Tomb Raider 1 Theme.mp3

(3:33 / 4 Mb)
(Photo courtesy of Eidos)





Okay... I'm not what you would call a 'gamer', but I do have to admit to an affinity with one game, in particular, released approximately 10 years ago. Contrary to what you might think, it was the music that interested me most about the game.

This past week, the seventh installment was released - Tomb Raider Legend, so I thought it fitting to revisit the original score. The music had a raw beauty that I wanted to emulate. The instruments were synthetic which, oddly enough, convinced me that I was able to reproduce it.

Created by Nathan McCree, the original music (Tomb Raider 1 Theme) is still as captivating as it was when it was first released.

Not long after it was originally released, I created an XGMidi version and uploaded it to the various fan sites.

Recently, I returned to my original midi file and decided to update it with instruments currently available. Please note, however, that this music is copyright Eidos and Core Design Ltd and was originally created by Nathan McCree. I take no credit for its creation.

Walk On the Bottom of the Sea.mp3

(3:20 / 3.83 MB)







This piece was created in 2001, using only a Yamaha DB50XG daughtercard.

The quiet, lumbering mood was created to represent what it might be like to don an old Hard Hat diving suit and slowly make your way across the sea floor. You can almost see the bubbles dance as they escape to the surface.

Symphuno.mp3

(1:26 / 1.7 Mb)
(Photo taken in Castellina, Italy)
Created in March, 2006, this was my first real attempt at producing a n orchestral movement (in the movie score genre). This song was created in Sonar, using soft synths from EastWest.

I plan on producing more of this style as time progresses - it has always been my first love.

Incidentally, if anyone is looking for music for their independant film project, I come highly... well... cheap. At this point, I'm just looking for the challenge.

Saguaro.mp3

Photo taken in Florence, Italy
(3:45 / 4.4 Mb)



Created in 2004, this piece is the "extended version" of a song I created for PDA Performance, a PalmOS software development company that I've had the pleasure of getting to know. This was originally developed to be used as web page background music for the launch of a new product.

I'm still patiently waiting for it's launch... Parker! :-)

The original piece was only a minute or so in length - I just couldn't leave it alone and ended up adding another 2 minutes to it. This was authored within Sonar, primarily using FLStudio.

Oh... [ahem] salut Banditos!

Broaden.mp3

Three Sisters, Banff, Alberta
(5:19 / 6.09 Mb)



This song was created in 2004 entirely from within FLStudio. I had just updated to the latest version and was inspired by some of the sample songs included with the program. This was representative of my desire to create in a "dance" style.

The bass is a little too over-powering (gets a little buzzy in certain phrases) and my choice of instruments today would be different but, at the time, I felt I made the best choice from those I had.

It's a little too long and repetitive... but in that sense, it represents the genre well.

NorWeb Theme.mp3

Highway 17 between Mattawa and Ottawa
(1:49 / 2.24 Mb)



This is an older piece (circa 2001) created to act as a background piece for a new website creation company that I was considering starting (NorWeb Consulting).

It was created primarily in Sonar, using direct audio inputs (recorded a track at a time) from my Alesis QS8. The sound is a little 'buzzy' as a result. I used a noise reduction process on the final mix but it still didn't remove everything.

I never did start up the company, by the way - my wife and I just didn't have the time to spare on it.

Duo.mp3

Government Lake, Hornepayne, Ontario
(2:48 / 3.23 Mb)



Work in Progress:
I used Sytrus (vsti) within Sonar for three of the six instruments - the first pad, the pulsating bass and one of the supplemental pads near the end of the piece. I took an ambient pad from Absynth (the second instrument you hear - at 15 seconds in). The piano and guitar are separate soft synths (samplers).

The drums were taken from a software sampler I have called Wusikstation (was the most readily available drum sampler). I'll fix them using Battery 2 (Native Instruments) when I have the time.