Interview: Jack Wall (Call of Duty: Black Ops II) from The SoundCast

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Christopher Coleman

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Interview: Jack Wall (Call of Duty: Black Ops II)

59 minutes Posted Nov 22, 2012 at 1:59 am.

Introduction

Early reviews of Black Ops II

Going from studio work to game audio, meeting Trent Reznor

The evolving game audio workflow, coming full circle

The attraction of Black Ops II, the value of story in the game

Dynamic range and the musical direction for the game

The story of the Niño Precioso cue

Influences from other series and previous Call of Duty scores

Melodic themes in games and emotional moments

Orchestras, the recording process, and the nuance of live performances

The mixing team and attention to detail in production

Electronics, field recordings, combining and using sounds

Learning synthesis and working on Mass Effect

Jack's favourite sound and the trouble with ringtones

Working alongside Trent Reznor, the main theme

The challenge of creating a fresh Call of Duty experience

Witnessing trends in the gaming industry, the power of indie

Wrapping up Lost Planet 3 and its…unusual musical direction

Game scores and composers that Jack admires

The growing appreciation of music in games

Conclusion

"Savimbi's Pride" (Call of Duty: Black Ops II) by Jack Wall

"Hidden " (Call of Duty: Black Ops II) by Jack Wall

"Niño Precioso" (Call of Duty: Black Ops II) by Jack Wall

"Raul Menendez Theme" (Call of Duty: Black Ops II) by Jack Wall

"Heros Theme " (Call of Duty: Black Ops II) by Jack Wall

"Spider Bot" (Call of Duty: Black Ops II) by Jack Wall and Jimmy Hinson

"Adrenaline (Call of Duty: Black Ops II) by Jack Wall

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Show notes

Interview: Jack Wall (Call of Duty: Black Ops II)

Composer Jack Wall talks with Marius Masalar about his score for the fastest selling video game to date, Call of Duty: Black Ops II. They talk about his transition from audio producer to working in the video game world, his thoughts on the use of "melody" in game scores, working alongside and around Trent Reznor's main theme, and a bit about his upcoming score for Lost Planet 3 in 2013!