DJ Hero’s audio in focus

In Develop’s latest feature FreeStyleGames’ ‘music guru’ Dan Neil has revealed what went into DJ Hero’s creation, and why he thinks the game has plemnty more potential.

“It’s a really interesting process because unlike Guitar Hero, if the gameplay didn’t feel quite right we could actually go in and change the music to suit gameplay objectives," explained Neil, who oversaw all music selection and production in the turntable-based release. "It only takes two minutes to iterate a mix and put it back in the game using our custom export tools,”

In the feature, Neil also details the process of mixing tracks, and the influence the process had on the roles of the developers, or ‘remixers’. He also offers some insights into working with celebrities renowned for their creative talent, such as hip hop luminary Grandmaster Flash.

"To my right was Usher and to my left was Leonardo DiCaprio," said Neil of the DJ Hero launch event, before hinting that there is plenty more to come. "That’s when you really double-take and realise you’re on the inside of this massive whirlwind. And yet, the weird thing is I get the feeling we’ve hardly even started.”

To read the full feature, click here.