My latest track was a theme song commissioned for the Matrix Games title Empire in Arms. Empire in Arms is a turn-based historical strategy game covering the Napoleanic wars. I never miss a chance to compose orchestral works, and it was a pleasure to work with Matrix on this one.
The Strategic Studies Group (SSG) is one of the original pioneers of computer gaming and conflict simulation, and is still one of the most respected names in historical wargaming. They asked me to compose a short soundtrack for their new computer game Battlefront, a turn-based simulation of several important WWII battles. The following tracks are samples of the music I composed for them:
I’ve had the good fortune to partner with Mark H. Walker to compose the soundtrack to his upcoming Lock n’ Load PC game. The Lock n’ Load game system is a tactical simulation of squad level combat and has spawned several board games and expansions, covering Vietnam, WW2, and even the Battle of Mogadishu(on which Blackhawk Down was based). The PC version covers WW2’s Stalingrad battles, but aims to be anything but the usual wargame fair. As such, Mark and I decided to pursue a new, exciting sound to suit the game.
The following is a preview of what we’ve cooked up:
My latest project has been to create theme music for a Naval Warfare Simulations game: Warship Combat: Dreadnoughts and Battleships. The team director asked for orchestral music that would capture the intensity of naval engagements and the power of modern warships. Using strings, brass, and other symphonic elements, I named this piece Power and Majesty. Click on the link below to hear it:
The tabla are a kind of Indian drums used in traditional Indian music as well as pop. The left-hand drum has a pitch-shifting, talking drum kind of sound. The right hand drum produces a high pitched ring that’s tuned to the key of the performance. As a fan and student of Indian classic music, I wanted to create a track that blended tabla percussion with traditional Western instruments like the violin and piano, with a healthy dose of modern sensibilities thrown in. The result is the following:
I composed this song as the main theme for the wargaming website http://www.spwaw.com. The Steel Panthers Depot is a fansite devoted to the freeware game Steel Panthers: World at War and features custom scenarios, campaigns, and even an Academy to educate new players.
In composing the song, I blended traditional strings with a comtemporary form. The webmaster requested something that would easily loop back into itself as a repeating theme. The song can therefore be looped from the end to the beginning and sound continuous. Here’s the finished product:
Having worked extensively with Sony Acid Pro software and Propellerhead Reason, I welcomed the chance to try out Apple’s new music program GarageBand.
Garageband ships standard with all new Macs and has generated a lot of buzz for being an easy to use program with a lot of power hidden under the hood. I was anxious to see if GarageBand lived up to the hype. I sat down with my PowerBook, some Sennheiser studio headphones, and a few hours later I had this tune:
Was GarageBand worth all the fuss? You be the judge.
Another tune I composed with GarageBand. Never did come up with a good title.
I first started creating computer music when a friend introduced me to Acid Pro 4.0. I made my first track in a few hours, and it still seems to be a lot of people’s favorite even though I’ve moved on to more complex projects. I guess that’s art for you. Click below to hear Spanish guitar married with some good ol’ drums and bass.
I wanted to experiment more with textures and pads, so I decided to work on a more ambient kind of piece. I used healthy doses of delay to create rhythmic echoes and applied a heavy dose of reverb to everything.
Recent Comments