INTERVIEW WITH MIKE REAGAN - CONAN'S SOUNDTRACK DIRECTOR
Explaining the magic of audio production
How did you get into the field of creating music for videogames?
I kind of fell into game composition by having experience in sound fx design for games - way before we really had any memory to really work with. There were a lot of constraints, and back in those days we spent more time fighting within the confines of the hardware than we did actually creating cool sounds. Then when music opportunities came around - because it's what I always really wanted to do, I would demo my butt off to get jobs, and attend every Interactive Game conference I could to meet people and give them the latest promo kit. One gig led to another and people started believing in me enough to give me chances to score some great titles. Things really took off better than I could have imagined.
How does it differ from your other work?
The nonlinear nature of games (anything can happen at anytime) poses some real challenges - interactivity without repetition is always a challenge, and as always the goal is for the action to feel scored like a feature film, but with you at the controls making the decisions of where to turn, who to kill, what strategies to use. For Conan, we had a total of 60 minutes of in-game music, and we are quite pleased with the music system we created and the way we stretched this into a gaming experience lasting several hours. This solves a lot of issues inherent with such a non-linear format. We are confident that gamers will feel the energy of the music doing its job.
What inspiration did you draw upon when creating the music for Conan?
Basil Poledouris was my first inspiration, going back to the Conan the Barbarian soundtrack. I love his use of melody and power with simple structure - just brilliant. I also found inspiration in Stravinsky's The Right of Spring as well as Bernard Herrmann's score, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. Herrmann's use of percussion I find really powerful. I really wanted to compose something for Conan that paid homage to the visceral nature of the property then support that with my own creative flow - I set out to incorporate this into the Sand Dragon Combat piece. Quite a daunting task considering the fan base out there - but I just had to go for it and trust my gut - and have a blast doing it. Victor Rodriguez at THQ was very inspirational as well, pointing me to some of his favorite soundtracks - we really get along great and share similar tastes in music, so it works out really well.
How do you ensure your soundtracks are suitable for the game?
I try to play as much of the game as I can throughout the course of development. In addition, I usually ask for Quicktime video captures of game play, and I have these looping on a separate computer while I'm composing. For Conan, I was able to coordinate receiving builds of the game from THQ on a weekly basis to ensure that the music was always complementing the game. I'll write a minute's worth of music then loop it in the sequencer while playing the game. At this point, it's pretty obvious whether simple adjustments can be made (tempo, arrangement) - or just scrap it and start over if it's not fitting with the speed and general vibe of the game play. For Conan, there were tracks that I was very happy with at first, but after playing the game with some of these looping in the studio, I decided to toss some out and re-write them before I ever sent them in for approval.
Which other videogames have you leant your talents to?
I guess my favorites would have to be God of War I and II, Darkwatch, Van Helsing, Spiderman 2, Brute Force, and Twisted Metal: Black
What is the general process you employ when embarking on a project such as Conan?
First, I look for different sources of inspiration - Soundtrack CDs for form and structure, sample libraries that sound interesting or are fun to play, video of the game, watch some films that are similar in nature, etc. Then I kind of ping-pong back and forth between focusing on melody, drum energy, watching picture, and the mix. It's all happening simultaneously - so if I get stuck on melody, I move to drums or something else - there's a lot of focus shifting due to the many tasks involved in making a score sound epic - especially when you don't always have a live orchestra to work with.
Can you describe a 'typical' day in the life of Mike Reagan?!
So much work, so much fun... so little time. Kids, composing, Starbucks, PR, emails, phone calls, Starbucks, laughing, meetings, press kits, demos, lunch, Starbucks, picking up the kids, software and hardware upgrades, dinner, organization, Starbucks.
What equipment and software do you use to create the scores?
I use GIGASTUDIO ORCHESTRA as my main sound source. I currently have 4 PC's, 3 of which run GIGA, and one that runs Cuebase purely as a sound source for VST plug-ins. I trigger these machines using MIDI OVER LAN via a G5 running Logic Pro. The audio from the PC's are connected via light pipe to a separate Pro Tools HD rig with multiple Dig 192 I/O's via light pipe where the music is recorded. I currently do not use a control surface, as 98% of my mixing is done via MIDI using the Motif ES8 Keyboard. The analogue gear in the room is also routed straight into Pro Tools via 192 Analogue I/O, and any Logic-based samples (EXS24 instruments) or disc recording is connected digitally to the Pro Tools rig via the Logic rig's FIREFACE 800 audio interface. The entire studio is clocked digitally using Apogee's Big Ben, and I also use Coleman Audio's TB4 MKII Monitor Controller as opposed to a mixing console. The combination of digital connections and a truly superb monitoring system yields great dynamic range with virtually no noise. Tha analogue gear consists of UA 2-610, 2 Ch. tube mic pre, UA 8110 8 ch. Class A preamp, and additional synths and samplers include the Virus Classic, Motif ES8, and Kurzweil K2500.
What advice can you offer people hoping to break into the field of game soundtrack design?
Play games. Watch films. Analyze and enjoy. Listen to a lot of music. Practice ear training and sight-singing. Hone your craft, have a great demo, but get out and meet people. Join G.A.N.G., meet other composers. Set limits on the amount of hours you work everyday. Stop to smell the roses... Sometimes we're so busy trying to get where we're going we forget to enjoy the journey.
I kind of fell into game composition by having experience in sound fx design for games - way before we really had any memory to really work with. There were a lot of constraints, and back in those days we spent more time fighting within the confines of the hardware than we did actually creating cool sounds. Then when music opportunities came around - because it's what I always really wanted to do, I would demo my butt off to get jobs, and attend every Interactive Game conference I could to meet people and give them the latest promo kit. One gig led to another and people started believing in me enough to give me chances to score some great titles. Things really took off better than I could have imagined.
How does it differ from your other work?
The nonlinear nature of games (anything can happen at anytime) poses some real challenges - interactivity without repetition is always a challenge, and as always the goal is for the action to feel scored like a feature film, but with you at the controls making the decisions of where to turn, who to kill, what strategies to use. For Conan, we had a total of 60 minutes of in-game music, and we are quite pleased with the music system we created and the way we stretched this into a gaming experience lasting several hours. This solves a lot of issues inherent with such a non-linear format. We are confident that gamers will feel the energy of the music doing its job.
What inspiration did you draw upon when creating the music for Conan?
Basil Poledouris was my first inspiration, going back to the Conan the Barbarian soundtrack. I love his use of melody and power with simple structure - just brilliant. I also found inspiration in Stravinsky's The Right of Spring as well as Bernard Herrmann's score, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. Herrmann's use of percussion I find really powerful. I really wanted to compose something for Conan that paid homage to the visceral nature of the property then support that with my own creative flow - I set out to incorporate this into the Sand Dragon Combat piece. Quite a daunting task considering the fan base out there - but I just had to go for it and trust my gut - and have a blast doing it. Victor Rodriguez at THQ was very inspirational as well, pointing me to some of his favorite soundtracks - we really get along great and share similar tastes in music, so it works out really well.
How do you ensure your soundtracks are suitable for the game?
I try to play as much of the game as I can throughout the course of development. In addition, I usually ask for Quicktime video captures of game play, and I have these looping on a separate computer while I'm composing. For Conan, I was able to coordinate receiving builds of the game from THQ on a weekly basis to ensure that the music was always complementing the game. I'll write a minute's worth of music then loop it in the sequencer while playing the game. At this point, it's pretty obvious whether simple adjustments can be made (tempo, arrangement) - or just scrap it and start over if it's not fitting with the speed and general vibe of the game play. For Conan, there were tracks that I was very happy with at first, but after playing the game with some of these looping in the studio, I decided to toss some out and re-write them before I ever sent them in for approval.
Which other videogames have you leant your talents to?
I guess my favorites would have to be God of War I and II, Darkwatch, Van Helsing, Spiderman 2, Brute Force, and Twisted Metal: Black
What is the general process you employ when embarking on a project such as Conan?
First, I look for different sources of inspiration - Soundtrack CDs for form and structure, sample libraries that sound interesting or are fun to play, video of the game, watch some films that are similar in nature, etc. Then I kind of ping-pong back and forth between focusing on melody, drum energy, watching picture, and the mix. It's all happening simultaneously - so if I get stuck on melody, I move to drums or something else - there's a lot of focus shifting due to the many tasks involved in making a score sound epic - especially when you don't always have a live orchestra to work with.
Can you describe a 'typical' day in the life of Mike Reagan?!
So much work, so much fun... so little time. Kids, composing, Starbucks, PR, emails, phone calls, Starbucks, laughing, meetings, press kits, demos, lunch, Starbucks, picking up the kids, software and hardware upgrades, dinner, organization, Starbucks.
What equipment and software do you use to create the scores?
I use GIGASTUDIO ORCHESTRA as my main sound source. I currently have 4 PC's, 3 of which run GIGA, and one that runs Cuebase purely as a sound source for VST plug-ins. I trigger these machines using MIDI OVER LAN via a G5 running Logic Pro. The audio from the PC's are connected via light pipe to a separate Pro Tools HD rig with multiple Dig 192 I/O's via light pipe where the music is recorded. I currently do not use a control surface, as 98% of my mixing is done via MIDI using the Motif ES8 Keyboard. The analogue gear in the room is also routed straight into Pro Tools via 192 Analogue I/O, and any Logic-based samples (EXS24 instruments) or disc recording is connected digitally to the Pro Tools rig via the Logic rig's FIREFACE 800 audio interface. The entire studio is clocked digitally using Apogee's Big Ben, and I also use Coleman Audio's TB4 MKII Monitor Controller as opposed to a mixing console. The combination of digital connections and a truly superb monitoring system yields great dynamic range with virtually no noise. Tha analogue gear consists of UA 2-610, 2 Ch. tube mic pre, UA 8110 8 ch. Class A preamp, and additional synths and samplers include the Virus Classic, Motif ES8, and Kurzweil K2500.
What advice can you offer people hoping to break into the field of game soundtrack design?
Play games. Watch films. Analyze and enjoy. Listen to a lot of music. Practice ear training and sight-singing. Hone your craft, have a great demo, but get out and meet people. Join G.A.N.G., meet other composers. Set limits on the amount of hours you work everyday. Stop to smell the roses... Sometimes we're so busy trying to get where we're going we forget to enjoy the journey.
