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Clint Mansell to Score Mass Effect 3

Here's another thing: maybe this makes me a musical philistine, but I don't need everything to be orchestrated. I understand that an orchestra is basically the best it gets in terms of musical depth, but I don't think that means one needs to be a prerequisite for big budget scores.

A lot of my favorite scores are fucking John Carpenter hammering away on his Casio.

Whenever these movie guys come in to do game soundtracks it's all strings and chanting monks.

Just make it like the ME1 soundtrack for fucks sake.
 
Draft said:
Here's another thing: maybe this makes me a musical philistine, but I don't need everything to be orchestrated. I understand that an orchestra is basically the best it gets in terms of musical depth, but I don't think that means one needs to be a prerequisite for big budget scores.

A lot of my favorite scores are fucking John Carpenter hammering away on his Casio.

Whenever these movie guys come in to do game soundtracks it's all strings and chanting monks.

Just make it like the ME1 soundtrack for fucks sake.
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Mansell does not only work in orchestration. He has tons of experience in electronic music.
 
Dark Octave said:
Fair enough. I've seen Fountain and Requiem, but I can't remember a single track from either, besides req's main theme and that's only because it was in LotR trailers and a Lil John song lol.

I'm checking out some of his stuff right now.
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Most of his (famous)OSTs are really one main theme thats redone/reorganized in a variety of ways to fit the scene and really accentuate whats happening. Theres a really amazing flow to his work and how he builds up to big moments and elevates the tension and keeps you on edge. It really ties everything together, its very cohesive and pleasing to the ears, its always familiar but different and it keeps you interested and wondering where things will go.
 
Solo said:
ME2's score was so fucking derivative and bland. Could accompany any forgettable summer blockbuster. ME1's score is also derivative, but its specifically derivative of Vangelis and is so fucking evokative and so fucking incredible and unforgettable.
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I actually felt that way about ME2. I posted earlier in the Suicide Mission and Illusive Man tracks as my favorites. Those two tracks in particular, and the tracks from the collector ships, are what really stuck out for me. I think the second game did a better job of being evocative, in the sense of capturing an element of bleakness and dread. But yeah, it did sound pretty much like a summer blockbuster at times. But i think that's really a bad thing at all.
 
Jack Wall *is* Mass Effect, his music is so central to the feel and mood of those games I just can't picture it without him.

This news sucks.
 
I love Clint Mansell! Wish I could say the same for ME...

Good news for those who enjoy the games though. The Fountain and Requiem for a Dream both had amazing scores. Still need to get around to seeing Black Swan...
 
Draft said:
I'll go ahead and be contrary. I want Jack Wall and Sam Hulick back.

ME2 music was so-so, but ME music was one of the defining elements of that game. It was basically perfect.

Movie composers slumming it up on game soundtracks has been pretty hit or miss IMO.
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It's Clint Mansell.

And ME2 really was a disappointment after the amazing fucking Vangelis 80s synth pop vibe of the first game.


Draft said:
I'm just saying, movie guy does game soundtrack, bombastic orchestra.
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It's Clint Mansell.

He got this shit.
 
LiK said:
Shepard will die I bet.
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Reaper: "Shepard, will you sacrifice yourself for the good of humanity?"

Shepard:
-"Yes"
-"No"
-"What? I'm listening to my awesome sacrifice theme, lol."
 
That's awesome, but also kind of disappointing.

I love Mansell's work but they might go in favor of typical strings and shit for the third game. I want some dark electronic like the first two, particularly the vangelis-styled first one.

Still this will be tough contender for soundtrack of the year. But I think Deus Ex 3 may beat it.
 
Discotheque said:
And also this doesn't automatically guarantee good soundtrack. Zimmer's MW2 one was mostly forgettable.
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Come on, that's Clint Mansell that we're talking about. And Zimmer only composed the main theme for MW2.
 
Chemo said:
Mansell does not only work in orchestration. He has tons of experience in electronic music.
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And I refuse to believe he's going to neglect every other piece of music written for the series until today.

He's a composer, a professionist.

And he's hired; so he's going to be told what type of music Bioware would like to hear.

EDIT: that could actually be the worst problem xD
 
Oh my god. This is could be epic indeed. I luv the work Jack Wall did on Mass Effect 1 and 2 but damn Clint Mansell can score some epic tunes. Wow.
 
Zimmer is the king of phoning it in and then, just when you think he's irrelevant, he smacks you in the face with something amazing. The phrase hit and miss exists so that people like Zimmer can be described.
 
Discotheque said:
And also this doesn't automatically guarantee good soundtrack. Zimmer's MW2 one was mostly forgettable.
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Zimmer and forgettable go together like peanut butter and chocolate.
 
I frankly hope Clint Mansell does his own thing and forgets entirely from the ME themes and motifs. Never gave a single fuck about the music of these games. Mansell unleashed up in this bitch is what I want.
 
lastplayed said:
Is that because it tried to be too commercial? It feels like ME1 had a bit more freedom with the music, I hope ME3's music doesn't become too movie-like.
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Yes.

Solo said:
ME2's score was so fucking derivative and bland. Could accompany any forgettable summer blockbuster. ME1's score is also derivative, but its specifically derivative of Vangelis and is so fucking evokative and so fucking incredible and unforgettable.
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This basically sums up my thoughts as well. There are a few ME2 tracks I liked, but the hard Vengelis notes aren't given enough time to breathe before the strings kick in. I know for certain that Mansell will create an epic battle track. I'm hoping he will also expand on some of the other ME themes. Mansell has the talent to build on the themes so hopefully he takes notes or is given that direction considering he is new to the series.

My favorite Mass Effect track.

jett said:
I frankly hope Clint Mansell does his own thing and forgets entirely from the ME themes and motifs. Never gave a single fuck about the music of these games. Mansell unleashed up in this bitch is what I want.
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Yet I can't argue with that. I've been a Mansell fan since right around Pi.
 
We'll see. I like him too but I'm not as enamored with him as some. Black Swan OST was kinda disappointing coming off of Moon and The Fountain (and I got a Tchaikovsky hard-on too).

But yeah he's pretty good. If he decides to keep the series in synths mostly then it will be all good.
 
Man, listening to ME1 and ME2 tracks back to back... such a huge difference. What went wrong with ME2? :(

Composers got told to make it more epic and orchestrated? Terrible.


Having Mansell build on the themes of ME1 is an utterly amazing prospect. I'm sure he'd do a better job than whoever did ME2 with his own, but this is what I'm personally hoping for.
 
jett said:
Weren't you just complaining about bland "orchestrated" music? :lol
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I guess that piece is pretty orchestrated... it even has the chanting. Maybe I'm a total hypocrite.

Anyway what do you care? Mass Effect 1 never came out on the PS3, how can you have any opinion on its music whatsoever?
 
Draft said:
I guess that piece is pretty orchestrated... it even has the chanting. Maybe I'm a total hypocrite.

Anyway what do you care? Mass Effect 1 never came out on the PS3, how can you have any opinion on its music whatsoever?
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I played the superior version that ran at 60fps and at 1080p, fool.
 
lol

I frankly hope Clint Mansell does his own thing and forgets entirely from the ME themes and motifs. Never gave a single fuck about the music of these games. Mansell unleashed up in this bitch is what I want.
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C'mon, not even the main theme of the first game? Got linked to a couple times in this thread already, and for good reason. Especially the first half (which is a repeated motif in a couple other tracks) is just so good.
 
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