Neverwinter Nights 2 Heavy Melody Music Interview at GamersInfo

chevalier · Wed, 28th Jun '06, 10:55pm

If you're interested in Neverwinter Nights 2 music and generally sound, as you probably are, you should probably read the interview GamersInfo has conducted with Heavy Melody Music. Here's a little tidbit:

GamersInfo.net: How long does it take to finalize the score for a given level/scene/environment for NWN2? Can you walk us through the process? For instance, do the composers play the game without sound and just hum what they think sounds right?

Heavy Melody Music: When composing for a game, it’s important to know each level very well, including its geography, history, creatures, characters and storyline. We’re fans of NWN1, so we had some idea of the lore going into this project, then we consulted the current game’s toolset to get specific about each level. We also took direction from the game’s producers. All of these things combine to tell us what emotions we are going to evoke in the player – whether it’s the foreboding feeling an enemy causes, the intensity of battle, or the thrill of victory.

Then it normally takes us 3-4 days to write, orchestrate, record and produce a two-minute piece of music. This all varies with the complexity and layers involved in any given piece. For instance a more maniacal theme for an epic battle always takes longer to orchestrate and produce that a simple village theme.

Read the whole thing at GamersInfo.

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Wed, 28th Jun '06, 10:55pm	#1
chevalier SPS Account Holder Senior News Editor Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: I wish I were in the land of coffee... Posts: 16,675 Like: 2 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post vBActivity - Stats XP: 62,757 Level: 62 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 24.63% Daily Activity 2.26% Weekly Activity 1.29% Monthly Activity 1.51% Achievements	If you're interested in Neverwinter Nights 2 music and generally sound, as you probably are, you should probably read the interview GamersInfo has conducted with Heavy Melody Music. Here's a little tidbit: GamersInfo.net: How long does it take to finalize the score for a given level/scene/environment for NWN2? Can you walk us through the process? For instance, do the composers play the game without sound and just hum what they think sounds right? Heavy Melody Music: When composing for a game, it’s important to know each level very well, including its geography, history, creatures, characters and storyline. We’re fans of NWN1, so we had some idea of the lore going into this project, then we consulted the current game’s toolset to get specific about each level. We also took direction from the game’s producers. All of these things combine to tell us what emotions we are going to evoke in the player – whether it’s the foreboding feeling an enemy causes, the intensity of battle, or the thrill of victory. Then it normally takes us 3-4 days to write, orchestrate, record and produce a two-minute piece of music. This all varies with the complexity and layers involved in any given piece. For instance a more maniacal theme for an epic battle always takes longer to orchestrate and produce that a simple village theme. Read the whole thing at GamersInfo.