OverClocked ReMix (https://ocremix.org), home of some absolute bangers in VGM arrangement, occasionally has arrangement contests. DarkeSword, a member of OCR's judges panel, decided to host "Game-Set-Mash!!" a 3-round mash-up contest pitting two teams of collaborators against each other, tasked with arranging two tracks from two different Final Fantasy games divided by era (SNES era - 4, 5, and 6; PSX era - 7, 8, 9). Each team chooses a piece from each game in their era -- we're on Team PSX -- and then each team has one week to mash'em up!

Week #1 saw "Within the Giant" from FF4 meeting "Crazy Motorcycle Chase" from FF7, "To the North Mountain" from FF5 mingling with "Fisherman's Horizon" from FF8, and "Edgar and Sabin's Theme" from FF6 crossing swords with "Palace of Memories ~ Memoria Theme" from FF9. Pixels and I faced off against a fearsome foursome led by the Vodou Queen herself!

Stats for Nerds

Key(s): D Minor, D Phrygian, Ab Phrygian, Eb Minor

Time/Tempo: 4/4 time @ 187bpm

Original Themes: "Within the Giant" from Final Fantasy IV and "Crazy Motorcycle Chase" from Final Fantasy VII by Nobuo Uematsu; contains cameo appearances of "Battle II" from Final Fantasy IV and "Those Who Fight" from Final Fantasy VII, also by Nobuo Uematsu

Inspiration: "Through the Never" and "...And Justice for All" by Metallica, "Blood and Thunder" by Mastodon, "Esoteric Surgery" by Gojira, "Lord of the Rings Main Theme" by Howard Shore

VSTi USED: Arturia Analog Lab V Intro, NI Kontakt 6 (The Alpine Project), Spitfire Audio BBC Symphony Orchestra Core, Spitfire Audio Originals - Media Toolkit, Spitfire Audio Originals - Epic Winds and Brass, Spitfire Audio Originals - Epic Strings, Toontrack Superior Drummer 2, Steven Slate Drums 5.5

VST Effects: Arturia Pre 1973, Arturia Delay TAPE-201, Arturia Rev PLATE-140, Cherry Audio Galactic Reverb, NI Guitar Rig 6, NI Supercharger, Plugin Alliance Ampeg SVTVR Classic, Plugin Alliance Black Box Analog Design HG-2, Plugin Alliance Brainworx Masterdesk, Plugin Alliance Brainworx Solo, Plugin Alliance Brainworx Subfilter, Presonus Ampire, Presonus Binaural Pan, Presonus Compressor, Presonus Gate, Presonus Pro EQ, Presonus X-Trem, Slate TH-U Overloud, Softube Saturation Knob, Tokyo Dawn Labs TDR Nova

Guitars were recorded using a Line 6 JTV-59 Variax through a Line 6 Helix LT. Basses were recorded using a Schecter C-4 through a Line 6 Helix LT. Arranged, recorded, engineered, and mixed in Presonus Studio One 4. OC ReMixer Hemophiliac provided mix input and the organ part.

Album artwork by DarkeSword