MCB Interviews Jason Graves
As video games develop more intensive storylines, the best composers are creating scores that follow the emotions of the characters. For composer Jason Graves, the decision to center Dead Space 2 around a string quartet was in stark contrast to the original game. “There would be many times in the game where the main character was emotionally vulnerable,” explains Graves. “There were also different cinematics that needed a much quieter approach than the first score. It seemed like the perfect place to use the string quartet.”
Graves' resume, which includes multiple British Academy Awards, has provided opportunities to record with legendary musicians in Los Angeles, London and even the famed Skywalker Ranch.
“I’ve also been recording my own personal orchestral sample library for the past two years now,” says Graves. “It serves as a unique, live sounding element for any orchestral music I’m working on and also fills in the gaps between the commercially available sample libraries. It’s definitely a lot of work preparing the music for recording and then editing everything afterwards. I seem to be finding time here and there in between jobs to get the instruments edited and built. Then I’m able to reward myself by using the new instruments on the next job I have.”
Although technology allows composers and game developers to meet via Skype, Graves prefers to meet in person. “I really do feel much more comfortable working on a project once I have had plenty of face time with the development team,” says Graves. “Just getting to hang out, play the game and crack jokes really helps me feel like I’m part of something bigger. As composer, I spent 99% of my time locked away in a room by myself.”
More tips from Jason Graves:
“One of the most important things I think any composer can do is listen. As simple as it sounds, I’ve seen too many relationships suffer because someone just isn’t listening. So I try really, really hard to listen to what developers say they want for their game. Now obviously, I’m given a lot of latitude to bring my own impressions and ideas to whatever they suggest the game needs. But anything I end up doing has been originally born out of what the developer wants. As a result, I’m blessed with very few revisions or “back and forth” drafts of music. In a typical game, there may be two or three pieces that need to be tweaked a little bit; adding a theme here, turning down a percussion instrument there. A lot of times it comes down to the overall mix and music implementation for interactivity more than the aesthetics of the music itself.”
“I think the biggest challenge for me as a composer is, well, doing all the other stuff besides composing! Managing and editing my sample library, maintaining the drives on all different computers, keeping the software and operating systems bug free and up-to- date, and most importantly mixing all of the music once I finish composing it. That’s the real kicker! In film or television, there is always a separate mixing engineer who takes the different elements of the music and brings them together in one harmonious sound. With most games, there simply isn’t a budget to hire someone to do this, so it falls on the composer. It can be frustrating trying to mix a hybrid score and have all the electronics and big drums balance themselves with the orchestra. I’ve actually been doing some research into freelance mixing engineers in Los Angeles whom I can call on to help me mix my next hybrid score. It’s one of those situations where a fresh set of ears is truly invaluable."
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