Interview with LunarHeart
Name: Dan Johansen
Songs: Darkness Dueling
LunarHeart signed on to the project to complete one of the last songs up for grabs (Battle theme), and helped round out the soundtrack.
1. When did you sign on when the project?
I had been posting some self-created pieces on the Ocremix forums, and Claado Shou had been replying to my music from time to time. One day, he sent me a PM asking if I could join the Chrono Symphonic project, as he was very interested in hearing me recreate a Chrono Trigger piece with my symphonic style. He offered me the battle tune. I accepted to do it. I hadn't been active in the forum for too long when he offered this, so I didn't even know about this project yet until that time *laughs* I'm glad I was updated on it.
2. And when did you first play Chrono Trigger?
I played Chrono Trigger about 3-4 years ago for the first time. I had just downloaded a SNES emulator online, and I was searching down all RPG games I could find. One of those was Chrono Trigger; my first impression as I started to play it was that I thought the main Character, Chrono looked ALOT alike the main Character in Secret Of Mana. I still think they look alike. Anyways, the game caught me very early; after the scene where Crono went to rescue Marle , everything was great. I enjoyed about every minute of this game, and as in all great games, the music created great feeling, and in this case it was done well. I always found myself whistling a lot of the pieces in the game.
3. How did the creation of 'Darkness Dueling' go?
The creation of "Darkness Dueling" went very well. I finished shortly after I had received the offer to remix the battle tune, and after it was sent in to Compyfox, I did a few adjustment so it would fit better with the overall project. How well is it liked? I will know when the project is released.
4. Do you draw inspiration from any certain composers, styles, or other influences?
I draw inspiration from the quality of the concept of that I am working on, and the visions I have for it, as well as ,for instance ,artwork made for it, etc. I don't have any specific composers I draw inspiration from, however. Although some composers have certain elements I enjoy more than others'. Certain composers may influence my choice of instruments. I mostly draw originality-inspiration, not trying to make anything similar to others, but rather do it differently. And hey, since there are so many different styles in this world, and how we get INTO these different styles, I must say that all I do, and will do in the future is inspired by those kinds of styles that I use. I’m for instance very inspired by Progressive music, Metal/Hard rock, Game-music/ Fantasy, Electronica, Symphonic etc. -- almost all styles except Jazz.
5. What do you use to remix?
Here are my Equipment and software:
Ibanez RG 560 (Guitar)
Zoom 505 (Pedal)
A pretty powerful PC, 1GB ram, 2,4GHZ.
Steinberg Cubase SX 2, HALion VSTi v1.11
Kontakt. Tons of different samples, Ethnic, Symphonic, Futuristic, Electronica etc.
Battery, Drumkits From Hell.
Sometimes I use Fruityloops, but only on very rare occasions.
6. Plan to work in another project?
If any interesting and serious projects show up, and they contain motivated people, yes, I do. I'm also thinking about starting my own remix project, but I’m not sure yet. Time will tell. If so, would anyone participate? *laughs*
7. How's it feel being part of a Chrono OCR site project now that it's complete?
It feels great; it would be cool if it could be transferred to Album format and officially sold as a Tribute. But its cool as it is; I enjoy being a part of this. I should thank Claado for that. I greatly look forward to hearing what people think of this project and the result, as well as hearing what the other composers contributed.
8. Anything you'd like to say to Chrono fans?
Yeah, look forward to this release! It will bring you a new vision for the music! You WILL enjoy! *laughs*
Author Comments on Tracks
Darkness Dueling - The first part resembles a calm before the storm kind of thing, a tension crawling inside the stomach of the main characters…ready for action. When the piano line strikes, they sense what will come, so fastly prepared for glory, and then the enemies attack. They spread to different angles attacking their enemies, and the last breathing you hear was intended to be the last enemy falling, its final gasps for air.