“King Arthur” and “Rise of the Kasai” Composer chats with GameZone Online

by Louis Bedigian

We score an interview with Rod Abernethy of Rednote Audio, the composer behind The Hobbit, Wars & Warriors: Joan of Arc, and The Sims: Bustin’ Out.

Some games are bad but bearable.  Some games are just plain bad.  Then there are games that are so bad you wish you never had to play them again.

All of the above classifies as a mediocre-or-less experience.  But when one key video game element is in play I will still play them.  I’ll suffer for hours and endure the torture just for one thing: the music.

It always amazes me when a game looks and plays terrible and the story is absolute garbage, but the music is an orchestral masterpiece.  How does this happen?  It happens because game composers don’t always get to pick their projects – the projects pick them!

Thus, when you have a composing team like Rednote Audio working for you, you’re guaranteed to get a great soundtrack no matter how much the gameplay sucks.

Rednote Audio’s music has appeared in The Hobbit, Wars & Warriors: Joan of Arc and The Sims: Bustin’ Out.  Soon you’ll hear them in King Arthur, Konami’s video game adaptation of the film of the same name.  Next year their music will appear in Sony’s Rise of the Kasai, along with numerous games they cannot yet reveal.

Recently I got the chance to chat with the man behind Rednote Audio, Rod Abernethy.  Rod told me about his current projects, how he got started, his love of video games, and more.

You've gotten to compose music for many big properties, including The Hobbit, The Sims, and now King Arthur.  Where did you begin?  How did you get started?

Rod Abernethy: I got a degree in music and then played in lots of rock bands in the 80's where I got the chance to work with well known producers like Paul Rothchild of The Doors, Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt fame, and David Lord, who produced Peter Gabriel and XTC.  Then I started writing for TV commercials and film.  I've always loved video games, so it's been a natural progression to move into creating video game soundtracks.

How did you come to work on video games?
 

RA: I started writing for games with SouthPeak Interactive in '97. The first game that Dave Adams and I scored was "Dark Side of The Moon" for SouthPeak.  Pretty cool game, but they spent way too much money on the full motion videos and not enough on the gameplay.

Do you play games in your spare time?

RA: I play games on all platforms, but not as much as I want to.  I lean toward RPG's and first person shooters...Devil May Cry, Hitman, Spider-Man, Medal of Honor, Metal Gear Solid, Halo, Van Helsing, Unreal Tournament and any Star Wars related titles.  I've been playing a lot of King Arthur lately. Not just because we're working on it, but because it's really fun to play.  I also love putting in a racing title every now and then like Need For Speed or Gran Turismo...gets the blood pumpin'.

One of Sony's most anticipated releases is Rise of the Kasai, and you just happen to be composing music for it.  How has that gone so far?
 

RA: It's been incredible.  The scores for "Rise of the Kasai" that we've composed are like nothing else we've ever worked on. They're really interactive on many levels of composition, dynamics and intensity.  We're also involved in programming some of the audio for the game.

Can you give us a hint as to what kind of music the game will have?

RA: It's a really dynamic and percussive score that goes along with Rau and his younger sister Tati's stealthing and fighting.  Really cool looking game, too.  The levels that we've been working on have a combination of ambient beds and high intensity Asian/ethnic/middle eastern influenced percussion.  These aren't just your average music loops playing under the gameplay. This music is actually being constructed in the game music engine as you play the game.  And it's always changing depending on what the player is doing. It's really fantastic.

King Arthur is another big title you're working on.  How did this project begin?  Was it Disney who approached you?

RA: Paul Armatta of Konami, the game's producer, approached me about scoring "King Arthur" based on our work on "The Hobbit" and "Joan of Arc / Wars and Warriors."  We're also working directly with the game's developer, KROME Studios in Australia.

Is the music in the King Arthur game going to be anything like the music featured in the film?

RA: Yes, we've been writing in the same style and orchestral intensity that you'll hear in the film.  It's a rich and very ominous orchestral sounding score at times with lots of brass, strings and big live percussion.

Tell us about your experience composing music for The Hobbit.

RA: "The Hobbit" was a wonderful chance for Dave Adams, Jason Graves and I of Rednote Audio to stretch our composing skills for live orchestra.  Dave Adams and I composed over 70 minutes of original acoustic and orchestral music in a Celtic style using traditional instruments including fiddle, 12 String guitar, boudhran, bouzouki, and ullean pipes.  After Dave and I composed the demos for the game, Jason Graves orchestrated all the compositions for live orchestra.  Then we all went to Seattle to record with the Northwest Sinfonia, and came home and mixed it all in surround sound at our studios at Rednote Audio.

Where did you draw your inspiration from for that game?  Did any of the Lord of the Rings films act as a catalyst?

RA: We had to begin production before we heard Howard Shore's scores, so the Lord of the Rings movie soundtracks didn't really influence us that much.  We listened to lots of authentic Celtic artists and musicians, live and on CD.  I was eating, breathing and sleeping "Celtic" for months.  Drove my wife crazy with the bouzouki!

How many projects do you like to have going at the same time?

RA: I love being busy, and together with Dave Adams and Jason Graves, Rednote Audio can handle many projects simultaneously.  But there's always a delicate balance of how much we can take on at one time.  If a certain project demands our total attention, we'll turn down other gigs. We don't want to sacrifice the quality of our work.

Describe what your average week is like.  How many hours do you spend working?  Which aspect of composing do you spend the most time on?

RA: I spend an average of 60 to 80 hours working a week.  I'm constantly working on scores at the Rednote Audio studios or on my laptop at home. The most important aspect of composing for me at the moment is listening to what other composers are doing.  In this business, you've always got to keep your ear open to what's going on around you in music, no matter what the style.

Are you working on any game-related projects that have not been publicly announced yet?

RA: Yeah, but I can't talk about them. The never ending NDAs (non-disclosure agreements), you know.

What has been the most exciting part about composing music for video games?

RA: Absolutely, without a doubt, the most exciting part about composing music for video games for me has been accepting the award for "Best Soundtrack of The Year" at the 2004 Game Audio Network Guild Awards during this year's Game Developer's Conference in San Jose.  It was one of the best moments of my career so far.

Thanks for your time Rod!

Rod Abernethy and Rednote Audio are represented by Bob Rice of Four Bars Intertainment.  More information is available at www.rednoteaudio.com