Mick Gordon on Composing DOOM's Soundtrack
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 ก.ค. 2024
- In this extended cut of our interview with DOOM composer Mick Gordon, we talk about the creative process of writing a video game soundtrack, and what it's like playing the finished product.
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00:00 - Into the Industry
02:46 - Creative Language
05:30 - Joining Doom 2016
06:50 - First Steps in Audio Design
09:05 - No Heavy Metal
10:27 - Music Upfront
12:10 - Hierarchical Music Design
14:49 - The First Listen
18:04 - Doom Live
21:10 - Post-release Reflection
24:54 - Glory Kills
26:10 - Work-Life Balance
30:25 - What Comes Next - เกม
Mick Gordon is definitely going to be part of those few legendary gaming composers.
After Killer Instinct I already knew he was someone I'd keep an eye on. I'll probably always check his future work, regardless of whether or the game/movie interests me.
Same here. As soon as I heard some tracks from KI, I was like, "Who is this guy!? I'm downloading all his shit!" :D
Haven't played KI yet, sadly, but hearing his songs on Woflenstein:TNO, especially "Ransacked," I knew he was worthy of doing the music for DOOM and future great titles.
if he sound metal for Prey then i don't think so. I hope he does something special maybe orchestral with Prey otherwise his music will be the same. Cause New order, Killer Instinct, and Doom all contain similar music
"Similar" is a poor and vague term. No one would expect to hear a track from DOOM in Wolfenstein or a track from Wolfenstein in DOOM. They are just as different as they are similar.
Checking in from 11/2022. Mick looks so happy here. So sad how all of this turned out.
Did I miss something? What went bad?
@@INSANESUICIDE Not "this" necessarily, but there was a bunch of drama surrounding the "Eternal" soundtrack, in that... well, a lot. - There's an entire statement by Mick Gordon himself, a whole write-up, receipts and everything, which he released a while after some producers at id/Bethesda tried to make him look like the bad guy, with things like him not turning in the work or whatever. - But the truth is that they screwed him over in a few other ways, like making him wait, keeping him out of the loop, not paying him for months, and not even responding to that, causing him to not have enough time, which they also just wouldn't grant him - On top of that, they also used his music-work in ways he didn't agree to, such as how they let someone else mix it poorly and slap it onto the game in ways it wasn't intended, unlike how it went with the first game.
It's still a bit of a mystery as to what the hell happened there and why, but for some reason they (some people) started just excluding Mick like he's not part of the team and worth consulting with. It's just really weird and... well, anyway... He ended up deciding that he probably would never work with id/Bethesda again after this treatment, because nobody stood up for him and, yea, I would agree out of principle. - This also seems to leave the "Eternal" soundtrack in a weird sort of limbo, because while it might be in the game, albeit not as it was intended, the separate soundtrack, I believe, is also not quite as it should be, or it was released without his supervision. I don't remember exactly. But at least it's not available as a physical release, or even on streaming I believe. It's probably either because it's just not a finished/coherent soundtrack or because of all the disagreements and there might be legal issues because of what happened. - I HOPE Mick is somehow holding the soundtrack hostage out of spite.
@@michaelmonstar4276 A few days after asking this the statement by Mick appeared in my feed, it was disgusting how they offered to pay him if he take the blame for the situation he did not have any power over and take all the blame. I am glad that he stuck by his integrity and refused to be treated like some cheap prostitute. It is insane to me how anyone could think this behavior is acceptable and that it is right to do..
after hearing what he did with DOOM, its hilarious to think he started with Destroy All Humans and Nickelodeon games
destroy all humans had a amazing soundtrack imo, music was perfect for the game.
I just got done with DH2! a week ago and found it eerie that the soundtrack occasionally sounded so familiar
Now I know why
you have to start somewhere
Marty O'Donnell did advertising jingles, you never know where hugely talented people will come from.
If you ask me this guy is a genius
DOOM 2016 is the only game I've ever increased the music and lowered the SFX.
Anton Wallerstedt I did with Bayonetta 2
You and I both.
half life 2
I increased all the sounds to maximum and even maxed out my headphones it was nice
Eternal music literally makes me want to punch a hole in Mars
Funny to hear that Rip & Tear was almost shelved; that is one of the tracks I feel works BEST in the game.
Being a metalhead, the Doom 2016 soundtrack was completely up my street and if it was an album I'd buy it instantly. The BFG Division track is my favourite, just makes me want to slay demons all day long. Seriously hope Mick gets to make music for more projects in other styles of music.
JoRdOguitarman1 I know you posted this awhile ago, but in June the doom ost is coming to cd and vinyl.
You can buy it I bet, if not.....it's on TH-cam in its entirety. And would be easy to rip into mp3, and then into individual tracks
ShadowOfDeath24 it is available for digital download as well
@@Shadow0fd3ath24 when you want to buy music it's not about being able to listen to it. It is to support what you love and give something to the artist.
@@sushirofl516 It's both. Support AND the highest quality audio format available on the tracks you enjoy listening to.
I also won't buy music if I don't want to listen to it. I'm voting with my dollars & time on what I want to put into my ears and into my mind.
"Remember Mick, no heavy metal."
Cowabunga it is
Jon this isn’t heavy metal
this is *dense* metal
@@totalgarbage2053
Why is everything so *_dense?_*
Mick Gordon: "Is violence an instrument?"
@@chase_h.01
In Doom? Obviously.
Thank you, Noclip, for existing!
Thanks for watching. It's our pleasure to make it. We love this shit. Looking forward to making plenty more next year!
Hell yeah, man. Don't stop creating!
Noclip Are you gonna do stuff with Quake Champions?
What a lovely dude, taking a moment at the end to ask you about the progress of your work and commend you like that.
Also between this and the extended interview with Hugo Martin, I find it really impressive that you managed to include so much of their interviews while still providing equal time for the other members of the team and on top of that packing in interesting archival and gameplay footage. I'm 100% enamored with this project, and I simply cannot wait to see what you come up with next.
Hello
1:47
“The first game I ever worked on was Destroy all humans...”
Could you be anymore perfect Mick?
It is his destiny. It was the beginning of the Doom Music Prophecy.
What an insightful composer. A lot of thought, care, and respect for the Doom legacy went into this project and it shows in every last bit of that soundtrack. Kudos to you, Mick. And Kudos to Noclip for sharing this great interview!
It's too bad his insightfulness doesn't actually translate to the music.
@@JustinLesamiz Is your uncultured swine ass insinuating his stuff is bad? Seriously?
@@JustinLesamiz ah you uncultered swine go back to you`re kpop music
Let me preface this by saying that it’s the first time I’ve ever been compelled to write some sort of thank you note to the creators of the game. DOOM made such a strong impression on me and I’ve been gaming since mid-90s.
Main points:
1) All the guys at id Software & Mick Gordon working as a tight unit, almost like a rock band where every musician counts: singer, guitar player, bass player and drummer, all working together to create a complete package where all the parts counts equally. All the people involved in creating this game, programmers, level designers, animators, gameplay mechanics engineers, sound designers and composer created something that in my opinion will surely stand the test of time and in my book is definitely a Game of the Year. In terms of FPS games DOOM is this shining light in the darkness that is third person cover-based console games. Amount of options this game has for PC is mind-blowing, not to mention amazing optimization and visuals. The last but not the least is the fact that id guys played their game relentlessly and it shows.
2) Hugo, love this guy, 80s movie references, love for NIИ and Pearl Jam, such an outspoken guy that is clearly passionate about the game, it seems like you could talk to him just about anything. Pacific Rim (hell yeah!), love this movie and Jeager designs is a big part of that.
3) It’s impossible to separate Mick Gordon’s soundtrack from the game because it’s such an integral part of it yet you could hum the melodies/riffs he created and that’s a testament to the fact that his work is superb. Be sure to check out Mick’s 2-part mini-documentary about creating music for DOOM on his TH-cam channel. Huge props to Mick, very humble guy.
4) Danny, thanks a bunch for creating noclip, this DOOM documentary in particular as well as extended interviews with Hugo Martin and Mick Gordon. Content like this is sorely missed in gaming journalism. After watching those extended interviews with Hugo and Mick I was amazed by how you skillfully managed to incorporate DOOM music snippets, gameplay footage and scenes from Robocop and The Last Boyscout Hugo referenced in all the right places too.
I didnt even read it but yeah
Just too bad what happened on the production of "Eternal"... Not such a tight unit after all... Though, perhaps due to some bad apples jumping in at some point. I don't know.
noclip, thanks a lot for uploading these interviews, gives good and serious insight of the industry. cheers!
No problem. Thanks for watching them. We don't upload them all, but we think curating and sharing some of the more standalone conversations can make for entertaining and educational videos. It also helps preserve some additional information we couldn't cram in the docs. Which is always a good thing.
Noclip, that's great. It is inspirational and educational for someone(me) who wants in on the big pie of the gaming industry. would like to see these for AAA and indie games.
MIck Gordon is such a great guy. I personally just finished my first game OST (my 5th album) and I hope I get to work with him one day.
What game?
The Joker Assault on the Necrospire! Coming this January : store.steampowered.com/app/491660
and here is the ost I did:
defcat.bandcamp.com/album/assault-on-the-necrospire-ost
Thanks for supporting drm free music platform,bandcamp.Mick Gordon should also release game-osts on band camp
eballack bandcamp needs more love
Neat tunes.
Such a great interview, CANT BELIEVE that Id and Bethesda did so dirty on such a great person like mick, like i can feel the pure passion and hardwork.he does from the way he talks, the way he has been mistreated is so shitty, honestly hope that mick gets his justice and that we can just hope for a better doom eternal ost album 😭
With everything that has happened on the Doom Eternal OST, there needs to be a part 2! 🙏🏻
I like how sincere Mick is.
We don’t deserve mick. He’s way too humble and talented.
Correct. XD - I always expected him to be almost the exact opposite. (I don't know why I got that idea.) - Was I wrong. He seems exactly the type of person I could connect with, this kind of sympathetic and more gentle person.
What always amazes me about the soundtrack to Doom 2016 is how fundamental it is to the game's experience AS background tracks, while also being so incredibly listenable on it's own. I credit this quality Mick's approach, as he describes it in this vid. He gets an emotional feel for the game itself, and then composes music to amplify that feeling. In doing so, he creates tracks that truly resonate with listeners at an emotional level, and not just as an accessory to the game.
A true genius of our time. So glad this man is getting the recognition and praise he deserves for his work.
I hope other composers and those still learning the craft take Mick Gordon's success as a lesson. When you treat videogames as art and engage your craft with passion, then your creation ends up that much stronger for it.
I'm not into heavy metal at all, but the Doom soundtrack was absolutely perfect. One of the best soundtracks ever.
Excellent stuff. Mick does a great job at formulating the work and thought process (and work ethic, wow).
Mick Gordon rules. I have an email exchange with him that I will forever save. We even exchanged musical influences... Dude's so humble.
And he is going through some sht against some sociopath from Bethesda called Marty Stratton. I stand with him 100%
Legends say he still hasn't been paid for his work to this day.
He's so humble about the quality of the music, meanwhile he's made one of the best soundtracks of all time...what a cool guy.
I never realized until now that I never heard Mick Gordon speak, glad he sounds how he looks, awesome
Excellent! I'm a huge Mick Gordon fan from Wolfenstein and Killer Instinct, and his work on Doom is incredible. It's interesting and inspiring to get this kind of perspective on music, and to hear how he approaches a project to get to a final piece of art.
I agree that in a lot of games today, music has been put on the back burner. I can still hum original Killer Instinct melodies and themes to this day, and I haven't played any of the classic KI games in about 16 years! Mick brought that back to the point where I have the KI season 1 and 2 soundtracks and actually listen to them like I listen to albums from my favorite bands.
Noclip. A late 2016 nominee for my favorite new channel of the year. The uncut Hugo interview was very awesome. I'm the biggest Doom fan, so I'm nerdgasming all over the place.
Joshua Maine Just clean up after yourself, dude lol.
Yeah it really make's you appreciate doom a hell of alot more (no pun intended)
Is anyone else ABSOLUTELY STOKED about Doom Eternal?
HELL YES
PennywiseTDC98 my snake has never felt more solid
@@crazygrenadeguy7589
O
K
No, nobody. Just you...
pre ordered it just a week back XD
You can't separate Doom from Metal. Doom *IS* Metal.
DOOM 1993's theme was based off of some Metallica song, i forgot which one, so that'd explain it :)
Damn right. 👍
Classy-D it’s actually no remorse.
The og Doom theme was actually based off of No Remorse by Metallica
Silent Scout and other metal bands like Pantera and Black sabbath, also if you’d call them metal ( i do) Alice in chains
I just finished watching the other interview and now I have another one to watch!
Needs a documentary about the DOOM Eternal OST as well. Because holy crap has that turned into a crapshow xP
I think they can already start producing this documentary independently, but I would wait at least a year to release it because there may still be new episodes in this plot.
would be good, but I think Bethesda will take legal action even if they would lose.
they could do a dcoumentary and then release it after the potential legal stuff.
I've been asking this as well. - I want Noclip to be like the Vice of videogames, as in getting the deep cuts behind the productions, not just "How did you design this and that?". - I want the same for the "CP2077"-debacle, probably by interviewing some people who witnessed it and such. - I also still want to hear Sean Murray and co. their experience, from the inception of Hello Games and 'No Man's Sky' to the present. Because we never really heard their perspective on everything (unless there are interviews out there), and it should be clarified to people what it was like for them to be thrown into the deep end of hype coming off frickin' Joe Danger. - But yea, I'm still quite puzzled about why they did Mick dirty like that, after good collaborations prior, and which a-holes are responsible for that mess.
I like how all the examples of 90's game music he mentions are Rare games. The old Rare games, especially from the SNES era, are simply some of the best soundtracks ever done in gaming.
Demanufactur3r n64 blastcorps such an awesome soundtrack
I'm glad they kept Rip and Tear after almost throwing it out, i listen to it almost every day.
Nice to hear that he enjoyed BFG Division, I think it really is the best representation of what this game is all about. It's my favorite track from the soundtrack and I wish more of the soundtrack would include those demonic-screeching-like-elements.
I was interested in the Hugo Martin interview and have yet to watch it, but when I saw the Mick Gordon one, I knew I had to watch it right away! This man is such a great guy - really humble and respectful of everything and everyone he's working with, and he did such a wonderful job!
Killer Instinct?! Dudes got my respect. I love that OST
Imagine him workin in halo next
i loved the conversation between you and mick about what you guys are doing with noclip. these extended interviews are actually my favourite part of your projects.
These video's are great noclip, thank's for uploading today.
This was a great chat!
And I'm glad to see Danny's anti-static wrist strap made an appearance, haha.
haha, my deep shame :D
Great Christmas present! Thankyou, all at Noclip!!! xxx
I gotta say, Killer Instinct is Micks best work. Every time a new character came out, I could only anticipate the upcoming character theme.
other games boss music: I'm scared
DOOM boss music: Its time
For someone that worked on 18 months on Doom, really didn't expect Mick to be this really cute ands he sounds so nice to talk to.
Agree with Mick on the point that such videos are really needed in the game industry. Very interesting to watch how they pull out such hits as DOOM. What is the thought process what kind of challenges and troubles they had and how they were able to have fun in the middle of those etc. Thanks for the full interview and Merry Christmas!
this channel is so so so amazing, like, it's so insightful, thanks NoClip!!
Mick's personnality is just as awesome as his music. Dude is so genuine and awesome!
really enjoyed the part about time management, balance and routine to stay in shape creatively. awesome interview, learned a lot. thanks mick and noclip
No Clip has easily turned into the best video game documentaries! Serious insight, taking games seriously, asking the right questions, exclusive content... keep it up!
Didn't play Doom, though I had the pleasure of playing Wolfenstein, where I was amazed by the soundtrack. The guitar sound was just spot on, so heavy, holy shit. Just found out he made it for Doom and I kinda wanna play it just for that.
BrakeHorsePower92 play it! You will love it, it’s so sick!
You would probably like Doom
It's nice to hear Mick in the interview. He sounds so excited and there's that childlike twinkle in his tone.
man, I am so inspired by your interviews!
Your work is phenomenal, more people need to know about you
I'm not even a musician, but I can watch Mick talking about the creative process behind game music any time. The man has a true gift for music, but most importantly, for inspiring creativity.
As someone who does a lot of modding for video games and some basic game work in engines like Unity, I absolutely love this stuff. I'm almost a senior in HS, and for my school I have to do a huge project for my final year, and of course I want to do something relating to game design, so this has honestly inspired me a lot in that regard, thank you for creating this channel Danny, It's not common to see this kind of insight in the AAA game industry.
So damn glad you put this up man.
Keep going! You're already a success!
Gosh, these are great! Thank you so much, you bring the light in this realm of darkness that is game journalism.
Their performance at the game awards was honestly one of the only highlights of this years show. It was honestly hilarious how bad they outclassed every other performance,and I'm a fan of Killer Mike,but Run the Jewels looked amateurish compared to Mick and the boys. Incredible work Danny,TY for sharing this and Merry Christmas!
I'd be interested in seeing more content based on this guy and his career Danny....there's something magical about this guy and everyone keeps mentioning the killer instinct soundtrack....would be nice to see his studio and hear some of the tracks he's done for other games. Don't know what it is but this guy is special...could listen to him talk for hours...he's actually got intelligence! :)
Check out Mick's 2-parter about creating music for DOOM on his youtube channel, it's a must-see.
Mick Gordon did the music for Killer Instinct (2013) Season 1 and 2, available on iTunes. Great stuff, wide variety of fist-pumping tracks. AtlasPlug and CellDweller did Season 3, also good!
He just simply has very good comunication skills... I mean the way he explains his creative process, it sounds so clear, so easy to understand, so easy to imagine, so easy to use it for your own projects. Some people take NLP courses to learn how to comunicate that well ;)
Also he seems to be a master of his craft, so he REALLY understands what he's doing on a meta level , therefore he can convey this knowledge with both ease and depth. That's how I see it.
this OST is so amazing. thanks for getting this interview
This channel and the videos that your making is exactly what I want from games media, Thank you so much Danny. I fucking love no clip, I can't wait to see whats next.
This guy worked on Destroy all Humans?? Sick!
I love the description of the compositional hierarchy, it's such a simple concept but I've never considered doing it like that. Inspired
I fucking love Mick.
I also fucking love these videos. Keep up the great work! c:
Mick was almost axed from Eternal........ If He aint in the next Doom game I aint fucking buying it. I refuse to even imagine a Doom game without Mick now..... He made Doom's sound into what it is today. Doom without Mick? LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL fuck that!
Mick has so much expression when he speaks, I can't stop watching.
What an incredible interviewer. Such engaging questions, keep it up!
one of the best interviews i have seen.
danny, those videos are awesome - keep the good work up!
This is just wonderful! Hell, both of ya are wonderful, a really nice conversation guys, bless ya!
What an amazingly inspiring man.It's a joy to listen to him speak.As much as listening to his songs.
the editing in this interview is amazing
Great documentary Danny! It gave me an opportunity to learn a lot about DOOM. Keep the good work going Danny.
Something about the way Mick Gordon speaks and communicates his thoughts reminds me of Matt Mercer in the best of ways
Super late to the game that is researching Mick's work. I really enjoyed the music from Killer Instinct, Wolfenstein, and Doom but never played the games. Makes sense that he made music for all three of those. His distinct style is super addicting. And the way he talks about his process is enthusiastic. I'd really like to hear him teach a class or do a seminar.
This was a great interview, do another one of these with Mick (like you did Hugo on your podcast!) for Eternal!
That part about him calling his work schedule balanced is kinda nuts if you do the math. He's effectively spending 13 hours a day on work and calling it balance.
Wonderful interview. So much interesting information that it's really impressive that you managed to cram everything in 1 and a half hours on the main doc. Phenomenal. Thank you for this
well made noclip! if i had the money i would suport you more!! hopefuly you publish all interviews with the idteam course these vids till now are fun for hours! merry xmas!!
this Interview was great!
these interviews are stellar. I'm so glad to have found the channel. I'm a long-time Doom lover comma so getting to delve into the details is fantastic nostalgia. Question - do you take recommendations of projects at all? I'm particularly interested in the River City Ransom story , since it looks like it's coming out, and probably has interesting reboot narratives like Doom does. Either way, best wishes!
This guy is so kind and humble! Absolutely love Mick and you guys from NoClip for everything you're doing for us
Mick's presentation at GDC about composing the DOOM soundtrack was really interesting to watch...it's amazing how much thought went into the music.
I think Doom eternal might be the first game that I want the OST for as much as the game itself.
Really pleasant conversation, loved it.
Noclip, you are doing God's work. I am more than glad I was able to catch wind of your channel and everything else. The way everything was laid out really gave me a new perspective on this one game I love so much. I'd love to know what other games you plan on covering after all this.
subbed. wicked quality, great topics, can't wait to see what's next
little did he know he was going to make another doom track and he fucking killed it!
Truly fascinating stuff, watching this while taking a break from Doom Eternal while under quarantine.
Fantastic interview, very interesting and informative. Mick really crushed it with his work on the game.
Thank you for the upload. Reflecting back on his experience on the Doom project. I like how he explained the process in detail. Great questions.. on point
Danny what you're doing is honestly amazing and very inspiring to an aspiring game developer, to get an inside look into the minds of these awesome people who make these awesome games, it really is priceless to someone like me and I'm sure there a lot of others who feel the same. So thank you thank you thank you for this and wish you the best in everything you do next !!
Wow, this guy is a great interview subject. Super well spoken, full of information. This was awesome!
This series is incredible! Doom was no doubt my GOTY and these videos are such an amazing companion to my love of the game. I enjoyed your previous work (and Giantbomb appearances!) but this series is unreal! Great work!
Thanks for this video, I had NO IDEA that Mick was Australian and had contributed to so many various games!
Great interview, very eloquent interviewee too so the distance didn't really matter. Keep up the good work!
You are ultra awesome mate!keeping the good works !
You got some damn good camera work in this video, dude.
What a nice, talented person!
Danny, your videos are a pleasure. I've been following you since your time on GameSpot and I now think you're one of the best videogame TH-camrs out there. I think Mick put it precisely when he said this is desperately needed in the industry. Thank you so much for putting all this up, it's fascinating stuff and really easy to watch.
Keep it up Danny, you're the man.
Mick really has a pretty good shape, good looking guy
This is a really great thing you people are doing.
Knowing about what went into making of a game you love is always interesting and fun.
Keep doing the great job :)