Artist description Jack Wall composes and produces music for video games, theatrical productions, location-based entertainment venues, film, and television. Recent credits include DisneyQuest in Orlando and Philadelphia; shows at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago; Exploration Place in Wichita, KS; and the Animorphs video game. He lives in Los Angeles, CA, and can be reached via email at wall_snd@pacbell.net.

Music Style Game Soundtrack

Artist History Composer Jack Wall played the popular video game Myst for the first time in 1994. “That was the moment I realized there was a future in composing musicfor games. The music [in the original] was fresh and surreal, and itdefinitely resonated with me. ”Myst’s music resonated so much, in fact, that after hearing it, Wall’s mainfocus became to bring film soundtrack quality—real, live players withproduction values that paralleled film soundtrack compositions—to the videogame genre. “I figured that if I could produce the music I wanted to hear,the soundtrack could be a very special part of the gaming experience. ”In late 1999, Wall got his chance to prove it. Hired by Dan Irish, the producer of the Myst/Riven product line, to compose the soundtrack for the next installment of the Myst series, MYST III: EXILE, the composer had to keep the feel of the previous games’ music, while simultaneously adding something new, exciting, and dynamic. Together, he and Irish set about brainstorming how to accomplish that challenge in Myst III. “We did this first and foremost by deciding to use an orchestra and choirfor the dramatic, character-driven segments and interactive portions of the game.” Under Jack’s direction, Simon James and the Northwest Sinfonia werebrought in to record the game’s original score. “Conducting this amazing group of musicians performing my music was just incredible. During the firstbreak, Dan leaned over to me and said, ‘every game I produce from now on will have a full orchestra in the soundtrack!'. “A week or so later when we recorded the choir in Los Angeles, a few people in the control booth had tears in their eyes from the sheer power of thecombined sound of the 51 players of the Northwest Sinfonia with the men and women singing in the studio. It was a truly memorable experience.”Once the game’s orchestral score was written and recorded, Wall began creating the more ambient music players hear as they explore the game’s surreal, photo-realistic worlds. “I created ambient music that actually had melody and structure to it—again, using live musicians. I did a special mixfor the soundtrack only and I formatted this same music to fit into [gamedeveloper] Presto Studios’ interactive music engine.” The best part about that engine and the way it implements music in the game, Wall believes, is that it is “very dynamic. The music changes and progresses as players gothrough the game so that even after many hours of gameplay, it’s hard to find a place in which the music repeats.” “You really are getting something extra with the soundtrack CD,” the composer continues. “The very same music you hear in the game was mixed specifically and uniquely for the CD. ”But that’s not all. “I thought it would be a nice bonus to the fans to do a song inspired by Myst III that isn’t included in the game. I collaborated with two other songwriters, Kevin Haskins (Bauhaus, Love & Rockets) and DougDeAngelis (Nine Inch Nails), to record and produce a single that works off the main title.” The song is included on the soundtrack CD as track 30. The challenge for Myst fans will be to see if they can guess from which character’s perspective the lyrics were written. “I think, without exception, everyone involved in this production felt anobligation to take Myst III to the next level,” Wall says. “The visuals, live action, gameplay, and sound effects are all absolutely stunning to see and hear. I certainly didn’t want to deliver any less quality with the music. I’m very proud of it. The musicians on this soundtrack truly are among the best in the world. It’s definitely worth a listen.”

Group Members Jack Wall, composer; Timothy Washburn, boy soprano; Chris Bleth, duduk and woodwinds; Judd Miller, electric valve instrumeent (EVI); Steve Forman, Irwin, Gilbert Levy, percussion; Cindy Wall, Dave Stringer, Jack Wall, vocals; Larry Tuttle, chapman stick; Suzanne Teng, exotic flutes; Josh Segal, viola, bass clarinet, mandolin.

Instruments Northwest Sinfonia Orchestra, the Philip Smith Choir, various exotic and not-so-exotic solo instruments.

Albums Myst III: Exile Soundtrack

Press Reviews "...pulse-quickening orchestral score." - Newsweek;

Location San Francisco, California - USA

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