Archive for January, 2014

Xbox Fitness

January 31st, 2014 | By Lance Hayes

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Get out your sweatbands, and your leg warmers, “Xbox Fitness” for Xbox One is a hit. Using cutting edge technology to redefine work outs while the new Kinect sensor tracks your pulse ensuring you get a solid session in. With but rare exception, it seems to be a favorite title with early adopters.

I worked with Microsoft Studios on several tracks for the title, including the various themes that greets you when you start up the game. It was a fun project to work on as I got to flex my 7.1 surround music mixing muscles. I’ve uploaded one of the tracks from the project to my imaginatively titled “Game Music” playlist, along with other new tracks. Featuring the always brilliant Ian Dorsch on guitars and bass, have a listen to “Xbox Fitness Theme” at the link below. Cheers!

Forza 5 Nominated for Game Developer’s Choice “Best Audio” Award

January 9th, 2014 | By Lance Hayes

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Forza Motorsport 5 has been nominated for a 2014 Game Developer’s Choice Award for “Best Audio”. I’m very honored to have played a role on Turn 10’s audio team bringing this title to Xbox One.

(For a list of additional awards, including twin BAFTAs, that Forza Motorsport 5 has been nominated for and or received head over to the Awards page)

Here’s a little more about the Game Developer’s Choice Awards from their site:

14th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards

“The Game Developers Choice Awards are the premier accolades for peer recognition in the digital games industry. Each year, the Choice Awards recognize and celebrate the creativity, artistry and technical genius of the finest developers and games created in the last year.”

Located at the Game Developers Conference

Moscone Convention Center, West Hall
Wednesday, March 19, 2014

6:30 – 8:30 pm
*All badges allowed entry

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Speaking Engagement at Upcoming Game Developer’s Conference

January 8th, 2014 | By Lance Hayes

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I’m excited to announce that my talk “Checkered Flag: Forza Motorsport 5 Soundtrack Postmortem” with the venerable Chase Combs is one of the highlighted Audio Track lectures for this years GDC.

Here’s the session description from the GDC website:

Checkered Flag: Forza Motorsport 5 Soundtrack Postmortem

Chase Combs  |  Audio Content Lead, Turn 10 Studios, Microsoft
Lance Hayes  |  Owner, DJDM Dot Com Music Publishing
The Forza Motorsport 5 Soundtrack Postmortem pulls together two of the principles creatives from the Forza audio team for a detailed look at how the soundtrack was conceived and executed. Coming from diverse backgrounds, lead composer Lance Hayes and audio content lead Chase Combs will focus on their roles in the project, and how they fit into the larger scope to create the unique and remarkable soundtrack for one of the first next-gen titles. Augmented by notes, images and video, the discussion will start with the initial concepts to the composition phase to nationwide recording at top facilities to final implementation and on to release. Attendees will come away with information pertaining to the process and scope of scoring a large AAA title, as well as ways that next-gen technology is helping create fresh experiences in game audio.

Takeaway

Composer Lance Hayes and audio content lead Chase Combs dive deep into the groundbreaking Forza Motorsport 5 soundtrack. They will present detailed examples that show how it ties together the best of the past Forza aesthetics, while being enhanced by live orchestral scoring and innovative implementation that is utilized throughout the game.

Intended Audience

This session is for anyone interested in game scoring, live orchestral recording, game audio implementation and next-generation audio concepts. Advanced attendees will appreciate innovative perspectives and information regarding next-gen audio, as well as details about AAA soundtrack development.

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Lance Hayes