Austin Wintory will be taking music questions in this thread

[Alex]

From the desk of Austin Wintory:

Hey gang! I'm going to have a music-related kickstarter update coming fairly soon, plus crazy huge (and exciting) updates overall on that front, so I wanted to solicit if there were specific questions people were wondering about that I can address as part of the post. I know that since you've not played the game yet, obviously questions are likely to be very broad in nature, but I wanted to open it up in advance anyway.

Post them here, or to me via twitter (@Awintory). Can't wait to unveil what we've been working on!

-Austin

[Guðmundr]

I have a couple of questions

To what extent will the score be orchestrated? Will samples or synthesized sounds be used?

How much of the soundtrack will be dynamic? Will there be any vertical re-orchestration?

Thanks!

[mindflare77]

This may be a bit random of a question, but will we be able to use any of the music/sounds for ringtones or anything of the sort?

[raven2134]

1. When you did the soundtrack for journey, the constant theme to the musical score for the game seemed to be along the lines of wonder, exploration and discovery. I noticed that there was a wealth of flourish in a fair number of pieces, and a number of key solos or moments were carried by strings and light wind instruments.

What central theme did you use when conceptualizing the score for The Banner Saga? What are some key things a listener should pay attention to or the highlight of the pieces in TBS? Did you focus on a different set of instruments and what can we expect in terms of how they may shape the atmosphere and context of the game?

2. Will there be songs in the game? If there are, will these be done in English or how will the songs/music be tailored to fit the norse setting of the game?

3. What talents for the music should we be taking note of? While I'm hardly familiar with the sphere of music, it would be great to know the musicians and artists who we can credit to giving TBS even more life.

[Latent]

I look at the banner saga and see sadness, beauty, and hope. Does your score try to convey any of those emotions?

[netnazgul]

Hello, Austin. I have a sort of hobby writing music myself, so I'll go on a technical part of that. What gear do you use for recording? What's the ratio of synthetizers/samplers to real instrumental scores?

And back to creative things - what inspires you this music and how do you develop stuff? I always wonder how one goes from a musical idea to finished product, cause everyone has his personal approach to this.

[gaelvin]

I'm most familiar with film scores, which are set to an established sequence of events, so...

In what ways is your approach to creating a score for a game different from that of a film? And, how do you construct it in a way that it can change dynamically with the actions in the game during play (i.e. transitioning from a peaceful theme to a conflict theme) without an obvious break or jarring shift?

Thanks!

[thingdo]

What other music have your drawn inspiration from for Banner Saga?

Whats your favorite video game soundtrack?

[Aleonymous]

I noticed that the music blends in much more smoothly now, in Factions. When you are in the Match-maker and then return to the great-hall, it doesn't abruptly stopped but fades away. I think this changed with one of the last updates, right?

I am not sure if you handle the sound-effects too, but I would like to hear more random talking, muttering and so on by the units during the fights! You know, curses thrown this way and that, exclamations of glee when an enemy is taken down or of dismay when stepping in a trap etc.

PS -- Loved your work in LSL Reloaded. I always wonder how composers can do equally & marvelously well in all these so-varied sorts of themes/soundtracks.

[Durgenbold]

As a trombonist, I would be very interested to know what's in store for the trombones and what I should be listening for in the soundtrack!

[Alejandro Mackgyver]

As an avid dulcimer-er, I would be very interested to know what's in store for the dulcimers and what I should be listening for in the sound track.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammered_dulcimer

[adershem]

No questions from me, as I have a limited background playing concert instruments. I have to say though, that I'm VERY stoked about this, as I have been a Dallas Wind Symphony fan for as long as I've been in the DFW metro area. These guys specialize (at least they used to) in Sousa's music, so anything that is stoic, militaristic, etc., they will absolutely excel in.

Can't wait to hear what you have planned!