Halo composer Marty O’Donnell has shared a never-seen-before video that shows how the shooter’s seminal’s sound was created and recorded. It includes live sessions with iconic guitarists Nile Rodgers and Steve Vai that are hairs-will-stand-up-on-the-back-of-your-neck levels of amazing for any Halo fan.
“This might be interesting,” O’Donnell teased in his initial tweet. “I made this 15 years ago and never shared it ‘cuz the camera was set wrong and it’s all dark and grainy.”
This might be interesting. I made this 15 years ago and never shared it ?cuz the camera was set wrong and it?s all dark and grainy. Still pretty cool if someone can tell me how to rip the DVD to a movie file. pic.twitter.com/2jK9SWtcCz
— Marty O’Donnell (@MartyTheElder) August 25, 2018
This content is hosted on an external platform, which will only display it if you accept targeting cookies. Please enable cookies to view.
Manage cookie settings
One more pic to see if you?re really interested. pic.twitter.com/ltqx0qjJgP
— Marty O’Donnell (@MartyTheElder) August 25, 2018
This content is hosted on an external platform, which will only display it if you accept targeting cookies. Please enable cookies to view.
Manage cookie settings
After asking for advice on how best to rip the DVD, an hour later O’Donnell had uploaded the 30-minute video to YouTube. The session, recorded on 15th October 2003, gives an incredible insight into how the guitar sections were layered onto the orchestra score and choir.
“Here’s the whole thing,” he tweeted once it was live. “Wow, I forgot how fun and amazing that session was. Steve and Nile – thank you.”
“For all you youngsters out there, did you notice how much of Steve’s first take I used? And how much work it took to get the rest?”
Here, take a look at yourself:
O’Donnell also went on to share some rare Halo collectibles (or “weird junk”, as he calls it), and “some old voice files from Halo 2[‘s] original ending…”
Yup, you read that right: “original ending”. Sadly, he’s yet to elaborate on if he’ll also share those with us, too.
Ok, while I wait for the Steve Vai movie to compress I keep finding weird junk in my archives. I don?t even know what this stuff is?
(Also found some old voice files from Halo2 original ending…) pic.twitter.com/g0WDTnO8eQ
— Marty O’Donnell (@MartyTheElder) August 25, 2018
This content is hosted on an external platform, which will only display it if you accept targeting cookies. Please enable cookies to view.
Manage cookie settings
Halo is still very much alive and kicking, of course. Halo Infinite – which is indeed the next mainline title in the Halo series and a direct successor to Halo 5: Guardians, despite the lack of number – is being developed by 343 Industries using the new Slipspace Engine. According to Microsoft, it will see players join Master Chief on “his greatest adventure yet to save humanity”.
