Author Topic: Nobuo Uematsu on his working methods (Read 1610 times)

recursivelyenumerable · « **on:** December 31, 2008, 02:19:29 PM »

from 2001 interview

Quote

GS: How did you go about doing all the music for the game? How do you work/create?

NU:
1) Deadline approaches.
2) Pressure builds.
3) Sit in front of the keyboard, determined to work.
4) No good.
5) Procrastinate.
6) Deadline draws even closer.
7) Sit in front of the keyboard, determined to work.
No good.
9) No more time to procrastinate.
10) Give up.
11) Try to sound plausible while in tears.

although for his work on FFX it kinda shows $:-\$

Rman · « **Reply #1 on:** December 31, 2008, 02:27:27 PM »

Uematsu's last great OST was FFVI. FFVIII was good as well, but didn't he have more help with that one?

recursivelyenumerable · « **Reply #2 on:** December 31, 2008, 02:28:49 PM »

just Keiji Kawamori as synthesizer manipulator and Shiro Hamaguchi as an orchestrator/arranger for the (four) orchestral and vocal tracks.

I thought about 40% each of Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey were quite good. Maybe if he'd only worked on one game soundtrack during that time he'd have been able to produce an all-around excellent OST.

Rman · « **Reply #3 on:** December 31, 2008, 02:30:12 PM »

Quote from: recursivelyenumerable on December 31, 2008, 02:28:49 PM

just Shiro Hamaguchi as an orchestrator/arranger for the (four) orchestral and vocal tracks.

Jesus, man, you're an walking encyclopedia with square staffing.

So, rn, he composed FF1-XI? But he got help with FFX as well?

recursivelyenumerable · « **Reply #4 on:** December 31, 2008, 02:42:10 PM »

1-7 were all Uematsu, 8-9 were all Uematsu except Hamaguchi helped arrange the streaming tracks (of which there were a lot more in 9; he did the ones in 10 and 11 too), 10 was co-composed with Masashi Hamauzu (SaGa Frontier 2) and Junya Nakano (Threads of Fate) (they split it up roughly equally, about 20-30 tracks each), 11 was mostly by Naoshi Mizuta (Parasite Eve 2; the expansions were entirely by him) with a minority of tracks by Kumi Tanioka (Crystal Chronicles) and just ten (good) tracks by Uematsu, 12 was mostly Hitoshi Sakimoto (Vagrant Story) with some help from Masaharu Iwata (Baroque) and Hayato Matsuo (Front Mission 3), and Uematsu only contributing the (wildly incongruous) vocal ending theme, arranged by Kenichiro Fukui (Einhander). 13 will be mostly (entirely?) by Hamauzu except for another vocal theme by Uematsu (let's hope it's not as jarring this time).

By the way, Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey are arranged with Satoshi Henmi (does most of the rock/pop stuff, and plays the guitar parts) and Hiroyuki Nakamura (does most of the orchestral stuff), who probably deserve as much credit as Uematsu. They make a good team, though Nakamura is still pretty uneven.

Rman · « **Reply #5 on:** December 31, 2008, 02:44:34 PM »

Wow....

recursivelyenumerable · « **Reply #6 on:** December 31, 2008, 02:45:18 PM »

that was all off the top of my head too, no lookup involved $:-\$

Rman · « **Reply #7 on:** December 31, 2008, 02:48:10 PM »

Do you own any of his original Japanese OSTs? I only have FFVI, my favorite of his FF work. I'm Mitsuda cigarillo primarily and I own the original SNES CT OST, the jazzy remake album, and the CC OST.

recursivelyenumerable · « **Reply #8 on:** December 31, 2008, 02:49:29 PM »

Wait I almost forgot, there was actually another arranger in 9 for a few of the "ancient/Renaissance" sounding tracks (including the attract mode video BGM). I can't remember his name though.

I used to own 7. I usually download them when they come out, then delete pretty soon. My addiction to trivia doesn't come from a love for the material, anymore, not that I don't like it but I have other interests now. It started as an outgrowth of my fandom, but came to take on a life of its own that has outlived the fandom.

but my faves are 7, 8, and my edited-together compilation of the good parts from Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey.

Great Rumbler · « **Reply #9 on:** December 31, 2008, 03:09:46 PM »

Quote

GS: How did you go about doing all the music for the game? How do you work/create?

NU:
1) Deadline approaches.
2) Pressure builds.
3) Sit in front of the keyboard, determined to work.
4) No good.
5) Procrastinate.
6) Deadline draws even closer.
7) Sit in front of the keyboard, determined to work.
No good.
9) No more time to procrastinate.
10) Give up.
11) Try to sound plausible while in tears.

Sounds a lot like me. $:-\$

recursivelyenumerable · « **Reply #10 on:** December 31, 2008, 03:33:42 PM »

I also like how that question is immediately followed by

Quote

GS: Does this new approach to music mark a permanent change in the music for the series or is it an experiment?
NU: It was experimental.

Himu · « **Reply #11 on:** December 31, 2008, 03:39:14 PM »

FFVIII is his best soundtrack, I think.

And yeah, looking at that interview and his work on FFX, it shows.

Although some of his work on FFX WAS good. It's just...I can't think of any of it now. :'(

Don Flamenco · « **Reply #12 on:** December 31, 2008, 03:57:04 PM »

the synth horns in FFX's battle themes were $:-\$

TakingBackSunday · « **Reply #13 on:** December 31, 2008, 04:13:12 PM »

I'm assuming To Zanarkand wasn't his work, right

CurseoftheGods · « **Reply #14 on:** December 31, 2008, 04:16:52 PM »

No, it was him.

My favourite of his work is FFVII.

CurseoftheGods · « **Reply #15 on:** December 31, 2008, 04:18:17 PM »

y2kev · « **Reply #16 on:** December 31, 2008, 04:27:19 PM »

Did he actually arrange Zanarkand, Recursive? (obviously he didn't do the orchestral arrangement above?)

recursivelyenumerable · « **Reply #17 on:** December 31, 2008, 04:29:42 PM »

Yeah. The arrangement is pretty basic.

I don't mind the synth horns personally, and I like the synth arpeggios and stuff a lot.

TakingBackSunday · « **Reply #18 on:** December 31, 2008, 04:33:58 PM »

It still rawks

demi · « **Reply #19 on:** December 31, 2008, 06:20:30 PM »

Who made Otherworld? The awesome rock song when fighting Jecht / Intro FMV

The only good song on this game

cool breeze · « **Reply #20 on:** December 31, 2008, 06:27:49 PM »

I remember watching a FFX video on an old OPM dvd that showed the recording of that song. My friend thought it was awesome that there were white people working with Square.

Rman · « **Reply #21 on:** December 31, 2008, 06:36:19 PM »

Demi, did you ever listen to The Black Mages version of Other World? It's pretty awesome. It has a female vocalist instead of the original's Rob Zombie sound a like.

demi · « **Reply #22 on:** December 31, 2008, 06:42:43 PM »

erm... thats a complete butchering

Ninja · « **Reply #23 on:** December 31, 2008, 10:09:05 PM »

Jesus that black mages version of otherworld is awful.

recursivelyenumerable · « **Reply #24 on:** January 01, 2009, 12:14:32 PM »

Otherworld was by Uematsu. I like the Black Mages version

recursivelyenumerable · « **Reply #25 on:** January 01, 2009, 12:34:48 PM »

never listened to the whole thing or played the game, I like the tracks I've heard. I've also heard the later expansions have worse music, though.

recursivelyenumerable · « **Reply #26 on:** January 01, 2009, 12:42:02 PM »

I like Uematsu's tracks, but I liked the Mizuta and Tanioka tracks I heard too, including all of Zilart.

The problem with FFX is that while Hamauzu's contributions are excellent, the composers' styles don't mesh at all. XI seemed to work a lot better in this regard.

recursivelyenumerable · « **Reply #27 on:** January 01, 2009, 12:50:02 PM »

There are eleven Uematsu tracks, and only a couple are arrangements of the others. Maybe you're talking about the opening, in which case it might actually be Hamaguchi's orchestral and choral arrangement that's impressed you so much. A lot of his other tracks are low-key event themes which likely aren't too popular with most RPG music fans who tend to prefer EPIC! themes, but I thought they were well done.

Hamauzu's the only great one left (though he seems to be losing some edge lately) but Nakano, Iwasaki, Tanioka and Sekito all do good work most of the time. I just wish I could stomach the rock styles Sekito favors these days.

Also, while Shimomura is no longer at SE, they seem to be giving her more projects than they ever did back when she was employed there!

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Author Topic: Nobuo Uematsu on his working methods (Read 1610 times)