and samplers as well as digital recording equipment were controlled by computers". In addition, MIDI devices such as the Roland XV-5080 and EM-U Proteus 2000 were most prominently used to create the games soundtrack. Live instrumentations by members of the Chicago Symphony and Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra were added where needed. The soundtrack features a wide range of sounds O'Donnell described as "Gregorian chant, string orchestra, percussion and just a bit of a 'Qawwali voice'". Working closely with level designers, O'Donnell divided the music "into chunks". Based on these "chunks", "[Halo's] audio engine could play [the music] back dynamically based on the player's actions". For the soundtrack release, O'Donnell rearranged the music featured in the game in order to make listening to the soundtrack "more enjoyable". Bungie had previously released soundtracks for their games due to fan request, but Microsoft was hesitant to commit to producing a soundtrack for Halo; at the time most video games did not get a commercial soundtrack release. The publisher finally relented after pressure from O'Donnell and the outside solicitation of musician Nile Rodgers. Reception Reception of the soundtrack was generally positive. IGN praised the soundtrack for its wide use of instruments: "Where other videogame scores tend to miss their mark when combining electronic and organic elements, O'Donnell and Salvatori seem to have found a rather stable balance between the two divergent sounds." They described the soundtrack as "one of the better videogame oriented musical experiences out there" and noted that playing the game is not required to enjoy the score. Reviewing for Monsters At Play, Michael Johnson called the soundtrack "66 minutes of orchestral goodness," citing the wide range of music covered as a strong point. Nuketown rated the soundtrack 9 out of 10, describing it as "a welcome and invigorating reminder of good times had blasting unstoppable alien hordes". The release went on to sell over 40,000 copies. Track listing All music was written and composed by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori. "Opening Suite" – 3:33 "Truth and Reconciliation Suite" – 8:25 "Brothers in Arms" – 1:29 "Enough Dead Heroes" – 3:00 "Perilous Journey" – 2:26 "A Walk in the Woods" – 1:52 "Ambient Wonder" – 1:57 "The Gun Pointed at the Head of the Universe" – 2:26 "Trace Amounts" – 1:51 "Under Cover of Night" – 3:41 "What Once Was Lost" – 1:40 "Lament for Pvt. Jenkins" – 1:14 "Devils... Monsters..." –