Come gather around! We have a nice little treat for your ears in this Devlog! We (virtually) sat down with Pathway's brilliant music composer and sound designer Gavin Harrison and asked him a bunch questions about his approach to composing. We're also really excited to share some tracks from the game for the first time!
So ... put on your headphones, click play on this video, grab a coffee and read on:
https://youtu.be/ezZdm69UaE0
How did you end up making music for Games?
The starting point for my interest in composing for games reaches right back to the start of the 90’s. I’d been gaming on a ZX Spectrum for as long as I could remember but it was around this point I was introduced to the world of the demo scene. I loved that all these incredibly talented programmers were creating software purely for fun to see just how far they could push the ZX. Of course alongside this were the musicians providing music that was both technically brilliant from the perspective of squeezing the most from the AY chip (or sometimes the 48k beeper) as well brilliant to actually listen to! One month on the Your Sinclair cover tape was a copy of Soundtracker and I guess I never looked back from there. Not only did I start writing for various demo groups but I also ended up building my own MIDI lead and connecting my Spectrum 128K to my first ‘proper’ synth, a Roland D10.
Thankfully these beginnings stood me in good stead when it came to composing for games later in life. I’d always maintained an interest in music and continued to compose into my early 20’s. After taking a break for a few years (though never quite stopping completely!) I came into contact with the Dutch indie developer OrangePixel. At the time he was in the process of developing ‘Inc’ so I put myself forward to compose the music, with the idea of using Soundtracker on the original ZX Spectrum to create it all.
I’ve been extremely fortunate from this point on to have continued making contacts and finding fantastic projects to work on!
What music inspires you? Any particular inspirations for Pathway?
I have to say I don’t listen to enough music. I know that may sound odd but after composing all day sometimes you just want some silence! However, listening to music is incredibly important - we all have influences and draw our own ideas from the inspirations of others, so I find I have to put aside time for actual listening. Telefon Tel Aviv have been a massive influence on me, they were one of the reasons I starting writing again after the break in my 20’s, I was so inspired by what they were doing with sounds and synths that I had to be a part of that sound. Generally any song that can spark a feeling or a sense of a moment in time is what I’m drawn to.
I think when it comes to the Pathway soundtrack most people will be able to come to an accurate conclusion as to the inspirations behind the music. Given the setting for the game though I tried to draw something from the large orchestral soundtracks of the 50’s and 60’s where budget was no constraint and it was all about the dynamics of a piece as opposed to everything being full volume in your face all the time.
What makes a good game soundtrack in your opinion?
That’s a hard one - it’s so particular to each person what they enjoy from the music. For me a good soundtrack is one that compliments, you’re not trying to outdo or overshadow the game. So as a composer I see my role to be another piece of the puzzle that makes for an all round complete experience. If you can achieve this, the soundtrack will be memorable for all the right reasons. Music can be enjoyable but doesn't always have to be at the forefront, indeed I’ve had experiences when composing before where after a lot of ideas / development I’ve gone down the route of stripping all the music back and having little to none - give the game what it needs.
Can you tell us a bit about your process for composing the Soundtrack for Pathway?
It’s been a process of intense composing then a break, followed by more intense composing. Fortunately I’m also responsible for the sound effects so there’s always been work to do but it’s been useful to be able to step back for awhile before approaching things again. I’ve tried to go back to a very simple way of composing, as would have been the case on a lot of the soundtracks I’m drawing influence from. Ideas have all started from me sitting down at a piano and working out harmonies and melodies, thinking in my head how things will work dynamically. Once the main ideas have been formed I’ll start to actually orchestrate the piece and usually at this point I’ll start to think of extra ideas, or perhaps move repeating melodies across the orchestra. I’ve also been fortunate enough to be able to draw upon the talent of Rob Northcott who has helped with some of the orchestration. This is actually a good point, as a musician it’s important to know your own skills and to not be afraid if / where possible to bring in the help of others who may have more expertise in certain areas. Outside opinions are very rarely a bad thing, even if they just reinforce your own view point it’s important to listen.
What are you trying to achieve with the Soundtrack?
I’m trying to give the landscape it’s own sense of life and story. When you see the desert I want players to know that they are in their version of events but that this is a setting full of history and adventures that have happened previously. I also hope to give a sense of scale, events can happen quickly when playing however this is a vast area that would in reality take a long time to explore.
What's been your biggest challenge thus far working on Pathway?
Am I allowed to say writing the music?! As always it’s the ideas. Sometimes it’s possible to write 2 minutes of complete music in a day, other times it can be a matter of seconds and even those can get scrapped the following day. The battle music have been the toughest pieces to write, indeed I still have ideas to finish here. It’s a tough balance between creating a good atmosphere and making sure the music is not repetitive.
For me, as is the case on most projects, the greatest challenge is always my own self doubt.
What tools do you use for making the music?
Anyone who knows me will tell you I’m a massive synth head, I sit in a studio everyday when composing surrounded by several (11 at last count) vintage synths from the 70’s and early 80’s. Well, very little of these have been used here! After the initial ideas have been drafted out via a piano everything goes into Logic. I then use a lot of sound libraries to create the full orchestra sound as well as creating a rough mix, finally once I’m generally happy with all the parts and arrangement I bounce everything out into audio and import into Pro Tools. From here I’ll fine tune the mix as well as occasionally adding an extra part where needed, or sometimes taking parts out. I know some people may find it an odd process to move from one DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) to another but having a separate mix process like this really brings a lot to the table. If I need to do any actual sound shaping then I’m a massive fan of UAD plug-ins.
Where possible I’m currently in the process of adding some live players into the mix as well. Sound libraries these days are fantastic and can wield extremely impressive results but a live musician will really just add something to the table that a computer can’t. I appreciate it’s not always possible but it’s definitely worth it if you have the option to.
Will the Soundtrack be available for purchase once the game is out?
Yes - I just need to finish it! It’ll be on my Bandcamp page when ready (https://gavinharrisonsounds.bandcamp.com/) and I’m hoping to push it out to iTunes and Spotify.
And lastly, where can interested people find more about you and your work?
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GHarrisonSounds
Bandcamp: https://gavinharrisonsounds.bandcamp.com/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/gavinharrison
Website: http://www.gavinharrisonsounds.com/
And that's it for today's Devlog. We hope you enjoyed this little peek behind the scenes!