SoundCtrl » games

Game Of Tones, Learn to Play The Actual Guitar

SoundCtrl — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:00:04 +0000

By Greg Kumparak via TechCrunch

“Hot damn, the Disrupt NY 2013 Hackathon was great. Even with the hackathon over and the winner declared (Way to go, Rambler!), we keep finding more projects we want to highlight.

Built in just 24 hours, Game Of Tones is a proof-of-concept game that, with a bit of work, could teach you to play the actual guitar (versus, say, Rock Band — which, while a great game, is about as effectiv

Game Of Tones works in unison with a real-life electric guitar, paired to the computer through a line-in converter. As you strum, notes are fired from the neck of your on-screen hero’s guitar. Different chords result in different attacks, currently represented as notes of different hues. Strum an A, and blue notes fire out; strum an E, and red notes are fired…

The team says they’d like to expand the concept into something more, mentioning the possibility of some sort of forever-runner platformer with enemies vulnerable to different chords, or a multiplayer shredding battle.”

Check out the demo and the full post on www.techcrunch.com

Announcing the 2013 FlashFWD Nominees – Vote For Your Favorites Now

SoundCtrl — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:00:39 +0000

SoundCtrl is proud to announce our nominees for the 4th Annual FlashFWD Awards – honoring excellence and innovation in music technology.

Every year, we’re excited by the steady and explosive growth of technology that is changing the ways we create, perform, discover and listen to music. Since the inception of FlashFWD in 2010, we’ve seen the industry shift, adjust and evolve many times over.

This year, there are simply too many companies and individuals we wanted to recognize. We feel compelled open up the conversation to you – the artist, the fan, the influencer – who do you think deserves a 2013 FlashFWD Award?

Submit your vote for each of our six categories through our 2013 ballot hosted right HERE on SoundCtrl!

Best in Discovery | Best in Live | Best in Mobile & Tablet

Best in Artist Support | Best in Gaming | SoundWAV Influencer Award

See if your favorites make the cut on Wednesday, May 22nd at the Gramercy Theatre where we will welcome nominees, artists, entrepreneurs, and industry elite to celebrate our 2013 honorees, with special performances by guests TBA.

The voting period ends in two weeks and honorees will be announced in May. Congratulations to all our nominees and looking forward to another amazing FlashFWD season!

To check out what went down in 2012, visit our recap HERE and check out what past winners think about FlashFWD HERE.

If you’d like to receive a press pass and/or interview the SoundCtrl board about the event, please email [email protected].

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Best in Discovery: Past honorees include Spotify (2012), The Echo Nest (2011), Hype Machine (2010)

Recognizing a product or service that has most significantly impacted and improved the way fans discover and share recorded music

1) Songza 2) NPR Music 3) YouTube 4) Mixify 5) Rap Genius

Best in Live: Past honorees include Square (2012), The Creator’s Project (2011)

Recognizing a product, service or organization that has most significantly improved the live concert experience from either a fan or artist perspective

1) Boiler Room 2) V Squared Labs 3) Superfly Presents 4) ID&T

Best in Mobile & Tablet: Past honorees include Snibbe Interactive for Biophilia (2012), SoundTracking (2011)

Recognizing a product or service that is breaking new ground in mobile technology and expanding upon traditional fan engagement

1) Pheed 2) Groovebug 3) Biobeats 4) Instagram

Best in Artist Support: Past honorees include BandPage (2012), SoundCloud (2011), Indaba Music (2010)

Recognizing a product or service that focuses on giving artists more options in creating and promoting their music independently

1) Tumblr 2) Jamplify 3) PledgeMusic 4) (New) Myspace

Best in Gaming: A Brand New Category

Recognizing a game, creator or organization that demonstrates innovation in music integration with a gaming platform, be it through soundtrack, virtual marketplace, or unique partnership.

1) Video Star App 2) SoundPlay by Pitchfork 3) Kinect for XBOX 360 4) Virgin Gaming

SoundWAV Influencer Award: Past honorees include Scooter Braun (2012), Troy Carter (2011)

Recognizing an individual who has significantly impacted digital music culture through the early adoption or creation of new technology and is seen as a visionary and voice in the music tech industry

1) Bill Werde 2) Jimmy Iovine 3) Amanda Palmer 4) Guy Oseary 5) Questlove

TastemakerX Raises $1.25M, Positions Itself as “Fantasy League” for Bands

SoundCtrl — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 21:35:57 +0000

By Sarah Perez – via TechCrunch

“TastemakerX, a music discovery mobile application, which previously operated as something of a ‘stock market for bands,’ is today announcing $1.25 million in new funding from Baseline Ventures, True Ventures, Guggenheim Venture Partners and Aol Ventures*. It’s also doing away with the whole stock market analogy, and is instead launching a new feature called ‘Collections,’ allowing users an alternative way to show off their musical tastes.

The startup will debut its new experience at this year’s SXSW, of course, with a March 11 event at Speakeasy featuring Lord Huron, The Joy Formidable, St. Lucia, and others.”

For the full story visit TechCrunch.com

Will you defend the ‘Fortress’ with your bow and…cello?

SoundCtrl — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:00:43 +0000

By Kira Grunenberg

There have been so many music-focused software titles released in the last decade or so that it might have become hard to take them seriously in the present day. The mold for interactive music games got broken with Guitar Hero and games that immediately followed tried, at the very least, to work with that formula because it had been so well received by the general public.

It is because of this inevitable trend, that if a game starts out with a premise of “console + instrument + winning or losing” that consumers may almost default to believing the game structure is all about imitating a particular instrument and that the content is mostly about notes and pitch and emulating real songs. Such is not the case with Cello Fortress, a game moving away from plastic controllers and even moving away from incorporating a primary goal of traditional music education.

Cello Fortress was first brought to light in the gaming world some months back but there was not a lot to go on since the idea was still in heavy conceptual development. The game now has a trailer ready for viewing and the game’s creator, Joost van Dongen, is supporting this with a tour of the game prototype around different locations in the Netherlands, where Dongen resides. Game development is Dongen’s day job but he has kept the cello at close hand as a long time side activity over the past two decades and combining these two skills gave way to Cello Fortress. The game utilizes the Xbox 360 and features four players trying to take down a fortress with cannons and defenses of its own. The cello comes into play in using the music it makes to control these defenses and prevent the players using traditional gaming controllers, from successfully invading.

Based on this initial description, Fortress is slanted more toward a shooter style game than anything else but Dongen says in his blog, that “music is [still] central to the game.” The concept for cannon control is run by an improvisational performance. As described by VentureBeat, “Playing fast notes fires the guns, or low notes activate mines and so on…” The focus isn’t on copying note prompts on a screen or any specific melodies but Dongen aims for the notes played to still sound appealing and blend to create a sequence of enjoyable music during gameplay.

Graphics and other game elements are only prototypes to provide full demonstration and are liable to undergo a major transformation over time. Images aside, to see this collaboration effectively in action is still rather amazing. The only functional setback at the moment, is that in order to get the game in full swing, a skilled cellist is needed, since there are no fake instruments involved.

One has to wonder though, what it would be like for perhaps, an intermediate cello student. If nothing else, Cello Fortress could be a great unconventional exercise; unconventional even against the premise of improvisation itself. It would force students to think on their feet in a way different from a traditional improv classes, where inhibitions or anxiety might still create difficulties in personal growth. If a student had to partially concentrate on immediate actions happening outside of their instrument and themselves, the notes would have to be played but the focus on self-awarness and self-consciousness might be reduced and students could develop a certain level of comfort for musical ad-libbing.

The trailer for Cello Fortress is below: (The timpani in the background were added for effect but the cello’s music was all played on the spot and filmed for use).

Kira is an old school music nerd with a love for all things creative; always searching for music’s common ground. She graduated with an M.A. in Performing Arts Administration from New York University. Drop her a tweet @shadowmelody1

Ubisoft vs. Black Eyed Peas – The Million Dollar Answer

SoundCtrl — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 17:42:03 +0000

By Kira Grunenberg

If there’s one thing that tends to easily get thrown around in casual American vernacular, it’s exaggerated terminology to make an expressly overt point.

e.g. “That test was totally a million times harder than they said it would be!”

Of course, there are some places where imparting such quantities wouldn’t be nearly as funny. Case in point: a lawsuit. If someone says, “I’m taking you to court for a million dollars,” that’s not so amusing. That’s how things are for video game developer/publisher Ubisoft right now. The company is going toe-to-toe with BEP Music LLC –better known as the Black Eyed Peas– for just that sum in damages. The cause of the suit comes from an alleged breach of contract on the part of BEP Music.

Ubisoft isn’t a stranger to court proceedings. Earlier this year, the company was on the defensive for a suit filed against them by the makers of Guitar Apprentice. Unlike that competitive clash, Ubisoft and BEP Music have been in what is supposed to be a beneficial relationship, as the two were working together. Courthouse News Service reports that in June 2011 [Ubisoft] and BEP…

“entered into a license agreement… pursuant to which BEP Music licensed to Ubisoft the exclusive, worldwide right to use, among other things, the names and likenesses of a music group and its members … to develop, produce, and distribute a video game … on all existing and future handheld and home consoles and IOS platforms, including the iPhone and iPad.”

Problems arise in this arrangement under the section of the contract that asserts BEP Music’s obligation to provide a written decision concerning relegated content –either in acceptance or disapproval thereof. The specific timeframe outlined in the contract, (as also listed by Courthouse News), is purported to be 10 business days and an unnamed title for iOS has gone unacknowledged either way by BEP Music since Ubisoft requested response back in March of this year.

Although the amount incurred by Ubisoft for its labor and production expenses don’t add up to the one million dollar filing –allegedly €181,000 or roughly $233,000 USD– the publisher is including further costs for current and projected future losses in game sales that they claim are a result of BEP Music’s apathy on green-lighting the product.

One has to wonder where communications broke down and why. Granting someone permission to use your music in a separate product is a bold move; similar to athletes choosing third party companies to endorse. One’s creative livelihood is being associated with a second company and if one sincerely supports that second business, it would seem sensible that a musician would want to do whatever necessary to streamline the release process. Then the third party product can be promoted and optimal, mutual benefits can be attained. If the musician turns out not to want their music connected with the third party, then disapprove and re-discuss the contract so things get a clean break.

Doing neither ruins an otherwise healthy business connection. This particular scenario sees the Black Eyed Peas putting game synchronization profits way down on their list of important money reserves and certainly leaves a trail of negative mental precedent for any other game developers that might be watching.

Calling All Musicians! XSEED Games to Include Fan-Made Music in “Orgarhythm”

SoundCtrl — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 16:21:20 +0000

By Alexander Galbraith

XSEED Games announced yesterday that it would be including fan-submitted music in their upcoming title, Orgarhythm. The game, which is currently under development by ACQUIRE, will be released for the PlayStation Vita this fall.

Orgarhythm looks to combine elements of Command & Conquer-style real-time strategy games with rhythmic elements from games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

In the game, you play as the God of Light and lead elemental troops against your brother, the God of Darkness. The story opens as the God of Darkness and his followers have escaped from the underworld, and what follows is a series of strategic battles set to a mix of rock, club and tribal music.

Power-ups and effective attacks are achieved through tapping buttons to the beat at the appropriate time. Incorrect presses result in failed attacks and weakened armies.

The game is quite a departure for ACQUIRE, whose games tend to focus on feudal-era Japan. But they will be helped along by Takashi Hirai’s newly formed studio, Neilo. Hirai is the mind behind such music game classics as Rez and Space Channel 5, both released for the defunct Sega Dreamcast.

Fans have until October 1 to submit their music. Submissions can be one minute, two minutes, or four-and-a-half minutes in length. The tracks must be uploaded to YouTube and submitted through the game’s website. Of course, all works must be original.

Up to 100 tracks will be chosen and distributed as free downloadable content after the game’s release. The winners will be announced beginning in October. All winners will be given a code for a free copy of Orgarhythm.

Watch a gameplay demo of Orgarhythm from this year’s E3 conference, via IGN:

Interview with Bastion Soundtrack Composer and Producer Darren Korb

SoundCtrl — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:07:46 +0000

by Jason Epstein

While independent games have had a surge in popularity, some present themselves ahead of the pack with their story, art direction, graphics, or gameplay. Bastion surpassed expectations with all of these things, but truly shined in the audio department. The excellent voice acting and writing combine to provide a truly unique and engrossing narrative style, while the intriguing and immersive soundtrack permeates throughout, holding the entire game together like beautiful, musical glue. I had a chat with composer and producer of Bastion’s award-winning soundtrack, Darren Korb about his music and the tech behind it.

SoundCtrl - How were you able to keep the consistency of Bastion’s soundtrack so fluid sounding amidst such frequent narration? Did any sort of editing or mixing technology aid this effort?
Darren Korb – As far as keeping the sound of the music consistent, I established some writing parameters for myself early on in the project. I decided that if I kept all of the music in the same genre, that would provide the consistency I was looking for, without being repetitive, so I came up with “Acoustic Frontier Triphop” and I tried to make all of the pieces fit somewhere in there. As far as the mix itself goes, it was definitely important to have the sounds and music get out of the way of the narration, so we used automation to duck the music and other sounds when the narrator speaks.

SC - I understand this was your first time scoring a game. How was this different with regards to the technology you used to achieve it from other television shows and movies you’d done in the past?
DK – I actually used all of the same recording tech (Logic Studio), but the integration tools were new to me. We used XACT, which took quite a bit of getting used to! It isn’t set up like any other audio programs I’ve worked with, in that it has no “mixing board” equivalent, no faders, or anything that would look familiar to an audio engineer.

SC - Bastion’s soundtrack was a whopping 60 minutes in length and netted you a Best Original Score at the Spike Video Game Awards among other awards and nominations. You’ve set the bar high in terms of both quality and quantity, where do you go from here?
DK - I feel super lucky that the music from Bastion was received so well. All I can do is keep making stuff that I find compelling and hope that people like it!

SC - Is there anything you can tell me about your musicality goals or new ways you will use audio technology for your next project?
DK – I’ve been curious about working with some stem-based in game mixes, so you can bring elements of a piece in and out based on gameplay states. I’m also interested in getting some more obscure acoustic instruments involved in the future.

SC - What are some of your favorite video game soundtracks of all time?
DK - Marble Madness (NES), Fallout 2 (PC), Dungeon Keeper (PC)

“Theatrhythm Final Fantasy” incorporates FF music into rhythmic game

SoundCtrl — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 16:34:31 +0000

By Kira Grunenberg

SquareEnix released “Theatrhythm Final Fantasy” in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Final Fantasy franchise. The series’ soundtracks have spurred worldwide acclaim and even an international symphonic concert program called “Distant Worlds,” which was held at many notable venues like: the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Royal Albert Hall in London and the Sydney Opera House.

Nobuo Uematsu had been the primary composer for the Final Fantasy game scores from their inception through the 10th installment, so nearly all the scores featured in “Theatrhythm” are his work.

(video via. IGN.com)

Beck to release new EP via upcoming Playstation 3 game, “Sound Shapes”

SoundCtrl — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 17:49:27 +0000

by Dave Mainella

“Sound Shapes,” a new video game for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, features a new three-track EP by Beck. The three songs – “Cities,” “Spiral Staircase,” and “Touch the People” – will each be a level in the game.

The game was developed by Queasy Games out of Toronto. The official Playstation blog unveils the collaboration (and mentions other names like Deadmau5 and Jim Guthrie).

“Sound Shapes” also required the help of Pyramid Attack, an animation, art and design studio, in order to make the game’s “visual identity match Beck’s musical style.” The developers and designers were able to incorporate Beck’s music and lyrics into a really neat gaming experience.

The game will be released on August 7 as a cross-play title for $14.99. Preorders start July 31^st.

A preview of the game, and of Beck’s “Cities” track, can be seen and heard here.

Xbox Kinect + Dubstep = The V Motion Project

SoundCtrl — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 16:19:23 +0000

Last month, we wrote about Chris Vik’s “Kinectar,” which turns the Xbox Kinect into a fully-functional MIDI controller triggered by body movements.

This month in Kinect-powered inturments, we have The V Motion Project, and the results are super impressive. Watch their demonstration video below. For more information including a pretty detailed description of how it all works, visit the Custom Logic Web Blog.

Pitchfork’s Newest Soundplay Game Features Music by Cut Copy

SoundCtrl — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 19:03:38 +0000

by Dave Mainella

Yesterday welcomed the release of “Sun God”, a Pitchfork Soundplay music and gaming experience. According to Pitchfork, Soundplay is an “interactive program focused on the intersections of music, gaming, and technology.”

“Sun God” is the third such game released by Pitchfork in collaboration with Intel and Kill Screen, a video games art and culture magazine. It features the Cut Copy song by the same name.

Last month, Pitchfork Soundplay released games inspired by M83′s “Intro” and Matthew Dear’s “Street Song.”

The “Sun God” game was developed by Bennett Foddy, who coincidentally is a former member of Cut Copy. He is a philosopher at Oxford University, and is best know for the web games “QWOP” and “GIRP.”

“Sun God” is an fun union of music, branding, and online gaming – one that emphasizes the musical experience in a unique way. Everything about the game, from characters to scenes and settings, is driven by the featured song.

The game opens with an antique and retro appearance, with a confirmation that you are in fact experiencing something sponsored by both Pitchfork and Intel. After a quick introduction and instructional home page, you are launched into the game. You’re immediately greeted by the almost jungle-like rhythms of Cut Copy’s “Sun God.” The blue and pink lights pulsate with the beat as you consider your objective.

Screenshot from "Sun God," courtesy Pitchfork Media

The goal is to hoist two characters into the air by holding and releasing two buttons (the game can either be played by two people or your own two hands). Trapping sparks within the glowstream earns points. An elastic band of sorts connects the two characters, which in combination with jumping provides the hoisting action. The motions take some getting used to, but as you gradually progress and (hopefully) improve, the song continues with lyrics like, “Please, please, please, please, please won’t you give your love to me.”

It’s a fun and addicting experience, and the perpetual motion of Cut Copy’s music adds a level of surreal anxiety to the dynamic of the game.

The 2012 Pitchfork Music Festival, held this weekend July 13-15 in Chicago, will feature a Soundplay arcade where fans can play games in the Soundplay series, including two not yet released. And later in the summer, Pitchfork and Kill Screen will host a two-day “game jam” in New York, where independent developers will collectively create a game inspired by a piece of music.

Electronic Trio Noisia Composes for Capcom Video Game + Free Download!

SoundCtrl — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 21:59:13 +0000

International videogame company Capcom, in close collaboration with Ninja Theory, has announced that Dutch electronic music trio Noisa has composed the music for the upcoming DmC Devil May Cry videogame out January 2013. Noisa’s specially curated music will be heard during the title’s cinematics and gameplay, including combat. Noisa created over three hours of original music for DmC Devil May Cry and have been working on this project for over a year.

Noisa’s previous videogame soundtrack work includes their track “Groundhog” on DJ Hero; “Machine Gun” and “Seven Stitches” featured in three editions of the game WipEout; and “Stigma” and “Yellow Brick” featured on Gran Turismo. They were also commissioned to make eight remixes especially for MotorStorm: Apocalypse; the tracks will be released as free downloads on Noisa’s Facebook pageonce they reach 300,000 likes here.

“It’s been an awesome experience working with Ninja Theory on the game. We had great freedom but were also bound by certain criteria typical in the game world. These are challenging boundaries (for example; consistency in sonics over 180 minutes of music) but also lots of space in terms of dynamics & progression and instrumentation, being able to create soundscapes without having to worry about holding the attention of a dancefloor. Their music director was great to work with, good vibes. It’s great when you get to play to your strengths. Also, the game kicks ass!”

Check out this free sample track of Noisa’s DmC Devil May Cry:

Listen Here!

Download Here!

Microsoft Said To Plan Xbox Music Rivaling Apple, Spotify

SoundCtrl — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 18:30:00 +0000

via Andy Fixmer and Dina Bass – Bloomberg Tech

Xbox Music seeks to offer streaming for a monthly or annual fee, similar to Spotify Ltd.’s subscription service, and let consumers buy digital music through an online store, such as Zune, Apple’s iTunes and Amazon.com Inc., the people said.

The company is also seeking to offer Xbox Music users an online locker accessible by multiple mobile devices running Windows 8, the people said. Users could put entire collections online, including music purchased elsewhere, for a monthly or annual fee, they said.

The talks for the Xbox service are still early and Microsoft may not be able to obtain all of the rights it’s seeking, the people said. Even if successful, Microsoft may choose to roll out features over time, they said.

Chatting with Mikko Tarmia, Video Game Music Composer

SoundCtrl — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 17:53:46 +0000

by Jason Epstein

As video games become more cinematic with greater production value, music has become more prominent and crucial to the gaming experience. Music can add a touch of lightheartedness, bring a tear to your eye, or prepare you for battle as you control your character and progress toward the game’s finale. Mikko Tarmia, an award-winning Finnish composer is well-versed in the realm of video game music. Among other gigs, he’s prepared the soundtrack for Frictional Games’ critically acclaimed, cult classic, survival horror series Penumbra and its hit-status spiritual successor Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Rather than composing with broad strokes on these projects, his music serves the games by strategically adding an unsettling atmosphere and key moments of intensity. SoundCtrl exchanged emails with Mikko to talk about his process, his work with Frictional Games, and his current projects.

SoundCtrl - Do you play any of the games you have written music for yourself? Do your own compositions ever lend to the horror you feel when playing?

Mikko Tarmia – This might sound weird, but so far I haven’t played any of the games I’ve written music for during their development stage. It’s nothing intentional, but I think there hasn’t been a real need to do that as I get enough information from visuals and event descriptions to know what kind of music is needed. When I started playing Amnesia: The Dark Descent after the project was finished, I found myself forgetting to observe the functionality of music because of how immersive the game was. That’s when I knew I have succeeded in the job and it was very rewarding.

SC – What other types of games do you enjoy?

MT - I’ve been a fan of extreme sports games since Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 came out. Like the old 80s arcade games which I also like to play, there’s a level of real skill required in these games and I like the challenge. I also like the Legend of Zelda series and RTS games, like StarCraft. I also love to play pinball machines. Though pinball games for computer are somewhat fun to play as well, nothing can beat the real thing.

SC – Can you tell us a bit about the process that occurs between writing
music, recording it, and implementing it into the games and how you are involved with all of this?

MT - My work for games starts with negotiating what style of music is it going to be and what kind of instrumentation is going be used. For example, Amnesia’s music was done using sounds (mostly samples) from real instruments only – no synthesizers were used. Usually developers have some references for music style and they send me links to music tracks which have that something they like, but there weren’t any examples given for Amnesia. It was obvious that the game needed music tracks with spooky feeling, but there was more freedom in developing the style which was great. It’s not just a bunch of tracks that’s been put into the game – I like to play with themes and on how they evolve during the game’s story. So there’s a certain structure in music.

As I mentioned earlier, I get descriptions for each event that needs music. I compose quick simple sketches for each event, leaving lots of room for improvement. It doesn’t make sense to waste time on making music sound polished when there’s a chance of music tracks being rejected. Sometimes it takes a number of tries to get everybody happy, but even if it gets a bit frustrating from time to time, results get usually better in the end. I usually leave most of the polishing into last weeks of project because there can always occur some changes in game that affect into use of music. That’s when I tweak, record and process everything, and finally do the mastering – I haven’t needed to do any implementation so far, even if I have studied it a bit. When you leave few weeks to finish all the tracks, it might get pretty hectic and you get your ears tired pretty quickly. That’s why I start working on a bunch of selected tracks a bit earlier. Even if they won’t get used in game, I know I’m going to put them on the soundtrack album.

SC - What are some of your upcoming projects?

MT - I’m currently working on Frictional Games’ next game, but I’m not allowed to tell you anything about it at the moment. I recommend to follow Frictional Games’ blog for any news concerning the project. I’ve been asked if I’m composing music for the upcoming Amnesia: A Machine for the Pigs, but the development of the game is handed over to an entirely different developer crew (thechineseroom) and they have their own contributors for the project, including composer. It will be interesting to see a whole new approach to the game, though.

Another project I’m working on is a game called Overgrowth developed by Wolfire Games. It’s an action-adventure game with rabbits and other animals fighting in it. It’s starting to look really good and they have done fantastic job its promotion. They also have these weekly alphas where they go through the game’s development progress from every aspect. As a side project, we (me and Anton Riehl) are working on an arrangement based in Overgrowth’s main theme and it will be played by [an] online volunteer orchestra, consisting of players from Wolfire Games’ community. They play and record required stems in their home and send us files back. It’s quite challenging to put it all together as the only requirements were that players can play their instrument at some level and that they have ability to record it. So, many of them has been recorded with cell phones or laptop mics – but most of them sound surprisingly good. We still need some more players though, but we hope to get the project finished in couple of months.

SC – Can you tell me a bit about your music label The Sound of Fiction?

MT - The Sound of Fiction is more like a channel to contribute my own stuff than a real label with a roster of artists to be represented. Besides game soundtrack albums, The Sound of Fiction also produces collaboration projects. Our first album project was called AIKA, which is a soundtrack composed around a short story written by Tom Jubert. We had few composers and an illustrator working on that album. There might be some similar projects coming up in the future, but I’m currently out of time for working on anything that massive. I’m planning to do my own album before anything else (besides game soundtracks).

SC – Who are some of your favorite bands or video game compositions/composers?

MT – I listen to all kinds of music from classical to jazz and rock ’n’ roll and I have my favorite artists in every genre. I could mention names like The Police, Vangelis, John Williams, Devo, Queen, Eric Serra, Shostakovich. I don’t really have a favorite video game composer – so many of them are doing a good job.

Jason Epstein is a writer based in the New York City area, and has been writing as long as he can remember. In his career he’s done a wide variety of pieces and projects including interviews with notable musicians, short stories, comedic commentary, entertainment writing, event coverage, photography and more. He can be reached at Jasonepstein84 at gmail dot com.