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[Continuing his 'Sound Current' series of interviews with notable game music creators for GameSetWatch, Jeriaska catches up with Heavy Rain composer Normand Corbeil to discuss the creation of the soundtrack to the acclaimed Quantic Dream-developed PlayStation 3 exclusive.]

Composer Normand Corbeil previously joined game director David Cage and film composer Angelo Badalamenti on the production of Quantic Dream's paranormal thriller Indigo Prophecy, titled Fahrenheit in Europe.

The soundtrack to Cage's follow-up title, the interactive drama Heavy Rain, was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and has recently been made available on iTunes. In addition, a code to download the soundtrack album comes with the Collector's Edition of the game. In this interview, Corbeil discusses his approach to adding nuance to the personalities of the story's central characters through the use of the musical score.

The Heavy Rain Collector's Edition released in Europe

The storyline of Heavy Rain involves several central protagonists who each have their own distinct musical themes. How did you decide which facets of their character or backstory would best be complemented by aspects of the game score?

Normand Corbeil, Heavy Rain composer: David [Cage] briefed me very precisely. Each character has a different way of seeing life, and that was more important than what they do in the game.

For Ethan, we focused on the piano. The theme is something very human, fragile but strong at the same time. For Madison there is a chamber orchestra with a smaller setup, both strong and emotional. Jayden is an investigator and researcher in a sad and crazy world, so his theme is dark. There it’s the opposite, a symphony orchestra. Shelby’s theme is drawing on French film noire from the 60’s: cop stories, a bit jazzy, brass and flutes.

I don’t want to say too much about it because I think we love to discover the themes by ourselves—people don’t want too many hints. Also, you never know if what you say will spoil the plot.

David Cage is himself a musician. Did this help make communicating easier in the process of writing the score?

I think the most important part of his being a musician is that he understands the aspects of a musician’s work. He never involves himself directly in the notes, in the way I do the orchestration. He briefs me about the characters and prefers that to talking directly about the music.

Did this allow you greater freedom to make your own artistic choices?

I think that’s it exactly. David really knows when it’s time for him to stop talking. That adds to the great pleasure of working with him.

How would you describe the process behind your previous collaboration for Quantic Dream?

That I did with Angelo [Badalamenti], who I was working with on several projects at the time. The three of us met in New York for an afternoon, and then I worked on it for a month and a half. I think they appreciated what I did, because they called me back for Heavy Rain.

Of course many people know Badalamenti’s music from David Lynch films. Are there particular movie scores of his that have stood out in your memory?

It’s difficult to say. Muholland Drive is a very, very interesting score, and "really Angelo." I think he is among the greatest composers alive and it was a privilege to work with him and observe his process.

When you are working on game projects like Heavy Rain, do you think of it as “making game music?”

No, especially not at the beginning. I think that David came to Angelo and I because he does not want people thinking too narrowly about games, or musicians thinking too much about cues. He is concerned most with the emotion and the journey. Of course in the end because it is a game we are recording all the variations to the themes, but at the beginning at least it is the same as working in film.

Around how many cues ended up being recorded?

We recorded the cues, varying the mood and duration on the fly with the orchestra, for instance saying to the clarinet player to play the part of the harp. We did all these variations because we could not afford to come back later with the orchestra. At the end I delivered around 250 cues.

Even after that, when I returned to Montreal, I recorded a solo piece on piano. Each time you hear a solo piano in the game, it’s me playing. Now, the number might be closer to 300 cues. That gave Quantic Dream a lot of music to play with, and they said to me they used them all in the game.

How were these many cues labeled?

They changed all the titles for the soundtrack release. For me it was like “Ethan, Piano 1,” “Ethan, Piano 2”… We had only a short time, a couple months starting the fifth of June 2009 and ending at Abbey Road, for everything.

Have you had a number of experiences recording at Abbey Road Studios before?

I’ve done many things there. I’m used to working with the musicians, the sound engineer Jonathan Allen, and the assistants. I love when I’m at Abbey Road because I know that I don’t have to concern myself with anything other than music. Everything else is taken care of. They’re taking notes on all of your suggestions and if you need to hear the 62nd take, they can play it back to you in two seconds. It’s like Jonathan is co-producing with me, the way he knows the music.

This title has been years in the making, and yet the score had a tight production schedule. Did you ever feel pressured for time on Heavy Rain?

Of course. The reason why they waited until the end was because they were not sure exactly how they wanted the music. More music was required than for a movie, because there are so many beginnings, so many middles and ends. You have to take care that each piece of the puzzle fits together.

It was a bit crazy, especially because it was for a symphony orchestra and I am doing the composing and orchestration alone, but I’m used to working that way on films and miniseries and it was amazing to do. I did ask that if I am involved in a next game that I be given a bit more time.

There are any number of activities open to the player that are very uncommon to what we are used to seeing in games. Guiding Ethan through a day of playing with his son at the park is one example. In your observation do you feel this format of an interactive drama allows for the player to be engaged in the story and the identities of the characters on an experiential level?

I don't want to speak for David, but yes. People want more than to watch TV passively. They want to be involved, and games if designed correctly can offer tools to be involved. Some people are resistant to Heavy Rain because they are used to having a jump button and a run button, but for a lot of people I think it was interesting. Being involved in all these choices, maybe some people will feel closer to the characters.

Are you currently looking into to the possibility of writing for interactive dramas in the future?

Of course. It would be a shame not to use the technology to go further as an art form. Compared with other games, this is closer to the suspense thrillers I'm used to doing, more about human beings. For me the interactivity is inspiring—to know that somebody can decide to go one way or another. I think it holds a lot of possibilities for storytelling and for a composer. Heavy Rain is just the start.

[This article is available in French on Squaremusic. To learn more about Normand Corbeil, visit the composer's official website. Images courtesy of Quantic Dream. Heavy Rain (Original Soundtrack from the Video Game) can be downloaded on iTunes.]

[Continuing his 'Sound Current' series for GameSetWatch, Jeriaska catches up with the director of Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu's Dog Ear Records label to discuss the company's diverse set of video game and related soundtracks, from piano versions of game music classics through spinoff projects and solo albums.]

Currently on shelves in record stores in Japan, Dog Ear Records' two most recent releases are Nobuo Uematsu's Ten Short Stories and Pia-Com I, short for "Piano Meets Computer Games."

Performed by Keita Egusa, Pia-Com I marks the first installment of a series of solo piano albums. The collection arranges individual tracks from Final Fantasy II, Mappy, Elevator Action and Mother (the Famicom predecessor to Earthbound).

Hiroki Ogawa, director of Dog Ear Records, has been involved in planning recordings for Final Fantasy XIV, the animated series Guin Saga, and orchestral arrangements of Final Fantasy found on the album CELLYTHM: Those Who Distorted. In this interview coinciding with the release of Nobuo Uematsu's Ten Short Stories in Japan, Ogawa and Egusa offer their perspectives on the making of Dog Ear Records albums.

Ogawa-san, in your work at Dog Ear Records, what kind of jobs do you oversee?

To put it simply, I handle whatever work is not taken by Uematsu-san and Matsushita-san. As director, I am managing CD design, along with the production of game soundtracks. Those are the kinds of roles I'm serving in.

On August 2, Famitsu presented Press Start, a concert of live videogame music. For the encore performance, "To Zanarkand" from Final Fantasy X was performed by Egusa-san. Did you have the chance to see it?

Yes, I did. Dog Ear Records has released a CD by Egusa-san, and so we have worked together closely. However, his performing with the orchestra then was not something we planned for in any way. I was surprised to see him at the piano and to hear that he would play "To Zanarkand." As someone who has worked with Uematsu-san, it was a total surprise when I heard. I asked someone to cover for me at the booth. The hall was so large and the sound so moving... I was very glad to hear it.

On the Dog Ear Records homepage it's been announced that Uematsu will be composing for Final Fantasy XIV. Can you tell us more about his involvement in the highly anticipated MMORPG?

Hiroki Ogawa: There's a lot I can't say at the moment. Square Enix is planning announcements. The last time Uematsu was composing for the series, in terms of writing all the music himself, I had not yet started working in this field. I was familiar with the soundtracks as a player. Now to be involved as a member of the staff, it's a source of tremendous satisfaction. At the same time I feel the pressures of being responsible for working on a series with a long and involved history.

A lot of people are excited about Final Fantasy XIV and Uematsu's involvement as composer. Do you feel pressure to meet their expectations?

Yes, I would say that is accurate. The pressure on me is nothing compared with Uematsu. I observe he's pouring his feelings into it as he works on each of the songs for the game. Of course he's barreling ahead with the score, but not without thinking deeply about each song.

Similar races inhabit the world of Final Fantasy XIV when compared with Final Fantasy XI, though their names have changed slightly. In working on the musical themes for the game, will there be a conscious connection to Final Fantasy XI?

In truth, only Uematsu knows for sure. In terms of what I observe in recording sessions the concern is for creating something altogether new. In listening to Uematsu's previous scores there's always some new element that emerges. I think there will be surprises in the main theme and also in the storyline. Naturally there will be novel components, but that's what everyone expects from Uematsu on a Final Fantasy series installment.

Recently the animated television series Guin Saga has featured a soundtrack composed by Uematsu. In terms of Dog Ear Records' involvement, how did you contribute to the soundtrack album?

Once the music for the series had been completed, a CD soundtrack was released by Aniplex Records, who published the albums for Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey. Aniplex was the publisher and Dog Ear Records was responsible for the overall production.

In approaching the sound of Guin Saga, were there any features you wished to emphasize?

Yes, well this is only my personal impression, but the world of Guin Saga is vast. The use of the orchestra is meant to underscore this. There are also sampled instruments on the score and making those two work together naturally was arranger Narita-san's job. We were working on the mixing tirelessly, not even stopping for New Years'.

The most recent release from Dog Ear Records is Nobuo Uematsu's Ten Short Stories, which includes a song that the composer began writing many years ago. Would you please tell us a little about it?

This song originated when Uematsu was in Junior High, and was the first he ever composed. Only two verses were written at that time, and he's completing it at fifty. That was the idea behind the entire project. Seeing as other songs are in the works, we are considering an English-language version. The track will be available online overseas, and we would like people to understand the lyrics.

The first song ever composed by Uematsu-san will be released at 50?

Yes, that's right. We have until March 20 to finish before he turns 51, and plans are for ten songs total.

Dog Ear Records video interview (Part One of Two)

Egusa-san, thank you for joining us for this discussion on the subject of your recent music release. Dog Ear Records has previously published your solo album KALAYCILAR. How would you describe Ogawa-san's role in this process?

There's a short answer and a long answer to that question, but let me explain it to you in some detail. Many of the ideas that went into the title track of KALAYCILAR were in my mind around the time that I first heard Bela Bartok's "Microcosmos" in college. I actually remember thinking at the time that this would make for some great game music. That led me to seek out a lot of folk songs originating from Bartok's birthplace of Hungary, just to get a better sense of their motifs. I thought that one of these days I would try arranging one of these folk songs in my own style.

In 2000, I joined a band performing Turkish and Arabic music. There I encountered a Turkish folk song called "Kalaycilar." We were performing in a very standard Turkish style, but having been reminded of my experience listening to Bartok's "Microcosmos," I went ahead and wrote an arrangement for the band that was reflective of my memories from college. Those are the origins of the album KALAYCILAR.

This Turkish folk song is performed at auspicious events, like wedding ceremonies. I had the opportunity to play this piece at Ogawa-san's wedding, and he fell in love with it. Uematsu-san had the chance to hear the recording, and that's how it was decided that this would be released on the Dog Ear Records label.

It became necessary during the course of releasing the album that two further tracks be recorded. For that reason, I arranged a Moroccan folk song called "Aisha." It's become a favorite of Ogawa-san's as well. In addition to this, after considering a number of prospects, I decided on adding a more popular selection, an arrangement of "Simoon" by the Yellow Magic Orchestra. It turned out to be a remarkably smooth process with few complications.

Earlier this year you performed on the piano at the Press Start Symphony of Games Concert, which we reported on for several articles on this website. What was your experience playing famous themes from videogames together with the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra?

It was an extremely exciting experience. The skills of multiple arrangers were vying for the attention of the audience, while the source material has a deep meaning to so many who play videogames. The choice of songs on the set list and their presentation amounted to the highest form of fan service you can imagine.

I think you can't help but feel a sense of whimsy in hearing a musical performance comprised of songs originating on computers, involving none other than a full orchestra. It was a lot of fun. It's the kind of event that I think is not only interesting to those immersed in the culture of games, but even those who feel a bit alienated by it. It's just an immensely enjoyable concert by any standards.

Your father performed on the soundtrack to Anata wo Yurusanai for the PSP. Are games something that the two of you are able to enjoy together?

My father belongs to a generation that primarily missed out on the joys of videogames -- (he's 70). When I was a kid we played board games together... primarily shogi, Othello and baseball pinball. This might be stretching the meaning of "gaming," but if there was anyone who taught me how to enjoy its pleasures in the larger sense, it was my father.

Pia-com is an album that takes a variety of classic game themes and arranges them for the piano. When you were younger, did you ever experiment with performing such arrangements?

I certainly did! I was in elementary school when Space Invaders became all the rage. In music class during the break I would sneak over to a piano in the corner and play music from the game for my classmates. This was how I discovered that performing music for others could be a source of enjoyment, and that set me on the course toward my present-day occupation.

How did you go about choosing the track list?

Mappy is one that I've had the chance to perform live previously on several occasions. When the concept for this album first came under discussion at Dog Ear Records, this was one of the tracks whose background music I sent in as a demo. As soon as they heard it they said, "This is it!" Also, a cover of "Snowman" was one of the candidates I was considering for KALAYCILAR. That was the result of taking a look at "Eight Melodies" from Mother, which was requested by director Ogawa-san.

At Press Start you played "To Zanarkand," which is Uematsu's opening theme from Final Fantasy X. You're also arranging one of his tracks from Final Fantasy II for Pia-Com. How would you describe the experience of working with the composer?

The moment I begin to play any music by Uematsu, I immediately am given a very particular sense of that world, a mysterious sensation. I've also performed at the Distant Worlds concert and it's given me the chance to become familiar with a number of his songs. The rendition of "To Zanarkand" that took place at Press Start was not my arrangement, but it did involve a lengthy piano solo at the outset. You could say there's a certain pressure involved in playing solo in a sold out concert, but it was a great relief to hear that I lived up to the audience's expectations.

Dog Ear Records video interview (Part 2 of 2)

[This article is available in Japanese on Game Design Current. It can be read in French in two parts on Squaremusic: [ Part One ] [Part Two]. Cellythm, Pia-Com I and Nobuo Uematsu's Ten Short Stories can be imported from Amazon.co.jp. Interview conducted by Miyu and Jeriaska. Images courtesy of Dog Ear Records. Photos by Jeriaska.]

Dragon Quest's "Overture" is instantly recognizable to almost anyone with any familiarity with the franchise, as it's used prominently in dozens of main series games and spin-offs starting with the very first release. There's even a Dragon Quest Best Dance Mix album that you can grab with a Trance remix version of the music!

In a recent interview with Famitsu translated by 1UP, Dragon Quest composer Koichi Sugiyama, who was already a celebrity in Japan for his TV/film work long before he began working on video games, reflected on his 24-year history with the series and revealed that he came up with the melody for the iconic overture in just five minutes.

"It took about five minutes between getting struck with the idea and coming up with the melody [for the overture]," Sugiyama said. "People get surprised when I say I did it in five minutes, but I'd like to think I did it because I had fifty-odd years of living experience up to that point. You could say it really took me fifty years and five minutes."

The veteran composer also shared an interesting story on how Enix initially sought him out to work on its game soundtracks:

"I've always liked video games, and long ago I played a game called Morita Shogi which Enix released on the PC-8801. I wrote down my impressions of it in the little questionnaire postcard in the box, and my family sent it back to them without me realizing it.

Whoever received the note recognized my name and gave me a phone call asking if I could compose some music for them. I said yes, and that was how I began making game music."

See? There really was a point to filling out those silly questionnaire cards that came with your games. You could've been a renown video game composer if only you'd sent yours in!

I can't figure out what YouTube user RustyNex's real name is -- I do know, though, that he even circuit-bends Christmas cards because he can't leave well enough alone.

So this is an Arduinoboy, which -- oh, gosh, I'll just quote the machine's creator, Trash80, directly -- "allows serial communication (MIDI) to the Nintendo Game Boy for music applications such as Little Sound DJ, Nanoloop., and mGB."

RustyNex's Arduinoboy sports myriad cosmetic modifications including:

- a clear Game Boy chassis, pained white from the inside
- a much larger screen from a Game Boy pocket
- SNES buttons
- glowing LEDs! In the shape of a heart!

It's really very, very cool.

[Via True Chip Till Death]

[GameSetLinks is GameSetWatch's semi-regular link round-up post, culling from hundreds of weblogs and outlets to compile the most interesting longform writing, links, and criticism on the art and culture of video games.]

Digging into our cache of GameSetLinks, we come up with some beautifully earthy article goodness, starting out with the 1UP folks discussing just where the character-based rhythm action game went - something I certainly mourn, since musical stories are actually major moneyspinners in other creative industries (uh, Broadway!) Shame.

Also in these links - a neat UK Guardian piece on Britsoft and indie gaming, plus Cartoon Brew gets on the Rockstar quality of life discussion train, Bear McCreary's rather gorgeous Dark Void soundtrack is dissected by the artist himself, and other things occur besides.

Remember me:

Chiptuned: 1UP's Game Music Blog : Mourning the Character-Based Rhythm Game
'We just need a concept as original and interesting as the first Parappa -- and there's never been a better time, now that most rhythm games seek to be indistinguishable from their competitors.'

Retronauts Flashback: January 1990 from 1UP.com
Super-nice Cifaldi snapshot of 20 years ago in gaming...

Bear's Battlestar Blog » Blog Archive » The Dark Void Score
Was really taken by the Dark Void soundtrack, discovered it's by Battlestar Galactica composer Bear McCreary - here's a gigantic making-of blog post with sample music.

Back to the bedroom: how indie gaming is reviving the Britsoft spirit | Technology | guardian.co.uk
Excellent article from Keith Stuart on indie games as creative renaissance: 'Britain used to produce some of the most entertaining and idiosyncratic videogames in the world. Then the eighties ended. But are the glory days returning?'

gamedrinkcode » Archive » How to afford an indie game
Heartily agreed.

Is Rockstar a sweatshop? | Cartoon Brew: Leading the Animation Conversation
Interesting to see this story get as far as one of the major animation sites, and the comments there-in.

BigDownload: IGF 2010 Finalists: Design Excellence
Really nice overview from James Murff and the BigDownload folks.

Life Starts Here: High Society
Writer and former GSW columnist Duncan Fyfe with a great fictional tale taking place at GDC, oddly enough - this is a blog to watch.

Unfazed by the rejection of its last promotional video for the 2010 Game Developers Conference, the Mega64 crew quickly went to work to produce this revised commercial, focusing less on the trade show's rave parties (mostly because there won't be any) and more on its geekier aspects.

Unfortunately, organizers for the event felt this video doesn't quite capture the spirit of GDC 2010 either. While they conceded that a panel devoted to cake-themed Portal jokes might be possible, coordinators feared that promoting game/music piracy and instating a "20-buckle minimum" on boot-wearing attendees might drive away sponsors and publishers.

Hopefully, the next take will get it right; it's starting to get expensive repairing the video camera every time Rocco kicks the lens to make his point.

While this isn't strictly indie gaming news, it is independent music inspired by classic game music, it's firmly embedded in the spirit of gaming and it's for charity, so I'm going to go ahead and plug it anyway.

Oh yeah, it's bloody brilliant too. 8-Bit Christmas is an album of chiptunes based on the classic Christmas songs you've come to know and love (read: hate). Produced, arranged, recorded, and mixed by Shane Barber aka Rush Coil, it's glorious stuff which is definitely worth checking out.

The whole album can be listened to via the 8-bit Christmas site for free. However, if you're feeling charitable, a downloadable version can be purchased for $4, or a CD version for $10. All net proceeds are donated to the Child's Play charity, which 'presents hospitalized children around the globe with games and toys during the holiday season'. Continue reading