ASCAP hosted the first of several Video Game Composer Roundtables in the Los Angeles office on July 20th. In attendance were some of the most prominent video game composers working in the industry, including veteran game attorney Jim Charne, ASCAP staff Shawn LeMone & Jen Harmon, ASCAP Board member & composer Richard Bellis, and Pyramind Studios COO/Composer Paul Lipson.

The purpose of the discussion was to focus on establishing stronger industry standards in composer work for hire agreements and the development of an educational campaign within the video game industry on the value of performing rights.

Pictured here (L to R): Richard Bellis, Russell Brower, Tommy Tallarico, Garry Schyman, Neal Acree, Shawn LeMone, Jason Hayes, Lance Hayes, Paul Lipson, Billy Martin, Jen Harmon, Jim Charne, Inon Zur, Gerard Marino, Jack Wall.

Not pictured: Rod Abernethy, Lennie Moore, Marty O'Donnell, Tom Salta, Brian Schmidt

Pyramind Studios is proud to announce its new exclusive representation by Max Steiner Agency of Hollywood, CA. The representation covers both Pyramind Studios' triple-A video game music & post-production services, and acclaimed composer Paul Lipson.

"I'm thrilled to be working with Gloria Soto and the Max Steiner Agency in this capacity," said Paul Lipson, Pyramind Studios' Chief Operating Officer/Composer. "Our music is innovative and state-of-the-art, and Max Steiner understands that. It's great to have found such a strong partner in helping us grow and develop the video game industry's best triple-A audio pipeline."

For inquiries and information about commissioning Paul Lipson & the Pyramind Studios team, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

For more information, please visit MaxSteinerAgency.com

The documentary highlights Pyramind Studios' complete audio production pipeline, including music, VO, SFX, and post/mix, and features extensive interviews with Pyramind's Paul Lipson, David Earl, Steve Heithecker, and Peter Steinbach.  They'll talk about their work with Microsoft Game Studios Audio Director Kristofor Mellroth and 343 Industries on the acclaimed 4-part animated series.

May 25th saw the release of the new downloadable content pack "Rapture Metro" for 2K Games' hit "BioShock 2". This new content continued the collaboration between Pyramind and 2K, as Paul Lipson and Steve Heithecker worked with Michael Csurics (V/O Director at 2K Marin) to perform all the voiceover recording for the DLC. The pipeline even included a Source Connect session with our friends from Heavy Melody Music in New York City.

"BioShock 2: Rapture Metro Pack" is available now for PS3 and 360.

You can view a trailer here.

Pyramind Studios is now the newest contributor to the legendary Halo franchise, working with 343 Industries and Microsoft Game Studios on “The Return” - a brand new 4-part motion comic series to be broadcast exclusively on Halo Waypoint via Xbox LIVE.

Halo Waypoint is a new destination on Xbox LIVE for Halo fans around the world. It informs fans of the latest Halo news and activities, and grants access to content ranging from interviews, trailers and screenshots, to exclusive video footage and more. “The Return” is based on a short story of the same name from the book “Halo: Evolutions”, and is set within the Halo universe on the human colony Kholo following a devastating Covenant invasion.

Pyramind Studios is providing Halo Waypoint with a complete audio pipeline for these motion comic shorts, including original music, sound design, dialog recording, foley recording, and mix.

Paul Lipson, David Earl, Peter Steinbach, and Steve Heithecker have already delivered Episode 1, which is set to premier Saturday, April 3rd on Halo Waypoint, with additional episodes coming soon.

More information about Halo Waypoint is available on the official Halo site:

http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/halowaypoint

Ubisoft's "Prince of Persia" franchise is one of the most well-known in gaming history, and it's set to reach new heights as the Hollywood blockbuster movie by the same name (starring Jake Gyllenhall) launches this summer.

That's why Pyramind Studios is excited to be a new contributor to the Prince of Persia world, helping legendary composer Tom Salta ("Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter", "Red Steel", "H.A.W.X.") record exotic cultural instruments for his original score of the newest game in the series, "Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands".

Tom trusted Pyramind to capture the beautiful sounds of master instrumentalists Daniel Berkman on the kora and khangira, and Michael Masley on the bowhammer, lakota slide, and walimba. All recording was performed at Pyramind's 832 Avid Suite by David Earl and Paul Lipson.

"Working with Tom is always a pleasure, and we were inspired and invigorated by this stunning iteration of the IP," said David Earl, Pyramind's Creative Director.

"Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands" will be released May 2010 for Nintendo Wii and DS, and Sony PSP.

2K Games' "BioShock 2" arrived on February 9th and, as expected, the positive reviews are rolling in.

One consistent thread throughout the reviews has been the quality of the voice acting. In a story-driven game, well-recorded voice acting is essential to create an engrossing, believable experience for players.

Pyramind Studios is proud to have helped Michael Csurics and 2K Games create a V/O pipeline to record such major game characters as in-game narrator Augustus Sinclair, and others.

A sampling of reviews:

"Strong voice acting lends believability to characters you interact with mostly through audio logs." - IGN

"Wired: Beautiful environments, voices, music." - Wired

"[A] great soundtrack, and a fantastic voice cast all team up with a powerful story to create an atmosphere so thick and intense that it is at times downright chilling." - Gamespot

"One of the best soundtracks I’ve heard in awhile. The voice acting is also top notch." - Game Informer

Zipper Interactive's PlayStation 3-exclusive shooter MAG broke new technical ground in 2010 with its "massive" 256-person online battles. But for a gaming culture raised on free-for-all deathmatches, learning to fit into a command hierarchy isn't as natural as emptying a clip or throwing a grenade.

That's where Pyramind Studios comes in.

To instruct players in how to get the most out of their MAG gaming experience, Sony PlayStation and Zipper commissioned a series of 14  video "vignettes" introducing players to the core concepts and player classes in the game.

Pyramind Studios' Senior Engineer and resident mixing guru Steve Heithecker performed the audio mixes on all 14 of these 1-to-3 minute videos.  Using Pyramind's 832 Folsom HD studio, and working in concert with the team at SCEA, Steve performed all the mixing, editing, post-production, and sync for the videos, creating stereo mixes to picture from dialogue, music, and FX stems.

The "MAG Developer Tips" videos are currently available on many major online media outlets including IGN.com, The Official PlayStation Blog, PS3News.com, and other gaming sites. You can also check them out by visiting The Official MAG Homepage at:

www.mag.com

Pyramind Studios starts 2010 with a bang – showcasing its work on the highly-anticipated "BioShock 2", 2K Games' follow-up to the acclaimed 2007 hit.

Pyramind Studios worked with V/O Director Michael Csurics to create a comprehensive voice-over pipeline for 2K Games, recording hours of dialogue by top V/O actors playing leading roles in the game.  All recording was done in Pyramind's state-of-the-art studios in San Francisco.

Stay tuned for launch info and more news about Pyramind Studios' contributions to what is sure to be one of the biggest titles of 2010.

Pyramind Studios Team Chosen for Comprehensive Music Pipeline

Pyramind Studios’ dynamic composing team of David Earl and Paul Lipson has been chosen to create a thunderous original score for SEGA® of America’s upcoming Iron Man 2® videogame. The duo’s signature, expansive sound covers over one hundred minutes of dynamic music and converges innovative orchestration techniques with live ensemble recording and custom sound design. The videogame, based on the popular Marvel® franchise, is scheduled for release alongside the film debut in early Q2 of 2010.

“David and I are thrilled to be supporting SEGA of America and Marvel to bring the sound of Iron Man 2® to life” says Paul Lipson, Pyramind’s COO/Composer and President of the Game Audio Network Guild. “SEGA Studios has given us a lot of creative freedom, and we are crafting a unique sound that really supports the IP”.

“Our score reflects a willingness to take chances, and we appreciate and are inspired by SEGA’s bold vision for the game,” says David Earl, Pyramind’s Director of Production Services/Composer. “We’ve had an unprecedented amount of collaboration with the SEGA Studios team, extending all the way to implementation strategies; and we think the music reflects that.”

The Pyramind Studios production team has also been tapped to work on the VO/dialog production pipeline of the game, recording top actors in its state of the art HD production suite in the new 832 Folsom street facilities. The adjoining live room also captured the sound of a full chamber orchestra during multi-day recording sessions for the score.

For More Information Please Contact:
Gregory J. Gordon
Pyramind Studios CEO
Tel. 415-896.9800 x201
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

For Press Inquiries Please Contact:
Will Spencer
Pyramind Studios Director of Marketing
Tel. 415-896-9800 x227
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it