I’ve been mixing a fantastic live set of Frankie Ford live at the Throckmorton Theater in Mill Valley. I say the set is great, partly due to the music and incredible musicianship, but also in large part, to it being a live performance.
There is as much between song commentary, comedy, antics and personality by Frankie during the set as there is music. Frankie puts on a true show in every sense of the word. Much more than a back-to-back performance of songs.
In listening back I’m reminded that in many cases there is much that the studio album recording format does not capture. This seems especially true in genres like jazz, blues, and gospel for me. I’m sure that can be said about many others too.
The soundtrack for the North American version of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue was announced on Tuesday. With an eclectic mix of some of the best names in music around, the soundtrack blends indie dance rock, electronica, classic rock and brand new remixes by some of today’s hottest bands.
Headlining the soundtrack is an in-game exclusive version of Weezer’s “Automatic” from their upcoming album, remixed by LA Riots. Other artists include The Mars Volta, DJ Shadow, Thin Lizzy, and The Klaxons.
I did a surround mix of the Weezer track for the game as well as some of the in-game mastering. This game looks amaaaazzzing! Can’t wait until it comes out next month.
My good friend and brilliant engineer, Rob Castro, spotted this query on the cover of Mix Magazine:
ATTENTION: GAME SOUND DEVELOPERS
We’re guessing you didn’t always work in videogames; we know a lot of you have roots in music and post. Tell us why you made the switch to the game world, and the name of the first title you worked on. E-mail us at mixeditorial@mixonline.com.
So… I thought about it for just a minute, and responded:
WHY I MADE THE SWITCH TO THE GAME WORLD
I grew up engineering in the collaborative recording environments of the ’80’s and ’90’s. Studio multiplexes that fostered groups of creative people working on multiple projects simultaneously, water cooler talks, and a healthy, competitive industry. With the advent of desktop recording, the process of making music became more isolated for the creators. With less collaboration came less innovation.
I became interested in the videogame industry because I saw the collaborative environment that motivated me to get into music recording in the first place. Huge teams of energetic people pushing innovation and technology to their limits. It’s those elements that I believe are the making of great change, and artistic creation.
I’ve been working on mixes of a musical tribute to John Goddard and the Sweetwater. It was recorded at the Sweetwater and the Throckmorton Theater last fall when John’s Village Music and the Sweetwater both closed their doors.
It’s around 7 hours of music featuring many long time Marin music scene favorites. Tonight I’ve really been enjoying a Nick Gravenites set with a fantastic band behind him. Something soothing about listening to a real “Blues Man”.
Up next: Dan Hicks…
Some of the most fun work I’ve done recently has been mixing Austin de Lone’s “Soul Blues” album. It features Jim Keltner, Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, of course Austin, and many others. Best of all, it’s out and available.
Check it out at Austin’s new MySpace page put together by his daughter, the fabulous Caroline Rose.
