Jump to content

Music: Difference between revisions

Music (view source)

Revision as of 04:36, 10 January 2023

166 bytes removed ,  10 January 2023
updated to reflect Sebastien taking credit for Trailer; moved some material to more appropriate places
(added another Halo connection; more info on Psykosonik and the similarity to Trailer; no longer attributing tracks to just O'Donnell but Salvatori as well; added our best guesses for Fight and Internal Space)
(updated to reflect Sebastien taking credit for Trailer; moved some material to more appropriate places)
Line 16: Line 16:
==TotalAudio==
==TotalAudio==
[[Image:TotalAudio logo.jpg|right]]
[[Image:TotalAudio logo.jpg|right]]
TotalAudio is a music and sound production company founded by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori, apparently incorporated officially under the name O'Donnell/Salvatori Inc. The company was contracted to score Bungie's games starting with [[Myth|Myth: The Fallen Lords]]. In 2000, Marty would join Bungie as an employee, but TotalAudio continues to operate (at least for the purpose of copyright maintenance and royalty assignment) while O'Donnell and Salvatori have individually gone on to compose for various games.
TotalAudio is a music and sound production company founded by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori, apparently incorporated officially under the name O'Donnell/Salvatori Inc. The company was contracted to score Bungie's games starting with [[Myth|Myth: The Fallen Lords]]. In 2000, Marty would join Bungie as an employee, but TotalAudio continues to operate (at least for the purpose of copyright maintenance and royalty collection) while O'Donnell and Salvatori have individually gone on to compose for various games.


As for the music written for Oni, O'Donnell stated in [https://halo.bungie.org/misc/nico_marty_interview.html this interview] that he personally composed the half of the soundtrack which Power of Seven did not. It's not clear if Salvatori did any composition for Oni. In the same interview, Salvatori is referred to as a producer and engineer working with O'Donnell, not as a composer, but then again, the interview happened three years after Oni released. O'Donnell seemed to take credit for "Oni Anime" and "Farewell" on his [https://web.archive.org/web/20010203124800/http://mp3.com/artists/18/totalaudio_bungie.html mp3.com artist page]. When O'Donnell released the Oni soundtrack on Bandcamp for a short while, the sheet music for "Hurry" was included as an extra, credited to O'Donnell/Salvatori Inc. but not either specific person. Since O'Donnell and Salvatori worked closely at times, we do not attempt to distinguish who composed which piece in the table at bottom.
As for the music written for Oni, O'Donnell stated in [https://halo.bungie.org/misc/nico_marty_interview.html this interview] that he personally composed the half of the soundtrack which Power of Seven did not. It's not clear if Salvatori did any composition for Oni. In the same interview, Salvatori is referred to as a producer and engineer working with O'Donnell, not as a composer, but then again, the interview happened three years after Oni released. O'Donnell seemed to take credit for "Oni Anime" and "Farewell" on his [https://web.archive.org/web/20010203124800/http://mp3.com/artists/18/totalaudio_bungie.html mp3.com artist page]. When O'Donnell released the Oni soundtrack on Bandcamp for a short while, the sheet music for "Hurry" was included as an extra, credited to O'Donnell/Salvatori Inc. but not either specific person. Since O'Donnell and Salvatori worked closely at times, we do not attempt to distinguish who composed which piece in the table at bottom.
Line 25: Line 25:
[[Image:Power of Seven logo.gif|right]]
[[Image:Power of Seven logo.gif|right]]
The name echoes Bungie's "cult" of [[Seven|the number 7]], but Power of Seven [https://marathon.bungie.org/story/faq.html#15 was an independent digital music content publisher] founded in Minnesota and headed by Paul Sebastien. Bungie fans also know them for producing the opening themes to [[wp:Marathon 2: Durandal|Marathon 2: Durandal]] and [[wp:Marathon Infinity|Marathon Infinity]].
The name echoes Bungie's "cult" of [[Seven|the number 7]], but Power of Seven [https://marathon.bungie.org/story/faq.html#15 was an independent digital music content publisher] founded in Minnesota and headed by Paul Sebastien. Bungie fans also know them for producing the opening themes to [[wp:Marathon 2: Durandal|Marathon 2: Durandal]] and [[wp:Marathon Infinity|Marathon Infinity]].
Sebastien was also a founder of the techno band Psykosonik; over the course of the band's existence (1992–1997), four of their electronic dance songs charted in the Billboard Top 40, but they only released two albums. The style of the track Trailer resembles the output from Sebastien's band, as exemplified by songs like [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIHANekdtvU Teknojihad] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH2Pslw8BkI Killjoy]. Since Trailer was the [[1998|first piece of music used]] in connection with Oni, it might have been created before the rest of the work from Power of Seven.


In 1996, Power of Seven [https://marathon.bungie.org/story/power_of_seven/power_of_seven.html was acquired by] audio company Headspace, Inc. and the studio was relocated to Headspace's HQ in San Mateo, California. In 1999, Headspace renamed themselves [[wp:Beatnik (company)|Beatnik, Inc.]] (The California company which currently creates meditation audio programs under the name Headspace is unrelated.) Beatnik became defunct in 2011.
In 1996, Power of Seven [https://marathon.bungie.org/story/power_of_seven/power_of_seven.html was acquired by] audio company Headspace, Inc. and the studio was relocated to Headspace's HQ in San Mateo, California. In 1999, Headspace renamed themselves [[wp:Beatnik (company)|Beatnik, Inc.]] (The California company which currently creates meditation audio programs under the name Headspace is unrelated.) Beatnik became defunct in 2011.
Line 44: Line 42:
Salter released additional alternate versions of two of these pieces on Smartsound.com: [https://www.smartsound.com/royalty-free-music/Eclectic+Lounge/Terminus/ Terminus] (Konoko Chase) and [https://www.smartsound.com/royalty-free-music/Atmospheric+Energy/Crucial+Dossier/ Crucial Dossier] (Whirled Piece).
Salter released additional alternate versions of two of these pieces on Smartsound.com: [https://www.smartsound.com/royalty-free-music/Eclectic+Lounge/Terminus/ Terminus] (Konoko Chase) and [https://www.smartsound.com/royalty-free-music/Atmospheric+Energy/Crucial+Dossier/ Crucial Dossier] (Whirled Piece).


It is unknown whether Sebastien himself contributed to the soundtrack, as he may have been busy in his role as Director of Production at Headspace. Was he the mysterious "NVerse"? In any case, about nine days before the above press release naming the trio of "NVerse, Brian Salter and Kim Cascone", Sebastien [http://oni.bungie.org/newsarchives/2000/apr00.html#pos stated in an interview] (now lost) that Power of Seven would also be making "atmospheric ambient" tracks for the game.
"NVerse" was apparently an alias for Paul Sebastien. In 2023, Sebastien confirmed by email that he created Trailer as well as other possibly unreleased tracks. Sebastien was also a founder of the techno band Psykosonik; over the course of the band's existence (1992–1997), four of their electronic dance songs charted in the Billboard Top 40, but they only released two albums. The style of Trailer resembles the output from his band, as exemplified by songs like [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIHANekdtvU Teknojihad] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH2Pslw8BkI Killjoy].


==Tentative attribution==
==Tentative attribution==
Line 62: Line 60:
|2
|2
|Trailer
|Trailer
|Sebastien?
|Sebastien
|-
|-
|3
|3
Line 125: Line 123:
|}
|}


When it comes to the ambient tracks (collected [https://iritscen.oni2.net/wiki/ambient/ here]), attribution for the ones starting with "atm_" remain a mystery. The ones starting with "mus_" are largely or entirely written by O'Donnell, which we can say because five out of nine are [[Music/Myth|reused from Myth I/II]] and another one (amasian or "Up and Away") shares the same synthesized instruments as his work on Halo (see "TotalAudio" section above).
When it comes to the ambient tracks (collected [https://iritscen.oni2.net/wiki/ambient/ here]), attribution for the ones starting with "atm_" remain a mystery. However, about nine days before the press release that named the Power of Seven "trio" who would be making music for the game, Paul Sebastien [http://oni.bungie.org/newsarchives/2000/apr00.html#pos stated in an interview] (now lost) that Power of Seven would also be making "atmospheric ambient" tracks for the game. We can say that the tracks starting with "mus_" are largely or entirely written by O'Donnell, which we can say because five out of nine are [[Music/Myth|reused from Myth I/II]] and another one (amasian or "Up and Away") shares the same synthesized instruments as his work on Halo (see "TotalAudio" section above).


[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Music]]
Retrieved from "https://wiki.oni2.net/Special:MobileDiff/39091"