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16 l February 2013


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technologyfeature


The soundtrack to Halo 4was the highest charting video soundtrack in history


All fungames and


ROBIN RIMBAUD aka Scanner is an artist, musician and composer working in London – and the keynote speaker at the Audio Engineering Society’s 49th International Conference on Audio for Games, currently underway as PSNEurope goes to print. Rimbaud’s musical works includes nearly every genre imaginable: sound design, film scores, large-scale multimedia performances and product design, to name a very few. But not video games. And this is just why the AES approached him. The appeal of having Rimbaud deliver the keynote was for him to share his


experience of working with sound on past projects. Reflecting on the current state


of audio for games, he says: “It’s a world that embraces sound in a really encouraging way. It meets the criterion that interests me in creating work, which is about audiences, experimenting and creating imaginary spaces for people in sound. Games do that perfectly.” But how, and why, could


that be?


SOUNDS AND MUSIC Today’s game audio has come a long way from the simple beeps and boops of Pong and other early video games. It wasn’t


until 1978 when Taito released Space Invaders that music became more than just an accompaniment to games: as the invaders drew closer and closer the tempo would increase, heightening the player’s sense of urgency and thus becoming integral to the gaming experience. That music was a simple four-note bass line on repeat throughout. Fast-forward to November 2012: the Halo 4 Original Soundtrack, released on Northern Ireland’s 7Hz Productions, debuted on the Billboard charts in America at number 50, making it the highest charting video game soundtrack in history. The music


“It’s a world that embraces sound in a really encouraging way” Robin Rimbaud aka Scanner


Epic soundtracks, massive file counts, middleware and loudness. Erica Basnicki grabs the controls and explores the audio coming out of another kind of console…


was composed by Neil Davidge, known for his production work with Massive Attack, and recorded in London’s Abbey Road studios with a 16-person, male voice choir, 10 female Bulgarian vocalists and a full 50- piece orchestra, among other performers. The accompanying remix collection features some of the biggest names in dance music, including Caspa, Gui Boratto and Sander Van Doorn. Rather than being the


exception, celebrity composers and full orchestras are becoming the norm. At London-based music supervision and production company Air Edel, two very big ‘Project X’ titles are already underway for 2013; so dubbed because the company can’t yet talk about them, says manager of commercials and new media Trevor Best. “I’ve been asked to pitch on another game and this is only January. To open up with three games in January is brilliant.” Best noticed game music


budgets opening up when Air Edel was asked to provide music for the Electronic Arts (EA) title Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), having already provided music for the film. “With Harry Potter, they made the film, it’s flying, it’s fantastic, everybody loved it.


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