ReMix:Final Fantasy VII "Captain of the Skies" 3:12

By ZackParrish

cinematic acoustic-guitar electric-guitar orchestral strings woodwinds dark epic

Arranging the music of one song...

"Launching a Dream into Space"

Primary Game: Final Fantasy VII (Sony , 1997, PS1), music by Nobuo Uematsu

Posted 2014-05-22, evaluated by the judges panel

Newcomer ZackParrish sends us a fantastic, haunting, & dynamic cinematic arrangement of Final Fantasy VII's 'Launching a Dream into Space,' a variation of Cid's theme:

"I have always loved the melody from Cid's theme in FF7 and decide to expand on the idea of the original, by adding new textures, pushing more dynamic variation, etc."

Introing with an oboe (it COULD be an English Horn... there's always that nagging doubt...) and remaining primarily orchestral throughout, there's also an acoustic guitar, BIG DRUMS, some electric guit chugs, and various cinematic/scoring components of the electronic variety, making for a classy, brooding take on Uematsu's fantastic original. Nutritious writes:

"Really beautiful work here. I'm jelly of your orchestral work. Arrangement is handled nicely. I like the slow building approach. I did something similar in my ff5 fireship mix, but this one is better. Very good dynamics and sequencing here."

Flexstyle colorfully adds:

"My biggest beef with this track is that there's NOT ENOUGH OF IT GHRAGLKHSJDFLSKDHSLGKJF etc. Would love to hear this concept fleshed out even more, adding more themes and lengthening into a full-on epic at some point.

Yeah, it's clearly sequenced, but at the same time it's obvious you put a lot of care into the sequencing. It's well-mixed, so no complaints there. The source is clearly discernable, so no complaints there either. I think, if you were to revisit this track, that it could benefit with a little bit more TLC on that kick drum, as Chimp said. I think it could also use some beefier "boom-verb" sounds, but that's a personal thing. Basically, it feels like it belongs in a movie with giant mechanisms/organisms and lots of property damage. I love this track, and it's obviously deserving of front-page placement."

Well said, Mike. Especially the part about GHRAGLKHSJD, etc. ;) Seriously, this is an excellent debut that arranges a popular theme and really embellishes every aspect of it, with some especially good decisions made in regards to pacing and development. Delicious - absolutely looking forward to hearing more from Zack!

― djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 11 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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DimeTower
on 2014-12-05 01:18:38

I just came here after being linked through A Legacy Forgotten (FF VI). Who is this artist?? This is another incredible work; the distinctive flavor of Cid comes right through, but in such a unique way - that's two songs in a row that I thought I knew by heart and each remix caught me in ways I had never imagined. The section 1:00-1:25 sounds like it's out of The Last Of Us - I mean that as an extremely high compliment - and the mix continually evolves without ever getting a static "now a big part, now a little part" kind of feel. (2:15-2:45 is particularly impressive for this.) And again, another gorgeous ending!?!? Wow, am I impressed!!

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Necrox
on 2014-05-31 22:46:04

It may be called Captain of the Skies, but I think the source's title fits the music better. It has a dark yet inspirational and cinematic atmosphere that is very good. Sweet debut!

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Brandon Strader
on 2014-05-25 23:35:21

The attack on the violins near the beginning is crazy jarring -- needs some much smoother legato or other articulations. In general throughout the piece it could have used smoother articulations, if available, mainly for those distinct attacks.. The super fuzz guitar chugs seem exposed when they're so loud at first, but fit in better later on. And the ending could have been extended a lot. Seems to just peter out. But on the whole, this is a pretty strong mix. :nicework:

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Crulex
on 2014-05-23 15:46:52

Gorgeous ReMix. The build is incredibly epic right up until the highest peak and carries on to the very end, where we get a nice outro that lets the arrangement take a breath. Sweet as hell debut, Zack.

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Chernabogue
on 2014-05-23 05:15:00

Very nice arrangement, "Cid's Theme" fits very well an orchestra. I really like the blending of the orchestra, electro element, and percussion. I wouldn't have added electric guitars later one, but it works well too. Nice job! :nicework:

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Flash Strife
on 2014-05-22 23:15:14

Lol, just previewed it and was thinking "this sounds kind of like Valdis Story", check the comments, turns out it was Zack Parrish who did this track. XD

Safe to say, this remix is great.

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FunkyFlakes
on 2014-05-22 17:40:34

Sweet stuff. The way the track sort of keeps building and then suddenly goes very quiet at end, awesome.

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timaeus222
on 2014-05-22 16:58:33

I thought this was pretty cool. A few flaws here and there, but otherwise solid remix.

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Amayirot Akago
on 2014-05-22 15:39:11

I love this! Kinda sounds like what a Hans Zimmer-ized take on the FFVII soundtrack would be.

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benevolensaurus
on 2014-05-22 15:05:55

It's the composer for Valdis Story! Distinctive string work. Cool to see him join the ocremix community with this submission. This is a great take on Cid's theme.

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djpretzel
on 2014-05-22 14:35:33

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

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Final Fantasy VII (Sony , 1997, PS1)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu
Songs:
"Launching a Dream into Space"

Tags (8)


Genre:
Cinematic
Mood:
Dark,Epic
Instrumentation:
Acoustic Guitar,Electric Guitar,Orchestral,Strings,Woodwinds
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Final_Fantasy_7_Captain_of_the_Skies_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,695,433 bytes
MD5:
eff0a17da88a3bd75470738e71e98fbf
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
3:12

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