Fear of the Heavens | Secret of Mana
- Thread starter gtrwll
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gtrwll
Senior Member
Thanks! It mirrors the original title theme, which is quite short. It might have been due to limitations in available memory on the SNES cartridge, but this is just guesswork on my part. I didn't want to deviate too much from the original apart from the orchestration.
Hmm, I used Noire, Spitfire Appassionata, Epic Choir and Cinematic Frozen Strings, Berlin WW Soloists, CineStrings Solo, CineBrass Core, Ethera Gold Atlantis 3, Damage 2 + LAMP and Shreddage 3 Abyss. Also Albion One + VSL Elite Strings for the shorts in the third part. I think that pretty much covers it.
I don't have any plans at the moment really, although the SoM soundtrack has many gems that would be worth a shot. The music we've heard from Visions of Mana has been great, so I'm definitely looking forward to it.
Very well done!
annexation
Meat popsicle
Sounded really great to me! This is a song that's kinda been stuck in my head since '93 and your version is one of the nicer ones I've heard.
Are you doing anything special with S3 Abyss to get this kind of smooth, restrained sound?
Are you doing anything special with S3 Abyss to get this kind of smooth, restrained sound?
zodiaclawl
Member
Fantastic cover! I absolutely love Secret of Mana. It was the first RPG I ever played. My mom rented it for me sometime in the mid 90s and I remember playing it for hours on end. Anyways, imagine renting games huh?
I've actually been working on a cover of this song too which is pretty much finished, just need a few touch ups. Maybe if I find the courage I'll post it on this forum after finishing it
I've actually been working on a cover of this song too which is pretty much finished, just need a few touch ups. Maybe if I find the courage I'll post it on this forum after finishing it
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gtrwll
Senior Member
Thanks! It is a great theme, and when you hear it for the first time when the main menu loads, you know you're in for a treat.
Hmm, I don't know about special, but I use only the D.I. signal from Abyss and run it through the Fender Bassman 300+matching cabinet on Amplitube 5. Then it has a touch of chorus (NI Choral), quite aggressive compression from IK Black 76, a light low end enhancement with Waves MaxxBass and an EQ taking out some of the low mids and highs. I don't have much experience in constructing sounds with the electric bass, so it's more or less trial and error.
Thanks! I was a Metroid, Mario and Zelda kid at first but discovering Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger (+many other RPGs) a bit later was certainly a turning point in my life, and I'm not even exaggerating. Renting games wasn't a thing in the small town I was from, but if I'm not entirely mistaken there were games in some video rental shops in bigger cities here in Finland.Fantastic cover! I absolutely love Secret of Mana. It was the first RPG I ever played. My mom rented it for me sometime in the mid 90s and I remember playing it for hours on end. Anyways, imagine renting games huh?
I've actually been working on a cover of this song too which is pretty much finished, just need a few touch ups. Maybe if I find the courage I'll post it on this forum after finishing it
And please do! It's always nice to hear new things done with the themes we've grown up with.
TheMysterium
Member
Loved it!! Very well done, thanks for sharing.
I too have fond memories of this game and its soundtrack. It's my favorite SNES soundtrack, after Super Castlevania IV (which is my favorite VG soundtrack ever).
My only comment is on the mix: the piano sounds a bit thin, perhaps it could be slightly fuller and warmer in sound, just a little bit though, because it needs that airy sparkle as well.
And at 0:55 and onwards (love that part) the piano gets kind of lost in the mix and barely gets through while the strings take over. This was probably done by choice, but personally I think it takes some of the magic away of the original.
I too have fond memories of this game and its soundtrack. It's my favorite SNES soundtrack, after Super Castlevania IV (which is my favorite VG soundtrack ever).
My only comment is on the mix: the piano sounds a bit thin, perhaps it could be slightly fuller and warmer in sound, just a little bit though, because it needs that airy sparkle as well.
And at 0:55 and onwards (love that part) the piano gets kind of lost in the mix and barely gets through while the strings take over. This was probably done by choice, but personally I think it takes some of the magic away of the original.
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gtrwll
Senior Member
Thanks! Indeed, my biggest struggle with the mix was deciding what to do with the piano. I agree that it's an essential part of the original, but in my version it's role is a bit more subdued by design. It kinda felt more natural, but I totally get your point about losing some of the magic of the original.
And damn, that part starting at 0:55 was a nightmare to begin with
The piano is all over the place, playing arpeggios in the higher register while basically everyone else wants their share of the spotlight. At first I had the piano much louder similar to the original track but...I just couldn't make it work. The overall mix became too harsh (one problem was that I really love my reverbs), and EQ just made it worse. Maybe a more experienced mixing engineer could have made it work, but I'm still working on it. So yeah, that was the outcome, the playful piano was tucked away in the corner, playing the notes not for the place in the spotlight, but more for the ambience.Anyway, thanks for the comment! It's nice to hear opinions on what could have been done otherwise, it gives food for thought for future projects!
