



An Interview with Robert Euvino
Stronghold's sound and effects composer
by Lord Tigger from Sword & Pistol
The following is an interview Robert Euvino, the composer and sound FX god for Stronghold, was kind enough to participate in.
Ok, who are you and what do you do?
My name is Robert Euvino (pronounced like the beginning of
Eugene), and I currently reside in upstate NY about a half hour
out of Woodstock. I do a lot of things, but to keep you from
calling in the 'tangent police' I'll try to keep focused on the
audio end of things. I own and operate a post production
recording facility where I spend most of my time composing music
and designing sound effects for a variety of applications.
Where did you study music?
On a formal level I received a degree in music at the State
University at Albany, where I studied music theory and
composition with a concentration on electronic music technology.
From there I moved out to Long Island NY and attended a small
school called A.R.T.I. (Audio Recording Technology Institute) to
learn the engineering side of things. Eventually I found myself
teaching college courses on MIDI technology for NY Tech while
taking on any small composition jobs I could get my hands on.
How long have you been in this industry?
I've been supporting myself producing audio for approximately ten
years, but this encompasses many venues other than just the video
game industry.
What did you do before this?
Ok, this might generate a raised eyebrow or two. While developing
my skills and building up the studio I had my own business called
"Reptile Rob and the Party Animals". Basically it was a one-man
show involving live exotic animals, most of which were reptiles
(no, not that kind of show !!). To be honest, it started out as a
joke to possibly help support my lifelong expensive hobby raising
and breeding exotic reptiles. Much to my own surprise the show
became very popular and within a short period of time I found
myself working fulltime loading my truck with everything most
people try to avoid - alligators, rattlesnakes, 18-foot pythons,
armadillos, arachnids, skunks etc. and traveling all over. My
audiences varied in age and scope and included children's
birthday parties, school presentations, camps, museums, scouts,
promotional business events?.I even did a wedding ! It was a fun
way to make a living and I have enough stories to write a book
(i.e. snake ate my parrot once. Expensive meal. One of my large
lizards made a dramatic escape during an outdoor show and I made
a complete fool of myself chasing him into the woods and cutting
my face up?.never saw him again. Kids loved it. Parents booked me
for the following year. Got bit on the head by a Bobcat. Stop
me?here I go !)
Ambient sound is a given but how important is the music in a
game?
I suppose this depends on several factors such as the type of
game and the quality of music. Many gamers tend to shut off
in-game music as they find it is either annoying or distractive.
Others like to be able to concentrate on the sound effects only,
and some even wish to listen to their own favorite tunes instead
of what is being force fed to them. Also, because all game music
will inevitably repeat itself quite often it can grow tiresome
quickly. Personally I think music has the potential to be
tremendously important to an overall game experience but it
really comes down to how well it is conceived and how it is
balanced with the many other audible and visual cues which are
all fighting to be seen/heard.
What do you try to accomplish when you do a muscial score?
What's the goal?
Well, the initial and most obvious goal is to write music that
fits the genre of the game. This is sometimes easier said than
done depending on how period specific a title is. Stronghold was
what I consider to be a medium sized target. It required me to
arrange using certain instruments we typically associate with the
middle ages, even if historically they aren't accurate. And there
are several harmonic and rhythmic rules that I found to be
important in order to capture what I was looking for (in some of
the folk tunes in Stronghold I kept harmonies very simple,
consistently avoiding the seventh or ninth of a chord, which if I
were writing in a jazz style would be absolutely essential). But
once I found a slightly 'medieval' sound I had a lot of free room
to play around, concentrating on creating a palette of music to
cover the gamut of different emotions experienced throughout the
game such as suspense, serenity, triumph, happiness, chaos etc.
To put this in a relative perspective, Caesar 3 was a much smaller target to hit. Although I knew Caesar needed a lot of horns and fanfares, I found it more challenging to make things sound 'Roman'. Often times I would begin writing and then when I listened back I realized I had made something sound much more like an American fanfare (Copeland) as opposed to getting the cliché sound of the Coliseum made famous by Hollywood. At that point I would reanalyze similar work by other composers to hear exactly what it was that gave their music that distinct sound, and then go back to the drawing board. Ultimately my objective is to include enough clichés to make the genre obvious, while at the same time preserving some of my own personal style within that genre.
Another goal important to me is to be sure I don't overwrite the scores. Again this will only lead people to shut the music off. I know everything I write will be repeated over and over, so I'd rather my music disappear in the background than to have it fighting for the player's attention. If I were composing a score to be performed live in front of an audience my approach would certainly be a bit more selfish, but for music to work in a game it needs to act like more of a team player. It's amazing to me how our psychological interpretation of music changes dramatically depending on how many ways our attention is divided. For example, if I proudly played a single sustained cello note for someone they would probably not be all too impressed with my 'masterpiece'. However, when that same single sustained note is played in conjunction with a player's mind as they rush to create enough troops while feeding their people and scavenging for resources, it can work wonders in creating just the right amount of tension before an attack. I guess the real challenge is in knowing when to play that particular note.
Is there a possibility of too much music in a game?
I don't think there can be too much music in a game, unless of
course it's just lousy music. I do believe however that music can
be played too often within a game. Many games are programmed to
play music constantly during gameplay, and this is probably a
leading cause for players to turn it off. Dynamics is everything.
The silence between the music (and even the rests between the
notes themselves) is just as important as the music itself in
establishing an environment that needs to be ever changing. Our
ears acclimate quite quickly to sound, and it's important to vary
things up regularly in order to upset that balance after time.
When a piece of music fades in after a period of silence it has
an effect on the player that wouldn't be possible without that
initial period of silence. This simple implementation of
scattering the music can be a great tool to help keep things
interesting as well as to foreshadow upcoming events. One of the
most frustrating aspects of this work is the knowledge that your
music is going to be heard repeatedly. I almost hate delivering
the first piece of music for a game, because I know the other
developers will hear it constantly for the next year and will
probably end up hating me for it (sorry guys). In my opinion the
more music in a game the better, as it just means there will be
that much less repeat. But even a game with a lot of good music
must still implement careful use of dynamics
What games do you think had/have the best music in
them?
Unfortunately I don't have the time to play a lot of games, so I
know there are many titles that are worthy of mention that won't
get mention by me. I was very impressed with Homeworld, and I
also liked some of the music written for the Final Fantasy
series. I thought Quake 2 was pretty hip, although I found it
clashed a bit with the sound effects at times. The Tom Clancy
games have some sparse yet very professional music. Also, the
sleeper hit Battlezone was scored very well.
What's your favorite piece of music?
Ok, I don't want to sound like a wimp on this question, but I
don't have one favorite. There are simply too many amazing styles
and moods of music to lump them together and then just choose one
piece. I think the next question is a better representation of
what gets me off.
Who influences you for music?
Everyone from A-Z ! It all depends on what phase I'm going
through at the time. When I was a kid I was most impressed by
musicians that were known for their virtuosity - Keith Emerson,
keyboardist from Emerson Lake & Palmer?. Art Tatum, Oscar
Peterson, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, Jimmy Smith were all
legendary jazz cats that either inspired me to practice harder or
else made me want to cut my own fingers off. Pat Metheny, Joe
Pass, Wes Montgomery, Jan Hammer, Jimi Hendrix, the Dixie Dregs,
Jeff Beck, Larry Carlton?..too many to list. As I matured a bit I
began to see the genius behind the likes of Bill Evans, Duke
Ellington, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Frank Zappa, Talking
Heads, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles blah blah blah. Pink Floyd was a
big influence not so much because they were phenomenal players
(they weren't) but because their music was as much about sound as
it was about the notes being struck, and their production was way
ahead of its time. I mean David Gilmour could play a single
sustained note for 30 seconds, and it doesn't sound boring?..
amazing ! Oh, did I leave out those really old guys like Bach,
Chopin, Stravinsky, Holst, Brahms, Mozart?..more blah blahs. And
then there are some newer artists that have impressed me?.Nine
Inch Nails, Tool, Tori Amos, Tracy Chapman???Man, this is way too
hard. Maybe I'll approach it from the other end. I don't listen
to Brittney Spears. I just look at her. Ok, I confess. I liked
Kiss a lot when I was a little kid.
When you make the music for a game, do you approach it like a
soundtrack for a movie or is there more to it?
Both film and game soundtracks are very similar in that the music
needs to fit what is being visually presented. The biggest
difference between the two is that a movie is in a completely
linear format whereas a game is an interactive experience with no
two games ever being identical. A lot of the end results are not
only dependant on what I write, but how well the programmers code
the system that incorporates these pieces. In Stronghold I was
lucky enough to have a great programming team willing to put in
the extra effort to make some of the soundtrack somewhat
interactive. With a game, a composer has to think of creative
ways to stretch the usefulness of a limited amount of music. The
most common approach is to write a piece that will loop onto
itself, allowing the piece to play as long as is needed. Things
get quite a bit more complicated when you try to create pieces
that will not only loop back into themselves, but will be able to
stream smoothly into another piece. I have to keep a close eye on
making sure I match not only the tempo and key signature of
related pieces, but the actual instrumentation has to be similar
enough where the cut points aren't so obvious. The more pieces
you have the crazier the map becomes. Eventually you have to
organize a set of rules which denotes which pieces can
successfully stream into which other pieces, which pieces can
loop to themselves, and which pieces are to be played as stand
alone tunes. Once this map is drawn up we then have to attach
variables to the pieces, which will govern when the music should
take a certain branch. For example, if your army is beginning to
win a battle, we might want to start playing triumphant music.
But if the piece that is currently playing doesn't have a smooth
branch into that triumphant music we must take a detour into a
piece that will enable us to eventually get to that triumphant
tune. However, by the time the detour piece finishes playing,
your army may have actually started to lose the battle, which
would force the code to reevaluate what music should play. The
ideal result is for an appropriate type of music to be playing at
all times without any obvious interruptions, but there are always
some flaws because of the almost infinite number of
possibilities. We only incorporated this type of system for some
of the battle music in Stronghold, but I'd like an entire
soundtrack to work along these lines. It's just very time
consuming to think and plan out these other things while at the
same time coming up with interesting (hopefully) music.
Without getting up to cover your butt, what CD is in your
player right now?
Well, I've got two cd players that have something in them?.
- Bach:Materpieces for Pipe Organ.
- Me'Shell NdgOcello "Bitter"
Were you solely responsible for the sound FX as well as music
in Stronghold?
Yes.
What would you rather do, FX or music? Why?
My true passion lies in the music, but I enjoy doing the sound
design as it is also a creative art, adds variety to my day, and
allows me to get away from whatever I'm composing for a little
while. Also, doing both enables me to really make one compliment
the other. Sometimes when a composer and a sound designer are
working independently their work fights for the ear. Because I do
both I know exactly what needs to take center stage when. I'll
sometimes compose a piece that specifically leaves room for the
sound effects that I know will be occurring at the same time. If
I had to choose only one I would certainly write music, but in
the end I think the most seamless results can be obtained by
doing both.
Have you worked on anything we would recognize or that's
commercially available like CDs or movies?
I'm pretty much a nobody! Most of my work has been for multimedia
companies of some sort or another. In total I've probably scored
about 14-15 published cd rom titles, and one title won the New
Media Invision award for best educational software title in 1998.
I've done work on a few commercials (recently did some sound for
the new Mr. Potato Head toy lol ) as well as some radio, but
nothing is as satisfying as the jobs where I have the opportunity
to write full length tunes. I was contracted to compose the
soundtrack for Caesar 3, but I didn't do the sound design nor was
I in charge of how all the audio was implemented. I've also acted
as a consultant for Grammy winning producer Jack Douglas, who has
produced albums for John Lennon and Aerosmith as well as some
other very high profile acts. I plan on producing an album of my
own within the next couple of years, but that often gets swept
aside as I write tunes for other people.
Peanut butter: creamy or chunky?
Chunky. Creamy does virtually nothing for me audibly.
Do you play a musical instrument?
My main instrument is the keyboard?piano, organ and synthesizer,
and I also play a mean Jews Harp. I can cover a lot of bases with
the synthesizers and samplers, but I always incorporate other
musicians into my music. Music is about interaction, and if my
budget allows for it I try to combine as many talents as I can.
What's the weirdest instrument you've ever used for
music?
I guess there's a fine line between what is considered to be a
musical instrument and what is just an object that produces a
cool sound. I've got a few exotic instruments and although I
haven't a clue as to their name or origins they make some very
odd sounds. I also have a hanging wire sculpture that makes an
incredible eerie yet musical sound if you tap it with a pen or
pencil?. great for sci-fi stuff. My music sometimes blurs the
distinction between actual notes and sound, so I'm not sure if I
would classify certain sound sources as instruments or just
props. I'll use anything if it gives me a unique sound.
What's the weirdest thing you've ever used for sound
effects?
My pet pig named Snerch made some incredible noises, much more
than the typical oinks. She would create these demonic sounding
howls and grunts that sounded as though she were being tortured.
Of course I would never have hurt her, but if you heard this
stuff you wouldn't believe me. All I had to do was put her food
bowl a few feet in front of her and hold her back from it for a
second or two. Instant demon! I recorded a lot of her (before I
had her adopted) and would then play around with pitch shifting
effects, reversals, and layering to create some phenomenal
dinosaur sounds for a cdrom that was published by Westwind Media
(The Dinosource 1993).
Do you play video games much? What do you play?
I've played video games since the advent of the original text
only adventures. My first computer was an Apple II, and I was a
big fan of the Ultima and Wizardry series. Now I don't play
nearly as much as I'd like to just because I'm too busy helping
to make them. I buy a fair number of games to keep up on what the
industry is producing, but I don't have enough time to become
accomplished in most. Of course I'm playing Stronghold now, but
believe it or not I'm still hooked on an oldie. I play the
sleeper hit Battlezone (by Activision). It has an incredible
strategy mode as well as a deathmatch mode and the sound is very
well done. No one shall beat me in a bomber? although I dare
anyone to come online and give it your best shot! I suppose I'd
rather get real good at only one or two games as opposed to
sucking at many games. I've done some of the major first person
shooters (Quake, Unreal etc) as well as Rainbow Six. Picked up
Counter Strike but I'm not very good. I may grab Ghost Recon
soon.
What you are doing, is this an actual steady career or do you
have your eyes out for something bigger?
Bigger than this ?!?! How could that be possible lol. I'm never
sure exactly what I'll be doing next, but I'm certain it will be
involving sound. Honestly I'm always a bit torn as to which
direction to head. Firefly is a wonderful company with what looks
to be a bright future, so I may be moving forward with them. I
have friends who work in advertising, and although that arena is
always tempting it is also a bit of a double-edged sword.
Financially it can be very rewarding but at the same time on an
artistic level I prefer to work on projects which require full
length scores as opposed to 00:30 and 01:00 spots. At this point
the game market is pretty diverse and exciting, especially now
that machines are capable of spitting out high quality audio.
Time shall tell?.
How many reptiles do you own? What are they?
I've dwindled my collection down to a manageable 9 snakes. At one
point when I was doing shows I had as many as 60 snakes, not to
mention the rest of the wildlife. My only large reptile at this
point is a 12 foot Burmese Python named Bernice. I've had her
since 1978 and she is just a gentle giant. I also have a Monocled
Indian Cobra named Brilliance, and then several other smaller
snakes. Oh yes, I also have a cat named McSack. He is hideously
ugly, and twice as obnoxious. But he makes these noises unlike
any other animal I've ever heard. This cat is not of this earth.
You just can't understand until you hear him. Maybe I'll send
Lord Tigger a short recording of him, as it's impossible to
describe with words. As always, it's all about the sound.
Thanks, Rob.
-LT
Stronghold
Music Downloads
Crusader Music Downloads
Back to the main
page