Trent Reznor Writing Theme Song for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

[cashpiles (closed)]

“Help Me I Am In Call Of Duty”

How about "Enemy Lines"?

[cashpiles (closed)]

“Help Me I Am In Call Of Duty”

How about "Enemy Lines"?

[DigitalChaos]

just make it an ancronym:
TFCODBO2

it'll drive people nuts trying to figure out what you are talking about.

[Vertigo]

"Don't Worry, I Have B.O. 2"

[sheepdean]

TFCODBO2 just isn't as good as TFTTBM

[spahn]

in case you want to download the 2 tracks by trent from the Black Ops II soundtrack from Amazon, I found a $2 credit that you can use:
http://www.northerncheapskate.com/fr...wnload-credit/

[umdesch4]

Is anybody else pissed that there's no lossless versions of these songs floating around? I specifically pre-ordered the hardened edition of the game (even though I'll never play it) because everyone was convinced (and the promo artwork seemed to indicate) that it came with a physical CD. Not only doesn't it come with a CD, but the download codes are for a seriously low quality mp3 download (yes, I know it was 256 kbps, but the encoding is terrible and it sounds that way on my stereo).

Anyone heard of FLAC for this? I can't believe that Trent and, to a lesser extent, Jack Wall would be ok with this.

[umdesch4]

And then, moments later, I discover that the Russian release of the hardened edition came with TWO physical CDs with the soundtrack on them. Downloading a rip now off a private tracker.

You've gotta be fucking kidding me!

[minion]

Care to share a little further info on that rip?

[sheepdean]

Can someone with the liner notes (either from the iTunes purchase or the physical package) post the track credits for both versions? Thanks <3

[umdesch4]

Care to share a little further info on that rip?

Ok, here's what I can tell you. I got it off a private tracker, where it was uploaded with the comment "Ripped by RadeonX1950.
Comes with russian special edition."

It is in two folders labeled Disc 1 and Disc 2, all with FLAC files totaling 863 MB. I've compared a couple of tracks under spectral analysis in Adobe Audition, and there does seem to be a few kHz more signal at the top end, so this doesn't seem like a mere transcode.

Check these two screenshots (note the .wav file was decoded from the flac file using FLAC frontend, as I don't have a flac plugin for my copy of Audition):



Sound quality-wise, I find that the FLACs are still coming from a CD that suffers from the wonderful loudness wars dynamics compression we all love so much, so it ain't so great...but it seems legit. I notice all kinds of mp3 compression artifacts in the wind instruments on Symphony No. 40 in G Minor (the Mozart track), and they're gone in the FLAC. On the Trent tracks, I can't say for sure I'd pass an A/B test...I'm getting old. :P

I still haven't seen this on any public trackers, so maybe it'll turn up anonymously on TPB soon.

[scorpiusdiamond]

Um, this really isn't by Trent is it?
It's full on 'dubstep'

[SM Rollinger]

/\/\/\
lols, thats terrible and no, its not TR.

Ive been playing the game alot, and so far ive found parts of the song used in edited form in the game itself. The beginning piano part along with the Fragile-esque loops are used in a looped form on the campaign hub, and more of the noises are used in loop form in the CoD Elite service.

[PhoenixML]

Who's druming?

[seasonsinthesky]

^ sounds like programming to me.

[Andrew]

There's a discussion on the squeezebox forums regarding extracting the audio tracks from the game itself. Looks like they're stored in there in flac format.
http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=97288

[SM Rollinger]

/\
hopefuly they can, sounds like its in fragments though, but i doubt it would be hard to re-assemble

The rest of the "score" is pretty boring, just music from the game. Although i do reccomend the tracks "Rare Earth Elements" and "Adrenaline" (that reminds me of the deftones album, the name not the song it self. man that disc is a classic)

[umdesch4]

My thoughts on the score, posted elsewhere the day I got the FLACs:

Well, I dunno. It seems like Trent was only really involved with the main theme song, and it sounds kind of like a generic NIN instrumental, maybe something that could have been left off of The Fragile because it wasn't quite interesting enough...or maybe Ghosts, I dunno. I'm sure you've heard it already, so you can decide.


The rest of it is similarly typical Jack Wall stuff. I recognize the feel from Mass Effect in a lot of places. Some of it is almost as catchy to listen to on it's own as the Mass Effect soundtracks, IMHO.


A standout track for me is Track 19, the Anthem remix done by Brian Tuey. Also, track 15, Nino Precioso with the spanish guitar and Kamar de los Reyes on vocals is kind of a neat change of pace. (The orchestral version of the same track near the end, track 23 on CD 2, or track 48 of the download, just strikes me as cheesy though)


The recording of Mozart's Symphony No. 40 In G minor which opens CD 2 (or track 26) is a pretty competent performance. Dunno who that was, but it sounds pretty sweet. I'm curious about where in the game it's used.


Some of the tracks are hilariously bad. The Invasion of Panama for example, with spanish guitar, orchestra stabs, and a techno bassline, is downright silly, IMHO.


All in all, much of it makes good background music, but it's not something I can imagine myself listening to often. I'd rather listen to Trent's latest project/band How To Destroy Angels, personally.


Oh, and if you can find a FLAC of the 2 CD version that came with the russian edition of the game, it has around 4 kHz more spectrum than the mp3s, and sounds a lot crisper, but is yet another victim of the loudness wars, so there's little improvement in dynamic range.


That's my take on it so far, but I'm only on my second listen-through now, so YMMV.

[SM Rollinger]

The score is really written for the enviroments that they game is being played in at the time, some of it being latin america in the 80s, hence the flamenco guitar and other nuances.

[ninjaw]

hello i found this great tool Black Ops II Audio Dumper v3 http://www.itsmods.com/forum/Thread-...Dumper-v3.html

I discovered FOUR versions of the theme in FLAC with it !

Call of Duty Black Ops II/sound/spl_frontend.all.sabs/0a9e5d66.flac (2:01)
Call of Duty Black Ops II/sound/spl_frontend.all.sabs/07bdefeb.flac (4:46)
Call of Duty Black Ops II/sound/spl_frontend.all.sabs/0920d58e.flac (5:10)
Call of Duty Black Ops II/sound/spl_frontend.all.sabs/04919ab1.flac (7:07)

[Hyperpower]

so...i tried to purchase the Black Ops 2 theme that Trent worked on but Amazon does not allow that for Canadians
something about copyright laws being unclear or something

anyway, i am willing to pay for it, can someone help me out with that?

[ninjaw]

You can buy the deluxe game, or just the game, and use the tool...

[Hyperpower]

You can buy the deluxe game, or just the game, and use the tool...

but i have no interest in buying the game
don't get me wrong, i do wanna play for the theme track and this wouldn't be an issue if Amazon wasn't being douch-ey about it /sigh

[gorast]

Is it on the Canadian iTunes store? You could try that.

[fishtifer]

I bought mine from the Canadian iTunes store.

[ninjaw]

I tought there was no way of getting lossless without ripping it from the game with the tool, or downloading the very rare russina cd rip, but i was wrong : http://www.qobuz.com/album/call-of-d.../0887158251597

[SM Rollinger]

I mite just have to use the tool and package the four different versions together. Also, the CoD Elite service has another version thats used as its backround music, but im not sure if its the same as the ones in game. There was only 3 times that I could identify it being used in-game (all in single player)

-the mission selection hub (the piano part, looped)
-the final mission in the 80s, after you shoot the target with the snipes (uses the more "intense" parts)
-during the final credits (closer to the full cut)

So i guess the Elite loop could be one of those.

edit: searched PB and a couple other places, and no luck finding these files. ill keep everyone updated as to the status of my project

[SM Rollinger]

Well this isnt an update to my above said project. I finished the campaign again (since there is a couple different endings) and because the songs credits were not on ninwiki.com, i figured id copy them down from the games credits. If anybody has a account over there (i dont), feel free to go ahead an updated the page. Anyways, i doubt these will be a suprise to anyone...

"Theme"
Written - arranged - produced and performed by Trent Reznor
Mixed by Alan Moulder
Additional production by Atticus Ross
Mastered by Tom Baker at Percision Mastering - Hollywood - CA

[gorast]

"additional production by Atticus Ross"

Those two really are joined at the fucking hip.

[sheepdean]

Cheers @SM Rollinger , updated - and you should make a ninwiki account anyway, it's where all the cool kids are.

Just wondering, are there different credits for the orchestral mix of the theme?