Jason Hayes

• Game Music

  Jason Hayes Leaves Carbine Studios for Valve

  August 25, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this Jason Hayes Leaves Carbine Studios for Valve

  A pretty shocking move, sure, but so was Hayes’s departure from Blizzard Entertainment. As it turns out, Jason Hayes has left his position at Carbine Studios where he’d been working on a previously unannounced MMO title for the past five or so years. I imagine this is the recently revealed WildStar, but it looks like Hayes won’t see the title through to release as he’s moved on and joined the team at Valve.

  It’s kind of curious how MMO development cycles work for game composers. They seem particularly damaging as composers require fresh game credits on their resume to get new projects, so on one hand it doesn’t come as much as a surprise to see Hayes go (it’s been years since we’ve heard new music from him, and we recently saw Michael Bross leave Red 5 to work on Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One and other titles as well). You can already hear Hayes’s music in the DOTA 2 trailer that was released at Gamescon (co-composed by Tim Larkin), so expect to hear more from him moving forward.

  What do you make of Hayes’s move? Are you looking forward to what he’ll bring to the table for Valve’s diverse line-up?

  [via Destructoid]

• Game Music

  First GDC 2010 Audio Track Sessions Announced: Hell and Emotion

  December 11, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this First GDC 2010 Audio Track Sessions Announced: Hell and Emotion

  

  Can’t believe it’s already that time of year again. The Game Developer’s Conference is one of the best places in the world for game audio as it provides an opportunity for composers, sound designers, and audio directrors to get together and discuss the latest and greatest in the industry. The first batch of sessions have just been announced, and we of course hit the directory to see what to look forward to from the audio track.

  First and foremost, I got excited when I saw Final Fantasy XIII, but as it turns out, Yoshinori Tsuchida and Tomohiro Yajima will be discussing audio programming of the game’s sound effects, and not the game’s music. Bioshock composer Garry Schyman will be discussing his score for Dante’s Inferno (which Gideon is ecstatic about), and a lecture will be held discussing the sound design in the Halo series by Bungie’s Jay Weinland. Two other highlights include a panel that will explore the lessons of the 8-bit era in terms of audio titled “Where It All Began / Lessons That Can Be Learned From ‘First Generation’ Music” featuring panelists Rod Abernethy, Alexander Brandon, and Brian Schmidt, and another panel titled “The Musical Recipe of Emotion” featuring Tom Salta, Laura Karpman, Marty O’Donnell, Jason Hayes, and Chance Thomas. Sounds like it’s already shaping up to be a great GDC, and there are surely more panels to be announced in the near future, so stay tuned!

  Is there a particular game or topic that you think needs to be discussed at this year’s GDC? Are you as curious as I am to see what Abernethy, Brandon, and Schmidt will have to say about 8-bit music?

• Game Music, Reviews

  Easily the Best of East and West With Echoes of War: The Music of Blizzard Entertainment (Review)

  December 4, 2008 | Patrick Gann | 6 Comments Share this Easily the Best of East and West With Echoes of War: The Music of Blizzard Entertainment (Review)

  

  Well ladies and gentlemen, it’s here. Performed by the Eminence Symphony Orchestra (and other musicians) from Australia, the fully arranged album for Blizzard’s top-selling franchises finally comes to eager fans. And I am one of those eager fans.

  Whether you choose to go with the bare-bones standard edition or the “all the bells and whistles attached” legendary edition, you are in for quite a treat. We’ve told you about Echoes of War before, and brought you director Hiroaki Yura’s comments, but now it’s time for a full, comprehensive review.

  After the jump, you can read about the guest arrangers, the song selections, the frills that come with the legendary edition, and the excellence of the performances found on this two disc set. (more…)

• Film, Reviews

  The Midnight Meat Train Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Review)

  August 25, 2008 | Patrick Gann | 3 Comments Share this The Midnight Meat Train Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Review)

  

  Recently, OSV hosted an interview with Jason Hayes, Gerard K. Marino, and Justin Lassen, regarding a song written for The Midnight Meat Train, a horror film based on the short story by Clive Barker. Now, we have a review of the 14-track album featuring all-new remixes and arrangements from Justin Lassen.

  After the jump, the detailed review awaits. Be ready for some deliciously horrifying sounds! (more…)

• Film, Game Music

  Want Some Meat? “Nacatl” Interview With Hayes, Marino, Lassen

  August 18, 2008 | Patrick Gann | 4 Comments Share this Want Some Meat? “Nacatl” Interview With Hayes, Marino, Lassen

  

  The Midnight Meat Train, a film released a few weeks ago, has a lot of big names behind it. Japanese director Ryuhei Kitamura took on the task of directing this adaptation of Clive Barker’s horrifying short story of the same name (written 25 years before the film debut). Along with having an original score, the film also sports some decent arranged remixes from visionary producer Justin Lassen. Some of these remixed songs come from bands like Apocalyptica, Second Coming, and Iconcrash. However, one song on the album was written by a pair of all-star game music veterans. They are Jason Hayes and Gerard Marino.

  For those of you not in the know, Jason Hayes is the man behind a number of Blizzard’s soundtracks, including Warcraft III and World of Warcraft. As for Gerard Marino, you may know him from his work on the God of War series. The two worked together to compose a song entitled “Nacatl.” Justin Lassen also did arrangement on this track for its use in Midnight Meat Train.

  After the jump, we have an interview with all three of these upstanding gentlemen: Jason Hayes, Gerard Marino, and Justin Lassen. We talk about the song “Nacatl,” the film for which it is used, and a host of other topics. Check it out! (more…)

Covering and promoting discussion of composers and music with a focus on video games and other contemporary media entertainment

Join Us Online Or Log in

 Got tips? Get in touch Or Browse our Categories Game Music Music Production Gear Anime Demoscene Software Television Doujin Chip Music Indie Music Film Events Japanese Miscellaneous Experimental Featured Editorial Reviews Interviews