Track Of All Trades, Master of A Couple

Posted By Jim - 7/10

There's an audio service that Gravity provides that we (okay, I) haven't publicized enough, and that service is mastering. The process of mastering means taking an existing mixed recording and adding subtle amounts of multi-band compression and/or equalization to make the entire recording sound different in some way: louder, or livelier, or richer, or brighter, or whatever the client is going for. Earlier this year, and old friend brought us two albums for mastering, both in an unusual genre: collegiate a cappella singing (hey, if Ben Folds digs it, can it be wrong?). The albums were both by vocal groups from Notre Dame University... Bella Cappella and Harmonia are their names, and the challenge was to create better balance, smooth vocal blending, and increase and match levels without losing the "live" quality of the stereo masters. We have the tools, and the talent. Not happy with your mix? Bring it over here and I'll fix it for you.

Video Games Keep a'Cooking

Posted By Jim - 7-10

I've been doing a lot of work this year in the video game field, especially among developers of apps for the iDevices from Apple (a rapidly growing market). Scored two games for MikaMobile, both of which are certified hits, and right now (July of 2010, that is) I'm working on the soundtrack for their third game, which should be in the App Store by early October. I also just completed the music and SFX for a "cooking" game (hugely popular in Japan) for a developer in Hong Kong. "Cooking Beauty" should be in the App Store any week now. Check the AmpMX jukebox on this site for samples. The competition in this market is considerable, but we're making inroads and developing a rep as a source for music that's more than just electronic bleeps.

The Classic Net-Geek Question - Answered!

Posted By Jim - 11/09

You might have read in the papers that Jim spent a lot of his time this summer working on music for video games. Mika Mobile is a developer of apps for mobile platforms (primarily the iPhone and iPod touch), and their runaway smash hit "Zombieville USA" featured a fun score by Gravity. The new game will be out any day now, and it addresses one of the oldest debates on the internet: who is cooler, pirates or ninjas? The game is called "OMG! Pirates!," and you play as a solo ninja assassin who repels the army of pirates that attack your dojo. The score is an ambitious suite of pieces, featuring some of Gravity's strangest orchestrations yet... taiko, and shamisen, flute and cello, acoustic fingerpicking and electric slide guitars... sometimes all in the same track! We're very proud of this work (check Page Two of the AmpMX jukebox to hear it), and we're already getting inquiries from other independent game developers. Stay tuned.