me a little uncomfortable.. I don't particularly like the

'tuneup' at the beginning and the clapping at the end. The arrangement is

kinda weird sounding. The instruments themselves aren't bad,

but it just feels sort of rough to me.