Journal Special: So you want to be a Game Developer?

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Entry #4: The Hills Are Alive...  
April 1st, 2008 | Neil Rodrigues
 

As we move away from last month's visuals to this month's audio, we also change the way work gets produced.  Audio is generally done post-production, meaning it’s usually one of the last assets to be added to the game.  It’s entirely possible to create sounds beforehand, but it’s very rare for them to synchronize perfectly with animation sequences & video.  You might be able to slow down or speed up the sound in question, but in general, when a sound doesn't fit, it has to be redone completely from scratch.

There is one audio asset which is not entirely dependant on post-production: music. In The Silver Lining, music is used to set the right mood, or to emphasize something in a less distracting way than visuals would.  Often, music is associated with a specific scene, character, or land.  Music can also be created and timed specifically for certain events (i.e. during cutscenes), but in general, music lives by its own rules – it can exist fully independent of everything else.

The process of creating music follows that same principle.  It can be developed independently of everything else in a scene, and can go from concept to final much more quickly than artwork could, due to its versatility.  The music design process does not follow a progressive multi-phase pipeline like art. This entry will discuss certain design elements used during the development of music, but please keep in mind that this process can iterate over phases or completely skip certain phases, as need be.

 
 

Reference Material

With music, design starts with describing the overall feeling the piece should ultimately convey.  Sometimes audio references from other artists are used, in order to better illustrate the kind of mood the song should resemble.  Music is different from artwork, in the sense that reference material is never used as a template or copy of what the final song should sound like.  The reference material is only used as a guide, to capture the essence of what we want to achieve.

When developing TSL’s main theme, we went through about 30 different variations by many different composers before finding the perfect tune.  We started from the best variation of the main theme at the time:

Then, we described what we wanted to the composer: something more adventurous, starting off very ethereal, bordering in mystery.  It should then have a very tender, heart-breaking part, an epic part leading to a climax, and finally conclude with a sad and delicate piano outro.  The final result became TSL’s Main Theme, "Journey of Eternities":

 
 

MIDI Version

Our composers usually start by experimenting with some notes and chords to form a melody.  This evolves into a simple version of the song, usually done in MIDI format.  MIDI is used because it allows for simple note editing, transposing and altering.  The disadvantage of using MIDI is that instruments sound synthetic and inconsistent on different sound cards.  In order to preserve the same instrumental richness that the composer hears, the song is then converted to a waveform format, like *.wav, *.mp3 or *.ogg.  

Sheet Music from "Valanice Sleeps"
Figure 1: Sheet Music from "Valanice Sleeps"

Above is some of the sheet music for the song “Valanice Sleeps”.  Here is what the MIDI version of the song sounded like, converted to *.mp3 format:

 
 

Orchestrated Version

The soundtrack of TSL is orchestral, so most songs have versions with many different instruments beautifully sequenced together.  Musically, an orchestrated version sounds musically similar to a MIDI file, but uses professional quality sounding instruments. 

Key Editor View of a Solo Violin
Figure 2: Key Editor View of a Solo Violin

Violins require an articulation type to be specified, since a violin can be played in short attacks (i.e. staccato) or long bows the entire piece (i.e. legato).  There are many different articulations to choose from for different instruments, each providing exquisite realism and expression.  It takes plenty of time to figure out the best configuration, but the results speak for themselves. 

Sequence View of Journey of Eternities
Figure 3: Sequence View of "Journey of Eternities"

The final step is to pan the instruments to be in the right stereo field.  An orchestrated track should sound like it’s being played by a traditional orchestra.  That is: violins on the left, violas in the middle, cellos to the right, double basses far right, etc.  A reverb plug-in is then used to bring ambience to each instrument.  The general goal is to virtually recreate a real music hall.

The orchestrated version of “Valanice Sleeps” can be heard here:

Note the difference in instrument quality and volume, in comparison with its MIDI version from the previous section.

 
 

Mastered Version

Lastly, the volumes of each instrument must be mixed.  Mixing allows you to control which instruments to be emphasized and which to be ambient.  Certain instruments are naturally louder than others, while others vary depending on the notes played.  The overall track volume is also mastered, to prevent against hearing sudden shifts in volume when the player travels between scenes.

Mixer View of Journey of Eternities
Figure 4: Mixer View of "Journey of Eternities"

To really hear the difference between unmastered and mastered, compare the two versions of the song “Beauty and the Beast” here:

Unmastered:

Mastered:

 
 

Music is probably the most dynamic game element in TSL.  It differs greatly from the art process because there are fewer phases and virtually no pipeline.  It can be produced separately from everything, or in conjunction.  It can be based on a reference, yet sound 100% original.  It can be tied to a character/scene/world, yet sound perfectly complete when played outside the context of the game.  Music is also something that does not have to be present in all scenes.  So, if it’s not required, why do we use music?

Hopefully, this entry has answered that question and more.  Music adds something extraordinary to scenes, and works like a cherry added on top of whip cream.  In other words, it makes something good sound even better.  Of course, that only holds true when you create a song with great melody, instruments, sequencing and appropriately mastered volume (to make sure you actually hear it)!  Next month, we’ll continue on with audio but explore "life without music", so to speak.

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