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Games Entertainment

Project Majestic Mix 96

Posted by michael from the please-step-away-from-the-game-console-sir dept.
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"
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Project Majestic Mix More

Project Majestic Mix

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  • ahh... finally all the best music from Final Fantasy, Chronotrigger and Xenogears, all without searching for them off of different soundtracks or kazaa.
    • 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 [zophar.net] 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 [zophar.net] for more info.

    • 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.
      • not all of Chrono Trigger is Mitsuda.

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

  • OverClocked ReMix (Score:2, Informative)

    by LastCa_ ( 247483 )
    Looks like OverClocked ReMix [overclocked.org].
    As I can see, some of the composers are the same in the album and the web site. heh.
  • 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.

  • Uhhh... (Score:3, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 10, 2002 @09:33PM (#3140508)
    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!!!!

  • Downloads... (Score:3, Funny)

    by sean23007 ( 143364 ) on Sunday March 10, 2002 @09:35PM (#3140520) Homepage Journal
    So how is everyone going to feel when this is available for download on Gnutella within a couple of days?

    • If you had paid attention... (Score:1, Funny)

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

  • So it's not RIAA then? (Score:3)

    by NanoGator ( 522640 ) on Sunday March 10, 2002 @09:40PM (#3140541) Homepage Journal
    Then I just might buy it! :)

    • Re:So it's not RIAA then? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      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.

  • .MOD files, anyone? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by EschewObfuscation ( 146674 ) on Sunday March 10, 2002 @10:03PM (#3140602) Journal
    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...
  • 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!
    • Send in $35 by the 31st and you can still get the gold edition. I'm pretty sure this is still the policy.
      • Yeah, just did that. They really should put buttons on the front for this :)

      • 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."
  • ... 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).
  • Good, but generally pretty dull.

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

    • 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 >

  • 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.
    • 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.

  • Earlier Coverage (Score:3, Informative)

    by maikeru ( 565557 ) on Sunday March 10, 2002 @10:44PM (#3140791) Homepage
    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 [thegia.com]

    • NOTE: Very old samples there (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      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.

  • More Information (Score:5, Informative)

    by Wire Tap ( 61370 ) <frisina AT atlanticbb DOT net> on Sunday March 10, 2002 @11:04PM (#3140885)
    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. ;-)

  • Not the first (Score:3, Informative)

    by kris ( 824 ) <kris-slashdot@koehntopp.de> on Monday March 11, 2002 @02:52AM (#3141528) Homepage
    >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 [outsideshore.com].

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