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 Pharaoh:
"Egypt" (Sierra, 1999) This piece never made it
into the game, but was offered as an extra after it was released.
This tune also epitomizes the overall "feel" of the Pharaoh
Soundtrack. [MP3]
Pharaoh:
Narration Underscore (Sierra, 1999)
There were a few musical selections used during the "briefing
sequence" in Pharaoh, which were arbitrarily selected
for each scenario. Here is one of those pieces on its own. [MP3]
Lords
of Magic: "Earth, Part 2" (Sierra, 1997)
One of my favorite games to be a part of creating, there was an
"anything goes" approach to the musical direction. Ultimately
the tunes evolved and blended into the game, and it was a lot of
fun finding the right themes for each of the Eight Faiths. Here
is an excerpt from the "Earth" Faith's theme. [MP3]
Lords
of Magic: "Order, Part 3" (Sierra, 1997) This
piece was also used on the credits page of the game, and was one
of the most memorable segments within the Eight Faiths. [MP3]
Lords
of the Realm 2: "Countryside" (Sierra, 1996)
The tunes in LOTR2 were short and looped over and over again;
this piece was one that was heard early on, when first establishing
your realm. A little bit of melodic counterpoint/polyphony in the
middle and end (I felt) made this piece stand out over some of the
others in the game. [MP3]
"Survey
at Rubicon" (excerpt, Sierra, 1996) I Every once
in a while a game, try as we might, just doesn't make it out the
door for one reason or another. Here is an excerpt from one of those
games, with the setting of cruising around in a vehicle on another
planet. It's from the mid-90s, and I was definitely listening to
Jeff Beck, Level 42 and Eric Johnson for this one. I included it
here because this project's musical style was very different from
my "usual" work at the time, and I was having a lot of
fun exploring new musical ideas. [MP3]
"Agent
Nik" (2002)
After leaving Sierra but before joining Tilted Mill,
I decided to create all kinds of music in various genres, just for
the fun of it. This is one of those pieces, with a lighthearted
private-eye feel. [MP3]
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 Game
Development Gallery
Music
& Sound Effects Gallery
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Keith
Zizza
Audio
Director
Tilted Mill Entertainment
Home:
Wellesley, Mass.
Email:
keith@tiltedmill.com
Web:
www.tiltedmill.com
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| Current
Projects: |
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I
wish I could tell you about the audio for the game(s) I'm
currently working on at Tilted Mill, but I can only say that
it will be the most exciting yet...
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| Credits:
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Games
& Compilations*: Rise & Rule of Ancient Empires,
Casino Deluxe 2, Caesar 2, Lords of the Realm 2, Lords of
the Realm 2 Siege Pack, Robert E. Lee: Civil War General,
Lords of Magic, Lords of Magic Special Edition, Civil War
Generals 2, Pharaoh, Cleopatra, Zeus, Poseidon, Acropolis,
Lords Royal Collection, Great Empires Collection 1, Great
Empires Collection 2.
*All
are trademarks of Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
Broadcast
& Multimedia (either independently or with Airwaves/The
Troupe): Newbury House, Bell Atlantic (Verizon), AAA,
The Christa McAuliffe
Planetarium, DEC, Tri-State Megabucks, NH and Maine State
Lotteries, WMUR-TV (ABC affiliate), Blue Cross/Blue Shield
of NH, Cablevision, Olympia Sports, Iprax, Transparent Language,
HealthSource, and many others.
Gama
Articles:
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| Bio: |
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I
started experimenting with sound when I got my first tape
recorder in the 1970s. (Remember those portable units with
the pull-out handle?) At some point I ended up with two of
those things, and being the inquisitive 8-year-old that I
was, I accidentally discovered that I could overdub by recording
on one while playing back audio on the other. The rest was
history! It became a regular thing to create "radio-style"
skits on tape with this technique, using a few sound effects
records and various noisemaking devices.
In
the early 1980s, I discovered the piano and computers. I began
writing simple music parts on a Texas Instruments computer,
and later on an Atari 800 XL. Soon after, I got my first MIDI-equipped
synthesizer, began sequencing parts on an Amiga 500 and discovered
sampling equipment. It became a serious hobby through college,
where I was studying computer science. Getting out and doing
some networking, I met a studio owner who specialized in audio
for radio & TV broadcasting, and he took me in as an assistant.
At Airwaves (now The Troupe), I wrote production music part
time, and performed the usual intern duties. Through a lot
of on-the-job training and hard work, I learned the ropes
of the audio biz: running a studio, staying on top of the
latest technology, production techniques, building client
relationships, and so on. To this day we still have an excellent
working relationship, and I still look up to my former boss
as both a friend and role model.
After
college, I had the choice to further my education in computer
science or to remain full time at Airwaves. I decided to keep
writing music full time and gain more experience. I stayed
there a while longer until an opportunity at Fostex Research
& Development opened up. Working with members of the former
Synclavier team, I became involved with product testing and
development, as well as applications engineering. I became
more disciplined, learning the process of engineering design,
taking careful notes, creating test suites, and working with
a high-level design team. Also in a support role, I helped
solve problems for many companies who used our products, notably
SoundStorm during their extensive Batman Forever postproduction.
When
the office closed down, I decided to get back into creating
content again. I interviewed with Impressions Games in Cambridge,
MA and remained there for more than six years, working on
a large number of projects. It was there that I learned how
to juggle many things at once. It was a fast-paced, exciting
time, working with some of the most professional, talented
people in the gaming industry.
Shortly
after, Tilted Mill was founded and I joined as Audio Director
in the spring of 2002. Some other folks from Impressions have
also come on board, as well as many new faces. I can only
say that the best is yet to come, and I'm looking forward
to a long and wonderful adventure.
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Why
I Got into the Industry:
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I've
been playing video games since the beginning, and got into
music & computers at an early age. As time went on, I
couldn't imagine being anywhere else except the game industry,
and I really wanted to make a contribution in the audio realm.
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Tools
I Can't Live Without:
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| My
Roland Super JV and E-mu E4XT Sampler. For me, the two combined
are like a "Reese's Peanut Butter Cup" of instrumentation:
the two combined work great together! |
| Favorite
Game Audio: |
| There
are several games that I enjoy listening to, but one of my favorites
would have to be Peter McConnell's work in Grim Fandango.
Not only was it well written and produced, but the music seemed
woven into the fabric of the game perfectly, really adding a
new dimension to the whole experience. That's the definition
of great game music, as far as I'm concerned. |
| Inspiration: |
| You
know, there are so many I could fill a book with just their
names! But looking across the gamut of composers, producers,
and/or music groups (in no particular order), I hold in high
regard the Beatles (of course), Jerry Goldsmith, Wayne Shorter,
Yes, ELO, XTC, Todd Rundgren, Steely Dan, Little Feat, Stevie
Wonder, Beethoven, Art Blakey, Pete Ham, 808 State, James Brown,
the list goes on and on... from time to time, listening to every
one of them (among many others) gave me that "nudge"
in my life to keep going, to continue down the road of composing
music. I'm glad I did! |
| Music
I Listen To While Working: |
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I
try to really keep ideas free-flowing when creating music
for any project. I like to immerse myself in music that I
feel conveys a solid theme, sense of style, and/or high technical
value. It may not even be related to the genre I'm ultimately
pursuing, but there may be elements I can draw inspiration
from, on many different levels.
Having
an open mind when compiling a list of reference music is important.
I enjoy listening to just about everything, and I don't hold
any bias on what kind of music should be considered "inspirational"
to a project. That said, I try to keep a short list of focused
pieces, short enough to put on a single CD (or about an hour's
worth of MP3s) that I can listen to anywhere.
Also
with every new project, I always refer back to my previous
work, to see what didn't come together and how I can refine
it the next time around. No matter what you think, there's
always room for improvement!
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