The Gun Pointed at the Head of the Universe
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
| The Gun Pointed at the Head of the Universe | |
|---|---|
|
Album: |
|
|
Composer(s): |
|
|
Length: |
2:26 |
|
Previous: |
|
|
Next: |
|
The Gun Pointed at the Head of the Universe is the eighth track in Halo: Original Soundtrack.
Overview[edit]
It is composed nearly entirely of percussion, only having a deep bass note towards the middle of the piece and some vocals at the end of the piece. The rest of the sound is produced by a combination of drums, auxiliary percussion and hand-clapping, which is usually unheard of in many tracks written for Halo.
The piece was primarily written by Michael Salvatori with additions from Martin O'Donnell.[1]
Appearances[edit]
The track can be heard:
- In the level Halo (Choir version), when John-117 finds the last group of Marines in the Forerunner structures.
- In the level The Silent Cartographer, when John-117 comes to the Cartographer building for the first time.
- In the level Assault on the Control Room, briefly when John first commandeers an M808B Scorpion before encountering the tunnel entrance guarded by two Zurdo-pattern Wraiths (The full choir version plays if John progresses to the tunnel without commandeering the M808B Scorpion), and when he battles the Okarda'phaa-pattern plasma rifle-wielding Sangheili Zealot.
- In the level 343 Guilty Spark, when John and the Marines are leaving the Flood containment facility.
- In the level Keyes (Choir version), when Captain Keyes orders John and Cortana to pull out.
- In the level The Maw, after John destroys the first fusion reactor in engineering of the UNSC Pillar of Autumn.
Arrangements[edit]
The track has been arranged into the following:
- Into the Breach of More Than His Share as a remix in the Halo 3: ODST Original Soundtrack.
- Unless You Mean to Shoot in the Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Original Soundtrack.
Production notes[edit]
- The percussion in this track is similar to a rhythm motif that reoccurs in the soundtracks for Myth and Myth II, including The Watcher, Into The Breach (which coincidentally, is also the name of a Halo 3: ODST track), A Murder Of Crows and The Wall.
- The continuing rhythm which plays for the entire length of the track is based on an onboard factory audition sequence from the E-MU Protozoa expansion for the Proteus 2000 synthesizer.
- The track uses the following instruments and patches/samples:[2]
- E-MU Proteus 2000:
- Protozoa ROM - 008-3 P3/Percussion 1 (Ethnic percussion)
- Kurzweil K2500X
- 118 Cathedral Choir
- E-MU Proteus 2000:
- The name of the soundtrack is most likely in reference to the Halo Array, as its near activation can be interpreted as a "Gun Pointed at the Head of the Universe". The phrase is also that of the first chapter title of the level Two Betrayals.
- Martin O'Donnell produced a variation of the piece utilizing hip-hop beats, but the piece was cut from the game. The piece was retroactively named "Seriously?",[3] and O'Donnell later implied that the piece did not survive the test of time.[4]
Sources[edit]
- ^ YouTube - Dee Bee Geek, Martin O'Donnell PLAYS Halo Combat Evolved! - NEVER seen before commentary! (Retrieved on Jun 1, 2020)
- ^ Google Sheets, Mythic Restoration Project: Halo Patch List (Retrieved on Jun 21, 2021) [archive]
- ^ Bungie.net, Halo (Xbox) Soundtrack and Music (Retrieved on Jun 1, 2020) [archive]
- ^ Bungie.net, Halo Music Outtakes Part 2: 6/26/2002 3:12 AM PDT (Retrieved on Jun 1, 2020) [archive]
