Hi The Baron here…

This post is about the making of the soundtrack to the promotional video for our game in beta testing: The Dog Run.

The “Promo Video” is used in the Google Play Store to show potential players of the game what it’s like and to induce them to download it.  The request from the Zulu head was to make some “EPIC!” music that took off the more elaborate over the top games out there that looked way more exiting than they actually were in their videos. Since our game was really very simple in concept and delivery we thought it would be funny.

First off with all creative endeavours I had a good afternoon nap and while I was under the somnambulists influence I started thinking about how I wanted to start working on this EPIC! if short piece. I decided on an orchestral theme and came up with a rhythmic loop that I thought I could develop into a larger piece.

I started with the piano and a four on the floor click track to get down the basic concept. Admittedly it sounds a little thin, and hardly epic, but it had the right qualities that I thought might grab a listener given enough scale.

 

I bumped up the concept with some doubling with the orchestral patch in the Korg M1 (one my favourites for wide sounding strings and general orchestra stabs).  I also added a faint backbeat to keep it moving. It starts to sound a bit better.

 

Next to get that EPIC! feel of drama and driving action I added an arpeggiated violin track. I know the playing is a little loose but it get’s tweaked up later on and adds a little spontaneity that is lost when you use an automated device.

 

So it’s starting to get there and I keep building on it.  I add some duplicated lines for the orchestral and rhythmic patterns I already have by doubling up the strings and adding two more lines of violin with slightly different sounds or accented playing. I also beef up the percussion with orchestral kettle drums and other tuned deep rhythm instruments. Now it sounds a little bit EPIC.

 

This is what it looks like in the Editor (I’m using Reason 10).

 

Finally to throw us over the top I added the leading kettle drum roll and the harmonic vox choir to lift us up.  I kinda like it now so I start adding a very limited effect chain (mostly some reverb) and add compression and filtering on some parts – here is the final EPIC! cut.

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