Soundcast Interview: Chad Seiter (Recore)

Soundcast Interview - Chad Seiter (Recore)

Chad Seiter is a prolific composer, arranger and orchestrator for film, television, video games and symphonic concerts, Chad Seiter has composed and produced original music for major Hollywood franchises including Star Trek, Fringe and LOST. In this episode, he talks about his most recent video game project for the XBOX One and Windows 10, RECORE: how he came onto the project, his biggest challenges, working with vocalist Laura Intravia and cellist Tina Guo, what it's like turning music over to a program to decide how it is heard within the game and more!


Episode Highlights

00:01 - Introducing Chad Seiter
02:16 - Working ona Keiji Inafune game
04:12 - The goal for the Recore score
07:10 - Working with Laura Intravia
09:10 - The Biggest Recore challenge
11:42 - Stems in the hands of programs
14:37 - How has the game industry changed for a composer
15:59 - Producing the official soundtrack album
19:28 - The Reprise with Tina Guo
21:43 - The legacy of the Female protagonist

Music Selections

00:00 - "The Eden Tower" (Recore) by Chad Seiter
07:05 - "Main theme" (Recore) by Chad Seiter
19:30 - "Main Theme Reprise" (Recore) by Chad Seiter
35:59 - "Lonely Basin" (Recore) by Chad Seiter

Notes:

BUY RECORE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK BY CHAD SEITER
BUY RECORE (XBOX ONE / WINDOWS 10) 

Chad Seiter - Official Website 
Follow Chad Seiter on Twitter 


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Most of the soundtracks mentioned in this episode can be found at Amazon.  Your purchases through these links help us to keep on keepin' on!  Thank You!
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The official podcast of Tracksounds.com, The SoundCast is hosted by Christopher Coleman and features reviews and discussions centered around film, TV, and video game soundtracks. Special edition episodes include interviews with composers and other industry professionals.

The Soundcast Stereo is co-hosted by Christopher Coleman and Erik Woods (Cinematic Sound Radio).  Each episode is a 30 minute (ish), two channel conversation about the world of film, television, and video game music.

SoundCast Interview - Gareth Coker (Ori and the Blind Forest)

Interview - Gareth Coker (Ori and the Blind Forest)

Marius and Gareth sit down for a detailed discussion about Ori and the Blind Forest—the game, the score, and the incredible stories behind its four-year development cycle. Naturally, they stray off topic too, tackling the future of game audio, the role of library music in modern scoring, the power of game music concerts, and the amazing resource that Twitch has become for gamers and developers alike.

Episode Highlights

00:00 - Intro & musical background
04:20 - Getting the Ori gig
06:52 - Long development time for the game and its impact on musical development
10:00 - Moon Studio's distributed development structure
14:36 - Constant testing by the entire team and how it contributes to polish
17:07 - Musical flow on album and why the main title cue isn't on the album
20:52 - How the incredible prologue came together, and its many musical challenges
28:25 - Finding the score's musical identity; references, and how visuals inform the music
33:50 - Unifying the flavours of each location's score
35:42 - Working with the Nashville Music Scoring Orchestra
39:30 - Score excerpt from 'Finding Kuro'
40:30 - Video Games Live concerts and inspiring listeners to engage with new genres
42:14 - The landscape of recent game releases, the role of the composer, patience, and the value of immersing yourself in the project
46:58 - Whether or not new game devs recognize the potential value of great music
50:54 - How Gareth discovered Aeralie Brighton and her magnificent voice
56:21 - Library music and whether or not it's a threat to creative opportunities for composers
59:32 - What's next for game audio? What's the "next level?"
65:15 - Future projects and the way it feels to experience such a huge release
66:42 - Finishing games and how polish and process influence the way people engage with a game
69:31 - Word of mouth marketing, release schedules, and having fun "trolling" on Twitch
71:03 - Having fun "trolling" on Twitch; Twich as a platform for feedback and engagement
73:14 - Conclusion

Music Selections

00:00 - 01. Ori Lost in the Storm
16:49 - 02. Naru Embracing the Light
22:55 - 04. The Blind Forest
32:16 - 07. Finding Sein
34:47 - 22. Kuro's Tale II: Her Pain
37:33 - 09. The Spirit Tree
49:34 - 31. The Sacrifice
52:52 - xx. Ori and the Blind Forest (Launch Trailer)
61:11 - 16. Climbing the Ginso Tree
73:36 - 32. Light of Nibel

Notes:

Download Gareth Coker's score excerpt from "Finding Kuro"

Special thanks to: Greg O'Connor-Read


Support Tracksounds:

Buy Ori and the Blind Forest Soundtrack by Gareth Coker at Amazon.com

Most of the  soundtracks mentioned in this episode can be found at Amazon.  Your purchases through these links help us to keep on keepin' on!  Thank You!

Buy Soundtracks at Amazon.com

Download the Episode

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There Be Soundtracks in those Collector's Editions

The Order: 1886 - Composer Unannounced
Expected release date February 2015

The next-next-gen consoles have been out for while now, but an ongoing complaint has been the lack of triple-A titles to be released for either the Xbox One or the Playstation 4.  We know.  We know.  They are on the way.  

One great thing about being able to still buy our games in physical form is the opportunity to pony-up some large coin and occasionally pick up a collectors/limited edition release of that game we simply can't resist - that we just want to totally immerse ourselves in.  And one of the things I immediately look for in a collectors edition is for a physical release of the game score ... especially if the game score has not been released elsewise.  So, if you are, like me, contemplating which console to get next, then let's have a look at a few collectors editions that have recently been released or are on the horizon.

Some of these packages are quite enticing and each of these are listed on Amazon, so you can get the full details on what these impressive packages have to offer aside from a physical soundtrack.

The Witcher 3:  Wild Hunt by Gene Rozenberg
Expected release date: February 2015




Assassins Creed: Unity - Theme by Chris TiltonExpected release date: October 2014




Watchdogs by Brian Reitzell
Now available.

What do you say?  Does this whet your appetite and get you one step closer to your next-next-gen?

Did we miss any sweet editions with soundtracks included?  Let us know in the comments!

Skylanders: Swap Force (Game Soundtrack) by Lorne Balfe

The Limit's The Skies
Review by Richard Buxton

The ACTIVISION money train rolls ever onwards with the release of SKYLANDERS: SWAP FORCE - the third in the phenomenally successful SPYRO THE DRAGON reboot series -and with it comes LORNE BALFE’S third score release of the series. For those who find themselves outside the video-gaming loop, or those without children who happen to be clinically addicted to the Pokemon inspired collecting-based franchise, SKYLANDERS is a combination of video game visuals and physical toys that are connected through the use of near field communication, which sees those toys you purchase transported on to the screen and controlled by the players. Ultimately, SKYLANDERS is yet another gimmick with the sole aim of emptying the wallets of parents the world over, and to publisher Activision and the various development studios’ credit it’s one that is working tremendously well.

Having scored both SPYRO’S ADVENTURE and GIANTS, LORNE BALFE has returned for the third installment, SWAP FORCE. Like the music for the previous two releases, SWAP FORCE is endlessly playful but it is a score that is heavily restricted by the nature of the SKYLANDERS games. Like countless platformers before it, SWAP FORCE takes the player through various themed levels, and with each level comes differing musical thematic ideas. The style of gameplay within the platforming genre demands an open ended-musical structure, allowing the compositions to move along with the gameplay fittingly, despite a lack of rigid scripting within each level. This means that BALFE’S score rarely drops out, instead maintaining a consistent level of exuberance. Whilst suitable for the game itself, the score quickly becomes monotonous despite a noticeable restructuring on disc.

READ THE FULL REVIEW

Star Trek: Music from the Video Games (Soundtrack) Produced by Dominik Hauser

Games: The Final Frontier

Review by Edmund Meinerts

When the music of STAR TREK is discussed, generally speaking, chances are that the film scores are the subject of that discussion – either that or ALEXANDER COURAGE’s legendary theme for the Original Series. Occasionally the music for the TV episodes proper gets a mention too, though usually only by the truly hardcore fanatics, those who shell out on those lavish Film Score Monthly box sets. Even less discussed are the scores to the series’ innumerable video game adaptations and spinoffs, which date back as early as 1971. Now, obviously, a text-based game from the 70s wasn’t exactly equipped with such modern features as a score, but as early as the mid-90s, composers were being hired to provide proper orchestral (in composition, not necessarily rendering) scores for STAR TREK games, often composers with considerable experience in the universe such as RON JONES and DENNIS MCCARTHY. Thanks to this release from BSX, some of this obscure music has now finally seen the light of day.

READ THE FULL REVIEW

Jesper Kyd Scores Plarium's Next Social Game - Soldiers Inc.

Composer JESPER KYD (Assassin’s Creed, Borderlands, Hitman, State of Decay) has created the original score for the upcoming video game, SOLDIERS INC.  The game will be released in the upcoming weeks from social gaming developer,  Plarium (Total Domination, Stormfall: Age of War, Pirates: Tides of Fortune).

Soldiers Inc. is a multi-player, real time strategy game set in a possible near-term future conflict. The title is inspired by present-day military forces, as players guide their soldiers of fortune across the immersive landscape of an embattled failed state to claim a vast world full of hidden content.

“Soldiers Inc. delivers gameplay, storyline, graphics, sound and music in social gaming  unlike the industry or players have ever seen,” said Avi Shalel, Plarium’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our success stems from pushing the envelope to give gamers what they want.  We don’t rely on  trial and error,  instead, we listen and deliver.”

As you can hear in the main theme above, Kyd will be delivering another bold and evocative score.  Not surprisingly, there's a strong militaristic vibe running through, but it's not a sound we often get from Kyd. Still, there are ethereal elements that momentarily work there way into the piece, which are, indeed, hallmarks of the composer's music.  The blending of these two ideas should make for a unique listen and gaming experience.

The game is to release later this summer.  No word on an official soundtrack release, but the fact that Plarium has released the main theme as a part of the promotion of the game itself would seem to be a good sign.

Keep your eyes peeled here for more on any sort of official release and if you want more details on the game, check out Plarium's site.

The Last of Us (Game Soundtrack) by Gustavo Santaolalla - Review

Surviving Santaolalla
by Richard Buxton

Despite numerous accolades, GUSTAVO SANTAOLALLA being appointed composer for Naughty Dog’s latest masterpiece seemed a curious decision when announced. The Argentinian composer had never scored a video game previously, and is hardly the biggest name in film scoring despite winning two consecutive Academy Awards for best original score. Yet, as so often is the case with Naughty Dog, the decision was one that has paid off substantially.

READ THE FULL REVIEW

SoundCast Ep. 58 - 2013 Year In Preview (Video Game Edition)

Sophia Tong, Editor-in-Chief at GamesRadar, and host of SoundRadar, joins Christopher, Marius, Richard and Edmund to take a look at what video game scores the year of 2013 has in store for us.  They discuss some of the many upcoming indie-games on the horizon as well as the big, AAA, games...including those that have released unseasonably early.   Everyone shares "What They Have Been Listening To" as well as sidetracking on the latest Humble Bundle release and the first preview of M83 and Joseph Trapanese's score for Oblivion.

Episode Highlights


00:00 Fifty FPS Forest (Scoreman Retro-Remix)
00:30 Welcome and Intros
08:11 WHYBLT. Marius? Sim City, Jack the Giant Slayer
16:22 WHYBLT, Edmund? Warm Bodies
17:49 WHYBLT, Richard? Shadow of the Colossus, Deus Ex: Human Revolution (again)
20:22 WHYBLT,Sophia? Ni No Kuni, Tomb Raider, Sim City
26:27 WHYBLT, Christopher?  Company of Heroes (Frederick Wiedmann)
30:11 SIDETRACK: The New Humble Bundle
34:38 2013 Year in Preview: Indie Game Scores
46:29 2013 Year in Preview: AAA Game Scores
96:18 Will 2013 be better than 2012?


Music Selections


00:09 " Fifty FPS Forest" (Fastfall: Dustforce) by Lifeformed
07:44 "03 Building the Foundation" (SimCity) by Chris Tilton
09:37 "Jack and Isabelle" (Jack the Giant Slayer)) by John Ottman
19:37 "Icarus" (Deus Ex: Human Revolution) by Michael McCann
20:35 "Morning of Beginning" (Ni No Kuni) by Joe Hisaishi
22:27 "Infiltrating the Bunker"(Tomb Raider) by Jason Graves
45:35 "Dune Storm" (Catacomb Snatch) by C418
47:31 "Virtual Reality (High)" (Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance) by Jamie Christopherson
50:00 "200 Years Ago On An Icy Planet" (Dead Space 3) by James Hannigan
52:15 "Main Theme" (Aliens: Colonial Marines) by Kevin Riepl
59:38 "Restless" (Gear of War 3) by Steve Jablonsky
62:25 "Arrival" (Battle LA) by Brian Tyler
64:44 "Bioshock Main Theme" (Bioshock) by Garry Schymann
73:39 "Suite from Star Trek" (Star Trek) by Michael Giacchino
81:20 "Conviction Main Theme" (Splinter Cell: Conviction) by Michael Nielsen, Kaveh Cohen
82:55 "Main Theme" (Assassins Creed III) by Lorne Balfe
86:16 "Besieged Village" (Castlevania: Lord of Shadows) by Oscar Araujo
93:37 "Arrival" (Halo 3) by Marty O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori
100:30 "Retreat" (Aliens: Colonial Marines) by Kevin Riepl

Additional Notes:

Visit GamesRadar
Subscribe to SoundRadar
Follows Sophia Tong (@sophiatong)

Download the Episode

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Composer Bear McCreary Talks Dark Void

Composer Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica, Sarah Connor Chronicles) gives us a little insight into his first video game project, Capcom's DARK VOID. The game's release date has been pushed to 2010, it looks like it will be worth the wait. Yes...the game looks pretty much...incredible. Looking forward to hearing what McCreary does musically to match the visuals!

Get more info on Dark Void here

Gametime 2009 - Interview with Sascha Dikiciyan and Cris Velasco (Prototype)

Well, it's GAMETIME once again here at Tracksounds! Once a year, we like to get our game (music) on around these parts...and we like to bring you along for the ride. This "new era" of video game music continues to provide, not only gamers, but many traditional fans of film music, with hours of experiential music to feast upon. Video game titles are getting at least as much attention as major feature films these days. People are hunting for every tidbit of information they can scrounge up on their favorite game franchise. We are waiting for hours in line to be among the first to dive into a new gaming world or back into a world we have devoted countless hours to already. The world's love-affair with video games continues to grow and in the answering of such great demand, comes a lot of exciting music that should not be overlooked. High Score! exists to put the spotlight on some of this great music.

To launch things, we have a great podcast interview with composers Sascha Dikiciyan and Cris Velasco who share about their most recent collaborative work for the video game, PROTOTYPE.

Check the interview and full feature here

World of Goo Soundtrack by Kyle Gabler Available for Free!

WORLD OF GOO is a quirky little physic-centric, puzzle game that has been catching on since its release in late 2008. Available via WiiWare and also for PC, WORLD OF GOO features an equally quirky little score by co-developer Kyle Gabler. He has just made the soundtrack available for free...and we're not talking about 10 minutes of music here; more like 50 minutes!

While it's not quite Daniel Pemberton's LITTLE BIG PLANET in terms of the level of quirky-coolness, it's certainly in the same genre (perhaps a shade or two darker)...with a little Elfman and Vangelis thrown in too. You'll know it when you hear it.

If you're a little spent on the seriousness of all of the Award-contending-film-scores then get all gooey and check out WORLD OF GOO.

You can download it for free right here

(Thanks again to the fine folk of Kombo.com for the heads up!)

New York Times's Article on Video Game Music

This great article was published by the NEW YORK TIMES back in late December. The article mentions a handful of well-known composers and recent game projects ranging from MIKAEL KARLSSON'S BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY, to GARRY SCHYMANN'S BIOSHOCK, to INON ZUR's PRINCE OF PERSIA. The article focuses on how music for video games has become a very serious undertaking; demanding some of the most talented composers and performers the world has to offer. It goes on to talk about how gamers are taking note of a games' score has on them. It's a great read. Here are a few excerpts:

The increasingly nuanced scores reflect “the growing maturity of the games industry, which is getting better at storytelling” and weaving moral dilemmas into game plots, said Sean Decker, general manager at DICE, the division of Electronic Arts that created Battlefield. The main challenge for composers is switching from a linear to an interactive medium in which the music has to reflect several possible outcomes at each stage of the game. Different music is needed, for example, depending on whether a gamer perishes or emerges victorious from a tussle with a venomous monster.

Jesse Harlin, music supervisor at LucasArts (which uses scores by John Williams, among others, for its Star Wars games) is swamped with demos from composers. He encourages them to write music that reflects what is happening to the gamer in the story and to avoid loop-based scores that can result in listener fatigue.

Some systems, like the Xbox 360, allow gamers to create custom soundtracks using MP3s. But many players (even the youngest) appreciate the attention software companies dedicate to music. In the Virgin Megastore in Union Square in Manhattan, Atticus Wakefield, 10, said, “Music and the sound really give the game more depth and make it much better to play.”


You can read the full article here

Why So Many Games Music Reviews?

"What's up with all the video game music coverage these days?" Ah! You noticed that too. Did you? I get that question with increasing frequency, so I decided to do a post a response here. You know, there are quite a few reasons for this, but let me just list a few.


1) SOUNDTRACK RELEASES - Probably the most obvious reason is that there is more and more video game music available. Record labels like Sumthing Else are releasing great titles and with the onset of iTunes and AmazonMP3 the doors have opened wide for soundtrack releases that would likely have never seen the light of day.


2) IT DESERVES THE COVERAGE! The quality of video game music has come to match that from the film music industry. The talent needed to craft good game music, while different in significant ways from film or television, is considerable. While few game composers are household names right now, that will likely change in the near future. Some will successfully crossover into other mediums like MICHAEL GIACCHINO or CHRISTOPHER LENNERTZ, and others will simply make a name for themselves within the gaming world itself.


3) ACCESSIBILITY - The composers, producers, supervisors, technicians involved in video game industry tend to be more accessible and willing talk about there projects (that is when the developers, marketing, and PR departs allow them to). Many great composers are still getting their start in the video game industry and before they completely "blow up" and move into other areas (like film or tv) they are much more reachable.

That said, I have to note that the current trend is that video game composers are fast becoming just as busy as their composing-cousins and increasingly unavailable. Perhaps only in regards to pay, the gaming industry hardly plays second fiddle to film any more and that is reflected in the busy-ness of the composers schedules now.

4) IT'S THE MUSIC NOT THE MEDIUM - Tracksounds is all about a very specific type of music - the kind that first open my ears to it's potential power and influence on our emotions. It was Warner Bros. Cartoons that introduced me to "that kind" of music while Bugs Bunny made fools of Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd. Like many of you reading this, it was that seminal movie moment in 1977 that showed us the power of music in film and now games are readily introducing youngsters to "that kind" of music everyday. Whether that music is attached to a movie, a television series, a video game, event music, or licensed production music, that's the type of music we love and love to cover.


So film music coverage isn't going away here at Tracksounds. We will continue to review film music soundtracks and interview the talented folk who write and produce them. At the same time, film music's "little brother" has grown up and is increasingly delivering visceral, musical experiences that deserve to be given the spotlight. There is definitely more to come in this genre here at Tracksounds!

...and if you're looking for more of our video game coverage, be sure to check out our feature, HIGH SCORE.