I cannot tolerate how repetitive post-ARR music is

[Catwho]

I respect Soken a lot, but he or someone above him kind of lost sight of the fact that tracks used for zones and cities will be playing on loop constantly and will typically be in relaxed situations. 4 1/2 minutes of bombastic jazz doesn't work for that.

Souken actually has a full team under him now, and if I remember correctly, each zone in DT had a different composer! That way they could help them all have a very different flavor and vibe.

As the supervisor, it's still up to him to make sure that the BGM is enjoyable in each zone, though. While not every track is going to land for everyone, none of them should be actively annoying, either.

I think my favorite this expansion was the big booming orchestral swells from Heritage Found, with Shaloaani's relaxed electric guitar riffs a close second. Not a big fan of Mamook's vocals but the music itself is kind of cool.

What I didn't like is that EVERY VILLAGE HAD THE SAME MUSIC. Like. I get it, composing a whole new theme for every aetheryte is a lot of work, but the music sounded great for the trolls and not great for everyone else.

[RenkoBernkastel]

I don't understand the hate for the Tuliyollal theme. It's easily the best city theme imo. Both, the day and night music.

[Nebelheim]

I don't understand the hate for the Tuliyollal theme. It's easily the best city theme imo. Both, the day and night music.

Because it doesn't musically fit the city thematically considering it's meant to be inspired by south American Aztec culture and it plays smooth jazz that you would expect from a little coffee lounge or something that would play in an elevator. Tuliyollal music would be a better fit for solution 9 or to play in an inn room there.

[Daralii]

Because it doesn't musically fit the city thematically considering it's meant to be inspired by south American Aztec culture and it plays smooth jazz that you would expect from a little coffee lounge or something that would play in an elevator. Tuliyollal music would be a better fit for solution 9 or to play in an inn room there.

When I first heard it, my mind immediately went to a song from Disney's Tarzan. It made the entire thing really surreal.

[ddwarbird]

I went to a concert recently and Soken was there. He came out and people lost their minds and some were crying. I sat there feeling weirded out by the cult like devotion to this person. As far as I'm concerned, he's "ok" but he is not Uematsu, who didn't get that much praise even when 7, 8, 9 and 10 came out. It was pretty freaky how defensive some people got when I told them that I honestly prefer Uematsu's work, the guy wrote "Dancing Mad" with a SNES soundchip and almost entire opera. I was so bored of FFXIV's melodramatic music, either rock anthems or melodramatic ballads which are nice but not the same quality in my opinion as the classic Final Fantasy era. Dawntrail was a step in the right direction as it felt a return to a more classic style of Final Fantasy music.

I just don't feel the same way about FFXIV's music that I do from "To Zanakand" or "Melodies of Life" or "Eyes on Me". I do wonder if I'm doing something wrong with the music. There are a few pieces I like but they usually tend to be remakes of older music from FF series. Tomorrow and Tomorrow is an exception though, that piece is stunningly beautiful. Especially the lyrical part of the Crystarium Night theme.

The Jazz however for Tuliyollal was just so out of place, it was like auditory whiplash and didn't match up to an Incan/Mayan style city at all.

[Hallarem]

Because it doesn't musically fit the city thematically considering it's meant to be inspired by south American Aztec culture and it plays smooth jazz that you would expect from a little coffee lounge or something that would play in an elevator. Tuliyollal music would be a better fit for solution 9 or to play in an inn room there.

"But cool tho" is what will destroy this games thematic consistency, the worldbuilding and everything else tbh. They want a second-life simulator, not an actual fantasy world that follows rules.

[Daralii]

I went to a concert recently and Soken was there. He came out and people lost their minds and some were crying. I sat there feeling weirded out by the cult like devotion to this person. As far as I'm concerned, he's "ok" but he is not Uematsu, who didn't get that much praise even when 7, 8, 9 and 10 came out. It was pretty freaky how defensive some people got when I told them that I honestly prefer Uematsu's work, the guy wrote "Dancing Mad" with a SNES soundchip and almost entire opera. I was so bored of FFXIV's melodramatic music, either rock anthems or melodramatic ballads which are nice but not the same quality in my opinion as the classic Final Fantasy era. Dawntrail was a step in the right direction as it felt a return to a more classic style of Final Fantasy music.

I just don't feel the same way about FFXIV's music that I do from "To Zanakand" or "Melodies of Life" or "Eyes on Me". I do wonder if I'm doing something wrong with the music. There are a few pieces I like but they usually tend to be remakes of older music from FF series. Tomorrow and Tomorrow is an exception though, that piece is stunningly beautiful. Especially the lyrical part of the Crystarium Night theme.

The Jazz however for Tuliyollal was just so out of place, it was like auditory whiplash and didn't match up to an Incan/Mayan style city at all.

XIV has tracks and leitmotifs that I have an emotional response to, and I respect the fact that Soken stayed dedicated to his work while going through chemo, but he definitely started drifting into novelty and variety over quality and atmosphere around Alphascape at the latest and kept going further in that direction, especially after being promoted to a team lead(which I was unaware of until this thread and is something CS3 keeps doing to the game's detriment). Most of my favorites are ultimately the ones built on Uematsu's work, like the songs in Shadowbringers that used Eternal Winds.

[ddwarbird]

XIV has tracks and leitmotifs that I have an emotional response to, and I respect the fact that Soken stayed dedicated to his work while going through chemo, but he definitely started drifting into novelty and variety over quality and atmosphere around Alphascape at the latest and kept going further in that direction, especially after being promoted to a team lead(which I was unaware of until this thread and is something CS3 keeps doing to the game's detriment). Most of my favorites are ultimately the ones built on Uematsu's work, like the songs in Shadowbringers that used Eternal Winds.

Yeah, I am not trying to disrespect Soken, he went through a horrific thing I wouldn't wish on anyone. I just have a hard time connecting with his music as I have done Uematsu in the past. I do think the best tracks in this game are pieces built off Uematsu's work and real bops like "The Twinning" and "Vanguard"'s themes. However my personal favourite unique track is "The Burn", I absolutely adore the desolation of that theme and it still remains my favourite dungeon in the game.

[VictorSpoils]

I went to a concert recently and Soken was there. He came out and people lost their minds and some were crying. I sat there feeling weirded out by the cult like devotion to this person. As far as I'm concerned, he's "ok" but he is not Uematsu, who didn't get that much praise even when 7, 8, 9 and 10 came out. It was pretty freaky how defensive some people got when I told them that I honestly prefer Uematsu's work, the guy wrote "Dancing Mad" with a SNES soundchip and almost entire opera. I was so bored of FFXIV's melodramatic music, either rock anthems or melodramatic ballads which are nice but not the same quality in my opinion as the classic Final Fantasy era. Dawntrail was a step in the right direction as it felt a return to a more classic style of Final Fantasy music.

I just don't feel the same way about FFXIV's music that I do from "To Zanakand" or "Melodies of Life" or "Eyes on Me". I do wonder if I'm doing something wrong with the music. There are a few pieces I like but they usually tend to be remakes of older music from FF series. Tomorrow and Tomorrow is an exception though, that piece is stunningly beautiful. Especially the lyrical part of the Crystarium Night theme.

The Jazz however for Tuliyollal was just so out of place, it was like auditory whiplash and didn't match up to an Incan/Mayan style city at all.

Uematsu's work on the original XIV in particular is undervalued. The tracks work better as ambient noise, which is crucial when spending so much time in zones.

[RenkoBernkastel]

Because it doesn't musically fit the city thematically considering it's meant to be inspired by south American Aztec culture and it plays smooth jazz that you would expect from a little coffee lounge or something that would play in an elevator. Tuliyollal music would be a better fit for solution 9 or to play in an inn room there.

It doesn't fit the buildings of the city. It fits the theme perfectly. Tulliyollal is the city that brings many different cultures together and makes them work. Jazz brings many different instruments together and makes them work. Wdym it doesn't fit the theme?