Sephiro444 wrote:But to follow up on what you said, why do you think it is that Uematsu fans gravitate so easily to Mitsuda? Could it have more to do with just quality of composition than some deeper music theory aspect? Uematsu's work has been certainly less memorable (and arguably of lower quality) in the past few years, while Mitsuda has a good number of more recent, highly praised successes under his belt.
I don't think it's quality of composition, but it's probably tough to pin down. I have my own ideas that I wouldn't mind sharing though. I think the gravitation has something to do with how Mitsuda's style began as something of a spinoff of Uematsu's. It all started with Chrono Trigger, which Uematsu actually contributed eight or nine tracks to. The difference over the years since then is that Mitsuda has been able to develop his style into something which takes advantage of better sound technology whereas Uematsu has not. Even so, I personally prefer Uematsu's style, and I think his pinnacle was better than Mitsuda's. Just that Mitsuda has managed to find ways to keep his music colorful whereas Uematsu has had more trouble with that. Compositionally I have always favored Uematsu, but Mitsuda uses sounds better, and that translates to something which always seems more fresh when compared to Uematsu's similar sounding music.
That's even though I think that Mitsuda has essentially been recycling his Chrono Cross style since that particular score. Every composer finds a certain style and then they stick with it. Just that Mitsuda has been better able to mask his similar compositions through sound than composers like Sakimoto and Sakuraba. The proof is in how ever since Sakuraba went for improved instrumentation in stuff like Baiten Kaitos, some people suddenly took a liking to it. Truth is, his compositional style hasn't changed. Only the colors of his paint brush, as it were. The same goes for Sakimoto's stuff in Legaia Duel Saga and Breath of Fire V. It's interesting how more varied and particular sound samples can make all the difference for some folks. Not that sound quality and varied instrumentation isn't important, but for me it has never been the defining element of what makes music special, perhaps partly due to the fact that I did enjoy VGM tunes in their more basic forms while growing up. I just want the music to make the most out of what it's using and be enjoyable for it.
Sephiro444 wrote:On a side note with regard to your comments about CV4, I've been finding myself moving away from a lot of the older game music I once enjoyed. Part of me likes to think my tastes have become more sophisticated vis a vis my maturing into adulthood, but I'm not entirely willing to give myself that much credit (and not like my comments so far in this thread have born that out!). I found myself agreeing quite a bit with a recent editorial, When Nostalgia Becomes a Bad Word, and I think there's something to be said for his point as it applies to game music as well -- today’s game music has advanced both in technological and compositional complexity, and our tastes have been pushed forward right along with it.
Indeed, your comments haven't born that out, as I believe you mentioned the effectiveness of the music in Final Fantasy VII and yet that music is also dated in some respects. In that one can begin to figure out the essence of great music. I personally don't buy into the 'nostalgia clouds judgment' argument and I never will. I think great music is great music regardless of the limitations and the time period. For me, good composition is not necessarily a measure of complexity. I can listen to something from Mega Man 2 and enjoy it just as I would something from FFXII. If there's depth to be had in complexity, then there's beauty to be had in simplicity, and all things balance out to where I enjoy great stuff from any era and don't think of one thing as inferior to another based on notions of how something has to be. And so, although I agree that tastes do diversify in part due to technological advances, the inspired excellence of a true classic does not change, as classic by definition means something which can never be surpassed. For a game score, the value of the music is defined by what it adds to the experience, and not by how many things went into the creation of that music. That's why you can have music which makes use of all the bells and whistles of today and yet fails to leave a strong impression. Inspiration is not defined by technology or by complexity. Only by creativity and power of expression, whether it happens through chiptunes or a full blown orchestra.