blizzard-music
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Diablo III: Reaper of Souls soundtrack now available online
If you're a fan of Blizzard's music, you can now acquire the Reaper of Souls soundtrack through iTunes. You can purchase the album for $9.99 or individual tracks for $1.29 each. The Reaper of Souls music page on Blizzard's website includes 30 second samples of each track as well as composers' notes. If you find yourself interested in multiple tracks, we suggest just going in for the album -- there are 22 total tracks, adding up to a significant cost difference. $9.99 or $28.38? The choice is yours!
Blizzard Audio Team interviewed on WoW, Diablo and Starcraft
Several key members of the Blizzard Audio team were interviewed recently over at The Frontliner. This epic-length interview featured Senior Director of Audio Russell Brower, Project Music Director/Composer Derek Duke, Lead Sound Designer Joseph Lawrence, and Casting and Voice Director Andrea Toyias. This interview hit so many topics, it's hard to list them all out here, but some of the ones that really interested me were the tips for getting into the various artists' fields, along with information on the technology and methods they used. I love hearing about field recordings, for example the engineers holding the huge glass doors open just so at Blizzard HQ to get an awesome wind whistle. It's great, too, to hear about the casting process for voice artists, the difficulties faced and the lengths Blizzard goes to to get great people. It's an altogether fascinating insight into the world of Blizzard audio, as well as hotspots to hear the best gurgling and popping noises in Southern California!
Video Games Live coming to Irvine in July
Many of you may be familiar with Video Games Live, a concert series celebrating the music and art of video games. Music from Blizzard's games has been featured in other Video Games Live concerts, but this is the first time the event will be held in Blizzard's home town of Irvine, California, and the planners are well aware of the games giant in the performance's backyard. If you use the promo code "Blizzard" when you purchase your ticket, you'll get a 20% discount on the price. The show will be performed by the Pacific Symphony, along with video footage, synchronized lighting, and live-action interactive performances. If you are lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend, tickets are now currently on sale for the show on July 17th.
New music section launches on Blizzard community site
Soundtrack aficionados, rejoice! Blizzard has just announced the launch of a new music section on its community site. So far, the new feature offers a convenient embed of the iTunes storefront to make it easier to find, preview, and buy songs (or full albums) from World of Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo. Additionally, the section offers history, credits, and photos for those interested in reading about the creation of the music. Albums for newer games are especially detailed, with forwards from some of the composers and notes for individual songs. Currently, there are 10 albums in total and one single from Diablo 3. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go find out if that track from that Night Elf island in the Ghostlands is available. Best music in the game, I tell you!
BattleCry mosaic feature revealed: "Invincible"
Another portion of the BattleCry mosaic was revealed on Friday, bringing the total completed to 50%. This time, instead of unlocking a piece of art, Blizzard gave us something a little more special -- a 3-minute piece of music titled "Invincible" recalling the leitmotif of the Wrath of the Lich King trailer. Blizzard rather cryptically describes it thusly: An ode to one who has fallen. Time and events have left it unclear whether the song refers to the former prince of Lordaeron or his beloved steed. Cryptic or not, this is a beautiful piece of music, and one we're hoping appears in-game soon. Staffers here have guessed that "Invincible" might play either during or after the much-anticipated fight with the Lich King himself, and we're quite likely to see one whopper of a lore moment and cutscene. Fingers crossed, but until then, I'm going to enjoy playing this in Icecrown, and I'd kill to hear a rendition with a full chorus and symphony, perhaps at some social convention said to take place yearly...but surely that's just crazy talk.
Blizzard music to be featured at Gamer MusiCON '09
If you're looking for a way to relax this weekend, why don't you hie off to Houston and get tickets to the Gamer MusiCON '09, an all-day event celebrating music from the video game industry. If you're familiar with the Video Games Live, the whole event has expanded somewhat with the help of Blizzard Entertainment and will now have a full hour-and-a-half Blizzard Live! to go along with the traditional Video Games Live! concert.Blizzard Live! will feature music, both old and some never performed ones, from Blizzard's different game worlds - Diablo, Starcraft, and Warcraft - paired with exclusive game footage and synchronized lighting. The Video Games Live! segment features music from other popular games like Chrono Trigger or Mega Man. Of course, just like any great geek and gamer event, Gamer MusiCON will feature a lot of fun in between, such as costume contests, Guitar Hero faceoffs, a Q&A with Blizzard's composers, autograph signings, and lots of swag. The event, conducted by Jack Wall and hosted by Tommy Talarico, comes to life with the help of the Houston Symphony. It will be held at the Jones Hall in downtown Houston. You'd better get your tickets today! Oh, and don't forget to bring a date.
Echoes of War hits iTunes
Awhile ago, we announced that the Echoes of War music set, the CD set by the Eminence Symphony Orchestra highlighting the music of Blizzard's most popular games, had finally been released for purchase. For those of you that prefer to get your music digitally (what's a CD?), good news! The official World of Warcraft site announced earlier today that you can now purchase Echoes of War on iTunes, either whole hog or individual tracks.If you're on the fence about picking up this album (or some of its tracks), remember that the Echoes of War site has some sample music that you can check out. Personally? I'm a fan. I adore how Blizzard uses music in their games. Still, there are a few tracks I don't care for since Diablo III will be the first one I'll have ever played (shameful, I know), and I have no emotional attachment or memories tied to those tracks at all. They're pretty music but not something I'd listen to every day. The Starcraft and Warcraft tracks are definitely cool to have, though.
Warcraft music available on iTunes
I know I've raved about the music of Wrath of the Lich King in Beta, but generally, the music from other Blizzard games have been pretty topnotch. So while the Wrath soundtrack probably won't be out for a while -- it'll likely be included in the Collector's Edition -- you can head on over to the iTunes music store to pick up soundtracks from past Blizzard games such as Diablo, StarCraft, and of course, several albums from the Warcraft universe.Most of the albums available were included in past Collector's Editions of Blizzard games, such as the original soundtracks of World of Warcraft and The Burning Crusade, and even the Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos soundtrack. One of the coolest soundtracks, I think, is the Taverns of Azeroth collection by new age composer David Arkenstone. I've been a fan of Arkenstone since his days at Narada, and it was a very pleasant surprise for me to learn he was doing music for World of Warcraft. If you enjoy the music of the World of Warcraft -- and other Blizzard games, you might want to check out the iTunes music store. As a bonus, you can even download the Diablo III Overture by Russell Brower for free.
