To those who say/think Replacing the Audio(OST) is ILLEGAL...READ HERE!

[EternalCore]

First off "OST" = "Original SoundTrack" which is normally used to refer to the commercial audio tracks of a game, anime, movie, etc...

It's not illigal because people recompose audio from anything and games are at the top of the list, which is what is in this tutorial post http://steamcommunity.com/app/39140/discussions/0/846958001158763901/ ; and I'll point you to this wounderfully remix game music site: http://ocremix.org/remixes/ <- which their remixes are free!

It's no different then this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3KUyPKbR7Q

Nuff Said. -Enjoy FFVII!

[Serious Cat]

Originally posted by Ultimacy:

Could you link us to the relevant law articles for all countries in which the game is released that show the legality of sharing these music files?

You seriously expect a full fledged comparison of the respective laws on fair use media policies in over a dozen or more countries?

Meanwhile even the people at Square-Enix don't give a damn about this issue, having multiple threads for months now with exactly the same content and download links as we had on their official FFVII boards. Mind explaining this instead? Shouldn't be as much work as the first task.

[[FTG] Becky]

This thread will be gone soon anyway, so all this huffing and puffing is good for nothing.

[paladin181]

It's not the replacing. It's the offering of their copyrighted soundtrack files for free to anyone whether or not they own the game that is illegal, which is what was happening. You can replace the music. If you have the originals, you can remaster the music and replace it. You can (usually) tell others how to do the same. You can not remaster it then upload it for free unsanctioned download, though. It does suck as the person was REALLY trying to help the community, but the method was improper.

[Dukeinator]

Originally posted by Serious Cat:

Originally posted by Ultimacy:

Could you link us to the relevant law articles for all countries in which the game is released that show the legality of sharing these music files?

You seriously expect a full fledged comparison of the respective laws on fair use media policies in over a dozen or more countries?

Meanwhile even the people at Square-Enix don't give a damn about this issue, having multiple threads for months now with exactly the same content and download links as we had on their official FFVII boards. Mind explaining this instead? Shouldn't be as much work as the first task.

Do you really not see the issue here? By posting the .OGG files of the complete PSX soundtrack you can "own" all of the FF7 music for free. It just so happens they SELL that music on a CD and with the game itself. Just because they are ignoring it doesn't make it legal.

[paladin181]

Modding isn't illegal. :P S-E has been aware of and explicitly allowed QHIMM to continue operation.

[ShabbyOrange]

If you buy the game and accept the terms and conditions, then go against it, you broke the contract you agree'd to. Thus it is illegal, no idea about all this OST and modding stuff going on in all this thread.

But it is all very simple. If you use their software under their own terms and con's, then break that contract, you can be then prosecuted by the extent of the crime you have commited.

[[FTG] Becky]

Originally posted by TheShabbyOrange:

If you buy the game and accept the terms and conditions, then go against it, you broke the contract you agree'd to. Thus it is illegal, no idea about all this OST and modding stuff going on in all this thread.

But it is all very simple. If you use their software under their own terms and con's, then break that contract, you can be then prosecuted by the extent of the crime you have commited.

Pretty much.

[Serious Cat]

Originally posted by phil1450:

Do you really not see the issue here? By posting the .OGG files of the complete PSX soundtrack you can "own" all of the FF7 music for free. It just so happens they SELL that music on a CD and with the game itself. Just because they are ignoring it doesn't make it legal.

Actually no. I don't see the issue for two reasons.

1. I don't think completely remastered, looped and heavily edited .ogg files that are distributed without commercial use, without any intent of profit and which are also crediting the official creator & the rightowners of the basic soundtrack are illegal.
This leads me to
2. Square-Enix hasn't done anything against
a) month and years old posts / threads containing the same & similar download links and tutorials about this issue on their own official FFVII board
b) big and legit gaming related hosters like gamefront, filefront, moddb that host these mods nor the modding communities like qhimm, which are also spreading this content.

Originally posted by melfice181:

S-E has been aware of and explicitly allowed QHIMM to continue operation.

If that is true (haven't found the source yet), it even underlines the points I mentioned before.

[Dukeinator]

Originally posted by Serious Cat:

Originally posted by phil1450:

Do you really not see the issue here? By posting the .OGG files of the complete PSX soundtrack you can "own" all of the FF7 music for free. It just so happens they SELL that music on a CD and with the game itself. Just because they are ignoring it doesn't make it legal.

Actually no. I don't see the issue for two reasons.

1. I don't think completely remastered, looped and heavily edited .ogg files that are distributed without commercial use, without any intent of profit and which are also crediting the official creator & the rightowners of the basic soundtrack are illegal.
This leads me to
2. Square-Enix hasn't done anything against
a) month and years old posts / threads containing the same & similar download links and tutorials about this issue on their own official FFVII board
b) big and legit gaming related hosters like gamefront, filefront, moddb that host these mods nor the modding communities like qhimm, which are also spreading this content.

Originally posted by melfice181:

S-E has been aware of and explicitly allowed QHIMM to continue operation.

If that is true (haven't found the source yet), it even underlines the points I mentioned before.

First off, the OGG files are not "heavily edited" or "completely remastered" stop exaggerating what is actually happening. They sound near IDENTICAL to the original and the "loops" are several minutes long so no part of the song is missing. So again, for free you can have the entire soundtrack even if you never purchased ANY variant of the game.

If you dig back into old threads you can see this music being taken off sites like Gamefront, Mediafire etc. There is a huge difference between mods like new textures and compilations of ripped copyright protected music.

[[FTG] Becky]

Originally posted by Silver90:

I am pretty amazed at the amount of pitchfork waving over something so simple and stupid. They aren't going to throw you in prison with murderers for replacing some music tracks in your video game with some higher quality ones.

I can see them not wanting you to advertise it, though.

You would be amazed at what you can go to prison for these days.

[Dukeinator]

Originally posted by Silver90:

Yeah, and replacing some music in your little Japanese role-playing game is not one of them.

I could see getting into some serious trouble if people were attempting to sell the tracks, but no one is that dumb.

Yeah I don't think jail time is an issue here at all. A lot of people were confused as to why Steam removed the sticky on how to replace the music. I'm just trying to clear it up some of the wild misconceptions I keep reading.

[Serious Cat]

Originally posted by phil1450:

First off, the OGG files are not "heavily edited" or "completely remastered" stop exaggerating what is actually happening. They sound near IDENTICAL to the original and the "loops" are several minutes long so no part of the song is missing. So again, for free you can have the entire soundtrack even if you never purchased ANY variant of the game.

Having a looping .ogg soundtrack that you have to edit with hours of work again to even resemble the one they sell? Despite that, even the Yamaha and S-YXG70 software synth editions would fall under your definition of sounding nearly identical regarding the composition and they aren't touched at all by SE and are widely available despite not being edited or officially approved by them.

Originally posted by phil1450:

If you dig back into old threads you can see this music being taken off sites like Gamefront, Mediafire etc. There is a huge difference between mods like new textures and compilations of ripped copyright protected music.

Digged down to over a year in the past now (further is apparently not possible on their boards) and found at least 9 topics with downloadlinks to various platforms (hell, even dropbox...) with different archives of the OST, partly remastered on different instruments partly reworked with same synths. They all resemble the same compositions. Just one post about someone who wonders if links got removed in the past and a few other posts that speculate about these legal issues and claiming fair use. I don't know if that's what you are refering to (sorry if I overlooked something) but I can hardly call that evidence that they got massive amounts of data deleted and sued involved parties or sent C&D letters out.


All those details aside, it comes down to this: Why is it such a big deal / problem, having a tutorial about these mods on steam while the publisher obviously has no problem with it on his official boards (even with included downloadlinks)? Other modding threads that go much further, like the ones about Tifas Bootleg Mod, which also include the very same soundmods but require a whole downgrade to the '98 version are thankfully tolerated. Imho it just makes no sense at all.

[Dukeinator]

Originally posted by Silver90:

^People like to wave their pitchforks. It really gets them going.

People like to be asinine. It really gets me going.

Serious cat, I love how you say you FOUND threads where the music was removed but you "can't find" what I'm talking about. Just because the files continue to be uploaded over and over again doesn't mean it hasn't been pulled down for one reason or another. I never claimed that Square was sending out lawsuits, quit jumping to conclusions. Go back and read carefully to what I had to say and you can clearly see I've been telling people to mod the music themselves.

Having a looping .ogg soundtrack that you have to edit with hours of work again to even resemble the one they sell?

This is such a weak argument. I have the entire PC soundtrack rendered by a MU80. Let's compare track lengths, shall we?

Official Soundtrack:
1 - Prelude - 2:52
2 - Opening Bombing Mission - 3:58
3 - Mako Reactor - 3:20
4 - Heart of Anxiety - 4:02
5 - Tifa - 5:06

MU80 Copy:
1- Prelude - 4:26
2 - Opening Bombing Mission - 5:52
3 - Mako Reactor - 3:02
4 - Heart of Anxiety - 3:43
5 - Tifa - 4:54

Clearly they are not as different as you'd like me to believe. Once again your hyperbole is spilling all over the page.

[Serious Cat]

I did not find threads where the files got removed, rather posts where people wondered if such files got removed. There is a difference. Also nice that you have a MU80 rendered version that doesn't mean necessarily that it's the same you can find there, which has the same track lengths as the original soundtrack to make it compatible with the game (*Edit: Nevermind, just realised I mixed up the MU80 tracks with another mod... it has indeed different lengths*). But whatever, if it makes you feel at peace: You are right and I am wrong at every case and issue.

I see that you are also actively helping people in other threads to get a better gaming experience by solving these soundtrack issues so that they can enjoy FFVII the way it was meant to get played, so we are on the same side. Good job and keep it up.

[EternalCore]

Originally posted by Serious Cat:

I did not find threads where the files got removed, rather posts where people wondered if such files got removed. There is a difference. Also nice that you have a MU80 rendered version that doesn't mean necessarily that it's the same you can find there, which has the same track lengths as the original soundtrack to make it compatible with the game. But whatever, if it makes you feel at peace: You are right and I am wrong at every case and issue.

I see that you are also actively helping people in other threads to get a better gaming experience by solving these soundtrack issues so that they can enjoy FFVII the way it was meant to get played, so we are on the same side. Good job and keep it up.

+1
Ya he just wants to troll and flame....