EXCLUSIVE SHOTS FROM  PATH OF THE SHELL

...CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

OGDEN: How much input into the sound design does Doug interject?

LARKIN: We usually talk about the design and spot the film before I start working on it at all. He'll tell me the type of feel he's looking for, which is good in this case, because it's not always apparent from the beginning.

There's a lot of story in the Robota trailers that need to be underscored with sound that Doug is much more in tune to than I am. It's his concept, and he knows what he's going for. But after working with anyone for a while, you begin to understand their perspective, and as a result, the process tends to become more transparent.

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Doug Chiang had very specific ideas about some of the sounds in ROBOTA. Says Larkin, "This is a file that I created for the Robota opening footsteps on Trailer II by recording a pen digging in sand, and pitching down the sound. We were trying to get an abstract dreamlike quality to the footsteps, as opposed to a literal robotic interpretation."
	1. Robota footsteps    (Sound only - MP3 - 72K) 2. Robota footsteps    (With visuals - MOV - 657K)
"Here's a clip from Trailer III - Even though subtle, each movement in this section is actually 4 or 5 sounds layered and mixed upon each other. The sound starts with a gravel and stone footstep, with the sound of several wrenches and an old metal teapot mixed in, then the beads were layered with the sound of a leather trumpet case that had a cool sound created with the handles and straps that dangle from it."
	1. Robota up stairs    (Sound only - MP3 - 55K) 2. Robota up stairs    (With visuals - MOV - 392K)

OGDEN: There's a lot of talk about positional audio these days. Do you feel it should be considered part of the critical path of game audio design now, or something reserved only for the high end machines?

LARKIN: It's definitely not a fad. Positional audio is something that we've become conditioned to hear due to the mixes in film and on home theater surround systems, which in many cases double for the game sound. We used positional audio in URU to it's fullest extent, with every sound for a lever or door coming from it's exact location within the game. Quite a bit of attention to detail was taken to make sure that you really feel immersed in the world to the extent that we're able. There will always be the telephone ringing or dog barking to occasionally pull you out of your experience, but I think that if you set yourself up in a quiet place with a decent surround system and audio card, you'll often feel transported to where you're player is in URU which in turn sets up a greater sense of connection to the game and it's story.

OGDEN: How widespread do you think the public's acceptance of positional audio will be, and what sort of market penetration do you expect in the mainstream?

LARKIN: It's interesting in that I think the public has already accepted surround technology for home theater systems. The 5.1 home system is a pretty common occurrence. On the other hand, I'm not sure that as many consumers understand how the surround gaming system works and interacts with an audio card. Most computer users easily understand that by buying a higher end video card, in most cases, their games will look better and most likely run faster. With audio it's a bit more convoluted. Does buying a higher end audio card make the game run any faster? Does it sound better? Do I hear more sound? Is it higher resolution sound, surround? 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1???

So you can see that there are many choices that I think confuse the consumer in dealing with audio on a computer, let alone what type of speaker system they might need to integrate properly with the card they've picked out, if any. Many consumers see that there is in fact already an audio jack on the back of the computer, so they plug it in, hear sound, and they're happy, never knowing what possibilities they're missing.

OGDEN: How did Peter Gabriel come to be involved in the URU soundtrack?

LARKIN: Well, that was an idea that we had been kicking around for some time, but budget was always a concern. I thought that if we had a name artist that was in line with our aesthetic, it would help the game quite a bit, and with the original intent for URU to be an ongoing live online experience, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to integrate the artist not only into the soundtrack, but possibly into the game itself. Wouldn't it be great to see a live concert from one of these artists in the D'ni cavern, or meet them walking through the neighborhood. Maybe even having exclusive content released within the game, that sort of thing. So eventually our publisher saw the light and decided to put the deal together. We ended up with "Burn You Up' in the game and playing over the end credits.

OGDEN: What do you feel the value of a big name like Peter Gabriel is to a game audio experience, to a film/TV experience, and to the soundtrack release as a product?

LARKIN: I still believe that if it's done right, it can add quite a bit. If cross marketing is done correctly along with game integration, it will definitely help with the success of a release. You get the fans who are interested in the artist on board with your release, and the same for the artist. It also adds a bit of real world experience in bringing something from your every day life into the environment. It could also be similar to having your favorite song bring you right back to where you were when you heard it, in this case, it would bring you back to URU.

The list of musicians we thought about collaborating with was somewhat short, probably about ten in all. One of the reasons being that it's very hard to make the connections and get the logistics of these artists together. It takes an unusually large amount of time to get communications from the agent to the artists and back to you, so believe me, you don't want to be trying to track down more than a few of these guys at a time. As to who else was on the list, Rand and I sort of combined some of our favorite artists along with those we felt would lend to the success and aesthetic of the product.

OGDEN: What value difference do you feel there is in the inclusion of a pre-existing song by a big name on a soundtrack as opposed to a custom written feature tune? Which would you prefer?

LARKIN: I would prefer to have something that was written specifically for the situation. We were in a spot where the music from Peter came at such a late stage in the game that we weren't able to get something specific. Peter was on tour, and typically takes quite a bit of time to write, so we ended up with something that hadn't been released as of yet. It's a great tune, but I feel we had to shoehorn it in a bit. I think the end result was pretty good, and it works in the context of the game, but I know it could've been better given more time.

OGDEN: How much input into the sound design of the Myst games does Rand Miller interject?

LARKIN: Rand has always put his trust in what I do, and I appreciate that. I think that is partly due to the fact that I've worked with him and his brother Robyn for quite some time and built up his level of trust. I first started working with Cyan on Riven, and most of my interaction was with Robyn. It was very detailed at first, down to the descriptions of something Robyn wanted to sound like a lobster breathing! It was a bit intimidating at first, but after I understood their aesthetic, it became quite easy. Rand and I have a pretty similar interpretation of how URU should sound, so we rarely disagree, and I think that he's happier not having to manage the sound process as a result.

Don't want to give too much away, but this clip comes from Path Of The Shell (slated for release July 13). It takes place in an area that's related to the character Guild Master Kadish. It's the natural extension on the previous theme that plays in the Kadish Gallery, and uses a soprano as the lead voice.
	Guild Master Kadish    (Sound clip - MP3 - 1MB)

OGDEN: You've said that you've been asked often what is your favourite piece of music that you've created, and invariably you say it is the one you happen to be working on at the time. What do you generally think of your work after you're done?

LARKIN: I tend to enjoy my music more as time goes by. Generally once I'm done with a piece I don't want to go back to it. I like to move on. That's one of the reasons that I rarely re-use music in other places. When I listen to a composition right before it's done, and for a short while after it's complete, I'm rarely totally pleased with it, but as I'm able to distance myself from the process involved with that particular piece, I almost always come around and enjoy listening to it. There are invariably things that I think need tweaking, but you have to let go at some point and try to employ what you've learned on the next round.

OGDEN: What atmosphere that you have created through audio do you feel works best?

LARKIN: That's a tough one. There have been so many that I don't even remember at this point. I'll have to go with some of the most recent in URU. I really enjoy the ages like Kadish where I ended up using musical samples to create ambient creature sounds, and the music itself gave it an expansive open feeling. That age was also very interesting to me visually, which always helps in creating the music or sound.

OGDEN: Where do your musical ideas come from?

LARKIN: I wish I knew. I think that it's probably a stew of all the experience I've had as a musician over the years. Having played with symphonies, jazz bands, rock bands, funk bands, you name it. Little parts of that seem to surface in my music here and there, as well as the desire to create something different at the time. I'm guessing that the music comes from the same place that you're desire to animate or draw would come from. Experiences in our past as well as the technology and influences that are present in our everyday lives.

OGDEN: What composers do you particularly admire?

LARKIN: I admire composers like Miles Davis. Very innovative, never content with staying still. Thomas Newman. He seems very innovative to me, never locked into a certain style. John Williams for his sheer strength in being able to compose massive scores and re-invent himself. Mark Mancina for his simplicity in a score like Traffic. Gino Vannelli. A great ability to cross over from classical to pop and jazz.

OGDEN: Any parting advice for people looking to get into the business of composing and audio design?

LARKIN: It's great fun. You meet some very interesting people, make great friends and it's incredibly rewarding. It's also hard work, and takes a great deal of time and dedication to be successful. The most important piece of advice I can think of is to know what's good and what isn't . There's quite a bit of mediocre music and sound out there, and if you want to rise above all that, you have to know that what you're creating is better, and not everyone knows that. I'm not saying that everything I create is good, but if it isn't, chances are you haven't heard it, nor has anyone else but me. :)

OGDEN: Thanks for chatting with us today.

LARKIN: My pleasure!

Many thanks to Rand Miller, Josh Staub and Doug Chiang for their invaluable help in assembling the assets for this feature.