Dan Collins, aka TPR, is something of a special breed. Over the past few years, he's managed to gather a significant following on YouTube and other platforms due to the quality of his arranging skills, specifically in the field of Final Fantasy (but also other games and his original works!).



He's now amassed over 10,000 subscribers on YouTube, with his Final Fantasy VII album (Final Heaven: A Melancholy Tribute to Final Fantasy VII) receiving over 400,000 plays to date. It was therefore quite a privilege to be able to speak with him and conduct an interview about his Final Fantasy arrangements, but also his new album, which is about The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. (you can listen in the video below).



We hope you really enjoy the interview. If you'd like to find out more about Dan, please follow his Facebook or Twitter.



Final Fantasy Union (FFU): So let's start off with an easy one. What kind of musical training do you have?



TPR: I was forced to start playing piano by my parents when I was 6. I remember having lessons, but I don't think I got on particularly well with my teacher, so I'm not sure they lasted for too long! I was more into guitar as a teenager, so I didn't really play for six or seven years, but picked it back up after I left school. To be honest, for the length of time I've been playing the piano, I'm not very good at it at all!



I took a lot of theory exams during my music classes at school, and I think that's helped me the most when it comes to arranging.



FFU: When did you decide to get into arranging? I appreciate it's not for everyone, for example, some people just like performing and others prefer composing completely original works



TPR: I got into doing piano versions of hard rock/heavy metal songs around 2008-09. It was about the time I got a full-time job, so I could afford basic recording equipment and sample libraries. There's an Alice In Chains cover on my YouTube channel from January 2009 â€“ I reckon that's the first arrangement I ever put on the internet!



They say when you start out you should stick to what you know, so I moved on to arranging Final Fantasy soundtracks soon after.



FFU: Before we get onto your latest album, which is focussed on the music from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, we have to touch on Final Fantasy as that's where it all started! Were there any other games you dabbled with before progressing with Final Fantasy arrangements?



TPR: I went straight to trying to arrange Final Fantasy soundtracks â€“ they were by far the most memorable soundtracks to me growing up!



FFU: What made you start off exclusively with Final Fantasy VII, as opposed to other games from the franchise or simply just doing a mish-mash "Final Fantasy" album?



TPR: To me, VII was just the most logical place to start. It was the first Final Fantasy I played, and its soundtrack, setting and story had the most profound effect on me.



I didn't want to arrange an album of tracks from different FF games as it would mean either missing out classic tracks, focusing only on them, or creating the largest album ever!



FFU: For those who maybe aren't aware, what's the process like for curating an album? Say you've just finished up with your World of Ruin Final Fantasy VI album, how quickly do you start thinking about the next project, or is it already in your mind?



TPR: I'd like to say I have a plan for what I'd like to do for the next few years, but I really don't! Things can change so quickly â€“ if you'd have told me this time last year that I'd be doing a Wind Waker album I wouldn't have believed you! Though once you get the ideas for the new project, you have to be really careful not to rush the project you're working on.



I've started the past couple of years with plans for the year, but it never works out that way!



I don't really like downtime, so recording work on the next project will start about a week after the previous one has been sent to the distributor.



FFU: Your latest album is 14 tracks, but it's still almost 45 minutes of music. How long do you spend on track selection and then the actual arranging itself? Do you ever change your mind throughout a project?



TPR: I like to listen to the OST of an upcoming project for a couple of months before starting work on it. While listening, I'll write down the names of tracks I think will work in my style in a note and go from there.



It depends on how many tracks there are as to how long it takes. A 14-16-track album will usually take about 4-5 months to arrange and record, while a 24-26-track one will take about 6 months. It's kind of a coincidence that the albums usually fall into one of those categories (except FFVIII).



I change my mind all the time! I posted a couple of pictures of the Wind Waker tracklist on my Facebook page a couple of months ago, and Zelda's Theme had disappeared on the second one. I just couldn't get it different enough to the one I recorded for the Ocarina album, so I decided against doing it.



FFU: Your work has become extremely popular, especially on YouTube where you have almost 3 million views. Have you ever received any kind of nod from any of the composers whose music you've arranged?



TPR: Not yet!



FFU: What have been some of your favourite interaction with fans?



TPR: I get lots of nice comments and messages on my Facebook page! Some have even asked to use my arrangements when they walk down the aisle â€“ it's insane!



FFU: As an arranger yourself, how do you feel about the resurgence of orchestrated video game music? Have you been able to attend either the Distant Worlds, Final Symphony or Zelda concerts?



TPR: I think it's great. The vast majority of shows seem to be in London â€“ about 2.5 hours away from me â€“ so I can't get to them all, but in the past couple of years I've been to Final Symphony, Distant Worlds, the Final Fantasy Piano Opera, and Symphony Of The Goddesses. Looking forward to Symphonic Fantasies in October and Kingdom Hearts Orchestra next year!



FFU: For those who maybe don't delve too much into it, do you have any particular arrangements of video game music that you simply find irresistable and would recomend people listen to?



TPR: I don't delve too deep into game arrangements, but I tend to love everything SongeLeReveur does, and Taylor Davis is incredible. Piano-wise, PurpleSchala has a couple of great albums on Spotify, I like Michelle Heafy's stuff on YouTube, and obviously Kyle Landry is a bit good too!



FFU: Aside from your arrangements, you also compose original pieces. How does the experience differ from arranging, or is it quite similar?



TPR: It's a lot more frustrating! If you get stuck arranging a soundtrack, there's usually going to be another track or another reference point you can use to help. When you're composing you're on your own! I find it a lot more rewarding, though. I hope that the Melancholy series' success will help create a larger platform for the originals.



FFU: Do you have any advice for someone who's maybe looking to get into composing/arranging music?



TPR: Start with arranging a soundtrack you truly love â€“ a love for the source material is one of the greatest tools an arranger can have. It means that you'll treat each track with the respect it deserves and hopefully that'll help you create a project to be proud of.



You can then apply what you've learned on this passion project to other arrangements and build a portfolio that your audience and, most importantly, you, will love.



A sound knowledge of music theory will help too!



FFU: Thanks for taking the time to speak to us! We wish you well with your future projects ^^



