Interview with Rune's Audio Director, Mike Larson

by Kazi Wren
September 1, 2000

For the first time in history, computer games are positioned to overtake all other forms of contemporary entertainment, both in terms of revenue generation and mass appeal. It's what Mike Larson, audio director for Human Head Studios, believes.

"We are on the verge of producing games that emulate the physical universe in a completely realistic fashion. Computer games are no longer exclusive to time-killing adolescents and introverted computer geeks," he said. "Other pastimes, such as film, will always have their place in society. However, I strongly believe that people will become less and less satisfied with forms entertainment that limit them to the role of spectator. The interactive medium allows one to become completely involved with the entertainment experience. Other media will be hard pressed to compete with this level of sophistication. "

As more computer games try to capture the imagination of players, development houses like Human Head Studios are going far beyond hiring artists, game designers, and programming talent. Companies look to enhance their studios with musicians and sound engineers who can take advantage of current technology to make what players hear as captivating as what they see.

"When directing audio for computer games, my goal is to create soundtracks that completely immerse the player in the interactive experience, rather than acting as incidental sonic window dressing," Larson said.

RuneGame cornerned Larson recently for an interview about writing music and creating sounds for computer games. He currently has two projects at Human Head - the soundtrack for Rune and the developer's haunting Blair Witch: The Legend of Coffin Rock.

RuneGame: Mike, when did you begin working at Human Head?

Mike Larson: I began working for Human Head Studios in September of 1999 on a contractual basis. From Minneapolis, I created sound effects and music based on screen shots they sent. Rune grew increasingly ambitious and the Blair Witch Project contract was finalized so I moved to Madison and began working full-time on January 1, 2000.

RuneGame: How did you approach making music for a Viking game?

Mike Larson: Doing research on traditional Viking music proved difficult. There really aren't any recordings of historical 'Viking music', only interpretations and descriptions. So I listened to the music of Basil Poledouris from the classic movie 'Conan the Barbarian'. The score is very epic and seems to fit the subject matter of Vikings perfectly. This was the main influence in the creation of Runes music.

Of course, we don't have an orchestra at our disposal so the music was written and recorded using electronic instruments. Runes music ended up much more aggressive and 'bigger' sounding than the music in Conan. We really wanted to bring out the pounding drums and achieve a deep, menacing sound. With the help of my collaborators; 'Romulus Mars Priscus' and 'Jim B-Reay', we've so far created (12) songs for Rune. There's also ~100 short musical phrases which are triggered by special events throughout the game.

I personally believe that REAL Viking music didn't sound much like Conan or Rune. For example, they didn't use orchestral instruments or write music in 4/4. It most likely consisted of aggressive pounding on non-tuned homemade percussion instruments and warrior chants. Overall, it would closer resemble African tribal music than European Classical orchestrations.

RuneGame: You're not very fond of using "modern" tunes in games. Why?

Mike Larson: How did this rumor start? Honestly, the process of creating Runes Music is as modern, or Hi-Tek as it gets. Our task was to create an epic and organic sounding score using computers. It's fairly difficult is to create computer generated music that DOESN'T sound computer generated. In fact, it requires a far deeper knowledge of sequencing software and computer programming than your standard 'electronica'.

Stylistically, I believe it's important to produce soundtracks that are consistent with the look and feel of the game. Rune takes place hundreds of years ago in all natural environments. The accompanying music was created with this in mind.

The alternative would be to create music based on my perceived notion of 'what the kids would like' (this week). In other words, selling out. The fact is that distorted guitars licks, hip-hop drum loops, acid 303 riffs, and rapping have absolutely no place in Rune. It would conflict with the look and feel of the game and diminish any level of artistic integrity it may have had.

We're definitely attempting to achieve more of a timeless quality with Rune. Pop music inevitably goes out of style and becomes dated. Imagine if the decision was made for the movie 'Conan the Barbarian' to use modern aggressive music to 'spice up' the movie and appeal to their axe hungry audience. If I recall, in 1982 it would have probably been Twisted Sister or Loverboy...How would that sound today?

I enjoy nearly all forms of electronic and acoustic music. Different games have different audio requirements. I have no objection to writing techno music for 'sci-fi' games or industrial music for 'quake' type games. I've done so in the past and look forward to doing it in the future.

RuneGame: What about the sounds we'll hear in the game?

Mike Larson: Music seems to get considerably more attention than sound effects because songs are instantly gratifying. However, significantly MORE time has been spent on the creation of the sound effects for Rune. The game covers a diverse range of creatures and environments that all require sounds. So far, Rune has more than 2400 original sound effects!!!

All of the creature sounds in Rune were created from scratch. The challenge was to create a distinct language for each of the main character types that speak. These include Goblins, Dwarfs, Zombies and Vikings. NO sound effect libraries were used in the creation of these sounds.

The idea for the Goblin language was largely inspired, and recorded by a friend Nick Skrowaczewski. We decided that the small green creatures should speak quickly with a hyperactive nasally sound. So we went into the studio and recorded ~3 hours of 'goblin-like' conversations and gibberish. With no room for embarrassment, we recorded some of the craziest vocal sounds I've ever heard. After more than 20 hours of editing, the results are impressive.

The process of creating the Dwarf and Zombie sounds was similar except that the voices sound considerably different. The Dwarves have surprisingly deep voices for their size and stress the vowel (o) a lot. Jim Sumwalt (Rune's art director) and I recorded the Zombies which sound dead and dry. The Viking dialog and combat sounds were created by professional Voice-Over talent and Ted Halsted (the art manager and a level designer on Rune).

RuneGame: You are also doing the music and sounds for the Blair Witch Coffin Rock game. How do you keep it all straight?!?

Mike Larson: It's quite difficult. I'm responsible for the music, sound effects, and voice-overs for both games. The kicker is that both games go gold in less than a month within 4 days of each other.

RuneGame: A number of fans have said they will create mods for Rune when the game is released. Do you plan to supply them with sound files?

Mike Larson: The sound files will be accessible using the Unreal editor. However, they will not be available to export as wavs.

RuneGame: What kind of hours are you putting in on Rune?

Mike Larson: Currently around 70 to 80 hours a week. My family and social lives are on hold for the remainder of these projects.

Check out Mike's Rune music in the Downloads section!!