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Boom finds a new design partner for its Symphony supersonic jet engine
Overture test flights are now slated to start a year later than previously planned, but Boom still expects the supersonic jet to be certified for commercial flights in 2029.
'Assassin's Creed Symphony' concerts will also feature holograms
This summer, Ubisoft and MGP Live will debut the Assassin's Creed Symphony -- a concert series bringing the game's soundtrack to stage. As the saga of Assassin's Creed plays out on screen, a live orchestra and choir will perform the score. The just-released trailer, which you can watch below, promises an "immersive experience," complete with holograms of your favorite characters.
Tidal's next exclusive concert pairs Deadmau5 with a symphony
Electronic musician Joel "Deadmau5" Zimmerman is stripping down his sound and adding string instruments to his army of synths for a Tidal-sponsored "Where's the drop?" concert next month. Tidal subscribers can jump in on today's pre-sale, while the general public will be able to buy tickets starting tomorrow. The concert takes place April 1st (no foolin') at Los Angeles' historic Wiltern Theater. In case you forgot, Zimmerman is a one of the service's artist-owners, along with Jay Z, Jack White and Daft Punk.
The 'Ocarina of Time' soundtrack is coming to vinyl
In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, music had a pretty big role. For instance, all it took to summon a rainstorm or change the time of day was playing a few notes on an the titular musical instrument. And now you can get in line to buy those iconic tracks and more on 180 gram vinyl. Hero of Time is scheduled to release second quarter of next year and will set you back $40 plus shipping. Rather than just pressing the MIDI score from the Nintendo 64 game to wax, however, a 64-piece orchestra performed the tunes. I see what you did there, iam8bit.
Netflix synthesizes a brainwave symphony for 'Sense8'
Netflix's new sci-fi adventure, Sense8, follows eight people who suddenly develop psychic powers with each other. To commemorate the series, which is directed by The Matrix's Wachowski siblings, Netflix teamed up with J. Michael Straczynski, the guy who invented Babylon 5, and technologist Patrick Gunderson to create the strangest symphony you've ever heard -- or thought.
Zelda-themed Symphony of the Goddesses returns in 2015
The Legend of Zelda-themed orchestra Symphony of the Goddesses begins a new tour next month, the "Master Quest." The concert series will kick off at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, Tennessee on January 21 and 22, wrapping its nine-month tour at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston, Texas on October 22. Symphony of the Goddesses will perform an orchestral score approved by The Legend of Zelda series composer Koji Kondo. The four-movement symphony features the stories of Zelda games such as Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Link to the Past. Head past the break for the full list of dates for the Symphony of Goddesses Master Quest tour. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask will receive a 3D remake for 3DS in spring 2015.
Humble Bundle PC, Android 10: Skulls of the Shogun, Symphony
Humble Bundle PC and Android 10 offers seven games for your mobile and desktop pleasure, three for any price you choose and four for more than the average. The three games up for grabs are Symphony, Draw a Stickman: Epic and Galcon Legends (plus the Galcon Fusion DLC). For roughly $5 – that's the current average, at least – add on Skulls of the Shogun, Metal Slug 3, Fieldrunners 2 and Breach & Clear. All of these games bought separately would run you $99 – plus, the Humble Bundle comes with most of these games' soundtracks. Plus plus, your purchase supports the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Child's Play Charity. All of the games come with Steam access by spending $1 or more. This is the Mac, Linux and Android debut for Skulls of the Shogun, a game that we enjoyed immensely on Xbox 360. [Image: 17-BIT]
Someone made machines that play music with pint glasses
Forget skimming the edge of your pint glass to make music -- how about some real alcohol-inspired instruments? Inventor Andy Cavatorta has built the Chalice Symphony, a quartet of devices that use Stella Artois' signature drinking glasses to produce some decidedly uncommon sounds. Each of the instruments is surprisingly technology-laden. The Star Harp can use robotics to play itself, while the Pyrophone you see here relies on software-controlled torches to create flute-like notes. The Hive (a keyboard-driven cluster of bells) and the Violina (a spinning string-like instrument) also use complex machinery. There are currently just a few teaser videos to hint at what the symphony can do, but you'll get an earful soon -- Cold War Kids will release a track in early March that was performed using the glass-based gadgets. We have a hunch that it's worth waiting for the song, even if you're not a fan of Belgian pilsners.
Jukebox Heroes: EVE Online's soundtrack
EVE Online's soundtrack is a strange puppy to me. I've heard players proclaim their love and undying affection for it, although I believe that a great deal of that is tied into game loyalty and monogamy. From this outsider's perspective, it's a large number of ambient synth tracks that are big on atmosphere and small on catchy melodies or memorable themes. Even though I wouldn't rate it as one of the most exciting scores I've covered for this column, I don't want to dismiss its atmospheric nature as a negative. Creating a soundscape that communicates the wonder, mystery, and largely empty gulf of the cosmos has proven to be a great asset to gamer immersion for EVE, and at least most of these tracks are soothing and low-key enough to warrant a high rating on the replayability scale. Icelandic composer Jón Hallur Haraldsson was in charge of this project. Responding to an interview question about the score's musical category, Haraldsson said, "Back in the days I used to concern myself a lot with defining my music, but I don't do that as much anymore. I like to amalgamate, to take whatever I like from whatever style and try to put that into my music." You can listen to a bulk of the game's music on Sound Cloud, but here are my picks for the six best tracks out of the bunch!
EVE Online Second Decade collector's edition revealed
Moments ago at EVE Online's tenth anniversary Fanfest, CCP revealed plans for its Second Decade Collector's Edition box. EVE never really had a proper collector's edition, and the tenth anniversary of the game is the perfect opportunity to release one. The box will come with an awesome physical Rifter model that doubles as a USB hub, a CD of the tenth anniversary EVE symphony from this year's Fanfest, and a series of codes to redeem to cosmetic items in EVE Online and DUST 514. The box is due for release in October 2013 and on the EVE store and Amazon and can be pre-purhased right now for $149.99 (€149.99 for those in Europe). Cosmetic upgrades for EVE include a new golden pod skin that applies permanently to one character, some new bloodline-based in-game clothing, and several collector's edition ships. Players will get a five-run blueprint copy of the tenth anniversary Gnosis battlecruiser and a re-skinned red Tash-Murkon Magnate, and pre-purchasers will get a bonus Nefnatar Thrasher. DUST 514 items include a set of permanant Amarr templar drop suits and weapons with the same stats as normal items but lower skill requirements.
What to expect from EVE Fanfest 2013 today: DUST 514 keynote and more
EVE Online's colossal tenth anniversary Fanfest hasn't even officially begun, but the excitement from attendees is already practically palpable. The Reykjavik nightlife has been invaded by hundreds of foreigners yelling about internet spaceships as players from around the world reunite with their online comrades and meet corpmates for the first time. Over the course of the weekend, a record 1,400 EVE fans and hundreds more press and partners will flood into the Harpa building for non-stop news and festivities from EVE Online, DUST 514, and World of Darkness. The talks and events start later today, but last night CCP kicked off the festivities with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra delivering stunning renditions of tracks from the EVE Online soundtrack. Today, I'll be reporting back from key talks including the Retribution expansion roundup at 8 a.m. EDT (noon GMT), ship rebalancing at 9 a.m. EDT (1 p.m. GMT), lowsec PvP and crimewatch at noon EDT (4 p.m. GMT), and of course, the DUST 514 keynote speech at 2 p.m. EDT (6 p.m. GMT). I may also be able to join in on the roundtable discussion on wormholes and live events at 10 a.m. EDT (2 p.m. GMT) for an inside look at CCP's current thoughts. Check out the Fanfest timetable and let me know if there's something interesting you think I should try to squeeze in. I'd expect the tone of these talks to be one of looking back at another successful year and the great player response to the Retribution expansion. We probably won't hear much of anything about the Odyssey expansion today, but I do expect some big DUST 514 news from the keynote. While many are probably hoping for word of a PC release, I'd be very surprised to see CCP actually do it. We'll most likely just get a release schedule for the PS3 launch and possibly footage of the game running on a PS4 devkit. I'm personally also hoping for more details on post-release updates such as the ability for DUST corps to own and manage their own territory and industrial supply chains. Whether you're a die-hard fan of internet spaceships or just a gawker on the sidelines, EVE Fanfest is the EVE Online event of the year (and the key source of new DUST 514 and World of Darkness scoops!). Follow Massively's Brendan Drain as he reports back on this year's Fanfest starpower, scheming, and spoilers from exotic Reykjavik, Iceland.
Guild Wars 2 composer Soule kickstarting symphony project
Here's an interesting Kickstarter wrinkle for you. Instead of funding the usual indie sandbox game, how would you feel about contributing to the first symphonic work from legendary game music maestro Jeremy Soule? Soule is the prolific composer behind more than 60 commercial scores including memorable soundtracks for Guild Wars 2, World of Warcraft's Mists of Pandaria expansion, the Elder Scrolls series, and BioWare classics like Neverwinter Nights, Baldur's Gate, and Knights of the Old Republic. Soule's next project is called Symphony No. 1 The Northerner (Opus 1), and according to the Kickstarter page, it marks his "first foray into the grand traditions of classical music. This symphonic work is planned to feature live players and singers in addition to the innovative technologies for which Jeremy has become known." Soule's project currently sits at about 75 percent of its $10,000 goal with 30 days to go.
The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Symphony
Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Francois Bertrand and Matt Shores of Empty Clip Studios discuss the battle to liberate your own musical library with PC game Symphony. What's your game called and what's it about?Our game is called Symphony. It's a vertical shooter that's 100 percent driven by your music. Your music is under attack by a mysterious evil entity and you must fight to liberate it.What's the coolest aspect of Symphony?We really pushed to have the tightest connection possible between the emotions, events and mood of your music and the game. The characteristics of each of your songs – the beats, the energy and the spectrum, all contribute to generate a unique level. We also wanted to add a lot of replayability and wrap everything into a coherent storyline so you have a satisfying, long-lasting gameplay experience.You're not just playing individual songs – you're fighting to liberate your music collection. As you progress through the game, you'll fight boss battles, unlock difficulty levels, get rewarded for reaching score targets, collect items and customize your ship. Every song in your collection contains an item you can discover, equip and upgrade.
Zelda 25th anniversary symphony coming to Denver, Vancouver, Atlanta and more
The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary concert series is continuing its journey around the United States, and the show is so popular that it's added four new dates to the proceedings. In addition to all of the dates already listed, the show is coming to Denver on April 7, Vancouver, Canada on March 14, Phoenix, AZ on April 20, and finally Atlanta, GA on May 12. The concert features a full-length four-part symphony of Legend of Zelda music performed by a full-sized orchestra. Reviews on Ticketmaster's site are great so far, so if you're interested in seeing the show you'd better send that boomerang out to grab them quickly.
Wear a tie and watch this video of the Legend of Zelda orchestra recording a CD
It's difficult to compare to a live symphonic performance, but a CD that comes free with initial printings of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is a close contender, followed by anything that we would have to pay for, and ending with "Buying the songs on iTunes for a long ride on the New York subway with only one headphone in our right ear and a wet Doberman Pinscher growling into our left the entire way." A five-minute video showing the recording of the CD falls somewhere between "Free CD" and "Going to Best Buy to buy the CD, finding out they don't have it, driving across the street to Target and buying it plus $100 worth of stuff we didn't know we needed that day." We'll take it.
Zelda concert series comes to Dallas January 10
If you missed the recent Zelda concerts because of their unfortunate non-Texan location, take heart (containers) because Nintendo is kicking off its touring series of symphonies next year in Dallas on January 10. Tickets are available directly through the Dallas Symphony, with a 15% discount available through Club Nintendo. To get that code, just sign into Club Nintendo and look for the special offer on the front page. This is only the first concert in the tour; Nintendo will hold more performances for the "The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses" concert throughout 2012, with dates and locations to be announced. You'll have plenty of time to buy something nice to wear. It's the symphony, after all.
Free concert in LA this weekend, bring your Apple II
Following the only logical path one can take after building a working 15x scale Atari joystick, Jason Torchinsky is pulling together all the Apple IIs that can be had for a quick concert. Those not already entranced by chiptunes will want to give LA neighborhood art space Machine Project a wide berth on Saturday, where participants will use a 16 step sequencer to get something like music out of the system's timer circuit. Those interested in checking it out can check the source link for details, but if you actually have an Apple II laying around (and aren't in the middle of a game of Oregon Trail, that's serious business) you'll want to show up around 6 p.m. to get things arranged.
The Legend of Zelda symphonies to be held across the country for franchise's 25th anniversary
Shigeru Miyamoto has announced that to celebrate the 25th anniversary for The Legend of Zelda, a series of concerts will be held across the country. These live symphonies will also produce a soundtrack, available to anyone who picks up The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and registers with Club Nintendo, free of charge.
Video Games Live comes to PBS this summer
Video Games Live, the wildly popular traveling concert series that performs music from major video games, is visiting a new venue this August: the television. VGL was founded in 2002 by video game composers and game industry veterans Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall. Since its inception, the symphony performance has prided itself on introducing the experience of a live orchestra performance to an entirely new generation of listeners; most attendees are viewing the symphony for the first time. In addition, it's a celebration of the gaming industry, the creative process of designing music for video games, and a showcase for art of video game music to both gamers and non-gamers. The concert series literally travels the world, performing in countries such as Canada, Mexico, Brazil, England, Scotland, France, Taiwan, New Zealand, Spain, Portugal and most of the United States (including, of course, BlizzCon). Both because of the subject of the concerts and because of the quality of entertainment, concerts can easily sell out. Thankfully for those of us who haven't been able to afford the cost or simply live nowhere near the touring locations, PBS will be airing a 90-minute Video Games Live special, consisting of never-before televised live musical performances from the Mario, Zelda, Sonic, Halo, Final Fantasy, Castlevania, God of War, Civlization, Chrono Cross and Guitar Hero franchises, including a musical journey through classic gaming. And of course, music from both Warcraft and StarCraft will be making an appearance as well. For those who don't catch the televised performance, there will also be a CD and DVD/Blu-ray release that coincides with the nationally televised special, including over three hours of bonus material. Check out the trailer above for more details about what is sure to be a gorgeous night of entertainment!
Empty Clip Studios composing a Symphony with your music
Empty Clip Studios revealed its followup to the WiiWare/Wii retail Groovin' Blocks, with another game that mashes up a traditional genre with music. Symphony is a music-based shooter, similar in concept to Rez. Unlike Rez, however, it draws its music from your own collection, dynamically generating enemy patterns. It's also much less abstract than Mizuguchi's masterpiece, as sound is translated into visible waveforms, which then become patterns of enemies. It's a lot easier for us to tell you to just watch the video after the break than to explain it. Empty Clip plans to release the game sometime next year. No specific platform has been mentioned.
