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This article is about the American musician Michael Z. Land. For the British neurobiologist, see Michael F. Land. Michael Francis Land FRS is a British Neurobiologist. He is currently Emeritus Professor of Neurobiology in the Sussex Vision laboratory at the Sussex Centre

Michael Z. Land (born 1961) is an American composer and musician best known for his scores for various video games produced by LucasArts. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC is an American Video game developer and publisher.

Contents

Biography

Michael Land was born in the North Shore area north of Boston, Massachusetts. North Shore is a Region north of Boston, consisting chiefly of communities in Essex County along Massachusetts Bay. His parents enrolled him in classical piano lessons when he was five, and he continued in these until he chose to pursue the bass guitar instead at age twelve. The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the He focused more on improvisation, and he played with several bands throughout high school. Improvisation (also called extemporization) is the practice of acting singing talking and reacting of making and creating in the moment and in response to the stimulus of

In 1979, Land enrolled in the music program at Harvard University, where he concentrated on electronic music. Electronic music is music that employs Electronic musical instruments and Electronic Music technology in its production He also rekindled his interest in classical music, particularly that of Ludwig van Beethoven. Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music Ludwig van Beethoven ( English ˈlʊdvɪg væn ˈbeɪtoʊvən, 16 December 1770 &ndash 26 March 1827 was a German Composer and Pianist. After graduation, he entered Mills College in Oakland, California to further study electronic music. Mills College is an independent liberal arts women's college founded in 1852 that offers Oakland (ˈoʊklənd founded in 1852 is the eighth-largest city in the U He broadened his study to Renaissance polyphony, and he also studied computer programming. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere In Music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent Melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice ( Monophony

When Land graduated from Mills in 1987, he took a job as a digital technician at an audio signal processor manufacturer called Lexicon, Inc. Land worked for the company for three years, a period he spent honing his programming skills and writing operating system software for the company's MIDI remote controllers. An operating system (commonly abbreviated OS and O/S) is the software component of a Computer system that is responsible for the management and coordination MIDI ( Musical Instrument Digital Interface, ˈmɪdi is an industry-standard protocol that enables Electronic musical instruments Computers

By 1990, the home video game market was beginning to blossom, particularly for personal computers. A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated In April of that year, Land obtained a job at the fledgeling Lucasfilm Games (today known as LucasArts), a software company owned by Star Wars creator George Lucas. Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded George Walton Lucas Jr (born May 14, 1944) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, producer, Screenwriter Land became the company's audio programmer and musician. Land's first project with LucasArts was The Secret of Monkey Island. The Secret of Monkey Island is an Adventure game developed by Lucasfilm Games. The soundtrack of the game gave the composer a chance to show his flexibility, as it is almost entirely made up of Caribbean-flavored themes, something different from anything Land had composed before. The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting His music from Monkey Island has been performed live by a full orchestra at the Symphonic Game Music Concert in 2004. The Symphonic Game Music Concerts ( German: Symphonische Spielemusikkonzerte) are a series of German Video game music concerts produced The event took place in Leipzig, Germany.

The sound engine used in Monkey Island bothered Land, however. He found it nearly impossible to synchronize music with action in the game. Land began work on LucasArts' iMUSE interactive music system to solve this problem. iMUSE ( I nteractive MU sic S treaming E ngine is a Game engine developed in the early 1990s by composers Michael Land and The project was more daunting than Land had anticipated, so he brought in his friend, Peter McConnell, to help. Peter McConnell (also known as Peter Mc) is a Video game music Composer who worked for LucasArts The two designed the iMUSE system as an advanced MIDI sequencer, but over the years, it has come to be, as Land describes it, "a methodology" that allows game producers greater control over in-game music, transitions, etc. A music sequencer (also MIDI sequencer or just sequencer) is software or hardware designed to create and manage computer-generated music Land also headed the company sound department, and since he was preoccupied with iMUSE, he hired another friend to the company, Clint Bajakian, to take over some composing projects. Clint Bajakian is an American Video game soundtrack composer He worked for LucasArts until 2000 when he formed his own sound production company C

With iMUSE completed, Land returned to work as composer. He worked on several titles, including more Monkey Island games and various projects based on Lucasfilm properties. Monkey Island is the collective name given to a series of four graphical Adventure games produced and published by LucasArts, originally Lucasfilm Limited' is an American Film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco California

Land continues to widen his repertoire, and he is currently studying classical cello and violin. The violoncello (abbreviated to cello, or 'cello, plural cellos or celli —the c is tʃ The violin is a bowed String instrument with four strings usually tuned in Perfect fifths It is the smallest and highest-pitched member He plans to release an album of music he has written outside of LucasArts sometime in the future.

Musical style and influences

During his teen-age years, Land consciously studied and emulated the styles of performers such as Yes, the Grateful Dead, and Jimi Hendrix. Yes are an English Progressive rock band that formed in London in 1968. The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix) (November 27 1942 – September 18 1970 was an American Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter To this day, he cites Hendrix's mellow style as a great influence on his own music, and he claims that the Dead's style is deeply rooted in his own work.

In his adult years, he also studied classical composers, particularly Beethoven, a composer whose accomplishments he describes as "a mountain in the distance … no matter how much ground you cover, it's always just as far away. " He also developed an interest in Renaissance polyphony.

Land's work shows great variation, a common trait for video game composers. He begins each project by reading over production notes for the game and then deciding on a musical style with the game's producers. Once this is decided, Land listens to different examples of that style. His soundtracks are as varied as the games they accompany. The music of the Monkey Island series is Caribbean in style, tunes performed on light woodwinds and marimbas. Types of woodwind instruments See also List of woodwind instruments Single-reed instruments use a reed, which is a thin cut In some parts of Africa the term "marimba" refers to the Kalimba. On the other hand, his soundtrack for The Dig is cinematic, with dark, brooding themes played out slowly. The Dig is a graphical Adventure game developed by LucasArts and released in 1995 and a novel based on the game written by Alan Dean Foster. Land himself cites The Dig score as the work that comes closest to his own personal style. Another trait Land has in common with other video game composers is his ability to compose music that remains listenable when played on a continuous loop. In Electronic music, a loop is a sample which is repeated Loops may be repeated through the use of Tape loops delay effects cutting between

Land's music also tends to be more ambient in style. Ambient music is a Musical genre in which sound is more important than notes This allows him to compose fairly complex pieces but to keep them from being obstructive to gameplay or spoken dialogue. Each project tends to feature at least a few louder, more melodic pieces, however, usually in the title theme and end credits.

The Curse of Monkey Island

Many consider Land's work on The Curse of Monkey Island (MI3) soundtrack to be his greatest. The Curse of Monkey Island is an Adventure game developed and published by LucasArts, and the third game in the Monkey Island series Simultaneously marking a compositional coming-of-age for Land, and the technological leap-forward of audio compression meaning that MIDI audio could be replaced with hi-fidelity live audio and live voice recording. This allowed for Land to record the soundtrack with real instruments or high quality patches, which added a warmth and emotion to the music not present in earlier MIDI music.

Land's skills as a composer and arranger are no more evident than in his choice of timbre; bringing together European folk and classical instruments with Caribbean and South American instruments - weaving a texture that combines steel-pans, accordions, and afro-Cuban percussion amongst others. On one hand, heavily influenced by European nationalist music and nautical shanties and horn pipes, and on the other incorporating Caribbean and Brazilian styles.

Video game soundtracks

Other works

External links

Persondata
NAME Land, Michael Z. The Secret of Monkey Island is an Adventure game developed by Lucasfilm Games. Barney Jones is an American Composer and sound designer living in San Francisco, California. Andy Newell is an American composer sound designer and sound supervisor currently living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe is a World War II air-combat Flight simulation Video game released in August 1991 and expanded in Monkey Island 2 LeChuck's Revenge is an adventure game developed and published by LucasArts in 1991 Clint Bajakian is an American Video game soundtrack composer He worked for LucasArts until 2000 when he formed his own sound production company C Peter McConnell (also known as Peter Mc) is a Video game music Composer who worked for LucasArts Star Wars X-Wing (or X-Wing for short is the first LucasArts DOS computer game set in the Star Wars universe as John Towner Williams (born February 8 1932) is an American Composer, conductor and Pianist. Clint Bajakian is an American Video game soundtrack composer He worked for LucasArts until 2000 when he formed his own sound production company C Peter McConnell (also known as Peter Mc) is a Video game music Composer who worked for LucasArts Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is a graphical Adventure game, originally released in 1992 and published by LucasArts. Clint Bajakian is an American Video game soundtrack composer He worked for LucasArts until 2000 when he formed his own sound production company C Peter McConnell (also known as Peter Mc) is a Video game music Composer who worked for LucasArts John Towner Williams (born February 8 1932) is an American Composer, conductor and Pianist. TIE Fighter, a computer space combat game, is the sequel to Star Wars X-Wing, and the first game of the series that puts the John Towner Williams (born February 8 1932) is an American Composer, conductor and Pianist. Clint Bajakian is an American Video game soundtrack composer He worked for LucasArts until 2000 when he formed his own sound production company C Peter McConnell (also known as Peter Mc) is a Video game music Composer who worked for LucasArts The Dig is a graphical Adventure game developed by LucasArts and released in 1995 and a novel based on the game written by Alan Dean Foster. The Curse of Monkey Island is an Adventure game developed and published by LucasArts, and the third game in the Monkey Island series Escape from Monkey Island ( EMI) is a computer Adventure game developed and released by LucasArts in 2000 Clint Bajakian is an American Video game soundtrack composer He worked for LucasArts until 2000 when he formed his own sound production company C Peter McConnell (also known as Peter Mc) is a Video game music Composer who worked for LucasArts SimCity 4 ( SC4) is a city-building simulation computer game developed by Maxis, a subsidiary of Electronic Star Wars Rebel Assault was the first CD ROM -only game published by LucasArts, set in the Star Wars universe Sam & Max Hit the Road is a Graphic adventure Video game developed and published by LucasArts during their adventure games era CD-ROM (an initialism of "Compact Disc Read-Only Memory " is a pre-pressed Compact Disc that contains data accessible to but not writable Maniac Mansion Day of the Tentacle (often simply referred to as Day of the Tentacle, or abbreviated as DoTT) is a graphical Adventure This article is about the 1997 first-person shooter There was also an earlier game called Outlaws for the Commodore 64. Star Wars Droidworks is an educational video game made by Lucas Learning, where the purpose is to create a Droid using many different parts that can be assembled Grim Fandango is a graphic adventure computer game released by LucasArts in and primarily written by Tim Schafer. OverClocked ReMix, also known as OC ReMix and OCR, is an Non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and tribute of Video game music MusicBrainz is a project that aims to create an Open content Music database
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION American composer and musician
DATE OF BIRTH 1961
PLACE OF BIRTH North Shore area north of Boston, Massachusetts
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. North Shore is a Region north of Boston, consisting chiefly of communities in Essex County along Massachusetts Bay.
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