How to Write One Minute of Music - THE PATHLESS
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- Among the most commonly-asked questions I get is "what is the process like for writing a piece of music?" When finishing THE PATHLESS in early 2020, I decided to document every step that it took to bring a 60-second segment of boss battle music from blank page to playable in-game.
Go check out @8bitMusicTheory and the video we did together re: themes and THE PATHLESS:
• Austin Wintory's Newes...
(Also just check out his channel in general)
Soundtrack album on Bandcamp:
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Clarinetist Andrew Leonard:
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A rundown of the staggering career of Steve Kempster:
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Orchestrator Susie Seiter:
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Mike Miller's game EVERGATE, on Steam:
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EVERGATE on Switch:
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Video edited by Dallas Crane
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Me!
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I understood that this was a proper industry before, but I really didn't expect that many people to be involved with producing each track. I'm impressed
The score for this game used 104 musicians and probably another 20-25 crew members beyond that :)
"I'm gonna document little bits and pieces as we go and *hopefully capture something interesting in the process...or maybe get a glimpse of just a spectacular failure in the making..."**
This is honestly what I love about this video. Imposter syndrome is weird, but I've often found that getting to see crazy talented creators be willingly vulnerable helps me avoid that feeling. Thanks for the motivation Austin 👍
My man! Awesome video.
As a composer and massive videogames nerd, I got some serious catching up to do on this channel of yours.
You are one of my absolute top inspirations in how to say a lot very fast. I'll never match the wardrobe though!
You guys should collaborate on bringing Bloodborne Cart to life. In 4 Movements.
@@gregggalex BLOODBORNE KART! BLOODBORNE KART!!
@@RinkeJohannesComposer I CANNOT BELIEVE BLOODBORNE KART IS A THING
This rules! Been playing through The Pathless and enjoying it a lot, especially the music. Really cool to see the process behind it.
Really just have to appreciate all of this The Pathless content and how it demystifies the process of composing for games. It’s like auditing a class, that’s how much I’m learning from all of this.
The idea that if feels like auditing a class makes me so happy; love that take! Very happy to offer this up
Well said! It's crazy how we don't even have to pay for this content, really great of Austin to put it on TH-cam for free!
It’s kind of blowing my mind just how collaborative this process is-I always kind of assumed the composer had to do all these steps themselves, so this was pretty eye-opening for me
Let us know when you plan to launch your Twitch channel so we can watch you do this for 7 hours a day.
lol never gonna happen!
@@awintory my bits could be your bits
can I just say how this makes me want to buy the game way more than any cinematic or gameplay trailer? I want to play the game and point at it going "hey I've seen the making of this it was awesome!"
I was stuck awkwardly dancing during all bossfights. this is one of my favorite soundtracks, alongside shadow of the colossus and bloodborne.
Now for the next video, WHAT IS one minute? And the sequel WHAT IS music?
As one who destines himself for a composer's career, knowing the size of the team, the steps you can abdicate to someone else
the energy you have to bring to the team... this is priceless :)
something about the simple animation of kumo himself (in all his statue-form glory) playing the bass clarinet cracked me up...
haha 😂
That was fun.
And can I just say, Wow? On so many levels.
So many steps; so many people; so many different pieces of software; so many hours of work, all distilled into a magical elixir that pulls the imagined world locked behind a screen into our physical space for a single minute.
And Bonus: Some very cool looking and sounding instruments that I had no idea even existed.
Finished the game recently, and I loved it! So much fun that I reloaded the game just before the final boss fight to go back and appreciate the environment, which is amazing. The music was one of my favorite parts of the game experience - it really kept you on your toes during boss fights and even during exploration if you haven't beaten the floor/level boss yet. Some of the beats reminded me of the Japanese taiko drums, really lively and great tempo for combat.
Anyone gonna talk about the oldschool Runescape items that show up at 1:45?
Good eye 🤓⚔️🛡
That editing though.
☺️
Imagine having to do this ENTIRE PROCESS before the advent of the internet and computers.
I love how from an idea like some few notes you end up making something with such a personality like 2:47
I started my musical journey this year (about April) and already dominated all of music theory now I'm learning compositive language like, how compositors works with their performers and things like these, these videos inspire me so much.
discovered you through Journey. Apotheosis and I was born for this were the first tracks in a game to make me cry. Great work
I had no idea there were so many reviews and extra steps, I thought it would've just been writing, converting MIDI, recording and mastering/final tweaks. This is an insane amount of work.
I thought exactly that at first. I planned a videogame soundtrack project to be done in 3 months. One man audio team.
It's been a year now and after about 5 cycles I am finally seeing the finish line.
I had and still have so much to learn.
I appreciate so much the extra work you do, Austin, sharing your experience in the major leagues.
"I love me a good syncopation"
I felt that, man.
Seriously though, love seeing the progression of the piece and how that short motif is the driving force behind everything complex that comes later. Seeing the changing of hands and coordination from start to finish is really informative as well. Hope you get a chance to do more of these types of videos!
I just beat the pathless. I loved it so much I made sure to get the platinum trophy while doing the first play through. Thank you for the music that helped cement such an awesome adventure as one of my favorites!
wow! this is such an insightful look into the process. tbh I didn't know the piece would pass through the hands of so many (talented!) people. i learned some new job titles too...
I am a middle school music teacher and I am showing this to all my classes today! Thank you SO much for this amazing content!
So cool to hear!
That makes me SO Happy to read Seth!
Also from 8bit. Great video with that level of details! Thanks for sharing the hard work and coordination required behind the scene, and I’m looking forward to playing this game once I’ve got more time!
I have two classes of high school Orchestra students who have been working on digital music making / creation while we've been remote due to COVID. I've been showing this to my classes and they're so totally psyched! They were especially fascinated by just how much revisioning went into the original idea, and just how many steps are involved beyond just "creating" and "people play what was created".
Big shout out to you putting Decapitator and Guitar-Rig on everything Lol. They can be incredibly inspirational plug-ins on non-guitar instruments. Can really make for some unique sound-design.
As somebody who wants to be a composer for video games and film, but never fully understood how it all went down, this video was incredibly insightful. So glad I found your channel, thanks for posting!
This is too good a channel to pass up, consider me hardcore subscribed.
Thanks again, Austin, for sharing the video!
Wow, that’s really insightful and don’t worry it doesn’t sound cartoony. Great work!
Omg.... The amount of people that had a hand in this. It must have cost a fortune. O.O
Oh man thank you! MORE OF THIS PLEASE!
You're a national treasure, Austin. Thank you.
OMG! Sensei, truly this is humbling. To think I used to fret over whether I had been too aggressive with noise reduction, making digital archive copies of vinyl records in ‘Audacity’ LOL. Seriously, I am going to have to get this game, if only for the music!
Came here from your interview with Akash Thakkar and I've been blown away. Honestly, so much stuff going on behind the scenes that I would never have thought about. Thank you for the insight!
This is such a fantastic insight into your work's process, so fucking well done
I've never heard of the game. I am not much of a gamer but coming from 8 bit's channel and hearing the music, i definitely want to play the game to get the experience!
I'm glad that you showed all the other people who do work for you. But to be honest, it's a little discouraging, because it makes me wonder how it's even possible for an aspiring video game composer to ever get started. But still, it's really valuable to be able to see this process.
Don't fall into the trap of thinking that because I did this score *this* way that it means all scores must be done this way. I've done plenty of projects where we just recorded an instrument or two or did basically everything with synths, etc. There is no one way
Great video! It's actually awesome to see how much goes into the process and how much love and trust people have to give so everyone can work well. "At the end of our work we have to make the next persons job a little bit easier"
The best, most forensic look at the production of modern video game music I’ve seen. Thanks Austin for your candour and a brilliantly executed and edited video as well.
Thank you!!
Seeing the dedication that goes into game music at all these various steps is super interesting and inspiring. Really great video!
Well this answers pretty much every question I had.
I love this! I'm currently studying musical theatre but I would love to compose music for games as a side gig down the line and discovering your music has been a big inspiration for me, I'm finding it really hits close to the style that I like to write for.
Crazy stuff man, loved this video. I think Kumos theme is my favorite so far so it was really nice to see it being made
This blows my mind. I couldn't imagine how many people it takes to make a track. The amount of collaboration it takes is fascinating. Great insight.
Would love to see more of this kind of video! Really wonderful to see your working process, and the variety of talented people who are needed to make it happen. Great stuff!
Late to this one but MAN you are legitimately what I would call a visionary, amazing work once again
This is magic. I really enjoyed seeing the process of creating unique sound for a game. Music and sound in general is extremely important, and I don't think enough people appreciate it.
I had a vague idea of the process before, but it's very helpful to see stuff broken down like this. Thanks so much! 🙂 I'd be interested to hear more about how the cues and transitions are handled/mixed in the game, but I suppose that'd be a question for Steven Green, and might vary a lot depending on the in-game situation that the music is for. 🤔
Man, that was so cool! Thank you for sharing us all this, truly fascinating!
Also, I had the chance to listen to The Pathless soundtrack for the first time on my way back to school on the train. There was a beautiful sunset... Believe me, when I say that it hit different with your amazing music!
Amazing! I love this kind of videos, thank you so much! I hope soon we will know much more about the creation process of Pathless in general and thank you again for these recordings and everything! Love your music!!!
Fantastic video! This should be required viewing for any film director, TV producer or game developer/producer. They really need to know how much work goes into just one minute of music.
Hey Austin. Thanks for this its just wonderful !
Quick question here. If you only use mock-ups, does that mean that you go straight to Wwise ? Have you ever done the process that way because studios didn’t have enough time or money to involve all the recording session process ?
Yes, there's nothing to stop any audio of any type going into WWise. I don't ship games with mockups though. To be clear, I use the term mockup specifically to imply that it'll be replaced in whole or in part later. *Electronic* music is a different matter. That uses no recording sessions and is also not a mockup :)
@@awintory Ohh ok I see !! Didn't quite understand the full meaning of mockup aha. So to be more specific, is it possible to come across a game company that would be satisfied with only orchestral sample music to avoid paying recording sessions ? Or everyone goes through this process ?
I have to image The Pathless breaks some kind of record for most soloists and unique instruments in a video game score, it's really impressive how it all comes together so naturally to fit the vision of the game. Are you gonna hit us with a solo piano score in your next project for a complete change of pace?
I plumbed that well pretty deeply with the game MONACO. What's next is also super esoteric instruments ... that's all I'll say for now :)
So many people work for the correct result of a qeue, from composer to the post production and mixing . Darn ... it's awesome. The magic of the sessions .
sharing this knowledge is such a gift to aspiring composers like me. thank you so much
Wow Digital Performer!! Love it. I haven't seen any TH-camr using DP ever. I used to use it but the tiny-ness of the UI keeps me from going back. Old eyes don't like it anymore.
For the record you can easily magnify the UI (I speak from experience!)
The amount of talent and hard work that goes into the music is stunning. Combine this with all the work of integrating it into a fully functioning game. Wow. It's a wonder games are as cheap as they are.
Seeing the whole process from jotting down the first ideas to how the song is implemented into the actual game thanks to everyone's hard work throughout all the various phases is something truly special. Thanks for putting this together!
The correct title for this video: How a piece of music is crafted from start to finish.
Witcher 3 hearts of stone vibes. 12/10 amazing.
this was so freaking cool, literally my dream job and seeing BTS like this makes it so much more tangible thank you
Go forth and compose!
Agree with Dallas :)
"I find your lack of coffee DISTURBING" 7:22
1. The production values in this video are top notch!
2. I love it how you guys showed us the WHOLE process!
3. Maybe we can get a studio tour video sometimes in the future?
4. The music sounds awesome...as always!
This is absolutely amazing! Smiling throughout the entire video, thanks for sharing Austin! 🙏
very cool to see the process
good music, was humming it when i got up for coffee, so it passes that test
Great content. It gives a bit of insight into the massive amount of work that goes into something that seems rather "simple" to the average gamer or listener of music.
its no wonder the music from pathless made the game. I fell in love with cerno's theme and also the mountain music of kumos. incredible tracks.
I'll add on: it's so cool to see the process and final product of a seed of an idea to a finished recorded product.
My eyes have been opened. Absolute quality content
I guess I never really gave thought as to how many people go into just one piece! Thanks for putting this video together! It was very interesting to see inside the process.
I'm playing the game right now and I absolutely love it! Your music is making the experience so special as always. The main theme is now stuck in my head constantly, thank you!
Learned a lot here, thanks Austin!
Interesting !
Wow thank you so much for sharing your workflow. I've always been wondering how a composer can do all of this alone at larger scales. It turns out it's all about team work. It's fascinating how many people are involved in such a project. I have never had a project at a scale in which I need assistants. Most of them were smaller projects where I handled the mockup, notation, recording, producing, and even mixing all on my own. Sometimes the only other people were my players.
Just stumbled across this from 8 bit music theory and I'm blown away. Impressive to see how the single note melody morphs and develops into a complete piece. Looking forward to exploring this channel some more
Yamaha CP33 squaaaaad! Never seen anyone else with my keyboard, haha-fantastic and inspiring video as always, Austin! :)
Hahah this keyboard actually gives me trouble but i've been lazy to replace it :P
I realise I’ve very late to this party, but that whole thing was fascinating, especially the fact that the performance was done by different groups (or soloists) in different counties! Also failed to appreciate the difference between getting Sibelius to just output each part, and tidying up that part so it’s nicer for the individual to play from. Fascinating, end to end!
Austin, those videos are priceless! Thank you very much and Bravo! A detailed, yet short look into the crazy-beautiful world of scoring :)
Super interesting! I know nothing of music but seeing all the steps gives me such a better understanding of the process :D thank you for sharing
Wonderful video! It is amazing getting to see the process of how it all comes together. How does one begin to get involved in an industry like this? (Making contacts, getting started, choosing equipment, finding performers as well as amazing games such as this to write for, etc)
From 8-bit. Your music is very good, very fascinating, etc. I haven't played Journey (or The Pathless) but the music is seriously so good I'm considering playing them both.
Both highly recommended! :)
Terrific video Austin.
Really interesting video, I am a big fan and also I think it's amazing that everything is recorded with a live orchestra. However, I need to ask the question that has been circling in my head for a while: game devs often run on a tight budget and VST instruments can sound absolutely amazing these days. How, from a business perspective, does it calculate for the devs to have it all recorded live? If you would do it all with sampled instruments and put in extra effort for dynamics programming etc, and then perhaps just record the soloist live, 99.99% of the gaming audience would not be able to tell the difference. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the fact that it's done live and I hope it continues, I am just amazed that studios are willing to take the extra costs.
So interesting to see how many people work on these things 🥰
Seeing you hit the "punish" button on decapitator at 9:42 made my day :D I always feel like I shouldn't whenever I use it, but it often just sounds so good!
It truly can't be resisted
Amazing! Crazy how many supremely talented people are involved in this process!
That was super interesting!
This was SO cool to see. Thanks for giving us a look into the process, Austin, and congrats on another fantastic score!
Amazing. Pure passion. Love this mans
man this has to be the coolest video you've released so far!!! it's awesome seeing the behind the scenes from the blank page onwards
The Pathless has been an absolutely fantastic game in my experience of currently playing it, with some of the best boss fight music I've ever heard, honestly it feels underrated compared to Journey and Abzu when it's been such a gem.
amazing video, I never thought it would take that amount of steps to create a song
This was so cool to watch! Really appreciate all the BTS!
Man this was epic!! You sir are the MVP! This information is so golden. I am a music teacher from Finland and I will definitely be showing this to my students. Bravo!
So happy to hear it's helpful! There is a new one here too: th-cam.com/video/OiAHpenmbLY/w-d-xo.html&lc=Ugz4_S3Up4MesrBw32B4AaABAg
I really appreciate you for taking the time to reply, thank you! Your team (Crane? :D) is totally nailing it with these videos, such a professional look. 👏 You are making this world a better place by working together and creating something beautiful, and showing others how to do the same.. 🙏 Please keep it up, we are with you.
12:45 Nice traditional grip, lol. I guess it helped him get in the "traditional" instrument mood.
This is such a cool video, giving great insight into something I considered extremely mysterious and complicated. But it’s so inspiring to see so many people collaborating on one piece of music, and how it’s still that cohesive and provokes all the right emotions!
Btw the editing on the video was superb, very impressive timing and effects and really tying it all together!
My god man, I’m so incredibly happy I stumbled upon Play, Watch, Listen and was able to get a glimpse into your world through the music you curate. Being able to witness this side of the process outside of playing the games and hearing the tracks is nothing short of brilliance.
Side note..... we still REALLY NEED “Disagree with me baaaabyyyyy” shirts. Just fyi.
this is such an interesting video!! :0