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Under the Half Dome: Orchestrated Versions by Ken Allen of His Sierra Game Music

MusicallyInspiredMusicallyInspired
edited February 2013 in General Chat
For those who don't know, Ken Allen, composer of many early Sierra games such as Colonel's Bequest, King's Quest I, King's Quest V, Space Quest IV, Space Quest I VGA, and also some games outside of Sierra like Descent has started a KickStarter project called Under the Half Dome for a music album based on, inspired by, and re-imagining his old works.

The project has already hit its goal in under 48 hours and there will be an announcement soon of some interesting stretch goals. Backer rewards include the album in physical and digital format, access to backer-exclusive blog of the production of the album, t-shirt, blow-up poster of the album artwork (made by ex-Sierra artist Rich Powell), and even big things like a MIDI keyboard controller (same one Ken is using to record the album), a chance for you the backer to perform on one of the tracks on the album, write some liner notes, as well as Ken composing a song specifically for you of your direction in the higher tiers. And more!

Fund him!

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http://kenspace.com
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Comments

  • exoexo
    edited January 2013
    A bit surprised there is no talk of Ken Allen's kickstarter project here:
    http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mrkenallen/under-the-half-dome-an-album-by-sierra-composer-ke?ref=live
  • MusicallyInspiredMusicallyInspired
    edited January 2013
    Ahem.

    http://www.telltalegames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=766242&postcount=399

    Also, he wasn't going to be doing straight rerecordings of his Sierra work because he said he approached ActiVision and they said that "they had their own plans" and he was going to do work inspired by it. However, he's discovered a means where he CAN use his original works. So that's exciting!
  • exoexo
    edited February 2013
    Your post was in some general chat i have never heard of. I don't venture out of Kings Quest. I was saying I'm surprised no one had mentioned it here... in the only place where people matter, since it is the only place I visit.
  • MusicallyInspiredMusicallyInspired
    edited February 2013
    Well, it's only because things that have nothing to do with King's Quest (even if they do have to do with Sierra) keep getting moved to General Forum anyway. I posted in the Kickstarter thread itself.
  • exoexo
    edited February 2013
    Well that makes no sense. I think only about 5% of my posts here have actually been about KQ. The rest are just me being retarded, yet they don't get moved. maybe it is a "containment" method. The mods don't want my ramblings escaping this dead forum.
  • MtnPeakMtnPeak
    edited February 2013
    MusicallyInspired wrote: »
    Also, he wasn't going to be doing straight rerecordings of his Sierra work because he said he approached ActiVision and they said that "they had their own plans" and he was going to do work inspired by it. However, he's discovered a means where he CAN use his original works. So that's exciting!

    How did Ken Allen end up being able to use his own work? I apologize if this has been discussed elsewhere on here. For years I have wanted a collection of Sierra music live recordings.

    The Colonel's Bequest is one of my favorite games ever! I used to record the music from my computer speakers and listen to it later. This Ken Allen project is like a dream come true.
  • MusicallyInspiredMusicallyInspired
    edited February 2013
    MtnPeak wrote: »
    How did Ken Allen end up being able to use his own work? I apologize if this has been discussed elsewhere on here. For years I have wanted a collection of Sierra music live recordings.

    The Colonel's Bequest is one of my favorite games ever! I used to record the music from my computer speakers and listen to it later. This Ken Allen project is like a dream come true.

    Here's Ken's Kickstarter update on the matter:
    The Compulsory Mechanical License

    I'm not a lawyer, but thanks to those of you who commented on my previous update, I have been alerted to this part of the copyright law.

    Through the magic of the Compulsory Mechanical License, it appears I can pay a licensing fee to the copyright holder through a 3rd party and distribute a limited number of recordings featuring new arrangements of my Space Quest and King's Quest compositions.

    The service I'm using is Easy Song Licensing. And they have helped other game composers in my situation get a license to make a new album based on their game compositions.

    In addition, it turns out that at least one of the guys at Easy Song Licensing is a huge fan of Space Quest and King's Quest and are quite fond of the soundtracks. Cool, huh?
    The Real Music

    This is great news! Makes me all tingley! I get to use the real compositions after all.

    I wish I had known ahead of time. But you savvy backers have come to the rescue!

    Now excuse me while I go do the Happy Dance

    Thanks

    Music Pal out!
  • MtnPeakMtnPeak
    edited February 2013
    Thanks for that info!

    Does anyone know if Mark Siebert has had any involvement with game development in recent years? Have any of the fan or indie development teams been in touch with him at all?

    I think it would be great to have comprehensive Sierra music soundtrack collection with all live recordings.
  • exoexo
    edited February 2013
    you should definitely find the sierra music forums and demand they release that.
  • JenniferJennifer Moderator
    edited February 2013
    MusicallyInspired wrote: »
    Also, he wasn't going to be doing straight rerecordings of his Sierra work because he said he approached ActiVision and they said that "they had their own plans" and he was going to do work inspired by it. However, he's discovered a means where he CAN use his original works. So that's exciting!
    Wow, he managed to find a legal provision that allows him to make updated versions of his original Sierra songs! Definitely backed by me! The Space Quest music was a huge inspiration for me to get involved in composing. :D
  • mrkenallenmrkenallen
    edited February 2013
    Hi friends. Jennifer told me about this discussion.

    Yes, I'm reviving my old Sierra game music. MusicallyInspired is correct. I have found a legal provision to make a new album based on the music I made for Kings Quest and Space Quest.

    And, yes I'm Kickstarting the album, which is called Under The Half Dome. If you're curious about it, check it out here.

    http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mrkenallen/under-the-half-dome-an-album-by-sierra-composer-ke

    Do you have any questions for my next podcast?

    Ken "your music pal" Allen
  • JohroJohro
    edited February 2013
    Jennifer wrote: »
    Wow, he managed to find a legal provision that allows him to make updated versions of his original Sierra songs! Definitely backed by me! The Space Quest music was a huge inspiration for me to get involved in composing. :D

    The provision is that anyone is allowed to do that. As long as the original artist(himself lol) and the owners of the music are given credit, it's still just a "cover song" and no one can legally do anything about it(even if he does use his own master tracks). Hey, I could go make an album rerecording classic Sierra songs if I wanted to.
  • JenniferJennifer Moderator
    edited February 2013
    mrkenallen wrote: »
    Hi friends. Jennifer told me about this discussion.

    Yes, I'm reviving my old Sierra game music. MusicallyInspired is correct. I have found a legal provision to make a new album based on the music I made for Kings Quest and Space Quest.

    And, yes I'm Kickstarting the album, which is called Under The Half Dome. If you're curious about it, check it out here.

    http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mrkenallen/under-the-half-dome-an-album-by-sierra-composer-ke
    Hey, wow. Thanks for coming over here and posting. :D

    You really do have some great Kickstarter rewards (it's hard to pick from). It definitely does deserve its place on Forbes' list of the 10 Most Clever Kickstarter Rewards. :)

    Oh, and I just realized I never posted about your project on my blog. That's rectified now. :)
  • MusicallyInspiredMusicallyInspired
    edited February 2013
    Johro wrote: »
    The provision is that anyone is allowed to do that. As long as the original artist(himself lol) and the owners of the music are given credit, it's still just a "cover song" and no one can legally do anything about it(even if he does use his own master tracks). Hey, I could go make an album rerecording classic Sierra songs if I wanted to.

    Uh no. No, you can't. Well, you could, but you'd probably get sued. It's infringement as Ken didn't retain any rights from his music work at Sierra (something he was more careful to ensure in his post-Sierra composing years). He has to pay for a license through a third-party company. You can't just go off and do whatever you want. He approached ActiVision about getting a license for the music, and they had an interesting conversation, but ultimately they weren't interested in granting it. Fortunately, there's another method. But it's not free and it's not cheap.
  • Mike HaleyMike Haley
    edited February 2013
    I had the opportunity to conduct an interview with Ken Allen two weeks ago, and I asked him a few questions about his work on Space Quest IV, Under The Half Dome and the forthcoming SpaceVenture. I already knew by then that he had squared away the copyright issues, but I still tossed in a question about that to ensure everyone was well aware.

    For those interested, the interview can be found here: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9117876

    EDIT: With 1UP's pending closure, I cannot guarantee that the above link will last, so you may also find the interview on my personal blog: http://thegrigpost.blogspot.com/2013/02/interview-with-ken-allen.html
  • DAISHIDAISHI
    edited February 2013
    I promise you I'll support this as soon as my replacement card comes in.
  • mrkenallenmrkenallen
    edited February 2013
    This is pretty cool to connect with new friends. Spread the word about the KS. I'd like to reach the stretch goals and use live musicians on several tracks.

    My old HS marching band has expressed interest in recording one of the tunes on the album.

    That would be kinda cool.

    Ken "your music pal" Allen
  • mrkenallenmrkenallen
    edited February 2013
    BTW, I have a call out for dancers, to record video of yourself dancing to this tune
    See this update for more info.

    And in case you were wondering, I do lead by example. Watch me littering the streets with my insane dance skills here.

    Ken "your music pal" Allen
  • JenniferJennifer Moderator
    edited February 2013
    mrkenallen wrote: »
    BTW, I have a call out for dancers, to record video of yourself dancing to this tune
    See this update for more info.

    And in case you were wondering, I do lead by example. Watch me littering the streets with my insane dance skills here.

    Ken "your music pal" Allen
    Ha, that video is great. I hope you're going to include parts of it in your final video. :)

    I'm not beyond acting goofy. I'll do some dancing myself tomorrow when it's light out. :D

    I just posted about your kickstarter at The International House of Mojo. Hopefully that helps a little bit. I really want to see this hit at least some of its stretch goals. :)
  • VainamoinenVainamoinen Moderator
    edited February 2013
    I'm not too comfortable with the word "orchestrated" in the title of this thread, as that's not what is happening here. MusicallyInspired, can I change the title somehow to actually match the project? Suggestions welcome...
  • JenniferJennifer Moderator
    edited February 2013
    Vainamoinen wrote: »
    I'm not too comfortable with the word "orchestrated" in the title of this thread, as that's not what is happening here. MusicallyInspired, can I change the title somehow to actually match the project? Suggestions welcome...
    I actually made the name of the title (since it's using a digital orchestra program) when I merged all the threads from around these forums to make the conversation easier to follow. But, you can change the name of the title if you want. Maybe to "Digital Orchestrations" instead of "Orchestrated Versions"?
  • mrkenallenmrkenallen
    edited February 2013
    I'm taking what was once pure MIDI data and recreating the music using the same orchestra libraries used by Film and TV composers. Virtual or no, this is still fully orchestrated.
  • mrkenallenmrkenallen
    edited February 2013
    Jennifer wrote: »
    Maybe to "Digital Orchestrations" instead of "Orchestrated Versions"?

    Virtual orchestra is more accurate. The VST library is the East West Quantum Leap Symphony Orchestra Gold. Actual orchestral musicians are sampled for this library. And it's in wide use in Hollywood for orchestral movie underscores.

    Ken
  • LaserschwertLaserschwert
    edited February 2013
    mrkenallen wrote: »
    Virtual orchestra is more accurate. The VST library is the East West Quantum Leap Symphony Orchestra Gold. Actual orchestral musicians are sampled for this library. And it's in wide use in Hollywood for orchestral movie underscores.

    Ken

    Hey Ken,

    with pledges going up, would you be considering to utilize EastWest's "Hollywood Strings", "Hollywood Brass" and "Hollywood Orchestral Woodwinds" instead of just "SO Gold"? The Hollywood series is a HUGE step up from the Symphonic Orchestra, both quality- and realism-wise...
  • JenniferJennifer Moderator
    edited February 2013
    Is there any way to use Paypal for this (now that it's guaranteed to be funded, like many kickstarters do)? I had to transfer money from my Paypal account to my bank account to cover the tier I chose, and I'm not sure it's going to get there in time before the kickstarter ends (I really don't want to have to pledge less). :(
  • MusicallyInspiredMusicallyInspired
    edited February 2013
    Man, if we could break another $1k we could get the first stretch goal of having the music video!
  • JenniferJennifer Moderator
    edited February 2013
    MusicallyInspired wrote: »
    Man, if we could break another $1k we could get the first stretch goal of having the music video!
    There's a little under three days left. There's a good chance it will make it (although it's going to be close).
  • MusicallyInspiredMusicallyInspired
    edited February 2013
    According to Kicktraq, it's trending toward another almost $1k over the goal. We'll see what happens.
  • JenniferJennifer Moderator
    edited February 2013
    It just made it's first stretch goal! I can't wait for Animaniacs inspired backer's song. :D

    And the money did transfer in time, so I don't need to use Paypal and I don't have to pick a lower tier. So, yay! :)
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