Here’s an interview that took place toward the end of production on Grimm Odds, a sci-fi survival game developed by Batavian Studios in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Inside the Studio:
An Interview with the Composer

 

 

PART I – Getting to know Mike Raznick:

 

How long have you been a composer?

I’ve been playing musical instruments since I was six years old. My mom was a pianist, opera singer, performer and stage director and both my parents were classical music lovers. As a child, I performed hundreds of times as a member of the San Francisco Boys Chorus. Additionally, I studied piano, clarinet, saxophone, and was trained in music theory and ear training. I later took up the guitar and played in a number of rock and jazz groups. I also took an interest in classical and folk genres, as well as ethnic styles including flamenco and celtic. However, it wasn’t until much later that I truly committed myself to composing music as my life’s work.

How did you get into the music industry?

I studied music technology at CalArts and later NYU. It was during these years that I was first exposed to the music and entertainment industries. Many of my professors were working professionals and I had a few great mentors, one being Hollywood orchestrator Sonny Kompanek, who helped me land my first composer assistant job. Soon after, I was given my first opportunity to write music for television, while also having some of my music recorded with live orchestras.

How did you get your start?

I started out by writing music for other composers on several crime mystery and nature shows for television. Additionally, after finishing school, I made the decision to move to Los Angeles, where I worked on several films during my first few years there. My next big opportunity came when I was hired as in-house composer and project manager at one of the leading companies that provides audio services for the game industry.

How many games have you worked on?

Over the past eight years, I’ve composed music on over 500 games. Some highlights are the indie games SPATE, Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus, Firefall, The Adventures of Fancy Pants, Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty!, Alien Rage, and the upcoming Ratchet and Clank PS4 game.

 

PART II – Creating music and sound for video games:

 

So, how does one compose for a video game? What is the process like?

The process can vary quite a bit and it depends on a number of factors: at which point the composer is brought on-board during the game development process, how big the game is, etc. Generally, it always starts with a series of conversations about the game and the developer’s vision for the project. As a media composer, our job, first and foremost, is to serve the story and vision that is created for the game or whatever project it is we are working on.

It’s also common for the developer and composer to pass pre-existing music examples back and forth to get more specific ideas and feedback about what sorts of sounds and melodies might work for the project. It’s useful to get both positive and negative feedback here so the composer knows both what and what not to do. This helps to inform the creative direction before writing even a single note of original music.

I always treat game composing much the same as working on a film or television episode. I try to get inside the developer’s mind, as well as the characters or players mind frame – what sort of extraordinary experience they are thrown into during gameplay, the emotions that are being conveyed by the game, etc. My goal is to immerse the player in the game world so it feels as real as possible. I believe that music touches the soul and can very often influence a person’s experience, on a subconscious level – this is where I come in and try to inject magic into the overall experience.

The final part of the music creation process is to produce and record the soundtrack with live musicians and the orchestra. This adds immensely to the realism of the score. So much music these days is created using computers and sampled instruments. I feel there is often something that is missing emotionally when music is produced this way.

What is your personal process?

I often start by building a custom session in Logic Pro that will become my template for the music production. I like to think of this as my color palette where I’ll find, create and document sounds and instruments that will be unique to the project. This could include designing patches and effects or effects-processing chains, recording and mangling custom material using synthesizers, guitars, or other raw materials from around the house or in the studio. I also might bring in musicians to experiment with creating textures or melodies, or recording my own instruments. Next, I’ll sit at the piano and work out music themes for the main characters that can be used as the DNA for the game’s soundtrack. This ideally keeps the whole structure sounding cohesive.

Once we have a solid theme or set of themes in place, I’ll start the actual scoring process by working through the required music assets. I’ll typically begin composing for a part of the game that speaks to me emotionally or is pivotal in some way that will help inform other pieces of music for the project. I’ll also play the music against the game and later integrate dynamically into the game to make sure it fits seamless and that the music is functioning as intended. The last part is recording the score and then mixing the final product.

What are the key differences or similarities with scoring a movie or TV series?

The main difference I find is that scoring for TV involves writing music directly to picture and telling a story in a static format. The music is there to support the storytelling and sits behind dialog. Many times, the music will have less melody and does not drive the overall experience. I like to think that although it takes a secondary role to the actors on screen, it helps inform the emotion and dramatic arc of a scene.

Alternatively, with game music being interactive, there are a different set of challenges. For one, it is important to find ways to make the music not sound repetitive since it might be heard a number of times in gameplay. This can often be done by layering the music using adaptive music systems or even putting horizontal break points in the music so the music can be modularized to be played in different sections, sometimes randomized to fit a unique gameplay experience for each player. Additionally, the music often takes more of a primary role in driving the gameplay experience so there are more opportunities to make bold music decisions with bigger melodies and musical inflections. Finally, game scoring very often allows the composer more freedom to tell a story through music, especially when writing music for an open world, like in Grimm Odds, without the constraints of following a specific on-screen performance.

Here is one our favorite tracks for Grimm Odds:

 

PART III – Making the soundtrack for Grimm Odds:

 

What was your brief and direction for Grimm Odds?

At the outset of production, a number of references were thrown around and it was decided that the score would be sci-fi in nature, but also dealing with themes of hope and despair. The strong human emotions would be expressed through orchestral string writing, female vocals and violin solos. However, the unsettling terrain that the player experiences in-game is gritty and tribal in nature so we also wanted to incorporate these ideas, through use of electric guitars, distorted synths, live percussion and ethnic flutes.

Here’s the obvious question: how did come up with the score?

We worked very hard at the outset of production to come up with some convincing themes and then I started to write and work through the various music pieces. I also did a few experimental recording sessions, where I tried out some rare ethnic stringed instruments.

Did you face any challenges in scoring the game?

The main challenge for me was writing the entire score without playing the game. I was fortunate to get brought in early in the process and the game did not exist when I started working on the score. My hope is that the score has somehow influenced how the game has been developed.

Any challenges or differences in creating ambient music versus combat or scene specific music?

The most important aspect of addressing scene specific music has more to do with figuring out the emotion of that scene, how our protagonist might be feeling during that moment, and the level of impact or intensity that will take place when the music is playing. For combat themes, we relied very much on tribal drums, which were all recorded live by percussionist extraordinaire, MB Gordy. As a sidetone, I previously studied African and ethnic drumming so it was especially fun to compose and record in this medium.

In creating the ambient music, the goal was to create a variety of emotions through music that spanned the feelings of hope, despair, grit, exploration and loneliness, among others. In some cues, I utilized hints of the main themes we created. In others, I explored various melodies and soundscapes. This all came to life through recording the music with the orchestra, guitars, flutes, percussion and vocal performances.

For the people out there who are curious and perhaps looking to get into the industry, what would you want to tell people about writing music that most people don’t know about?


It takes years of hard work and persistence to become proficient at your craft. It’s a lifelong journey that requires a continued sense of curiosity and a thirst for growth. I strive to explore new territory from a creative perspective and one of my goals is to never repeat myself. What fun would that be?

— END OF INTERVIEW —

So there it is, it’s not our usual format for the blog but Mike had such amazing insights to the process that we just had to share the interview as is. For Batavian Studio, working with Mike has been a really wonderful experience and we’re still amazed at the work he’s doing to bring sound and ambience to Grimm Odds.

Check out the full soundtrack here: