The Deep Beckons: Undersea Palace, Chrono Cinematica

The undersea palace theme (and a couple other cameos) from my Chrono Trigger album, Chrono Cinematica- available on iTunes and more!

[@ThornHailsnap]

The Ocean Palace theme has a perfect combination of anxiety and ominousness (Is that a word?). You don’t know exactly what is going down, but something tells you that if you don’t get...somewhere fast, something terrible is going to happen. And the farther you progress in the Ocean Temple, the deeper and more intense this feeling gets. Until you finally find that “somewhere” and meet Lavos face-to-face. And with chaos all around you, and no real battle plan, you throw yourself at this unnatural monstrosity, only to fail and worse, lose a treasured friend. Fortunately you were saved, but now shit is real. The Black Omen, the symbol of your failure, follows you everywhere across time. Your greatest friend is dead. But. You won’t give up. No, you’ll fight harder. You’ll get stronger. You’ll find more allies to help you. You’ll resolve differences and right wrongs. You’ll do whatever it takes to revive your dear friend, never believing he’s truly gone forever. You won’t give up hope. And when you meet Lavos again, you’ll be ready. You must, no, you WILL win. Because failure is no longer an option.

[@yssunjoko]

Yes, it's right, Lavos Beckons is the most epic stage in a whole Chrono Trigger... I hate the loss of Crono but admittedly it's better than losing Aerith in FF7

[@Tavore210]

@Lavos of course Lavos loves this part....

[@Tavore210]

Your comment about the ocean palace gave me goosebumps. CT is a game I wish I could re-experience for the first time, over and over again.

[@GodandNothinghavealotincommon]

Not bad, bud. Captures the feelings perfectly.

[@Zeoinx69]

Yea, I remember when i first reached the Ocean Temple, I wanted to rush through it for some reason, I didn't know why, but a lot of it did have to do with the music in retrospect.... I literally had to force myself to pull back and make sure i properly fought everything for XP and back tracked enough so i made sure I was prepared.

[@Amygdalum]

The Undersea Palace is arguably the hardest song in the game to convey "properly" in remixes/covers. By this, I mean that it takes more effort than others to effectively "recreate" the energy the original piece had. Combining tension and excitement into one game-defining package, the Ocean Palace music stands among some of the finest work in SNES chiptunes, JRPG music, and even just soundtrack/score as a whole. And since I am to rate this song so highly, why do I have such mixed feelings on recreations of it? That in and of itself is a complex answer, and there are certainly exceptions to this answer as well, but I will try my best to explain: A lot of people in a remix of Chrono Trigger will go for creating a song very close to the original track and simply deviating as little as possible, hoping that can work. And this is a process which can work! But this also takes a huge amount of skill, time, and effort in doing so successfully, otherwise it would sound more juvenile due to the feeling of "missing" something that a true-to-the original cover can bring if it's lacking that same precision as the original. For example, in a true-to-original cover, unless it's very smartly implemented a part of the song which sounds noticeably different from the original's tone can be distracting and even feel outright inferior to the original. For a good example of this, I like to take "The Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra" version of the Tyrano Lair theme. The first part of the song with the pipe organ sounds nearly exactly like the original, and the "Chrono Trigger Symphony" albums are billed as "accurate to the original material", so as a result when the song devolves into a rather half-baked attempt at a jazzy melody, it contrasts what the creator's seeming intent was and feels rather foolish and shallow as a result. That feeling of shallowness comes in part due to Chrono Trigger smartly opting for "combinations" of genres rather than sticking to one format, and in this song, the Ocean Palace, we see that through a combination of EDM and orchestral instruments. Similarly, in the Tyrano Lair, this comes through a combination of rock guitars and rhythms plus a deeper, orchestral organ introduction. So when someone tries to go in close to the original, they may assume that these tracks are meant to have only one style to them, not the multitude which defines them, and that costs the cover version its uniqueness. Or, in the case of the Tyrano Lair arrange mentioned earlier, it leads to attempts at genre combinations which feel laughable when compared to the originals. However, when other remixes try to do too much different, and on focusing on the differences more than the same, it can also disrupt the balances of the piece. A more different arrange often allows for a more accurate sensational recreation of what Mitsuda and co. visualized when creating the game. Take Reuben Gingrich's Secret of the Forest jazz arrange. Only the first two minutes or so are very much like the original, yet because it strikes that balance while daring to be different, it's been praised by Yasunori Mitsuda himself as the most true-to-original version of the theme. Being weird and strange and different is natural for a soundtrack composed through genre fusions, and it works well in genres built on improvisation like jazz, and even alternative arrangements found in orchestras. However, as always, this great power needs great responsibility to be used in handling said power, as changing too much can distort songs to unrecognizability in genres like EDM through messing with tempos and more same-y instrument styles being substituted in. Gingrich's Secret of the Forest feels like it's naturally evolving and keeps a smooth tone throughout. You can only do so much in one remix, and sometimes stretching yourself to be "more" ends up with "less" of a furnished product. Going back to that "Chrono Trigger Symphony", the remix of the Trial theme is a good example of this. It introduces lots of extra brass parts and overall a heavier instrumental style not found in the original, which thus takes a good remix and makes it feel way too bombastic compared to as the tune is meant to sound. It's like playing a piano song in the wrong key, sure, the results may be interesting for sure, but overall it's most likely to not sound as good as if it was played "more properly", or in the case of the Trial theme remix, more respectful of the material. So, with all those standards of mine needing to be met in a quality remix (I promise, it's regularly not as hard as it may seem!) I really appreciate this. This is in my opinion, the only cover of the song to capture the dynamic range of the original accurately. That doesn't mean it's the only cover of this I LIKE - it's just the only one to surpass the original in my book. The orchestral vibe suits this piece, because this isn't TRYING to be like the original, while not rejecting it outright, either. The beauty of this arrangement is that it allows for entirely new sections to be included - such as the reprisal of Lavos' leitmotifs and the Zeal Palace theme - without losing the core spirit which dominates the mix and the original ocean palace. Remember when I said that alternative arrangements can add a lot to a cover? That's why. Starting off with slow buildup, and using the intense feeling to emphasize parts of the mix while subduing it to make this feel more like a story, this is what dreams are made of! The parts of the original are captured because this goes for capturing the energy of the piece rather than trying to stick to something which came before, or alternatively rejecting it outright. This is what makes Chrono Cinematica better than the "Chrono Trigger Symphony" or even the official 2019 Orchestral Arranges of the songs in my opinion. It sounds simple when I put it like that. I mean, how hard is it really to capture the balance of a song someone else made? Sure, it's not hard to get close enough to make a good sounding cover, or to just go your own way. But what I mean is that it's very difficult to capture this balance effectively in a way which stands up to the piece it's based off of, especially if messing around outside your forte without much practice. I make weird music, and my style can translate well to already weird music, but I would have a bit more trouble capturing a song like Undersea Palace effectively because of that energy it brings being something I'm not yet as sufficient at recreating. I'd definitely need time to sit down, map out and plan an arrange, and to figure it all out basically from scratch while keeping the tone right. And obviously, that's not really where my musical expertise lies. But that sure is where Chrono Cinematica's does! This "cinematica" lens works wonders to capture the story elements seen through the game music and AMPLIFY THEM, rather than to discard the original's intents and purposes outright (Which I said, it can WORK depending on a creator's intent with the rearrangement) or to stick to the original song entirely (which can ALSO work, if the creator has the resources and fine-tuning ability to stand up to the original work), and that is what makes this remix so special to me. When I think of the Ocean Palace, I often think of this remix before I do the original, because this so effectively acknowledges and utilizes the energy of the theme and the moment in the game that it feels one and the same. You can FEEL that this took time and tuning to do right, and there's a reason this was my first remix album I ever purchased, just as Chrono Trigger's soundtrack was the first album I ever purchased. This is MAGICAL. This is more than conveying the tone "properly", this is adding new semitones to the tone itself to make it sound even greater than ever.

[@SamoStudios]

I really appreciate you taking the time to write such a thoughtful comment! The goal with all of my VGM work is never to just re-create the originals, but to re-create the feeling the original produced in my imagination when I first heard them. Just like a good book creates something in your mind that is more than just words on a page, that's where I've always tried to go with these- to that place inside where the music takes you, past the surface level of the music itself. That's why I don't produce a large volume of work, instead, I invest a great deal of time trying to find that place where the spirit of the music resides in the soundtracks that I decide to cover. And it definitely takes a lot of time and work, which granted is probably made more difficult since I am self-taught and really don't know much about music theory and technique and whatnot, I just know that special sound I'm looking for and keep going until I reach it. So I'd rather produce one album every few years that really connects with listeners, than just pump out a bunch of stuff that sounds good on the surface but only offers a fleeting moment of entertainment, mostly just due to nostalgia. The music I make is simply an attempt to convey what my ears heard and my heart felt when I was a kid listening to this stuff for the first time, and bring that into the world somehow, with as much quality as I am capable of at that point. So thank you for listening!

[@Amygdalum]

@@SamoStudios And that is exactly why I love this. You are the pinnacle of quality over quantity in my eyes - you’re making this out of pure passion, with the only goal being capturing your sound. I’m also self-taught, and honestly I think that allows things to pervade your imagination and for your ideas to really stand out. You don’t go in to stick to a formula, you go in to make something which describes your emotions, and that in my opinion creates a more tangibly special quality in these works. I started making music at roughly this time last year, and the more time I spend learning alongside the time I spend revising has helped me create in a way I never thought I could do. These remixes you’ve made set off a chain reaction which has brought me to where I am right now, and I will always be greatful for that.

[@SephirothRyu]

That image made me realize. Lavos is about the closest you can get to a Lovecraftian entity without actually using elder gods or beings from other dimensions.

[@VampireYoshi]

Plenty of fans literally see him as the Lovecraftian horror of video game lore.

[@alexisglaab2572]

I personally view Chrono Trigger to be a cosmic horror story. So many people lived and died just so Lavos could diversify its genetics and reproduce, and it never noticed or cared.

[@Geth-Who]

I love how perfectly this captures the 'see all this shit that's not getting real yet, well say goodbye to that feeling' the Ocean Palace brings.

[@Inthul360]

Best version I’ve heard of this song so far. Hearing this for the first time playing Chrono Trigger immediately gave me a sense that something serious was about to go down.

[@exiledmonastic4650]

Man this just blows my mind. Best wishes for you, hopefully one day you'll be able to have a live orchestra to record these.

[@archmdc370]

I second this!!!

[@CyberAngel573]

I just started to listen to this, and the slower speed already lends itself to making everything so much creepier. But the orchestration puts it over the top.

[@Essodus1]

With this in the background, I feel like i'm actually in the palace itself lol. This is excellent!

[@PeteTheGrouch]

Lavos reminds me of some kind of Lovecraftian horror in this one... Very atmospheric! Great job with this epic score. ;)

[@chazzwozzio]

PeteTheGrouch and the shreik...haunting

[@AnalyticalReckoner]

There are similarities to be sure. Lavos could be a great old one if he forced those who observed his existence into madness.

[@selenedianacosplay]

@@AnalyticalReckoner it's scary especially how Schala's mother was obsessed with Lavos and how it led to a downfall of the "Enlightened Ones" who worshipped it. Reminds me of, "The Call of Cthulhu" somewhat.

[@CompendiumofLux]

@Lavos So, is your ancestor the Chrono equivalent of Azathoth?

[@VampireYoshi]

@@AnalyticalReckoner Not all madness need be gibbering screams. Many of the behaviors of the followers of a central European dictator of the 1930s and '40s have been directly ascribed to madness.

[@The482075]

So gorgeously cinematic. This is what a live-action Chrono Trigger might feel like. The trepidation and anxiety as the party battle unknown malevolent forces in a truly alien environment.

[@Bonbon-og7cw]

Chrono trigger was, and still remains, one of my favorite games on the DS. Hearing your versions of these themes always brings a big smile to me. Keep it up! 😃

[@Reverse2057]

it was better on the Super Nintendo when it came out. ;) The DS butchered the Luminaire sound effect. Go look up the original Luminaire sound. You'll thank me.

[@LOLHICRONO]

i actually grew up playing CT on an RF antenna cable, so a lot of sound effects were different from what everyone is used to. tyranno actually sounds a lot better

[@dannycabezas9398]

The tyranno theme is really good on the snes yes. The one I like was also boss battle #2

[@andrecosta4870]

this song is my favorite of the game, so suspense theme and epic, Chrono have realy good songs, This version reminded me that i have to play it again. Thank's good work.

[@EdnerLopes]

Ocean Palace é uma das minhas trilhas prediletas. Me lembro que, com então 13 anos, chegando nesta parte do jogo o que senti foi indescritível. Toda essa atmosfera submarina nebulosa pulsando na escuridão. Esplêndida.

[@Gahiweli]

If I wouldn't know it better, I'd say, I just watched a Chrono Trigger Movie, which is a Sequel to the Original CT and the part, where this music plays, is an preview-intro of that movie. Want to add, this remix catches the atmosphere of the undersea palace in every pixel. I consider to do the palace next time with muted audio and a this video on loop =D.

[@MD-gm8gb]

This song always gave me chills. My only other comment other than loving it (and all the other stuff i've heard from this) is that I feel it would benefit from more on the low end. The low notes were so prominent and gave it such an ominous feel. It could be be my headphones, but keep it up.

[@sparkpenguin]

i've waited for a mix/orchestral of Undersea Palace that doesn't totally kill the feel of the original (specifically in the percussion) and this 1000% delivers the exact feel the SNES sound capability was trying to capture imo

[@user-ic3jf4jq9g]

壮大で良い感じ・・・

[@thejampaps]

Bro, if Chrono Trigger would get a remake like FF7, its soundtracks should be at least as good as yours, better yet just use the ones you make. Respect.

[@menohero]

Agreed

[@Heylanda-fb9xb]

Well about that.......

[@frozenfragment]

You are amazing. I just bought your Chrono Cinematica, and I'm looking forward to your Zelda album too :)

[@maxcast1234567890]

I want a chrono trigger movie! come on! This arrangement would fit perfectly!

[@kainshannarra2451]

Yes!! I think a good director could fit everything in a 3 hour film.

[@AnalyticalReckoner]

Its gotta end with, "...but the future refused to change..."

[@TheZhadd169]

this is incredible. simply amazing. You have outdone yourself!

[@MrSecretfart]

once again, the bar is set in the stratosphere by Samostudios. Well done.

[@brycesalte7955]

Outstanding work! Best in the business! Great job!!!

[@josephbacon9918]

Totally sweeeet!!! :-D I already have a couple versions of this song on my "Chrono Trigger Favorites", but hearing this forces me to add it too! ;-) I just can't let this one go unheard again!

[@loebius]

This is awesome. I've heard many CT covers and remakes but this is probably the most epic version so far. keep the good job man!

[@Turbotugger]

My goodness. Thank you for taking the time to make this. Its REALLY good.

[@TheKingOfN0thing]

I'VE GOT THE CHILLS!!! WELL DONE!!!

[@snagwolf9268]

I have been waiting for this one it was so worth the wait ty.

[@Sagatta32]

Wow! Kept the tense/drama.. I love it.

[@KyeEnzoden]

Gods damn it! Just make Chrono Trigger into an Anime movie or series and use this as the soundtrack.

[@TuzkiBunny]

Speechless.

[@michaelhope8442]

Very beautiful work!

[@yssunjoko]

Love this arranged orchestrated song, I'm used to listening this while writing something

[@TheCreepypro]

can't believe how good this is!

[@ultracrono]

Amazing They made this song sound so good that if Chrono Trigger was remade this song should 100% be in it. I mean it sounds exactly like a song that would be strait out of a AAA RPG like a modern day Chrono Trigger. It also blows my mind aswell Gratz amazing work

[@JMrealgamer]

This is incredible! Man if everyone would do covers like this for epic videogame music that would be really great! Awesome! Greatest musical form of uneasiness and calm.

[@kuberannaganathan5244]

Awesome rendition

[@Reyoso]

so bloody good!

[@XylessBrawl]

This is the song that led to me finding you and buying your album.

[@kamaryukaiser8772]

Excellent!

[@VRNocturne]

This is the best song in the game and this remix just makes it 1000x even better. This is completely amazing!

[@mycabbages3538]

Freaking awesome! I love the whole album! Bring on Zelda Cinematica!!!!

[@samuelrainville6381]

You are Gold my friend!!!

[@ceegronlee]

this is amazing

[@androbodomknight]

Damn its good ... I remember playing Chrono Trigger on Snes when I was a child ... nice job the song is amazing \w/

[@Durrpadil]

This belongs in a Chrono Trigger Remake in my humble opinion. It really helps you sense the importance this area holds in terms of how the future of the planet of Chrono Trigger will be shaped. Essentially the peak of Lavos' influence can be felt here; almost like the harnassing of energy (Think of Argent Energy). I almost wish you could see the power of the Mammon machine flowing through here, directly pulling from Lavos' core. Through the immense machinery and structure the flowing of what seems to be magma that never cools and remains fiery orange/white... powering everything within the entire Undersea Palace. Technology far advanced even in this modern day... Maybe even add in a little extra story in that the Queen of Zeal was planning to upgrade Lavos' core at its will to have a more powerful form after exhausting the planet's energy. In which our time traveling heros divert in this age, further weakening Lavos making him defeatable later on in the story.

[@tanthalas143]

F-ing... blown away

[@leandrobs9650]

Meu Deus, arrepiou, amo tanto esse jogo! 😭❤️

[@mr.aisak07]

They should consider in making Chrono Trigger movie, it would be spectacular

[@aaronpitts6491]

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@VampireYoshi]

I will now accept this version, and only this version, for the Lord of the Rings-esqe movie. This may be the best symphonic version of video game music ever recorded, anywhere.

[@AnActualWolf]

Epic, indeed.

[@ImyManzProductions]

This goes hard.

[@ilikestuff9250]

Easily the best cover of Undersea Palace on all of youtube if not the internet! Love the mixing of all the tracks together, gives it a movie-esque atmosphere Maybe someday... More Chrono Trigger content will be released by Square....

[@zeromaniac4673]

i like it.

[@TheStebbs87]

simply put just fucking awesome

[@dextergarner1286]

Unparalleled.

[@yssunjoko]

this depicts well the most devastating part of the game

[@melficexd]

It is curious how Omen, from the Xenogears OST and this Undersea Palace share the same pace. And both are referred to a dungeon from the end of their respective titles

[@ateralbus8240]

Nice remix man

[@prirush8800]

Nice, where you from young man?! Great game, you did a great score, its a win win, internet is good for some stuff.

[@ImJCyo]

Can we please get a Black Dream one? I love these.

[@rockit3817]

YESS

[@Essodus1]

Can you also post this one on your SoundCloud please?!

[@EdnerLopes]

My GOD!

[@slimebuck]

I approve.

[@Nabekukka]

Is there any chance that you'd have Special Edition CD's available in stock at some point? I bought the Metroid Cinematica album last year and will likely buy the Chrono Cinematica as well as soon as I can, because the tracks are just gorgeous, but these albums are definitely something that I'd be happy to own a physical copy of along with the fancy artwork, they are in my opinion just something special and having those nice CD's would just be the cherry on top of the cake so to speak. :P

[@SamoStudios]

In the next couple weeks I will be launching a Kickstarter for Zelda Cinematica, and part of that funding will include having more Chrono and Metroid CDs produced :)

[@Nabekukka]

THIS. I'll keep my eyes peeled for the Kickstarter.

[@domitian7]

The black wind.

[@domitian7]

The black wind comes.

[@tbmcc_]

Holy. Shit.

[@joebaumgart1146]

Uk, I haven't had a Caprisan in like 15 years.

[@Rztro1544]

Is there any extended version of this?

[@Expletive1200]

I personally think playing it at 1.25x speed better matches the original (1.1x speed would be better if KZbin had that setting) but that's just me. It's still good either way!

[@okidokidraws]

Best dungeon ever XD maybe some day I'll make the Ocean Palace in Minecraft XD

[@AnalyticalReckoner]

*grabs mop*

[@omegalovania]

they need to do a megaman x and contra cinematica

[@SamoStudios]

Megaman X is still in my top 3 favorite games, and I love the Megaman series music... so that might actually be what comes next

[@omegalovania]

If you can do a megaman x cinema like the highway dramatic and the main ending of it when x is on the cliff that would be amazing

[@frozenfragment]

Ohhhhh yeahhhh. Totally down for a Mega Man X Cinematica.

[@MugenYomi]

do you have CDs?

[@SamoStudios]

Yes :) There are still some in stock, you can get them from my site- www.samostudios.com

[@franciscolugolopez5537]

Está de webos""!!

[@RebeccaETripp]

:D :D :D :D :D

[@domitian7]

RebeccaETripp This game...is a testament to what a game should be. A jewel in a age where square was really coming into its own. A shame, overall that it was left collecting dust as a relic. When in fact can be the bedrock of something that will survive the ages it itself portrayed. What happened square?

[@StewNWT]

I really really would have preferred a violin as the lead instrumental instead of the vocal (esp as she ducks the octave rather than hit the towering high note) but otherwise loved this

[@alek8267]

REBRUTAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@timsmoderngear]

Why is this random KZbin channel on par with Hans Zimmer and John Williams?

[@SamoStudios]

I don't know about that hehe, but having composed music inspired by them since I was a kid I will gladly take the compliment :)

[@TranslatedAssumption]

Cool but this does not carry anywhere near the same magnitude of intensity of the original theme. I love the artwork of lavos being at the bottom of the sea though.

[@TickleGhost]

Woulda been great without the trilly voice... smh