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Interview With Jamey Scott
Are you working with any new technologies at the moment? The big thing right now is creating the audio engine for Sprint, our in-house game development platform. A lot of companies are starting to license Quake engines and those types of things but we actually built ours from scratch. I had to build the concept for audio playback for that in advance. I worked on ideas we could implement now, have it work great and not shoot ourselves in the foot for the future. The SoundBlaster Live card, with the EAX processor – reverbs and stuff like that is kind of the first step for audio cards, kind of like how 3DFX was for the video card. The Voodoo iterations since then have really progressed gaming graphics to a high point. The SoundBlaster Live is the first iteration of that for sound. A good hardware reverb would work wonders, as we could get away from the software versions of it and give some relief to the CPU’s workload. How about Surround Sound? Our engine supports Dolby Surround Sound and is decoded on the fly with the full speaker compliment. Unfortunately, I don’t see people hooking up 4 or 5 speakers to their computers quite yet. It’s a great immersive experience but I don’t think people are motivated enough to make that jump. I’m developing for it, but I'm just not certain how it will be used in the future. Does that change the way you compose at all? I can’t compose for that yet because the majority of the music is being played back in stereo. As soon as the majority becomes Surround, then I’ll compose for that. It will be really great when you can place the listener right in the middle with the orchestra. I’ve done several compositions with the instrumentation all around and I have to tell you, it rocks! It is so cool! Unfortunately, the only way it sounds that good is in Dolby Digital, as you need that type of separation. Where do you see game music and sound heading for the future? I see the quality becoming more competitive, with the bar constantly raising. In the very near future, sound designers and musicians are going to have to put out serious quality work in order for the games to compete. The games that don’t have that ultra great sound are not going to be able to cut it in the marketplace. I also see the level of composition mastery increasing. As far as the sound playback quality, I see it improving as well. The big computers can process high-fidelity sound more readily and people are expecting that now. If they hear noise or buzzing, it will be disappointing and the game review won’t be flattering. Most of the sound cards you can buy for $50-100 are good quality. What needs to happen, though, is they need to get better technology into the sound cards and sell them cheaper. Here’s hoping for the future. What impact do the Grammy Awards have on the way you compose and how the industry perceives game music? Probably none, unless I were to win one. Grammys are like a fashion show for pop stars. What matters to me is that the music I am writing is effective and it is working for you as the developer or publisher. For the most part, awards don’t mean much to me. I haven’t even watched the Grammys for over 20 years. As far as legitimizing the craft, it would do alot in that sense, I think. Those that do it feel the music we write is as valid as on any movie or TV show. It would be nice to get out from behind the scenes, and to no longer be the bastard child of the music production world. In the end, you need to be happy with the work you do, and with the work you submit. Everything peripheral is simply insignificant, whether it be an award or a bad review. For me, as long as I am pleased with the music I create, I’m not phased by exterior stimuli. What advice can you give to current and future game composers? The most important thing is to develop a voice as a composer. Alot of people don’t have the capability of keeping their minds open long enough to study the masters and other types of music in order to learn the skills. The thing that will separate you from everybody else and make you marketable is the sound of your music. It’s very important. Why do John Williams, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, and James Horner all work consistently while there are a thousand other guys who only work here and there? These upper-echelon people not only have their politics intact, but they have their specific voice, which is a genuine commodity. Alot of the up-and-coming need to get things together. They also need to diversify. One needs to have the composition down, the sound design skills together, and be able to program. The further you can go down the line, the better off you are going to be. If a game company doesn’t have to hire three different people, but can instead hire one in their place, that is appealing to the company. If you are interested in working on an assembly line and doing sound work, you can do that. But if you are interested in becoming cutting edge, somebody that will stay in the field and become a sort of icon, then you really need to get it together. At least, that’s my opinion. Do aspiring composers send you any of their demo reels? Yeah. I get a couple demos a week, although sometimes it’s almost insulting the materials they send. Often I’m left wondering 'What on earth makes them think this would be effective game music?' Sometimes its fairly good stuff, but without visualizing what kind of game it would be good for, they are just fooling themselves. When you send music to a game company, it has to have some sort of relevance to gaming. I know these guys are just trying to do their best, but it’s an extremely competitive field and you really have to have your sound together. When somebody is playing the game, they have to jive with that sound. From my perspective, game players are used to movies, and if you write movie music well you are going to make them happy. Techno is also a good way to go. If you write candy, pop music, it just won't cut it. Popular opinion of games, in general, is not influenced by the music. When the music is setting a scene well, it's almost transparent, which is when it is most effective. What advice would you give developers or publishers looking for sound? Have a clue. Don’t accept standard rate stuff. One of the things I really love about working at Presto is not only do they have great artists, but the game designers have an idea about music. They know all the movie composers and all the films and they know exactly what they want to hear. I’m lucky in that sense. It’s like actually getting to work with someone instead of constantly trying to force your will on them. Having them be well-educated in the ways of sound and having an idea of what they want is a big plus. Speaking our language is helpful too. The HalfLife guys sound is very hip, and the reason for that is they weren't the type of people who just settle for stock library sounds. Somebody put alot of work into the sound and it shows. They are distinct, unique sounding, and very cool. Do you have a favorite project? Probably Beneath. I’m improving with every game I do, and this title is definitely the best work I’ve done so far. What do you do for fun? Hang out with my wife, work out, read a bunch, and play with my dogs. My wife and I have a unique relationship. Family and friends are important. Email: jscott@presto.com Website: http://www.sdam.com/artists/jamey_scott Presto website: http://www.presto.com Aaron Marks (aBmajor@aol.com), when not interviewing game composers and sound designers, is actually one himself, as the proprietor of On Your Mark Music Productions. |
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