zirconMusic

Unearthed

admin — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:36:03 +0000

My 8th album, “Unearthed”, is now available on Bandcamp, iTunes and more! This is a 14-track, 50+ minute compilation of previously unreleased works written from 2007 to 2012. It includes classics like “Just Hold On” that were never released on CD, as well as rare remixes by artists like Big Giant Circles and Skrypnyk. Genres range from vocal trance and atmospheric downtempo to intense big beat and dubstep, so there is definitely something for everyone here.

Pick it up for $5.99+ at Bandcamp!

Soulcalibur V

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:35:52 +0000

Along with a team of other composers like Inon Zur, Hiroki Kikuta and Cris Velasco, I wrote and produced the score for the fighting game SOULCALIBUR V! The game was developed and produced by PROJECT SOUL, part of Bandai Namco. A substantial portion of the music was recorded live in Sydney, Australia by the Eminence Symphony Orchestra and the entire soundtrack was mixed by John Kurlander (who also worked on the Lord of the Rings film trilogy).

I was able to work on this project through my agent, Hiroaki Yura, who also manages Jillian’s international performances. Jill was invited on to the soundtrack first to co-write and perform on the fantastic ending theme, which Cris Velasco started. I was brought on later to contribute six original tracks; three character/battle themes, one system theme (character creation) and two cinematic scores. Three of the pieces were recorded live in Australia and the result sounds absolutely great. Though I could not personally attend the sessions, Jill flew out to the studio and performed her piece live, also appearing on another cinematic track with improvised vocals.

The grand list of composers on the project is as follows: myself, Jillian, Inon Zur, Hiroki Kikuta, Cris Velasco, Tomoki Miyoshi and series composer Junichi Nakatsuru. I’ll be posting again in a few weeks with links to the game and the soundtrack, which are both slated for release at the end of this month.

Shiny New Demo Reels

admin — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 20:58:25 +0000

I’ve just updated all of my genre-categorized demo reels which now feature work from my upcoming album as well as recent projects like Phineas & Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension. You can listen to or download these ~3 minute montages at the Services or Music for Media pages. Another major change is that I split up my electronic work into Downtempo and Uptempo styles. Check them out and let me know what you think!

Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension

admin — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 20:45:30 +0000

I wrote the all-original orchestral score to this action-platformer based on the blockbuster Disney TV show of the same name! Developed by High Impact Games for Wii and PlayStation 3, the game features a mix of retro beat-’em-up action, puzzle elements, item collecting and a wide variety of unique environments. This is easily one of the biggest projects I’ve ever been involved with, as the soundtrack clocks in at over 45 minutes in length!

GANG and GDC Awards

admin — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 20:40:57 +0000

LucasArts’ Monkey Island 2: Special Thanks won “Best Handheld Audio” at the 2011 Game Audio Network Guild awards! The credit is shared between myself, Dan Reynolds, Jeff Ball, Will Roget and the rest of the audio team. Additionally, I won the annual GDC Composers Challenge, beating over 40 entrants! Check out the winning piece on my Music for Media page.

Shreddage X Released

admin — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 20:35:07 +0000

The long-awaited followup to “Shreddage”, a critically-acclaimed electric guitar sample library I designed, is now available. Featuring new true legato samples, lower tuning, vibrato, tremolo picking, aggressive sustains and harmonics, the library significantly expands the flexibility of the original for only $20. Additionally, Impact Soundworks has partnered with Peavey Electronics to bundle a free version of the ReValver amp sim with custom Shreddage presets! Check out the Shreddage bundle today at ImpactSoundworks.com or the Store.

Monkey Island 2: SE

admin — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 20:25:27 +0000

Considered by many to be the most classic adventure of all-time, LucasArts original Monkey Island 2 has always stood the test of time. Nonetheless, the gaming world rejoiced at the release of Monkey Island 2: Special Edition, an updated HD remake for XBLA, PSN, PC and iOS. I was honored to be one of the composers selected to arrange and reorchestrate the Special Edition soundtrack, which features over an hour of fully-interactive music!

2011 Midyear Update

admin — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 22:10:34 +0000

As those following my Facebook, Twitter or YouTube accounts know, this year has already been full of new projects and releases – I just haven’t had the chance to write about them! Firstly, I’ve updated my game remixes page with three new tracks. I’ve got many more coming this year too, including mixes Super Metroid, Deus Ex, Mario Paint and Metroid Prime. So, enjoy them!

Next, I’ve linked to my latest videos on my video page; watch them right on this site or on YouTube. I recommend the one on making dirty bass sounds in Zebra 2! You’ll also find new sample library videos and tutorials, which will be of interest to anyone who uses my sound sets like Shreddage.

Speaking of social media, if you haven’t Liked my Facebook page, you’re missing out on free giveaways, people posting tracks/remixes (and getting advice/reviews if they ask for it), brainstorming for new videos, album release updates, fun discussions about gaming nostalgia and lots of other stuff. The page just reached over 2,000 fans so come join the conversation!

As for my upcoming album, I’m incredibly excited and hopeful that it will be released by the end of this year. It’s a true successor to Antigravity, featuring a blend of electronic genres, organic and synthetic sounds, vocal tracks and more. It’s inspired by cyberpunk imagery, particularly the anime Ghost in the Shell which had a big impact on me when I first saw it. Within the next month I’ll be releasing the first track in full as a single. If you liked Breathing You In, you’ll love this.

Lastly, I’m very proud that my work garnered two awards at the 2011 Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco! I wasn’t able to physically attend due to a medical problem (since resolved) but my wife Jillian was a wonderful proxy. The first award was for my work as a co-arranger on Monkey Island 2: Special Edition, which won Best Handheld Audio at the GANG Awards. The other was for my winning entry into the GDC 2011 Composers Challenge which invited both amateur and professional composers to create a 60-second piece of interactive music that could seamlessly flow from a “neutral” mood to good or evil.

You can listen to the piece (all three versions) at the Music for Media page. Enjoy, and don’t forget to leave a comment!

MAGFest 9 Panel Videos Up!

admin — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 06:28:14 +0000

Of all the game and game music related events I go to every year, MAGFest is consistently a highlight. There’s no better place to be among fellow VGM fans. Play a pickup game of Super Street Fighter II Turbo on a legit arcade cabinet, play in a Magic: The Gathering tournament, listen to 6 hours of VGM-themed rock concerts, live chiptunes, jam or just hang out.

This year, I was on a panel called “Making Music: From Hobby to Profession” with my wife Jill and fellow composers Will Roget, II and Jimmy Hinson. It was a lot of fun and, I hope, very informative to people looking to break into making music as a career! The whole panel was recorded by Josh Whelchel (great guy!) and I’ve edited it for YouTube.

Visit the Videos section to watch!

2010 Year of the zircon Recap

admin — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 19:23:00 +0000

Happy New Year to all! When I set out last January to release something new every week, I was full of confidence that 2010 would be my best year yet; but I had no idea that the “year of the zircon” would be as insane as it actually was. I thought it would be a good way to kick off this year by recapping everything that happened!

* Was hired by LucasArts as one of the arrangers for Monkey Island 2: Special Edition, my first major game gig, which got rave reviews for the updated soundtrack
* Got another gig writing music for an upcoming PSP game coming out this year – can’t say more than that!
* Designed and released two sample libraries through Impact Soundworks: Shreddage, our most popular library ever, and Koto Nation
* With the help of Hench, redesigned the Impact Soundworks website
* Went to the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco for the first time and met tons of amazing people
* Learned the basics of video editing, produced and uploaded over 20 new videos to my YouTube channel
* Started actually using my Facebook page!
* Wrote over a dozen original tracks for production music licensing, including an entire CD of hip hop instrumentals and atmospheric/downtempo
* Created about nine new video game remixes
* Wrote a new ‘sound logo’ and about a minute of underscore for The Carter Center
* Designed an indie game, wrote all the music, created half the sound effects, wrote most of the dialog, did all the audio implementation and even some programming. The game was released at the end of the year to rave reviews (Return All Robots!)
* Released the soundtrack to said game
* Founded my own production music library, ZirconTrax
* Redesigned this website!

In short, it was a pretty amazing year. And the best part is, 2011 is going to be even better. I’ll be releasing a new full-length original electronic album, lots more tutorial videos, new sample libraries, new remixes and much more. So, thank you for all of the support, and I hope you enjoy what’s in store!