Miscellaneous

Game Music, Gear, Miscellaneous

Community Question: Is it time to move on from MP3?

May 31, 2017 | Shawn Sackenheim | 8 Comments Share this

While the recent headlines touting “The MP3 is DEAD!!” have over-sensationalized the real news, it got me thinking about my own digital collection again. So I’ll ask you, dear readers, the same thing I asked myself: is it time to move on from MP3?

Sadly, I am not much farther along in my quest to reorganize my music collection than I was when I asked for reader responses in 2015. Over the last two years I’ve been sporadically re-ripping CDs as 320kbps MP3s but with the “death knell” headlines I finally decided to take a look at other formats, namely AAC/m4a.

I’m no audiophile when it comes to sound. My ancient MP2 files are just now sounding crusty to my ears but AAC has impressed me with smaller file sizes. Support is also more widespread than the last time I peeked out from my MP3 safe zone: all the apps, programs, and even consoles I might use to play digital files now support it. So that’s where I’m at right now, surrounded by my CD collection once again.

How about you? What’s your format of choice? What do you think about the MP3 news or even the future of digital music files? Let us know in the comments.
Indie Music, Miscellaneous

Composer Norihiko Hibino Launches Prescription for Serenity Wellness App

May 17, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Composer Norihiko Hibino Launches Prescription for Serenity Wellness App Share this

Norihiko Hibino, composer for the Metal Gear Solid series and the producer of the Prescription for Sleep: Game Music Lullabies series of albums continues the growth of his Hibino Sound Therapy Lab project along with aid from Mission One with the Prescription for Serenity wellness app.

Since 2009, Hibino has seen the Prescription for Sleep albums grow and diversify, not just with soothing game music but with a wide range of relaxation bundles. Prescription for Serenity will take high resolution music files featuring live chamber music, solo harp and piano performances, and of course, more jazzy lullabies from GENTLE LOVE, the duo comprised of Hibino and Etrian Odyssey pianist AYAKI, who have made a name for themselves with their Billboard-charting Prescription for Sleep: Game Music Lullabies albums. The library is also expandable with a subscription that will add new content as it’s recorded, including selections from the Prescription for Sleep: Game Music Lullabies series.

After the success of the first two Prescription for Sleep apps, and hearing comments from people who were helped by them, we decided to do something much grander in scope this time around–a full-fledged service offering hundreds of therapeutic songs all within one app. We are proud of what we accomplished, and hope that it helps give people the relaxation they deserve. – Marc Cellucci, Mission One Founder

You can check out the Prescription for Serenity app on iTunes and Google Play. You can also check out the other Prescription for Sleep apps and albums on the Hibino Sound Therapy Lab website, and the Game Music Lullabies albums at Scarlet Moon Productions.
Miscellaneous, Music Production

PopCap Layoffs Highlight the Difficulties of Game Audio Careers

May 4, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on PopCap Layoffs Highlight the Difficulties of Game Audio Careers Share this

Recently, PopCap Games announced a wave of layoffs at their Seattle development branch to “refocus on new titles and key projects”. There was no confirmation of how many where laid off or what departments saw the cut in staff, but at least one member of their audio team announced their position had been the victim of the downsizing.

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Doujin, Game Music, Miscellaneous

VGM Band Spotlight: Moiré Effect

April 18, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on VGM Band Spotlight: Moiré Effect Share this VGM Band Spotlight: Moiré Effect

The video game music scene is a vast one, with a growing community that continues to bolster itself regularly. Certainly with events whose core is centered around video game music, such as MAGFest and Gamer’s Rhapsody, as well as the niche industry of game music expanding through both fan projects and composer collaborations, new names pop up in the scene regularly. This is especially true with new performers and bands that dedicate themselves to the celebration of video game music.

Enter Moiré Effect. What is Moiré Effect? Well, ask a visualist and it’s the spacing effect when two sets of patterns are laid on top of one another. So, what does this have to do with video game music? According to the band, it didn’t start out with a dedication to games music and beyond.

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Game Music, Miscellaneous

PSA: Check your Humble Bundle Purchases for Hidden Soundtracks

March 28, 2017 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on PSA: Check your Humble Bundle Purchases for Hidden Soundtracks Share this

Be it for cheap deals or philanthropic karma, most of us have at least a few Humble Bundle purchases to our names. Many of the hundreds of bundles the site has offered since 2010 have also included soundtracks, and not always from the bundled games. Between my bundle obsession of 2013, bonus content being unlocked, and the site’s dense purchases page, it’s no wonder I’ve recently found several soundtracks I didn’t even know I owned.

It’s been improving over the years but the latest version of the site has a handy dropdown for Audio, narrowing down your hundreds of purchases to just the ones with music downloads.You can also do the same to find purchases that include eBooks or wallpapers or to quickly find Steam and Origin keys.

So for this combination Public Service Announcement and Community Question we want to know what are some of your favorite or overlooked soundtracks you’ve picked up from a Humble Bundle?

Some of my most listened to soundtracks came from bundles: Dungeons of Dredmor, FEZ, Frozen Synapse and Starbound are just a few. But just this week I’ve been re-discovering the chiptune bliss of Mercenary Kings, the whimsical fantasy sounds of Trine 2 and the otherworldly ambiance of Rymdkapsel. What about you? Let us know in the comments below.
Miscellaneous

Bandcamp Artists Donating Today’s Profit to the ACLU

February 3, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Bandcamp Artists Donating Today’s Profit to the ACLU Share this
Over 200 artists and groups, including a good chunk of the VGM and chiptune scene, have gotten together with Bandcamp and are donating all profits from their sales today to the American Civil Liberties Union. The act is a response to current political strife, with Bandcamp donating 100% of their profits to the ACLU, and a large amount of musicians and music labels making additional donations of their profit cuts.

We hope that, as you listen to these albums, you’ll not only discover some great new artists, but will also gain a further appreciation and understanding for the way music transcends all borders, and remember that, even in the darkest of times, there is more that unites us than divides us.

Several video game cover bands and arrangers have thrown their support behind the movement. If you’re looking to purchase new music, beyond the Bandcamp portion, many of the following are making extra donations towards the ACLU:
Regardless of your affiliations, we suggest checking out these and several other VGM artists and bands today for the simple reason of expanding your library of awesome video game tunes.
Indie Music, Miscellaneous

Hiroki Kikuta Releases ANGELICFORTRESS Original Albums

February 1, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Hiroki Kikuta Releases ANGELICFORTRESS Original Albums Share this

Secret of Mana composer Hiroki Kikuta has released two original albums to fans in the form of ANGELICFORTRESS and ANGELICFORTRESS DOUBLE HELIX. ANGELICFORTRESS is an album series created to combine Kikuta’s love for progressive rock, jazz fusion, and game music as well as to say thank you to patrons of music in general.

<a href="http://hirokikikuta.bandcamp.com/album/angelicfortress">ANGELICFORTRESS by Hiroki Kikuta / Hidehisa Sasaki</a>

“I was exposed to an endless catalog of awesome progressive rock and jazz fusion albums throughout high school. It had the biggest impact on the formulation of my view of the musical world. Now I want to mix up these genres with modern day videogame music.” – Hiroki Kikuta

Both five-track albums are currently available on Bandcamp: ANGELICFORTRESS and ANGELICFORTRESS DOUBLE HELIX

You can also keep on top of Kikuta’s other upcoming works and news by following him on his official Twitter.