Fiction Factory – “(Feels Like) Heaven”: quel paradiso malinconico degli anni ’80
Un salto nel cuore degli anni ’80, tra sintetizzatori, atmosfere sospese e quella particolare malinconia che ha reso inconfondibile un’intera stagione musicale. Protagonista della puntata è “(Feels Like) Heaven”, il grande successo degli scozzesi...
Today · 3 min
LN
Let's not get Cancelled
TYSM CLOVER - Sienna
Interview with clover
Today · 51 min
MM
Making My Own Music (Inside Video Game Music)
IVGM 004 - Grant Kirkhope, Balor - Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Originally posted on October 18, 2014
In this episode, I talk with Grant Kirkhope, a long-time game composer who wrote the soundtrack for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. We talk about his boss battle song “Balor.”
Grant is a member of the Classic FM Hall Of Fame, and his video game soundtracks have sold more than 25 million copies.
In my interview with Grant Kirkhope, we cover the following:
His musical background, attending The Royal Northern College of Music, playing in metal bands, and working at Rare, Big Huge Games and 38 Studios
Grant has been fortunate to have a live orchestras record the soundtracks for Viva Piñata, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Viva Piñata 2, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, CityVille 2 and Civilization: Beyond Earth
Grant writes the music and creates a MIDI mockup, before handing it over to someone for orchestration
During the recording, Grant stays in the control room, making sure the performance is right while recording engineers, conductors, mixers, and mastering engineers handle the tasks they specialize in
When making MIDI mock-ups or for pieces not being performed by a live orchestra, Grant uses Hollywood Brass, Strings, and Orchestral Woodwinds libraries from EastWest Studios
From playing trumpet in orchestras, Grant has great knowledge of what the different instruments can do and what they are great at
He listened a lot to the first three Harry Potter soundtracks composed by John Williams
We talked about writing complicated runs for woodwinds, and that orchestral players are good enough to play them
I then played “Balor” from Kingdoms of Amalur Boss Pieces with Endings
He talked about the looping version for the game and the versions with endings for the soundtrack
Grant likes to use motifs that pop up in different pieces throughout the game and soundtrack
He liked working with Curt Schilling, although he did not know about baseball
Grant talked about working with his friend Danny Baranowsky on the Desktop Dungeon soundtrack
He likes working with indie developers and how they focus on great gameplay
One of Grant’s favorite all-time games is The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
He likes games that use Danny Baranowsky’s and Jimmy Hinson‘s (Big Giant Circles) music
Grant Kirkhope's website is grantkirkhope.com. You can find Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning on Steam, Playstation and Xbox
Is there a game composer you’d like to hear from? Let me know and I will reach out to them for an interview. Email tsnivelymusic@gmail.com.
Today · 37 min
MC
Matt Connarton Unleashed
Brant Hajek of Wooden Overcoat | Matt Connarton Unleashed
Brant Hajek, the multi-instrumentalist behind Portland, Oregon’s Wooden Overcoat, joins Matt Connarton on Matt Connarton Unleashed.Blending dream pop, garage psychedelia, and shoegaze, Wooden Overcoat combines layered harmonies, intimate vocals, and...
