wow-music
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Patch 6.1 PTR: Customize your garrison music
A new customization option is on the way for garrisons in patch 6.1 -- you'll now be able to change what tunes are playing while you collect your work orders, mine, gather herbs, or just hang out. How? It all begins with a quest to build a boombox big enough to hear no matter where you're at in your garrison. This quest sends you across Draenor to gather the required parts for the jukebox of your dreams, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be fully implemented as of yet -- while I could collect the first piece on the list, a relatively easy to find drop from shredders on the Talador coast, further items weren't fully interactive. However, from what we've seen so far via datamining on the PTR, your quest doesn't end when you create the boombox. You'll need tunes to fill the thing -- and there are a wide variety to choose from. Most city themes are included, as well as old favorites like Lament of the Highborne and the Karazhan Opera House music. Keep in mind that because all of the sounds are datamined material, there's no guarantee that these options will make it to live servers. Given the sheer amount of music Blizzard has produced in conjunction with its games over the years, this is honestly a really nice way to bring all those great themes from the past back into relevance, and allow a little more customization as well. Future builds should fix any quest bugs and further reveal what we have to do to obtain all the tunes our hearts desire -- until then, I'm going to try and wrestle with the decision of what I want to hear while I'm hanging out with my followers and friends.
Warlords of Draenor: Zone music highlights for Nagrand, Spires of Arak
The Warcraft Twitter account tweeted not one but two pretty cool items of interest yesterday, for those that are fans of Warcraft's music. Zone preview selections for both Nagrand and the Spires of Arak have been made available for listening. While Nagrand's theme is suitably idyllic for the green rollings hills and waterfalls in the zone, it's Arak's preview that is really a standout. I'm not even sure how to describe it, because I haven't heard anything quite like it in Warcraft before. Of course, we've never really seen anything quite like arakkoa civilization before, either. Both previews are snippets of what players will find on the Warlords of Draenor soundtrack, which is part of the physical Collector's Edition package along with a host of other goodies. Give both tracks a listen, and while you're at it, make sure you're following Warcraft's official Twitter account -- they're apt to post plenty more cool surprises as we wait patiently for the next expansion's arrival.
Warlords of Draenor: New login screen music
Adriacraft is at it again, digging up new models and music from the latest build of Warlords of Draenor. One of the more notable datamined pieces is a brand-new login screen track, labelled Siege of Worlds. While it bears resemblance and shares sections with the previous login track found on the beta, this version feels much more complete and includes several sweeping, intriguing themes right along with the now-familiar beat of the Iron Horde's war drums. But perhaps the coolest part of the soundtrack starts at approximately 11 minutes into the piece. Long-time Warcraft fans should immediately recognize the familiar sounds of the human theme from Warcraft III, beautifully re-done with a triumphant flourish. It's a gorgeous new piece of music, but it's also a fantastic nod to one of Blizzard's beloved classics. Listen to the full theme above, and be sure to check out Adriacraft's channel for more from the Warlords beta.
The Queue: Returning to WoW, Titan is still happening, music while WoWing
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Adam Holisky (@adamholisky) will be your host today. Good questions in The Queue today. I hope everyone in the States is having a safe Memorial Day, and remembering why many of us actually have the day off. Gavstar22 asked: My wife and I leveled a few characters to 90 and participated in a couple of raids at the start of MOP, after getting sick of giant tentacle killing in Cataclysm. Now we are back and have no idea what to do besides killing elites on the timeless isle. Our guild which was running 10 mans is now us and our GM (who spends time running dailies on alts) Can we progress legendary cloak quest in LFR or do tokens still not drop? What's with rare troll elites in Pandaria? Anything new with archaeology as I like the new interface? What are the achievements needed for LFR participation? So many questions ! Basically we're a bit lost at the moment feeling disconnected from what's happened.
Story and Sound: Mozart would be writing the World of Warcraft
I've been thinking a lot lately about the dynamics of telling a story. What exactly is a story? How do you tell it most effectively, both from an artistic narrative stand point, and a consumer-friendly attention grabbing one? I've also been concerned with new ways to tell a story, especially one that people might discount at first since the story mechanism lives on the edge of pop culture. Besides working on WoW Insider, I also make my home at the Minnesota Opera, working on their website and advancing an opera's story through digital mediums. Opera is an old art form, one that if not nurtured and brought into the next century is at risk of becoming obscure. I'm proud to work for a company that realizes this and does some really ground breaking things. It struck me recently when sitting through a dress rehearsal the eerie similarities between Warcraft and an opera like The Magic Flute. After thinking about how very like these two story-telling vehicles are, I realized that they are both just a natural progression in humanity's ability to tell a story.
Warlords of Draenor: Music, sounds, and maps
While we've been seeing a lot of screenshots and art from the upcoming Warlords of Draenor expansion, much of WoW's in-game atmosphere is set by the music -- there's only so much we can get from these still images. So if you want to get a feel for the ambience of Draenor, you'll definitely want to check out the music and sound files Wowhead has compiled. There are 21 music files -- most no more than a minute and a half long, so it's not likely to be the entire soundtrack -- as well as numerous ambience, FX, creature, item, and spell sounds. Though it's a lot to sort through, the reward is great for fans of WoW's soundtrack. But if music isn't your thing, Wowhead also has 17 area maps to peruse -- and until launch day (or at least beta day), this is as close to Draenor as we're likely to get.
Video Games Live heads around the world on tour
Video Games Live, which plays your favorite video game music (including some of WoW's greatest hits) with a full orchestra, is off on a world tour this year. This means that wherever you are, there's a reasonable chance they'll be playing somewhere in the vicinity. The tour kicked off in Phoenix, Arizona this weekend and is heading to Mexico before jumping around the US and then moving on to China, the Middle East, Europe, South America, and Canada. (Sorry, Australia!) If you're interested in catching Video Games Live, well, live, check out their tour dates page for tickets and backstage packages -- though tickets to shows later this year and next year aren't available yet. And if they aren't stopping anywhere in your area, they have three albums of great gaming music -- Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 -- available on iTunes and Amazon to get your game on.
Video Games Live Level 3 album out now
If you're a fan of great video game music, you're probably familiar with Video Games Live, which produces orchestral arrangements of songs from your favorite games. Last year, frontman Tommy Tallarico took to Kickstarter to fund VGL's third album, Level 3, and the finished product is now available on iTunes and cdbaby. (Kickstarter backers, don't fret -- digital downloads and physical rewards will be headed your way soon.) On the Warcraft front, the album features VGL's take on Invincible from Wrath of the Lich King (zoom the video above to 4:25 for a preview). If you're interested in picking up your own copy you can get Invincible for $1 or the entire album for $10 -- and if you enjoy Level 3, you should definitely check out VGL's back catalog which features more music from World of Warcraft and plenty of other games.
"Invincible" and other great WoW arrangements by June Lee
We know some of you prefer to play with the game sound muted, but we're big fans of the World of Warcraft soundtrack -- and if you are, too, we think you'll enjoy June Lee's WoW arrangements. We've talked about Lee's excellent arrangements of WoW tunes before, and we continue to be impressed by his latest -- a string quartet playing Wrath of the Lich King's "Invincible." However, if strings just aren't your thing, earlier this month he posted a piano arrangement of "Invincible." If you like what you hear, Lee has a bunch of other instrumental arrangements on his YouTube channel, all of which impress. Prefer the soundtrack just as it is? Then you might be interested in checking out the previews of the Warlords of Draenor soundtrack from Blizzard. Spoiler alert: we think they're pretty great, too.
Wowhead introduces new sound database
Wowhead, in a continuing quest to make every last bit of World of Warcraft data available for consumption, has just added a new function to its ever-increasing list of databases -- a sound database. You may remember Wowhead's sound player addition from last month, which added the capability to listen to zone music and boss emotes on various pages of the database. The new sound database builds upon that, adding on to the existing sound library by including NPC gossip and spell abilities for both players and bosses. While the sounds have been added to a new tab on existing database entries, they have also been given a searchable database all their own. In addition to this, Wowhead has put together a playlist feature that works in conjunction with the sound database. Users can now add their favorite tracks to a customized playlist that can be listened to on a new playlist page. If you decide you don't like a track, a quick click will remove it. To celebrate the implementation of the new feature, Wowhead is also giving away 15 Moonkin Hatchling pets. While the feature is here for good, the contest only runs until 3pm EST Monday, December 23 -- you can get those entries in, as well as learn more about this cool new feature, on Wowhead's official announcement page.
Preview the Warlords of Draenor soundtrack
Something you may have missed amongst all of the BlizzCon coverage from last month was that Blizzard posted 4 tracks from the Warlords of Draenor musical score. They're tucked away in the corner of the media section on the Warlords website as MP3 file downloads. You can find them here on the official website or download them directly below. Foreshadowing (MP3, Youtube) Gardens of Karabor (MP3, Youtube) Magnificent Desolation (MP3, Youtube) The Clans Join (MP3, Youtube) The "Gardens of Karabor" track may remind you of the original Black Temple theme from The Burning Crusade with a new twist. New music for the Alliance capital perhaps? "The Clans Join" will remind you of current Horde themes, only much more ... savage (I knew I could work that word in somehow). "Magnificent Desolation" is definitely my favorite of the bunch. I can't wait to hear the rest of the music.
Breakfast Topic: What are your favorite in-game tunes?
It's no secret that we think WoW has a great soundtrack, but with unique musical accompaniments for each zone, city, and dungeon it can be hard to pick favorites. But if you're anything like the WoW Insider crew, there are some zones where you turn the volume up and tracks that you keep on your music player to make your workday commute seem a bit more epic. So today we're asking: just what is your favorite WoW music and how do you listen to it? Do you keep your game music in game, do you spend extra time in your favorite musical zones, or do you simply add your favorite tracks to a playlist for any-time entertainment?
Wowhead adds zone music, character quest tracking
Wowhead has rolled out some pretty exciting site features today. First up is their new music and sound player which allows you to play sound files from the game such as boss emotes, or listen to zone music as shown in the screenshot above. By visiting a zone's page, for example Storm Peaks, you can browse through all of the various music that plays in that zone. Aspiring Loremasters take note! Also added is the ability to see what quests your character has completed anywhere in the game. You first need to use the Wowhead profiler to import your character, and then you will be able to view any quest on the site and see if that character has completed it or not. If you pull up a list of the quests in a single zone you will be able to see, at a glance, what you're missing. You can even track multiple characters at the same time. Head on over to Wowhead to see the full rundown of the new features.
Breakfast Topic: Do you play with music on or off?
World of Warcraft has an incredible soundtrack that I occasionally listen to even when I'm not gaming -- and I especially enjoy live performances, like Video Games Live and the Video Game Music Choir above. However, when I am gaming, I often do so with the sound muted -- and I'm guessing I'm not the only one. Often when playing -- especially doing the same old dailies or leveling another character through a zone I've cleared a dozen times -- I'm multitasking with the television on to something more exciting than the same old thing. But I know this means I'm missing out on WoW's great music, but sometimes I'm just not that interested in the level of immersion a good soundtrack would provide. So it usually surprises me when I somehow manage to unmute the music -- say, running a fresh install of the game -- and I'm reminded how great the game music actually is. But tell me, readers -- do you play with the music on or off? %Poll-84459%
Video Games Live Kickstarter project heads to the finish line
It's going to be a photo finish for the Video Games Live's Level 3 project on Kickstarter, which is in its final days with nearly $30,000 to raise to meet its goal. If you're not familiar with Video Games Live, it's a group headed by Tommy Tallarico that tours the country playing live orchestral arrangements of video game music -- and the group has frequently graced the BlizzCon stage. The current fundraising campaign is aimed at producing the group's third studio album -- dubbed Level 3 -- and though they haven't finalized the tracklist yet, it will feature tracks VGL hasn't yet tackled from games like Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger/Cross, Shadow of the Colossus, Skyrim, Journey, Monkey Island, Destiny, DOTA, Assassin's Creed, Earthworm Jim, Silent Hill, Zelda, Mario, Pokemon, Super Smash Bros., Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, Mass Effect, Katamari Damacy, BioShock, Beyond Good & Evil, Metal Gear Solid, Street Fighter II, Uncharted, Portal, Tetris, Red Dead Redemption, Devil May Cry, Megaman, Soul Calibur, Resident Evil, Pac-Man, and our favorites, World of Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo. Blizzard tracks from WoW and Diablo are confirmed to be on Level 3 -- so we may be treated to a studio version of Invincible, as played by Video Games Live in the video above. Sound interesting? It's not too late to chip in -- and pick up a ton of great video game music for a very modest cost. Backers can get Level 3 as well as VGL's earlier albums and plenty of other extras: check Kickstarter for all the details.
Blizzard music now available on Pandora
If there's one thing that's been a constant over the years of Blizzard games, it's been the music - and there's some good news for those that love Blizzard's tunes. The Video Game Music station on streaming internet radio site Pandora is now cycling in Blizzard soundtracks from Warcraft, Diablo and StarCraft as well. For those that use Pandora for listening, it means you may get a bit of Blizzard mixed in with your usual fare -- for those that don't use Pandora, you might want to check it out. The site uses your personal tastes in music to fashion a playlist for you and suggest songs you might like based on what you listen to already. From the strains of Stormwind City to the heights of Grizzly Hills, the music in Warcraft has always been a high point of every expansion for me. While I don't leave the music running constantly when I'm playing the game, new patches and new content always has me turning up the in-game music to see what new tunes have been added. Be sure to check out Pandora for a taste of Blizzard's soundtracks -- you can listen to Pandora via online stream, or through one of their many mobile apps.
WoW's Singing Sunflower sweetens the Lament of the Highborne
The voice of Laura Shigihara will forever be synonymous among WoW fans with the Singing Sunflower pet -– that ineffably perky little companion so fond of cheerfully reminding you "There's a zombie on your law-awn ..." It's been a while since the Plants vs. Zombies theme song composer has sung any music related to World of Warcraft, but she's got a new tune out and it's one that Shigihara fans have been clamoring for years to hear: "Lament of the Highborne." "At first I didn't want to cover this song, since there are already so many lovely covers out there (and the original is already so perfect as is)," she admits, "but hopefully folks are still able to enjoy it." Whether it's zombies on the lawn or the haunting lament of Lady Sylvanas' banshees, we suspect that enjoying Shigihara's work is probably a safe bet. Enjoy!
Poll: What zone has the best music?
I'm going to open this one with a personal story. In 2009 at a Blizzcon party, I had the good fortune to be introduced to Russell Brower, and I promptly went all starry-eyed and gushed about how much I loved WoW's music. His face lit up and he said, "Oh you are just the best thing!" and kissed my hand. Then asked me what my favorite was. My answer was immediate, and without hesitation: Black Temple. Now, let's fast-forward to today, in 2013, almost four years later. Has my answer changed? Maybe. Black Temple is still definitely up there, but I'm not sure it's the out-and-away winner anymore. With Cataclysm many of the zones got updated music, so areas I wasn't super enthused about before suddenly became much more compelling. In the end, the five I've come up with are Grizzly Hills (a perennial favorite), Black Temple (still love it), Ashenvale ("Nightsong" alone makes this nomination), Karazhan (haunted mansion!), and Kun-Lai Summit (mostly for "Way of the Monk," which plays upon entry into the Temple of the White Tiger). Vote on your favorite in the poll, but don't think this is the definitive list. I'm sure there are plenty of zones I've overlooked, so tell us what I've missed in the comments. %Poll-81602%
Breakfast Topic: Mobile users, what are your favorite WoW ringtones and sounds?
I can't tell you how tickled I am to get text messages these days, ever since I made the familiar murloc gurgle my text message notification sound. Text messages evoke the same feelings in me that murlocs do -- man, I get annoyed when I have to stop and deal with one, but they're actually irresistible little creatures, aren't they? Also popular at our house is my regular morning alarm. You read that right: My family actually wants to hear my alarm go off. I use that drippingly gorgeous theme from Elwynn Forest, and it eases us into consciousness with the gentle caress of dawn. Sometimes my husband whispers in the dark, "Just let it play." My other favorite notification sounds include The Lament of the Highborne as my alarm notification for after-school pickups (I need something gentle to nudge me from my writing and editing fugue at that point in the day) and the friendly, energetic classic Alliance tavern theme as my normal ringtone. (What, you thought I could handle the pandaren inn version?!) What WoW ringtones and sounds do you enjoy on your own mobile devices?
Patch 5.1 adds new music tracks for Alliance, Horde
It's no secret that I love the music of Mists of Pandaria. But there's a part of me that missed the old themes and recognizable strains of the Alliance and Horde themes scattered about the old world. In patch 5.1, the Alliance and Horde will officially make their appearance on Pandaria's shores, bringing the conflict straight to the pandaren along with new scenarios, and new music. Wowhead dug up some of the tracks from the PTR and put them together in a video that's a little over 45 minutes long. Despite the length, it's well worth the listen, as the glorious sounds of Alliance anthems are brought back to life, as well as a darker, more haunting set of refrains for the Horde. Included too are tracks titled "Jaina's Homeland," which are recognizable variations of the Dalaran themes from Wrath of the Lich King. And if you'd like a little twisted fun, there's a track at the end for the new Darkmoon Faire carousel coming with the next patch, too. It's got that sweet yet slightly off feeling of any good track from a Burton movie. I love the music for Warcraft, and I love that we're getting so many music updates right along with patch updates. I hope we'll be able to purchase these pieces on a secondary soundtrack at some point! Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
