EARS FOR FEARS
Using music and sound effects to raise tension
Get Even’s sound design is overpowering, emotive, and innovative, whether it’s mixing Cole Black’s panicked breath with the beat of a tune, matching a descending bass drone to your own descent into a buildings depths, or terrifying you with the rhythmic chanting of asylum inmates as you make your way towards a madman’s lair. Here, the game’s composer and sound designer, Olivier Deriviere, explains how he uses sound to maximum effect.
OPM: How would you sum up your approach to Get Even’s sound design? Olivier Deriviere:
What if I tell you that a water drop hitting the floor can sound like the press of a piano key? What if you hear the typical sound of a train passing by that becomes a rhythmic motif? What if the bass drum reminds you of a heart beat? That’s the direction we took for Get Even. Everything is connected with reality, but in a musical way.
OPM: The music seems like a particularly important aspect of the game. OD:
As a gamer I am always after new experiences, and music can really elevate your immersion, sensations, and emotions. When I first saw the concept of the game I couldn’t believe it – it is a very mature story told in such a mesmerising tone, with no world to be saved, no zombies to be killed. So the music didn’t have to be epic, poetic, or illustrative. The main purpose of the music in the game is to grab the player and touch their heart and soul, because the game is about guilt and regret – things we all feel. But it won’t only be through dark and sad tones – you need to think of the music as a layer cake, and then you start understanding that each layer has its own role in revealing the bigger picture.
OPM: Could you talk us through some of the techniques and technology you used? OD:
For the past decade I went as far as I could to provide the best experiences with interactive music but I think Get Even is, to me, a big milestone. For the very first time players will experience real-time generated music. That means tempo, intensity, rhythm, and melody that can be generated in real time and aren’t prerecorded. In the very first level you have a room tone in the key of C and buzzing light in the key of C. Players probably won’t notice this, but the more you progress through the building, those elements will gradually morph into a drone in the key of C. This drone will have a specific accent, and the closer you get to your objective the bigger it becomes, eventually reaching a climax. This can last between one and ten minutes depending on how quickly the player moves through the sequence, but there is only one bar of actual written music. It is completely different from anything you have already experienced and I believe it is very effective!