Although HOYO-MiX consists of several groups of people working on different game projects, they are mostly credited as "HOYO-MiX" as a whole in their works on streaming platforms.[3]
Etymology
In an interview with Shanghai Morning Post, Cai Jinhan mentioned that the name "HOYO-MiX" is actually "miHoYo" spelled backward, and "MiX" refers to audio mixing. In "HOYO-MiX," only the letter "i" is lowercase, symbolizing the individual, as "we both respect the individual and serve the collective, which is because we are the music department of miHoYo, and serving the product is essential."[4]
History
In 2011, a Vocaloid music group called "Hatsune Squadron" (初音战队), consisting of Cai Jinhan, Zheng Xiaoyu (Zheng Yujie), and Xia Yihan, composed the theme song "Gradually Collapsing Hatsune Miku" (日渐崩溃的初音未来) for the manga "Gradually Collapsing World" (日渐崩坏的世界).[lower-alpha 8][6] The copyright for this song was later acquired by miHoYo, thus the three joined miHoYo to establish the "HOYO-MiX" studio. Cai Jinhan took on the role of HOYO-MiX leader while also serving as the music director for miHoYo.[1] Subsequently, the studio began creating soundtracks for various games under miHoYo.
The first OST album released by HOYO-MiX was Honkai World Diva - Guns Girl Z OST on November 11, 2014.[7] Since then, they have produced numerous albums and singles, including over 20 albums for Genshin Impact alone. These albums feature a variety of tracks, such as regional music, boss themes, battle themes, character trailers, and event-specific tracks.[8]
The members of each game's music team, including the producer (a.k.a. team leader), are not unchanged. After the establishment of the Genshin Impact project, Cai Jinhan invited Chen Yupeng to produce the original soundtrack for Genshin Impact. In June 2020, Chen Yupeng officially joined HOYO-MiX as the music producer for Genshin Impact.[9][10] In the early stages of music production for Genshin Impact, Chen Yupeng was primarily responsible. As the game's world expanded to include the Inazuma region, other music composers such as Yuan Dimeng joined the creative process. For the Sumeru region, music production involved Zhao Xin, Jiang Yijun, and other music composers.[11] By the time of the Fontaine region, HOYO-MiX had established a comprehensive creative system and completed music production in the absence of Chen Yupeng's involvement.[12] On September 12, 2023, Chen Yupeng announced his departure from miHoYo and the HOYO-MiX team to continue pursuing his musical dreams;[13] the music producer role is succeeded by Yuan Dimeng, who also came from Chen's studio.[lower-alpha 9][15]
In an interview in April 2021, Chen Yupeng revealed his plan to organize "offline music related activities, including concerts" in the future.[43] Following this announcement, HOYO-MiX initiated a series of annual concerts, expanding their music performances to various countries.
On October 3, 2021, HOYO-MiX hosted their first Genshin Impact symphony concert, "GENSHIN CONCERT 2021 'Melodies of an Endless Journey,'" featuring the world-renowned Belgian conductor Dirk Brossé, the Flanders Symphony Orchestra, and musicians from various countries, including the United States and South Korea.[44]
On October 5, 2021, HOYO-MiX hosted the Honkai Impact 3rd "Starfire Sonorant" commemorative performance, featuring singers such as Chalili, Shang Wenjie, Tanya Chua, Tia Ray, Mika Kobayashi, Hanser, TetraCalyx, and more.[45]
On February 4, 2022, HOYO-MiX hosted the Genshin Impact "Reflections of Spring" symphony concert, featuring the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and Yang Yang from the Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company.[46]
On August 27, 2022, HOYO-MiX held the Honkai Impact 3rd "Dreamy Euphony" online concert, featuring the Xi'an Symphony Orchestra and singers like Huang Ling, Huang Xiaoyun, Hanser, Mika Kobayashi, MARiA (GARNiDELiA), Ding Shuang, and more.[47]
On October 2, 2022, HOYO-MiX organized the Genshin Impact online concert "GENSHIN CONCERT 2022 'Melodies of an Endless Journey,'" in collaboration with the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra. Composer, arranger, and music producer Shiro Sagisu served as the music director, and conductor Eimear Noone conducted the performance.[48]
In late 2022 to mid-2023, HOYO-MiX collaborated with Sony Music Solutions to host multiple "Genshin Symphony" concerts in Japan. These concerts featured orchestral renditions of songs from the Genshin Impact video game.[49] Sachiko Miyano served as the music director. The Tokyo and Osaka performances were conducted by Ryo Nishiya, with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra performing on December 3, 2022, and January 29, 2023, respectively. The Yokohama and Nagoya performances were conducted by Kurita Hirofumi, with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra performing on February 11, 2023, and June 3, 2023, respectively.[50]
On April 30, 2023, HOYO-MiX hosted the "Honkai: Star Rail Departure Festival," including symphonic music performances of several tracks from Honkai: Star Rail.[51]
On July 29, 2023, HOYO-MiX organized the Honkai Impact 3rd online concert "Forest Capriccio," utilizing virtual production (VP) and extended reality (xR) technologies. Guest performers included Mika Kobayashi, Hanser, Huang Ling, Sa Dingding, Axis Neptune, Chongqing Grand Theatre Philharmonic Children's Choir, and more. This concert also marked its first physical theater screening, held at the "Guangdian Huashan Cinema" in Taipei and the "K11 Musea" in Hong Kong.[52]
On December 22, 2023, HOYO-MiX organized the Genshin Impact online concert "GENSHIN CONCERT 2023 'Melodies of an Endless Journey' – Scenic Vistas," in collaboration with the London Philharmonic Orchestra with many international guest musicians such as singers Yang Yang and Paolo Andrea Di Pietro. Composer and arranger Yasunori Nishiki served as the music director, and conductor Robert Ziegler conducted the performance.[62]
On May 1, 2024, HOYO-MiX hosted the "Star Rail LIVE 2024" concert in Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The concert including songs and symphonic music performances of several tracks from Honkai: Star Rail. The concert was also livestreamed globally.[63]
Social Activities
On December 12, 2021, miHoYo's HOYO-MiX and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music jointly hosted the 2021 Shanghai Conservatory of Music International Digital Music Festival. The event included activities such as a summit forum on game music creation and the finals of a game music competition, leading to the establishment of the "Digital Music Professional Alliance." Professor An Dong from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the artistic director of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music International Digital Music Festival, and a well-known composer, served as the director of the alliance. Cai Jinhan, the music director of miHoYo, served as the deputy director and deputy secretary-general.[64] In March 2023, HOYO-MiX continued to host the second Shanghai Conservatory of Music International Digital Music Festival, upgrading the "Digital Music Professional Alliance" to the "Digital Music Audio Professional Committee."[65]
Former music producer of HOYO-MiX's Genshin Impact soundtrack, Chen Yupeng, expressed in an interview that the aim of the music is to touch the players and fully immerse them in the game world. "The music needs to have beautiful melodies, and it always sounds full of hope and passion. It brings out the poetic, beautiful and humanistic feelings within the listeners."[43] The music producer of HOYO-MiX's Honkai: Star Rail soundtrack, Gong Qi, mentioned that the creation team places great emphasis on the combination of music and storyline. The purpose of the soundtrack's production is to enhance the narrative experience, making the gameplay more immersive, "like doing music design for an animated film."[66] Manager of HOYO-MiX, Cai Jinhan, stated that each player's encounters and emotions during their journey are unique. "Making the music and the storyline complement each other, and accompany Trailblazers with just enough presence to witness this adventure into the stars, is our top priority in composition."[66] In terms of character music, Cai Jinhan remarked that music is a new interpretation of characters, a process of re-creation, "to put it most simply, it is about 'purpose' and 'function.'"[67] Additionally, to avoid auditory fatigue for players, the rhythm of most outdoor exploration music is very soothing and peaceful, and the duration is relatively short.[43]
Genshin Impact chooses traditional orchestral music as its base, incorporating elements of world music on top of this foundation,[68] and the music also adopts regional and cultural influences according to different areas in the game.[40]Honkai: Star Rail selects a small orchestral ensemble to highlight the intricacy of melodies and the details in performance, while appropriately integrating electronic synthesizers and electronic percussion elements.[66][69]
Influences
On platforms e.g. NetEase Cloud Music, HOYO-MiX's works have consistently ranked high on the ACG charts. On bilibili, the Genshin Impact online concert "Melodies of an Endless Journey" had over 3 million views. On YouTube, the concert had over 4 million views.[70] Songs e.g. "Liyue", "Contemplation in Snow", and "Rapid as Wildfires" from Genshin Impact were included in the music library of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.[71]
Several vocal tracks composed by HOYO-MiX have garnered widespread attention and appreciation. The game music "Devastation and Redemption" also known in cutscene as "The Divine Damsel of Devastation", composed by HOYO-MiX and performed by Yang Yang, an opera singer from the Shanghai Peking Opera Company, had over 15 million views within half a month of its release, attracting artists from various genres within the opera community for covers and adaptations.[35] HOYO-MiX's collaboration with pop punk singer Jonathan Steingard on the Honkai: Star Rail battle track "Wildfire", was commented by The Loadout as making the game's iconic key battle scenes more profound;[72]Eurogamer commentator Jessica Orr praised it for being pop rock yet endlessly listenable.[73] HOYO-MiX's traditional Chinese-style vocal song "Samudrartha" for Honkai: Star Rail reached the top three on the bilibili charts on the day of its release,[74] and achieved 8 million plays within a month on bilibili, with 3.64 million plays on YouTube. In addition to the single's spread, various covers and re-creations of the song are also widespread across the internet. The Beijing News praised it, saying "the shocking music, combined with the impactful visuals, captivates both gamers and music enthusiasts."[75] In the 2021 Weibo Game Awards, the impression song "Rubia" for Honkai Impact 3rd, sung by Zhou Shen, won the Best Game Music of 2021.[76]
Discography
(* denotes digital soundtracks that are yet to be released globally, with usually only a NetEase Cloud Music or QQ Music exclusive release in China or East Asia.)
HOYO-MiX's game music has received widespread positive reviews. Game Grape states that the character music in Genshin Impact brings aural "recognition," with each character's music attempting to create a unique soundtrack system that represents that character alone. The game's music not only possesses "purpose" and "functionality" but also has the "narrative ability" to tell the story of the characters.[67]IGN reviews praise that in Genshin Impact, "the sights and sounds of this world are still a joy to behold, with breathtaking vistas around every corner and a memorable soundtrack to back them up."[153] Stefania Netti from Eurogamer Italy regards the musical framework of Genshin Impact as "praiseworthy" and likens it to some of the music from the Final Fantasy series, such as Nobuo Uematsu's Prelude and To Zanarkand.[154] Zackerie Fairfax from Screen Rant believes that "Teyvat is brought to life by Genshin Impact's beautiful soundtrack." "The orchestrated score celebrates the environment and seamlessly changes its tune depending on the setting which makes for some of the most memorable melodies."[155] The Loadout's reviewer Aaron Down commends the music as one of miHoYo's strengths, with the game soundtrack of Honkai: Star Rail showing progress compared to miHoYo's previous games.[72] A Gaming Bolt reviewer finds the excellent orchestral works and electronic music tracks in Honkai: Star Rail captivating.[156] Francesco Corica from Spazio Games praises the quality of the soundtrack in Honkai: Star Rail, noting that the music for each plot segment leaves a lasting impression.[157] Eurogamer's reviewer Jessica Orr applauds the music of Honkai: Star Rail for creating an immersive atmosphere, providing pleasant piano melodies, gentle chants, and lively electronic beats that correspond to different in-game scenes.[73] Marco Wutz from GLHF on Sports Illustrated states that the environmental music and battle tracks of Honkai: Star Rail have been lingering in their mind, making it unforgettable.[158]
↑ Former music producer for Genshin Impact; left in September 2023.
↑ Composed by Cai Jinhan, arranged by Zheng Xiaoyu, and lyrics by Xia Yihan. A vocal version of the song is titled Diva of Collapsing World (崩壊世界の歌姬, also localized as Honkai World Diva), performed by Mengjing Saya, along with the VOCALOID version.[5]
↑ Yuan Dimeng had already been revealed as a "music producer" alongside Chen Yupeng early in the video "Travelers' Reverie" — Behind the Scenes of the Music of Sumeru.[14]
↑ Released in China as Journey Crisis! The St. Freya Special Event Original Soundtrack.
Related Research Articles
The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra in Shanghai, China. Its music director is Long Yu.
Tia Ray is a Chinese singer-songwriter from Hunan, China. She rose to fame in 2012 as a contestant on the televised singing competition The Voice of China, where she finished as one of the final contenders. She has since released four commercially successful albums, all of which she co-wrote and co-produced.
Honkai Impact 3rd is a free-to-play 3D action role-playing game developed by miHoYo, published by miHoYo in mainland China and worldwide by Cognosphere, d/b/a HoYoverse. It is the spiritual successor to Houkai Gakuen 2, using many characters from the previous title in a separate story. The game is notable for incorporating a variety of genres, from hack and slash and social simulation, to elements of bullet hell, platforming, shoot 'em up and dungeon crawling across multiple single and multiplayer modes. It features gacha mechanics.
Genshin Impact is an action role-playing game developed by miHoYo, published by miHoYo in mainland China and worldwide by Cognosphere, d/b/a HoYoverse. It was released for Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, and Windows in 2020, and on PlayStation 5 in 2021. The game features an anime-style open-world environment and an action-based battle system using elemental magic and character-switching. A free-to-play game monetized through gacha game mechanics, Genshin Impact is expanded regularly through patches using the games as a service model.
Xilinnayi Gao, professionally known by her stage name Curley G or Curley Gao, is a Chinese singer-songwriter. She first gained attention in 2017 on the Chinese singing competition show Sing! China. In 2020, she participated in the survival show Produce Camp 2020, finishing first and debuting as the center of the girl group BonBon Girls 303. She was elected as the leader of BonBon Girls 303. In July 2022, she released her first EP to mark the beginning of her solo career.
miHoYo Co., Ltd., also known as miHoYo Network Technology Co., Ltd. or simply miHoYo, is a Chinese video game development and publishing company. In addition to games, the company has created various products such as animated series, novels, comics, music, and merchandise.
Xu Xinwen is a Chinese singer, dancer, and actress under Show City Times. She is known for participating in the 2020 girl group survival show Youth With You 2 and the 2018 survival show The Next Top Bang.
Hu Tao is a playable character in the action role-playing game Genshin Impact. She is voiced by Brianna Knickerbocker in English, Tao Dian in Chinese, Rie Takahashi in Japanese, and Kim Ha-ru in Korean. In the game, she serves as the 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor within the Chinese-inspired nation of Liyue. She made her debut as a playable character within the second phase of version 1.3 of the game on March 2, 2021.
Gufeng music is a type of music genre by artists originating from the Greater China region, It is a kind of C-pop music with the background of Chinese legends, the style of Chinese folk songs and drama, the melody that is similar to classical Chinese music and played by classical Chinese musical instruments. It is similar but slightly different from Zhongguo feng music.
Raiden Shogun is a character from Genshin Impact, a 2020 action role-playing gacha game developed by miHoYo. Added in a 2021 update for the game, she was initially a boss enemy for players to fight, and then later released as a playable character. Within the game's story, she is the ruling Archon of the game's Inazuma region. Consisting of two separate beings, the puppet body "Shogun" and the consciousness of Archon Raiden Ei, she originally acts as an authoritarian and stern ruler. As the game's story unfolds the two aspects come into conflict with one another, and in the aftermath Raiden Shogun adopts a more forward thinking approach to governing her nation. Drawing elements from a character they had developed for Honkai Impact 3rd, miHoYo devoted a significant amount of time with multiple teams towards Raiden Shogun's development. In all appearances the character is voiced by Anne Yatco in English, Park Ji-yoon in Korean, Ju Huahua in Chinese, and Miyuki Sawashiro in Japanese.
Yuanshen could refer to:
Honkai: Star Rail is a role-playing gacha video game developed by miHoYo, published by miHoYo in mainland China and worldwide by Cognosphere, d/b/a HoYoverse. It is miHoYo's first turn-based game, features the main character, referred to as the "Trailblazer", traveling across worlds through the Astral Express to help and connect the worlds while resolving disasters caused by the "Stellaron". The first closed beta test was launched on October 27, 2021. It was publicly released internationally on April 26, 2023, for Windows and mobile devices; with the PlayStation 5 port released on October 11, 2023. The PlayStation 4 version is still yet to be announced, as revealed at the latest Summer Game Fest with a trailer. It is the fourth installment in the Honkai series, utilising characters from Honkai Impact 3rd and gameplay elements from Genshin Impact.
Chen Yupeng, also known by his stage name Chen Zhiyi, is a Chinese composer and music producer best known for writing the soundtrack of Genshin Impact, an open-world action role-playing video game by HoYoverse. His work is known for its versatile style of integrating traditional Chinese musical instruments with Western orchestral arrangements. From 2019 to 2023, he was a music producer at HOYO-MiX, the in-house music studio of miHoYo, and led the music production of the game.
Since 2020, HOYO-MiX, the in-house music studio of the video game developer company miHoYo, has been releasing music soundtracks for in-game Genshin Impact. The music has received generally positive reviews, and has won several awards.
Honkai is a video game franchise developed by miHoYo, published by miHoYo in mainland China and worldwide by Cognosphere, d/b/a HoYoverse. Initially led by Cai Haoyu, David Jiang took over as the series producer from 2017.
Zhongli is a playable character in the action role-playing game Genshin Impact. He is voiced by Keith Silverstein in English, Peng Bo in Chinese, Tomoaki Maeno in Japanese, and Pyo Yeong-jae in Korean. Within the game, he serves as the former supreme ruler of the Chinese-inspired nation of Liyue and the mortal vessel of the Geo Archon, Morax, one of the Seven Archons of Teyvat.
Yun Jin is a fictional character in the action role-playing game Genshin Impact developed by miHoYo. The character was officially released in the 2.4 update titled Fleeting Colors in Flight, which was released on January 5, 2022. Yun Jin is portrayed as a successor of the traditional art form "Liyue opera" from the fictional nation of Liyue within the game, and she serves as the head of the local opera troupe, the Yun-Han Opera Troupe, as well as a leading actress. The character's Chinese voice actor is He Wenxiao, the Japanese voice actor is Kotori Koiwai, the Korean voice actor is Sa Moon-young, and the English voice actor is Judy Alice Lee. Yun Jin's dialogue and singing segments in Liyue opera are performed by Yang Yang.
Furina de Fontaine is a character from Genshin Impact, a 2020 action role-playing gacha game developed by miHoYo. First introduced to Genshin Impact in an August 2023 update, she serves as the game's Hydro Archon, the in-game equivalent of a god, as well as the leader of Fontaine and a celebrity for her people. She was added as a playable character in November of that year. As the game's story progresses, it is revealed that Furina is in reality the leftover humanity of the true Hydro Archon, Focalors, and that she possesses no powers beyond the curse of immortality, which has left her isolated. By the end of Furina's story, Focalors commits suicide, freeing Furina from her curse and allowing her to live her own life. She is voiced by Amber Lee Connors in English, Qian Chen in Chinese, Kim Ha-yeon in Korean, and Inori Minase in Japanese.
Paimon is a character from Genshin Impact, a 2020 action role-playing gacha game developed by miHoYo. She serves as the game's mascot, the player's guide, and icon for the game and official website. She has a petite body and the appearance of a flying fairy that speaks dialogue on the player's behalf and teaches them how to play the game. In all instances, the character is voiced by Corina Boettger in English, Duoduo Poi in Chinese, Aoi Koga in Japanese, and Kim Ga-ryung in Korean.
References
1 2 Sina Technology (December 13, 2021). "数字音乐专委会在沪成立，米哈游音乐负责人蔡近翰任副主任". Sina Finance (in Chinese (China)). Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
↑ GameLook. "米哈游音乐总监蔡近翰：游戏音乐要实现1＋1＞2的效果". Tencent News (in Chinese (China)). Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
↑ "原神 Symphony｜公式サイト". 原神 Symphony｜公式サイト (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2023-10-03. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
↑ 安德鲁; 灰信鸽; 托马斯之颅; 电了个教 (2022-11-14). "一更新大版本就登顶，《原神》靠的是什么". Game Grape (in Chinese (China)). Archived from the original on 2022-11-17. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
↑ 灰信鸽 (2023-09-12). "米哈游这位大佬，今晚宣布离职". Game Grape (in Chinese (China)). Archived from the original on 2023-11-03. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
↑ China Music Education Service Platform. "米哈游音乐总监：望更多从业者加入游戏音乐行业". China Music Education Service Platform (in Chinese (China)). Archived from the original on 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
↑ 新浪科技 (2021-12-13). "数字音乐专委会在沪成立，米哈游音乐负责人蔡近翰任副主任". finance.sina.com.cn (in Chinese (China)). Archived from the original on 2022-09-26. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
↑ Houkai Gakuen 2 (2017-05-28). "璀璨三连星【Eiportne】首专发售！！". Sohu. Archived from the original on 2024-02-07. Retrieved 2024-01-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
