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Special version of the Cataclysm LP now available on iTunes
One of the best yet tragically unappreciated parts of Cataclysm is its new music. There's that awesome track where it's like, "dun dun DUN dunnnnn," and then that other one where it's like, "whooooooosh bah bah bahh bah bahhhh BAH," and the other one ... uh ... Yeah, so anyway, this doesn't work so well via text. But good news -- you can now enjoy it digitally in a way that doesn't involve my converting sound to text! The Cataclysm LP soundtrack -- 17 epic cuts full of "dun" and "bah" -- is now available at the iTunes store. And if that's not enough, you get all sorts of awesome bonus content. So says Blizzard: Cataclysm LP Now Available on iTunes Want to bring the music from the latest World of Warcraft expansion with you anywhere you go? The World of Warcraft: Cataclysm soundtrack is now available as an iTunes LP from the iTunes Store, featuring 17 eminently epic tracks as well as special bonus content including artwork, liner notes, and behind-the-scenes interviews. If you previously purchased a copy of the Cataclysm soundtrack album from iTunes prior to the release of this special LP version, don't worry -- you'll be able to receive the bonus content at no additional charge. For more information or to purchase the Cataclysm soundtrack LP, visit the iTunes Store. source And while you're there at iTunes, why not take a moment to subscribe to the WoW Insider podcast? Just saying ...
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."
Video Games Live special brings orchestral game music to PBS
Are video games art? That question may still be a cause of debate for some, but there is little question that there is artistry in video games -- like the music, which often doesn't receive the attention it deserves. Game music composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall have been doing their best to change that for years now with their symphonic Video Games Live show, however, and it looks like they'll soon have what could be their largest audience yet. The group recently announced that PBS will be debuting a 90-minute Video Games Live special on July 31st, which will continue to air throughout August, and be available on DVD, Blu-ray and CD. Check with your local PBS affiliate for the exact time and air dates in your area, and head on past the break for a taste of what's in store.
MAGfest game & music festival rings in the new year
Do you live smack in the middle of Virginia and thirst for a gaming event to kick off the second decade of the 21st century (we're almost at flying cars, people!)? MAGfest seeks to fulfill that desire with it's annual video game festival. The show's organizers pledge to entertain you with everything from a 10,000-square-foot game room to a 24-hour "JamSpace" room (we assume that's different from a JellySpace room). Tickets are $40 for the weekend (Jan. 1–4) and pre-registration has already begun, which includes admission to each evening's gaming themed concerts, including a New Year's Eve party.
OCRemix celebrates 10th anniversary
We hope you've been to OCRemix in the 10 years since its opening. If you haven't, you've missed out on over 1,800 fan arrangements of various video game soundtracks, from ActRaiser to Zombies Ate My Neighbors. Thankfully, the site offers two BitTorrent downloads that let you grab nearly every single remix from the its decade of operation. Site creator David W. Lloyd, better known as "djpretzel" to the OCRemix community, started the site as a "fun diversion" from (what else?) his parents' basement. "I've always loved VGM, especially for its strong original melodies, and this site seemed like a good way to express that. While I didn't have any idea it would become what it is today, I did have a certain faith -- faith that there were others like me, faith that the Internet was full of a lot of talented people who would contribute their music and their time and their energy freely, and faith that we could show the world that video game music is an art form." With over 25,000 registered members, it seems Lloyd has succeeded in uniting a community of game music lovers. Congrats to OCRemix and its various contributors (and let's hope Lloyd has left his parents' basement by now).
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.
Guild Wars music to be featured in PLAY! concert series
The official Guild Wars website and the official site for the concert series PLAY! are trumpeting the addition of some MMO music to Seattle musical performances. Jeremy Soule's work on the Guild Wars campaigns joins his compositions from Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Prey on the touring circuit. The prolific composer is probably one of the most recognizable names in game music today, having won numerous awards from a number of prestigious groups. They currently only have a few stops on the schedule for the 2008 tour, but hopefully this new musical addition will make its way to a venue near you.ArenaNet has announced that music from its Guild Wars franchise of games will be performed as part of the "PLAY! A Video Game Symphony". This world-wide symphonic tour features music from a number of top videogames, including songs from Guild Wars. The tour kicks off in Fort Worth, Texas, on January 19, 2008 ... Guild Wars has been praised for its rich soundtracks created by renowned video-game music composer Jeremy Soule and co-composer Julian Soule. The Soule brothers have created music for the entire Guild Wars franchise including the original Guild Wars, as well as the Factions and Nightfall campaigns. The music of Guild Wars is also featured on CD in special edition retail packages for each campaign.
Koji Kondo and GDC make beautiful music together
The Game Developers Conference has been trying to get Koji Kondo to come speak about game audio for ten years, according to an introduction by Tommy Tallarico. The wait seemed well worth it, as the famed Nintendo composer's first public appearance in the United States drew a standing ovation from the hundreds-strong assembled crowd today.Kondo, who has worked on the music for the Mario, Zelda and Star Fox series, among others, stressed three main points in making good game audio: Rhythm in game audio is not just having a catchy beat, but matching your beat to the animation and button presses in the game. "If the music doesn't reflect the rhythm of the game, it might as well be piped in from a source outside the room," Kondo said through a translator. Balance in game audio means not just balancing things like sound effect and music volume, but also bringing individual audio pieces in a game together as a single composition, with a defined introduction, bridge and ending. This is why Kondo always submits pieces to his director four or five at a time, so they won't be given equal weight but instead be balanced in the correct way. Interactivity in game music can be as overt as a faster tempo when time is running out in Super Mario Bros. or as subtle as slight phrasing changes in each trip through the overworld in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Kondo stressed that "this ability of the video game medium, which is not possible with CDs, movies etc., is a very interesting and unique feature."
Hey, Grammys, where's the video game love?
The music world is all in a tizzy at today's announcement of the 49th annual Grammy award nominations, and all the the nominated artists should be very proud. Unfortunately, music artists, producers and engineers who work in the video game industry have nothing to be excited about. Aside from an obscure video game reference in Arctic Monkey's Best-Rock-Performance-nominated-song "Chun Li's Flying Bird Kick," [thanks, avtiger27] video game music has no representation in the expansive Grammy nominees list.It would be ridiculously easy for the Recording Academy to shoehorn video game music into the Film/TV/Visual Media category -- surely the Gears of War soundtrack can hold its own against the likes of the soundtrack for Grey's Anatomy, Season 2. Better yet, the Recording Academy could create a whole new category for video game music, much like the MTV Video Music Awards did last year.It seems a shame that great soundtracks for games like Xenosaga: Episode III, Zelda: Twilight Princess and Tomb Raider: Legend don't even have a chance to be honored during the recording industry's biggest night of the year. So how about it, Recording Academy? Why not respect video games as the culturally important force that they are with a few nominations next time around?
Downloadable videogame sheet music
If you want to star in one of our Friday music posts but lack the ability to play an instrument, we can't help. But if you can play and only need sheet music to game songs, Brian Auyeung's Video Game Sheet Music site is the answer.While the site hasn't been updated recently, it lovingly hosts a few dozen direct song transcriptions and arrangements, as downloadable PDFs. So start practicing, and internet-fame may soon be yours.[Via del.icio.us]
Video Games Live seats in Indy up for sale
Tickets are now on sale for the two Video Games Live shows planned in conjunction with Gen Con Indy Friday & Saturday, August 11-12.After a stop in Philly earlier this month, the VGL tour is moving on to Houston July 14th, Chicago August 5th, and then Indianapolis the weekend after that. More on reserving seats for the Hilbert Circle Theatre can be found on the official announcement page (via the pic to the right or the Read link below).Judging by the reviews of the Philly show so far, Video Games Live sounds like it could be a lot of fun. If they keep providing public access to Guitar Hero II, they may have sold this blogger on going already. We hope Midwestern gamers not attending the Chicago show can make a pitstop in Indy to keep Tommy's show on the road. So, yeah ... rock on.See also: Official VGL report from Philly (with some local links to boot) Video Games Live ticket purchases opened a bit early The official page for Gen Con Indy PS2 impressions: Guitar Hero II
