Half-Life soundtrack

Steam album artwork.

The Half-Life soundtrack was composed by Kelly Bailey.

Because the Half-Life CD-ROM complies to Red Book audio standards, it is possible to listen to the soundtrack through regular CD players (starting from track 02, as track 01 is the data track). It is also possible to extract all audio tracks heard in-game in the Steam version by navigating to steamapps\common\Half-Life\valve\media. On September 24, 2014, the soundtrack was made available as free DLC to all owners of the game on Steam. On March 16, 2020, Valve partnered with independent record label Ipecac Recordings to release several of the Half-Life series soundtracks on streaming services.

The soundtrack features heavy use of samples and loops, predominantly sourced from libraries produced by Zero-G and EastWest, as well as others.

Track listing

Game #	OST #	Track title	Filename	Time	Level location	Comments
01	03	Vague Voices	Prospero01.mp3	2:12	Black Mesa Inbound (c0a0): During the tram ride to Sector C.	Also appears in Half-Life 2 as Black Mesa Inbound.
02	04	Klaxon Beat	Half-Life12.mp3	1:00	Anomalous Materials (c1a0d): When Gordon Freeman acquires the HEV Suit.	An edit of this track appears in AudioSurf, with the first two seconds of the intro removed, under the filename hl1_song4.mp3.
03	05	Space Ocean	Half-Life07.mp3	1:36	Unforeseen Consequences (c1a0c): Played at the beginning of the chapter as Gordon makes his way out of the Test Chamber.	Also appears in Half-Life 2 as Echoes of a Resonance Cascade and as Tri-Vector Pre-Reverberation in Half-Life: Alyx.
04, 06, 17, 29	07	Apprehensive Short	Suspense01.mp3	0:23	Unforeseen Consequences (c1a1f): When seeing a Zombie convulsing in a chair in front of a flashing monitor. (first instance) Office Complex (c1a2): While exiting the elevator and seeing a live wire blocking the path. (second instance) Apprehension (c2a3a): When first encountering an Ichthyosaur. (third instance) "Forget About Freeman!" (c3a1a): In the sewers when approaching an Ichthyosaur. (fourth instance)	Also appears in Half-Life 2.
05, 31	06	Cavern Ambience	Half-Life10.mp3	1:40	Unforeseen Consequences (c1a1c): While descending on a platform as Headcrabs emerge from a vent above. (first instance) Lambda Core (c3a2e): While descending on a platform with a truck, prior to fighting the Black Ops. (second instance)	Also appears in Half-Life 2 as Zero Point Energy Field and in Half-Life: Alyx as Infestation Ambience.
07, 18	08	Bass String Short	Suspense03.mp3	0:09	Office Complex (c1a2b): In the cafeteria, where some zombies are picking over the corpses of some dead scientists and Headcrabs fall from the ceiling. (first instance) Apprehension (c2a3c): Upon entering the freezer area. (second instance)	Also appears in Half-Life 2.
08	09	Hurricane Strings	Half-Life09.mp3	1:33	Office Complex (c1a2c): In the dark room before the freezer area, where two zombies are eating from two scientists' dead bodies.	This version of the track appears in the retail game. It also appears in Half-Life 2 as Neutrino Trap.
09, 25	10	Diabolical Adrenaline Guitar	Half-Life02.mp3	1:44	"We've Got Hostiles" (c1a3d): Immediately after the first encounter with the HECU. (first instance) Surface Tension (c2a5b): After destroying the Apache and entering the cliff side pipes. (second instance)	This version of the track appears in the retail game. It also appears in Half-Life 2 as Lambda Core.
10	02	Adrenaline Horror	Half-Life01.mp3	2:10	"We've Got Hostiles" (c1a3b): When encountering the first Osprey of the game and a squad of HECU soldiers.
11, 23	12	Nepal Monastery	Half-Life04.mp3	2:08	Blast Pit (c1a4i): When entering the Silo and hearing the Tentacles for the first time. (first instance) Surface Tension (c2a5x): When entering the realm of the Tentacle in the sand. (second instance)
12, 28	13	Alien Shock	Half-Life15.mp3	0:36	Power Up (c2a1): Upon first seeing the Gargantua. (first instance) Surface Tension (c2a5g): When encountering the Gargantua in the parking garage. (second instance)	A faster version of this track appears on the Half-Life 2 soundtrack CD as Biozeminade Fragment.
13	28	Sharp Fear Short	Suspense07.mp3	0:06	Power Up (c2a1): Killing the Gargantua.	Also appears in Half-Life 2 and the Half-Life 2: Episode One trailer.
14	14	Sirens in the Distance	Half-Life14.mp3	1:13	On A Rail (c2a2): Descending into the tunnels at the beginning of the chapter.	A remixed version of this track appears in Half-Life 2 as Triple Entanglement.
15	17	Drums and Riffs	Half-Life03.mp3	2:04	On A Rail (c2a2h): After launching the Rocket. (first instance) Questionable Ethics (c2a4f): When picking up the Tau Cannon. (removed instance)	The instance of this track in the chapter Questionable Ethics only appears in the Net Test 1 Build Which was replaced with Nuclear Mission Jam in the Final Game. Also appears in Half-Life 2 as Tau-9.
16, 22	15	Nuclear Mission Jam	Half-Life16.mp3	2:00	Apprehension (c2a3): At the beginning of the chapter while on the railcar and encountering HECU troops. (first instance) Questionable Ethics (c2a4f): When picking up the Tau Cannon. (second instance)	The instance of this track in the chapter Apprehension only appears in Half-Life: Source, though there is an entity set to play the track (albeit with no trigger) in the original Half-Life. It also appears in Half-Life 2 as Something Secret Steers Us.
19, 32, 39	16	Scared Confusion Short	Suspense02.mp3	0:16	Apprehension (c2a3d): After seeing a security guard being assassinated by a Black Ops assassin. (first instance) Lambda Core (c3a2e): Upon entering the room with the Black Ops. (second instance) End Game (c5a1): After declining the G-Man's offer. (third instance)	Also appears in Half-Life 2.
20	22	Military Precision	Half-Life11.mp3	1:21	Residue Processing (c2a4a): When looking out from a vent to see a security guard fending off Headcrabs shortly before being killed by a Barnacle.
21, 27	27	Dark Piano Short	Suspense05.mp3	0:17	Questionable Ethics (c2a4d): Upon first discovering an Alien Grunt that is trapped in a glass enclosure. Surface Tension (c2a5d): Core of the missile storage room.	Also appears in Half-Life 2.
24	11	Valve Theme (long version)	Half-Life13.mp3	1:23	Surface Tension (c2a5a): During the cliff side area.	AKA Valve Theme [Extended]. This track is the Valve Software theme music, a short version of which is played during the Valve logo movie in all Valve games. The beginning of this track appears in Half-Life 2, and the full track also appears on the Half-Life 2 soundtrack CD as Hazardous Environments.
26	20	Electric Guitar Ambiance	Half-Life05.mp3	1:25	Surface Tension (c2a5c): During the area with Laser Trip Mines and a Sniper.	Also appears in Half-Life 2 as Escape Array.
30	18	Hard Technology Rock	Half-Life08.mp3	1:40	"Forget About Freeman!" (c3a1b): When encountering Alien Grunts fighting HECU troops in the repair bay.
33	19	Steam in the Pipes	Prospero02.mp3	1:56	Lambda Core (c3a2d): While opening the portal to Xen.	Also appears in Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One as Negative Pressure, and in Half-Life: Alyx as Processing Tripmines
34, 37	26	Threatening Short	Prospero05.mp3	0:37	Xen (c4a1): After entering Xen. (first instance) Interloper (c4a1f): At the portal leading to the Nihilanth's lair. (second instance)	Also appears in Half-Life 2 as Xen Relay.
35	21	Dimensionless Deepness	Prospero04.mp3	1:25	Xen (c4a1): The butterfly-activated teleport room leading to the Gonarch's lair.	Also appears in Half-Life 2 as Dirac Shore.
36	23	Jungle Drums	Half-Life06.mp3	1:50	Gonarch's Lair (c4a2): At the beginning of the chapter when encountering the Gonarch.
38	24	Traveling Through Limbo	Prospero03.mp3	1:17	Nihilanth (c4a3): While fighting the Nihilanth.	Also appears in Half-Life 2 as Singularity. This track was used in the E3 1998 Half-Life presentation, "Train."
40	25	Credits / Closing Theme	Half-Life17.mp3	1:39	Credits	A remix of this track appears in Half-Life 2 as Tracking Device.

Early and cut tracks

Two early mixes of tracks are present in the Half-Life Alpha, and two cut music cues are present in the Net Test 1 build.

Game #	OST #	Track title	Filename	Time	Level location	Comments
N/A	N/A	Hurricane Strings (alpha mix)	N/A	1:37	N/A	This version of the track appears in the 1997 press alpha leak. It was used in the E3 1998 Half-Life presentation, "Offices."
N/A	N/A	Diabolical Adrenaline Guitar (alpha mix)	N/A	2:39	N/A	This version of the track appeared in various advertisements for Half-Life as well as the 1997 press alpha leak. It was used in the E3 1998 Half-Life presentation, "Gruntfight."
N/A	N/A	Unknown 1	BETA_9.25.wav	0:20	N/A	An unused track present in Net Test 1. Possibly corresponds to one of the missing "Suspense" cues, either Suspense04.mp3 or Suspense06.mp3.
N/A	N/A	Unknown 2	BETA_9.27.wav	0:18	N/A	An unused track present in Net Test 1. Possibly corresponds to one of the missing "Suspense" cues, either Suspense04.mp3 or Suspense06.mp3.

External links

• Half-Life Soundtrack on Steam
• Half-Life Music Soundtracks on official Half-Life website
• Half-Life soundtrack on YouTube