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Interview Inon Zur Interview

VentilatorOfDoom

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Tags: Inon Zur

Inon Zur, the man who brought us a lot of game soundtracks, gave an <a href="http://game-central.org/2010/editorials/interview-with-composer-inon-zur/">interview</a> to Game Central.
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<p style="margin-left:50px;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;border-top-color:#ffffff;padding:5px;border-right-color:#bbbbbb;border-left-color:#ffffff;border-bottom-color:#bbbbbb;"><b>GC: So when it comes to actually recording the music, is it kind of a traditional way of recording? I mean, to our knowledge, video game music has lots of parts recorded, and aren’t really like full songs. Compared to more traditional recording, an album or anything like that, is it at all different to the process in video games?</b>
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Inon: Well, you know, it really depends on the budget that we have for production. You got to understand that most of the music is created—like for example, for TV or movies it’s the same thing—the music is being created first in the studio with synthesizers and samplers to do a mockup. Now, sometimes the mockup is so good that there is no additional recording needed.
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Many times when we talk about orchestral music then we do like to bring a real orchestra to either overdub or replace the mockup score. And in this way, yes, it feels pretty much like recording an album. After you’re done, basically, with all of the preparation then you go two, three days into the studio and record the orchestra, go back to the studio, open all the tracks and start mixing everything, and there you go.
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</p>
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/97656-inon-zur-interview.html">GB</A>
 

Wyrmlord

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So these synthesizers and samplers - that sort of explains how they work to match the music with the ongoing situation in the game, because I used wonder how else they mentally conceive the music for the situation and go straight to orchestra.
 

StrangeCase

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He came across as very genuine. It's nice to see that when so many "interviews" are thinly-veiled excuses to hype the shit out of some project or other. I thought he was informative and personable. Interesting interview. :incline:
 

Phelot

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His music never changes throughout his career. Same epic blah over and over again. It isn't terribly bad and it's just his style, but its a shame that he and Jeremy Soule have to be the only composers around and they sound the same. I wish developers would have in house people do the music again or at least have other folks work on stuff. I love the music from the HoMMs, why not get that guy again?
 

phanboy_iv

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phelot said:
His music never changes throughout his career. Same epic blah over and over again. It isn't terribly bad and it's just his style, but its a shame that he and Jeremy Soule have to be the only composers around and they sound the same. I wish developers would have in house people do the music again or at least have other folks work on stuff. I love the music from the HoMMs, why not get that guy again?

That was actually a couple of guys collaborating, IIRC. And yeah, that was some goodness. HOMM4 had some of the best game music I've ever heard.
 

Andyman Messiah

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-=DarlSephiroth666=- said:
Dunno, Fallout 3's soundtrack was pretty impressive.
Are you talking about his shitty exploration tunes or the great jazz? Cuz let me tell ya, Inon Zur had nothing to do with that great jazz, man.
 

Fat Dragon

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phelot said:
His music never changes throughout his career. Same epic blah over and over again. It isn't terribly bad and it's just his style, but its a shame that he and Jeremy Soule have to be the only composers around and they sound the same.
Eh, Jeremy Soule's soundtracks are usually pretty good, I really liked Icewind Dale, Guild Wars, and Morrowind (especially the main theme that has the Lorkhan heart beating in the background). Good stuff imo.

Inon Zur, on the other hand...I can't really think of anything good from him, his work just ranges from mediocre to just plain shitty.
 

Zeros

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phelot said:
His music never changes throughout his career. Same epic blah over and over again. It isn't terribly bad and it's just his style, but its a shame that he and Jeremy Soule have to be the only composers around and they sound the same. I wish developers would have in house people do the music again or at least have other folks work on stuff. I love the music from the HoMMs, why not get that guy again?

Mark Morgan, who did FO1+2's and Torment's music (and mobygames also says descent2), seems like capable of a different style...
 

phanboy_iv

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Fat Dragon said:
phelot said:
His music never changes throughout his career. Same epic blah over and over again. It isn't terribly bad and it's just his style, but its a shame that he and Jeremy Soule have to be the only composers around and they sound the same.
Eh, Jeremy Soule's soundtracks are usually pretty good, I really liked Icewind Dale, Guild Wars, and Morrowind (especially the main theme that has the Lorkhan heart beating in the background). Good stuff imo.

Inon Zur, on the other hand...I can't really think of anything good from him, his work just ranges from mediocre to just plain shitty.

This, exactly. Soule at least has some memorable themes.
 

Arcanoix

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Chance Thomas > Hans Zimmer > Jeremy Soule >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Everyone Else But Inon Zur >>>>>>>>>>>>> Inon Zur
 

Forest Dweller

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Wyrmlord said:
So these synthesizers and samplers - that sort of explains how they work to match the music with the ongoing situation in the game, because I used wonder how else they mentally conceive the music for the situation and go straight to orchestra.
The same way that a composer writing an original orchestra piece goes straight to orchestra (unless he wrote it on piano first).

Oh, and I thought Fallout 3's soundtrack was good. Did a good job of matching the ambient music of the first two.
 

Phelot

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Fat Dragon said:
phelot said:
His music never changes throughout his career. Same epic blah over and over again. It isn't terribly bad and it's just his style, but its a shame that he and Jeremy Soule have to be the only composers around and they sound the same.
Eh, Jeremy Soule's soundtracks are usually pretty good, I really liked Icewind Dale, Guild Wars, and Morrowind (especially the main theme that has the Lorkhan heart beating in the background). Good stuff imo.

Inon Zur, on the other hand...I can't really think of anything good from him, his work just ranges from mediocre to just plain shitty.

Yeah that's true. I do like Total Annihilations music so I guess his early stuff was very good. IWD was nice. I never really cared for Morrowinds music. A lot of his newer stuff... I can't say I like
 
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Dicksmoker said:
Oh, and I thought Fallout 3's soundtrack was good. Did a good job of matching the ambient music of the first two.
Bah, truth to be told, only the main menu theme was any good. Everything else was just 'blah'.

And yeah, Jeremy Soule is a way better composer.
 

Forest Dweller

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-=DarlSephiroth666=- said:
Bah, truth to be told, only the main menu theme was any good. Everything else was just 'blah'.
lolwut? The main theme was the only one that was "epic" and thus didn't fit the setting.
 

Humanophage

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I'd say Michael Hoenig was the better of the two when it comes to Baldur's Gate. At any rate, I have trouble naming a good RPG with a decidedly bad and bland soundtrack. Unlike films, games can almost always offer a couple of decent ambient tracks. Michael Hoenig, Inon Zur, Ben Houge, Mark Morgan, Kevin Manthei, Matt Uelmen, Kirill Pokrovsky, M&M people, etc. So much better than ordinary ambient albums.

P.S. I've just discovered that a musician from one of my favourite bands, Clan of Xymox, composed the soundtrack to one of my favourite action-RPGs, Revenant. What a pleasant coincidence.
 
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This guy's music fucking sucks. He rides coattails and shits all over them. He shouldn't be interviewed, he should be mauled on the street. In fact I had to turn off the music in Fallout 3 because it made the game too unbearable.

I AM VERY ANGRY ABOUT INON ZUR
 

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