FIRST CHECK IN:

WHAT IS FINAL FANTASY XIV

Final Fantasy XIV is a critically acclaimed MMORPG by Square Enix that takes the world and lore of the Final Fantasy franchise and combines it with the accessibility and community driven concept of an MMO.

OUR ALBUM

What it is

This arrangement album, Songs Reborn (working title), centers around the theme of community. Our goal is to bring the FFXIV community together to create something that all Warriors of Light can participate in and enjoy.The album will consist of around 30 tracks from various patches ranging pre-1.0 to 5.5.

How to Join

We are looking for fans of Final Fantasy XIV within all musical skill levels to participate in the album.Arrangers and their chosen tracks will be determined via an application/acceptance system, and any and all performers are welcome to participate in the tracks by connecting with accepted arrangers.However, whether you are directly contributing to the album as a composer, performer, and/or creator, OR if you'd like to support the album and the FFXIV community, everyone is free to join the Bards of Light community.

F.A.Q.

General Questions

Q: Who are the Bards of Light?
A: We are a group of Final Fantasy XIV fans who are also musicians, and our goal is to bring the FFXIV community together through creating an arrangement album that celebrates the music from the game!Q: What is this album?
A: "Songs Reborn" (working title) will be an arrangement album consisting of around 30 tracks from the music of Final Fantasy XIV. These tracks will come from anywhere between patches pre-1.0 to 5.5.Q: How will I be able to listen to this album?
A: The album will be released on streaming services such as YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, etc.

Contributor Questions

Q: Who can participate?
A: We welcome anyone anywhere of any musical skill level!Q: How do I participate?
A: For arrangers - Arrangers should choose which tracks they would like to arrange, and they will be accepted via application submissions that will open on July 18th at 12 AM EDT.For performers - Performers should get in touch with accepted arrangers via our discord server to find pieces to perform.Q: What is the theme of this album?
A: The theme of this album is collaboration! Contributors are highly encouraged to collaborate with each other! As such, priority will be given to proposals that involve multiple collaborators, although solo arrangements are still welcome.Q: What tracks can be included?
A: Almost any FFXIV song from Pre 1.0 to 5.5 is eligible. In other words, the song needs to be included in one of Square Enix's official FFXIV OST albums.Q: What type of file should be submitted?
A: Your final submission should be a fully mixed, single 48kHz/24 bit Stereo .WAV.

Proposal Questions

Q: How many proposals can each arranger submit?
A: Each arranger is allowed to submit one main proposal and one backup proposal. If the main proposal is not accepted, the backup proposal may be accepted instead.Q: Are medleys allowed?
A: A medley is a song that combines two or more pieces into one, single arrangement. Due to licensing, arrangers will only be allowed to arrange one song per arrangement.Q: Can I arrange a piece based on multiple variations on the same theme?
A: Yes! Even if the variations are used as separate songs in the soundtrack, as long as the main overall theme is largely represented, it can be used.Q: Can I add my own custom lyrics or change lyrics in my arrangement?
A: Unfortunately, no. You cannot add or modify lyrics on an existing piece due to licensing issues. This applies to lyrics in any phonetic language. However, using vocals as an instrument (ie. singing "oo"s and "aa"s) is allowed.Q: How transformative can arrangements be (eg. changing minor key to major, adding/removing sections, etc.)?
A: As long as the arrangement isn't a blatant copy of the original score, anything is welcome!Q: Will arrangers retain their rights to their arrangements after the album is published?
A: Yes! Once the album is published all arrangers will own the rights to freely distrubute their own creations (eg. publishing YouTube videos, posting on social media, etc.).

Etc. Questions

Q: Who is leading this album project?
A: Head admin Dorian Kirk is in charge of this album. He's been working with the video game music community for 5+ years and has previous experience working on arrangement albums in the past. His love for FFXIV inspired him to spearhead a new arrangement album for the FFXIV community by the community.Q: Do you know La-HEE?
A: maybe :^)

SCHEDULE

(Tentative Schedule)

01/03/2022 - Recruitment & Proposal Forms
01/14/2022 - Proposal Acceptances
02/21/2022 - Check-in 1 Due
03/21/22 - Check-in 2 Due
04/25/2022 - Album Art Design Contest
03/28/2022 - Final Submission
TBA - Track Previews