game audio

Game Music

Arrangement of the Week: Bull in a China Shop

September 11, 2015 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on Arrangement of the Week: Bull in a China Shop Share this

Here’s something you don’t here everyday; an arrangement of music from a game’s bonus stage. The Super Smash Bros. series has loads of great music pulled from the dozens of games that the various fighters are from. However, the game also has some of its own original music. This includes music for the menus, the fights with bosses like Master Hand, and the music in the bonus stages.

Today’s Arrangement of the Week is an electronic remix of the “Target!” track from the target bonus stages in Super Smash Bros. Melee. The arrangement is titled “Bull in a China Shop” and was created by artist DjjD.

Right from the start, the remix has a very bright and energetic tone, even compared to the original track. There are plenty of short syncopated synth rhythms, and some great resonant bell synths building up the electronic soundscape. A few nice touches, like the piano chords that start at 0’45,” help anchor the piece while the faster electronic elements morph and improvise off the original material.

The piece is short but has plenty of great moments, with a good number of shifts and surprises. I actually wouldn’t mind having this as a replacement of the original track in the game. It suites the mood of the target stages from Super Smash Bros. Melee quite well. All in all, it’s a short but sweet exploration of some lesser covered game music.

Have you heard any interesting remixes, covers, or arrangements of other bonus stage music? Let us know in the comments below. You can listen to and download DjjD’s “Bull in a China Shop” on OC ReMix.
Featured, Game Music, Software

Audiosurf 2 (Review)

July 22, 2015 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on Audiosurf 2 (Review) Share this Audiosurf 2 (Review)

Rhythm games are an interesting genre in the gaming world. The titles can often feature wildly different mechanics or provide game changing twists on familiar formula’s. One of the more popular entries emerged back in 2008 with Dylan Fitterer’s puzzle/rhythm hybrid Audiosurf. The game had a simple premise. Use the music in the player’s existing music library to generate three lane block highway patterns, similar to the note lanes of Amplitude or Rock Band, and challenge the player to collect and form clusters of three or more of the same color blocks with a spaceship avatar. After over half a decade, a sequel to the original game is finally out in the form of Audiosurf 2.

I never played the original game back when it was released, so this sequel will be my first time with the series. Because of that, this review will be an examination of Audiosurf 2 on its own merits and I will not be comparing it to its predecessor. While I’m aware that many of the modes and mechanics have been carried over to this latest title, you’ll only be getting my perspective on how they work in this game. With all that said, let’s take a look at Audiosurf 2. (more…)
Game Music

Bloodborne’s Nightmare Inducing Soundtrack is Coming Out This Month

April 6, 2015 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on Bloodborne’s Nightmare Inducing Soundtrack is Coming Out This Month Share this

Get ready to listen to the haunting orchestral tones and dissonant choral chants of FromSoftware’s latest game Bloodborne. Fans of the game and its music will soon be able to get their hands on the game’s soundtrack. Previously, the only way to get a copy of the Bloodborne soundtrack was to order the collector’s edition version of the game. The soundtrack will now be receiving a digital and physical release on April 21st through the Sumthing Else website.

The album features just over 70 minutes of music on 21 tracks. The score for Bloodborne was written by several composers, including FromSoftware’s Yuka Kitamura, Tsukasa Saitoh, and Nobuyoshi Suzuki. Guest composers Michael Wandmacher and Ryan Amon also contributed in crafting the score. The soundtrack features a 32 member choir, a 65 piece orchestra, and a number of instrumental and vocal soloists. The album will be sold for $10 and individual tracks will be available for 99 cents. So mark your calendars for April 21st and get ready to add Bloodborne‘s chilling music to your collection.

Sumthing Else – Website
Events, Game Music

GDC 2015 Game Audio Talks Now Available Through the GDC Vault

April 2, 2015 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on GDC 2015 Game Audio Talks Now Available Through the GDC Vault Share this

The Game Developers Conference, or GDC, is a great place to meet people within the game’s industry and to check out talks on specific disciplines and subjects. One of the big categories that gets discussed is game audio. Topics on the subject can include sound design, composition techniques, and orchestration/arrangement. However, not everyone gets the opportunity to attend the event. Luckily, the GDC Vault is offering up viewing of several of this past year’s panels and talks for free.

The GDC Vault has a number of audio talks up for anyone to access, whether you attended GDC 2015 or not. While a portion of them that are restricted to subscribers only access, there’s a decent number of videos that non-members can view. These include Peter McConnell’s “Dj vu All Over Again? What We Can Learn from ‘Classic’ Game Music,” Devon Newsom’s “Creating an Interactive Musical Experience for Fantasia: Music Evolved,” and Mike Niederquell’s talk,“Hohokum: Adventures in Music and Sound Design.”

There are also a few audio related talks that were on the Independent Games Summit list, like C. Andrew Rohrmann’s talk titled “Creating Hyper-Adaptive Music on an Indie Budget.” You can, of course, check out the free-to-watch talks from the other categories and disciplines as well. So if you’re someone who is interested in learning more about game audio or just want to get brief look at what happens at GDC, these videos will be right up your alley.

GDC Vault (2015 Audio Track) – Website
Game Music, Indie Music, Software

Check Out Band Saga, a Music-Generated Roguelike

September 18, 2014 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on Check Out Band Saga, a Music-Generated Roguelike Share this

A roguelike that uses sound generation and music sequencers to create a game environment? Okay, that will certainly get our attention. Band Saga is a game that is currently looking for funds through Kickstarter to aid its development. The project is headed by a team of two, Roger Hicks and Hillmon Ancrum. The duo is hoping to turn their current game prototype into a full game for Mac, PC, Linux, and iOS.

Band Saga is, as mentioned, a music generated roguelike. Each item, enemy, and level is tied to a specific element of the music. As you explore and unlock new sounds, characters, and items, you can manipulate parts of the soundtrack through a sequencer to change the game world. The game’s art style sticks to a 16-bit graphic aesthetic, while the music that is generated takes its cues from the FM synth sounds of the Sega Genesis. You can see and hear this all in action in the demo video below.

As a nice little bonus, the soundtrack for Band Saga is already available on Bandcamp. The soundtrack is primarily written by Rekcahdam (aka Roger Hicks), but also features a number of guest artists. These include some familiar game music names like Laura Shigihara, Disasterpeace, Stemage, and Danimal Cannon. The project has less than two weeks left. If a music based roguelike sounds like your idea of a great time, check out the Band Saga Kickstarter and be sure to take a listen to the released soundtrack.
Chip Music, Featured, Film, Game Music, Indie Music, Music Production

Game Audio Documentary ‘Beep’ is Looking For Backing on Kickstarter

August 25, 2014 | Michael Hoffmann | 1 Comment Share this

Creators of a new game documentary have launched a Kickstarter. The project titled Beep is intending to take a look at the history of game music and sound. Everything from the old school sounds of arcade games all the way to the games of today. The focus isn’t just on the music of these games. The documentary will also be an exploration of audio design, voice work, and the use of chiptune and other game sound technology outside of the gaming medium. A book will also accompany the documentary to supply more detailed information about the various subjects covered in the film.

There are already plans for interviews with major members of the game audio community. Raising money through Kickstarter will aid the creators in being able to travel and interview composers and sound designers. Several composers have already been named for interviews including Tommy Tallarico, Winifred Phillips, Shota Nakama, Peter McConnell, and many more.

Rewards for backers include copies of the documentary, book, soundtrack, t-shirts, and many other physical rewards. The Kickstarter has already raised over $15,000 of the needed $40,000 pledge goal. If this sounds like a project you’d like to see made, definitely check this Kickstarter out.
Featured, Game Music

A Composer’s Guide to Game Music (Book Review)

May 2, 2014 | Michael Hoffmann | 4 Comments Share this

Today Original Sound Version has its first ever book review! You may be wondering why a site focused on videogame music is reviewing a book. Well, this book happens to deal with the process of writing game music as its subject matter. There have been only a handful of books on the subject of composing music for games. Some of them have focused on the technical side of sound production, while others have taken on the business aspect of the job. Today we are looking at a very recent release of the book A Composer’s Guide to Game Music. This new book aims to introduce the reader and aspiring game composers to the many intricacies of composing and incorporating music into a game.

A Composer’s Guide to Game Music comes to us from author and composer Winifred Phillips. Many game music fans may recognize Phillips’s name from her work on several big name game titles. The projects that she has worked on include God of War, Little Big Planet 2, and Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation. She’s also won numerous awards for her work, including five Game Audio Network Guild awards and two Hollywood Music in Media Awards. With so much experience and so many accomplishments in the game music field, we clearly have the right person to guide us through the world of game music composition. Without further ado, let’s take a deeper look at this guide. (more…)