NEW MUSIC! SHORT FILM! MORE MAGIQUEST!
I cannot believe October is just about done! Where is time going these days? I feel like Summer was about two weeks long and now we’re nearly done with Fall. Less than two months till Christmas?! Have you done all of your gift shopping yet? Yup, me neither. 🙂 So in this update I’ve got two new tracks to share as well as a short film where I did the music, sound design and mix. I also have a MagiQuest update. Let’s dig in!
IT’S A SET UP
See what I did there? I met Murray Enders several months ago in one of the film maker groups on Facebook. He’s a very cool dude down in Australia making some great films! Check out his work here: https://www.youtube.com/c/MurrayEnders He needed an ending song for a short film called The Set Up. Upon seeing the film I saw some opportunities for more sound design as well as mixing. Overall, I’m quite happy with how it turned. Check it out below! (Also there’s some slight language – just FYI).
SEEING THE VEIL
When I can, I like to make music just for me. Working with clients on projects is always a fun and unique challenge but sometimes I like to see what I can come up with when I’m the only person calling the shots. Can I even finish the thing or will it end up dying a slow death, unfinished on my HDD? Believe it or not, often times working on your own stuff can be harder than when you’re working with someone else. With a client you have more defined terms, a deadline (usually) and there may even be limitations set in place. Working with yourself… can be limitless.
That can be both a good and a bad thing.
So, here’s what I came up with on this track. I hired the same violinist that I used on the Ascension track, Julia Stein. She KILLED it in this one! Such amazing playing. I cannot recommend her enough! I hope you enjoy the track – it’s available on all major store fronts now!
THE WALK
The final bit of music I have to share with you today is The Walk. This short piano melody just popped into my head last week. I recorded it right on the spot and had the structure of the piece down within about 10 minutes. Then over the next few days, I spent some time finessing and polishing things. I’ve not worked that much with flute or vocalists so I decided to bring in two fabulous musicians: Syauqi Destanika on vocals and Paulo Oliveira on flute. They did a wonderful job!
The Walk is intended to blend beauty with a sense of tension, mystery and perhaps even dread. Where is this person walking towards. What does it mean? How will things end up for the person in this musical story? Honestly, I’m not really sure. But I love the mood and vibe this piece sets.
For the artwork, I hired the same graphic designer I’ve used for many of my own pieces, KMDesignz. He does excellent work and is a pleasure to work with! I hope you enjoy the music! This song should be available on all major store fronts VERY soon!
MORE MAGIQUEST!
For those that missed it, I worked on Great Wolf Lodge’s rewrite of MagiQuest. The first location that got it was the Manteca location (just North of San Fransisco) and now the second location to have this new version installed is Poconos, PA. We created ambient sounds that would loop in various themed hallways in the resort and you can see the incredible lighting as well as artwork that helps make the space feel surreal. I’ve not had the opportunity to experience MagiQuest in person but I’m very excited to do so one day! Enjoy the pics!
OTHER UPDATES AND THOUGHTS
I just finished up sound design for creatures and heroes for an Australian video game. It was really fun and I’m excited for you all to get to experience it once the game is published! I can’t say much more than that for now.
I’d also like to note that it’s such a neat time to be alive. The music tracks I shared above are truly an international effort. Julia Stein is from the UK, Syauqi Destanika is from Indonesia and Paulo Oliveira is from Brazil. The filmmaker Murray Enders is Australian as is the game studio I just worked with. The graphic designer I’ve used (linked above) is based in Pakistan. What a neat opportunity to get to work with folks from all over the globe. To see how similar and different our lives are from each other. How much we have in common! How we can come together to create art! To tell stories together. It’s very inspiring!
I’m still doing working on various things for SciPlay and am excited about some other things that are not quite public yet! More info as I can share it. That’s about it. I’m still trying to be fit but the cookies, candies and other yummies keep reappearing… then disappearing into my belly! Family is well, I’m well and I hope you all are well too. See you in the next update!
BIO
Nate Madsen is an established composer, sound designer with nearly 16 years experience and over 870 credits. He’s worked in-house at FUNimation Entertainment, NetDevil, Bee Cave Games and is currently a Principal Composer, Sound Designer for SciPlay. Two of his recent side projects have been Great Wolf Lodge’s Magiquest and Glass Bottom Game’s SkateBIRD. He lives in Austin, Texas. Be sure to
reach out to Nathan with any audio needs you may have!