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You Can't UNhear It: Time's Scar

Posted by Bob Mackey

It's true; the Chrono Cross soundtrack is one of the most ass-kickingest collections of music to ever exist in our unworthy world. And the pinnacle of said soundtrack--at least, in my opinion--is the opening song, "Time's Scar;" Yasunori Mitsuda's stirring mix of wistfulness with a sense of urgency may be the highest point of his career. That's being said, I've probably heard the song hundreds of times in my life; and because I'm such a big fan of Time's Scar--and anything Mitsuda--something very minor about the recording of the song makes me cringe every time I hear it.

Crank up your speakers to 11 and wait for the sound at 00:16.

Did you hear that tiny little thump? It has haunted my dreams for the past decade.

I have no idea what it is, but it certainly can't be part of the composition. Was something being plugged in? Was a music stand kicked over? Did the conductor drop his Big Gulp? Whatever the case, every time I listen to Time's Scar, I tense up until that little thump comes and goes. It's a pretty big blemish on an otherwise awesome recording/song--and if you think I'm being a tad crazy about this, just remember: I wouldn't be a gamer if I didn't get psychotically obsessed over meaningless details.

To calm my nerves, and make you less worried about me, here's an awesome guitar arrangement of Time's Scar that's played using official Procyon Studio (Mitsuda's HQ) sheet music. I would pay for an entire album full of stuff like this:

Related Links:

OST: Chrono Cross
Where is Yasunori Mitsuda?
The End of Time and the Beginning of Fan Drama

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Posted Oct 13 2008, 11:00 AM

Filed under: ost, music, square-enix, chrono cross, yasunori mitsuda, bob mackey

Comments

Demaar said:

I'm determined NOT to listen to this song until I've forgotten about this news post! Because like the Wilhelm scream, I will never be able to ignore it/not notice it again *shakes fist*

October 14, 2008 10:18 PM

Amber Ahlborn said:

...I think you're hearing things, or maybe misinterpreting things you hear. At around 00:16 I hear a subtle, muted guitar strum. I've heard that sort of thing before in guitar music that had a lot of layers to it. It sounds like a very intentional part of the song.

October 14, 2008 10:21 PM

Bob Mackey said:

Never sounded like a strum to me, and I never heard that sound elsewhere in the song. If it was intentional, then the recording of the sound was fudged.

October 15, 2008 12:35 AM

Demaar said:

Hmm OK, I gave in and had a listen. I definitely notice it now, and it definitely sounds out of place. I guess I always just assumed it was a sound effect or something (from the book opening lol), but then I went to the OST and it's on that too.

October 15, 2008 8:27 PM

Ian said:

Yeah, I've heard that...never was able to figure out what it was though. It doesn't really sound like an instrument to me, but if it isn't, then what is it?

October 16, 2008 10:45 AM

Bob Mackey said:

From my experience with dabbling in music (and you really don't have to dabble for more than a minute to discover this), it sounds like something is being plugged into an amplifier. But A.) Who would be stupid enough to do it then, and B.) Why was there no second take?

I wouldn't put anything past Square, though; the FFVI Grand Finale album is a TERRIBLE recording.

October 17, 2008 9:37 PM

About Bob Mackey

For a brief period of time I was Bull from TV's Night Court, but some of you may know me from the humor column I wrote for Youngstown State University's The Jambar, Kent State University's The Stater, and Youngstown's alternative newspaper, The Walruss. I'm perhaps most well-known for my bi-weekly pieces on Something Awful. I've also blogged for Valley24.com and have written articles for EGM, 1UP, GameSpite and Cracked. For all of my writing over the years, I have made a total of twenty American dollars. It's also said that I draw cartoons, which people have described with words such as "legible." I kidnapped the Lindbergh Baby and am looking to do so again in the future.

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