Red Dead Redemption

• Featured, Game Music

  Red Dead Redemption Plays Serious Target Practice with 9th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards

  March 6, 2011 | Gideon Dabi | 1 Comment Share this Red Dead Redemption Plays Serious Target Practice with 9th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards

  

  This week at the Game Developers’ Conference, the 9th Annual Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) Awards was held and the new guys blasted the scene. Rockstar’s Western triumph, Red Dead Redemption snagged multiple awards including Audio of the Year as well as Music of the Year. Although I was pleased to see such a competent soundtrack win so many accolades, with a list that included both Dante’s Inferno and Bioshock 2 I can’t help but wonder if Garry Schyman became a victim of his own prolific success getting split votes. In any event, I suppose there could be worse things in life than pumping out two nominees in a single year.

  Congratulations to Bill Elm and Woody Jackson on their win and on a fine soundtrack – particularly the care taken to create a seamless in-game experience.

  For a full list of nominees and winners click the jump!
  (more…)

• Game Music

  Red Dead Redemption: Behind-the-scenes of the Soundtrack

  July 29, 2010 | Gideon Dabi | Comments Off on Red Dead Redemption: Behind-the-scenes of the Soundtrack Share this Red Dead Redemption: Behind-the-scenes of the Soundtrack

  

  Rockstar San Diego has put together a fantastic little video about the making of the soundtrack to Red Dead Redemption. It provides some wonderful insight into the instrumentation as well as the implementation of the interactive soundtrack. Using a myriad of stems rooted in A minor and at 130 beats per minute. As well as the interactive soundtrack is used in Red Dead Redemption, it is far from the first game to do so.

  I reviewed the score a few months ago and found it very competent but not at the level of the Western greats. All in all, it is spectacular to see the lengths Rockstar went to make the score so integral to the game and it truly paid off.

  [via Joystiq]

• Game Music, Reviews

  Red Dead Redemption OST: Good, Bad, or Ugly? (Review)

  May 24, 2010 | Gideon Dabi | 10 Comments Share this Red Dead Redemption OST: Good, Bad, or Ugly? (Review)

  

  The only genre that is truly American is the Western. If you think about it, an action film, drama, or comedy can take place anywhere and in almost any time period. But, when dealing with the genre of Westerns, it must – by definition – be set in the Western United States. Though some of the best Westerns ever created have been filmed elsewhere and by non-American filmmakers, they are always about one place and one era. Because no other genre has such a constant instilled in it, I find the Western – whether it be film, music, or game (or combination) – to be the most fascinating.

  Naturally, Ennio Morricone’s iconic soundtracks – particularly those of the Man With No Name Trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and the legendary The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) – provide the template to which other Western soundtracks since adhere. The soundtrack to Red Dead Redemption wisely does not deviate very far from the tried and true methods of the great Morricone: whistle, strings, harmonica, acoustic and electric guitar, and simple percussion. All of these make up the aesthetic that evokes images of tumbleweed, high noon, and six-shooters. You know, the really good stuff.

  In the end, the music behind Rockstar’s latest smash hit, Red Dead Redemption (composed by Bill Elm and Woody Jackson), should scratch that Western itch. Could it survive a showdown against your wallet and/or other great Western soundtracks? You’ll have to wait till high noon for that (or click the jump). (more…)

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