Making Halo 4: Composing Worlds

Enjoy your first taste of the haunting and compelling music of Halo 4, as famed composer Neil Davidge and his team discuss his approach to creating the soundtrack.

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  Gaming

[Foxtrot323]

Personally I liked Bungie's games a lot better too...

[Yunzsanity]

Very disappointing soundtrack. I mean, the previous Halo scored were Oscar worthy, original and masterful. But the Halo 4 soundtrack is just bland, generic and just not memorable.

[Foxtrot323]

You're absolutely correct...

[SHADOWX945ELITE]

That music was frightening and I do agree with you about nothing in Halo 4 being like it, but Halo 4 isn't supposed to have music like that, the Prometheans aren't supposed to be scary like the Flood, they're supposed to be threatening and so a different kind of music is used instead. If the Flood were in Halo 4 then there may well have been frightening music, if they're was a need for it. I'm not saying Neil could do it because as far as I know he hasnt tried and so I have nothing to comment on

[Foxtrot323]

Yes it is my opinion. You are entitled to yours of course. But I honestly can't believe you didn't find the Flood music frightening...I have very vivid memories of being about six years old when I experienced the "343 Guilty Spark" mission from Halo 1...and the music sent shivers down my spine...and it still does. Nothing in Halo 4 even remotely triggered the same feeling for me... like AT ALL.

[SHADOWX945ELITE]

And that's your opinion, which you are entitled to, which I have no problem with so long as you let me keep mine :)

[Foxtrot323]

I completely respect your opinion. However, I must bring up one key point that I disagree with you on about not feeling like your in a dangerous world whilst hearing Marty's scores. I think the Flood music is easily some of the most eerie and spine-shivering music I've heard in a video game; I certainly felt more in peril hearing those tracks than anything in the Halo 4 Soundtrack...

[SHADOWX945ELITE]

I found Davidge's score to be different from your average sci-fi game too, I just thought it fit with Halo and the ideas and themes behind it. When you play the game with Marty's scores you don't really feel like your in the big and dangerous universe surrounded by enemies, you feel more like any super soldier from any game where you would be such. That's just my opinion, and you have yours, and no matter what you say I will keep that opinion and I'm sure the same can be said about you.

[Foxtrot323]

I thought Marty's pieces fit Halo much better than Davidge's did. I thought they had a much more fibrant and epic sound, which worked perfectly for Halo. It's what Halo started on. I think Halo requires a different sound than your average sci-fi score, which is exactly what Davidge's work was. Marty's stuff broke free from that realm and offered a much more epic score. Also, when you refer to the main theme, let me remind you that the only version that had an electric guitar was in Halo 2.

[SHADOWX945ELITE]

I have listened to all Halo soundtracks and whilst I do enjoy Marty's pieces I do not think they fit a sci-fi universe. I understand that my statement about Marty's music was rather insulting and at the time I really wasn't thinking of anything other than the main theme, but still I do not find most of it to be much more than guitar and drums. There is minimal choir and I find it difficult to detect any other elements in his compositions. Heavy metal is not suited to sci-fi.

[Foxtrot323]

No it wasn't...clearly you have not listened to the Halo 1 or Halo 3 Soundtracks...

[Foxtrot323]

perhaps...I actually hadn't thought of that. I still, however, stand by my statement of Marty O'Donnell being superior to Neil Davidge.