To get a taste of what we have created, here are some examples from the finished CD.
Zelda's Lullaby
The Windwaker Theme
Song of Storms
Musical Montage from the CD
The Celtic Link Orchestral Fantasy, With Score
When you join our Post-Kickstarter, in addition to the CD download you get:
All the bonus tracks, rough mixes, and alt versions to the songs on "The Celtic Link" CD.
Two excerpts from the VGL Level 5 Documentary
Three CDs worth of additional scores by Craig Stuart Garfinkle and Eimear Noone, including music from our other game and film scores - most unavailable anywhere else!
Be the first to see the music videos we are creating for the CD
And much, much more. We want to make sure our backers have priority access to all we do!
We were honored that so many of you supported our successful Kickstarter campaign to create unique "Traditional Irish" versions of the themes from "The Legend of Zelda," featuring members of the brilliant DIT Irish Traditional Music Ensemble.
The CD is complete and will soon be released world-wide, but in the meantime, we have been inundated by fans who want to get all the special updates, rough mixes, and more, but missed the actual Kickstarter.
Only those who joined the Kickstarter can get the physical copies of the special Kickstarter version of the CD, but we are offering a limited number of digital copies, including all the bonuses, for those who join our "Post Kickstarter."
As many of you know, at the May 1st, 2016 Video Games Live show in Dublin, Ireland, as part of the Dublin International Game Music Festival (April 29-May1st, Dublin Ireland), we are attempting to set a Guinness record for the greatest number of individuals involved in a crowd created orchestra.
The chosen composition for the project: The classic "Theme from HALO" by Marty O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori.
Many of you have already signed up to perform (200+) and are working on your own videos to contribute - that's just awesome! (Click here to learn how to participate)
And we have just started to see the results of your efforts in our inbox via "wetransfer."
But the first video we received came from Catherine Stay.
She was so inspirational, we thought we should share a bit of her story with you in her own words (with her permission).
"What do video games and video game music mean to me?
The fact that I am wheelchair-bound by way of cerebral palsy means I can't do a lot of things without assistance (travel, make food, take care of my cat, etc).
With such physical limitations existing, I had two choices: allow myself to dwell on what I couldn't do (and give up), or strengthen my mind in any way possible.
Video games were/are a form of escape for me. When I was younger, I could put myself in the shoes of the character and live their story for a few hours.
As I got older and needed to spend increasingly more time in the real world, I would play video games for a different reason: the music (I've even bought some video game soundtracks).
When I got out of school for good (regular school, what a nightmare), that was when I started taking music seriously. Before that, I taught myself the basics of the treble clef; I took choir at school; & I've kind of noodled around on the piano since age 8.
I decided at age 19 to start learning the violin and I'm almost 27 now.
Our personal reaction:
When so many of us allow the small barriers in life to keep us from expressing our art and music, it's inspiring to see someone who does not allow any barriers to exist.
And for those of us who help create video games, hearing Catherine tell of her experience as a gamer puts the real value of games into perspective. In the games, we all can fly.
We invite you to check out and share Catherine's YouTube Channel to hear some of the other projects she's been creating and to show her your support.
And of course, to all you musicians out there, we invite you to participate in our Dublin International Game Music Festival by joining our crowd created HALO Orchestra!
And of course, please join us for our Video Games Live show on May 1st, 2016, at the Dublin Convention Center! See the debut of this ground breaking video, synchronized with our live orchestra, conducted by Eimear Noone.
Help Eimear Noone, The Dublin International Video Game Music Festival and Video Games Live
Break a Guinness World Record.
As many of you know, on April 4th, 2015, at the 1st Dublin International Game Music Festival, Eimear Noone combined 134 musicians and singers on stage at the Convention Center Dublin, with 128 videos submitted from musicians around the world - all coming together to "Crowd Create" Eimear's"Malach," theme from the original score to "World of Warcraft; Warlords of Draenor." It was one of the great highlights to the festival and the headlining Video Games Live Show. You can see the result below. A big thanks to Malukah for her absolutely brilliant performance as the "high priestess" of the piece.
After much consideration, we've decided it wouldn't be enough to just create another crowd created video, but this time, we need to set a Guinness World Record for the most videos of individual players combined to recreate a single piece of music.
With this goal in mind, we decided that the "Video Games Live" version of the original theme from "HALO," (by Marty O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori, orchestrated by Emmanuel Fratianni, Laurie Robinson, & Benoît Grey) would be the perfect piece to accomplish this task.
So we reached out to both our friend Tommy Tallarico (of Video Games Live) and our friends at Microsoft to see if they would be on board. They instantly agreed to the idea - but it's taken a bit to work through the details. We've been waiting for the approvals...
Which just came through - so we are off and running. We are thrilled!
Click on this link. The link will take you to a sign-up page where you will find the download link to all of the parts and the audio guide track for the "Halo Theme." You must sign up to download the files.
Step 2:
Download the parts as well as the audio guide track from the second link. The guide track is a click track layered upon a mono mix of the arrangement we are recreating. The zip has parts for the entire orchestra - find your part.
Step 3: While listening to the guide track on an earbud or headphone, using a cell phone or video camera, video yourself playing your part/parts.
If you have a way to record with a proper microphone and synchronize your audio to the video, then do so. If you don't have that capability the audio recorded on the phone will work just fine.
Step 4:
Make sure you identify the video file(s) with your name in the title so we know who to put in the credits!
Step 5:
Using "Wetransfer.com," send your video(s) to zeldaconductor@gmail.com. Do not send the video as an attachment to an email as that will crash our email server.
Format:
TUNING IS A440!
Ideally, your video file should be a 16 X 9, H.2.6.4 QuickTime file with stereo audio.
Audio should be at 48K.
But if what you just read seems like gobbledygook to you, don't worry; just send us the video. We can import just about anything.
Synchronization:
Below is a snapshot from the score. You will notice the first bar is in 4/4 and the notation states "4 clicks to bar 1."
On the audio recording, in bar zero(the very top), you will hear a synth pad. Then in bar 1 you will hear a gong and gran casa roll into bar 2, where the iconic theme is stated in male voices. That's how you know where you are.
While listening to the click, if you could clap your hands exactly on the downbeat of bar one, that would be ideal. This is the equivalent of the old "slate" you would see executed in a movie. We use that clap to line-up your video with all the others.
If your part does not start until much later in the piece: Clap your hands exactly on the downbeat 2 bars (or so) before you come in. We'll know where you are and as long as you are accurate with your clap, we can line you up.
Try to do your part in one continuous performance.This way, once we have the clap exactly lined up on the downbeat, as long as you play in sync with the click and guide track, your entire performance will be in sync when your part is lined up with our master session.
If one continuous take is not possible, that's OK too. Likewise, if you don't include a clap. These tools just make lining things up easier. Click Instructions: 1. The parts we are using come straight from the Video Games Live library and certain elements are originally designed to be specifically conducted and directed. We've created a new click for this purpose. Therefore at the top we have constructed a rubato click for the vocal part that follows the subtlety of the performance. Likewise, for the tag in measure 139, the click goes momentarily into an 8th note click in order to be able to direct you through the ritard. A listen or two to the click against the track and you will get it. We've added these notations in your part (ignore the "Click Out" from the original part in measure 139). 2. There are two guide tracks uploaded. The first has the click hard right and the music hard left. The second version is in mono with the click married to the guide track. Depending on your method of recording, you might want one or there other, for example, if you record with just one headphone, use the mono version.
ATTIRE OR BACKGROUNDS IN THE VIDEO:
Please avoid clothes with logo's, game images, or anything that might cause us to infringe on a trademark. Don't worry if you have already sent a video, we'll simply have to blur out logos.
If you have an iDIG or VIDEO GAMES LIVE T-Shirt, those are OK! Likewise, if you want to show off your band's T-shirt, that is OK too - as long as it's your brand.
A million people may see this video - use it to show off your band.
Last Performance Notes:
As much as you might hate the sound of your voice or instrument without reverb, we ask that you send your tracks dry! If your track is dry, then it's easier to make it blend with the rest of our tracks by giving all of them a matching reverb!
Two examples follow, excerpts from Malach - just to give you an idea of what is expected of your video:
Mark Scholl, Percussion - we created the montage,
you send all the video individually.
Joe Pignato, Guitar
UPDATE
We just posted this montage from videos from Joe and Mark, created for this year!
It rocks!
Deadline: THE DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED. We would like to have all the videos by March 29, 2016 as we know it will take 6 weeks to compile, synchronize and mix everything. If you can get your tracks in early, that's even better as every moment counts when undertaking such a complicated adventure. The video will debut at the Video Games Live Show, May 1st at the Convention Center Dublin, Ireland, during the closing act of the Dublin International Game Music Festival. We'd love to see you there is you can make it!
A series of 3D and Virtual Reality Conducting Tutorials
with Accompanying Book.
As many of you know, Eimear Noone and the team from iDIG Music Fest are currently developing an orchestral virtual reality game, experience, and social media platform called, "Muso-VR."
Our plan for creating the entire video game is to attack each element in phases. The first phase is to create a series of Virtual Reality and 3D conducting tutorials along with an accompanying book. These will be called, "Eimear Noone Presents: A View from the Podium."
About Eimear Noone, as Conducting Instructor:
For years, in between her concert appearances and recording sessions, Eimear Noone has been presenting conducting seminars for a wide variety of institutions such as Columbia College Chicago, The Society of Composer's and Lyricists, ASCAP, UCLA Extension, and many others. Her private conducting students include, Grammy, Emmy, BAFTA, and Oscar Award Winners and/or Nominees.
Even though her recording and touring schedule no longer permits her to teach regularly, Ms. Noone still wants to be able to share her knowledge and experiences - the impetus behind both Muso-VR, and this first phase, "Eimear Noone Presents: A View from the Podium."
Through these, Maestro Noone wants to capture the content of the seminars and classes she has been presenting, preserve them, and share them with the world.
A View from the Podium will be the next best possibility to having private conducting lessons with Eimear.
Eimear's conducting seminar at the 2015 Dublin International Game Music Festival (iDIG Music Fest) Photo by Fran Marshall
Eimear's conducting philosophy and focus for the book and videos.
"I believe that conducting technique is a physical language with a vocabulary that anyone can learn. It's then up to you to use it to write a literature in your own voice."
I want this book and these virtual reality videos to be about the pure practicalities of conducting on the concert stage AND scoring stage; No maestro myth; no obfuscation; no false elitism; no pomp and circumstance."
The book and videos will be divided into sections such as:
Basic beat patterns and gestures.
Communicating articulations, dynamics, cuing, tempo changes and other specialty gestures.
Eimear conducting a small ensemble, demonstrating how the elements discussed in sections 1 and 2 translate directly to the players.
A series of interviews with players, conductors, and composers.
Instruction in score preparation, stage presence, studio recording techniques, creating click tracks, and other helpful tips.
About Eimear Noone: A new breed of conductor.
Eimear Noone, on stage with Electronic Dance Music Legend BT, conducting "Electronic Opus."
Over the past ten years, Eimear Noone, in addition to being a respected classical conductor, has emerged as a premier conductor for film, multi-media, and video games music, both on the concert stage and in the recording studio.
In the studio, her conducting credits include some of video games most respected titles including, World of Warcraft, Diablo III, Starcraft II, Overwatch, Hearthstone, The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword, and many others.
YouTube views of Eimear conducting the recording sessions (in 3D) for Nintendo's 25th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, number in the millions.
On the concert stage, in addition to standard repertoire, conducting for the hit touring show "Video Games Live" and performing for other video game based concerts, Eimear has conducted music from The Legend of Zelda, Skyrim, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, World of Warcraft, Assassin's Creed, and many others; leading such venerable orchestras such as The Royal Philharmonic, The Sydney Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The National Symphony Orchestra, The Pittsburgh Symphony, The Skywalker Symphony and more.
She is also an award winning composer, her own music featured in games such as "World of Warcraft, Warlords of Draenor," and in feature films such as "The Donner Party," and "It's Dark Here."
Although best known for these contemporary performances, her
background is solidly in classical music. Recent concerts include her conducting works as varied as Scheherazade
(Rimsky-Korsakov), The Firebird (Stravinsky), The New World Symphony (Dvorak), Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto and
more.
As another example of her work in the classical field, Eimear had the pleasure of conducting
the orchestra for the Los Angeles Ballet in their inaugural production of
Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" in 2007. The LA Times said of the
performance:
"...the score was again given loving care by Eimear
Noone and her orchestra"
- L. Segal - The L.A. Times, January 2007
About Eimear's Education:
Eimear Noone has spent a lifetime developing her conducting style. It is dedicated to being as clear and concise as possible without extraneous "noise" that might confuse the conductor's communication.
As was said by one observer of a concert performance: "A deaf person could have ‘heard’ the music by just watching her hands." Eimear elaborates, "Especially in the recording studio, there is no room for any possibility of being unclear - each minute is too valuable."
This relationship between her gestures and the music was honed over 8 years of masterclasses and private conducting instruction, most notably with two years of intensive study with the conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Gerhard Markson. Maestro Markson himself was the protégé of legendary Russian conductor Igor Markevich.
"I spent years looking for the right teacher" says Eimear, "that could help me create this style. The first time I saw Maestro Markson, I knew he was the perfect mentor."
Formally, Eimear is a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, with degrees in composition and flute performance, with numerous certificates and additional studies including master classes at the Manhattan School of Music, The Royal College of Music, London, (through the Dublin Conservatory of Music and Drama), The Ennis IMRO Composition Summer School (youngest ever invited participant), The Victoria College of Music, London, Opera Ireland (conducting masterclass), and the ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop (to name a few).
Eimear Noone with Tommy Tallarico, Video Games Live
Just for fun, a series of videos showing Eimear Noone in action:
Eimear Noone's "Malach" from "World of Warcraft; Warlords of Draenor:"
This performance was at the 2015 Dublin International Game Music Festival with 130+ musicians on the stage synchronized with 128 videos submitted from a world-wide crowd orchestra.
BT's Electronic Opus - Conductor GoPro Cam:
A literal "View from the Podium." Eimear Noone wearing a GoPro during the recording of EDM legend BT's, "Electronic Opus."
One of the TANZ produced videos from Electronic Opus, Used with a huge thanks to TANZ, BT and Video Games Live creator, Tommy Tallarico. More on the project here: http://electronicopus.com
Blizzard Entertainment and Video Games Live at Gamescon, 2015: Among Eimear Noone's many conducting credits is principle conductor for Blizzard Games including sessions for World of Warcraft, Diablo III, StarCraft II, Overwatch, and many more. Here's Eimear Noone conducting a special "Blizzard" edition of "Video Games Live," with the legendary Tammy Tallarico.
From her fans and colleagues:
“Eimear Noone is one of the most dynamic conductors I’ve ever known. She brings the music to life with her passion, her skill and her clarity. I have had the pleasure of seeing her teach and she is a true master! With Eimear, all of the mysteries of conducting are laid out one by one so that the student is able to apply it to their own approach. Technique, communication, preparation, problem solving are all broken down and explained. As with everything she does, Eimear brings her unique charm and positive spirit to the experience. She is a true Maestro!”
- Mark Watters
Six-time Emmy Award winning composer and conductor The Olympics, The Oscars, Star Wars In Concert
“Eimear is a stunningly vibrant performer, conductor and musical force. This idea of empowering any end user to experience the thrill of helming an orchestra could not have a better champion. Anyone from student to master would have a pleathora of information to learn from one of the most fiery, seasoned and musical performers I’ve ever met. I can’t wait to try this!”
-BT
Grammy® Nominated Composer/Technologist
"Eimear is a tremendously talented and respected professional in the business. Her enthusiasm, charisma and confidence keep her in such demand both in live and studio recording settings. She is also a shining standout as an effective communicator with the orchestra as well as a wonderful educator and lecturer within her craft."
-Michael Todd
Sr. Director of Film/TV & Visual Media, ASCAP
“Eimear is one of the great conductors, teachers, performers and composers. Her energy is as infectious as her always bright outlook on life. She's bright light in the world in the world Music, be it studio, stage or classroom. Anyone would be lucky to learn from her wealth of knowledge and experience, both theoretical and real world”
-Trevor Morris
2 time EMMY award winning composer
"…In one movement the audience rose to its feet in standing ovation reminiscent of Riverdance. It was magic, the response of he audience… people left exhilarated and in tears."
- The Irish Independent
On her 2001 debut concert at Dublin's National Concert Hall
"Muso-VR has great potential in a music education context in providing an interactive environment for students to explore and test their conducting skills in preparation for the live rehearsal.”
- Dr. Clíona Doris
Head of Orchestral Studies
DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama (Dublin, Ireland)
"Eimear runs sessions like an efficient general, but always engenders a calm and collegial atmosphere. It's a team effort. When she's running the show, I know we are in good hands."
"I have worked with Eimear on many recording and scoring projects. She is a fantastic conductor, and the musicians love playing for her. That makes my job easier."
- Leslie Ann Jones,
Multi-Grammy® Winning Recording Engineer and Music Producer.
"Eimear, is a profound musical genius, working with her opened up the musical capabilities within me that were frozen. She has an impeccable ear for composition and is by far one of the most versatile arrangers I know. "
- De'Miyon Hall Drummer/CEO of Hall Of Music Group LLC
Music Director, Gladys Knight
Eimear Noone with Gladys Knight and the Pacific Symphony
