They’ve gone about as fer as they can go …

Yes, just when you thought you’d seen every conceivable take on mods, customizations, clones, homages, robots, artistic reinterpretations, and other cultural artifacts inspired by Guitar Hero, there’s this — a Guitar Hero clone on Commodore 64.

There’s a lot of chatting at the beginning, but jump about five minutes in for the payoff: the Legend of Zelda Overworld theme with deliciously low-fi graphics. (All due respects to Harmonix and new Guitar Hero developers Activision, but I might point out the interface actually doesn’t need an Xbox 360.)

We’re mixing 8-bit systems here (Nintendo and Commodore), but clearly a full 8-bit collection is due. And there’s still further evidence that the Commodore 64 is the digital music platform that will outlive all the rest. Have to boot up my machine and do a C64 feature month or something one of these days.

Details, downloads at creator Toni Westbrook’s site. Toni’s no one-hit wonder, either — dig philosophical musings on adventure gaming and programming, SQL tricks (seriously), and a do-everything interface for PlayStation controllers that allows them to be used with a variety of classic hardware.

Thanks to Josh Randall (who works for some company called Harmonix — hey, when are you guys finally going to release a C64 version?) and Yarnivore for the tip.

Via Chip Collection comes a charming documentary on the production of the 1980 remake of the classic Doctor Who TV theme, by BBC composer Peter Howell. You have to enjoy seeing the Yamaha CS-80 and ARP Odyssey in action. It’s also striking to me how accessible these keyboards made their synth parameters, in contrast to the vast majority of modern synths — either hardware or software. You could really just dial up sounds. (Getting it perfect on multi-track tape, though, took 5 1/2 weeks, though they amusingly have Mr. Howell mime playing along with the polished end take.)

Giving all the credit to Ron Grainer seems a little unfair; while Grainer composed the melody, most of the features of the Doctor Who theme itself were in fact the work of gifted pioneer Delia Derbyshire. Whereas Howell could actually play parts live, Derbyshire had a much harder task: painstakingly piecing the sounds out of repeat passes of tape, with only the simplest test tone generators and processors to produce sounds. Ironically, I think there was a far greater gap in the way synthesizer sounds were produced between 1963 and 1980 than 1980 and 2007, even if Howell brags about a “very modern synthesizer” that can play “8 notes at a time.” It’s cheaper now, but programming most synth patches hasn’t changed in the least. In fact, the CS-80 had more accessible hardware for programming, and never had to contend with OS X updates. Out of tune slightly? Erm, yes … but that’s cool, right? (Better add that to your software emulation. I’ll make no argument for superiority of value or weight. And I’ll make myself feel better by routing through some digital effects.)

See my two year-old roundup, though many of the sound links are now broken:
Doctor Who Theme: Behind the Scenes, Hear the Themes

The latest installment in the famed Tomb Raider series has done very well under its new developer, Crystal Dynamics. Tomb Raider: Legend debuted at No. 1 on the UK sales charts and has sold nearly 3 million units since release. Composer Troels Brun Folmann, Ph. D. scholar in Adaptive Game Audio from IT-Universitetet i København, was recently awarded a BAFTA award for Best Original Score for Tomb Raider: Legend. We had the opportunity to talk with him about composing for games, adaptive music, and more.

Create Digital Music: Troels, first of all, congratulations on your recent BAFTA award for your Tomb Raider: Legend score!

Troels Brun Folmann: Thanks. I’m still having problems sleeping!

CDM: So this is something I struggle with on a daily basis (with my own surname) — can you tell us how to correctly pronounce your name?

TBF: Haha! I don’t know to be honest. When I order something at Starbucks, they always ask for my name twice. First I go, “Troels.” Then they go, “Charles?” Then I go, “Ehm…Troels.” and get a cup of coffee named “Charles”. The solution was to change my name to “Troy”, so I use that all the time now at Starbucks. But the most common English pronunciation is “Trolls”.

CDM: Tell us a little bit about your background, for those who may not have read your blog, etc.

W. Brent Latta is a professional game composer and sound designer; here he brings us his pro opinion of how Microsoft’s next-gen game box shapes up. Hey, it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it, right? And as Tomonuba Itagaki, the creator of Ninja Gaiden, says, “Xbox 360 is the best. So we should wait with a great anticipation.” -PK

Much has already been written about Microsoft’s new console, the Xbox 360. We have a bevy of game reviews, accessories to buy, Live Arcade titles to play, and even future releases over which we drool. But not much has been written about the audio performance and capabilities of this first-of-the-next-generation contraptions. In this short review, I hope to give you a quick breakdown of the how the system has been working for me.

Yes, I know, there are many video production houses working on weddings and corporate videos who aren’t likely to hire Howard Shore to compose the score. (Well, except for the odd Lord of the Rings geeks tying the knot.) So, it makes sense that we’d see yet another software product that promises to generate the music algorithmically according to a musical genre and custom hit points. Because, of course, it’s not like there are a bunch of composers around hard up for money who would do anything for a gig. Ahem. Sony is teasing their new Wndows-only product Cinescore at the NAB broadcasting show; you can see the details in an online brochure. Basically, it looks like Acid and Vegas, but with the ability to automatically create music rather than assemble it from loops. The brochure even says “Don’t fumble with clunky blocks of prearranged music,” which could be interpreted as a dig at Apple’s Soundtrack and GarageBand, except Sony’s own ACID product started the whole loop rage in the first place.

The problem is, as always, that you’re limited to pre-defined styles, and Sony has included only 20 options. (There are variations; hard to know without hearing it how cheezy it is, but past experience with this kind of product suggests . . . Velveeta.) But look closely at the brochure: clearly, you have everything you need! “High Adrenaline” “Drum ‘n’ Bass”, “High Voltage” Rock, “Fourth World Surge” Ambient (not entirely sure where the Fourth World is, but I guess it’s nations with even more poverty than the Third World?), and, most importantly, Klezmer! (Hey, if you have 20 styles, you better make one of them Klezmer.) I’m sure it’ll go well with the video about . . . parrots . . . shown in the brochure.

I’ll let you know when the demo version is available so the CDM community can unleash its High Adrenaline Klezmer mash-ups on the world.

Here’s CDM’s resident game composer with the perfect opportunity for lovers of remixing and gaming. Why do I have a feeling that you’ll get disqualified if you mash Halo 2’s music with Animal Crossing or, for you long-time Mac/Bungie geeks out there, Marathon? (Maybe an odd quote from Myth . . . “Casualties.”) -PK

Tired of waiting for Halo 3, Gears of War, or Prey? Or is your music gear gathering dust since you setup that new Xbox 360? In either case, Sumthing Else Music Works (notable video game soundtrack record label), has a treat in store for you!

In conjunction with the recent release of the Halo 2: Volume Two soundtrack, a mash-up/remix contest has been launched. Once you register on the site, you can download stems from the original Halo 2 soundtrack, along with a Mashup Mixer application (if you so desire). You remix and mashup the stems to your heart’s content - using the provided Mashup Mixer or your preferred software tools - then upload the finished mixes for a chance to win some great prizes including Xbox 360 consoles, DJ equipment, and even a “high-end” Fender guitar signed by Nile Rodgers.

For those looking for some game-related fun, or those hoping to get a jumpstart in the game industry, this could be a fun and interesting way to get the ball rolling. Samples of the soundtrack are available on the site, and there are some great sounds in there, just waiting to be taken to the NEXT LEVEL by our CDM readership.

If you decide to submit an entry - or if your entry is chosen among the winners - let us know so we can showcase your work!

The old standards: the Tin Pan Alley showtunes, reinterpreted by vocalists and bebop jazzers, followed more recently by reworkings of modern pop and rock tunes. The new standards: video game tunes, apparently. Especially if they’re from Nintendo games.

The latest in the trend is MetroidMetal, with elaborate, sprawling metal covers of the moody themes from Nintendo’s legendary sci-fi side-scroller.

For anyone keeping score, you can add that to acoustic covers of Mario and, as reviewed by our own W. Brent Latta, live, full orchestras playing game soundtracks old and new.

Thanks, Patrick Murphy!

Next-generation consoles? We care more about next-generation music-making. In that spirit, CDM’s resident game composer and gaming + music columnist W. Brent Latta checks in with a look back at last year’s greatest game scores and trends, with a glimpse of what this year could hold. -Ed.