[Album] The Black Mages (SSCX-10080/SQEX-10019)

Originally Posted by GoldfishX

The idea of making an arranged album based on the excellent Final Fantasy battle themes is such a no-brainer, it's a wonder it took Squaresoft all these years to FINALLY make their first full rock arrangement.

Actually, the decision was not initiated by Squaresoft, it was Nobuo and Tsuyoshi who came up with the idea.

Originally Posted by GoldfishX

This album would be a lot better if it would go the route of, say Guilty Gear X: Heavy Rock Tracks, and use all live instruments, but since it doesn't, it has to be taken for what it is.

Uh, how is a synthesizer not a live instrument? Could you [try to] explain this to me please?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Arata played drums in TBM I aswell. Just becuase drums are synthesized doesn't mean they don't have a player.. they don't play themselves you know.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Maul

No. Only Tsuyoshi Sekito and Kenichiro Fukui were involved in TBM1 (both were arrangers/synthesizer operators, Sekito was guitarist, and Fukui was keyboardist). Arata Hanyuda, Michio Okamiya, Keiji Kawamori, and Nobuo Uematsu only contributed to The Black Mages Live, not the first album, which was partly synthetic.

That is blatently false. Before TBM was even started, Sekito approached Uematsu with the idea, and all 6 of the members were in for the first album.

Originally Posted by Mr. Maul

Synthetic drums and pre-recorded performances from the drum kit are very different. Goldfish's point was clear and quite accurate.

I think you're thinking of sequenced drums, which are quit different than synthetic drums. A synthetic drum set requires a drummer, where as sequenced drums do not.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Maul

100% true, I'm afraid, though not many realize it, as official confirmation of this was only provided relatively recently. Confirmations of this can be provided here, here, here, and in the liner notes, all reliable sources. Sekito covered Okamiya's ground, Fukui covered Uematsu's ground, and the drums were sequenced.

But, yes, Nobuo Uematsu was aware that the album was taking place.

I'm no drum expert, so I'll give you the second one. Thanks for pointing this out, though you are wrong about the other point.

Wow... Touche. If those sources are infact true, than I stand corrected. However, the 2nd soucre proves nothing, and I don't see any liner notes on the others. The reason I thought they all worked on it was becuase I read it on a site with official references, but it was in a different language and thus, I had to translate it poorly. (It may even have been Nobuo's blog)..

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I am pretty damn sure the TBM website had bios of all 6 members before the album (TBM I) came out.

And I stand by what I said earlier. Synths are real live instruments, and you'll have a hard time proving me wrong.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by GoldfishX

One major complaint I have heard about this album is that sometimes the synthesizers take the full stage of the arrangements over the guitars. It's a legitimate complaint; this album would be a lot better if it would go the route of, say Guilty Gear X: Heavy Rock Tracks, and use all live instruments

Originally Posted by Free.User

Uh, how is a synthesizer not a live instrument? Could you [try to] explain this to me please?

Originally Posted by GoldfishX

Explanation: At the time of this album's release, about everyone and their mothers were whining about so much of the album being done with synthesizers and how it wasn't able to compare to albums like the Guilty Gear ones and the Dracula Battle CD's because of it. That's why I chose to word the part that way, because I was actually getting a tad annoyed with the feedback the album was getting and I wanted to assure people who might have avoided the album for fear of the synths being "inferior" that the album was still good. I didn't find out about the drums until someone mentioned BM2 would have live drums, whereas BM1 didn't. Ironically, Guilty Gear X Heavy Rock Tracks (the album I was comparing BM1 to) also had sequenced drums, which surprised me, and some usage of synthesizers (though far less than what is present on BM1).

You still didn't explain it to me.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by GoldfishX

You didn't quote the right text:

"I have no interest in proving you wrong (I'd probably call the synthesizer my favorite instrument, after electric guitar). On the same hand, the usage of synths vs guitars should have been obvious from context and that I was referring moreso to "live guitars". Nothing that can't be fixed with a quick edit, in any case."

In other words, I owe you a coke.

Ah, alright. I just can't stand it when people referr to synths as fake instruments. I always ask them what the difference is when I either pluck a string, causing a vibration to be picked up by a magnet; or when I press a key, closing a circut, and causing an elecric charge to travel down a wire. Also, Synths don't neccesarily replicate already existing instruments, rather they create new ones (saw lead) that are impossible on any other instrument.

Forget about the coke, haha.

Double Post:

Originally Posted by Mr. Maul

The second source proves a lot in that the site's owner would include Performance Credits like he did for TBM2 if all six band members were involved.

But that source only includes composition and arrangement, not performance.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

They are getting pretty transparent, though. Ever play Morrowind? That was all synth.

FELIPE NO