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Project Majestic Mix

Mustin writes: "'Project Majestic Mix: A Tribute to Nobuo Uematsu' is the combined effort a group of musicians from around the world, connected only through the Internet. Together, they have created the first legal, fan-made, fan-financed game music album to be released in America. Perhaps the most famous game composer, Nobuo Uematsu is hailed for his work in the 'Final Fantasy' series of RPGs. Nevertheless, the tunes are not kiddy stuff, with a full 74 minutes of arrangements in styles varying from orchestral to rock and techno to jazz. The Silver Edition is currently available for preorder exclusively through AnimeNation.com with a release date of March 31st, and the Unlimited Edition will be obtainable via most online music retailers. To preview mp3 clips of the music and access more detailed information, visit the project's site at www.MajesticMix.com"

96 comments

  1. The RIAA by I.T.R.A.R.K. · · Score: 0

    is probably pissed as hell that they weren't able to control the distribution an reap the profits of this one. ;p

    --

    "Adequacy.org: Where congenital stupidity is not an option, but a requirement."

  2. sweet by thitcho · · Score: 1

    ahh... finally all the best music from Final Fantasy, Chronotrigger and Xenogears, all without searching for them off of different soundtracks or kazaa.

    1. Re:sweet by Andux · · Score: 1
      Actually, for a lot games, you can download RAM dumps from the sound chip that are even smaller than the equivalent MP3. The entire soundtrack of Chrono Trigger weighs in at less than 4MB in SPC format; that's only 64K per song. The only real issue is with the players (some of them don't emulate the sound chip very well, and the vast majority are Windows-only).

      Check out Zophar's Domain for more info.

      --
      (Do not sign anything.) -- Fell, Planescape: Torment
    2. Re:sweet by PurpleBob · · Score: 2

      Even the other poster isn't correcting you enough - the absolutely brilliant music for Chrono Trigger and Xenogears was done by Yasunori Mitsuda. Uematsu only does Final Fantasy.

      --
      Win dain a lotica, en vai tu ri silota
  3. and... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... I'd imagine I'll be seeing re-remixes of these remixes at OvercockedRemix in a couple of weeks. [http://remix.overclocked.org]

    1. Re:and... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      that's about two inches on my screen... i guess you're definition of "quite" differs somewhat from mine.

  4. OverClocked ReMix by LastCa_ · · Score: 2, Informative

    Looks like OverClocked ReMix.
    As I can see, some of the composers are the same in the album and the web site. heh.

    --
    - LastCall_
    1. Re:OverClocked ReMix by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      more of them are from vgmix.com

      ;)

      which, by the way; was created pretty much because the artists mixing for ocremix hated that they barely got any of the credit for their work. just look at the title of the mp3s. no artists named; just a OcReMiX tag. it's bullshit.

  5. mushrooms and flowers by doooras · · Score: 2

    much cooler than when the "coolest music ever" was the orignal mario brothers theme played on steel drums if you chill out on the star level of super mario world for 10 minutes.

    1. Re:mushrooms and flowers by gartogg · · Score: 2, Funny

      Wait, are you saying that Group X's rendition of "Mario twins" Isn't the best music ever written?

      I spit at your suggestion!

      --
      I'm a concientious .sig objector.
    2. Re:mushrooms and flowers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I want those 5 minutes of my life back!

      Anyway, lets all quit posting to Slashdot and play Super Mario sponge off!

  6. Uhhh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Back in Time, although made in the UK, is definitely available in the US, and is a compilation of remixed Commodore 64.
    http://www.c64audio.com/

    They even have live club venues with the music!!

    So how can you guys have the first fan based legal CD??????? Is it a case of Commodore blindness?

    Also, the SID sound chip is available in an external MIDI box, and has been used at least once to make a commercial album:
    http://stage.vitaminic.com/danko

    Enjoy!!!!

    1. Re:Uhhh... by littlerubberfeet · · Score: 0

      Video game music is not as good as it used to be, now its not as good, whreas before, it was limited by technology e.g. PacMan. I am waiting for the time when good music is composed by Uematsu and others. And that quality becomes the norm. Please, I have had enough of this techno/trance/hardcore/metal stuff. Lets move on

      --
      Sig (appended to the end of comments you post, 120 chars)
  7. Downloads... by sean23007 · · Score: 3, Funny

    So how is everyone going to feel when this is available for download on Gnutella within a couple of days?

    --

    Lack of eloquence does not denote lack of intelligence, though they often coincide.
    1. Re:Downloads... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Gnutella's future is grim since Morpheus has put all their users onto it. In fact, a 56k user can't even get on gnutella without being "DOSed" so to speak.

    2. Re:Downloads... by Dodger_ · · Score: 1

      It's not for profit, that's just a bonus. The true fans, including myself, have already paid for this album through donations. The silver edition and unlimited edition is just a way for the composers to recoup some of their time spent for working so long and hard on this album.

      --
      Dodger_
    3. Re:Downloads... by maikeru · · Score: 1

      Quite pleased that I'll be able to get the content on the limited edition CD, actually. (:

    4. Re:Downloads... by Zunni · · Score: 1

      Hmmmm, I'm not sure what you mean.

      Like most other Gnutella, Napster, etc. users, I'll probably download one track, listen to it, if I like it (which I probably will) I'll then order the album.

      Your comment made no sense in regards to how people who "use" P2P music sharing programs the way they were intended, to sample an artists work and then make an informed decision on whether they choose to buy it. You wouldn't buy a car without taking it for a test drive, I won't buy music (especially from unknown artists) without first sampling their work to see if I like it.

    5. Re:Downloads... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's a nice, fluffy thought you have there.

      I'll be downloading the whole thing in 320kpbs and never paying a dime for it.

  8. So it's not RIAA then? by NanoGator · · Score: 3

    Then I just might buy it! :)

    --
    "Derp de derp."
    1. Re:So it's not RIAA then? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I hope you mean that, because this is what people need to start doing. Producing music outside the confines of RIAA durisdiction, and then in return, financing said creation. If all of a sudden the RIAA's revenue's start pouring in, then they'll start thinking twice about pulling some of the totalitarian garbage they've been getting away with. The ONLY thing a corporation hears is the sound of money being pushed into their hands..or into their competitor's.

  9. .MOD files, anyone? by EschewObfuscation · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Is it just me, or does this music sound like virtually every .MOD file downloaded in the early 90's?

    Now, I admit to being enough of a square that I played my mods on a PC, and I admit that they probably didn't sound nearly as good as I remember them (although axelf.mod was *very* popular at the time...), but these tunes are eerily familiar...

    --

    (email addr is at acm, not mca)
    We are Number One. All others are Number Two, or lower.
    --The Sphinx
    1. Re:.MOD files, anyone? by JabberWokky · · Score: 2
      Now, I admit to being enough of a square that I played my mods on a PC

      Yeah - the cool people played them on the Amiga like they were supposed to be played. :) Still, there were some decent players for the PC - what was that EGA one that had dual oscilliscopes? Red on blue, IIRC.

      --
      Evan

      --
      "$30 for the One True Ring. $10 each additional ring!" -- JRR "Bob" Tolkien
    2. Re:.MOD files, anyone? by alex_ant · · Score: 1

      Cubic Player? ... I don't know if that was the one, but it rocked anyway. :)

    3. Re:.MOD files, anyone? by starslab · · Score: 1

      I remember White on a blue background... Inertia Player all the way baby!

    4. Re:.MOD files, anyone? by De+Lemming · · Score: 1

      Still, there were some decent players for the PC

      In my opinion, the best player for PC was/is MOD4Win. Since the development has stopped, you can download an unlimited version for free.

      Also interesting: the Oldsk00l MOD Player plugin for Winamp. Much better than Winamp's built in mod-support.

    5. Re:.MOD files, anyone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Modplug is far more robust IMO.

    6. Re:.MOD files, anyone? by JabberWokky · · Score: 2
      Adam?

      --
      Evan "Would be the third 'friend-I-haven't-talked-to-in-a-decade' person I'd found on Slashdot"

      --
      "$30 for the One True Ring. $10 each additional ring!" -- JRR "Bob" Tolkien
    7. Re:.MOD files, anyone? by De+Lemming · · Score: 1

      Modplug is far more robust IMO.

      Thanx for the tip, I'm certainly going to test it. Looks neat.

      (And BTW, I'm not Adam :-)

  10. Am I the only one who thinks... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The new Star Wars movie is going to suck? Guess there's better ways to spend money than to give it to the movie industry who will in turn use it to destroy our Constitutional rights and work to push the DMCA on the rest of us even more.

  11. WOW! by 2nd+Post! · · Score: 2

    This is pretty good, though it's unquestionably their good fortune to have such good starting material too.

    I'm going to have to get the Gold edition, if I can PayPal it!

    1. Re:WOW! by dilbert627 · · Score: 1

      Send in $35 by the 31st and you can still get the gold edition. I'm pretty sure this is still the policy.

    2. Re:WOW! by 2nd+Post! · · Score: 1

      Yeah, just did that. They really should put buttons on the front for this :)

  12. Maybe I'm just missing it... by bricriu · · Score: 2

    ... but is there anywhere where I can hear some preview tracks? Partial, complete, crappy-bitrate, makes no never mind. I mean, I remember all that great (tinny ;) music coming out of my friends NES. I'm interested. But I'm not going to buy it unheard. It's probably pretty cool... orchestral arrangements, jazz sets. It doesn't seem to be up at Amazon (who generally includes clips).

    --

    AHHHHHHH! I'm burning with goodness again!
    - Reakk, Sluggy Freelance

    1. Re:Maybe I'm just missing it... by ShadowDrgn · · Score: 1

      They're on their website here.

      Just click the pictures of the 3 different versions, each has different songs to preview. 160kbit and about 30 seconds long each.

  13. Remixes of remixes?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    These songs are profesionally done arrangements, not the "I'll do it for fun in my free time" type deal at Overclocked.

    Not to mention... why would they remix remixes? -_` It would just basically be an arrangement of the original tune. People don't remix the arranged Final Fantasy albums, but the original tunes.

  14. Not Xenogears, silly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Xenogears is done by Yasunori Mitsuda, not Nobuo Uematsu =P

    Read the album's tracklists.

  15. Uematsu is the John Williams of videogames by AndyChrist · · Score: 2

    Good, but generally pretty dull.

    1. Re:Uematsu is the John Williams of videogames by PurpleBob · · Score: 2

      You know, you're really right there.

      This makes me wonder why Square hangs on to Uematsu for their Final Fantasy games, while in their other games (Chrono Trigger/Cross, Xenogears, and now Xenosaga) Yasunori Mitsuda puts out much better music - music which generally you can listen to on its own, without needing to think "this is from a video game."

      Although, having listened to Xenosaga, many of the tracks sound disappointingly like Uematsu: loud, dramatic, and tuneless, with little appeal unless they're in the background of something. I suspect this is the result of having him do another game with 24 tracks of music in a span of time when he could come up with 4 or 5 inspired tunes. Perhaps they use Uematsu for Final Fantasy because he can churn out music and keep up with the pace at which they release the games.

      --
      Win dain a lotica, en vai tu ri silota
    2. Re:Uematsu is the John Williams of videogames by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is some speculation that Project Majestic Mix may be doing a Mitsuda tribute for the next album in the series...
      ...but that's just speculation.

    3. Re:Uematsu is the John Williams of videogames by Wolfier · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Game music has only one purpose of existence - to enhance gameplay.

      Do you prefer good video game music which generally still sounds good when you listen on its own, or an outstanding video game music which is only so-so when listened on its own?

      If the composer has to care about "lisenability on its own", then some degree of gameplay enahancement would suffer. Of course there are exceptions, but this is what I feel about Uematsu vs Mitsuda.

    4. Re:Uematsu is the John Williams of videogames by Tofuhead · · Score: 2

      Agreed. But, I personally think that nothing in the RPG music world has come close to being as _fun_ as his jazzy compositions in Final Fantasy V, particularly the battle tracks and Gilgamesh's theme. His later works are mostly derivative, tired, and too grandiose for its own good, but his old stuff is great: catchy and in line with the campy nature of the earlier FF games.

      A little poppy maybe, but that's how I like it. That's why, well, ZELDA FOREVER. ^_^

      < tofuhead >

      --
      It is still the dark of night.
    5. Re:Uematsu is the John Williams of videogames by ShadowDrgn · · Score: 2, Informative

      This makes me wonder why Square hangs on to Uematsu for their Final Fantasy games...

      Remember that FFX had 2 additional composers on board - Nakano and Hamauzu. Maybe Square agrees that Uematsu just isn't cutting it all by himself on their flagship series anymore. I'd also like to point out that Xenosaga isn't even a Squaresoft game - Namco published it.

    6. Re:Uematsu is the John Williams of videogames by AndyChrist · · Score: 1

      I can see why they hold onto him....what I can't see is why people are so slavishly devoted to his work.

    7. Re:Uematsu is the John Williams of videogames by AndyChrist · · Score: 2

      There are many, many exceptions. Mainly because almost no game music is actually done like a movie score...almost all of it, including most from Square, is just loops, and anything used to punctuate on screen events tends to be little short pieces. (this has been true since at LEAST the NES days)

      There are some instances of companies trying to make the music dynamic, with varying degrees of success. (Some of lucasarts star wars games, for example) But that's not very common.

      Apart from that, the only games which can fit the music to the action well enough that they can do more than just set an overall mood are ones which are so rigidly linear, with timing fixed no matter what the player does, that they can score it like a movie. Most of Panzer Dragoon 2, for example. Here, your listenability/mood dichotomy actually DOES exist and is vividly illustrated. The most listenable tracks from that game were mainly just the loops.

      Anyhow, to my knowledge, Uematsu falls squarely in the "loops" category, without even having many of those musical exclaimation points.

  16. Neat idea, but a religious tool?? by X-ACTO · · Score: 1, Insightful

    QUOTE FROM SITE: Just a simple little tool I'm using to relay a message to those of you who may be or feel like I was and did. God has a purpose for your life....and it's Awesome. I found part of my purpose in life, and God continues to provide me with everything I need to do it. My purpose (at least one) is using the arts (movies, music, all forms of multimedia entertainment) to spread the truth and to do so in a form that is entertaining for EVERYONE. ...Not just the truth about Jesus Christ, but also the truth about love and life and laughter.

    I'm sure I'm not going to receive unkind moderation for bringing this up, but I thought it was interesting... Anyone else notice this quote in the BIO section, and the section in the FAQ about "How to become a Christian and receive eternal life"?

    A collection of remade video game music seems like an awfully strange way to "share the gospel" as he says.

    1. Re:Neat idea, but a religious tool?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All music, especially that from a story game (RPG or adventure) can be emotionally evocative. Stephen is trying to spread music that is so good, yet so unpopular in the States.

    2. Re:Neat idea, but a religious tool?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not unpopular in the States, just socially unpopular. I enjoy it, but would be embarrased to have others know I listen to it.

    3. Re:Neat idea, but a religious tool?? by PMM+Producer · · Score: 1

      There are many many underlying themes and purposes for making PMM. Sharing what God has done in my life is just one of them...and personally...I feel the most important. Sharing good music is another purpose. Helping create a better awareness for game composers and their talents is another. Bridging the gap between video game music and regular music in the Western world is yet another. Broadening your mind so that you look at things differently is still yet even another. And, of course...Having fun is another^_^ My hope is that PMM will become more than just a musical experience to people. I'm not out to make money. I'm out to make friends, to open a door in the US that, for the most part, has been untapped, and I hope that in some small way it will change your life for the better.

    4. Re:Neat idea, but a religious tool?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not the first time I've seen evangelical types cross videogaming with religious motives. Way back in the day, I knew a guy whose life plan was to become a kind of self-appointed Baptist missionary to inner-city youth. He spent pretty much all of his time with an Atari 2600 (like I said, back in the day).

      His explanation was that he was going to use it to gain credibility with teenagers who might not at first be especially interested in listening to some doughy suburban white guy coming into the hood to talk about Jesus. When they realized he could kick their asses at, I don't know, Pole Position or whatever we played back then, he'd gain their respect and then they'd be more likely to listen to his message. (This struck me as kind of naive at the time, but, IMO, he was somewhat disconnected from reality on quite a number of issues.)

      BTW, as far as I can tell the CDs themselves don't openly proselytize. The guy's taking seriously the "make your life an example" thing instead of getting in your face, and I respect that.

  17. Yes, you are missing it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The mp3 demos are on the Music page of the MajesticMix.com website... click the covers of the different editions.

  18. Earlier Coverage by maikeru · · Score: 3, Informative

    For those who are interested, there's an earlier story, samples, and an interview with Stephen Kennedy, the project's manager at the GIA:

    http://www.thegia.com/features/f991030.html

  19. If you had paid attention... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    The album won't be released for another 21 days. So I don't think mp3s will be appearing in 2.

    And it's being done independant of any record label.

  20. NOTE: Very old samples there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    The samples in that interview are quite old... newer clips are on the www.MajesticMix.com site.

    You can definitely see a huge improvement in sound quality.

  21. More Information by Wire+Tap · · Score: 5, Informative

    What the poster (and /. editors left out) was the following information:

    There are three versions of PMM (Project Majestic Mix): Gold, Silver, Unlimited. Gold is available for purchase only directly from the gang who put the whole thing together, and is also only available for those who contributed $20 or more to the fundraising. The Silver version is available for preorder until the last day of March, from Animenation.com, as the poster mentioned. The Unlimited, as also mentioned, will be for general sale, probably everywhere under the sun.

    The Gold edition is packed with more tracks than the others, IE: those who donated get great rewards. The Silver has less than gold, and the Unlimited has less than Silver, but 2 (if I remember correctly from an email from Mustin) tracks that are not on the Gold. Confusing? Sure it is. ;-)

    I donated $20 for the project, mostly because I have been a huge fan of the Final Fantasy musical scores since I first experienced FF6. Nobo is my musical hero. Also, I should note, I liked the idea that my name (yes, my name!) will be included in the booklet, along with all the others who donated a $20 sum or more. Gold edition and name in the book, what more could a guy ask for?

    I'm anxious as can be to get my Gold edition, which, might I add, cost me $15 to purchase (yes, my donatation did NOT go towards the price of the CD, but that's fine with me). The samples I have heard are fantastic.

    In short, if you enjoy Final Fantasy, and are longing for some nostalgia, buy the CD(s). You won't regret it, but, hey, if you do regret it, there's always eBay. ;-)

    --

    Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains.

    1. Re:More Information by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Looks like you can find a lot of the older works here:
      http://www.mikezornek.com/project_mm/

  22. SOME OF THE ABOVE INFO IS WRONG! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The Unlimited Edition & the Silver Edition both have the full 74 minutes of audio on one single disc, but they do have somewhat different tracklists (check out the Music page on www.MajesticMix.com). It's just that the Final Fantasy VI Ending Theme on the Unlimited is about 13 minutes long.

    The Gold Edition set has 2 discs, each with a full 74 minutes of arrangements, and comes with some sheet music as well. It can still actually be purchased if you send $35 and the required information, it's just that your name won't appear inside the booklet as a sponsor.

  23. Umm...no... by OgdEnigmaX · · Score: 1

    Actually that music shows up after spending 10 minutes in Special Zone, which you access *from* Star Road. Sheesh.

  24. Wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    While Mitsuda did compose MOST of Chrono Trigger, Uematsu did some Chrono Trigger tracks too. That's why CT - Sealed Door is on Project Majestic Mix.

  25. Not the first by kris · · Score: 3, Informative

    >Project Majestic Mix: A Tribute to Nobuo
    >Uematsu' is the combined effort a group of
    >musicians from around the world, connected
    >only through the Internet. Together, they
    >have created the first legal, fan-made,
    >fan-financed game music album to be released
    >in America.

    Actually, this is not a first. I have here in my CD-rack two yellow MUSENET audio CD from 1992. These are the first two audio CD which have been recorded by people on the internet (USENET, actually), using the Internet as a transport medium for the final sounds. The only mention I have found about this is at the bottom of http://www.outsideshore.com/recordings/marc.htm.

    1. Re:Not the first by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      First WHAT?

      Read carefully, grasshopper.

      They claim the first *FAN MADE* *FAN FINANCED* GAME MUSIC ALBUM.

      Not the first collaborative project on the internet.

      Knock knock?

      Who's there?

      Nobody home?

    2. Re:Not the first by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "recorded by people on the internet (USENET, actually), using the Internet as a transport medium for the final sounds."

      Exactly. Transferred over the Internet, recorded on USENET... doesn't exactly sound like composer-legitimized stuff. I know the guys in PMM, and they made sure to get all the proper approvals first... did the other guys?

  26. All of this has been done before by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Virginity like bubble, one prick, all gone.

    Man who run in front of car get tired.

    Man who run behind car get exhausted.

    Man with hand in pocket feel cocky all day.

    Foolish man give wife grand piano, wise man give wife upright organ.

    Man who walk through airport turnstile sideways going to Bangkok.

    Man with one chopstick go hungry.

    Man who scratch ass should not bite fingernails.

    Man who eat many prunes get good run for money.

    Baseball is wrong: man with four balls cannot walk.

    Panties not best thing on earth! but next to best thing on earth.

    War does not determine who is right, war determine who is left.

    Wife who put husband in doghouse soon find him in cat house.

    Man who fight with wife all day get no piece at night.

    It take many nails to build crib, but one screw to fill it.

    Man who drive like hell, bound to get there.

    Man who stand on toilet is high on pot.

    Man who live in glass house should change clothes in basement.

    Man who fish in other man's well often catch crabs.

    Man who fart in church sit in own pew.

    Crowded elevator smell different to midget.

  27. This Gold Edition crap is weak by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So basically anyone who didn't know about this project months ago has missed out on the chance to get a whole extra CD of music that will never be available for purchase ever again? That is the weakest thing I have ever heard. Looking at the track listing and listening to the samples, I see some some really cool tunes on the Gold CD that Silver/Unlimited don't have, and anyone who didn't get in on the ground floor will never get a chance to buy them. All this means for the Majestic Mix team is that less people are going to buy the Silver/Unlimited CD and more people are going to pirate the Gold CD on Gnutella or whatever.

    1. Re:This Gold Edition crap is weak by Wire+Tap · · Score: 2

      And? How is that weak? Dedication (I _always_ look around for new FF stuff) has its rewards.

      Incidentally, you know some people will be ripping the Gold Edition set right away. Not me, though. This is one CD set that won't be going in my shared folder.

      --

      Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains.

    2. Re:This Gold Edition crap is weak by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Quoted from the PMM news page:

      "Can I send both my Payment and Donation now?

      Yes, however, if you do so you will not appear in the booklet as a sponsor, but will get a Gold Edition Set after we have shipped them out in the order the donation was made. If you want to purchase the Silver Edition or Unlimited Edition, those will not be provided by us. You can only get the Silver Edition through www.AnimeNation.com and the Unlimited Edition will be available at online retailers all over the Internet soon after the Silver Edition is sold. "

      There you have it. You can still get the gold edition. So quit bitching.

  28. It's crap by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sorry but my favorite song out of all of these is the original Final Fantasy theme song, and it sounds like pure crap, it was totally hacked to pieces, ruined. Some of the rest are decent, I really like Vivi's song, but it's not worth the $$ in my opinion.

  29. Is it related to the movie? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is this related to the Majestic movie? Who cares if Jim Carrey is involved?!

  30. What's wrong with Uematsu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Uematsu DOES compose good music. Admittedly, there was a rock piece in 'Final Fantasy X' that rather sucked... but his previous music, especially for the SNES 'Final Fantasy's, is quite excellent. Just take a listen to the piano version of Tina or Celes for a good example.

    And Project Majestic Mix does not have much of any "hardcore" rock/techno, but rather what I like to call "melodic" rock and techno.

  31. Final Fantasy Theme??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There is *no* Final Fantasy Theme demo on the website. Unless you're talking about the Final Fantasy Prelude, which is not the same thing. Mustin's orchestral Preylude & Ailsean's electic guitar Prelude certainly do sound much different from the original, but that's the whole point of them being arrangements. Plus, you'd really have to listen to the whole thing to see how it fits in.

    At least get a sense for some of the full tracks via mp3 when it comes out. You'll probably enjoy it more than you'd think.

  32. Bah... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We aren't "slavishly" devoted to his work. Project Majestic Mix is only trying to promote some of the best of his tunes. Uematsu makes some pretty good music, and yes he has certainly made some pretty poor music too. But PMM is highlighting his good works.

    Do you know of any band that must produce so many songs needed for a video game, in such a short amount of time, without having any tracks that aren't excellent?

    1. Re:Bah... by AndyChrist · · Score: 1

      Umm...I can think of one person that doesn't. Uematsu. (Not EVERYTHING he produces is excellent, IMO)

      And I don't think you understand what I'm talking about. The only forum I've ever seen with regular discussion of game music where 3/4 of the people weren't totally fixated on Final Fantasy (or Chrono Trigger) has been remix.overclocked.org. It's diminished a bit, as Megaman and Castlevania music becomes more popular. (That's probably just due to musicians realizing there's more that they can do with it)

  33. Silver Edition? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'll hold out for the "Gold" edition, thank you.

    *dusts off CD burner*

  34. Not All... by Mustin · · Score: 1

    not all of Chrono Trigger is Mitsuda.

    Some of it was Uematsu, hence the reason Chrono Trigger is on this disc.

  35. Confirming that statement. by Nat88Keys · · Score: 1

    According to the Project Majestic Mix web site, yes. You can send it your donation of $20 and your payment for the CD of $15 by March 31, and still receive the Gold Edition. However, be advised that your name will not be in the CD booklet. Just wanted to be clear on exactly what your $35 will get you. If you're confused about anything, be sure to check the website extensively. It's all explained there somewhere. As stated on www.majesticmix.com: "Those of you who want to get the Gold Edition but have not donated yet - You can still get the Gold Edition set if you send in the donation of $20 and the payment of $15 ($35.00 USD Total) by March 31st, 2002. You will NOT appear in the booklet as a sponsor, but will be listed on the website as a sponsor."

  36. Uematsu and Williams by Nat88Keys · · Score: 1

    Well, I'm about to start college (if all goes as planned) studying aesthetic composition specifically, and I think there's a happy medium; it's what I strive for in my music. A great composer can accomplish both "lisenability on its own" and enhancement of gameplay at once--that is to say, he or she can convey a mood or intensify an emotion without masking his or her personal style or hindering the music's ability to stand on its own. If this is what you're looking for, try Yoko Kanno or The Dust Brothers. However, John Williams' and Uematsu's goal (and probably Square's as well) is to write music specifically for the visual work which it is to accompany. Our friend Nobuo does an awesome job of this, and Project Majestic Mix only gives him the recognition and remixation he deserves. I have heard many of the songs that will appear on the final editions of the disc, and all of them have turned Nobuo Uematsu's spectacular, boring, looped, emotional, or scene-driven pieces and made them into pieces that can stand on their own. So, if you're pi**ed (can I say that here?) that Uematsu writes only for the game, here's your chance to hear some of his music rearranged in crazy ways that will make your ear lobes dance about. Maybe Project Majestic Mix is your gateway to find the possible "lisenability on its own" you've been missing in Uematsu's music. It gives new perspective to the area where some of you think his music lacks--the hip, hop, and happenin' individual tracks. Most of this stuff is great even if you've never played the games or heard the music before.