How to create music for video games

[I publish my own translation of the article by TitanSlayer , the author of music for video games, films and TV]

I always liked video games. Since childhood, I was fascinated, hypnotized by such games as Quake , Hexen , Heroes of Might & Magic .

At some point in my musical career, I realized that now I am able to compose music. Composing and creating music for media has always been a dream of mine. And now, turning my dream into reality, I am engaged in the creation of musical compositions for films and video games. But this work, like any other, is full of pros and cons.
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In this article I’m going to highlight the fundamentals: the features of the author’s soundtrack interaction with the developer, and how the author should approach the work on the music for the game.

Communication and Consistency

For a constructive and effective working relationship, the composer and the developer must develop a general understanding of the soundtrack as early as possible. This is a necessary condition for the success of the final result.

The reason for this is trivial - everyone hears and understands music and sound effects a little differently. Some may hear the “power” of heavy metal riffs, but will not feel it in a distorted digital synths , for example. Therefore, it is important to develop your own understanding of which instruments and sounds convey the right mood, and make a final decision with the developer of the game you are working on.

There are some simple ways to reach a consensus:

Reference tracks ( Reference tracks ) - tracks of a specific artist or group that the developer chooses.

Sound effects for individual game events - experiment with sound until you both agree on the sound that conveys the exact state of the game world.

Getting to know game history ( game lore ) - the more you know about the game and its history, the better you will be able to convey the main idea of ​​the game through sounds and music.

Script analysis

In order for your soundtrack to fit the entire project as well as possible, you must carefully study all the components of the game's story, plot, and gameplay itself. If there is such an opportunity, ask for a demo version. If not, watch all the gameplay videos that you have access to, and imagine that you take control of the game under your control and play it.

When I was working on Quake 4: False Dawn , an unofficial add-on from Little Gears , it was very important for me to add something fresh and new to the legacy of Quake . I’ve come to the conclusion that in order to do this, I need to start completely ignoring the Quake header in the title. And to think about this project not as another part of this series of games, but simply as another shooter.

Having done this, I began to study the project in depth in order to create exactly what I wanted. Knowing the background of the game, knowing where it takes place and how it will end, I have formed a certain concept of this game: the action takes place in the futuristic world of grim science fiction with aggressive cyborg aliens, and yes, where the fate of humanity is in the player's hands. So, in the end, in the main menu we will have a massive industrial industrial track, dark ambient drones in the parts of the game, which are connected with the study, as well as a hybrid of orchestra music during the battles, plus everything, a little sound design during the transition from one event to another.

And it doesn't matter at all what type of game you are working on, it will take time for you to understand the game, its history, and its world. The game itself sets your soundtrack, so your knowledge about it, as well as tips and developer instructions will be the starting point.

Organization and production

When working on game soundtracks, I often need to compose tracks for individual locations, or game events, which partially echo melodies from other levels or scenarios. In such ways, the developer or the audio director sets the atmosphere using unique sounds that would be associated with the game as a whole. Therefore, it is very important to have an organized system that will allow you to make the production process more effective and efficient. This system, in fact, was invented before us. I call it "Building Blocks".

Let's take a look at them:

Main blocks : this is the base. The main blocks contain musical instruments and sounds that are used throughout the game. If you draw a parallel, the main blocks are similar to the blocks from the Lego. These elements will be our Lego from which we will build our structure.

Exploration / Adventure blocks : these are musical themes that will play in the background, ambient, or sound design elements during those moments when the player is focused on exploring and exploring the game world. Depending on the scenario, they may consist of subtly similar, indefinite, repetitive elements that are created on the basis of the Main blocks. But they should not be much different.

Action blocks : This is where the fun begins. As in the case of the main and adventure blocks, action blocks can be either a mixture of all the elements or an add-on to create a certain mood. Usually, I use a combination of heavy electric guitars and synthesizers that subconsciously cause the player to move and act in unison with the music. This is where your music works to its fullest.

Here I will provide a screenshot that shows the basis of the track I made for the fighting scenes in a sci-fi first-person shooter.



The Megahorns , green, are the Main Blocks. Synthesizer Arpeggio Part ( Arp Synth ), Main Synth Part ( Lead Synth ), Texture ( Texture ), all blue, these are our research blocks. Bass party, crash, etc., red color, these are action blocks.

As you can see, I combined these components, and now they make up the core of this track.

The tracks of the research blocks have already been used by me as an ambient at the same level. In moments of calm and silence, when the player will look for key cards, the main elements of the research blocks will serve us to create ambient.

Electronic drums, and an aggressive bass part are added in order to set a powerful pace, accompanying moving and shooting, enhancing the atmosphere of a certain level.

Here is an example of my track where I used a block system.



It contains all the blocks that I mentioned above.

So how does this work?

Swinging dapstep bass, orchestral strings, and an intense batch of percussion set the courageous mood, ideal for any action scenes, from shooting to pursuing.

In order to make an ambient version of this track, I deleted the powerful elements I wrote about above, leaving only the sub ( sub drops ), piano and synthesizer parts. With these remaining elements, the track acquired a dark and mystical mood. And now, we have a track ready for studying and researching the level.

I will give an example.



The plan is the same. Use the entire original action track, and variations for the exploration scenes, and now you have your own video game soundtrack!

Remember, you do not need to repeat all these elements, you just need to properly organize the blocks. You work with designer Lego. Blocks is an elegant, effective solution that works for me and that can help you organize your work and improve your writing skills for video game soundtracks.

Conclusion

The process of composing and creating a soundtrack will always be different, as all developers have different requirements. But mutual understanding, immersion in the history of the game, understanding of the gameplay, and effective organization of the working process are vital. By following these simple guidelines, you can achieve fantastic interaction between gameplay and music, and immerse the player on an unforgettable journey into the world of video games.