Final Fantasy VII - 'Anxious Heart' EWI Cover (Feat. Harpsona)

Massive thanks to ‪@harpsona‬ for laying down those evocative arpeggios! Go and check out her channel for lots of beautiful and expressive harp arrangements!
The soundtrack to Final Fantasy VII is uniformly brilliant. The big dramatic and heart-felt moments in the score hit like a truck. I think the chords in this piece are so fascinating; I feel like they depict a certain emotional state with an incredible level of clarity and nuance. I hope you enjoy what harpsona and I did with it!
Gameplay footage is from a playthrough by ‪@worldoflongplays‬.
Original Composer: Nobuo Uematsu
Equipment:
Akai EWI 4000s (Preset patches 14, 15, 16, 21, 31 and 33)
Lounge Lizard EP-4
Casio PX-S3000
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
Reaper
Audacity
MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 2019
paint.net
Special thanks to my Patreon donors who helped to support the creation of this video:
Philip Smith
Meredith Baillie
Kokobon0514
Josh Ng
Ticfortea
Troy Thompson
Aram Akhavan
Darkil
EightbitGnosis
Adrien Fins
Daniel Capo
Lungkisser
John McKane
Alice Chance
August Hall
Vonzent
Brett Smith
Connor Grail
Damon Bolesta
Grady Savant
Mariachi Entertainment System
Nick Litow
Recorder Arcade
Rob Bonavoglia
Scott Munro
Wade Filewich
Julia Henderson
Zach Miller
Mockingjay N7
Jason Snyder
Beau Tran
Tilly Underwood
Support me on Patreon for exclusive perks: / soundole
Download mp3s of all my tracks for free here: drive.google.c...
Follow me on twitter: / soundole
Like me on Facebook: / soundole
Check out my other channel for jazz and classical music: / @soundole2701

[@leearguijo214]

Wow.... just wow. Amazing musicianship. Watching this feels like hearing this for the first time again

[@Soundole]

Thank you very much! I'm very glad you appreciated it! :)

[@divinesoul1987]

Thank for making such a beautiful version of probably my favorite FF7 song.

[@Soundole]

I'm glad you enjoyed it, it's definitely one of my favourites too :)

[@gpiddy24]

Wow this is incredible. Great work capturing the mood of this song.

[@Soundole]

Thanks mate, glad you think our take works! :)

[@elcoco1985]

this flute sound feel so warm, love it

[@Soundole]

It's my go-to EWI sound, I love how it lends itself to a lot of different applications!

[@pramaheda]

Just to let a comment, after listening to this million times !

[@Soundole]

Cheers, I'm glad you've found it worthy of re-listening!

[@Stratopeter87]

This song works so well with EWI and harp! Thank you for this (as usual) outstanding cover, now I have to check out Harpsonas channel.

[@Soundole]

I'm glad you liked it, I'm sure you'll find plenty to enjoy on her channel too :)

[@branmikefrye]

This song has always expressed a strange mix of melancholy and fondness for me. Not something we often encounter without music.

[@Soundole]

Agreed!

[@geordiemack4143]

Great cover of a great track! I have always loved this as it perfectly captures the feel of the game at the points it plays. A truly special piece of music for sure.

[@Soundole]

Thanks very much mate! :)

[@OzarksVHS]

Fantastic work! Spot on performance, and great sound. 👍

[@Soundole]

Thank you for the kind words! :)

[@DcapoVGM]

This piece is absolutely in my top 5 favorite tracks from Final Fantasy 7 and you both nailed it! Harp and EWI is a fantastic combo and the audio and video production is excellent! Your use of game footage works so well here and I really appreciated the use of color coordination. Well done!!

[@Soundole]

Thanks for all your kind words, and your support along the way! I appreciate you noticing all the details :)

[@StevenMorris]

Oh my! Was recently thinking this tune would sound so amazing on a harp. What a great collaboration

[@Soundole]

Thanks Steven, I'm glad you think it works! I really enjoyed your warm ensemble take on this too, it was stacked full of so many creative and effective scoring decisions!

[@TommyStanton]

I need more EWI and harp in my life!! Thank you, Soundole VGM Covers. :D

[@TommyStanton]

Oh, and quick question...I see the PX-S3000 (which I also own); very good. Do you happen to be using DSP settings for that PnoConcert patch, or any effects?

[@Soundole]

Thanks mate, I'm glad you appreciated it! That piano patch is just what I had active while I was recording this (I'm using it as a midi workhorse) so that electric piano is coming from a custom sound in Lounge Lizard. I don't use keyboard audio-out for anything in my music, but I do use the default effects for my live streams!

[@AndyRu]

The EWI choir gives off this sort of "electronic organ" sound and I LOVE how it plays with the very organic sound of the harp. Bravo to you both!

[@Soundole]

Thank you! I'm glad that comes across, the mellow organ sound is exactly what I was going for :)

[@ProjectGenesisMusic]

Always loved how peaceful and haunting this song is at the same time.

[@Soundole]

I agree, it has some complexity! :)

[@Bassoonify]

Ominous yet hopeful! I loved the way you voiced those chords around the middle, so cool to see harpsona in this too

[@Soundole]

Thank you! I think you summed up the mood pretty well! :)

[@AncientCityMusic]

I love important this game is, even a quarter century later

[@Soundole]

Definitely. Its influence runs deep!

[@RyudoGoo]

EWI goes very well with the harp ;-)

[@Soundole]

I'm glad you think so, I spent a decent amount of time trying to make that blend convincingly!

[@PragmatikReviews]

Ugh absolutely brilliant. Nothing extra added, nothing extra needed. A perfect song to accompany that airy silence. Really great work!

[@Soundole]

Thank you very much! Agreed, there's enough detail in the original score to make an effective cover!

[@brandonskelton]

So beautiful and mysterious! Wonderful playing dude and from Harpsona! :)

[@Soundole]

Thanks very much Brandon! :)

[@TheCreepypro]

wow you 2 managed to make this sound way better! nice performance from you 2!

[@Soundole]

Thank you very much! I'm glad you appreciated it! :)

[@dannymusic]

Gorgeous instrument combination, and you really mixed it so beautifully as well! Cheers!

[@Soundole]

Thank you so much! It's been really lovely to hear compliments on the mixing, after I spent forever agonising over it!

[@mherweg]

Terrific cover, this sounds very nice!

[@Soundole]

Thank you very much, I'm glad you think so! :)

[@wowno5763]

Great cover, such a haunting song.

[@Soundole]

Thank you! :)

[@splintercats]

really really beautiful and haunting. so wonderful what a cover

[@Soundole]

Thank you very much! :)

[@moneym0ney]

Excellent cover to one of my all time favorite FF tracks. Nothing else to say except that I wish I found this earlier

[@Soundole]

Thank you, I'm very glad you like it! :)

[@AIO13101980]

You're so outstandingly perfect! 😮❤ Spectacular performance. You deserve a lot of views 👏

[@Soundole]

Thank you so much, that's very kind of you! :)

[@Shercko]

Amazing! This was just what I wanted to hear when looking up a cover for Anxious Heart, it's my favorite FFVII track. Can't wait to play through remake again :D

[@Soundole]

Thank you! I'm looking forward to playing through it when I get the time, too :)

[@AFMusique]

Stunning! Well done guys. This is a beautiful rendition. :)

[@Soundole]

Thanks very much Alan, I'm very glad you think so! :)

[@GameGrooves]

This is absolutely gorgeous.

[@Soundole]

Thank you, I'm glad you think so! :)

[@esotericdrumstudio2690]

Excellent work. Very smooth and pleasant on the ear.

[@Soundole]

Thanks mate, glad you think so!

[@suburbanindie]

You guys have excellent meter, really impressed. Sounds almost quantized

[@Soundole]

Who says it's not ;) I always do a bit of quantisation work to my midi parts, but I try to keep it very slight. I usually do some snipping and sliding around of audio parts too, but it obviously needs to be done with great care because there's less you can get away with! It's not a fix for good rhythm in general though; if something would end up being too much of a pain to fix, I just do another take.

[@RoPanuganti]

This one was my FAVORITE in FF7 without even realizing the name for ages, or even hearing it performed. This is a perfect pairing and now I have to cry about something else...

[@Soundole]

Thanks so much Ro! I've been thinking about potential harp collabs for a while, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity! It's one of my favourites too :)

[@DeformedConscience]

This is wonderful...

[@Soundole]

Thanks very much! :)

[@historiaetpondus]

A Harpa é um instrumento fascinante.

[@kaysond]

Fantastic!

[@Soundole]

Thank you very much!

[@waffle9438]

Awesome ! I've hardly ever heard harps in VGM covers, but it fits this tune perfectly. Great job to you both !

[@Soundole]

Thank you very much! If you're interested in hearing more harp VGM, I highly recommend the work of harpsona, Amy Turk, Samantha Ballard, and the collaborations of Patti Rudisill! There's lots of exciting stuff happening in that space!

[@waffle9438]

@@Soundole Will definitely check their stuff, thanks for the advice !

[@cookedchicory6742]

This is so nice. I love the sound you get from the EWI lower register. I have the feeling that the electric piano really brings a bridge between the EWI and the Harp here. Wonderful play from both. This EWI/Harp is inspiring.

[@Soundole]

Thanks very much! Yeah, I don't have that many situations where I bust out the deep rumbly EWI bass, so it's always a bit of a joy!

[@IsrafelCello]

Gorgeous you two!! 😍

[@Soundole]

Thank you very much! :)

[@RecorderArcade]

Brilliant as always, bud! The extra work and additional tracks really make a noticeable difference! Your work is always fantastic, but this really sticks out ahead!

[@Soundole]

Thank you! It's definitely nice to hear that at the end of a bigger-than-average project!

[@astyanax905]

talk about nailing it. if anything your version sounds better. keep it up, love seeing these

[@Soundole]

Thank you very much, that's a hell of a compliment! :)

[@tfsonicyouth88]

You definitely perfected it

[@Soundole]

Thank you very much! :)

[@YsAbTones]

fantastic

[@Soundole]

Thanks mate! :)

[@MeredithBaillie]

Perfect!

[@Soundole]

Glad you think so Meredith! :)

[@GuitarSVD]

Perfect! You guys make my day! ❤

[@Soundole]

Thank you very much! :)

[@ouichtan]

Perfection

[@Soundole]

Cheers mate!

[@xratedpudding]

What an amazing cover!!! You both did an amazing job! Half a lifetime ago, I stopped playing saxophone because apartment life is not kind to "noise" like that. I learned about the EWI a couple of weeks ago and after listening to your covers and seeing just how expressive they can be, I decided to order a 4000s. I love that you include which preset patches you use so I can give some of these songs a shot after a lot of practice! Thank you for creating this amazing content, it's provided me a lot of joy over the last couple of weeks. I'm really sad I hadn't discovered this sooner!

[@Soundole]

Thank you very much, I'm very glad you've been enjoying the covers! My time living in a sharehouse is a bit of a distant memory, but it was definitely much easier to practise EWI there than it was to practise clarinet! I hope you'll key me in to any recordings you make on it :)

[@xratedpudding]

@@Soundole Absolutely! I can't wait to start working on arrangements for my favorite soundtrack of all time, FFIX! Loved your Frontier Village Dali cover, btw!

[@xratedpudding]

@@Soundole I uploaded my first recording. I'm still getting used to the instrument, and I read your guide on recording at home! I'm using Reaper, and so far it's been a challenge to learn everything, but it's fun! My first upload is on my other channel. Here's a link if you're interested! kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4vYXoaDg7-Fn7s I hope you don't mind me mentioning you in the description... Thank you for your amazing music, it's really given me the drive to put myself out there and learn something new!

[@joeisnice]

This video has a criminally low amount of views. You have captured the atmosphere of this track amazingly well.

[@Soundole]

Thank you very much, I'm glad you think so! :)

[@triplerrrrober]

Qué maravilla de arte, qué recuerdos que bonito es el final fantasy7 qué música tan espectacular de otro mundo.

[@Soundole]

Thank you! If my translation is accurate, I totally agree with you :)

[@lakemnster9495]

Nice!

[@Soundole]

Thank you! :)

[@TheGambaGeek]

perfection😢❤ i love love love this music and it was made for you and your intruments! Great game scenes too, I still remember my surprise when I saw Cloud's mom appearing :)

[@Soundole]

Thank you! Glad you appreciated the footage too, I spent time trawling through playthroughs to make something vaguely programmatic!

[@GT6SuzukaTimeTrials]

I can't love this enough! Just played through the game again after beating FF7R. Can we go back to the 90s? I was just a teen with very few responsibilities and anxieties.

[@Soundole]

Thanks so much mate! That's pretty darn relatable. I remember playing this on the floor of my best friend's living room, being blown away by such a convincing and deep world!

[@NemesisDestiny]

It's almost like this track was written for an EWI.

[@Soundole]

I'm very glad that comes across! I feel like I could probably do convincing covers of quite a few tracks in the FF7 OST!

[@NemesisDestiny]

@@Soundole You Can Hear the Cries of the Planet would be my first choice ;)

[@JimmyOnGuitar]

With that first instrument and images I thought you were playing a holophonor. Jokes aside, great cover!

[@Soundole]

Cheers mate! :)

[@suburbanindie]

Rewatching this a year later. Now I think I am going to have replay the original (the remake is trash lol)

[@karagiannisthomas]

very cool, i like your chanel youtube

[@Soundole]

Cheers mate! :)

[@DunDunya]

Превосходно Я бы в жизни не узнал об этом творении если бы CapXenomorph’а не смотрел

[@Soundole]

Cheers! Glad you've found my work, however that happened :)

[@luistv835]

Awesome What is the name of your clarinet/flute?

[@Soundole]

Thanks! That's an Akai EWI 4000s, you can find lots more information about it by searching for that on KZbin!