Neil D. Voss
Encyclopedia
Neil D. Voss is a critically acclaimed composer who writes soundtracks for Nintendo
video games.
Voss' first recognized work was on Tetrisphere
for Nintendo 64
in 1997, an acclaimed effort that earned him a "Best Soundtrack" award from Nintendo Power
for that year. Later he composed tracks for The New Tetris
in 1999, also for Nintendo 64
. Voss has since moved to working on the Game Boy Advance
, producing soundtracks for Racing Gears Advance
in collaboration with Orbital Media Inc.
. Many of his compositions for the Commodore 64 are available in the The High Voltage SID Collection
.
and this hobby soon became a big part of his life. He later became an underground electronic music developer, but saw his fellow composers signing to game developers, and so he joined H20, a third party developer for Atari
’s Jaguar
. His first project was Phear, but after Jaguar failed, it was moved to Nintendo and expanded into Tetrisphere
. As audio director, Voss produced, composed, and engineered the whole soundtrack for Tetrisphere, which most say made the game a hit. Voss went on to create more hit techno music in the N64 puzzle game, The New Tetris
. This soundtrack became an instant favorite.
Later, in 2005, Voss worked on Racing Gears Advance
for Game Boy Advance
. which won for "Best Use of Sound" by IGN
.
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
video games.
Voss' first recognized work was on Tetrisphere
Tetrisphere
Tetrisphere is a falling block puzzle video game for the Nintendo 64 console. Developed by Canadian company H2O Entertainment, a nearly-complete version of the game was originally slated for release on the Atari Jaguar in early 1995...
for Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
in 1997, an acclaimed effort that earned him a "Best Soundtrack" award from Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
for that year. Later he composed tracks for The New Tetris
The New Tetris
The New Tetris is a puzzle video game for the Nintendo 64. The game was developed by H2O Entertainment and published by Nintendo, based on the latter's popular Tetris series...
in 1999, also for Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
. Voss has since moved to working on the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
, producing soundtracks for Racing Gears Advance
Racing Gears Advance
Racing Gears Advance is a combat racing game for the Game Boy Advance system released in 2004 and includes licensed vehicles from GM, Dodge, Mitsubishi and Lotus Cars. It was the breakout game for Orbital Media Inc. and received high ratings from the likes of GameSpot and IGN, staying in the top 5...
in collaboration with Orbital Media Inc.
Orbital Media Inc.
Orbital Media Inc. is a video-game company based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and was founded in 2003....
. Many of his compositions for the Commodore 64 are available in the The High Voltage SID Collection
The High Voltage SID Collection
The High Voltage SID Collection is both the name of a project to build a collection of music created on the MOS Technology 6581/8580 SID sound chip in Commodore CBM-II, Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 home computers and the collection itself...
.
Background
At the early age of 12, Neil Voss began playing with electronic music on his Commodore 64Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and this hobby soon became a big part of his life. He later became an underground electronic music developer, but saw his fellow composers signing to game developers, and so he joined H20, a third party developer for Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
’s Jaguar
Atari Jaguar
The Atari Jaguar is a video game console that was released by Atari Corporation in 1993. It was the last to be marketed under the Atari brand until the release of the Atari Flashback in 2004. It was designed to surpass the Mega Drive/Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and the Panasonic...
. His first project was Phear, but after Jaguar failed, it was moved to Nintendo and expanded into Tetrisphere
Tetrisphere
Tetrisphere is a falling block puzzle video game for the Nintendo 64 console. Developed by Canadian company H2O Entertainment, a nearly-complete version of the game was originally slated for release on the Atari Jaguar in early 1995...
. As audio director, Voss produced, composed, and engineered the whole soundtrack for Tetrisphere, which most say made the game a hit. Voss went on to create more hit techno music in the N64 puzzle game, The New Tetris
The New Tetris
The New Tetris is a puzzle video game for the Nintendo 64. The game was developed by H2O Entertainment and published by Nintendo, based on the latter's popular Tetris series...
. This soundtrack became an instant favorite.
Later, in 2005, Voss worked on Racing Gears Advance
Racing Gears Advance
Racing Gears Advance is a combat racing game for the Game Boy Advance system released in 2004 and includes licensed vehicles from GM, Dodge, Mitsubishi and Lotus Cars. It was the breakout game for Orbital Media Inc. and received high ratings from the likes of GameSpot and IGN, staying in the top 5...
for Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
. which won for "Best Use of Sound" by IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
.
External links
- Performing at Blip Festival in 2006 (video), courtesy of 2PlayerProductions http://vimeo.com/channels/blip2006#457901
- List of Neil Voss' songs at Last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....
- Alinear.net – Neil Voss' own business