KTGS-40378CD: BLUE REFLECTION OFFICIAL SOUNDTRACK

[Porter]

Interesting music in PV video:
https://youtu.be/1FfnOipuEoc

[Efendija]

On the advert images I've found it still says Original Soundtrack so I reverted it. Smallsea, if there's an updated art, please leave a link.

[Porter]

Any composer info?

[Porter]

BUMP

I tried to find info about composers but with no luck.
I am little bit surprised that there is info about 3CD soundtrack but no info about BGM composers. Only reason is like in some otomate games that composer/composers are also VN composers and company is embarassed to reveal their names.

[Phonograph]

little bit surprised?

but it's always like that for enclosed cds or any stuff for games
they only announce the contents, not people like composers

[Porter]

Originally Posted by Phonograph

little bit surprised?

but it's always like that for enclosed cds or any stuff for games
they only announce the contents, not people like composers

Yes because there is something like staff or sound section on most of game site and there is also missing info.

Only two recent example: Bara ni Kakusareshi Verite - no info on site.
BLACK WOLVES SAGA 「 Anesthesia 」soundtrack announced on site - no info about composers (Procyon?, other?)

I don´t say that name of composer is most vital info, music itself is most important, but I would like know who is composer

The main question is why certain game companies didn´t reveal name of composer/composers for their games.

[Phonograph]

composer always are absent from game sites with some exceptions when the game is "known" or "famous"

are you speaking of fag games? who the fuck cares that shit
I never browse those sites for fujoshis or fags, I only browse "real" games sites =)
ah... hinako (blue reflection)

as for the question about why they aren't credited, that is the question
I'm still shocked about team ent and the uncredited composers for the growlanser vi ost

[Porter]

Originally Posted by Phonograph

are you speaking of fag games? who the fuck cares that shit
I never browse those sites for fujoshis or fags, I only browse "real" games sites =)
ah... hinako (blue reflection)

I am speaking only about music, composers & lack of BGM staff info.

[Porter]

3 BGM´s available for download from official site for limited time:
http://social.gust.co.jp/gakkou/special_04.html

EDIT:
When you click on details of downloaded mp3 - there is composer credit for Hayato Asano.

[Rhythmroo]

I pre-ordered this. When it comes in, I can take care of the scans for it like I did for Nights of Azure.

[h_12439]

In the game box, there is an official correction note about incorrect tracklist in the booklet.
As a result, I correct it.

DISC3

incorrect:
13 未使用楽曲(コンセプト楽曲第1案-DEMO-)
14 未使用楽曲(コンセブト楽曲第2案-DEMO-)
15 未使用楽曲(Albireo Lakeアレンジ-DEMO-)

↓

correct:
13 未使用楽曲(Albireo Lakeアレンジ-DEMO-)
14 未使用楽曲(コンセプト楽曲第1案-DEMO-)
15 未使用楽曲(コンセブト楽曲第2案-DEMO-)

[Secret Squirrel]

Is there any chance you could scan that? Also, disregard the rejection PM.

[h_12439]

Originally Posted by Secret Squirrel

Is there any chance you could scan that? Also, disregard the rejection PM.

The proof of the correction note

[LiquidAcid]

Nice, gave this a first listen today. Asano sounds a lot like early Hamauzu here, i.e. Sigma Harmonics. Also he really seems to like the piano.

[Phonograph]

I'd be curious to know where they got that Toshitake reading for Shinbu (reference to japanese aviation during ww2)
also tr.201 is "breakthrough" written with japanese keyboard, certainly not that thing

I don't recommend people to use that shit translation

[LiquidAcid]

Originally Posted by Phonograph

I don't recommend people to use that shit translation

Too late!

Phono, we need you back as trusted editor!

[cal]

Originally Posted by LiquidAcid

Nice, gave this a first listen today. Asano sounds a lot like early Hamauzu here, i.e. Sigma Harmonics. Also he really seems to like the piano.

Well he is a pianist. It'd be strange if he didn't like the piano.

[Jotamide]

Originally Posted by Porter

3 BGM´s available for download from official site for limited time:
http://social.gust.co.jp/gakkou/special_04.html

EDIT:
When you click on details of downloaded mp3 - there is composer credit for Hayato Asano.

Yooooooooo thank you for sharing this! I can't believe they made the brilliant battle theme available for free.

[dowolf]

Hey, I'm a big fan of Asano's work and a friend asked me if I'd be willing to translate the message from the composer in the pamphlet so here it is:

I've finally finished the album I am the most ashamed of. Four years ago, after graduating high school, I was doing a whole lot of nothing. Things kicked off with a demo tape I sent off to Nagano while telling myself that, well, maybe I'd wind up getting some real-life interview practice. A half-baked excuse, sure, but I passed the review phase and then they called me to ask if I'd come to Nagano for an interview. And so it began.

I was so nervous on the day of the interview that I couldn't eat breakfast, but I knew I'd be embarrassed if my stomach started growling during the interview, so I bought a station boxed meal. But I couldn't eat a bite of that either. I nibbled at some of the toppings, but put half of them back too as I walked alone to that building near Nagano's station. Before I knew it, it was time for my interview with the person in charge at the time.

"Oh god interviews are terrifying... They all must think there's something wrong with me," I thought. But finally it was over, and I was left waiting for a reply. Which wound up being, well, a no. (lol). But two weeks later, they sent word asking if I'd be willing to work part time, and so I wound up going back to Nagano.

I spent the next year and a half doing at the bottom of the ladder, doing whatever grunt work was asked of me. Thinking back, I'd never even dreamed that one day I'd be involved in a project as a sound director.

When the Blue Reflection project first kicked off, I met with Kishida-san regarding sound design. He tasked me to "Maybe use ambiance and Scandinavian electronica. I want you to be minimalist, to create a marked departure from our past soundtracks, but in a good way. Oh, and for battle themes, I'd love a powerful drum and bass." He had a strong vision and powerful feelings on what he wanted the project to become, and as I took them in, I found myself in conflict between a desire to betray in a good way the expectations of our soundtracks' fans, and a fear that I might genuinely betray them. And so I found myself dwelling once again on the question of what direction to take.

That said, time stops for no one, and so I had presentation after presentation for Kishida-san and so many others. I'd make adjustments, then go back for another round. Along the way, we determined two things: first, that the songs would primarily be piano; second, that we'd limit the number of total tracks. After all, I don't know if there's a person out there who hasn't heard a piano. And as we wanted the BGM strictly to serve as background emphasis, we felt we'd be best served with fewer total songs.

The compositional breakthrough came with the songs Blue Reflection and hallucination And hope. I finished both songs rather quickly, and they became the concept tracks for the entire OST.

At the time, I was less concerned with composing and more had my hands full with fine-tuning the development schedule, writing sound-team-related specification documents, and working out contracts with external partners, which made it hard to dive head-first into the music.

Planning, directing, doc-writing, composing, digitizing, data entry, budgeting, scheduling, etc... I constantly felt like I was under so much pressure, having to do it all myself. It's the kind of thing that can make a guy go crazy (lol). Regardless, the two songs I wrote during that time didn't come out of thin air.

Here's a quick explanation.

Blue Reflection incorporates environmental sounds coupled with a simple piano melody. It is at once whimsical and yet somehow nostalgic. It became the foundational color for map music and the Common World music.
hallucination And hope centers on the piano, interspersing violin and cello highlights while the synths build up energy. This became a unifying trend across all of the battle themes.

Most of the tracks in this OST give the melody to the piano, violin, and cello, but while the piano appears in every work, the other two come and go depending on the track. In particular, battle music uses all three. Meanwhile, event and map tracks put the piano at the fore while featuring the violin and cello minimally if at all.

This was intentional. I envisioned the piano as representing Hinako, the violin Yuzu, and the cello Lime. For instance, each of the battles against the Sephirot consists of three phases, with the song changing as the battle progresses. For the first phase, as a rule, neither the violin nor the cello takes center stage. Then, as we enter the second and third phases and move more towards the end, those instruments will start to take hold of the melody, as if it is no longer Hinako alone fighting the Sephirot but Yuzu and Lime too. A wild, fantastical idea, I slowly stumbled upon it as I labored by myself in an office where no one else was at their desk. If I can go off-topic to give you a peak behind the scenes at the sound team, until about six months before release that "team" was just me. Fantasy was all I had. On the other side of the desks, everyone else looked so happy. "Here, let's do this!" they'd say. "Today, it's time to XXX!" But I was alone. At that point, who wouldn't dive into fantasy? Plus you stop chatting, which means you're not saying anything, which isn't great for your health (lol). So yeah, this is just a big old paragraph talking about how those fantasies influenced the songs. But seriously, what gives? I wanted friends too, people with whom I'd sometimes passionately clash as we worked to create something great. But fantasy was my friend; I'd go home in the morning to play online games and watch videos and sleep and wake up the next day... That's no life...

I digress. I started off by saying this was the album I am the most ashamed of, but that's not in a bad way.

What I mean is, this is probably the album I can most hold my head high on, and the same time, you could also call it a graduation album. That's why it's the one I'm most ashamed of. The notebook you kept as a club member during your school years would embarrass you if anyone saw it after you became an adult. At the same time, it shows how much passion you had in those moments. Though technically, I was more a member of the Go-Home Club.

So you see, this album is both something I am ashamed of, and also the product of an 18-month struggle against my own inadequacies.

Oh, and also, this soundtrack will be coupled with the limited edition, and as a bonus, it will include the initial concept tracks and all-phase versions of the Sephirot battle themes. Please enjoy.

One last thing. As I completed both this album and the sound design for the full project, I'd like to express my thanks to Takaishi-san, my musical sempai who would hear out all my frustrations and troubles with mixing and everything else; Makoto-san, who assisted with vocal editing and instrument recording <tl/n: sampling?>; Oono-kun and Miyake-san, who gave such wonderful and enthusiastic performances; Urata-san of COSAELL Creative Studio, who made arrangements for so many things even outside of recording; and Master, who stopped me when I was in a really dangerous place.

Within the company, I owe so much thanks to all of the development staff for their assistance, starting with Kanagawa-shi. Though it was only for a short time, he gave me so much support with my slipshod mastery of sound design. Then there's Kishida-san and Producer Hosoi, who didn't just do producing work but were also the leaders of our team and pulled us along. And those are just a small fraction. There was also the advertising team, plus Yocky-shi, who designed the Sephirot. It is thanks to them and more that I can finally write these words of gratitude.

For playing the game, and now reading these words, truly, thank you.

[Sherkel]

Eugh, that's a repulsive amount of humanity to tack on to such a powerful, sprawling, and unique masterwork. If I need to scare anyone out of a composing job, though, I know where to send them. Thanks for the translation. Good to know where the three-phase boss themes come from, that wouldn't have even occurred to me!