Cover Tunes
Here's where I'll put my takes on tunes other have written. Oh, especially if they come from video games. :)
Botshaft von Rosencranz (Arranged - from SaGa Frontier 2)
The SaGa Frontier 2 soundtrack was composed by a talented composer named Masashi Hamauzu. (He's the one responsible for several of the immediate tracks below, too.) "Rosencranz" and "Botshaft" are two variations on the same theme; the first was for piano and strings, and the second was more pop-ish. What I have here is a third take on it. Kind of a...country/reggae mix? Hard to describe... ;) Pretty nice, though.
White Whale in the Sky (from Musashi Samurai Legend)
By all accounts, I don't know why I tried this. After all, this may be one of the most perfect songs Hamauzu composed for this game. Part chill-out, part adventurous, very lush and beautiful. Hopefully I captured most of that. ;)
Oh, I gotta tell you...this is a two-loop version. But the thing is, one loop is about four minutes, so it's LOOOONG. But I love it so much I don't care. :P
Impatience (Arranged - from Front Mission Gun Hazard)
This is an arrangement of an action/cinematic theme from Gun Hazard. Since it comes from Super Nintendo roots, there was an opportunity to thicken it a bit, but even then Hamauzu had a good idea of what he wanted to do. Great track, and I enjoyed sequencing this.
If I must complain about anything, it's the fact that I didn't put more effort into the intro (which fellow composer Yasunori Mitsuda was responsible for) and "piano solo" in the middle. Plus, I think I took the cheap way out when it came time to end the tune. But I still love it.
Thunder Plains - SaGa Frontier 2 Mix (from Final Fantasy X)
So the idea came to me...what if FFX's Thunder Plains had actually been a dungeon in SaGa Frontier 2, and was arranged in the "cute techno" style? Well, here's my answer.
This one actually turned out pretty well, turning a happy piano piece into a nice chill-out. The only thing that disappoints me is that the part of the song just before it loops back around was near-impossible to figure out. And I don't think I did it justice at all.
Other than that, I'm pretty happy with the mix. :)
Freiluftmusik (from SaGa Frontier 2)
This bouncy little number may not be the best fron the game, but it succeeded in getting hopelessely lodged in my head. :) So I decided that while it was there, might as well MIDIfy it!
If you've seen this file at RPGamer or VGMusic, this is a longer version that has two full loops; the version I posted there was more in line with the OST timing.
Had enough Hamauzu now? ;P
Delusional Extremities ~ Arranged (from Valkyrie Profile)
I'm also a Motoi Sakuraba fan, so it's only natural that I try to MIDIfy some of HIS music. And in this case, I decided to tackle this upbeat dungeon theme, and give it a grand rock-style arrangement. I also slowed it down a little bit, so it's easier to dance to. :)
However, I think it would work more as a "template" than a stand-alone arrangement. This is because the solos I improvised for the middle section...need work. <:S More than anything, I'd like someone to take this and give it a few coats of polish.
Nevertheless, I'm still pretty satisfied with it. It's pretty darn close, and at about 6 1/2 minutes, there's plenty to enjoy! :D
Around in the Wilderness (from Star Ocean - Till the End of Time)
This Sakuraba track intrigued me when I first heard it. A most UNUSUAL rhythm (it's a fast 7-count!), growling and chiming guitars, and wailing synths all come together in a song that sounds like a fun summer day.
So as a music writer, I just HAD to challenge myself and see if I could put it down in MIDI. And well...
The thing I said about solos above? I REALLY mean it here. That synth solo in the middle is a very pale imitation of the original. And since the basic MIDI instrument set doesn't sound anything like Motoi's gear, it just doesn't hit me the same way. So, I'm warning you now... <;)
Scooby Doo (Progressive Arrangement)
While on vacation this year at a Bible school, I would often tinker around with the piano during breaks. For fun, one time I tried to see if I could play the old theme from Scooby Doo, that classic cartoon about a dog and his ghost-hunting friends. Well, it became popular with some of the kids (hi Casey! ;), and had a habit of showing up a LOT of the time I was near the piano from then on.
So once I finally got back, eventually I wrote my own arrangement. Maybe not as "progressive" as I'd like, but it does have a lot of Hammond organ. :) And also, I tried to put a wild jazzy section in the middle...and trying to write MIDI to sound jazzy is VERY HARD TO DO. <:S So I don't know if I succeeded...
Anyway, it was fun. Hope you enjoy! :D
Alone in the Town (from Silent Hill 2)
One of my favorite tracks from the game, "Alone..." plays in an abandoned bowling alley where the main character converses with others. I decided to try and tackle a MIDI of it...
And well...I'm not very thrilled with the results. :S I really don't think I nailed the same beauty Akira Yamaoka put into the original at all.
However, there was a Silent Hill fansite at one time that hosted this MIDI, and the maintainer tyhought it was actually quite good. Perhaps I'm being too hard on myself...? <:)