ReMix:Final Fantasy IX "Shepherd Won't Alone" 3:49

By Tuba Lin

Arranging the music of one song...

"You're Not Alone!"

Primary Game: Final Fantasy IX (Square , 2000, PS1), music by Nobuo Uematsu

Posted 2004-08-06, evaluated by the judges panel


Newcomer Tuba Lin might in fact be our first ReMixer from Taiwan - I'm not 100% sure that's the case, but at any rate he's submitted a very elaborate, fresh take on the popular You're Not Alone track off FF9, in an orchestral style that he pulls off admirably. This mix doesn't feature the best samples in the world, but is a great example of how a full, varied, dramatic arrangement can compensate for/alleviate sound quality that isn't stellar. Besides that, the Roland SC-8850 used isn't awful by any stretch of the imagination. The recording is a little low and has a bit of hiss, but nothing too prohibitive. What I especially love here is how the ReMixer isn't afraid to alter tempo, switch from solo to ensemble portions, toggle between sections with a lot of forward momentum to more syncopated stops, and use countermelody - in particular, most everything the flutes are doing for most of the track - and do so abundantly. Tuba's obviously got a flair for the dramatic, as this piece runs a wider spectrum of orchestral colors than many symphonic pieces, and does so with technique and emotion to boot. The ReMixer writes:

"Several years after I listened the original music, I got some idea about the prelude part and flute and harp part,but I stopped for some reason. One day while I'm listening the OC remixes I suddenly realize that I should arrange something for submission to OCR, and this is it."

I'm both glad he went back and completed his ideas and that he submitted the finished product, and I also think it's cool that we receive submissions from all over the planet from people with an abundance of varied skills and styles. Good stuff, great first mix, and lovely to see this popular theme given a symphonic overhaul.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Nutritious
on 2009-12-15 02:07:40

Capable orchestral take here. The samples aren't stellar, but they work here for the most part. I really wasn't that into the original when I first heard it, so that's probably why this one isn't doing a whole lot for me personally.

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cremdogz
on 2009-11-16 18:07:40

Absolutely spectacular. no other remix on this site for this song captured the emotion feel this song is meant to project, as it's meant to come from the heart, which is what the song is trying to express in my opinion, yet this one pulled it off perfectly. One of my favourite OC remixes to date.

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Lucentas
on 2009-06-20 13:01:09

This is quite good; I must admit I never would have thought of an orchestral interpretation of the source, but it turned out nicely.

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OA
on 2008-10-17 12:04:55

I think the flute was a little too loud and seemed to be on top of the song rather than in it, but I absolutely loved the tempo changes; very classy and well executed. The counter-melodies were excellent, and though i'm pretty sick of this specific theme, the care that went into this mix really makes it rise above. Some of the transitions were a little abrupt, and I think a little more use of dynamics would have improved the mix, but the great textures and original writing won me over.

Awesome interpretation! :-)

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SakakiAzu
on 2005-12-30 04:29:54

Very peaceful... Just soothing and overall, great.

8/10

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I_Love_OC_ReMixes
on 2005-12-24 07:53:41

This is awesome and I love the flute at the end, keep up the fine work Tuba!!

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Bummer
on 2005-09-22 09:56:13

Cool that at least someone came up with the idea to make a orchestral version of YNA. Tuba has slowed the speed of it to make it more peaceful, and then added some neat flutes, great cymbals and marchdrums to give this remix an respectful attitude. But I gotta admit, it did get a little repetive at the end, but since I already downloaded it, I obviously didn´t care.

Thanks TL.

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Lord_Syruss_Khalai
on 2005-05-22 13:09:18

I think this is an excellent remix. True that it doesn't have the same feeling that the original was going for, but I have a certain respect for people who try something new, even if there are people who don't really like it.

The Jenova remix from FF7 that was done in Piano is a good example. Listining to the original version of that, a piano remix is quite possibly the farthest thing from my mind, and I am a pianist. But regardless, I enjoyed it.

This song is very nice because it's differant. It isn't as noisy (not in a bad way) as the original, and yet it's packed with emotion and feeling. I very much enjoy this remix, and I feel that Tuba Lin has done a great job, remixing a song and not only making a remix of it, but a remix that is differant enough from the original to be apprecited independantly while still "knowing its roots."

Keep up the excellent work. 9/10.

~Syruss

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FooBar
on 2005-05-07 12:23:41

For something less than 4 minutes, Tuba Lini packed a lot of content into his remix. I think it is well arranged. If I have to rank all the songs I put on my playlist such that the average is 6/10, I would give this a 9/10.

"You Are Not Confined" by Sonicade was certainly good, but only in a standard way. It is a result of presentation tweaking whereas Shpherd is a result of musical inspiration.

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benevolensaurus
on 2004-12-03 23:55:50

Yes, very nice... The samples aren't the greatest, but it's still very well done production-wise. Which more than makes up for that, in my opinion...

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Reload
on 2004-12-01 17:44:04

Your not alone is one of my top ff songs, and this remix does it no shame. In fact, This ranks pretty high in my opinion. One of the best ff9 remixes in my opinion. Keep up the great work.

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zero stryker
on 2004-10-09 03:49:16

Tuba Lin delivers a powerful piece in the tune of "You're Not Alone!" packed with his own variation to it. This orchestral twist to the song is bold and inviting and just as catchy as the original.

It starts off with a a few drums to open, then a gentle and relaxing flute steals the show but not for long, as the drums return and carry on. It's almost like the drums and flute "agree" to work together, and what we get next is the drums playing to add body to the main "You're Not Alone!" beat, while the flutes incorporate a unique and very original interpretation to it, a soul so to speak.

You all might call me crazy, but the real 'masterpiece' of this mix, is at 2:08 - where the tempo slows down. Sure some got bored at this part, but this is where the mixer, Tuba Lin, begins to interpertate the piece to make it his own. Not much to say, up until 2:42 where we get another original/unique interp. of an organ-y type intrument to take the regular beat just one step further. Ten seconds later, that flute returns to make very good original translations/additions to the song. It continues to do it's thang and I can't get over how he was able to move away from the original track to make very powerful changes, yet stay close enough to it to maintain the "You're Not Alone!" appeal that hooked us all to that song.

The song begins to come to an end, with the flute and percussion continuing their "snazz" until the flute wraps it all up.

It's hard to describe how I listen to this song, but I heavily believe that this song would appeal to everyone who didn't like it too much if they listen to the underlying additions, as opposed to trying to stay close to the original beat. As my review shows (hopefully), that this is one of those rare songs where the beauty of it is in it's subtleties rather than it's connection to the original.

[PS. I'm not very good with intrument identification =P]

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Darangen
on 2004-09-03 20:40:14

Where to start?

Well, making sense, lets start with the intro. It's original, and decent. Good job there.

After that we get the melody put on repeat for the remainder of the song.

Aside from some new harmonies, a drum beat, and a change in instruments, there isn't much different than the original. I was bored before 2:00 had passed, usually not a good sign.

My original feelings of this song for the OSV version was "It's not long enough." With this version my thoughts are "Please God, when will this song end?"

Good attempt, I'd say a 4/10 for being able to change the style.

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flipt
on 2004-08-26 11:30:29

Considering the tools available (SC-8850, etc) this is a well done mix. I think the percussion is a tad too generic and plain, but thats the SC for ya.

I would love to hear more - the flutes at 1:15 were lovely to hear. 7.5/10

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SixthFlyingMan
on 2004-08-11 20:30:43

All I can say, Graeme, is that you're not alone with those goosbumps... I'm a flutist, too, so I need to e-mail Mr. Lin about maybe getting some sheet music PDFs.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Final Fantasy IX (Square , 2000, PS1)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu
Songs:
"You're Not Alone!"

Tags (2)


Genre:
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Orchestral,Woodwinds
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Final_Fantasy_9_Shepherd_Won't_Alone_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,523,936 bytes
MD5:
061da59d381022cad6d3cd30d0e23ae8
Bitrate:
189Kbps
Duration:
3:49

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