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Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary soundtrack getting full orchestral treatment
San Francisco-based Pyramind Studios is producing a re-orchestrated soundtrack for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. 343 Industries, Microsoft, and Pyramind announced that the project is headed up by Microsoft Senior Audio Director Kristofor Mellroth, and Pyramind Studios COO/Audio Director Paul Lipson, and employs both the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra and San Francisco-based vocal group Chanticleer. Bryan Dale is handling the soundtrack's hot, hot licks. Marty O'Donnell loyalists take note: "We are striving to create the ultimate love letter to Halo fans, and celebrate Marty O'Donnell's and Michael Salvatori's original vision with grace and style," Mellroth points out. Like Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, the re-recorded soundtrack will drop on November 15.
Interview: Audio Director Kristofor Mellroth on the sounds of Crackdown 2
It's fair to say Crackdown was a surprise -- even if you didn't buy it for the Halo 3 beta key, odds are that you downloaded the demo and found a pretty impressive pre-GTA IV open-world shooter. That seems like a blessing and a curse for Audio Director Kristofor Mellroth and the rest of the dev team at Ruffian Games working on the sequel: on the one hand, we have fond memories of the original game, but on the other, there are more great open-world games out there now. Will we go back to Pacific City now that we've got a choice? Mellroth is doing everything on his end to make sure that we do. From the music of the game (which features remixes from the likes of Bob Dylan and Creedence Clearwater Revival, as well as electronic beats by artists like Tokyo Black Star and Adam Freeland) to gunshots, explosions, and the ever-present tones of Michael McConnohie, he's put a lot of thought into what Crackdown 2 should sound like and why. Read on for an exclusive interview with the game's audio director.
