Here from Marty's channel - he clarified over there that he meant "equity" in the financial sense rather than the fairness sense, meaning when he builds an emotional connection between the audience and a particular theme/sound, then pulls that same theme/sound out later (as if from a bank account), he's cashing in on that emotional attachment so you feel how Marty wants you to feel. Other than that, bang on!
To be clear: we didn't deserve the mastercraft of both Davidge and Jinnouchi, both did excellent works on their own, trying to contribute to the Halo legacy (those weird Forerunner chants from H4, the Mantis theme and 117 are all iconic to me). Problem was the implementation and 343i's vision for the musical aesthetic of its Halo games, thus the backlash from the fans. With Infinite, we finally get new stuff while still being faithful to Halo's legacy, which is excellent, every track I've heard so far was so evocative, but I still hope we'll get another Mantis theme or To Galaxy as well.
Definitely. To Galaxy is *the* Halo Multiplayer theme as far as I'm concerned. Hearing it so often in the Halo 4 Wargames menu engrained it into my brain. And I think it'd be a massive missed opportunity to not reorchestrate 117 or Green and Blue for Infinite, especially given the emphasis on Chief and Cortana's relationship.
The best part about the warthog run motif being in halo 4 is its part of 117, which is by far the best track in the game, and incredibly representative of chief. Ultimately the greatest part about Halos music is when the music acts lime a tailwind, galvanizing and inspiring the player.
People hate on halo 4 but I've really grown to like some of its music and forerunner architecture, that kind of aesthetic blended with older more monastery/ancient aesthetic would be majestic. Imagine an ancient forerunner containment facility reminiscent of bungie-era architecture buried beneath, a dark hidden labyrinth underneath 343i-style beautiful structures glowing with hardlight at night.
OMG that transition at 21:12, goosebumps… Amazing how nuanced the musical placement always was, and most of us probably never noticed it, but DEFINITELY felt it!
That transition hit me super hard. It swells up a large amount of emotions that's hard to contain. It's such an impactful piece. Same can be said for the part at 13:26. It's like the emotional connection is instantly repaired and makes us whole again.
Tbh you kinda crystallized in my mind why Chief meeting the Weapon made me wanna cry out in joy. Not just the emotion of the moment, but the realization that whoever's in charge of Infinite's music, they know what the hell they're doing, and they're doing it with well-placed confidence.
Not a fan of the story for me… I get why peopel like it but they changed far to much for me and ruined the mystery of the forerunners and my favorite species and the arbiter was not in it…. But i can understand why people like it though
That last clip with cortanas theme leading into halo infinite…. Wow bro. I now understand why I got such huge chills during that moment of the trailer. This was an epic video
That, chief diving into the pelican...the second-to-last scene...Infinite gets the motifs right. It all makes sense now. Felt like Halo because of the using the old music at the right times..along with some great new music.
Halo music fills me with emotion, nostalgia, wonder, mystery, sorrow, and happiness. The sense of grand adventure and solum rememberance. Marty and Michael managed to capture so much in so little from composition to implimentation in the missions. Thank you for filling my heart and soul
That last bit is something I've been screaming into the wind for the past 2 months about, it's why I think Cortana and the weapon will be one and the same by the end of infinite, or perhaps something similar? I'm so excited
Man this deserves more views... There's just so much to talk about when it comes to Halos music, and you really nailed it with why the OG themes feel so forced in 5. At least H4 had the balls to create a truly alien soundtrack with all the electronic stuff. I reckon Infinite is on track to have a banger soundtrack, and you can already hear the return of leitmotifs for Esharum with that solo Doublebass melody in "Set a fire in your heart" (who even writes that?) Keep it up man, and I'm hyped for that music vid!
I just love how consistent every single Halo game is with it's soundtrack. So many different versions of a song from the first game. Such as the main theme has a Halo CE, 2 and 3 version. The song Brother In Arms is used in a few different Halo games and sound so unique and different but still the same all the time. You'll even have songs from the anime Halo Legends and would recognise said song.
Halo is basically a musical soundtrack that comes with a free game. Especially Halo Combat Evolved. Can never forget that music... I listen to it everyday. it's like the national anthem of gamers, tbh
The Forerunner Structures and Space were the main presentation for the music and that's what makes it iconic and "alot" to me as a kid to now an adult, the Halo Ring Structures were and are just....overwhelming and an experience.
Every now and again i just sit down and listen to the halo osts and it always starts with that one piano note. Every single time. I hear it once, get the shivers down my spine and think Yeah. No one does it like marty did halo.
Everything me and my brother talk about halo (we were around 9 and 10 when alo 3 came out) I come to this and tears just stream down my face with a hug smile. I'm 26 now lol.
What did I feel when I heard that? Memories. Memories of a hard won fight, of overcoming hardship coupled with overwhelming odds, of kicking ass and taking names
I’ve sat in line at midnight to pick up halo 4 and it was a highlight to what would be the worst few years of my life. It’s by far my favorite Halo game and the music SLAPS.
I never grew up with Halo as a kid, all I had was a gamecube and a wii. I only experienced halo through going to my friends places on the weekends and after school. While I didn't got to experience it myself until recently when it came to pc. But this music is still nostalgic to me despite my limited interaction with it. I suppose that it might be due to how much it seemed different from other music I've heard.
Thank you for this. Amazing that these songs evoke such emotion from me. Raising the hair on the arm, goosebumps on my skin, and even some tears trying to build up in my eyes at Masterchief recovering Cortana in Halo 3. Outstanding work.
Note: The Star Wars theme does occur outside of the opening credits, associated with Luke's heroism during the last part of the Death Star trench run. It's at 7:08 in the track "The Battle of Yavin" Also, I suspect O'Donnell meant "equity" in the "shares in a company" sense - it's a store of value invested in Halo thanks to the music. Great vid! Leitmotifs need all the attention they can get, 'cause the clever use of leitmotifs can take a good movie or game over the top into legendary greatness!
The star wars theme is used in the films. Usually when a heroic action is taking place. When Luke and Leia swing across the gap in the Death Star or when Luke leads the escape from Jabbas sail barge are two that come to mind..
I can already see them using the songs in the right way for infinite. When the pelican pilot whipped away the frost revealing Chief and all went quite, only to hear the finish the fight piano, I wanted to cry. That one key means so much I can’t even begin to explain it
Hi, thank you very much for this video. I loved the relation you made between the scenes of Cortana and Master Chief, you really found the reason because I felt the meeting between the Chief and the Weapon so deep. Greetings from Colombia.
When I play this game for the first time and when I just replayed it on the master chief collection on the last mission and when I heard that epic music my my soul puts itself back together
Fantastic analysis. This deserves way more views for the insane amount of effort you put into this, and for the sake of spreading informative knowledge about this series' background to newer generations of fans.
This made me love the songs even more man i didnt know i neeeded this essay but im glad martin shared this with us so we can find this video thanks alot Martin and thanks for this video essay man keep it up
one of my proudests achievements is playing "one final effort" on piano. i can play it by heart, but it's rare to have a perfect performace (as in zero mistakes). it was a lot of work writing down all the notes from a youtube video i watched and then hammering them into my head for 2 years. that was over 10y ago. i can still play it.
13:28 Cortana is easily one of my most disliked missions, but gosh darn it every time this cutscene makes it all worth it the moment it plays. The music, dialogue, their inflections...... chef's kiss 👌All that grinding through heavily flood infested corridors, hours of restarts and constant push/pull, all for that glorious cutscene between old friends. Fantastic video as always dude!
The entire video was a whole nostalgia trip and just appreciating that I was able to experience it at a young age (and really being spoiled because music like this is very hard to come by in FPS). But that ending you did was just great mixing in the classic theme with the Infinite trailer was 🤌🏾
I agree with you, the way the warthog run was used in Halo 4's final mission was spectacular and it might be my favorite use of it as well. It's half the reason that mission is my favorite in the game.
9:59 This is something I as a music artist relate to, it's really hard sometimes to get a song together on an empty plate per say, it's much easier to take a baseline and tinker it, which leads to a better overall product because it has a solid foundation.
Glad to see this video and channel finally get the recognition it deserves! Congrats mate! First time I finished the video, the transition of Cortana’s theme made me quite teary-eyed. Great job!
Love this so much! But as a Star Wars fan, I have one nitpick. The Star Wars main theme was originally meant for Luke, and it does represent him in the first film. But as the franchise went on after Return of the Jedi, it became much more of a main theme like you suggest here. The Prequels only use it a couple of times in action cues. Other than that, I love everything you have to say about the music of Halo - subscribed now after seeing Marty promote you!
Thank you Marty for the link to this...but with the quality of this video, I really thought I'd see more than 100k views. How has the algorithm failed this so badly?
This was a lesson on music theory.. by using my favourite tracks ever. If Only I had this during school, I'd have concentrated and done so much better. Better late than never! Seriously awesome stuff man, I wish your channel success, you did an amazing job
Most Halo tracks don't really put me in nostalgia zones all that much, but I kinda get into the "zone" of the song. I love taking long walks just hitting play on Halo 2, 3, or ODST's OST.
I actually liked Neil Davidge and Kazuma's osts for their respective Halo games. I think the circumstances and aesthetics surrounding the music is what brought it down in the end.
I always wondered why the track '117' was the only real standout piece of music from Halo 4 that was added to my playlist and this video perfectly explained why. Awesome video and great analysis of Halo's music.
haven't had a video completely enthrall me like this in a long time. Writing and pacing were perfect and you kept everything interesting the whole time, good shit. Actually felt a lot of emotions while watching so hopefully that's what you were going for. The only criticism I can think of is the VHS effect was a tiny bit distracting sometimes since you used it a lot. But other than that you did amazing. I look forward to seeing more of your videos in the future.
This is perfect I've been waiting for someone to flesh out the thematic transformation in this music and you did it perfectly. I learned so much about these themes being put together from this video I never realized before, and it made me cry. Complete with a comment from Marty.
1:01 at this point he says we can remember a bunch at the drop of a single note as soon as I heard 1:19 I had the biggest flash back to me playing halo 3. The entire campaign flashed before my eyes and I remembered a particular time when i was on the mission The covenant in 2007. I was laying on my back with my head hanging off the end of the couch upside down facing the tv, trying to finish the entire mission while looking at it upside down. At the time I was about just about to turn 4. I genuinely remember this period of my life. Loading the game on easy cause at the time I was bad at halo, and I also remembered my first custom game against my dad 14 years ago. In hind sight I think he let me win. Damn those were the days. Not a care in the world.
I felt more alive than ever. Every single time I hear that note, I get to tear eyed. I’m not sad, I just don’t know why. It hits me like a truck man. I could cry to every song. Can someone help me understand why please?
I started my metal journey with Nightwish and CoB back in 1999 or 2000, something like that. So I had imprinted in me the love for melody and big themes in a way. But playing Halo 2 for the first time in 2005 or 2006 and hearing the theme really ignited my love for orchestral music. To this day the theme takes me to so many places, in the game and in my life. Thank you for this insightful video, was really nice watch, and listen. And thank you Martin and Michael for creating those exceptional themes in the games, they really took the whole art piece that is Halo to a whole another level.
Really good essay here mate. I just found it by chance and glad I did you're right about the Halo motifs, a lot of what you've talked about, are why I like select few game series soundtracks above all other music, and I'm kinda complicated and picky about music. Halo's music was advanced at it's time, though i'd like to suggest that there were a few other games that followed a similar use of music in their games. There's one series I see as an equal to Halo in it's music. That would be Metal Gear Solid, especially 2 and 3. I'm also glad to see someone also has similar views as I do about Halo 4's music. I'm one who really liked Halo 4's campaign, including the end run. It may have been Star Wars esque, but Halo has always been my counterpart of what Star Wars is to Halo. The only thing I didn't like in Halo 4 was the ammo limits and some of the forerunner weapons balance. Also a little info, UNSC and Covenant both use something like Universal translators at times, so that's why you get some talk om english, others not. I'd assume Keyes heard it from that, that Halo is a weapon, which is his interpretation. Here's to Infinite having great music!
The soundtracks for this series can still make me tear up at times. Some of it is because of how much I enjoy the games. But most of the time it brings back memories of all the LAN parties and late nights of gaming with my friends. All of which we still do today.
One of my favorite renditions of the Halo theme itself appears in the track from Halo 3 “Roll Call”, when the newly formed ring rises from the ark right in front of Chief and Arby…. It’s immaculate🔥 Also Halo 2’s menu theme gives me the most nostalgia 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Thank you! Something the Halo wiki's and almost anyone else never seem to highlight are the motifs and their implied relation to characters/actions in game. Like the idea that cortana/chief/arbiter have themes; I never see them reffered to as such. One great example of a reoccurring theme you left out is in Halo 4. As someone who loves the soundtrack you may already know it: The ending of the track Blue And Green. The final chords that sync up with Cortana's "death" are a clear reprise (to me) of her oldest theme - the very first campaign motif in the entire franchise - Space Theme/Cold Blue Light. The fullest full circle.
Ok, how did I miss this?
Always great to see you sir ! Thanks for the amazing childhood !
I love you, Marty
Ok, how did 343 miss you being the one to make the soundtrack :(
Hello
o7
This is awesome
Coming from you, that honestly means the world to me. Thank you so much!
@@LaperLarden holy shit dude you sound so Australian like me and ur underrated btw I like ur editing style
Here from Marty's channel - he clarified over there that he meant "equity" in the financial sense rather than the fairness sense, meaning when he builds an emotional connection between the audience and a particular theme/sound, then pulls that same theme/sound out later (as if from a bank account), he's cashing in on that emotional attachment so you feel how Marty wants you to feel. Other than that, bang on!
To be clear: we didn't deserve the mastercraft of both Davidge and Jinnouchi, both did excellent works on their own, trying to contribute to the Halo legacy (those weird Forerunner chants from H4, the Mantis theme and 117 are all iconic to me). Problem was the implementation and 343i's vision for the musical aesthetic of its Halo games, thus the backlash from the fans.
With Infinite, we finally get new stuff while still being faithful to Halo's legacy, which is excellent, every track I've heard so far was so evocative, but I still hope we'll get another Mantis theme or To Galaxy as well.
Definitely. To Galaxy is *the* Halo Multiplayer theme as far as I'm concerned. Hearing it so often in the Halo 4 Wargames menu engrained it into my brain. And I think it'd be a massive missed opportunity to not reorchestrate 117 or Green and Blue for Infinite, especially given the emphasis on Chief and Cortana's relationship.
117 slaps.
117 is the best halo track in my opinion
The best part about the warthog run motif being in halo 4 is its part of 117, which is by far the best track in the game, and incredibly representative of chief. Ultimately the greatest part about Halos music is when the music acts lime a tailwind, galvanizing and inspiring the player.
Agree.
People hate on halo 4 but I've really grown to like some of its music and forerunner architecture, that kind of aesthetic blended with older more monastery/ancient aesthetic would be majestic.
Imagine an ancient forerunner containment facility reminiscent of bungie-era architecture buried beneath, a dark hidden labyrinth underneath 343i-style beautiful structures glowing with hardlight at night.
117 is one of my favourite pieces of music, it feels like it ties everything together
117 and Arrival, beat pieces of music from H4
OMG that transition at 21:12, goosebumps… Amazing how nuanced the musical placement always was, and most of us probably never noticed it, but DEFINITELY felt it!
That transition hit me super hard. It swells up a large amount of emotions that's hard to contain. It's such an impactful piece.
Same can be said for the part at 13:26. It's like the emotional connection is instantly repaired and makes us whole again.
Yeah it defintalt hit, cause of well how much this game meant. Thst moment always gets me. He does know his music theory
This is highly underrated for the production quality.
Tbh you kinda crystallized in my mind why Chief meeting the Weapon made me wanna cry out in joy. Not just the emotion of the moment, but the realization that whoever's in charge of Infinite's music, they know what the hell they're doing, and they're doing it with well-placed confidence.
The people behind the music are legends.
Gareth coker behind ori music, he's really talented
This gives a lot of perspective on how to write thematic music for a story
Glad someone else enjoyed the Halo 4 soundtrack. It took years for it to grow on me but I really do enjoy the story and music of Halo 4 now.
Not a fan of the story for me…
I get why peopel like it but they changed far to much for me and ruined the mystery of the forerunners and my favorite species and the arbiter was not in it….
But i can understand why people like it though
Halo 4's 117 theme is unironically one of the best gaming themes ever
it's a good score, but doesn't sound like "halo"
You don't even hear the theme most of the time because of the combat. Atleast in other halo game, u catch on.
That last clip with cortanas theme leading into halo infinite…. Wow bro. I now understand why I got such huge chills during that moment of the trailer. This was an epic video
That, chief diving into the pelican...the second-to-last scene...Infinite gets the motifs right. It all makes sense now. Felt like Halo because of the using the old music at the right times..along with some great new music.
Halo music fills me with emotion, nostalgia, wonder, mystery, sorrow, and happiness. The sense of grand adventure and solum rememberance.
Marty and Michael managed to capture so much in so little from composition to implimentation in the missions.
Thank you for filling my heart and soul
I don't think I'll ever get tired of all these video essays talking about how good the o.g trilogy was.
Oh damn never ever haha
That last bit is something I've been screaming into the wind for the past 2 months about, it's why I think Cortana and the weapon will be one and the same by the end of infinite, or perhaps something similar? I'm so excited
This aged superb! Good call
Marty posted a snippet of this and holy cow this was stellar. Thank you! Also 117 from Halo 4 was so freaking good!
Man this deserves more views... There's just so much to talk about when it comes to Halos music, and you really nailed it with why the OG themes feel so forced in 5. At least H4 had the balls to create a truly alien soundtrack with all the electronic stuff. I reckon Infinite is on track to have a banger soundtrack, and you can already hear the return of leitmotifs for Esharum with that solo Doublebass melody in "Set a fire in your heart" (who even writes that?) Keep it up man, and I'm hyped for that music vid!
Good news Marty himself posted a short video about him. He plans on doing a reaction
I just love how consistent every single Halo game is with it's soundtrack. So many different versions of a song from the first game. Such as the main theme has a Halo CE, 2 and 3 version. The song Brother In Arms is used in a few different Halo games and sound so unique and different but still the same all the time. You'll even have songs from the anime Halo Legends and would recognise said song.
Halo is basically a musical soundtrack that comes with a free game. Especially Halo Combat Evolved. Can never forget that music... I listen to it everyday. it's like the national anthem of gamers, tbh
The Forerunner Structures and Space were the main presentation for the music and that's what makes it iconic and "alot" to me as a kid to now an adult, the Halo Ring Structures were and are just....overwhelming and an experience.
Every now and again i just sit down and listen to the halo osts and it always starts with that one piano note.
Every single time.
I hear it once, get the shivers down my spine and think
Yeah. No one does it like marty did halo.
Everything me and my brother talk about halo (we were around 9 and 10 when alo 3 came out) I come to this and tears just stream down my face with a hug smile. I'm 26 now lol.
What did I feel when I heard that? Memories. Memories of a hard won fight, of overcoming hardship coupled with overwhelming odds, of kicking ass and taking names
21:12
This simple showcase of clips you put together of 'emotional equity' as described by O'donnell... Just freaking tears.
I’ve sat in line at midnight to pick up halo 4 and it was a highlight to what would be the worst few years of my life.
It’s by far my favorite Halo game and the music SLAPS.
"Finish the Fight" is a legendary track among legendary tracks.
That ending clip of cortana made me tear up
Halo : Combat Evolved
Is my Childhood memories
✨ [ Nostalgic ] ✨
This music makes me Goosebumps
And Sometimes Give Tears in my Eyes
I had the same reaction to the warthog run in Halo 4, I didn't miss it.
I never grew up with Halo as a kid, all I had was a gamecube and a wii. I only experienced halo through going to my friends places on the weekends and after school. While I didn't got to experience it myself until recently when it came to pc. But this music is still nostalgic to me despite my limited interaction with it. I suppose that it might be due to how much it seemed different from other music I've heard.
That beginning part about getting online 10 years later seeing those who you made friends with are no longer active its hard. I felt that haha
Thank you for this. Amazing that these songs evoke such emotion from me. Raising the hair on the arm, goosebumps on my skin, and even some tears trying to build up in my eyes at Masterchief recovering Cortana in Halo 3. Outstanding work.
Wait, did we just forget that the main Star Wars theme was actually Luke's theme in the OT?
Trying to focus on the audio makes me re-realize how amazing Jen Taylor is as a voice actor
Dude i've been noticing these motifs alot a while back and been waiting so damn long for a guy to make a video about them
That Cortana theme playing over The Weapon's cutscene was awesome
Note: The Star Wars theme does occur outside of the opening credits, associated with Luke's heroism during the last part of the Death Star trench run. It's at 7:08 in the track "The Battle of Yavin"
Also, I suspect O'Donnell meant "equity" in the "shares in a company" sense - it's a store of value invested in Halo thanks to the music.
Great vid! Leitmotifs need all the attention they can get, 'cause the clever use of leitmotifs can take a good movie or game over the top into legendary greatness!
I was on another tab and I heard the first notes, and I never clicked so fast back into youtube lmao
As a musician who has played Halo and experimented with music since I was 4, thank you so much for making this, man.👍❤🎶
The star wars theme is used in the films. Usually when a heroic action is taking place. When Luke and Leia swing across the gap in the Death Star or when Luke leads the escape from Jabbas sail barge are two that come to mind..
I can already see them using the songs in the right way for infinite. When the pelican pilot whipped away the frost revealing Chief and all went quite, only to hear the finish the fight piano, I wanted to cry. That one key means so much I can’t even begin to explain it
The gong/cymbals at 3:44 always gives me chills 21 years later. You just know shit is about to go down.
Holy fucking shit this makes me love the halo 3 music more now. I didnt know it was possible
Hi, thank you very much for this video. I loved the relation you made between the scenes of Cortana and Master Chief, you really found the reason because I felt the meeting between the Chief and the Weapon so deep. Greetings from Colombia.
When I play this game for the first time and when I just replayed it on the master chief collection on the last mission and when I heard that epic music my my soul puts itself back together
Fantastic analysis. This deserves way more views for the insane amount of effort you put into this, and for the sake of spreading informative knowledge about this series' background to newer generations of fans.
Yea you summed up that beginning tune perfectly
You made me cry. This video was perfect.
This made me love the songs even more man i didnt know i neeeded this essay but im glad martin shared this with us so we can find this video thanks alot Martin and thanks for this video essay man keep it up
That end got me really excited
Now I gotta check that too
That ending gave me chills
one of my proudests achievements is playing "one final effort" on piano. i can play it by heart, but it's rare to have a perfect performace (as in zero mistakes). it was a lot of work writing down all the notes from a youtube video i watched and then hammering them into my head for 2 years. that was over 10y ago. i can still play it.
13:28 Cortana is easily one of my most disliked missions, but gosh darn it every time this cutscene makes it all worth it the moment it plays. The music, dialogue, their inflections...... chef's kiss 👌All that grinding through heavily flood infested corridors, hours of restarts and constant push/pull, all for that glorious cutscene between old friends. Fantastic video as always dude!
Actual goosebumps at the ending
You just explained how I’ve felt about the music of Halo for so long, including Halo 4’s music which I’ve defended for years. 🙂
The entire video was a whole nostalgia trip and just appreciating that I was able to experience it at a young age (and really being spoiled because music like this is very hard to come by in FPS).
But that ending you did was just great mixing in the classic theme with the Infinite trailer was 🤌🏾
Seeing "last online 9 years ago" really hits you
I agree with you, the way the warthog run was used in Halo 4's final mission was spectacular and it might be my favorite use of it as well. It's half the reason that mission is my favorite in the game.
I think the reason it's not appreciated as much is because the warthog levels are simply more fun. But musically, I think it's an amazing piece.
That intro was relatable, only for me it started with CE Anniversary and Reach.
9:59 This is something I as a music artist relate to, it's really hard sometimes to get a song together on an empty plate per say, it's much easier to take a baseline and tinker it, which leads to a better overall product because it has a solid foundation.
the first time I heard that one track from Halo 4, maybe this was the fight he was worth waking for.
I really like the halo 4 main menu theme: Atonment. Very moving. Similar to the gregorian chant but also very different!
This is one of my favorite videos on UA-cam. Thank you
Oh gosh, why did the ending have me in the feels?
Recently found your channel and loved this vid. Leitmotifs are a fascinating subject, Howard Shore uses them brilliantly in his LOTR compositions.
I love how the simpler less produced music hits harder than the big scale stuff in later games
I love the classic music of Halo. I'll never experience the days of being there personally but I'll always respect the music and the older games
Good video bro, the music can just send you outta this world, I imagine many of these songs in a movie
Glad to see this video and channel finally get the recognition it deserves! Congrats mate! First time I finished the video, the transition of Cortana’s theme made me quite teary-eyed. Great job!
Halo 2 soundtrack is like the best out all other games cuz of its nostalgia and memorable moments of me playing Halo 2 when I was a kid
Love this so much! But as a Star Wars fan, I have one nitpick. The Star Wars main theme was originally meant for Luke, and it does represent him in the first film. But as the franchise went on after Return of the Jedi, it became much more of a main theme like you suggest here. The Prequels only use it a couple of times in action cues. Other than that, I love everything you have to say about the music of Halo - subscribed now after seeing Marty promote you!
Yo Marty O'Donnell posted this on his Twitter! Congrats dude!
Thank you Marty for the link to this...but with the quality of this video, I really thought I'd see more than 100k views. How has the algorithm failed this so badly?
That ending was almost too much well done sir you’ve made my childhood even better a now I’m gonna play every halo again including reach and ODST
Top quality content, seriously love this stuff man
Thanks!
This was a lesson on music theory.. by using my favourite tracks ever. If Only I had this during school, I'd have concentrated and done so much better.
Better late than never!
Seriously awesome stuff man, I wish your channel success, you did an amazing job
The music of halo feels like being in a movie
The Halo 4 soundtrack is underappreciated. I always enjoyed it. No comparing to the original stuff but it's really quite good in its own right.
maaaaaan what a video. i had so many moments of crazy goosepumps in it. great work. i see great success in this channel!
Most Halo tracks don't really put me in nostalgia zones all that much, but I kinda get into the "zone" of the song. I love taking long walks just hitting play on Halo 2, 3, or ODST's OST.
I actually liked Neil Davidge and Kazuma's osts for their respective Halo games. I think the circumstances and aesthetics surrounding the music is what brought it down in the end.
In another timeline, halo 4 launched with halo infinite's polish and artstyle.
Maybe a halo 4 anniversary remaster?
I always wondered why the track '117' was the only real standout piece of music from Halo 4 that was added to my playlist and this video perfectly explained why.
Awesome video and great analysis of Halo's music.
This is the best video in this channel, even if the view counts say otherwise. Truly an amazing video essay.
haven't had a video completely enthrall me like this in a long time. Writing and pacing were perfect and you kept everything interesting the whole time, good shit. Actually felt a lot of emotions while watching so hopefully that's what you were going for. The only criticism I can think of is the VHS effect was a tiny bit distracting sometimes since you used it a lot. But other than that you did amazing. I look forward to seeing more of your videos in the future.
A fellow pelican profile pic
This is perfect I've been waiting for someone to flesh out the thematic transformation in this music and you did it perfectly. I learned so much about these themes being put together from this video I never realized before, and it made me cry. Complete with a comment from Marty.
1:01 at this point he says we can remember a bunch at the drop of a single note as soon as I heard 1:19 I had the biggest flash back to me playing halo 3. The entire campaign flashed before my eyes and I remembered a particular time when i was on the mission The covenant in 2007. I was laying on my back with my head hanging off the end of the couch upside down facing the tv, trying to finish the entire mission while looking at it upside down. At the time I was about just about to turn 4. I genuinely remember this period of my life. Loading the game on easy cause at the time I was bad at halo, and I also remembered my first custom game against my dad 14 years ago. In hind sight I think he let me win. Damn those were the days. Not a care in the world.
Great video! I would love to see you talk more about the music of Reach and ODST, which are both incredible as well.
I felt more alive than ever. Every single time I hear that note, I get to tear eyed. I’m not sad, I just don’t know why. It hits me like a truck man. I could cry to every song. Can someone help me understand why please?
Arrival in Halo 4 was also phenomenal.
I started my metal journey with Nightwish and CoB back in 1999 or 2000, something like that. So I had imprinted in me the love for melody and big themes in a way.
But playing Halo 2 for the first time in 2005 or 2006 and hearing the theme really ignited my love for orchestral music. To this day the theme takes me to so many places, in the game and in my life.
Thank you for this insightful video, was really nice watch, and listen.
And thank you Martin and Michael for creating those exceptional themes in the games, they really took the whole art piece that is Halo to a whole another level.
Really good essay here mate. I just found it by chance and glad I did you're right about the Halo motifs, a lot of what you've talked about, are why I like select few game series soundtracks above all other music, and I'm kinda complicated and picky about music. Halo's music was advanced at it's time, though i'd like to suggest that there were a few other games that followed a similar use of music in their games. There's one series I see as an equal to Halo in it's music. That would be Metal Gear Solid, especially 2 and 3.
I'm also glad to see someone also has similar views as I do about Halo 4's music. I'm one who really liked Halo 4's campaign, including the end run. It may have been Star Wars esque, but Halo has always been my counterpart of what Star Wars is to Halo. The only thing I didn't like in Halo 4 was the ammo limits and some of the forerunner weapons balance.
Also a little info, UNSC and Covenant both use something like Universal translators at times, so that's why you get some talk om english, others not. I'd assume Keyes heard it from that, that Halo is a weapon, which is his interpretation.
Here's to Infinite having great music!
Thank you Marty for bringing me here. I think I just found a new channel to listen to while I eat.
personally, Reach is my favorite Halo OST. to me it sounds grand as it does somber, bittersweet as you fight against the inevitable fall of Reach
The soundtracks for this series can still make me tear up at times. Some of it is because of how much I enjoy the games. But most of the time it brings back memories of all the LAN parties and late nights of gaming with my friends. All of which we still do today.
I'm not crying you're crying 😭😭😭
One of my favorite renditions of the Halo theme itself appears in the track from Halo 3 “Roll Call”, when the newly formed ring rises from the ark right in front of Chief and Arby…. It’s immaculate🔥
Also Halo 2’s menu theme gives me the most nostalgia 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Excellent essay! Really enjoyed it.
Thank you! Something the Halo wiki's and almost anyone else never seem to highlight are the motifs and their implied relation to characters/actions in game. Like the idea that cortana/chief/arbiter have themes; I never see them reffered to as such.
One great example of a reoccurring theme you left out is in Halo 4. As someone who loves the soundtrack you may already know it: The ending of the track Blue And Green. The final chords that sync up with Cortana's "death" are a clear reprise (to me) of her oldest theme - the very first campaign motif in the entire franchise - Space Theme/Cold Blue Light. The fullest full circle.
That flood track made me become wide awake holy fuck LOL
That track has become engrained in my brain to mean fear
the halo 3 moment where chief finds cortana always stuck out to me and now i know why, thanks !
its a great scene