Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

An interview with Alexander Brandon, the jj2 music composer. Translated to English by babelfish..

Interview with Alexander Brandon


(in former times: Siren/SandmañKFMF)
led of The update

Unreal engine became famous by its 3d. Still today it provides by its 3D-FX support for a splitting of the fans into unreal and Quake. But the music behind it was far fewer considered. Everyone of the 37 level had its own sound TRACK, consisting of up to three Songs, depending upon tendency and scenario… And in order to present one of the authors of the used S3M and IT modules more near, I asked a few questions to it.

(who the language is powerful, the American original of this interview should preferably read.)

< The update > which you have at present with getrackter music to do?

< Alex > I tracke still a little in my spare time… Tracken is an extremely fast type, certain aspects of Songs such as bass lines hold Drums and even some Synthesizer. It is also very easy to write a whole piece without slamming itself shut with a sequencer.

One may say that this is simple… However I find it simpler to write a Song than a list Patterns than paragraph in “ Logic “ or “ Cubase “ to copy and insert. But that is only my opinion.

< The update > as came it to your interest in music?

< Alex > it began about 1986, as I Imax theatres a production in Richmond, Virginia in the Science center heard (any child won in this year also ask-mobilely, why it was on the canvas). I loved the music there and her set a nuclear chain reaction in course. As I home came began I to learn to play a number of pieces on my Casio (I had forgotten the type name, was it an old commercial home version) by listening to. Afterwards I got 1987 a AdLib sound card and composed as moved on it.

< The update > as you became acquainted with tracker? What were your first experiences?

< Alex > a friend of me, Josh Rodman, which operates now in Alameda, APPROX., had an Amiga 500 with us in the boarding school. In the faith, my PC is better, scoffed I it. Which for a stupid error. After I had thrown a view of “ Shadow OF the Beast “ and its music, I was totally surprised and convinced of the Amiga. I wrote approximately eight MED four-channel of pieces in the time between 1992 and 1993, and so my Tracking formation began. I started quite late… At the time “ The Captain “ had also published the notorious “ space Debris “ a few years experience, which had at that time also few duzend different.

< The updates > why you have begun to write sound TRACKS for plays and which you use for it at hard and software?

< Alex > I loved plays since the Atari 2600 and the Bally Supercade consoles (the one, those my father me gave). My friend Jason Emery programmed a Multi Parallax scrolling background engine and we made a 2d scrolling Shooter mentioned “ Tyrian “, which by Epic Megagames one published. We were very proud on it since it became by Jason’s code and the works of art of our commercial artist (Danc, in former times with megawatt) a Top Shooter on the PC. I think, it still today as such regarded, also after titles like “ Stargunner “.

I use tracker and Harddisk Recording software (MX51 von Minnetonka) as well as the MIDI Sequencer of my Korg triton ProX Synthesizers.

< The update > it gives MIDI, D-CAudio, sometimes MP3, but not many PC plays use getrackte music. On the other page unreal with small file sizes and different Subsongs showed for each level that even old formats are by far more flexible such as S3M than these concepts. Why does it give no more modules?

< Alex > with “ many PC plays “ I do not agree you. Unreal, UT, Dark Vengeance, Crusader, Epic pin ball, more than two Duzend of PC plays with getrackter music occur to me spontaneously, and there are warscheinlich further two Duzend, which I do not know. Also some N64 of plays such as Wetrix and The new Tetris use getracke music.

But the reason, why modules are not common still further are that it is to be learned very heavily for people, which are accustomed to konventionellere methods such as MIDI Sequencer. My former team Straylight wanted to use MODs for all Origin plays, and the Origin people were verse-eat on it… Only Origins musicians were confused over the format, since it was not intuitive. Thus general MIDI was used for a further year, although the MODs made the Crusader series qualitatively better.

< The update > which you think of the future modern tracker such as BUZZ, WAD tracker or the IT3 existenten yet? Will they be able to compete within the area of professional music with MIDI software or do remain everything with the old?

< Alex > by the fast introduction of MP3 to the Pop culture got MODs a heavy impact. Although MODs indicate still smaller file sizes and a broad support, the next step of the compression becomes – which that is always – never end impact to modules one to shift, but the mortal blow. MODs are according to my opinion still a exzellenter entrance into the computer music!

BUZZ is unique the tracker of first selection for Necros, our king the tracker in the USA concerning IT3 wrote I the authors here and offered to them inspires my assistance on, but I heard absolutely nothing of them. Perhaps they do not have my Mail gotten, perhaps ignore them me, perhaps they also that read here, since I look forward much to IT3.

alexb@ionstorm.com