Charles Deenen
Encyclopedia
Charles Deenen is a Dutch
computer/video game Audio Director, Music Composer, Sound Designer & Mixer. He is also known for his music and sound efforts for games of C64
and Amiga era. He was one of the first demoscene
rs.
driver
for Commodore PET
, which he wrote at age of 13. In early 80s he bought a C64. He often wrote graphical and musical demos on it and showed demos at game exhibitions (further information could be found here), and through his hobby he met fellow composer Jeroen Tel
. In 1987
he with Tel and some others started sound and music group Maniacs of Noise and composed game music for platforms such as the Commodore 64
, Commodore Amiga and Atari ST
, being hired by such companies as Sega
, U.S. Gold
and Probe Software. At MoN he notably composed Double Dragon
, home computer versions of Soldier of Light and Jukka Tapanimäki
's game Zamzara. Maniacs of Noise was the most acclaimed C64 music group. Deenen left MoN in early 90s and moved to the United States
to work for videogame company Interplay
.
(with which he worked on Dragon Wars
during MON years) and they recruited him as composer/sound designer. Most famous projects he worked on here were Fallout 1 and 2
, Another World, Planescape: Torment
, The Lost Vikings
and Descent 2. In 2002
he left Interplay and briefly worked for Shiny
on Enter the Matrix
. In 2003
Charles moved to Canada
and joined EA as Senior Audio Director, working here up to this day. He works primarily on Need for Speed series.
s about sound in VG, films and trailers as of 2006. He is also a professional photographer, having many collections of works on his own site.
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
computer/video game Audio Director, Music Composer, Sound Designer & Mixer. He is also known for his music and sound efforts for games of C64
Commodore 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 Amiga era. He was one of the first demoscene
Demoscene
The demoscene is a computer art subculture that specializes in producing demos, which are non-interactive audio-visual presentations that run in real-time on a computer...
rs.
Early career
His first sound achievement was the self-written soundSound
Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.-Propagation of...
driver
Device driver
In computing, a device driver or software driver is a computer program allowing higher-level computer programs to interact with a hardware device....
for Commodore PET
Commodore PET
The Commodore PET was a home/personal computer produced from 1977 by Commodore International...
, which he wrote at age of 13. In early 80s he bought a C64. He often wrote graphical and musical demos on it and showed demos at game exhibitions (further information could be found here), and through his hobby he met fellow composer Jeroen Tel
Jeroen Tel
Jeroen Godfried Tel is a Dutch composer. Best known for numerous computer game tunes he wrote in the 1980s and early 1990s for the Commodore 64, Tel is a founding member of the computer music group Maniacs of Noise....
. In 1987
1987 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* January 14, Nintendo releases Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in January for the Famicom Disk System in Japan only. The game would go unreleased in America for nearly two years afterwards.* February 20, Konami releases Contra...
he with Tel and some others started sound and music group Maniacs of Noise and composed game music for platforms such as the Commodore 64
Commodore 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...
, Commodore Amiga and Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, being hired by such companies as Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
, U.S. Gold
U.S. Gold
U.S. Gold was a British video game publisher and developer from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s, producing numerous titles on a variety of 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit platforms.-History:...
and Probe Software. At MoN he notably composed Double Dragon
Double Dragon
is a classic beat 'em up video game series initially developed by Technos Japan Corporation, who also developed the Kunio-kun series ....
, home computer versions of Soldier of Light and Jukka Tapanimäki
Jukka Tapanimäki
Jukka Tapanimäki was a Finnish game programmer.Save for perhaps Stavros Fasoulas, Tapanimäki was probably the most famous Finnish game programmer in the late 1980s. Tapanimäki wrote his games for the Commodore 64, but they have also been ported to other computers...
's game Zamzara. Maniacs of Noise was the most acclaimed C64 music group. Deenen left MoN in early 90s and moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to work for videogame company Interplay
Interplay
Interplay may refer to:* Interplay , a 1957 album by jazz musician John Coltrane* Interplay , Jerome Robbins, 1945* Interplay , a 1962 album by jazz musician Bill Evans...
.
Virgin, Interplay, Shiny and EA
In 1990 he moved to USA and worked for Virgin Games for 6 months. In 1991 his talent was noted by InterplayInterplay
Interplay may refer to:* Interplay , a 1957 album by jazz musician John Coltrane* Interplay , Jerome Robbins, 1945* Interplay , a 1962 album by jazz musician Bill Evans...
(with which he worked on Dragon Wars
Dragon Wars
Dragon Wars is a fantasy computer role-playing game developed by Interplay Entertainment in 1989, and distributed by Activision.-Story:The story from the back of the original box:-Development:...
during MON years) and they recruited him as composer/sound designer. Most famous projects he worked on here were Fallout 1 and 2
Fallout 2
Fallout 2 is a computer role-playing game developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay in 1998. The game's story takes place in 2241, 80 years after the events of Fallout...
, Another World, Planescape: Torment
Planescape: Torment
Planescape: Torment is a computer role-playing game developed for Windows by Black Isle Studios and released on December 12, 1999 by Interplay Entertainment. It takes place in Planescape, an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy campaign setting...
, The Lost Vikings
The Lost Vikings
The Lost Vikings is a side-scrolling puzzle/platform video game series which was developed by Silicon & Synapse . The first game, The Lost Vikings, was released in 1992 by publisher Interplay Entertainment for DOS, Amiga, Sega Mega Drive and SNES among others...
and Descent 2. In 2002
2002 in video gaming
The year 2002 in video gaming saw the release of many games to sixth-generation video game consoles, predominately, the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.-Events:...
he left Interplay and briefly worked for Shiny
Shiny Entertainment
Shiny Entertainment was an American video game developer based in Laguna Beach, Southern California, and the creator of several popular titles such as Earthworm Jim, MDK, Sacrifice and The Matrix: Path of Neo. Shiny was founded by David Perry in October 1993...
on Enter the Matrix
Enter the Matrix
Enter the Matrix is the first video game based on The Matrix series of films. It was developed by Shiny Entertainment and published by Atari and WB Interactive for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube game systems, and for the PC. It was published in Japan by Bandai...
. In 2003
2003 in video gaming
-Events:*February 27 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Yu Suzuki of Sega to the AIAS Hall of Fame....
Charles moved to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and joined EA as Senior Audio Director, working here up to this day. He works primarily on Need for Speed series.
Another work
Aside from video games Deenen also works on sound for films. He provides worldwide lectureLecture
thumb|A lecture on [[linear algebra]] at the [[Helsinki University of Technology]]A lecture is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history,...
s about sound in VG, films and trailers as of 2006. He is also a professional photographer, having many collections of works on his own site.
Personal life
Deenen lives in Port Moody with his wife Ana and dog Speely. He still owns a C64 at his house.External links
- Charles Deenen's home page
- Designing Sound interview
- MobyGames information page
- Composer profile at OverClocked ReMixOverClocked ReMixOverClocked ReMix, also known as OC ReMix and OCR, is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and paying tribute to video game music through arranging and re-interpreting the songs with new technology and software, as well as by various traditional means...
- Charles Deenen at Commodore 64 Scene Database
- Car sounds recording: Guide by Charles Deenen. February 25, 2010.
- His MySpace page