http://v2.spectrasonics.net/news/news-content.php?id=42
Hardcore gamers know that a killer score makes a great game experience even more intense and immersive. In BioWare’s blockbuster “Mass Effect 2” game - recently named the #1 game for Xbox 360 - the music creation team used Spectrasonics virtual instruments extensively to craft the massive soundscape that players enter. Lead composer Jack Wall and his team sat down with us to describe what it takes to create a full music score for a hit modern video game.

 Gamespot -
"The fantastic musical score and sound effects do more than their share to enhance the production, working the deeper end of the sonic spectrum and communicating tension and weight without getting heavy handed or manipulative."

Game Informer -
"The score also flows beautifully in both the story and action sequences"

Game Revolution -
"+ Well-constructed soundtrack"

Video Gamer - 
 Sound - 10.  Stunning audio

Action Trip - 
"thumbs up for the music and sound effects"

Game Zone -
Sound - 10 

CheatCC -
 "the musical score is tremendous, nicely capturing not just the overall feel of the title perfectly but individual moments, as well."

Game Trailers-
 "The music is droning, spacey, and ambient, or grandiose and symphonic depending on the need.  It's a straight-up space-opera soundtrack, in other words."

Gamer Node - 
"The best soundtrack in the business is right here."
"The orchestrated soundtrack's epic outer space theme blends perfectly into the action at all times"

Mass effect 2 Soundtrack reaches #11 in Top Soundtrack Albums on iTunes

JacK Wall Discusses the Music of Mass Effect 2 for Daily Best Articles.
Click here for entire article:
http://www.dailybestarticles.com/jack-wall-and-the-music-of-mass-effect-2/

“….I think that David Kates, returning, brought some real beauty to the score. David played with emotion the most of the four of us, and I ended up nurturing that (not to mention that it helped to influence my own writing)….”

Mass Effect 2 is Released in North America.

The wait is finally over! Mass Effect 2 is now on store shelves all over North America for the Xbox 360 an PC platforms.

With the release of BioWare's Mass Effect 2 just around the corner, publisher EA has announced that the first game's lead composer, Jack Wall, will return to score the sequel.

Wall didn't work on the original Mass Effect score alone, though, and partners Sam Hulick and David Kates make a return to Mass Effect 2 as co-composers, with newcomer Jimmy Hinson added to the team. Mass Effect 2's soundtrack will become available for download on January 19th, and the game itself will ship on January 26th in North America and on the 29th in Europe, for the PC and Xbox 360.

The advertising trailer for the children's book FU FINDS HIS WAY, distributed by Disney/Hyperion, has been released.  The music written by David Kates marks the second collaboration between David and John Rocco, the book's writer and illustrator.  They previously worked together on the animated film, Tales From The Ramayana (ImagineAsia) in 2000.

The documentary produced and directed by Max Tash with original score by David Kates, chronicling an all girls baseball team in an all boys league, and the history of women in baseball has been accepted into the Baseball Film Festival at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, October 2-4, 2009.

Producer Randy Abrams and marketing agency Nine-Two has hired Kates Company Music and composer David Kates again, to create the original score for the latest entry in Denny’s regional television campaign entitled “Denny’s Slamfest, due to air late September.

Eidos Interactive , Inc. and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announce that Battlestations: Pacific on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Games for Windows LIVE launches today in North America and on May 15 in Europe.  The original score produced by Richard Jacques Studios/London was composed by Richard Jacques and David Kates, who previously worked together on the award winning MASS EFFECT score with Jack Wall and Sam Hulick.

Richard Jacques speaks about creating the music for Battlestations Pacific.

Having previously scored the soundtrack to “Battlestations: Midway”, I was delighted to be asked to work on Battlestations: Pacific. With the original game, myself and the team at Eidos Hungary established some strong themes and powerful suspense and action cues for the overall sound of Battlestations, something that we were keen to build upon for the sequel.


Work began on the project in early 2008, and I was working closely with Zizics “Fanta” Laszlo and the team at Eidos Studios Hungary. I also brought in another member of my team as co-writer on the project, David Kates. We had previously worked together on the soundtrack to ‘Mass Effect’, alongside composers Jack Wall and Sam Hulick. I wanted to add another dimension to the project and David was a great addition to the team.

David Kates scores original track for Denny’s latest national commercial campaign, DENNY’S SIZZLE produced by Randy Abrams (Creative Asylum) and top agencies Publicis and Nine-Two.

This EMI Classics CD, compiled by Video Games Live co-creators Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, who also conducts the recording, features the Slovak National Orchestra, The Crouch End Festival Chorus and The Video Game Pianist, Martin Leung in medleys from hit game franchises such as Halo, Warcraft, Kingdom Hearts, Tetris, Castlevania, Myst and Tron. 

Video clip of the orchestral adaptation of TRON by David Kates performed live with Video Games Live in Brazil

Click here: 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EHKHTtZ5M8

Posted on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:10:26 CST | by Shane McGlaun  GameCheck.org

Eidos announced a new title in the Battlestations franchise today called Battlestations: Pacific. The game is set in WWII and takes players into combat and strategic warfare with two different single player campaigns.

Players can chose to play as American or Japanese forces. The American game picks up where Battlestations: Midway left off and takes the fight from Midway to Okinawa. In the Japanese game players start at Pearl Harbor and try to take over the pacific.

The single player game features over 28 missions and includes 21 new units, including kamikaze and other WWII jets and units. Players can also take over direct control of fighters. The game will also feature new online multiplayer modes. Battlestations: Pacific will be available for Xbox 360 and Windows computers.

Music from the award winning MASS EFFECT was performed in concert in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, home of ME’s developer BioWare, with music written by Jack Wall, Sam Hulick, Richard Jacques, and David Kates.
 

Creative Asylum Producer Randy Abrams has hired David Kates to score national campaign trailer for upcoming STARSHIP TROOPERS 3 MARUADER (Sony)

MASS EFFECT has been nominated for 4 awards for this year’s GANG Awards show

The Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.), a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of game audio, announced the finalists for the 6th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards to honor outstanding creative, technical, and artistic audio achievement in the world of interactive entertainment.

The awards, which will take place on February 21st during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, are voted upon and judged by the game audio industry and members of G.A.N.G.

David Kates joins Richard Jacques Studios to compose score for BATTLESTATIONS PACIFIC (Eidos), the anticipated sequel to Battlestations Midway.

MUSIC4GAMES INTERVIEWS MASS EFFECT COMPOSER TEAM

Link:  http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=191

Sumthing Else Music Works today announced that Mass Effect Original Soundtrack will be released on November 20th across North America. Featuring over an hour of original music from the game, the soundtrack is inspired by classic sci-fi movies such as Blade Runner or Dune and was composed by Jack Wall and Sam Hulick with additional music by Richard Jacques and David Kates.

MASS EFFECT SOUNDTRACK nominated for Best Original Score

David Kates joins lead composer Jack Wall Sam Hulick, and Richard Jacques to compose additional scoring for upcoming blockbuster video game MASS EFFECT for BioWare Corp.

 Critically-Acclaimed RPG "Mass Effect" Begins Epic Journey to Retailers on November 20

One of the hottest and most anticipated video games of the year will open up whole new worlds to explore this holiday, exclusively on Xbox 360

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (August 30, 2007) - Today, Microsoft Game Studios and BioWare Corp. announced that the highly anticipated action role-playing game (RPG) "Mass Effect" will ship to retailers throughout North America on November 20, 2007. The recipient of more than 50 awards, including the 2007 Game Critics Awards for "Best Console Game" and "Best RPG" at the Electronic Entertainment Expo last month in Los Angeles, "Mass Effect" is poised to become the must-play RPG of 2007.

Creative Asylum Producer Randy Abrams hires David to score 5 episode pilot HELMET CAM for Disney Channel.

Pump Audio announces the latest television producitons using David's original tracks include:

Oprah Winfrey Show "Addicted to Lying" ABC.

Miss Teen USA 2005 Miss Universe

Driven: Dale Earnhardt Jr. VH1

Driven: Toby Keith VH1

Scrubs: Season 1 DVD Herzog

Race to the Red Carpet A&E

Megastructure-"Airbus" Nat'l Geo

Biography: "The Brady Bunch" A&E

Swarms! Nat'l Geographic

Otto Ittensohn interviews David about orchestrating TRON, composing for Disney cartoons, and the future of video game music.  Click here to read the entire article on the G SOUNDTRACKS site.

David’s orchestration of TRON and other exceptional video game scores are performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and conducted by Mark Watters to a packed audience.

Producers Jack Wall and Tommy Tallarico of G.A.N.G. hire David to transcribe and orchestrate Wendy Carlos’ score to the widely popular sci-fi movie and video game TRON for their new concert series VIDEO GAMES LIVE

Pump Audio commissions David to compose SUPERMARKET LOUNGE, a collection of 50s and 60s kitsch tracks for broadcast licensing. Click here for a snippet to add to your shopping list.

• Check out David on the Pump Audio site.

David collaborates with Coconut Fred (Warner Bros.) composer Will Anderson and lyricist Sonia Levitin to write “Petrol the Fire Truck” for the animated Warner Bros. series FIREHOUSE TALES.