An immense amount of care and work goes into everything you hear in Equinox: Homecoming. Our Audio team's dedication shows! So many of you have been asking for a way to listen to their music outside of the game. In today’s dev blog we're releasing two goodies for you: a relaxing music playlist and a video interview with our lead composer and sound designer.
Read on to learn about the process behind our magical music production.
"All of us in the audio team are musicians before producers. Making any kind of music, it's the best day of the week for me." -Reuven Schlesinger, Technical Audio Designer
Meet our team of musicians & alchemists ✨
This magical team are the ones in charge of transforming silence into sound! Together they make our game feel alive with birdsong, music, and sound effects. Everything you hear in game is thanks to their hard work: the wind, creaking of the reins, hoof steps, and so much more.
Thomas is our lead composer: he's in charge of the entire team and handles everything from music composition and sound design.
Ossian is our audio designer: in addition to music composition, he crafts the game's soundscapes, ensuring each biome feels unique and full of life. He also is in charge of our in-game radio!
Reuven is our technical audio designer: he implements the sounds in-engine alongside sound design and composition work.
Crafting states of feeling✨
Before our Audio team digs into the game there is only silence. They're in charge of designing and adding everything you hear! All of the sound effects, animal calls, footsteps, ambience, and music are intentional sounds they created for just you.
"I love this line of work. I see myself as an alchemist. We, as music producers, create something from nothing." -Thomas Huttenlocher, lead composer
Before creating a new composition, they start with defining the purpose of the music: is it a higher-stakes chase sequence? An underground rave party? A heartwarming homecoming?
Once the track's emotional goals and in-game context are clearly defined, Thomas takes a first pass. Then the team takes turns iterating, bouncing the track back and forth. For example: Ossian added the guitar melody to our Fishing Village track, Thomas added some ambience, and Reuven may rearrange a few components.
By this point, we bring the track into the game and see how it feels as players. Usually it fits the context but other times some adjustments need to be made. Our Crown Chase track needed to be bumped up a bit to feel more epic and dynamic than our other relaxing tracks.
Blending coziness with weirdness✨
We've created a signature sound that blends relaxation, electronic edge, and a dash of weirdness. This lets us enhance the feeling of play and elevate crucial moments so they have a "Wow!" effect.
"Electronic music gives you a lot of possibilities to paint a feeling that you wouldn't get with traditional instruments." -Reuven Schlesinger, Technical Audio Designer
All of our sounds are created with realism as a foundation, which helps the experience feel grounded and immersive. But adding celestial tones or sci-fi elements helps push evocative feelings in special locations like our caves.
All of the sound effects, soundscapes, and music are layered together to create a good balance. This means we have to consider our game's interactivity and player agency when designing any sound. As an example - players decide which pace to ride at, which means a music's beat should feel great across each gait and.never overpower the sound of hoofs.
"It's very exciting to build a world of audio for this game. I've done music all my life, but I've never done something this interactive." -Reuven Schlesinger, Technical Audio Designer
Listen to our music mix: the perfect way to chill, relax, and game 🎶
So many of our players have been asking for a way to enjoy our music... and it's here! We've prepared a fifty minute playlist full of dreamy atmospheric shots and over 15 of our most popular tracks.
It's the perfect way to lock in and focus or kick up your feet and unwind.