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Jukebox Heroes: Guild Wars Prophecies
What's that, you say? A cheap tie-in, you say? Oh, pish posh. It just so happens that I appreciate the rich oeuvre of Jeremy Soule, and the alignment of the planets is... OK, it's a cheap tie-in. I can't help it; Guild Wars has been on my mind this past week, and since the full Guild Wars 2 soundtrack has yet to ship for DirectSong, this will do. Besides, as we well know, music doesn't age at the same pace as games. So why not hit up a soundtrack for the first Guild Wars while we dive into the sequel? At the risk of understatement, I think it's safe to say Jeremy Soule is somewhat well-known in the field of gaming. As a composer, he's tackled projects like Knights of the Old Republic, Icewind Dale, and the last three Elder Scrolls titles. In the Guild Wars community, he is the voice of the musical soul of the game. His compositions are the stuff of heaven: full, ethereal, dreamy. It's almost impossible to separate Soule's work on Guild Wars: Prophecies from the game, especially for those who played Prophecies extensively since its 2005 release. I'll be eager to digest and report on his newest work when it arrives, but until then, let's sample the highlights of his first foray into Tyria.
Jukebox Heroes: Runes of Magic's soundtrack
Welcome back to Jukebox Heroes, the column that dares you to close your eyes and unplug your ears. Well, after you're done reading this opening, of course. So what's the greatest tragedy in modern musical history? Everyone has an answer to that, but mine will be, "How much Runes of Magic's score is overlooked because it's a free-to-play title." Sure, the game shares enough DNA with World of Warcraft that the two titles can never marry or else they'll have inbred children, but RoM's soundtrack is anything but a clone of WoW's. Runes of Magic actually goes toe to toe with some of the greatest music I've ever heard in MMOs, and that's no exaggeration. I have to thank Massively's Jeremy Stratton for turning me on to this particular score. According to a few accounts I've read, Runes of Magic's music is both cobbled together from tracks of other video games as well as original pieces composed specifically for this. I honestly don't care where the music comes from; I just care to turn my speakers all the way up and feel epic when it's playing. So here we go with my absolute favorite tracks from Runes of Magic, minus a couple that I've shared on Massively before!
Jukebox Heroes Extra: Five exclusive DDO music tracks for your listening pleasure
I'll be honest: Part of the reason I'm doing this column is to get my grubby mitts (and ears) on as much MMO music as possible. So while it's great to talk with composers about their projects, I'm even more interesting in hearing the finished result. For a companion piece to my Chance Thomas interview, Turbine sent over five exclusive tracks from Dungeons and Dragons Online: Menace of the Underdark. Sound Video Technology Director Steve DiGregorio wrote, performed, and recorded each of these, as both he and Thomas collaborated on Turbine's two expansions. In addition to the tracks and my thoughts on them, DiGregorio provided descriptions of each for illumination. Are you excited? I know I am, so let's hop to it!
Jukebox Heroes: Chance Thomas talks about scoring Turbine's expansions
For many Lord of the Rings Online players, the name Chance Thomas is synonymous with the feel of virtual Middle-earth. From the earliest days in the game, explorers have traversed the Shire, Moria, and beyond listening to Thomas' melodies. So we were excited to hear that Turbine is bringing Thomas back to score not only Riders of Rohan (his first soundtrack for the game since Mines of Moria) but also Dungeons and Dragons Online: Menace of the Underdark as well. Thomas is an Oscar- and Emmy-winning composer who's been working primarily in the field of video game music since 1998. Being a huge fan of MMO soundtracks, I made it a personal quest to talk with him about these two new scores and how he feels about working in this genre. In the weeks ahead, I'll be reviewing both Rohan and Underdark's soundtracks, but today I wanted to focus on the man behind the music. Join me, then, as we embark on a voyage to worlds far away, sailing on the wings of a song. Geez, that's cheesy, ain't it?
Jukebox Heroes: Aion's soundtrack
Welcome to Jukebox Heroes, a new biweekly column in which we jam an 8-track cassette into the deck and rock out to the best of MMO scores. I've been a huge soundtrack fan since about forever, and I collect both movie and video game scores like crazy. You may have seen this fanaticism peek through in a few of my Perfect Ten columns, and we thought it was time to give the sounds of MMOs their own dedicated space on Massively. Before we go into today's featured soundtrack, I want to establish two ground rules for this column and the discussion that may follow. The first rule is that even though many players turn off MMO music due to repetition, that doesn't mean that the score itself is forgettable. It's just that no music is good enough to listen to 1,047 times in a row. The second rule is that we're going to focus on the music itself without a larger commentary on its MMO. Good games can have terrible music and vice-versa, so it's important to divorce game opinions from musical analysis. Without further ado, I'm going to kick off this series by examining the latest MMO soundtrack I've acquired, Aion's. Aion is a gorgeous game to look at, and its music is just as -- if not more -- beautiful (and if you're not reading MJ's excellent Wings Over Atreia column, shame on you). Let's give it a listen.
The Perfect Ten: MMO Jukebox
Earlier this year, I got to expose my musically nerdy side to you all in a one-two shot of MMO theme song countdowns. The truth is that I'm just a huge sucker for video game music, and as such, I've collected a wide range of MMO scores to bolster my MP3 player. I know that we players tend to be pretty vocal about turning off MMO music at some point, usually due to extreme repetition. Unfortunately, that seems to leave a bad association with this music in our minds, and I don't feel that reputation is deserved. MMO scores can be just as good -- if not better -- than their counterparts in film or other video games. So I've decided that every so often I'm going to devote a full Perfect Ten to sharing my favorite MMO music. I'm always open to suggestions, of course, so if you know of a track that you feel really should be in the next list, send me an email or leave it in the comments!
This dude can control a pipe organ using Kinect [Update]
Last year Chris Vik modded a Kinect to play the Melbourne Town Hall Organ, and he did it with way more style than any of those sweet Dance Central moves we've attempted to throw down in front of our own little camera boxes. The Melbourne Town Hall Organ is four stories tall, but Vik used his own software, Kinectar, with the organ's MIDI connection to play the whole thing from one moodily lit spot on the stage.Vik and vocalist Elise Richards composed Carpe Zythum and performed it in November, and finally the full video will be available next week, according to Kinect Hacks. The above teaser plays a clip of the performance and reveals the madness behind the music, waving arms and invisible instruments included.Update: As a few of you have mentioned below, the full performance is available now on YouTube. Enjoy!
Auto-composing keyboard creates tunes tailored to your taste
We love listening to our favorite tunes, as they provide a soundtrack to our otherwise dull and silent blogging existence. But, sometimes the lyrical stylings of Jay-Z and glorious jams of Trey Anastasio simply don't meet our musical needs. We need something different, something never before heard by human ears, to get us through the news day. Enter Cornell students Charong Chen and Siyu Zhan, who have constructed an electric keyboard that one ups Yamaha's singing piano by creating and playing its own compositions. Users simply select between two mood modes -- happy or tender -- to determine the tune's tempo, then play a couple notes and the piano sets to sating sonic cravings. There's another mode that allows users to play a melody to "train" the keyboard, which then plays permutations of that melody in an automated jam session. In that training mode, users can play as long as they like to give the keyboard a better idea of what they're into, which allows the algorithm to better tailor its audial output. The hardware making the music happen is comprised of a microcontroller (MCU) with the composing algorithm on board, a numpad for choosing the operational mode, and a 23-key piano that communicates with the MCU through a trio of encoders. The results are impressive, if not quite concert-hall quality. Hear it for yourself in the video after the break.
Halo 4's music composed by Neil Davidge [update: samples]
With Bungie moving away from the Halo series, audio lead Marty O'Donnell is gone as well, meaning that Halo 4 will probably sound different. Edge revealed the identity of the new, non-O'Donnell music team today: composer Neil Davidge, formerly of Massive Attack, and orchestrator/conductor Matt Dunkley (The Dark Knight, Black Swan, Inception)."Hopefully the Halo fans will see that we're being respectful," Dunkley told Edge, "but we've also taken it somewhere else, and maybe onto a higher plane. If you're always trying to reference back, you're not creating new things.""It's a new journey, it's a new story, it's a new arc," said self-professed Halo fan Davidge, "and so I feel like my job is not to revolutionise or reinvent but to continue the evolution, and I have a slightly different voice to those guys."Update: Check out a "ViDoc" about the new composers above. And listen to some samples after the break.
Win tickets to hear WoW soundtrack composer David Arkenstone
What, ho! If thou dost live anywhere at all near Austin, Texas, we hath a merry proposal for thy consideration: a chance to win weekend passes for two to hear WoW soundtrack composer David Arkenstone on the weekend of March 31 and April 1 at the Sherwood Forest Faire near Austin. Forsooth, 'tis verily so -- a meatspace contest for readers in a single mid-U.S. region. (Our most sincere condolences to residents of other fiefs and kingdoms ... There's only so much of the noble Sir Arkenstone to go around!) Mark you, there be no place more fitting to tarry on a sunny spring morn than a renn faire featuring three-time Grammy nominee David Arkenstone performing songs including some of his melodious compositions for World of Warcraft. So hear ye, hear ye (in plain English): We're giving away two pairs of tickets (a $72 value per pair) for the weekend of March 31 and April 1 to Sherwood Forest Faire, 35 miles east of Austin, Texas. To enter, leave a comment on this post before the contest ends at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Sunday, March 18, 2012. Since this is a location-specific event, please don't enter unless you can actually attend the faire in Austin on March 31 and/or April 1; alternate dates and locations are not available, and we want a WoW fan who can be there to enjoy these shows. Winners must be legal residents of the United States or Canada (except Quebec). You may only enter once, and winners must be 18 years of age or older. Two winners will be chosen at random, and tickets will be held in their names at the Will Call window of the faire admissions area. See the official rules for more details. Jousting in your entry comment is optional.
Turbine enlists Chance Thomas to score LotRO, DDO expansions
If you were disappointed by the absence of new music in Lord of the Rings Online's last couple of expansions, then today is a good opportunity to break out the headphones in celebration. Composer Chance Thomas has announced that Turbine contracted him to create an "all-original orchestral, choral and acoustic ensemble score" for this fall's Riders of Rohan. It's not just LotRO audiophiles who have cause to rejoice, either: Thomas is also on board with creating the music for Dungeons and Dragons Online's first expansion, Menace of the Underdark. Thomas' career in video game music dates back to the late '90s with Quest for Glory V. LotRO players know him best as one of the composers for both Shadows of Angmar and Mines of Moria. Menace of the Underdark will release June 25th, while Riders of Rohan is scheduled for some time this fall.
Meet basically every game composer ever in Burbank on June 11
Ever wanted to personally thank a video game composer for creating a particularly catchy anthem? Perhaps with a plate of cookies, or a hearty handshake? You'll get your chance next month, provided you live in Southern California -- Sumthing Else Music Works has arranged for a smattering of musicians to speak at a "Maestros of Video Games" panel on June 11 at Dark Delicacies Books and Collectibles in Burbank, CA. Attendees will be able to listen to and meet composers like Uncharted's Greg Edmonson, Dragon Age's Inon Zur, BioShock's Garry Schyman and a lot more. Check out the full list of participants and event details after the jump! (And we were just kidding about the "plate of cookies" thing. That would be creeptastic.)
Deus Ex: Human Revolution composer talks about his score's influences
If you like the Tron: Legacy soundtrack, you'll love the Deus Ex: Human Revolution score -- if this sample posted on the PlayStation Blog is any indication. Composer Michael McCann doesn't actually mention the popular Daft Punk-penned tracks from last year's CGI spectacular, but you don't need a music degree to hear the similarities. It makes sense, though -- McCann said he was inspired by Deus Ex's "transhumanist" themes, and tried to blend more human, acoustic music in with electronic tones. Vangelis gets a mention, and it of course did the Blade Runner soundtrack, which this latest iteration of Tron also draws influence from. The first Deus Ex has surprisingly little influence on McCann's soundtrack (there's just one cue he deliberately used), but that doesn't mean we won't hear it. McCann said that audio director Steve Szczepkowski did find "a few clever ways of using DX1 cues, but not in the places, or in the ways, that you'd expect." Intriguing! Our ears will be open when the game comes out in August.
15 Minutes of Fame: Student composer brings WoW music to video game choir
From Hollywood celebrities to the guy next door, millions of people have made World of Warcraft a part of their lives. How do you play WoW? We're giving each approach its own 15 Minutes of Fame. You have to admit: Running your own choir to perform video game music is a pretty sweet gig for a portfolio-building college student. "We perform student arrangements of game music, and last fall we decided to do a WoW medley," explains Video Game Choir Founder/Director Julia Seeholzer, aka Bloodsong of Perenolde (US-A). "The choir and orchestra are all student-run, and we're all incredibly passionate about video games!" Julia's passion obviously extends to World of Warcraft; her thoroughly professional tip to WoW Insider concluded with a friendly, "Now, back to my raiding..." The Video Game Choir is made up of students from Berklee College of Music, the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz and popular music, the Boston, Mass., school also offers degrees in composition, contemporary writing and production, film scoring, jazz composition, music business/management, music education, music production and engineering, electronic production and design, music therapy, performance, professional music, and songwriting -- a perfect meeting spot for enthusiasts of the burgeoning field of video game music.
Lost Pages of Taborea: An interview with Dynamedion
A lot of people like music in video games, and for good reason. Today there are some amazing tracks being recorded by professionals and artists for us to listen to as we own noobs, take down mighty dragons, and explore serene vistas. The world of video game composing even has its own fanbase filled with players who pay close attention to who is making the musical score to tomorrow's buzz-worthy game. I have personally clawed around in the dark for months looking for scraps of information on Runes of Magic's soundtrack. Some fragments have been unearthed here and there, but I was finally able to get in touch with the source. Dynamedion is the music production company behind many of the tracks in RoM. It has a number of games listed on its resume, including Halo Legends, Alan Wake, Call of Duty 4 and many more. I nabbed an interview with some of the lead composers to try to get some more information about the music in RoM. Where did the inspiration for these tracks come from? Who worked on them? Did they steal all the music from Bardy Woods? Set your metronome to epic fantasy and click to read on.
Music in World of Warcraft: What does it mean to you?
Musical history was made this week as composer Christopher Tin won the first Grammy award for Best Instrumental with Vocalist. What's so special about this win, you ask? The song that won was "Baba Yetu," the main theme for Sid Meyer's Civilization IV, making this the first piece of video game music to ever win a Grammy. Many well-deserved congratulations to Tim and all who worked on it, as it is a truly stunning piece of music. After such a monumental occasion, one should consider the role that music plays in our gaming experience -- and in this case, for World of Warcraft. Blizzard has brought on some of the most talented composers, singers and musicians in order to make the music more than just background noise -- it's become part of the entire culture of WoW.
15 Minutes of Fame: Cataclysm soundtrack composer David Arkenstone
From Hollywood celebrities to the guy next door, millions of people have made World of Warcraft a part of their lives. How do you play WoW? We're giving each approach its own 15 Minutes of Fame. There's absolutely nothing like the sweeping vistas of an orchestral soundtrack to help you slip the surly bonds of earth and touch the face of Azeroth in all its epic glory. One of the composers behind World of Warcraft: Cataclysm's in-game soundtrack, David Arkenstone, took time not only leading up to expansion's launch but again after last night's game launch concert in Fountain Valley, California, to chat exclusively with WoW Insider about painting a new sonic palette for Azeroth. Arkenstone is one of a team of Cataclysm composers headed by Blizzard's Audio Director Russell Brower that tackled a whopping eight hours of new music for the expansion -- about the same amount of music as was added with Wrath of the Lich King expansion, bringing World of Warcraft's musical tally to something like 36 hours of in-game music. "I think it's exciting for a player to get all this new content at one time," Arkenstone says enthusiastically. "When you have all this music spread out across the word, composers, meshing ... It's hours and hours of music."
The Anvil of Crom: Knut Haugen talks game music, film music, and inspiration
Welcome, my fellow barbarians, to another installment of The Anvil of Crom. This week I've got a bit of a treat for the music fans in the audience -- which is basically everyone, amirite? Yes, I finally got the chance to ask a few questions of Funcom's Knut Avenstroup Haugen, the man responsible for Age of Conan's sweeping soundscapes and evocative musical score. Even if you're not an Age of Conan fan, you'll want to check out what Haugen has to say about the creative process, musical inspiration and research, and the crucial role that work ethic plays for the artist. Join me after the cut as we talk about all that and more.
25 iPads used to make one big interactive touch display
This is awesome -- a group of musical composers and artists connected up 25 iPads in an installation commissioned by the Environmental Ministry of Japan to create a huge display 25 touchscreens big. Not only do the iPads stream one big image, but they're also interactive -- you can speed the image up or down by swiping, or even change each iPad's individual view. Each iPad also starts out playing one tune, all of them together in harmony, but as visitors come along and change the views and the speed and tone of the music, you eventually get 25 different sounds being played with 25 different views, a metaphor for how each of us affects our own little part of the world as we move through life. The challenge, then, is to get the iPads back together, all in sync, and rebuild the world that we each claimed a little part of. You can watch video of how the installation works after the break, and there's also a hands-on video with a little more technical background on the project. It's very cool -- a project like this would be much more expensive (and probably a lot harder to do) without Apple's own magical and revolutionary device. The iPad keeps surprising us with all of the various ways it can be used to create and display interactive art.
Music to kill by: The making of Rift's score
The musical score is often one of the little-appreciated aspects of MMOs, providing mood, tone and emotion for the player while hopefully refraining from being annoying or too repetitive. In a new dev diary, Trion Worlds showcases the audio talent behind Rift: Planes of Telara's score. Audio Director Yannis Brown and Composer Inon Zur (Dragon Age: Origins, Fallout: New Vegas) talk about how the music lends itself to character identity and the environment's atmosphere, while giving us an aural sneak peek of Rift's tunes. One of the cool concepts the audio team is the creation of multi-layered music tracks that provide the same theme in different degrees of intensity based on how big the rifts have grown. Hit the jump to watch the diary and hear for yourself whether this will be a game in which the default score stays on -- or gets quickly turned off in favor of personal playlists.
