New for 2012

new website online for composer CHANCE THOMAS

Focused exlusively on his music for film, games and television, the new ChanceThomas.com site includes new music links, photos, an online store and much more. Check it out HERE!

12/16/11

A Christmas Gift

HUGEsound has posted a new piece of music especially for Christmas. You may access it freely in the Spotlight category of our Music Player (launch from MUSIC link below). The track is called, Journey to Bethlehem.

This piece endeavors to capture some of the drama and ambiguity of Mary and Joseph’s storied passage -- anxiety in not knowing what lies ahead; the playfulness and wonder of a young couple’s adventure; growing momentum toward an inevitable destination; gentle nudging from the hand of heaven; unseen but ever-present spiritual guardians; humble desperation in finding refuge in a stable; and a resolution of inexplicable calm and peace, totally surpassing understanding.

May the joy of this season, and the miraculous story it celebrates, be with you and those you love. Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

12/13/11

Worldwide release of Rise Up! music video

We are thrilled to announce the worldwide debut of RISE UP! the music video. This collaboration between director Masami Ikeda (Tokyo), composer Chance Thomas (Salt Lake City) and editing artist John Pratt (Honolulu) is dedicated to the resilient people of Tohoku Japan and others impacted by the record shattering earthquake and tsunami of 2011.

You can watch the RISE UP! music video now on YouTube.

While awareness of the tsunami has receded into background noise for most of the world, thousands remain displaced from their homes still today. The scale of the devastation is difficult to fathom. Infrastructure is still smashed, entire neighborhoods remain in rubble and rebuilding will take years. Even basic clean-up is still ongoing. Consider this sobering image from Masami's recent filming foray:

The RISE UP! music video, rich in symbolism, will show you this beautiful and vibrant part of the world both before and after the tsunami. It will show you everyday people coming together and rolling up their sleeves to help. You will see warehouses of relief supplies pouring in, heavy equipment dispatched to aid, volunteers from both Japan and the West working together in rising up to rebuild. It’s an inspiring view of the human race.

But as a famous American once quipped, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” Many millions of dollars and thousands of volunteers are still needed.

One way to help is through the PLAY FOR JAPAN benefit album, created to raise awareness and funds for the relief effort. This album includes Rise Up! and other great songs by top Japanese and Western composers working in videogames and film. 100% of all proceeds from the purchase of this music goes directly to the Red Cross of Japan, earmarked for tsunami relief and reconstruction. You can preview and purchase the album through this link to: iTunes.

The ideal that one person can make a difference struggles for life in a world dominated by global corporations and powerful special interests. But in our little corner of the artistic community, unpretentious individuals like you and I can still bypass greed siphons and pour our contribution directly into rebuilding neighborhoods, cleaning up toxic debris and restoring living conditions for our friends in Japan. This rousing benefit album, PLAY FOR JAPAN, organized by Japanese composer Akira Yamaoka, is an untainted way to make a positive impact on humanity and get some great music in return. “So Rise Up! Seize the new day. Everyone has a part they can play. Rise Up! Together, we can be strong.”

11/29/11

Biblical films get HUGE treatment

A new series of biblical films include original music from HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas and Emmy award-winning composer Sam Cardon. The first several films, centering around the Nativity, have been recorded with a 56 piece live orchestra and 15 voice children's choir. Charismatic veteran Kurt Bestor conducted the orchestra with Dr. Kathy Sorenson conducting the International Children's Chorus. More information will be forthcoming as the project is publicly announced. Stay tuned!

07/29/11

Spotlight on Lord of the Rings online score

Chance Thomas' original music for Lord of the Rings Online is in the news again. Joystick editor Justin Olivetti has posted a great new story on the classic score, including YouTube links to his 10 all-time favorite tracks. The party continues in the comments section below with many of the game's fans weighing in with their favorites as well. Thomas' compositions are well represented, as are tunes from Turbine Audio Directors Geoff Scott and Stephen DiGregorio. If you're curious about the score, this is a great place to get a quick overview. Here's the link to read the story and hear the tunes! JOYSTICK.COM

07/15/11

Play For Japan: The Album released

Today, a remarkable collection of music has been released in many parts of the world. It’s a benefit album called PLAY FOR JAPAN. All proceeds from the sale of this music will go directly to the Red Cross of Japan to assist in rebuilding after the devastating earthquake and tsunami which hit this year in March and April.

As announced previously on our site, HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas was asked to join the effort. His contribution is a song of hope, solidarity and coming together. Chance's song is entitled, RISE UP!, which you can hear on our website by clicking the MUSIC link below. Then select the SONGS category.

Says Vince Horiuchi of the Salt Lake Tribune, "Thomas’ anthem "Rise Up!" celebrates humanity’s ability to overcome adversity." Jayson Naoplitano of the music site OSV writes, "One of the biggest surprises on the album is Chance Thomas’s “Rise Up!,” an impressive inspirational pop rock track. The positive vocals and melody, backup gospel singers, and distinctly ‘80s guitar and synth melodies are a blast."

Preview the album (or individual songs) for purchase on iTunes or Amazon. 100% of all proceeds goes straight to the heart of a great cause. If you’ve ever felt a desire to help the people of Japan, here’s your chance. Here's the link to AMAZON.

06/29/11

HUGE music for new Sony game

Sony Computer Entertainment of America has contracted Chance Thomas to create original music for an unannounced new project. Stay tuned for more details about this exciting video game in the months ahead.

06/01/11

Warner gets HUGE music tracks

HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas is providing music for an unannounced, upcoming Warner release. Stay tuned for details...!

05/04/111

HUGE contribution to Japan relief

Akira Yamaoka, Chance Thomas and a number of other composers from both sides of the Pacific have joined forces to raise funds for tsunami & earthquake relief efforts currently underway in Japan. They have created a brand new collection of music (release date TBA soon) totally dedicated to its rebuilding. Proceeds from all song and album sales are going to assist in the relief efforts.

For his part, Chance is releasing a pop/rock anthem of hope and solidarity entitled, RISE UP! We will alert you when and where you can purchase the song to support the relief efforts in the coming days. Meanwhile, you can read the lyrics (below) and preview a brief sample of the recording in our music player. Open the player HERE, and then select the "SONG" category. A 30 second excerpt of RISE UP! will begin playing automatically.

RISE UP!

Music and Lyrics by Chance Thomas

It's a brand new day,
The sun is shining on my face,
The skies are blue,
And the dawn's just breaking for me, and for you...

(CHORUS)
So RISE UP!
Seize the new day,
Everyone has a part they can play,
RISE UP!
Together we can be strong,
In every way.

Now take a good look around,
All of us stand on common ground,
We can make a choice,
And raise our voices as one,
C'mon, c'mon!

CHORUS

Don't look back to yesterday,
Tomorrow is on my mind,
You're the ones to lead the way,
Making the future bright!

CHORUS repeat and fade

(Composition and sound recording Copyright Chance Thomas)

03/22/11

avatar event comes to utah

After successful stints in Hollywood, New York City, and San Francisco, Chance Thomas is bringing his AVATAR score postmortem home to Utah. The event will be held at the Ragan Theater on the UVU campus Tuesday night, March 29.

03/22/11

HUGE score for 3DS launch

Gaming giants Nintendo and Ubisoft are releasing Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D as a launch title for the amazing new 3DS gaming system. The action-packed original orchestral score was composed and orchestrated by Chance Thomas with Aurelien Baguerre producing. Tracks were recorded in Prague and Salt Lake City. Paul Taylor handled sheet music preparation while Pierre Langer contracted the orchestra. The score was mixed at The Pod, HUGEsound and Dynamedian by Mike Roskelley, Chance Thomas and Tillman Sillescu. The original soundtrack is available for sale at most online music outlets, including AMAZON.

03/21/11

Star Wars gets HUGE treatment

LucasArts has released their latest blockbuster, Lego STAR WARS III: The Clone Wars, featuring additional original music and music editing by HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas. The game is being released on all major platforms worldwide.

02/18/111

New music online now!

HUGEsound has updated our online music player with new videogame score tracks from Dinosaurs 3D, James Cameron's AVATAR, Lord of the Rings Online, Monopoly Streets, LPS Friends, X-MEN and many more, all sorted into appropriate style categories. You can select the "MUSIC" button below to open the standalone version. Or to open in a browser window, simply click HERE.

If you select any category, the player will start automatically with the first song in the list. If you minimize the player, it will automatically cycle through each song in each category like a radio station playing in the background. Periodic 10 second breaks of silence will let you know that that the player is moving to the next category. Enjoy!

12/27/10

HUGE decade honors LOTRO music

Out of hundreds of titles, Lord of the Rings Online has been honored for its original soundtrack, winning runner-up for Best Score and Sound of the Decade, 2000 - 2010. It's a staggering citation considering the competition includes titles like World of Warcraft, Everquest, Star Wars Galaxies and many others. The honor was awarded today by the popular MMO news and reviews site Ten Ton Hammer. Thank you!

To celebrate, we've posted two music montages online featuring highlights from our work on the score. Enjoy! PART ONE -- and -- PART TWO

For our part, HUGEsound would like to thank and congratulate everyone across the past decade who shares in this honor, whose contributions added technically, creatively and with their virtuosity to the original music composed, orchestrated and produced by Chance Thomas for this outstanding title.

Key Executives: Craig Alexander, Jeffrey Steefel, Jeff Anderson, Torrie Dorrell, Vijay Lakshman.

Audio Directors: Stephen DiGregorio, Geoff Scott.

Orchestra: Utah Film Orchestra, Salt Lake City. Conductors Chance Thomas, Judd Meyer. Concert Masters Monte Belknap, Meredith Campbell, Lennie Browse. Principal Trumpet Tony DiLorenzo. Principal Horn Larry Lowe. Principal Woodwinds Daron Bradford. Harp Lysa Rytting.

Choir: LA East Chorus (singers from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir). Conductors Chance Thomas, Nathan Hofheins.

Solo Voice: Jenny Jordan.

Acoustic Artists: Fretted instruments Rich Dixon. Fiddle Aaron Ashton, Janice Anderson. Penny Whistle Daron Bradford, Ray Smith.

Mixing Artists: Mike Roskelley, Glen Neibaur.

Engineers: Glen Neibaur, Steven Lerud, Mike Roskelley.

Music Preparation: Paul Taylor.

Studios: LA East, The Pod, Lakeview Recording, HUGEsound.

11/27/10

Narnia debuts with HUGE opening act

The new Chronicles of Narnia film, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, will have a HUGE warmup act for the first week of its theatrical run. Beginning December 10, the film will be preceded by a trailer for the new Left Behind 3 videogame. The new trailer features an original score composed and produced by Chance Thomas. The score was recorded at the Soularium, HUGEsound and SoundMinds. Concert Master was Monte Belknap, with Tim Larkin on trumpet. Rich Dixon handled the guitar. Sheet music preparation was completed by Paul Taylor. The score was engineered by Dan Carlisle, Chance Thomas and Tim Larkin. Surround mixing was completed at The Pod by Mike Roskelley. Troy Lyndon was executive producer on the score for Left Behind Games.

10/28/10

huge avatar talk comes to new york city

HUGEsound's popular videogame music presentation from James Cameron's Avatar is heading to Park Avenue. Stadium Red Studios, New York City's premier recording, mixing and mastering facility is hosting Chance Thomas' Avatar Score Postmortem on October 28, 2010 to inaugurate their new Master Series of lectures. Get all the details HERE.

10/19/10

Electronic Arts releases chance thomas' MONOPOLY STREETS theme

Electronics Arts has released the MONOPOLY: Streets videogame theme through Amazon.com, iTunes and dozens of other digital music outlets. This is the full 5 minute Main Menu theme that takes listeners through many of the most exciting highlights of this classic game. The announcement was first made by Square Enix Music Online. Read their post HERE.

You can sample the tune (and potentially purchase the mp3) from Amazon by clicking this LINK.

09/07/10

chance thomas delivers huge original score for Wii Dinosaurs game

Ubisoft Entertainment, a leading producer, publisher and distributer of interactive entertainment products worldwide, has contracted with multiple award-winning videogame composer Chance Thomas to create an all-original orchestral score for their upcoming title, Battle of Giants: Dinosaurs Strike. The epic score was created under the direction of Aurelien Baguerre, who oversees audio for the entire Battle of Giants franchise.

"I would like to thank you," said Baguerre, "For your exceptional work on this project under such a rushed schedule. Your music is incredible and adds so much immersion and power to the game!" The score was recorded in Salt Lake City and Prague, with mixing at The Pod, HUGEsound and Ubisoft Quebec Studios.

08/16/10

chance thomas scores monopoly streets for ea games

Electronic Arts, a leading global interactive entertainment software company, has called on HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas to create the original music for its upcoming holiday title, MONOPOLY Streets. EA is bringing the beloved world of Monopoly to life in vivid 3D, through an animated street-level city that you can build, own, and monopolize on PS3, XBOX 360, Wii and DS.

Chance tapped some ace studio talent to bring his original tracks to life, including a smoking horn section featuring Daron Bradford on Alto Sax, Bryan Hofheins on Tenor Trombone and Reid Lesheminant on Trumpet. Award-winning guitarist Rich Dixon, recording engineer Dan Carlisle and mixing artist Mike Roskelley rounded out the team. Tracks were recorded at The Soularium and HUGEsound. Mixing was completed at HUGEsound and The Pod.

07/30/10

Musicians Institute posts Chance Thomas interview

In an interview with Musicians Institute of Hollywood, Chance answers questions about his background and discusses basic skills students need to get started on a successful career in music scoring. Watch the full interview HERE. PS - As a side note, you look a little tired Chance. Go get some rest!

07/15/10

Chance Thomas to speak at Gaming & Electronics Expo

The Gaming & Electronics Expo, otherwise known as the GEEX show, will be held this weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah. HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas will be on hand, speaking on the panel "Audio: The Special Sauce for Games" hosted by Mike Nielson of Wahoo Games. The Audio panel presentation is scheduled for 4:00 pm Saturday, July 16.

06/01/10

HUGE new score for Ubisoft

Ubisoft Entertainment, a global leader in electronic entertainment has secured the services of HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas to create the score for a new unannounced title. Details will be posted in the coming months, as the publisher makes them available.

05/31/10

new musical gets HUGE treatment

A new musical production for stage and screen entitled, FRIDAY NITE, will feature songs composed by Chance Thomas and a team of other talented writers. The story takes place in the 1950's, transporting the audience back to the height of the era through song, story and exciting action.

05/27/10

MI talk makes HUGE impression in Hollywood

HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas spoke to students and faculty at the Musicians Institute of Hollywood today, detailing the experiences of scoring for videogames. Said student Joe Sloan, "Chance did a wonderful, truly inspiring and empowering clinic at our institute today and it was quite an experience to listen to and learn from a true innovator."

Last year's critically acclaimed videogame score from James Cameron's Avatar formed the centerpiece of the discussion.

Student Association President Kole was responsible for arranging the presentation. Said Kole afterwards, "The people who attended the event thought that your presentation was one of the best and most informative they've ever been to at MI (both students and faculty). In fact, word has spread throughout the school...a "waiting list" is forming to view the DVD!"

05/19/10

Champions Online features chance thomas music

Champions Online, Cryptic Studios long anticipated follow-up to City of Heroes and City of Villains, released with music tracks by HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas. Champions Online debuted last September, but we neglected to post a news item about it at the time. Chance composed several multi-layered music tracks for the title, based on the exclusive HUGEmusic STAX layered music mapping system. In this system, music layers are created based on inter-related maps specifying harmonic, dynamic and rhythmic anchor points. The effect of the layering is additive, so that the timbre, shape, dynamic and intensity of the music evolves as layers are combined.

05/03/10

international recognition for AVATAR game score

The U.K. Music Awards has called out the videogame score from James Cameron's AVATAR for Special Recognition in its annual survey of top scores throughout the film, television and game industries. In addition, Movie Music Online has awarded the music an Honorable Mention in their yearly publication of music awards and honors.

These follow the prestigious MUSIC OF THE YEAR Nomination and Finalist Award given by the Game Audio Network Guild earlier this year. A heartfelt Thank You! from HUGEsound to the leadership, staff, membership and judges of each organization.

04/12/10

Chance Thomas honored as #1 rated speaker

During the week of March 9-13, 2010, more than 18,000 videogame industry professionals converged on San Francisco for the annual Game Developer's Conference. According to the conference website, GDC 2010 offered 466 unique sessions, featuring 722 prominent speakers from across the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. In an official report sent to all conference speakers, GDC Operations Manager Kara Foley wrote, "Big kudos to Chance Thomas for delivering the number one rated lecture at GDC entitled, "AVATAR Score Postmortem: High Stakes, Challenges, Universal Takeaways. Chance set the bar high...!" Our own kudos go to Video Games Live founder Tommy Tallarico, who introduced the session, to engineer John Rodd who held things together behind the scenes, and to Evelyn Donis and the Audio Advisory Board. We'd also like to send out some HUGE appreciation to everyone who attended the session, offered their enthusiastic participation, and wrote such kind evaluations afterwards. Thank you!

04/06/10

YouTube gets HUGE channel

This is kind of fun. It's a new way for interested listeners to experience our music, in most cases coupled with the visual images that inspired it. Check it out - HERE.

03/31/10

HUGE new score for EA

Electronic Arts has secured the scoring services of HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas for a new, unannounced title. Details will be posted in the coming months, as the publisher makes them available.

03/27/10

Musician's Institute of Hollywood books HUGE clinic

Chance Thomas will present his AVATAR SCORE POSTMORTEM as a clinic to the students at Hollywood's Musician's Institute on May 27, 2010. Musicians Institute is the world's leading music school based in Los Angeles, providing quality education and hands-on training for contemporary music performance in guitar, bass, keyboards, drums and voice. They also provide educational programs in audio recording, guitar making, music business, interactive game audio and films.

03/18/10

HUGE splash at GDC

HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas was a featured speaker at the Game Developer's Conference held in San Francisco, March 9-13. He first spoke on the Emotional Recipe of Music with fellow composers Tom Salta (H.A.W.X.), Marty O'Donnell (Halo), Paul Lipson (Iron Man 2) and Laura Karpman (Everquest 2), lifting the hood to explain specific ingredients of harmony, melody and rhythm contributing to feelings of terror, panic, flying, victory, exploration, etc. Great panel, very useful to young composers!

Chance also gave a GDC presentation entitled AVATAR Postmortem: High Stakes, Challenges and Universal Takeaways. This session of GDC was extremely well received by a broad cross-section of the conference. Here are a few generous quotes from attendees:

"This was the best [GDC] panel of the year. Chance Thomas not only proved himself to be an amazing public speaker, controlling the pace of the session and driving audience participation, but he is also somebody who really cares about helping the next generation of composers get on their feet." - Jayson Napolitano, Videogame Music Editor, Original Sound Version Webzine

"Chance Thomas delivered a masterful presentation of the challenges he faced while composing the score for the AVATAR video game. His highly organized analysis of the scoring process, delivered with clarity, insight and humor, provided valuable lessons for experienced game audio professionals as well as the less sophisticated among us. Bravo, Chance!" - Ron Ramin, Television Composer (Disney Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, etc.)

"Chance presented invaluable insight into the rare and exciting process of producing a massive quantity of music - with an impossible deadline - for a video game based on the highest-grossing film of all time. His detailed account of this amazing journey both entertains and provides plenty of food for thought, giving students and colleagues an opportunity to catch more than just a glimpse of the rollercoaster that was Avatar: The Game." - Richie Nieto, Composer, Sound Designer, Satellite Sound Post

Many thanks to Evelyn Donis, Brian Schmidt, Kenny Young, Tommy Tallarico and Dave Ranyard for putting together such a stellar audio track for this year's GDC!

03/03/10

new Chance Thomas interview online at GSOUNDTRACKS now

In today's published interview, Chance talks about the past, current and future state of videogame music. He offers new behind-the-scenes details from his classic scores for Lord of the Rings Online, King Kong, Avatar and Quest for Glory V. He talks about his dream project(s), discusses film composers, and even offers a list of current music in his CD player and iPod. Read the complete interview - HERE.

02/02/10

I Saw You On TV! features Chance Thomas tunes

Releasing today, I Saw You On TV! Videogame Composers (Volume 1) includes two previously unreleased tracks by HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas. The first track, MY NATIVE COUNTRY features an inspirational melody on ethnic flute, slowly growing into an army of hand percussion and orchestra, with a patriotic twist at the end. The second track, THE YEARNING is a climbing, aspiring piece. The orchestration reaches searchingly for something of nobility, something of greatness, all underscored with a pulsing rhythm and driving guitars. Both songs, as well as a number of other great tracks by the industry's top composers, are available now for download purchase at Amazon.com.

01/19/10

AVATAR game music now online

Interested in hearing some of Chance Thomas' celebrated videogame score for James Cameron's AVATAR? Samples are now available online. Check it out here: EXCERPTS MONTAGE and FEATURED TRACK

01/01/10

HUGE studio upgrades for 2010

Happy New Year! HUGEsound is pleased to announce that we are retooling for 2010. Our recent investments in new state-of-the-art audio hardware and software upgrades will continue to keep HUGEsound at the leading edge of delivering outstanding quality music and sound to the world.

12/22/09

HUGE podcast - Tracksounds Avatar interview with composer Chance Thomas

Christopher Coleman runs a terrific soundtrack review site called Tracksounds. One of his cooler features is the Soundcast, a podcast dedicated to a particular composer or body of work. His Christmas week focus is the videogame score for Avatar. Check it out here: Soundcast

12/17/09

IGN posts new feature on Avatar game score

IGN Music Editor Brian Linder writes a terrific feature on the videogame music score from Avatar. He draws out a point of comparison between the game score and the film score, discusses the orchestral recording sessions in Los Angeles and Seattle, and touches on the sophisticated tech underlying the score's deployment in the game. Check it out here: IGN Interview

12/16/09

Critically acclaimed Mines of Moria tracks posted online

Apparently we don't get out enough. HUGEsound has just learned that for almost a year, full length music tracks from the critically acclaimed Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria, have been circulating clandestinely in cyberspace, compliments of You Tube. We've gathered three of those tracks for you and loaded them into our website music player - The Hollin Gate, Ages of the Golden Wood, and Drums in the Deep. Just click the Music button at the bottom of the frame (below) to launch the player, then select the SPOTLIGHT category. Enjoy!

12/14/09

Thomas speaks out on Avatar

Read the interview with John Gaudiosi, published on FaceOff Games earlier today. Chance offers a point of contrast in working for a James Cameron project versus working on a Peter Jackson project, offers details on the respective instrumentation of the Na'vi and the RDA, and talks about meeting with film composer James Horner. Here's the link: Face Off

12/11/09

USA TODAY calls out Avatar videogame score, labels it "IMPRESSIVE"

USA TODAY singled out Chance Thomas' original videogame music score from James Cameron's Avatar as a specific highlight in today's published review:

"The musical score by veteran game composer Chance Thomas and recorded with a 70-piece orchestra in three cities is impressive," applauds USA TODAY feature columnist Marc Saltzman. Saltzman's review is being syndicated this weekend to more than 100 Gannett Newspapers nationwide.

12/01/09

Thomas' Avatar score makes HUGE news

Several interviews and press features are newly online featuring Chance Thomas and the game music from James Cameron's Avatar. Here are a few links...

Nerdage / Deseret News / Game Culture / Line Scratchers / Fresno Bee / Game Daily / Daily Oklahoman / Industry Gamers

10/27/09

Avatar composers make HUGE connection

Composers for James Cameron's Avatar, film composer James Horner (right) and videogame composer Chance Thomas (left), meet in Horner's composition studio to preview parts of the upcoming film score. "I've been a massive fan of Horner's work ever since Battle Beyond the Stars", said Thomas. "To review music with him in person, to hear his Oscar-worthy work on this extraordinary film, to find him so professionally courteous and personally engaging has been a great honor and privilege."

10/27/09

Mormon Tabernacle hosts HUGE score

Shown with the Orchestra on Temple Square (L to R) producer Quinn Orr, Tabernacle Choir conductor Mack Wilberg and HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas.

Mack Wilberg conducts the Orchestra on Temple Square performing Chance Thomas' new signature theme for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

08/31/09

HUGE Avatar recording sessions in LA

Recording on the Legendary 20th Century Fox Newman Scoring Stage in Los Angeles, Avatar videogame composer Chance Thomas is shown here with recording engineer John Rodd. The scoring stage is visible in the background.

The brass parts in particular for Avatar were pretty intense. Some of the musicians took a moment after the sessions to show their true feelings for the composer. Also pictured are engineer John Rodd, conductor Paul Taylor, contractor Gina Zimmitti, and Pro Tools operator Larry Mah.

10/26/09

EA Releases Littlest Pet Shop: Friends

Electronic Arts has released another terrific title in their best selling lineup of Littlest Pet Shop games. Littlest Pet Shop: Friends hit retail stores last week and features an updated theme song contributed by Chance Thomas. Jenny Frogley delivered the vocals for the tune and Rich Dixon played all the guitars. Chance also designed the innovative pet language used throughout the game, as well as casting the voice talent and producing the recordings which comprise the pet's communications. Sound designers Jeff Meacham and Richie Nieto round out the title's engaging audioscape.

11/17/09

GameSoundCon HUGE success in San Francisco

Last week's GameSoundCon in San Francisco proved a big hit with its audience. With topics ranging across contracts, audio tools, sound design, implementation, RockBand Network training, career transitions and casual games, the conference offered something for everyone. Classes and panel discussions were given by an all-star lineup which included Paul Lipson, Tom Salta, Kane Mincus, Savina Ciaramella, Morla Gorrondona, Jeff Marshall, Brooke Wentz, Jeremy Bridge and event organizer Brian Schmidt. The keynote address was given by HUGEsound's own Chance Thomas. His focus on motivation, preparation and opportunity also seemed to strike a resonant chord with the audience:

"Articulate, dynamic and inspirational are just a few words that describe Chance Thomas' keynote address at GameSoundCon SF 2009. He left me with a real grasp of the commitment, passion and perfectionism required to succeed in the gaming industry."- Michael Brandeburg, Music Professor at Santa Rosa College

"Your talk was incredibly inspiring. You beefed up the self-confidence of most everybody there!"- Nicholas Duveau, Audio Director at Ubisoft Montreal

"Chance Thomas gave a great keynote - equal parts optimism and well grounded reality. His stories and delivery punctuated the need to believe in what you're doing, then back it up with good solid craft. He is precisely the kind of guy you want at the top of the industry giving a keynote. He was the perfect choice for GameSoundCon."- Michael Johnson, Composer at MJM Audio

"Thank you again for your incredible advice at the conference. You were truly an inspiration."- Claude Zdanow, Owner of Stadium Red Studios New York

PS - A final shout out to the visionary organizer of GameSoundCon, Brian Schmidt, for sensing the need and having the reach to pull this all together. GameSoundCon is the game industry's new "must-attend" event!

08/21/09

James Cameron's AVATAR gets HUGE videogame score

Ubisoft Entertainment, a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide, has selected multiple award-winning composer Chance Thomas to create the original game score for their highly anticipated holiday 2009 console title, James Cameron's AVATAR.

04/20/09

HUGE melody carries United Way

The United Way has called upon the music of HUGEsound composer Chance Thomas to underscore their message. The United Way is one of the world's largest non-profit organizations, chartered to identify and resolve pressing issues facing communities worldwide.

03/16/09

Chance Thomas to speak at GDC

HUGEsound composer and former Electronic Arts Audio Director Chance Thomas has been invited to speak at the annual Game Developer's Conference March 23-27. This year's conference is being held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA. In addition to speaking at the conference, Chance also serves on GDC's Audio Advisory Board, assisting in the selection and planning of the audio portion of the conference.

03/14/09

Another great MORIA music review

Popular game music site Music4Games has published their music review of the Mines of Moria soundtrack. The site describes the score as "magical", "engaging", "well-composed" with "beautiful choral writing". The review calls out the tracks, "The Hollin Gate", "A Journey in the Dark" and "Mines of Mithril" for particular mention. Read the full soundtrack review - HERE.

03/02/09

RPG FAN reviews Moria, Angmar and QFG5

RPG Fan has posted a new retrospective on Chance Thomas, publishing three music reviews of classic Thomas scores, incuding the brand new Mines of Moria, the original Shadows of Angmar score, and Thomas' first game soundtrack, Quest for Glory V. Here's a sample comment: "Chance Thomas is one hip cat. Having composed music for film, television, and video games over the last two decades... RPGFan reviews his entire RPG-related discography in one fell swoop." Read the full story and reviews - HERE.

02/27/09

America's Most Wanted gets HUGEsound

Viewers of the television program "America's Most Wanted" recently heard Chance Thomas' original composition "Maritime Adventures" on the show.

02/17/09

Music of the Year nod for Moria score

The videogame industry's audio guild has honored the Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria score with an official nomination for MUSIC OF THE YEAR. Also called out by the guild for special recognition is the track Khazad Dum, nominated for Best Choral Song. See the full list of nominees - HERE.

02/02/09

Moria music detailed in in-depth review

A surprisingly indepth review of Chance Thomas' music work for the Mines of Moria - including a track by track analysis and critique - has been posted. In this broad and generous review you will find rare detail called out regarding the orchestration of specific tracks, thematic development and variation, live versus synthesized production, and specific implementation patterns of where (and when) you will find the music scattered throughout the game world. Uncommon and refreshing to find such depth and breadth in a game music story! Here's a sample comment: "The wandering violins are back, but this time they accompany a lush full orchestral pronouncement of the Theme. However, said theme always ends a minor step up from where you think it ought to, illustrating how all is not well in the Dwarf Kingdom. Heavy low brass are more prominent..." Read the full review - HERE.

01/12/09

Mines of Moria soundtrack gets HUGE review

The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria Collector's Edition Soundtrack gets its first full review today on OSV. And we're pleased to announce that it's very favorable. To wit: "The Mines of Moria music... is strong enough to rival the film score. In some ways this music is superior to the film score." Wow. Can't wait to read what they say next...! Read the full review- HERE.

VIEW ARCHIVED NEWS - HERE