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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Music from the iPhone app 3D Fake Face by Blacksmith Games. Since the genre of the application was puzzle/illusion, the intent of the music was to capture intrigue and mystery with a modern style.

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3D Fake Face is a free application and can be found on iTunes.

Here is a music sample from the iPhone game Boostball made by Blacksmith Games.  The music needed to be high-energy and support fast game play.

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Boostball can be found on iTunes.

Plushed is an iPhone game released by Blacksmith Games and features a ten-track soundtrack. The music is highly thematic with instrumentation varying from orchestral, to cinematic electronica, to dark ambiance. The aim of the soundtrack was to capture the dark, childlike theme of the game and to instill Plushed in the memory of players.

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Learn more about the process of creating the Plushed soundtrack by reading Writing Music for the iPhone and the follow up articles; Writing Music for the iPhone Part Two. Plushed can be purchased for the iPhone from iTunes.

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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Blacksmith Games has recently released ‘Plushed’ and is now available on iTunes. The music was completed several months ago and it is great to see the game out. ‘Plushed’ gives players and developers the opportunity to see the talents of Blacksmith Games and the music possibilities from Spencer Sternberg.

‘Plushed’ was a very interesting iPhone game to work on in regards to game music composition, with multiple environments and battle stages, and was documented in the article ‘Writing Music for the iPhone’ which was later published on GameDev.net. Communicating with Blacksmith Games was always friendly and professional and they were extremely open to the style and production of the game music.

Here is the final trailer for the game ‘Plushed’;

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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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‘Plushed’, the iPhone game by Blacksmith Games, is very close to release. Featuring 10 tracks of original music by Spencer Sternberg, it is going to be interesting to see how the game is received by iPhone followers.

The latest trailer has been put online and can be seen below;