[Album] DIRGE of CERBERUS -FINAL FANTASY VII- Original Soundtrack (CRCP-40137~38)

I agree this isn't Hamauzu's best work, but after a summary of my favorite songs:

1) Singable themes (I count only 3 singable themes) so far for melodic consistency...:

a)Calm before the storm, Splinter of Sadness
b)Ten year reunion, Memories with Lucrecia, Lifestream, Sudden parting, Discovery in Sadness, Forgotten tears
c)Lucrecia Crescent, A Proposal (variation on Lucrecia Crescent), Prologue of DOC

2) Battle themes (not singable but makes you hum with the song in an obsessed rythmic way):

-Counteroffensive: great switch in mood, makes you dance...
=> The Immaculate (variation on counteroffensive) : also makes you dance.
-Killing one another: the strings create breath taking crescendo's
-Crimson Impact: Good Rythm
-Messenger of the Dark: This melody gets in your mind, really.
-WRO March: There is a sequence in the middle of the song that's very original.

3) Violin goodness in oriental style (I'm a bit disappointed I only found 2 of these violin masterworks):
-Girl named Shelke
-Ninja Girl of Wutai
(-Fragment of Memory)

4) Special effects goodness (unlimited saga had more special effects):
-Sneaky Cait Sith
-Azul the Cerulean: I didn't expect that drum in the middle of the song.

5) Orchestral goodness (the all round use of high tones in the background, the harmony of strings, the piano and the rythm):
-Trigger Situation: (I'm amazed at 1:20, that sequence is brilliant: use of the same motive in two absolutely different situations)
-Mysterious Ninja
-A proposal: My favorite piece.
-Return to the Subject
-Marching Tune
-Chaotic end: Order in using every instrument and of course the piano! His Trademark.
-Hope of The Future

Conclusion:

-The other songs are just fillers, we fans have to admit that.
Overall: 27 good songs against 53. In quantity its almost a 5,5/10. Not very good. This means there are too much fillers.

-I find this his best work in terms of orchestration quality, especially the battle themes. Better than Unlimited Saga.

-There are only 2 good themes which is a bad thing...

-The ending theme could be a "little bit" better.

Disappointed? Yes, we have high expectations.
But if you place this OST next to other OST's, Hamauzu overpowers everything.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Yes Prologue of Dirge of Cerberus is also a variation on the "A Proposal" theme. Good use of the bell sounds.

The ending theme is great, have to reconsider that...

Return to the Origin is a bit on the boring side. The Last SND doesn't say a thing. Finally Reborn is monotone, has interesting piano tunes, but that's all.

I have to point out, Calm Before the Storm is the most beautiful work of Hamauzu yet, in all aspects. After that maybe "Aeolic Guardian" of Musashi.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Does anyone know how many FMV's there are + which music?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I'm interested in how Hamauzu makes his music?

Is it like: he plays the pieces with orchestra and then samples it with added sound effects?

Some pieces are fully orchestrated, but others are entirely midi (A Proposal)

Others are midi in background + real live violin, hobo or flute. (this combination is very common in his works and works well)

Let's analyze Girl named Shelke, Ten Year Reunion, Discovery in sadness or Memories with Lucrecia, Splinter of Sadness and many others:
There is cello, violin, flute, piano but there is always <midi-strings>.

I wonder if it is like this (very unlikely) First Assumption:
the violinist, cellist and flutist wear a headphone and listens to the midi background while they record their playing. Then Hamauzu adds this ensemble to the midi-background and we have the resulting track.

The other possibility is (very likely) Second Assumption:
just using a synthesizer-piano-strings + the soloists in a real live recording.

Conclusion? it's not midi. It's not electronically generated but real live. The question is, why doesn't Hamauzu use an orchestra of violins? Instead he uses a synthesizer?

Let's analyze The Immaculate: It sounds very orchestral, but I'm 80% sure the strings aren't real. (listen to 4:16) I hear sound effects too, these have to be synthesized later on by adding it to the orchestrated part. This has to be midi. But I don't understand why midi can be of such great quality...

Final note: many of the FMV's seem to be fully orchestrated, they have no sound effects and have 100% real live strings. Exceptions are Prologue of DOC and Trigger situation.

So, are there any experts in this field?

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Raijin

Also the bitching against orchestral score needs to stop. I think it's pretty stupid to dislike a score or an OST or whatever because it's using an orchestra and not synth we're used to hear for the last 20 years. Ugh.

Well, I'm mostly open to orchestral VGM. Better quality sound is an improvement. I'd rather bitch about FFXII which has an OST full of synths and without any orchestral tracks.

BTW: Prologue of DOC just really seems a mix of two things, the first part with those strings are midi and the second part (after 1:14) has a real orchestra in it.
Also the sound effects have to be added. (I'm experimenting with FLStudio and those effects aren't that difficult to make, I still have to figure out how to patch it on an existing song... I think that's the way Hamauzu does it. Patching different wav. files on each other)

I was speaking idiomatically.

How was it with Musashi Samurai Legend? Did Hamauzu choose to have that piece of the Surf Coasters in it, or was it imposed? Because that piece really fitted in the game. I haven't played this one yet, but it might fit too.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Now about that FFX OST. I see that Uematsu composed the ending theme. Is that true? Because that was really something special! (but in the game itself they say the composer is Hamauzu, they don't even name Uematsu in the Credits-Composer, they should because many of the themes are from him. Or am I blind? (I only saw the credits once, it could be a mistake) Another thing is that it was Hamauzu that arranged the piano collections and that same ending theme in the piano collections is exactly the same in orchestra version.

Another question: Is "Isn't it wonderful" composed by Hamauzu? I think so by listening to it. But also here Suteki Da Ne seems to be composed by Uematsu on many transcriptions out there on the internet.

FELIPE NO

I don't know it, but I'm guessing it is Hope of the Future, because it's the last song and it sounds like the ending (all the themes are presented just like in Musashiden 2).

It's a masterpiece, don't listen to my other comment.

PS: Well done Uematsu on Suteki da Ne! If he gets an orchestra instead of synth sounds his music jumps from crap to heaven.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?