Video gaming audio – release #2. Prey

Hello to you, dear reader/viewer. The second release of the audience is devoted to the analysis of the original Soundtrack Prey. You will find out what served as a source of inspiration for the authors of music, what goal Raphael Kolantonio pursued when choosing a composer for his project and what approach Mick Gordon adhered to when writing compositions.

The text version is also recommended for familiarization, since it is in it that you will find all the links to the sources that are mentioned in the video line.

Prey is a magnificent creation of the French game designer and creative director Rafael Kolantonio, who published in 2017 and amazed all his ambiguity. Prey appeared to the world a direct spiritual heir to System Shock 2, incorporating the features of Dishonored, Bioshock and even Half-Life. A masterpiece on the verge of copying other people’s ideas. Something completely new, but so many -sided. Immersive SIM, gracefully mimicating in all its inspirers, but so exquisitely woven in its form. This catharsis for any player who appreciates the variability of the passage and the elaboration of the environment. Rafael Kolantonio also took part in the creation of the soundtrack for his last project as part of Arkane Studios.

Hello everyone, this is the second release of the audibologist of video game audio -synthesis, today we will autopsy Prey. Put on the headphones, turn on music under the spoiler of the Timcodes, pleasant reading!

The soundtrack was written mainly by Mick Gordon, whose work you most likely heard in the game DOOM version of 2016. If you have already passed Prey and listened to the officially published version of the soundtrack, you could notice that not all music from the game entered the album. Some unrelated compositions are available on YouTube, but almost three years after the release of the game there are no news about the release of the expanded version of the album. Unfortunately, the situation is unlikely to change. Part of the tracks were written by Matt Pirsoll and Ben Crossbones. Into the Tunnels from Matt sounds incredibly cool, Sagitta welcomes you with the sounds of a deep synthesive bit, and this is really remembered. The last two tracks of the album “Mind Games” and “Semi Sacred Geometry” were written by Weird Wolves, officially formed only in 2018. The core of the group is Rafael Kolantonio, Ava Gore and Matt Pirsol. Rafael and Ava, in addition to playing guitars, perform vocal parties in their songs, Matt is engaged in electronic support and mastering. The track “Mind Games” sounds in the credits of the game and allows you to fully enjoy the satirical act of mockery of typhones over human nature. The track “Semi Sacred Geometry” can be so dumbfounded by its appearance that you may call this the best moment of the game. You can draw some parallels with a similar moment in the game Alan Wake, but it feels completely different. Knowing people will understand what is about, but let’s go without spoilers. It is worth noting that the track exists in two versions – with male and female vocals. Male vocals belongs to Raphael and is officially represented in the published album. Women’s vocals belongs to May Whitman, who voiced the head of the information security department Daniella show. Unfortunately, you can find this version of the track only in the expanses of YouTube. Also on the official channel of Mr. Kolantonio there is a record where, together with Miss Whitman, they live on this track. Matt, also present on the stage, is still responsible for information and electronics. It is a pity that the quality of the recording does not allow you to fully enjoy the execution. Craftsmen from the Internet even create their own versions, where they themselves combine sound paths with the vocal parties of the children. Judging by the comments, the track with female vocals excites the left hemisphere of users much stronger, which leads to an additional crushing about the absence of an officially published version. Apparently, this is due to the fact that, regardless of whether you play for a man or woman, the track will sound exclusively in the version with the vocals of May. And he is really cool, and instantly settles in the language of the acuteness of his lines. But the variability of the version of the reproduced track would only go to the game. This decision would inevitably lead to additional expenses for the voice of the characters. Perhaps Rafael simply decided that his personalities will be too many in the game, Mr. shyness. What is precisely difficult to disagree with is a damn stylish game moment. Be sure to look at the Yellow Tulip bar if you haven’t done it yet.

For fans of Arkane Studios, the fact that members of https://casino-seven.org/bonus/ the Weird Wolves group pleased us with their creativity before the release of Prey will be interesting. This unobvious cameo occurred during the execution of the last Dishonored 2 mission – Death to the Empress. To his shame, he must admit that he himself learned this interesting fact only when he prepared the material for this issue. True, the song version is somewhat different from the one that can be found, for example, on the group page in Soundsloud. The game sounds a chapel, which only enhances the impression. But back to PREY. At this contribution, Mr. Kolantonio did not end to the musical component of his brainchild. As part of his group, he also recorded Realization track, which sounds in the credits to DLC for Prey – Mooncrash. A very interesting track that does not have a standard structure of the construction of songs with a clear division into purchases and refreshments, it is rather subject to constant progression and has the appearance of a slide, on the top of which a powerful climax lurks, plunging into a shock, the whole body of a husal skin is shocked. Or saws. Or just Murasha. Call what you want.

Stylistically the work of the group can be described as a mixture of electronic rock and post -industrial electronic music genre – EBM (Electronic Body Music). The influence of the Trip Hop genre is also felt. The arrangements are slow, with a clear rhythmic pattern. The vocals are gloomy and psychedelic, which refers to the aesthetics Dishonored. Shocks prevail over the rest of the tools, setting a powerful viscous rhythm. Unfortunately, the group itself has not yet decided on the genre. You will not find their page on Discogs, you will not find information where the guys themselves describe their work with a look from the side. Apparently, all their forces are now aimed at writing new tracks. I sincerely wish them success. Listen to their work, even if not yet presented at least a dozen compositions … It was cool. The guys definitely felt for their unique style. I extremely recommend that you also familiarize yourself with their records. Another interesting fact should be noted. The last track of the Ghost Voices group refers in the memory to the announcement that occurred during the TGA 2019. The project is called Weird West, its immigrants from Arkane Studios, led by Raphael, united in Wolfeye studio are being developed. From all this, one can draw a completely obvious conclusion – the honored Frenchman of the video game industry himself writes music for his new game, not particularly advertising this, but not hiding from inquisitive eyes. Judging by the track that sounds in the announcing trailer, we are waiting for a bewitching soundtrack, inheriting the distinctive features of a trip-hop with an admixture of an electric guitar and raves that instantly associate images arising in their heads with a wild West. The emphasis on drums is especially pleased, but this is already a matter of taste.

In their interviews for Novip, Gameereactor, Game Informer, Disgusting Men, as well as notes on Bethesda.Net Rafael says that at the stage of choosing a composer for the soundtrack, he remembered how he was impressed by the guitar arpeggio Mika Gordon and as a whole by music in Wolfenstein: The New Order. For reference, arpeggio is a way of playing chords in which sounds are not performed simultaneously, but are crushed on tones and may be re -which. He also noted that he is not a fan of a classic approach to creating soundtracks with the active use of orchestral arrangements and does not like when there are too many music in the game. The approach is more interesting to him when you hear embedent modulations, which are sometimes interrupted by music that emphasizes the importance of the moment. Rafael wanted the arpeggio he liked to sound a little more gloomy and combine with the characteristic sound of the Italo Disco of the 80s. He is a big fan of music by Synthwaw, in particular Kavinsky, and wanted this to be reflected in Prey’s music. Rafael gave all his wishes for sound as guidelines, subsequently accumulating them with one phrase – “Western in Cosmos”.

At the very beginning of the game on your first working day, you fly to work by helicopter, the sun flies with the morning rays of the roofs of buildings, Morgan pulls with a leg to the beat of pleasant music, it seems that nothing can spoil this day … To emphasize how much this moment is different from everything that will be pursued by the player further, it was decided to write a composition oriented on a clear bit and as much as possible to meditative relaxation. It was originally planned that Kavinsky will do writing this composition, but it did not work out, and Mick took up the order. As Rafael later noted, the result was perfect. What especially struck him – Mick wrote this track in just a couple of days, while in the hotel. “EVERYTHING IS Going to be OKAY”. And that says it all. The track really turned out to be cool. Rafael himself described it as follows:

I wanted to create something that sounds as if right now I am the coolest dude on earth. Look at me, I’m damn cool!

The inspiration was the previously mentioned Italo-Disco of the 80s and the work of the DAFT PUNK, KAVINSKY and Justice groups. In almost every passage on YouTube, players note how well this track correlates with the mood of the scene. The prank really succeeded.

The contribution of Rafael Kolantonio to his project is invaluable. I would like to believe that he will not be in his creative research. But, as they say, not one Frenchman is written … or is not said. Arghm. The next in line is a notorious Australian. It is difficult to imagine another talented composer as the Mook of Mathieon Gordon. If you watched an interview with this gentleman from hell, you could note his incredible obsession with his work. Moreover, these same interviews are not so much, but to knock out the time on them for many representatives of various, even famous and popular media, the task is impossible. Portfolio Mika is so vast that it is impossible to be impossible. Of course, one word comes to mind first of all – doom. However, the Australian also wrote music for Need for Speed, Killer Instinct and Wolfenstein. The list of his projects is really large and diverse, I suggest you personally familiarize yourself with it. Almost all records of the transformation master are based on the use of electro -guitars. Mick mainly uses Mayones guitars, in particular Regius 8 Pro. He himself says the following:

I never played guitars that reproduce every note as clean once as it does Mayones ..

For a Russian person, the fact that Mick in his works is used by the Soviet -made synthesizer Polyvovs, a number of design features of which allows you to manipulate sound waves with incredible flexibility. Unfortunately, it is not known for certain exactly how the Prey soundtrack was recorded and what original solutions the author used. Information from Mick himself is simply absent, which suggests that he himself does not consider this work outstanding, but it is it that is the most very contrasting in comparison with the rest. Embeptic guitar arpeggio, combined with an electronic beat in the style of disco 80s, sound fresh and in a new way, enveloping with their thick atmosphere of the mystical mystery of the Talos-1 station. Almost all the sounds of the soundtrack are saturated with a unique guitar sound with an admixture of electronics, which sometimes still dominates. Melancholy mood “Human Elements”, “No Gravity”, “Alex Theme” and “December and January” refers to the best representatives of the post-rock genre, like Sigur Ros, Mogwai and 65DaySofstatic, as well as to the less famous School ofEmotional Engineering and Port-Royal. I would like to hope that the veil of secrets will be ajar by the great master over the guitars, and new interesting details will leak through it to us.

That’s it so far. If you have something to add, I’m waiting for your comments. Write your suggestions, the analysis of the music of which game you would like to hear in the next issue. Listen to good music, all pink noise in headphones, before communication!