I had the good fortune to attend the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco back in March and it was quite an adventure! Even with the Expo Pass, there was more to see and do and participate in than anyone could possibly do in a week. Highlights included the Exhibition Level in general (especially the Alt.Ctrl.GDC section, the Start Up area, and the Game History/Game Maker’s Sketchbook Galleries), the Developer’s Concert conducted by Austin Wintory, The Game Audio Network Guild Awards, and most of all, connecting with old and new friends from all over the world.
The creative side of my video game music endeavors has also been going well. Just before GDC, I re-scored some game footage supplied by my Cobra Venom bassist and He-Man vocalist, Nelson Miranda. I asked him to remove the music but leave in all of the game audio and effects so that I could work around them to make good sonic decisions as well as dramatic and musical choices. The results were pretty exciting, so we posted them on Instagram.
Last but not least, I’ve become more involved with Dwelling Of Duels, the monthly VGM cover contest. My former Naju bandmates Edward Rodriguez (guitar) and Ray Dollette (bass) helped me put together our Afterburner II track awhile back for the competition, and we did something else this month that you’ll be able to hear very, very soon. Keep an eye on tracks by “R.E.D.” in the D.O.D. artist index to hear what we come up with next! Any requests? Let me know!
DAN HEGARTY 