for SPC700 / S-DSP
by MetallicOrwell
Even before I'd finished On The Star Of Phantasy, I already had another idea for an original piece, and it was simple: something that would sound like an SNES Final Fantasy battle theme. To this end, I'd already decided I would make it for the SNES sound chip. After my first real attempt at an original composition turned out fairly well, I was feeling more confident, and the result this time has been even better. Not gonna lie: I'm pretty damn proud of "The Aeolian Battle" here. Let's rip into it right away.
Just like before, I did the composing on FL Studio first. This time I didn't just drag a random sample into it to use as a single instrument: I used several General MIDI instruments included with the program: trumpet, strings, harp, flute, choir, and bass guitar. I began by coming up with the main trumpet melody you hear in the first section of the piece, and I transposed the notes from one key to another until I landed on F# minor, which I thought sounded good. Remembering how Nobuo Uematsu would arrange his songs back then, I added another trumpet and harmonized it with the first, which made it sound even better. I also added some chords using the strings, which enhanced the sound as well. In order to drive the piece forward, since it's supposed to be a battle theme, the bass is pretty bouncy throughout--that's another thing I learned from Uematsu-sensei when I took apart his FF SNES battle themes and rebuilt them for the Master System and Mega Drive. See, it's all coming together. Doing all those past covers and arrangements has taught me as much about music-making as any course in music theory could.
There's some crazy stuff in The Aeolian Battle, like some complex melodies and rhythms in the second section, even if it's all pure 4/4. The melodies would just appear in my head, and my experience arranging other people's music would do the rest... and FL Studio's unbelievably convenient piano roll too--let's not forget about the amazing tools I have at my disposal. The next part is simpler, with some choir melodies. It's actually the last part I composed, and I fit it in there because I thought the piece was too short and needed something extra. And then we have my favorite section: the long part with the rising tension. First it's only strings, then the trumpets come in, later a flute playing similar melodies to those of the first section, then the harp, and finally there's a short, heroic little melody which leads into a shorter version of section two--then it loops.
When I was done composing, of course it was time to copy the notes over to Furnace to do the arrangement proper, and put the finishing touches on it. I actually built this on top of the project file for The King Of Terrors, that delightful SNES version of the Phantasy Star IV boss theme I did back in December. Because of that, most of the samples are the same: again, from Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy VI. However, I removed the FF6 choirs and instead opted for the one from Chrono Trigger. Also from that game is a newly-added tom drum. Speaking of that, adding the drums on Furnace was especially fun. Because this song is all me, I went crazy with the drum patterns, making them far more complex than those of any FF SNES game. Still no insane rapid-fire kick drums, though. I know when to hold back tastefully.
The more I kept working on The Aeolian Battle, the more I realized that it actually sounds more like a Golden Sun battle theme than a Final Fantasy one. I was trying to channel Nobuo Uematsu's ghost, but Motoi Sakuraba's got inside me instead, I suppose. Aren't both of those men still alive? Eh, whatever: they're still speaking through my body, using my voice. It is quite interesting how the process works: I start by trying to emulate someone else's style, but then it morphs into something different that still has my personal flavor all over it. It's exactly the same thing that would happen back when I wrote novels, and I imagine my brain is simply wired to make art like that.
Not much on the more technical side of things, though. RAM usage is tight: 85% of the SNES' 64 KB are used, although part of that is the echo buffer. There's some stereo separation on the trumpets, strings, and of course panbrello in the harp and some of the flute sections. I used just a little bit of vibrato on the trumpets and flutes, as well. When I was composing this song on FL Studio I had the SNES' limitations in mind... mostly. I went overboard with the polyphony in some parts, so I had to sacrifice some things and play tetris a little bit to make it all fit on Furnace. Nothing too bad, though.
That's The Aeolian Battle for the Super Nintendo. To me, it honestly sounds like it could be the battle theme for a big-name RPG from SquareSoft or Camelot--or maybe I'm just high on my own farts. It's either one or the other, but one thing is clear: this was a blast to make. The feeling of power and joy that you get when you conquer obstacles and improve in the process of making art is really something special. Incidentally, I chose the title simply because this piece is in a natural minor scale, which are called "Aeolian", and I just think that name is pretty damn cool.
See you around.
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