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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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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Recently the game music for Blacksmith Games’ Plushed was completed. Plushed has ten tracks worth of orchestral, operatic and theme based game music and showcases a darker, more disturbing game sound than previous projects by Spencer Sternberg. There is a vast development in instrumentation and ideas, from the first track till the last, whilst still being tied together with several recurring themes.

An example of game music from Starlitsky Games’ Strikeforce Psi.

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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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