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Archive: Behind the Scenes

Got To Get You Into My Life: HMXers And The Beatles Before The Beatles: Rock Band

Harmonix employees share their personal Beatles stories from before The Beatles: Rock Band to celebrate the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Read full post »


Working At Harmonix Is Awesome

I wanted to work for Harmonix. I used to email HMXHellion every few months, asking about open positions and including my resume, constantly trolling the job openings for something I could do. Read full post »


Harmonix Co-Founder Eran Egozy On "The Secret Life Of Scientists"

Learn more about Harmonix's co-founder Eran Egozy in "The Secret Life of Scientists." Read full post »


The Origin Of A Species: HMXers’ First Video Games (Part 3)

Many Harmonixers, as mentioned in Part 1 of this series, were lucky enough to have parents, grandparents, or aunts and uncles who encouraged them in discovering video games. Read full post »


The Origin Of A Species: HMXers’ First Video Games (Part 2)

At the end of Part 1, I promised you a malaria story if you came back for Part 2 of the series. Welcome back! Read full post »


HMX Desks: Robotkid

It comes as no surprise that the Robotkid has lots of mechanical friends hanging out with him in his office and on his desk. Read full post »


The Origin Of A Species: HMXers’ First Video Games (Part 1)

There was a day before I played my first computer game....I don’t remember it. I’m fairly sure it existed, though. Fortunately, I’m surrounded by people who do remember their first video games. Read full post »


I Want To Rock And Roll All Day... And Play My Console All Night

What games do Harmonixers play? That varies wildly from person to person and from season to season. Read full post »


An Inside Look At RBN Tools With Damian

When I first heard that they were looking for people at Harmonix who weren’t in the audio department to try their hand at authoring songs for the Rock Band Network, I jumped at the chance. Read full post »


Starlight Children's Foundation Visits Harmonix

A few weeks ago, a group of children and their families arrived at Harmonix for a day of Rock Band, cookies, and a sneak peek at The Beatles: Rock Band. Read full post »


Behind The Scenes: Face Melts And Wise Words From Kurt Of The Konks

HMXThrasher provides an insider's viewpoint of a fellow HMXer's live show, plus an exclusive interview with The Konks frontman Kurt Davis. Read full post »


The Beatles: Rock Band European Press Tour

In July, the Harmonix crew took The Beatles: Rock Band on its first big tour around Europe. Read full post »


HMX Desks: A Collection Of Collections

Another behind the scenes look at life at Harmonix - check out Milo's desk featuring Bandmates, Rubik's Cubes, and lots of game controllers. Read full post »


Harmonix Pepsi Videos

Create a music video and enter for a chance to win a moon man! Read full post »


HMX Desks: A Peaceful Garden

A beta fish named Buddy Holly, a bubbling water fountain and a collection of plants makes this the calmest office in the company. Read full post »


Rock Judge Manifesto

If you’re reading this your band has already qualified (or is about to qualify) to get ripped apart by me after your performance... Read full post »


HMX Desks - Attack Of The Tiny Zombies

Harmonix is full of awesome people with eclectic personalities. Sometimes those personalities literally spill out onto their workspace. Read full post »


HMXers' First Concerts: IV

Everyone remembers their first concert experience. It’s a rite of passage for everyone who appreciates music and live performance. In this series of behind-the-scenes articles, we explore the first concert experiences of Harmonix employees. For many HMXers these shows were defining moments in their lives that shaped future careers. Read full post »


HMXers' First Concerts: Part III

Everyone remembers their first concert experience. It’s a rite of passage for everyone who appreciates music and live performance. In this series of behind-the-scenes articles, we explore the first concert experiences of Harmonix employees. For many HMXers these shows were defining moments in their lives that shaped future careers. Read full post »


HMXers' First Concerts: Part II

Everyone remembers their first concert experience. It’s a rite of passage for everyone who appreciates music and live performance. Read full post »


HMXers' First Concerts: Part I

Everyone remembers their first concert experience. It’s a rite of passage for everyone who appreciates music and live performance. In this series of behind-the-scenes articles, we explore the first concert experiences of Harmonix employees. For many HMXers these shows were defining moments in their lives that shaped future careers. Read full post »


Cisco Presents: Rock Band Chapter 8

Our artists and designers take you inside the character and instrument designs; and define that mix of arena-rock and psychedelia that shapes our visual universe. Read full post »


Cisco Presents: Rock Band Chapter 7

The HMX community team brings Rock Band to the fans.  Read full post »


Cisco Presents: Rock Band Chapter 6

Find out how Nerf gun battles help our QA team find perfection.  Read full post »


Cisco Presents: Rock Band Chapter 5

Meet Rock Band champions Earth Wind & Centaurrr! Read full post »


Cisco Presents: Rock Band Chapter 4

A look at our Chinese connection, this chapter reveals why the guitars look so good. Read full post »


HMXers Favorite Rock Band Songs

What songs do the people behind Rock Band like to play in the game? Read full post »


Cisco Presents: Rock Band Chapter 2

So how exactly do you manufacture a million virtual drum sets? We found out so you don’t have to. Read full post »


Child's Play Charity Dinner Results

Every year we donate something or some things to Penny Arcade's Child's Play Charity dinner in Seattle, and this week was no different. Read full post »


HMX First Records Story

You always wonder about your coworkers’ formative musical experiences, especially in an outfit like this one. With that in mind, we posted an informal in-house poll, asking Harmonix folks about their first records, tapes and/or CDs. We were sure we’d find out that our brilliant colleagues were dreaming up music games in the womb, sneaking into CBGB at the age of ten, and absorbing the whole of music history. Read full post »


HMX On The Road LA (EPIC UPDATE)

Hope you're all doing well and shacking with antici....pation for Rock Band 2 to drop officially in just an hour and a half. I'm astounded and excited that all of the hard work we've done and all the feedback you guys have provided is finally being churned out on a real gods-honest videogame. ROCK! Read full post »


What Are You Guys Still Wondering About?

Hey everyone: Finished writing my epic blog update, and realized maybe you guys would want to ask a few followup questions with regards to Rock Band 2. So I figured I'd make a blog post here. Read full post »


Secret Rock Band 2 Feature Announced! (Update 4)

Harmonix senior designer Dan Teasdale reveals a super secret Rock Band 2 feature. Read full post »


PAX Wrapup

Some notes about PAX and an announcement from John. Read full post »


HMX On The Road Seattle

We've been wailing at PAX (penny arcade expo) pretty much round the clock since Thursday. Some pretty amazing stuff ("Sex Generals" Penny Arcade guys playing on stage, a band of storm troopers at our booth, a great panel featuring HMXers, this weeks DLC announcement and much more), but mostly just a LOT of Rock Band 2 playing. Like...A LOT. Read full post »


Nervous Breakdown

On the road at PAX, plus responding to some craziness on the forums. Read full post »


PAX And Tour Challenges

A closer look at Rock Band 2's Tour Challenges. Read full post »


Funland At The Beach

Harmonix employees take a break with a company-wide clambake. Read full post »


HMX On The Road- Leipzig Update #2

Live from Leipzig, en route to Munich, here’s my second and final missive from Germany, as I’m moments from boarding a flight back to JFK. Upcoming week in NYC should be great, including an awesome DLC night at Angels and Kings on Wednesday Evening (which is just a few blocks away from where I stay with friends when I’m in town…I’m quite the imposer). Read full post »


HMX On The Road- Leipzig Update

Read full post »


Rock Band 2 Statistics

Harmonix senior designer Dan Teasdale shares some interesting Rock Band 2 stats. Read full post »


Rock Band 2 Q&A, Part II

Harmonix senior designer Dan Teasdale answers more of your Rock Band 2 questions. Read full post »


John Drake Ransom-o-thon, Day #2

Day Two of what happens when the PR Coordinator doesn't approve a blog post. Read full post »


Rock Band 2 Small Stuff

Details on some small, but really awesome, Rock Band 2 features. Read full post »


John Drake Ransom-o-thon, Day #1

This is what happens when PR Coordinators don't approve blog posts quickly. Read full post »


This Is Boston, Not LA

Details of Rock Band 2 revealed at E3 Read full post »


E3 Round-Up

Harmonix visited E3 and revealed Rock Band 2 features. Read full post »


E3 Wrapup

John shares his E3 experience. Read full post »


Just Came Back From E3

Sean shares some of the passion Harmonix puts into their games. Read full post »


Julyoween

You are probably wondering where my bloggity blogging self has been for the past couple of weeks, well I have been working on an all encompassing secret project that has taken up all of my time. Read full post »


Inside Rock Band 2 Quickplay

Harmonix senior designer Dan Teasdale shares sneak peeks at the new Rock Band 2 Quickplay Menu. Read full post »


Never Go Back

A small note about reunion shows Read full post »


Rock Band 2 Q&A, Part I

Harmonix senior designer Dan Teasdale answers your questions about Rock Band 2. Read full post »


Crunch Time

John discusses the video game industry's legendary "crunch" times, and how it has changed over the years. Read full post »


Harmonix Answers Questions From The Forums, Part II

Harmonix continues to answer your questions from the forums. Read full post »


Harmonix Answers Questions From The Forums, Part I

Harmonix employees answer your burning questions from the forums. Read full post »


Everything Turns Gray

HMXHenry recommends some sad summertime storm listening materials. Read full post »


Let There Be Rock Band 2

Rock Band 2's lead designer reveals details about Rock Band 2. Read full post »


New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones

The Harmonix Community Team rocks the Nintendo World Store in New York City. Read full post »


MTV Movie Awards

Harmonix rocks with the American Gladiators, the Pussycat Dolls, and even Tila Tequila at the MTV Movie Awards. Read full post »


TV Party

HMXHenry shares his thoughts on the new Lego Indiana Jones game. Read full post »


Young And Dangerous

HMXHenry welcomes kids from Zumix to Harmonix HQ. Read full post »


Scene Report

H2O rocked the Middle East in Cambridge, near HMX HQ. Read full post »


No Friends

Please welcome Max, the Community Team Intern. Read full post »


Travel? Travel.

Harmonix celebrates the European launch of Rock Band. Read full post »


California Sun

HMXHenry shares his summertime feel good playlist. Read full post »


Everybody Wants To Rock And Roll

HMXHenry shares his most recently played tracks on iTunes. Read full post »


Trip To St. Paul

Harmonix participates in the Grammy Foundation's Career Day. Read full post »


Informational Post

On Fridays the whole of Harmonix gathers in the Freq Pit (a giant room in the middle of our main floor) for Weely. Weely is a weekly meeting and catered lunch.   Read full post »


At The Movies

HMXHenry's Top Five Movie Soundtracks Read full post »


More Than Fashion

Were The Ramones secretly a glam band? Read full post »


From Baseball Cards To Colored Wax

Anyone else have Vinyl Madness? Read full post »


Getting Back On The Horse

Getting back to writing Read full post »


First Recorded Outside Musician

Some backstory on Florence Foster Jenkins, an "outsider" musician Read full post »


Live Today

Support live music. Go see a show. Read full post »


Perfect Potato Recipe

Sean shares his perfect potato recipe with the world. Read full post »


State Of The Band - Software Update Announcement

Harmonix senior designer Dan Teasdale shares details of the new features in the latest software update to Rock Band. Read full post »


Valve Party At GDC And Special Preview Of An Upcoming DLC Song

New extra-special DLC song revealed! Read full post »


Grammy All Access

Sean gives you an all-access pass to backstage at the Grammys. Read full post »


Prodigal Brain Dump

The Rock Band community jumped from 5,000 members to 60,000 after the launch of the game. Read full post »


Pre-Production: Design Philosophies

Insight into the design choices made by the Rock Band team Read full post »


Pre-Production: Accessibility

Some notes about Rock Band's accessibility by leftys, color-blind people, and people with small hands. Read full post »


Pre-Production: More Drums

A behind-the-scenes look at the Rock Band drum kit Read full post »


Pre-Production: Elements Of Character

A look at the character creator in Rock Band Read full post »


Pre-Production: Intervention Edition

Hints on breaking into the music or gaming industries Read full post »


I'm Making A Note Here: HUGE SUCCESS

As you may have noticed I have been absent from blog writingclass the past few weeks. This is because I changed jobs, went on vacation, andhad a Monday holiday, in that order. Read full post »


Pre-Production: More Cowbell Edition

Real rock stars rock out on Rock Band Read full post »


Pre-Production: Cheezing Out

Things to do while waiting for Rock Band to hit stores Read full post »


Pre-Production: Drum Revisions

How the Rock Band drums came to be. Read full post »


Pre-Production: Ideas And Scope

Making large game tweaks costs a mossillion dollars. Read full post »


Harmonix Is Wired

Wired visited the Harmonix office and wrote up a nifty story on us. Read full post »


Pre-Production: Staying Quirky

A little bit of quirkiness can go a long way. Read full post »


Pre-Production: Testers

A letter from a Rock Band playtester Read full post »


A Title Is Required

This past week I finished the last of the Rock Shop names and descriptions (excluding instruments, that's Helen domain - she knows waaay more about instruments than I do), which leaves bug fixes for this week. I get all sorts of bugs, mostly grammar ones as I am notorious for forgetting commas. Some of my best bugs revolve around misinterpretations of slang terms. I have to give major props to EA QA though, as they have found a lot of tiny things I've needed to fix. Read full post »


Profile: Artist, John Dee

Q&A with Harmonix Artist John Dee. Read full post »


Write About It

Yesterday a group of us went to a magical place called Monster Golf! It's like an arcade and mini golf course in a black-lit, Halloween themed, former bank. The course is flat but has lots of angles and even wandering monsters in the form of two caked-up gangs of children dodging our every hole. I didn't get enough tickets for butterfly candy by playing Ice Ball (what monsters call ski ball), but rest assured I will return and conquer. Read full post »


Profile: Audio Lead, Eric Brosius

Q&A with Harmonix Audio Lead Eric Brosius Read full post »


Pre-Production: Playtest Thank You

A heartfelt thank you from a playtester Read full post »


Johnny Come Lately

Last Wednesday, August the 1st saw the inauguration of the following thread on our newsgroups, Subject: Damn you, bathroom boombox! The thread was started by Robotkid (our Creative Director) because listening to the bathroom boombox had caused him to purchase a reggae album. Read full post »


Better Than Quicksand

Saturday it rained a lot. Like, a lot. It rained so hard the QA ceiling leaked. It was also the first of a new weekly tradition: Sushi Saturdays. Since we are in crunch and nearly everyone is required to work Saturdays the company pays for lunch. Kris thought it would be cool if we had sushi for lunch to make working on those days nicer. Read full post »


Pre-Production: Visitors From Another Planet

More playtesters stop by the Harmonix office. Read full post »


Better Than Quicksand

Saturday it rained a lot. Like, a lot. It rained so hard the QA ceiling leaked. Read full post »


Where Everybody Knows Your Name

The BIG project is finished and can now be revealed... We Moved! (see I told you it wouldn't be that exciting for you) Read full post »


Pre-Production: New Space

Harmonix has a new office. Read full post »


Pre-Production: Just Having Fun

The joys of playtesting Rock Band are revealed. Read full post »


A Review Of Bad Mojo

A Harmonixer's review of '90s video game Bad Mojo Read full post »


Pre-Production: In Defense Of Dice

A look at the role chance plays in games. Read full post »


Pre-Production: Official Vs. Unofficial Systems

How to get things done in the real world. Read full post »


Clambake

Bum bum bum! Friday June 15th was the second annual Harmonix Clambake. My day started with checking email to see if anyone wasn't able to make it at the last minute (one person was sick, a couple more were stuck in CA). Read full post »


MMMM Brains

Zombie discussion ensues. Read full post »


Lemons Into Lemonade

In the event of a zombie takeover, we will trade you games for string cheese and beef jerky. Read full post »


My Annoying Morning!

Can I just say how annoyed I am this morning? Read full post »


Pre-Production: Design Utopia

A glimpse at video game design utopia. Read full post »


Monday, Bloody Monday

As you may or may not have noticed my blog was conspicuously absent last Monday. This is because I spent the majority of my non-work hours last week crunching on writing for something exciting. Read full post »


Why Things Take So Long

Sean explains why you haven't seen a gameplay video of Rock Band yet. Read full post »


Yes, We Listen To Everything

Sean explains that we read every song request fans send us. Read full post »


Pre-Production: Never Say Never

An insider's look at what not to do in a video game. Read full post »


Memorial Day Long Weekend

We were closed Memorial Day, which is a nice start to a summer where we'll probably have to crunch a little to get Rock Band out the door. When crunch rolls around the team works ten hour days, six days a week. Read full post »


Who Does What: Tech Art

An introduction to what a technical artist does Read full post »


Pre-Production: How To Make A Game

An insider's look at the step-by-step basics to making a video game. Read full post »


Further Explanation Of The Desert Heist

Sean tells his previously mentioned desert heist story. Read full post »


Tips For Rock Shows

Insider tips for surviving the rock scene. Read full post »


How Did I Get Here, Part I

Sean tells how he came to work at Harmonix. Read full post »


Pre-Production

The secret to good game development. Read full post »


The Stickers Are Red

The Harmonix library is what you probably wish your public library were like, full of games, books about games, the coolest art books ever, and books about programming for games. Read full post »


Clambake Ought Six

This week I need to call the catering place that feeds us during our clambakes. Last year one of their employees was nearly hit by lightening on our ill-fated trip. Read full post »


Focusing Your Furor Into Effective Emails

Sean provides guidelines for writing an angry letter to a company. Read full post »


Phantom Gourmet - Ghost?

Sean checks out MC Frontalot and fixes his mom's computer - all in one weekend! Read full post »


Sleep When You're Dead

Sean has an extremely busy week. Read full post »


Crash

Congrats! You crashed the site! Read full post »


I Go Through On Bets (Even When I Lose)

Sean explores why you shouldn't make bets you might lose. Read full post »


The Harmonix Life

Hi I'm Heather, my official title is: Librarian/Administrative Assistant. I maintain our book and game library as well as doing all sorts of administrative odds and ends. Read full post »


Welcome To Rock Band

Sean welcomes you to the new Rock Band website. Read full post »


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