Longtime Blizzard composer Jason Hayes is here to tackle the topic of live instrumentation and the long, twisting journey from the days of MIDI. This timeline spans from the creation of the Protoss briefing room theme to cautious placement of the erhu in Mists of Pandaria-- the Lost Vikings even gets a brief mention because life is grand.
You can also follow Jason on Twitter!
How did you like this episode? If the answer is "lots" then consider following Train Station at 8 on Twitter and subscribing on iTunes, or maybe send an email to TrainStationAt8@gmail.com. Hearing from you would make our collective day!
The 8 Questions:
1: What have you been listening to?
2: Do you play any instruments?
3: What's the earliest game in which you can remember hearing live instruments?
4: Was anything lost in the transition from MIDI to live instruments?
5: What are some personal favorite instruments to hear in game soundtracks?
6: What are some musical genres or styles you think need more representation in gaming?
7: Which soundtracks would you most like to hear live?
8: What have you been working on?
Stuff we talked about:
Music used in this episode:
- KK Podcasting (Train Station at 8 Theme) - Bryan Kelly
- Invincible - Video Games Live
- Go For Distance - Big Giant Circles
- Hogger of Hedges - LONELYROLLINGSTARS
- ??? (Outcast) - Lennie Moore/Franck Sauer (If you know which track this is, let us know!)
- Wacky Workbench (Bad Future) [US] - Spencer Nilsen
- Sonic the Hedgehog: Staff Credits - Video Games Live
- Protoss Ready Room - Jason Hayes
- One Final Effort - Martin O'Donnel
- Dun Morogh - Jason Hayes (we think...?)
- Pull Up a Chair - Peter McConnell
- The Last of Us (You and Me) - Gustavo Santaolalla
- Legends of Azeroth - Critical Hit