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Attendees:
Jeremy Soule: Anyone and everyone can contact me at www.jeremysoule.com My music is posted at www.mp3.com/jeremysoule
Eglamore: With three games coming out, all of which are RPG's, how did you create a unique sound for Neverwinter (as opposed to DS and MW)? Was there something particular that inspired you?
Jeremy Soule: This is a good question. I often compare composers to method actors. Neverwinter has given me specific feelings that are unique to its world. It think this will be apparent in the music.
Azrael: what kind of instruments will be used in composing the game, or will it just be done on a synth?
Jeremy Soule: I'm now sponsored by Casio. Just kidding. We will be using a variety of instruments both synth and acoustic. For Neverwinter, my company has built new sounds. It should be fun.
Speedy: I am a big follower of NWN, but firstly, I am a musician, and love music. What I am wondering, is how much of what you do is electronic? Live musicians, for me, cannot be replaced well enough with computers, but I do think that they can still play a good part in music. When you compose, do you use synthesized strings, or drums, or anything (or everything for that matter) in the creation process?
Jeremy Soule: The first instruments I use are in my head. I find that is the fastest way to work out a composition. For me, it is fairly "realtime". It is a bit like listening to the radio. I go to the studio as more of a final production phase.
Hodack: How many tracks can be played at once (if desired)?
Jeremy Soule: Depends on how much coffee I've had... ;)
Alan Miranda: We have it setup to play 1 music track at any given time. If a battle starts, the background music will fade out and be replaced by the battle track.
David Chan: Well, in terms of streaming there are 2 tracks. 1 music and 1 main ambient. You can add additional sounds, but you have to be careful on the number and the size or it will affect performance.
Silhan: I'm very impressed with the expressiveness you've been able to achieve with your electronic orchestra. Do you try to capture solid, expressive performances when recording the various parts into the sequencer software, or do you edit-in the expressiveness afterwards? Do you often overdub the synthesized tracks with live (non-synthesized) instruments? What types of MIDI controllers do you use (keyboard, wind, etc.)?
Jeremy Soule: Thank you! I "breathe" my computers. In other words, I've been a breath control artist for years. Every instrument has a different breathing pattern so it takes a lot of practice. My tool of choice is the Yamaha BC3.
Spigety: Will we have an option for choosing different qualities of music?
David Chan: You will have the choice of different tracks for different areas. You will also be able to change music through scripting if you desire. You could have a villain track play when you enter someone's lair for instance.
Dhalgren: Have you chosen a style for the combat music?
Alan Miranda: The combat music will have an strong style to it to get players pumped for combat. It will be intense and exhilarating.
Cronus: What Will EAX support be like? Will it be similar to Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2; for where the whole scene was either echoed and etc... or will it be the scuttling of insects in the cave and maybe the swords echoed but voices higher pitched and etc...
David Chan: We are looking at EAX 3.0 support. Since it is an isometric game, there will only be on environmental setting per area. Correction, one setting per area.
Maximus: How did Jeremy Soule, come to a conclusion on which type of compositions to write for each scenario/scene, what were some on his influences?
Jeremy Soule:I always got with a feeling inside. My influences are many but I try to speak with my own voice. It's just far easier that way.
A_Str8: Will there be different music "sets" to use in module creation?
Alan Miranda: Yes. The game is broken down into tilesets. We will be providing music specifically suited to the individual tilesets, even giving end users defaults to start with. However, you can put whatever music you think fits best from any of the other music sets.
MDesigner: Hm, another question for Jeremy: What was your big break in the game industry? How did you present yourself to the company so that they hired you to compose for them?
Jeremy Soule: My "break" came from a company called Squaresoft. I simply sent them a demo and they liked it. I was really lucky to say the least!
Hodack: Will the day/night cycle effect the music? If not, can it be scripted?
Alan Miranda: You can assign a different music track for an area based on whether it's day or night. That way if you have a bustling city during the day, you can have an upbeat track. At night when everything is calm, you can have a quieter one. Playing music tracks for specific instances could probably also be scripted.
Double-Joker: how many areas are there with unique compositions?
Alan Miranda: Music tracks are composed on a tileset basis (for the most part), so areas will use those generic tracks. There are however unique tracks suited for very custom areas or encounters, but I wouldn't be able to discuss just how many there are at this point.
Umadin: What is the process BioWare is going to recording music from Soule? Is he doing it through some other music studio and BioWare purchases or what? (wondering the specifics of game music production)
Jeremy Soule: Artistry Entertainment, my company, has numerous suites. Some of which are for mastering and sound design and others are for music production. We generally deliver music through FTP. This is typically what is done in the rest of the industry.
George: Can we ask if he plays any of these games and what sort of character he likes, also what sort of music he likes other than classical? (and some artist names he likes)
Jeremy Soule: Yes, of course. Otherwise, I don't have a feeling to begin a composition. I generally play all sorts of character types in RPGS to get a full idea of the experience. The CD in my car currently is the latest from Tool--a bit different from what people that have heard my music would expect.
RickyD: Is there going to be music in the intro like BG? I hope so since it makes the first impression of the game much better...
David Chan: Yes, it will be the main game theme and it will make you want to dive right in.
Aurus: Do you typically write a single theme and create the different tracks/songs based on that - or do you use individual themes for different scenarios?
Jeremy Soule: I typically write numerous themes but I try to keep a thread throughout the music.
Sevashtan: Hi, with regard to voice acting in NWN has there been any attention paid to accents?
Jeremy Soule: I play a little violin. It helps me understand the concepts behind the phrases they play.
David Chan: We try to have some accents. It's a strange idea to have ethnic accents in a fantasy world, but it seems to work.
Kathryn: How do you put sounds into modules that you create?
Alan Miranda: Well, in simple terms, sfx are added to areas as lists. As time passes in that area, the lists are played through in a random fashion. So you can have lists of merchants calling out, dogs barking, birds cawing, etc... It all comes across sounding pretty cool. You also have an area ambient (a looping sfx for like a busy city for example) that plays in the background.
David Chan: You can also script sounds to play as well.
Alan Miranda: You can also assign specific sounds to specific spots in the area too.
MDesigner: What is the key, meter, and tempo of the NWN theme?
Alan Miranda: The NWN theme is multi-tempo and multi-meter.
Cyan: I read awhile ago that music will generally loop. Is there any way to have a selection that plays either in a specific order or randomly?
David Chan: We discovered that it's actually better to have music not play ALL the time as it did in BG1. In BG2 music played at set intervals and some areas did not have music. This makes it more impactful when you have music play instead of it getting lost as background noise.
Mezir-Thyn: More on voice-acting... as two sounds couldn't play at once (I appear to recall) would the background music disappear while someone is talking? That seems to break the mood.
Alan Miranda: Several sounds can play at once. It's music tracks that can't be played at the same time. So if you talk to someone, the music will continue to play. In-game there are potentially dozens of sounds playing at around the same time, so don't worry, the mood will be kept :)
Apok: As a composition major, looking into a similar (if not the same) field, I was wondering about the actual job process; how did you yourself begin your career? etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Jeremy Soule: Apok, I started writing music on spec for TV commercials. This was a great way to learn how to write under pressure in the professional setting. Getting into the games business is possible for anyone that has a good demo and a lot of patience.
David Chan: Emphasis on patience.
Wormwood: Have you gotten a chance to sit down and play NWN, and what did you think about it?
Jeremy Soule: NWN is AWESOME. I'm so lucky to be working with BioWare on such a groundbreaking title.
Void: Will ambient sounds be incorporated into the tracks or play separately and at random?
David Chan: The main area ambient sounds will have some subtle shots in them, but because they are looped it's best to keep them very subtle. You can fire single shot random sounds on top of it to make more natural.
Hodack: Can the sounds in an area list be set to play at random intervals and/or volumes? Or do they just loop continuously? Example: graveyard setting. Can I add one sound ("moaning") and have the frequency and volume/pitch of it be random?
Alan Miranda: You can play sfx at random intervals. You can also set the volumes and the pitch variations as well. Doing random pitching and volume within the same list might not possible. I'd have look into that.
Cyan: In reality, how were some of the race's voices made? For example, I think of a high-pitched halfling, etc. Did you try to make the "sing-song" elf or the "smoker's" gruff dwarven voice?
David Chan: Some voice actors are so good you don't have to touch the voices after the fact, they nail the performance we are looking for. Sometimes though, we have to alter people's voices because we are looking for something that a human could not do.
Ganesh: Is there any chance that we will get a "preview" of the music before the release. Just a minute or so?
Brad Grier: It is possible that we will release a preview. I love the way the music is developing, and we are looking forward to sharing it with the community, but we have no specific plans for it right now..but who knows..maybe one upcoming Neverwinter Wednesday...:-)
Speedy: How much electronics are used in the final mix? Are there non-real entities in what you compose that we actually hear, or is everything done with a live performer? Do you do it yourself on some electronic media to see how things come together before you get people together, and then do only live instrument recording? I'd like to know how much, if any, electronics you incorporate throughout the entire process. (On average, I'm sure that it might vary from piece to piece.)
Jeremy Soule: Sometimes my scores are nearly 100% electronic such as Icewind Dale. Sometimes they are a mix. Neverwinter will be a mix.
Hodack: How would you describe the general tone of the music when the game is "at rest" (no combat, special encounter, etc.)?
Alan Miranda: The tone of the music is much like a film score. It will vary given the environment and situation. It is very much fantasy based.
MDesigner: Are your samples still based off Peter Siedlaczek's Advanced Orchestra, and Gary Garritan's Orchestral strings? Have you shopped around & added new samples to your library?
Jeremy Soule: Everything except our strings are custom built. The strings are from www.gigastrings.com
TechnoSaber: I'm a fan of acoustic guitar music in fantasy settings. Is there going to be any acoustic guitar music?
Jeremy Soule: There IS acoustic guitar in the score.
