The sound can’t save a bad game. As brilliant as the composer and voice actors are, the efforts won’t be enough to captivate the gamer. However, the sound can make an average game good and a good game excellent. But how do they make noise for remarkable projects? Let’s tell now!
DOOM. Excellent Mick Gordon
Mick Gordon has been working for the game industry since 2006. The composer started working on the sound Destroy all humans! 2, and then showed himself cool in hits like Wolfenstein: The New Order, Need for speed: Shift and FEAR 3. There are many notable projects in Gordon’s portfolio, but they are the tracks for the chic DOOM became his magnum opus.
Before the start of the collaboration, id Software imposed many conditions on the musician. The music had to fit perfectly with the gameplay, please the fans of the previous parts and sound like something that had never been heard before. Mick Gordon was also no longer allowed to use the guitar.
The gameplay was simple: Mick made the sound as fast and aggressive as the Executioner of Doom. To do this, the musician recorded riffs reminiscent of the roar of a chainsaw, created a rhythm that would motivate him not to stop, and even took into account the peculiarities of the plot.
Mick GordonThe root of many ills in the world of DOOM is Argent Energy. Earthlings were unaware, but the energy was taken directly from hell and generated while torturing souls. Unfortunately, at one point everything got out of hand: people started to mutate and demons broke out of the lair.
The trick is that Mick Gordon has turned raw energy into the basis for music. The well impressed with its power, holding huge platforms in the air and wiping everything in its path – the sound became the same.
To please the fans, the composer took songs from the classic DOOM and reworked them beyond recognition. Hear what At Doom’s Gate used to sound like…
…and what it has become in 2016.
To keep in touch with fans, Gordon has remastered dozens of classic tracks. At the same time, remakes were made with respect for the original: they sounded modern, yet reminded you nostalgically of the 1990s, when the industry was just emerging.
The composer understood that it was impossible to make a mistake with remakes – one of his quotes speaks of this. “DOOM fans are not like Disney fans. If the DOOM fans don’t like what you’ve done, they’ll burn your house down.”
After all, the OST had to create a sense of novelty. To do this, the composer collected many unique instruments, and a special place among them was occupied by the Soviet synthesizer Polivoks. It was this instrument that more than once replaced the guitar and made the sound expressive.
There were also other chips. For example, many tracks are built around white noise: Gordon recorded an oppressive sound, broke it into fragments and layered bass, beats and other sounds on top. In addition, recording regularly went to different microphones – the first one always worked and the rest turned on as the sound increased. In the end, all this made the OST really “hell” and unique.
But Gordon couldn’t solve the problem with the guitar. The composer had yet to use the instrument, but the riffs didn’t become the basis of the songs – they just complemented the idea and helped to set accents. At the same time, the sound of the guitar was so distorted that the instrument was sometimes unrecognizable. For example, the riffs were recorded on an old tape recorder, and then the sound processed, slowed down and transformed.
Same Soviet synthesizerUltimately, Gordon’s talent and creative approach to recording and mixing made the DOOM sound legendary. Unsurprisingly, the developers continued to work with Mick in a good way DOOM Eternal, where the songs became more epic, and the recording featured a choir with musicians from The Anchor, Static-X, Aborted and other bands.
How do you find the sound in DOOM?
Hellblade: The Sacrifice of Senua. When the sound made the whole game
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a controversial game. It impressed with excellent visuals and a curious story, but the gameplay was too simple – it was easy to get bored solving puzzles and fighting. However, it was the sound that became a feature that convinced gamers that they had something special in front of them.
Usually developers get into the sound when the gameplay and story are done, but the developers of Ninja Theory understood that in Hellblade’s case, the sound is more than just background. It involves an important aspect of the game.
Norwegian metal artist Andy LaPlegua was invited to write the sound. He was initially offered to make tracks for the fight scenes, but the musician liked the idea of the game so much that he eventually took on the entire OST.
Hellblade Music Composer Andy La PlaguaAndy had a complete Hellblade storyboard the whole time. He knew which scenes would be in the game, how they would follow each other and what kind of atmosphere to create. At the same time, the musician constantly communicated with the game designer: the creators discussed the plot, changed the presentation and exchanged ideas about the angles that the operator should take for the sake of the unity of the script, sound and image.
Of course, La Plagua understood that Hellblade is a game about madness, meaning the approach to the tracks should be unusual. Therefore, the vocals and melodies are surreal and the sound was extracted in the most unexpected way – for example using a drill. That’s right, Andy brought the drill to the strings and recorded the sound.
However, the melodies were only part of the sound – they were clearly not enough to fully convey the heroine’s condition. The developers planned to create noise in the character’s head and make her listen to strange voices.
To adequately implement the idea, Ninja Theory has spoken extensively with psychologists, psychiatrists and schizophrenics. So the developers learned that often patients hear not one, but many voices coming from different directions, while the “interlocutors” have different personalities.
Knowledge convinced the developers to make the sound binaural. A gamer in headphones or with a good stereo system always heard from which direction the voice in the heroine’s head sounds. At the same time, voices swirled around, making the experience both inviting and uncomfortable.
The voice acting was performed by artists of the Rash Dash group, who are known for their expressive performances. During the shooting, the actors ran around the studio, lay down on the floor, whispered into various microphones and even imitated a fight. The process looks crazy.
As a result, the sound helped Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice become a gem of modern gaming. No wonder the project is recommended to gamers who want to learn more about schizophrenia and other illnesses.
“Rabbit”. The wonders of voice acting
The sound is not only connected with music, but also with the voice acting of the characters. Often the voice becomes the main feature around which the game is built. So it was with the chic The Stanley Parable.
The main character was in an unpleasant situation – there was no soul around, and only the velvet voice of the narrator led him forward. Stanley and the narrator had a strange relationship: they could be offended or hurt each other, but with each round of the office, the characters grew closer. The voice became a friend of the hero and one of the main reasons for reading The Stanley Parable.
Another game aided by voice acting is a Russian visual novel “Bunny” (Little bunny). Initially, the developers released the debut episode, which impressed with excellent art, intriguing story and pleasant background music. Unfortunately, this didn’t help the game gain popularity.
Everything changed when the second episode came out and the novel got voice acting. As a result, “Bunny” earned 98 percent of positive reviews and became one of the highest-rated projects on Steam.
It is curious that the short story is narrated by eminent actors such as the late Andrei Yaroslavtsev, as well as by young performers. At the same time, when choosing a voice, developers are so reverent that even beginners play roles at the level of masters of the craft. In addition, the actors have to work hard and go through many takes before the recording is perfect.
Hear Eva Finkelstein speak a supporting character. Unsurprisingly, some phrases in the vein of “yes-yes” have become memes – the actress is painfully cool.
Voice acting is a rare feature in visual novels and its presence set the game apart from the competition. And other aspects of the project are carried out at the highest level. That’s why Tiny Bunny has become so popular. At the same time, the voice acting cost the developers 200 thousand rubles – the developer Saikono told about this in our interview. An impressive amount for a young studio, but the investment has paid off.
Where can you listen to cool music live?
Music from movies and games often captivates fans. What are only Skyfall from the movie of the same name about Agent 007 or themes from Nolan’s Inception and Interstellar. At the same time, listening to cult tracks live is a special pleasure.
Fortunately, Nella Musica concerts are regularly held in Moscow, where a group of violinists, cellists, drummers and vocalists give excellent performances. Recently I had the opportunity to attend such an event and appreciate the brilliant execution of the main themes of Batman, Spider-man, Skyfall and other films.
It is felt that the artists genuinely love the cult works, the music they play from. They sing full of inspiration, beat the drums furiously and squeeze everything out of the violin.
At the same time, a projector was turned on in the hall that broadcasts frames of the legendary paintings. It’s fun to listen to live music from Tim Burton’s (Tim Burton) paintings and look at recognizable frames at the same time.
If you have long wanted to have a cultural evening and listen to cool music, pay attention to Nella Musica events. And no, this is not an advertisement, I really looked into it.
Lots of good sounding games. And which one do you like the most? Maybe, Need for Speed Underground of Cyberpunk 2077? Tell it in the comments!
Is sound important for games?
Source: VG Times
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.