Writing Engaging Suspense Music

Suspense music, intrigue, thriller score or mysterious underscore, are all words to describe pretty much the same thing; music that creates tension. Audiences of suspense productions need to feel uncomfortable, disturbed and at times terrified. How does a composer establish a sound of tension in their compositions? This article will focus on compositional techniques for creating engaging suspense music.

Recently I was given the task of creating a one minute promotional piece for Tokyo Snow Club’s Summer Splash 2010 trip. The brief was to create a thriller/suspense video that centered around a knife scene on a tour bus. The music was to build and swell, underscore a tour guide narration, then abruptly change into a fun and exciting modern sound while the trip’s details were displayed. The video then was to end with the Tokyo Snow Club logo.

The first step was to sum up what suspense music essentially consisted of. After some time spent listening, it was immediately clear that all suspense music has;
1) Crescendos and large percussion hits,
2) Dissonance and the use of minor scales or dark sounding modes,
3) Dark ambient sounds and samples,
4) Tension and release.

So let’s take a close look at each of these four points, as they form the basis of this article.

The Use of Percussion and Dynamics

What is it about crescendos and percussive hits that resonate so well with suspense music? If you take a close listen to any thriller underscore, you will immediately hear the swelling of strings and horns, strange ambient sounds entering and exiting, and a multitude of percussive strikes.

Crescendos and percussive hits help to guide and evoke emotions in audiences. They draw out the time it takes for events to happen in visual productions and can be used to raise concern in audiences when danger is not immediate. This in turn strengthens the time when danger does finally arrive.

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Don’t forget that crescendos and percussive hits can also be used to confuse and misguide audiences. Generally underscore music is used to support visuals, but it can be also used to give viewers false information. This is a very commonly used technique to draw out suspense in thriller and horror productions. Audiences are used to believing, or let us saying ‘feeling’ since they may not be completely paying attention to the music, that when a crescendo or percussive strike occurs, that an undesirable event is going to shortly thereafter happen.

Directors and composers take advantage of this technique, and can draw out, and strengthen the final event that the audience is anticipating. Without this kind of musical deception, audiences would be more inclined to predict the timing of events in thriller productions.

Dissonance and Note Choice

It goes without saying that suspense music relies on dissonance and carefully chosen musical scales to convince audiences to feel uncomfortable. The use of minor scales and the exploitation of the augmented fifth can help to quickly set the mood for tense music.

Without delving too deeply into the technical aspects of dissonant chords and modal scales, let’s just say that composers need to experiment with different sounds based on these scales and discover a sound they are personally happy with. It is without a doubt, that melodies based on these scales will naturally cause a feeling of tension, and combined with careful instrument and sound sample choices a composer can effectively create suspenseful music.

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Scales such as the aeolian mode, the sixth mode of the major scale which runs from A to A on the piano (only the white keys), and chords with the augmented fifth, are extremely effective for creating tense, suspenseful music. Experiment with different instrumentation playing melodies and harmonies based on the aeolian mode with some additional usage of augmented fifths.

Dark Ambient Sounds

This is an area of composition and sound design that can truly give composers their own unique style. The way that ambient sounds are incorporated into musical compositions is a delicate art and without rules. Listening through mainstream suspense music it is evident however, that some sounds have become ‘industry standards’. The sound of glass bottles slid across the strings of grand pianos, the subtle sounds violins can produce in an orchestra, or the endless world of digitally created and manipulated samples.

The point really is, to find sounds that can effectively fulfill the goal of creating engaging suspense music, whilst also giving composers a sound stamp that can be recognized by directors, fellow composers and in some cases audiences. Simply listening to the huge amount of suspense music available can give plenty of ideas about what to sample.

Production techniques for creating samples is another article in itself, and taking a close look at Spencer Sternberg’s Making Sound Effects article may prove informative in this regard. In summary, time stretching, pitch shifting and careful use of effect processing can lead to amazing ambient sounds.

Tension and Release

Having tension at the beginning of the Summer Splash promotional piece creates a more effective impact when the modern sounding music enters later in the piece. Tension and release is a common compositional device to help lead listeners into feeling the progression of a musical piece. In popular music, it is used in chord progression choice to help distinguish when a section of the music is going to end and be replaced by a new section (such as the use of a pre-chorus before a chorus).

In the Summer Splash promo the release comes with a funky loop to support a list of informative titles.

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The tension before the introduction of the modern music is used to build up anticipation in listeners, causing the final information in the promo to have a stronger effect. In suspense music, tension and release is used to build emotion and anticipation in listeners, and from a composers point of view needs to follow the action in the picture. Tension and release can be used continuously, rising and falling, to help accentuate the final arrival of an event.

The Tokyo Snow Club logo completes the end of the promo, so the music changes quickly back to a final suspense sting. This is to keep in the suspense theme of the promo and also support the logo.

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Final Thoughts

Experimentation is the key word when creating suspense music. By basing composition on the ideas of dissonance, scale choice, instrument choice and sample choice, a composer can experiment with a personal style of creating suspense music. Pay attention to the order of events in the visuals and try to misguide audiences at times, to create a stronger effect when final events to arrive.

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Take a look at the final version of Tokyo Snow Club’s Summer Splash promo by Spencer Sternberg.

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Part Two continues on from Writing Music for the iPhone, which looked mostly at instrumentation, motifs, structure, recording processes and the importance of critical listening for iPhone game music composition. Part Two focuses on creating thematic development through the use of varied instrumentation.

When composing music for a project that requires a large number of music tracks within a short period of time, utilizing thematic variation can save you enormous amounts of time. This variation also helps with impacting a more memorable soundtrack on the listener. The key to effective thematic music is short, catchy motifs, that are repeated by varied instrumentation, over several different tracks in a game’s score.

This article looks at writing game music for the iPhone and aims at giving suggestions towards producing varied video game music.

Is thematic music important?

Thematic music is derived from motifs; short melodic or rhythmic lines played to elicit particular feelings from a listener. The motifs could be used to create any kind of feeling, from intrigue, to surprise, to sadness. In computer game music, themes are often used to remind a listener what game they are playing and can be used to instill a game more vividly in a player’s mind.

Thematic music has another function however, and that relates to productivity. For a composer, an enormous amount of time is spent on creating melodic material, be it woodwind lines over a percussion loop, or a vocal melody over hip hop beats. By basing a game’s soundtrack on as little as two or three main themes, more time can be spent polishing the production of the game’s individual tracks .

Once the motifs have been established, creating more tracks in a game simply comes down to the use of varied instrumentation.

Repetition vs. variation

Repetition can be very annoying, but it is also a necessary part of music, especially music that accompanies visual material. Without repetition it would be easy for a player to forget where they were in a game and even what game they were playing. Varying instrumentation is a clever compositional technique that allows motifs to be repeated without incurring the same repetition that individual instruments are prone to suffer from. By passing a motif from one instrument to another the thematic ideas can be more subtly instilled in a player’s memory.

The choice of instrumentation ultimately comes down to what the game level requirements are.  If it is a tense, war battle scene, then some large orchestral brass and woodwind sections might work well. If it is a mystical forest scene, then some wood and metal percussion would most likely hit the spot.

Instrument choice for video game music should be based on the feelings the instruments elicit. This is an area of composition that any creator of game music needs to strive to be an expert in.

How were the themes varied in Plushed?

In the case of Track Eight of Plushed, the brief was to create a music track the followed the main character through the room of a princess. The keywords and phrases were; ‘huge’, ‘creepy’, ‘dollhouse’, ‘symbolizing a young girl’s dreams’, ‘zombie/skull twist’, and ‘princess is a little insane now’. From this, it was immediate that some kind of music box or toy piano sound was needed to satisfy the ‘young girl/dollhouse’ element, whilst also needing some dark ambient sounds to take care of the ‘creepy’ element.

By taking a closer look at the first track of Plushed it is more clear how effective varied instrumentation can be. The first track of Plushed consists of one flute melody, introducing one of the main theme motifs, whilst being supported by light cello pizzicato. It also has a repeat of this motif played by violas, and an ending with oboe and clarinet. Track Eight of Plushed is a variation of this track.

The pizzicato cellos from Track One were replaced by a toy piano, a glockenspiel and a vibraphone.

Track One: Pizzicato Cello

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Track Eight: Toy Piano

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The main flute motif from Track One was then replaced with a bassoon, which gives a darker, and also more playful effect than the flute.

Track One: Flute

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Track Eight: Bassoon

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The oboe motif from Track One was then reinforced by a choir section to add more texture to the theme. This building of the theme’s texture helps to the notify the player that they have progressed further in a game. A short harmonizing clarinet line also helps to add texture the the motif that was introduced in Track One.

Track One: Oboe

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Track One: Oboe and Choir

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As can be seen from the manuscript above, very little has changed when transferring the Track One motifs to Track Eight. However, for a listener playing a game, this technique of varied instrumentation can show development in game’s storyline, create a more memorable soundtrack and also help a composer make better use of their precious time.

Final Thoughts

It is incredibly useful to have the earlier version of a theme for a player to reference against. Since Track One of Plushed is so light and harmonious, by the time the player has reached Track Eight, they realize that the game has turned a lot darker since the time they first began playing.

From the manuscript in this article, it is easy to see that after a main theme has been composed, it is only a matter of varying the instrumentation to create a whole new track. This can save that precious extra time needed, for a composer to find the difference between creating a good game soundtrack and great game soundtrack.

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For your reference, the two final versions of Track One and Track Eight, from the iPhone game Plushed, have been added below;

Track One (Final Version):

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Track Eight (Final Version):

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Continuing from the last article regarding fireworks sound effects, Part Two looks closely at microphones for recording fireworks samples. While mostly microphone choice is about the best quality and most accurate possible recordings, its important to consider obstacles and dangers with the recording location, such as weather, crowds and your own security.

Microphones Used for Recording Fireworks

The following four microphones were used for recording fireworks sound effects; Firstly, the Takstar SGC-578, a shotgun microphone for dialogue and sound effects. Secondly, the Takstar PCM-6100, an instrument microphone mostly for orchestral and piano recordings. Thirdly, a compact stereo condenser microphone that ships with the M-Audio Microtrack II. And lastly, a Sony lapel condenser microphone.

All four microphones gave acceptable and usable recordings, but in regards to quality and convenience of recording, they are very different microphones. To understand the fireworks recordings below, we need to take a closer look at each microphone.

Note: All samples below are straight from the audio recorder and have been normalized for easier listening. The process of mixing samples will be explained in more detail in Fireworks Sound Effects – Part Three.

Shotgun Microphone

The Takstar SGC-578 is a decent location sound effects microphone with a bright, clean middle range. Its two polar patterns make it useful for choosing between directional and more ambient sounds. Its large size and the essential use of a shock-mount make using this microphone less convenient than the other smaller microphones. Whilst its bright mid-range delivers clear and results full of presence, its gradual roll-off above 5K misses some of the nice ‘fizzing’ sounds heard from many fireworks. It also seems to be lacking a good low-frequency response compared to the other microphones.

The first fireworks sample was recorded with a cardioid pattern.

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Whilst the second fireworks sample was recorded with a hyper-cardioid pattern.

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Instrument Microphone

The Takstar PCM-6100 is an instrument microphone mostly for orchestral and piano recordings. Apart from its peak at around 9K it has a reasonably flat response.

Stereo Microphone

The M-Audio Microtrack II ships with a compact stereo condenser, that with its mini-jack, conveniently plugs into the recorder. Surprisingly, this microphone offers a very wide and accurate frequency response, with an adequate stereo image. There is a noticeable proximity effect, though when recording ambiance or the high sound pressure sources such as fireworks this is not a noticeable issue.

Lapel Microphone

This very small microphone is designed for speech recordings and so has a very good mid-range response for fireworks recordings. Most small capsule condensers, like the lapel and the stereo microphone, also have a bright high-frequency response making them highly effective for capturing the complex characteristics of fireworks.

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Final Thoughts

Microphone choice for recording fireworks samples is dependent on many factors. Of course quality is of utmost priority but its not always easy carrying a larger microphone, especially in crowded or dangerous locations. While small capsule microphones can provide excellent results, it is an ideal situation to have several microphones and spend the time recording enough samples that you can later go through and edit.

For more on mixing and editing fireworks samples, read through Fireworks Sound Effects or keep an eye out for the next audio industry article by Spencer Sternberg.

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If you have access to a royalty free music library, or you are searching through an online music library, you may find the task difficult when it comes to choosing the right royalty free music track for your project. It is important to have an insight into how different music tracks affect different kinds of visual projects. This article takes a close look at the process of choosing a royalty free music track for a short stop-motion piece.

Is Music that Important?

If a project has the intention of eliciting feelings or actions from viewers then music is not only important, it is integral. Music has the powerful function of changing the impact and ingestion of a visual project completely. Understanding how different styles of music and music compositions affect audiences is a field in itself and often a task given to music composers and music directors.

In many cases a project may not have the luxury of a musical director or contracted music composer. It may be left to the editor to simply experiment with different tracks, placed together with the visuals, until the desired effect has been met. This is a technique composers often use to establish the most suitable musical styles and compositional technique for various kinds of visual productions. Before looking more closely at editing experimentation, it may be faster to simply consult a composer.

Consult a Composer

So you have come across a high-quality royalty free music library with hundreds or even thousands of music tracks and you have no idea where to begin in your search. Of course you do not have hours of time available to listen through the samples and the search options may not be working for you either.

Consulting the composer of the royalty free music library may reap much faster and more tailored results. By explaining your project and desired outcomes a composer can find an appropriate track quickly and accurately. To make your communication easier you should consider the following points;

1. Outline the specifics of your project; “We are working on a two-minute promotional video for a financial company. The first thirty-seconds is a fast sequence of city buildings. The next minute is slower paced pans of office interiors ending with thirty-seconds of statistical graphs and animations. The whole two-minutes has a voice-over.”
2. Outline the audience of your project; this can help to make music genre choices. By understanding the audience, more appropriate music styles can be chosen.
3. State the desired outcome of the project; “We want to inspire the viewer and motivate them into contacting us.”
4. Reference other music tracks; where possible it can be helpful to a composer to reference other music compositions.
5. Speak with language that easily bridges fields of expertise; replace abstract art terms with simple emotional descriptions.

You may also benefit from asking a composer to tailor a royalty free music track for your project. The cost may be much lower than a custom composed track, especially if you choose a track from an existing music library and ask the composer of the library to alter the track to suit your individual project needs.

Experiment with Music Editing

A production company will either have a large collection of royalty free music or will need to go in search of new libraries. Both scenarios are completely different for editors. Full access to a music library is by far the most ideal situation allowing the editor to experiment by placing different tracks together with the visuals and seeing which works better. However, listening to online samples from a music library may be limited to short samples, interfering library voice-overs and timing issues.

The benefit of experimenting with different music tracks is that directors and editors can experience the varying effects the music can produce. The downside of course is that it is time-consuming and projects may be pressed for time. If time is tight, then at least experiment with two or three different tracks to see how the rhythm of the music plays with the cuts of the edit.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right royalty free music for a visual project is a difficult and time consuming task. From the point of view of a director or editor, experimentation is often an effective way to find the most suitable royalty free music track. If time permits however, a project can benefit greatly from consulting a composer. A music composer can offer valuable knowledge and insight to a production team, even if it is only to advise which music track from a royalty free music library is most appropriate.

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As a composer, you are continually approached by people to write music. It can be in a field you are experienced in, or it can be in new fields that you have yet to experiment with. When delving into these new fields, all a composer has is the knowledge of prior compositional technique and the ability to research new techniques for music composition. A composer must determine what the role of the music is in the project and what tools are needed to produce a stylized and effective piece of music.

This article follows the thoughts and processes of creating a thirty minute music composition to be used by an artist in the Live Art field.

What is Live Art?

Live Art put simply is the creation of an artwork in real-time, influenced by outside stimuli, in this case a prewritten musical composition. It is a broad field, encompassing all kinds of performing and visual arts. This article focuses purely on music for Live Visual Art.

The artist presses play and the track begins. They pick up their tools and start to add to their canvas. The style of the music sets the scene and the slight nuances give the artist new ideas. The track develops and so does the artist’s work.

How is Live Art Music Different?

Music for Live Art is definitely unique. To begin with, an artist is performing a primary task so the music is secondary. A composers approach to themes and repetition are different to those of other kinds of compositions. In Live Art Music repetition can be used to instigate and help build ideas for the artist.

The Structure of a Thirty Minute Composition

The composition from this article consists of piano, strings, various electronic elements and a drum track. The track is dominated by the piano and strings which play the main motifs and chord progressions. Here is a brief outline of the composition’s structure;

Movement One:
* Solo piano plays the first theme
* Rhythmic electronic elements with drums
* Strings play main chord progression with drums
* Piano plays second theme supported by strings

Interlude:
* Ambient soundscape with dreamlike pads
* Rhythmic electronic element reintroduced

Movement Two:
* Rhythmic electronic elements with drums (extended version)
* Strings play main chord progression with drums (extended version)
* Piano theme variation with rhythmic elements, drums, and strings
* First piano theme with light rhythmic accompaniment
* Solo rhythmic element
* Piano plays second theme (extended version)
* Piano plays second theme supported by strings

Interlude:
* Ambient soundscape with dreamlike pads (extended version)
* Rhythmic electronic element reintroduced

Movement Three:
* Rhythmic electronic elements with drums (extended version)
* Strings play main chord progression with drums (extended version)
* First piano theme with rhythmic elements, drums, and strings
* Solo piano plays first theme as outro

Movement One: Introducing Thematic Elements

The track opens with light piano, introducing the main theme of the composition and the chord progression that is the basis for the piano development and string progressions. A heartfelt mood is created immediately by the piano theme as the intention was to create a composition that would have impact when the artist was producing their artwork.

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The introduction of the rhythmic elements, provide the artist with a surprising array of colors and contrasts the solo piano. The composition needs to blatantly, and at times subtly, provoke the artist into making creative choices. The large percussion hits help to add impact and depth to the soundscape, while the electronic elements lay the foundation of the rhythm.

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The drum track is added briefly, serving only as an introduction to be used later in the second movement, and more extensively in the third movement. It is intended to spark ideas that later the artist will hear again and help to develop those ideas.

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As the drums abruptly stop, the hi-hats continue while the first string progression is introduced. It is based on the chord progression the first piano theme is centered around. Again, this is only briefly introduced and will be used more in the later movements.

The first movement comes to an end with the piano playing the second theme which is used as an outro to movement one and two. The second theme has a slightly darker feel and helps with the changeover to the interlude.

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Strings are used to support the piano playing the second theme and also help extend the length that the piano theme can be played, by offering variation to the musical texture.

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Interlude: Bridging the Movements

Writing a composition that spans half an hour is a challenging task and is why this composition has three movements. By using an interlude between movements, the artist can find more space to develop their ideas, as well as have a stronger impression when the themes are re-introduced in later movements. The interlude is made up of two elements; an ambient electronic pad and dreamlike bell synthesizer. They create a sparse, yet provocative soundscape for the artist to continue working on their ideas.

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A third electronic element is slowly introduced, which is part of the rhythmic element from the first movement, and helps to bridge the interlude to the second movement.

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Movement Two: Addition and Variation

The second movement is basically an extension of the first movement with a longer buildup to the drum section, a longer drum section, and a variation on the first piano theme.

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It also has a much longer middle section, where the first piano theme is supported by the electronic rhythmic element.

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An extended version of the second piano theme ends the second movement.

These new elements allow the duration of the second movement to more than double the first movement’s length without giving the artist too much repetition.

Interlude: Preparing for the Third Movement

This is essentially the same interlude as the first, with a longer length before the rhythmic element is introduced.

Movement Three: Linking Elements and Expansion

The third and final movement is a culmination of the first and second movements in an extended form, with a much longer drum and string section, and the first piano theme played in its entirety.

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The solo piano then plays the first theme as an outro.

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Compositional Style and Choice of Genre

The composition that is created is ultimately going to inspire and direct an artist of Live Art, so compositional style and choice of genre are of incredibly importance. Conceptual ideas can be discussed between the composer and the artist if the collaboration requires, while some projects may produce other interesting results if there is no prior communication. The point is that a composer needs to understand how different styles of music can affect an artist.

Final Thoughts

Writing music for artists of Live Art requires a different outlook on thematic development and variation. Since visual art shares a similar theory in regards to themes and variation, it is important to recognize how these technical traits can be portrayed in musical compositions and successfully interpreted by an artist. The key is to find an effective balance in the repetition and development of themes, and to add subtle textural nuances to spark creative ideas in the artist.

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When writing music, especially music that is required to support visuals, it is important to know who the audience is and how they will perceive the music. What kind of music are they familiar with? Which instruments will they recognize as suggesting the feel and mood of the visuals? How can a composer safely branch out from the norm, to satisfy ones creativity, yet ensure that the music will be received well by the audience?

In the case of writing the music for Plushed, the iPhone creation by Blacksmith Games, the question that was immediately apparent was; how can a short looping composition catch the attention of an audience and also remain instilled in their memory?

This article explores the process of writing video game music, based on the compositional process for one of the ten levels of music from the iPhone game Plushed.

Step One: Choose your instruments

After receiving the brief of a game, and in particular the brief of a level, a composer has a fairly clear idea about what the requirements and aims of the music should be. This is at least in reference to the characters, the setting and the mood. With these key elements in mind, choosing the instrumentation for video game music is simply a matter of answering the question; what instrument creates what mood?

How important is instrumentation?

The instrumentation in a game is one of the most powerful methods of eliciting setting and mood. Listeners can, at least subconsciously, associate sounds of instruments with particular places or feelings. Take for example pizzicato strings, which immediately conjure up images of tiptoeing and sneakiness.

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The point is not if a listener is consciously listening to the pizzicato strings, though a composer would prefer at times they did not, the point is that a composer needs to be knowledgeable about which instruments create which effect.

Why choose orchestral instruments for Plushed?

The instruments across the orchestra are exotic, unique and incredibly varied. Using orchestral instruments makes for easy sharing of melodies and motifs across instruments, which allows for both an increase in suitable repetition and an increase in variation. Repetition is incredibly important in thematic music as it is used to impress a theme onto an audience. However, too much repetition can disempower the effect of a theme and therefore variation is needed to give thematic music space.

Step Two: Create your motifs

Motifs are where music derives its character, and when writing music for video games is where the characters derive their place in a game. From a high, fluttering flute line, to a deep, dark string run. Without this important compositional technique video game music would be unrelated and disconnected from the essence of the game.

Motifs are the melodic and rhythmic material that is at the core of a theme. It is what will be used and modified when developing a theme and is the basis for reminding an audience of a theme.

What are the second level motifs in Plushed?

The second level game music in Plushed is rich with motifs; the pizzicato strings and flute being very prominent in the opening sequence.

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While the oboe has several small motifs also. Such as at bar ten,

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and also at bar nineteen.

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Then there is the clarinet and bassoon counterpoint at bar fourteen,

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and the rising flute run at bar sixteen.

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Motifs can be very short, even just several notes. As long as a motif achieves its goal of contributing to a theme, then duration is of lesser importance.

Step Three: Build your structure

What would a series of motifs be without structure? Structure determines the impact of thematic music by deciding how motifs can be developed and shared across instruments. It controls when and for how long main motifs will be played. It is also the key factor for creating variation.

Structure and compositional technique

The game music for the second level of Plushed is a one minute looping track, consisting of twenty-three bars of flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, pizzicato strings, legato strings, marimba and light percussion. The track is dominated by the flute and the oboe, which play the main motifs. The track structure is as follows;

1. (Bar one) – Light percussion introduced
2. (Bar two) – Pizzicato string motif
3. (Bar three) – Ascending marimba run
4. (Bar four) – Flute motif call
5. (Bar five) – Pizzicato string and marimba response
6. (Bar seven) – Flute motif extension
7. (Bar eight) – Pizzicato string and marimba variation
8. (Bar ten) – Oboe motif
9. (Bar twelve) – Pizzicato string and marimba repeat
10. (Bar fourteen) – Bassoon and clarinet counterpoint motif
11. (Bar sixteen) – Flute ending motif
12. (Bar eighteen) – Ascending marimba run
13. (Bar nineteen) – Oboe ending motif with pizzicato strings

The track opens with light percussion, running at ninety-two beats per minute, which sets a relaxing, yet playful tempo for level two. Being only the second game level out of ten levels, the percussion consists only of pitched finger drums and shakers, as the later levels have more percussion.

Mood is created almost immediately by the introduction of the pizzicato strings which are based around the aeolian scale. Since Plushed is a side scrolling action game, the pizzicato strings give the track a light, playful feel and work well together with the movement of the main character.

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The aeolian scale is essentially a harmonic minor scale with a lowered seventh. It has a dark, mystical feel, and harmonies based on the aeolian scale resonant well with visuals that are seeking to be engaged by the audience.

Following shortly after is a medium paced, ascending marimba motif, based also around the aeolian scale. This was added to bridge the pizzicato strings to the flute and oboe and accentuates the playful nature of the track. By basing the marimba on the aeolian scale, it creates a light tension that is also supported by the dissonant sounding legato strings.

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At bar four the flute is introduced, playing a short motif, the first of a two part sequence. The pizzicato strings and marimba then repeat, and the second part of the flute motif follows in bar seven. This is an example of a call and response between the strings and the flute, with the marimba acting as a bridge. This kind of call and response gives variation and also helps in the build up towards later sections in the music.

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At bar eight and nine the pizzicato strings and marimba double together to play a new motif. This is a development from the first cello motif and helps lead into the oboe motif.

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By bar ten the call and response between the cellos and the flute has been well established. By bar ten in a twenty-three bar composition, the time is right to vary the flute motif, and so the oboe motif in introduced, giving instrumental variation.

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There is then a movement to a bassoon and clarinet motif. By having the bassoon and clarinet play in counterpoint allows for more harmonic interest and relieves the flute and oboe from the task of lead motifs. With the flute and oboe sitting in the higher register, the bassoon and clarinet balance the melodic range of the track.

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By bar sixteen it is time to return to the flute, which has been the main motif instrument, and so a small climax is reached by the introduction of a new rising flute motif.

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The track comes to an end with a new oboe motif, supported by the original pizzicato strings motif.

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The decisions about structure come from a balance between the lead motifs and their supporting instruments. Variation of instrumentation, together with repetition of the main motifs, is the key to creating a memorable composition.

Step Four: The recording process

At this point in the compositional process it comes time to record. Ideally, the score will be printed off and given to the players that are required. Though not every situation is ideal and the budget for many games will not be high enough to pay for the performance and recording of quality orchestral players. If that is the case, then it is best to create the best sound quality possible with the equipment at hand.

With the production of the video game music for Plushed, high quality orchestral samples were used and were triggered by a midi score. There are advantages to this style of composition, primarily the time required to create a fully produced score, and the soundtrack of a video game can be composed in very short amount of time.

An important point to make is that a lot can be achieved by remixing the samples used in midi compositions. By utilizing effects and mixing techniques, the scale and perception of a score can be greatly enhanced. Through the use of layering, delays and high quality reverbs, an already sweet sounding score can move into a whole new realm.

Step Five: Listen and listen again

Compositions need to be checked and listened to, repeatedly, before they are completed, and in the case of video game music, submitted. It is a good idea to try out methods that prove whether a track can be repeatedly listened to. For video game music, which is going to be heard over and over again, the last thing a composer wants is the listener muting the audio because it is too repetitive and boring.

The best way to limit the chances of repetition is to make full use of variation in instrumentation and thematic devices. By having several key motifs that are balanced across varying instruments, the chance of the music sounding repetitive and boring will be greatly reduced.

Testing the music in different situations can help a lot too. Using a game music track as a ring tone for example, is an interesting way to see how well the track will be received. How long will a person keep that ring tone? They will certainly change it if they find the music too obtrusive or too repetitive.

Final Thoughts

This article has explored techniques for making video game music through the explanation of how one level of a ten level iPhone game was produced. It needs to be strongly emphasized that the balance between well thought out instrumentation and varied, engaging motifs, will produce video game music that is powerful and memorable.

To see the final version of the second level game music of Plushed, an ingame video has been included for reference. Note: At 45seconds the game play video changes to a higher game level music track.

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When visual material is produced, music and sound are created to add impact and to persuade audiences in the way the producer desires. Often in the world of production, be it for computer games, advertisements, or corporate videos, time can be short. There may not be enough time to have a music composer write specialized music for the production.

This is where royalty free music comes in. A producer can search the internet to find a royalty free music library, an online resource where they can preview and download either individual tracks, or full albums of royalty free music. This saves precious time during post-production deadlines and is also easy for producers to hear from the music previews exactly what they are paying for, before the music is delivered.

This article explores the advantages and disadvantages of using royalty free music, as compared to a music composer writing specialized music, for a production.

What is Royalty Free Music?
Royalty free music is music that has a one-time payment in exchange for a license agreement to use the music, without having to pay royalties to royalty collecting bodies (as radio and television stations must do). License agreements can differ enormously, though common license agreements state that the music can be used in any kind of production, distributed any number of times, and for a never-ending time period. A common term of use of royalty free music is that the music cannot be resold in its original form. In the most common situation, royalty free music is music that can be used repeatedly in productions while only having one, initial payment.

What is a License Agreement?
A license agreement is a legal document that outlines how the royalty free music can, and cannot be used. The most common parts of a royalty free music license agreement state where the music can be used, how the music can be distributed and for how long the music can be used. Some license agreements are for a short period of time, such as a one off television spot, while others are for a timeless period. Another common part of a license agreement is what cannot be done with the music, most commonly selling the original music or re-recording it and re-selling it as new music.

The Benefits of Royalty Free Music
The three key benefits of using royalty free music are availability, choice, and price. Having music that is fast to find, fast to choose, and fast to satisfy the budget, resonates with the high demands on production companies.

The internet is filled with royalty free music libraries of exceptional quality. Within seconds, a producer can search for, and begin previewing music tracks. The amount of choice available is incredible, with music from all kinds of genres, composed for all kinds of applications. The power is behind the preview, with the choice being made easy by being able to hear exactly what will be delivered. Compared to contracting a composer to write exclusive music for a production, royalty free music can never let a producer down. If the preview is not what a producer is seeking, then it is simply a matter of moving onto another preview.

Of course price is always a factor in a production, and paying for exclusive music from a competent composer often comes with a hefty fee. Royalty free music does come at a cheaper price than a contracted composer and this should not be seen as a measure of quality, but simply as a measure of saving. With royalty free music, it is immediate whether the music is worth the cost, and fast decisions are integral to a fast production.

Is there a Downside?
Certainly there are negative sides to all things and why would royalty free music be any different? With the music having been written to only a concept and not a specific production, it may sound disconnected from the visuals, especially if the visuals follow a tight timing of events that need to be strictly supported by the sound. The music may not capture the feeling of the visuals as well as a specialized piece written by a composer.

There is also the downside of using the same music track that a group of other production companies are also using, though depending on where the production will be shown, this is not as bad as it seems.

Final Thoughts
Royalty free music has its place in every production company. It does save time and money, and can be chosen easily through the wealth of online royalty free music libraries.

Producers should not be discouraged from using royalty free music. In many situations, an audience will not be aware if a track has been used in another production or not. If a producer has concerns the same track is being used by competitors then the producer can always contact the composer and ask about a custom version of that royalty free music track.

Music is part of a production to create an effect. As long as the music can fulfill its requirement, then the saving in time, energy and cost, is the advantage of using royalty free music.

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Fireworks are, without a doubt, an amazing and incredible sight, but how about the sound of fireworks. How can we recreate the sound of fireworks and what are some of the obstacles we might face when given the task of recreating firework sound effects.

The fire lights the wick and the tension builds. The time before the initial charge shoots into the air is like slow motion. First, there is the light, shortly followed by what can only be described as the most colorful sound imaginable.

What lays in this article not only encapsulates the creation of effective fireworks sound effects, but also the illustration of how powerful quality recordings can be for creating unique sound effects.

Recording Fireworks

The first stage of any kind of sound effect creation is the recording of a high quality sample. It is an incredibly important point to make, that recordings need to be the highest quality they can possibly be. Later, when you mix and add effects to these recordings, you will be seeking the greatest amount of audio information you can get your hands on. Take for example two pictures; one is a low light blur of a night scene, the other is a crisp, well lit picture with huge amounts of detail. Later, when you take information from one of the two pictures, it goes without saying that the second picture will give you more to play with, more to experiment with, and more to deliver with.

So here is the first part of sound effects creation; the recording. Recording technique follows the same principles, whether you are in a studio or outside in the rain. The most important factor in capturing a high quality recording is to get as close as you can to the sound source and to limit external noise as much as possible. You should always strive to find the best signal to noise ratio, that is, the lowest level of preamplifier gain for the sound source you are seeking.

In some cases, you cannot get close to a sound source, and in this case you may be better off to opt for a lower level gain recording to limit noise from the equipments preamplifier. Try to remember, that a sound effect may well be mixed with other sound sources in the final mix, and therefore your overall level does not always need to reach unity gain.

Always limit external noise as much as possible. Mixing techniques can always improve a well recorded sound’s perceived loudness, but noise in a recording can give you many troublesome problems, the most prominent being that noise reduction techniques can, and often do, alter the equalization and perception of your original recording.

To illustrate the differences in sound recordings, this article offers three sound examples. One is taken from a digital camera, the second from a MOTU Ultralite firewire sound interface, and the third from a portable hard-disk recorder; the M-Audio Microtrack II. It is immediate the quality difference between devices and microphones.

Recording Number One: Digital Camera Audio

The first audio example comes from a Canon Powershot A540 recording in movie mode. You can’t expect much from a digital camera microphone, combined with the format limitations of an 8bit, 11Khz sample rate recording. However, this sample has been included for comparison with the other recorded samples.

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It goes without saying that the sound lacks any decent representation of the original sound, but more importantly, leaves not much to work with when mixing or creating new sound effects. If you try to boost the frequency range of a sound that does not even exist in that range you’ll be boosting emptiness.

Recording Two: Takstar SGC568 Condenser Microphone and the MOTU Ultralite

The second audio example comes from a Takstar condenser microphone passing through a MOTU Ultralite recording interface. Immediately, it is noticeable the brightness and clarity in the mid-range, initially due to the wide response of capturing audio through a high quality preamplifier. Don’t be easily persuaded though, as the Takstar is missing some precious lower frequencies.

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Recording Three: Microtrack II

The third audio example comes from the Microtrack II, and even though the immediate picture is a much deeper, fuller sound, this is due to the microphone, which is a stereo lapel microphone. It has a much higher response to lower frequencies than the Takstar condenser and portrays the sound of fireworks in a different way to the previous recording.

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It is important to note, that different microphones capture sound in different ways, and as a sound engineer, it is your responsibility to know and understand the differences in a microphone’s ability to reproduce sound. In the most favorable case, you will have access to the best microphone you can, and it will capture the widest range of sound possible at the time.

Creating Sound Effects from Fireworks Samples

Moving on, we arrive at the next part of this article; taking sound recordings and using sound editing techniques to create new sound effects. Here is a sample that we will use to create a new sound effect. The sample was taken from the second sound recording and is very short in duration.

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By adding a basic reverb effect, some slight pitch shifting and time stretching, and multiband compression, the sample takes a whole new light.

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This is simply an example, and could have taken any direction; it could have become a sharp, fast drum sample or a high-pitched screech. This sample simply illustrates that by experimenting with a few basic sound editing techniques, new samples can be quickly and easily created.

By taking this second sample and then affecting it with even more time stretching and pitch shifting, a completely new sample has been created.

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Time shifting and pitch shifting are powerful sound editing techniques to use and should always be experimented with in the fullest. There are two important factors to pay attention to however, and they are unwanted pitch movement (when time stretching) and ‘flanging’ discoloration (both evident in time stretching and pitch shifting). Flanging, in the majority of cases is unwanted, unless of course you are seeking that effect, as it completely changes the sound from its original form.

It seems that when time stretching and pitch shifting, parameters need to be adjusted on a case by case basis, and that a large amount of tweaking is needed in all cases. Apply and undo with full confidence in experimentation, until you have arrived at the sound you are happy with for the task at hand.

Finding Sound Effects

It can be hard to find well recorded samples, to be used for manipulating and creating new sound effects, if you don’t know where to look. However, with the great expanse of the Internet, searches are more powerful and it becomes much easier to find samples. If you are looking online for sound effects, try to get the highest quality you can as this will make a huge difference to your final creations. You might have amazing icing for your cake, but if the cake is old and stale inside then it won’t take long before people find out!

Spencer Sternberg has fireworks sound effects available on Istock.

Final Thoughts

“Was I reading about fireworks, or about making sound effects?” you may be asking. The answer is of course, both. This article illustrates the importance of good quality recordings and how they improve the practice of making sound effects. Like all kinds of audio recording, having the microphone as close to the source as possible with the lowest level of external noise, is your primary goal. This allows your original recording to either be used as is, or also gives you powerful samples to work with in sound editing.

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Some time ago, I was given the task of making sound effects for a martial art sequence. A short, simple looking fight sequence, that ended up needing a whole lot more sound design than I could have imagined. And so here lies the essence of making sound effects; make more than you think you need.

Like any project, the first stage should always be research. It is two-fold; how will the sounds be created, and what is my audience expecting to hear. Both are equally important. In addition to the standard categories of foley sound effects, such as footsteps and prop sounds, I found that sound effects for martial arts consist of at least two unique categories. These two unique categories are hits, and movement.

The Sound of Watermelons

With reluctance, I pressed the record button, picked up my cricket stump, and slammed the large watermelon that was lying in front of me. “Cracckk!” A most peculiar sound was created, and recorded.

In my research, I found that quite commonly, smashing watermelons with sticks is the way hit sound effects are created for martial art sequences. That is, the sounds that we have become accustomed to hearing when one character is hitting another. It is the combination of a sharp initial crack and the wet, slushy sound of the watermelon splintering. Not the imagery you would like to be thinking of. It raises a good point however, and perhaps the most important point in this article; sound is not what it looks like.

If a film’s production relied entirely on the location sound recorded together with the footage, a film’s sound would come across as empty, bland and without any power of suggestion. Take for example, the sound of one person’s fist hitting another person’s face (and the actors hadn’t even done that!) The sound is if anything, extremely low in amplitude and completely without the emotional energy needed to move an audience. Now while an audience is in the most part concerned with the visual element of a film, a film’s sound should be unobtrusive and go without notice, whilst having the most profound emotional effect it possibly can.

While I was having watermelon juice sprayed all over me, I was considering what all this should mean to an audio practitioner. When faced with a piece of film on the screen, how am I going to decide what props to use and record. What microphones and microphone techniques will produce the most emotive sound. That, I have found from experience, can only come from thorough research and experimentation.

At the time of recording these hit sounds for the martial arts sequence I was working on, I only had my hands on two microphones; a Rode NT3 and a very basic interview microphone I had picked up at a camera store for $40. Obviously the NT3 is a far superior microphone but there were some interesting discoveries when using the $40 interview microphone.

Both microphones were placed on stands in a fairly dull sounding room around fifteen to twenty centimeters from the watermelon. Pop screens were placed in front of each microphone (in the hope of protecting the microphones from watermelon spray) and fed into a small Yamaha 4-track tape machine. The output of the 4-track was then sent to a computer with a basic sound-card and into the multi-track program Samplitude Studio. First, I recorded for around a minute with only the NT3, giving the watermelon plenty of solid hits, adjusting the input gain on the 4-track with each hit. Then, I followed the same process with the interview microphone.

When listening to the recordings, I found that the NT3 had far better lower and mid-range frequency response, while strangely the interview microphone had a much sharper higher frequency response. Being a shotgun microphone, the interview microphone most likely had a large peak in the upper mid-range frequencies. The hit sounds had a very fast attack with no decay whatsoever. Satisfied with the recordings, I moved on to recording the movement sounds.

The Sound of Ferns

Movement is the second unique sound effect associated with martial art sequences and it was here that experimentation was needed. I thought about how the movement of a martial arts actor needed to be portrayed. They need to elicit the idea of speed, swiftness and power. What I needed was a ‘swoosh’ sound. I took a walk around the garden and pondered how I could create a ‘swoosh’ sound. It didn’t take long to come across some dead fern branches lying on the ground, and when I moved them quickly through the air, heard the perfect sound I was looking (or listening!) for; ‘swoosh!’

When it came to recording the ferns however, I found the process more difficult than recording the watermelon hits. The level of the sound source was very low, and adding gain to the microphone input added a lot of room noise. I think in this situation, a microphone with a wider polar pattern such as an omni pattern, or even a stereo microphone such as the Rode NT4, would have captured the overall sound better. In the end, I decided to use both microphones simultaneously, spread about twenty centimeters apart and facing about forty-five degrees away from each other. This seemed to capture the fast movement of the fern and give an adequate sound pressure level.

A Note on Recording Technique

Recording sound effects follows the same recording techniques as recording music, and while this topic is another article in itself, it should be briefly mentioned here. Most importantly, the limiting of external noise when recording sound effects is essential. Try not to forget, that for every new track you are adding to a film’s soundtrack, you are adding noise that could, and mostly will, cloud the final soundtrack.

Limit the amount of noise by only using as much gain as is necessary to record your sound, try to get your microphone as close as you can to the sound source, and try to only use equipment that operates with very low noise. Where appropriate, try to use noise reduction effects before you present your final audio mix to your editor.

In the case of this article, ideally I would have benefited greatly by having a more sensitive studio condenser with changeable polar patterns and a good quality preamp and compressor. In that way, I could have found the optimum microphone placement and recording level, without encountering clipping or distortion occurrences.

The Power of Mixing

When making sound effects, be it for martial arts sequences, the ambience of a spacecraft, or the complex sound of a war scene, sound effects mixing is an art in itself. Never forget the power of layering, positioning and the use of audio effects. There are a multitude of options when it comes to audio mixing software and there are some amazing open source programs available online. Basically, a program that offers multi-track mixing, some array of audio effects, and the ability to output to various audio formats should be sufficient for most sound effects editors.

For the project I was working on, I was using Samplitude Studio, which is a very powerful multi-track program, that has a long list of features beyond this article. The fern recordings needed to be louder and brighter so I made good use of the program’s built in noise reduction plugins, combined with multi-band compression to make the recordings louder, without introducing too much noise or distortion. Not all the watermelon recordings were usable as the first few hits clipped and were very distorted. Some room reverb was added to match the scene of the visuals and soften the samples, slightly distancing the perspective of the sound.

An incredible amount of subtle variation can be created by simply having different combinations of the same samples, at different levels and panning positions. By using Samplitude Studio’s pitch-shifting and time-stretching plugins, I was able to not only improve the movement samples, but I also came away with around thirty new movement samples. I went back to the watermelon samples and used the same technique. This gave me a much larger library of samples, giving more variation to the fight sequence audio. There is nothing worse than having the exact same sample for five strikes in a row. Even if the audience doesn’t notice it, someone will.

The samples created were then carefully synced to the visuals in the video editing program Final Cut Pro. There were more than one-hundred and twenty unique hit and movement samples in total, edited and created from variations of only around twenty original samples. Foley sounds were added later by another sound editor.

Final Thoughts

So comes to the end of the article ‘Making Sound Effects’. Always remember to experiment with different combinations of sounds and effects, and try to listen to your mixes on other systems to hear how they sound in different environments.

Never forget the importance of research. It brings understanding about technique and perception, which are two of the most integral factors in creating effective art.

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The advantage of orchestrating for video game music with traditional orchestral instruments is that recurring themes can be distributed among instruments, allowing repetition to be less noticeable, while themes can more effectively be remembered by the player of the game.

When writing video game music, and writing thematic music in general, it is essential to find a balance between instrumentation and compositional technique. While the choice of instrument can evoke certain moods, the decision on how the score will be technically written, is of equal importance. A balance between instrumentation and compositional technique is a measure of a composer’s skill and expertise.

Game music composition should be decided on the basis of several key points. These include the time and setting of the scene, the desired emotive response, and in many cases identifying the target group. While these key points can be seen in every game project, the process of writing music for a game is different in every case. Composers need to be flexible and have the ability to change to meet the needs of individual projects.

Game Music for Strikeforce Psi
Recently I had the opportunity to write and program the music for Starlitsky Games’ Strikeforce Psi, a 2D side scrolling shooter made for release on Xbox and PC. The music needed to be written to coincide with four locations, each needing to capture the environment of the location while also linking together recurring themes.

Harbor Level Game Music
The music for the harbor level needed to capture the setting of a dark harbor scene whereby the player is a hero figure fighting off enemies. The music needed to be dark, tense and heroic, helping to put the player in the frame of mind of the character and the scene. The music also needed to be grand, as the first track has to set the mood for the entire game.

Arctic Level Game Music
The game moves to an arctic level and the music had to quickly and effectively show that change. It was immediately obvious that the arctic level needed to be cold and sparse but also had to show a connection to the overall game’s score.

Desert Level Game Music
The music in the desert level changes significantly in instrumentation and compositional technique as was needed to capture the environment of the desert. There are more rhythmic and percussion elements and a sparser use of instrumentation.

Jungle Level Game Music
A heavy rhythmic and percussion element was used again for the jungle level, and with the exception of a jungle flute, an almost non-existent use of melodic instruments. This helps to capture the mood of the jungle scene. Some sparse vocal elements also complement the heavy percussion.

Instrumentation and Compositional Technique
When composing video game music, a composer’s main role is to make creative decisions about how a game’s music can achieve its goal. That is, to effectively capture the mood of a game and evoke the desired emotional response. A composer should use their knowledge and expertise to choose suitable instrumentation and compositional techniques.

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