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Sound is probably the aspect of video games most often taken for granted. Music, sound effects and voice actors are at their best when they are a seamless part of the game. Generally, the only time many people even notice it is when it's really, really bad. Obsidian knows this and that's why they've put the task of creating sound effects, music and voice work for the upcoming Neverwinter Nights 2 in the trusty hands of Heavy Melody.

When music is done right, it enhances and accents the mood of a particular scene or sequence in the game. Music done wrong is blaring or just totally out of place, like heavy metal at a somber funeral.

GamersInfo.net: Did NWN2 present any particularly challenging obstacles for music composition? Any strange environments or situations that don't have an “obvious” sound?

Heavy Melody Music: Well, we felt the best way to write appropriate music would be to go to the land of Neverwinter itself and boy was that rough! The Githyanki are a mean bunch!

We’ve had a great time writing these tracks. We really wanted to do something different from the other RPG’s out there, something that would help make the player feel they’re in a radically different time and place.

One challenge we had to overcome was the fact that NWN1’s excellent score was performed by a live orchestra, so we had to produce something compelling using sampled orchestral instruments mixed with only a handful of key live musicians, vocalists and choirs. The result is music that is dramatic and intense but only cost a fraction of the price. The chants that the choir did and the melodies the vocalists sang lent a particular sense of urgency and aggressiveness that we were really happy with as well.

GamersInfo.net: How long does it take to finalize the score for a given level/scene/environment for NWN2? Can you walk us through the process? For instance, do the composers play the game without sound and just hum what they think sounds right?

Heavy Melody Music: When composing for a game, it’s important to know each level very well, including its geography, history, creatures, characters and storyline. We’re fans of NWN1, so we had some idea of the lore going into this project, then we consulted the current game’s toolset to get specific about each level. We also took direction from the game’s producers. All of these things combine to tell us what emotions we are going to evoke in the player – whether it’s the foreboding feeling an enemy causes, the intensity of battle, or the thrill of victory.

Then it normally takes us 3-4 days to write, orchestrate, record and produce a two-minute piece of music. This all varies with the complexity and layers involved in any given piece. For instance a more maniacal theme for an epic battle always takes longer to orchestrate and produce that a simple village theme.

GamersInfo.net: I know a lot of gamers who, immediately after starting up a game for the first time, go into the options and turn off the in-game music. Then they fire up Nine Inch Nails or Dave Matthews or...I don't know...ABBA or something to accompany their gameplay. If you had these people's attention for a moment, what would you like to say to them?

Heavy Melody Music: I’m not sure but I hope there aren’t that many people who actually turn off the game music before they’ve even heard it once. That’s heartbreaking! They should be taken out back and whupped on. Then tied to a chair wearing headphones blasting the Pac Man theme repeatedly. But honestly, I would tell them they’re not just depriving themselves of music, but they’re depriving themselves of a complete game experience. Music is not put into a game to be wallpaper, it’s put there to heighten the game’s emotion, action, characterization and storyline. Removing it means you won’t have the full effect of those elements and you won’t have as rich a gaming experience. And, as composers, we put as much theme development and variation into each piece as possible so if the theme loops repeatedly you won’t get sick of it.

GamersInfo.net: Sound effects. It's a small phrase for a lot of work. Every sound we take for granted in a game has to be created by the sound team. Everything from dogs barking and cats meowing to wind blowing and rain falling to swords clashing and goblins dying. There are also environmental sounds like doors opening and character footsteps. And let's not forget magic spells. They are the little touches that can make or break an immersive game like NWN2.

I racked my brain to come up with the examples above. What did I miss? Anything else that is so obvious we just take for granted? Can you give us an estimate of just how many sound effects in all are going into NWN2?

Heavy Melody Music: There are several thousand sound effects! And some of them are made up of many individual effects so the number is actually quite higher.

GamersInfo.net: Is creating sounds for a fantasy setting more challenging than for other, more “reality-based” projects?

Heavy Melody Music: It can be, but in ways it can also be more liberating because we enjoy the opportunity to be more creative. We don’t necessarily have the strict confines of “reality” holding us back. We can kind of trip out and make things sound as wild and abstract as possible. But there are still plenty of reality-based sounds we need to address as well.

GamersInfo.net: Who is the authority on what Turn Undead sounds like or what sounds a Mind Flayer would make?

Heavy Melody Music: Anyone in the studio who, say, has an undead friend, or has ever hung out with a Mind Flayer generally wins. Or whoever has the loudest mouth.

Failing that, everything we do has to ultimately be approved by the client. Those conversations can be funny sometimes, when people try to discuss the intricacies of otherworldly screams and whatnot.

GamersInfo.net: Hollywood sound studios often use...shall we say “unorthodox” methods to make some sound effects. What sort of odd means has Heavy Melody resorted to for the sake of a perfect sound in NWN2? Will we be hearing any uncooked turkeys being punched or high-tension wires being struck with pipe wrenches?

Heavy Melody Music: We got pretty crazy with the creature sounds – we were jumping up and down, hootin and hollerin on the mic until we felt like we were going to barf. It was a blast (except for the barfing part) and we fell on the floor laughing a few times. We took the voices from those sessions and morphed, mixed, layered and manipulated them to create unique creatures. Other sounds use a mixture of foley and digital sounds to create something entirely new. We mix those layers together, sculpting and chipping away to create complex sounds that sound real.

GamersInfo.net: Last, but most certainly not least, we come to voice acting. This is, I would argue, the most important aspect of sound in a game. Perhaps I am biased for having played so many games with such horrible voice acting. Sometimes, it isn't the voice actors' fault, of course. A poorly written script would sound horrible voiced by even the most talented orator. The voice acting in the first Neverwinter Nights game was actually pretty good, for what there was of it. That has set the bar pretty high for the sequel.

How many voice actors are contributing to NWN2? Anyone we know from TV, movies or other games?

Heavy Melody Music: We’ve hired between 50 and 60 actors to play approximately 200 characters – and that’s no small task. The great thing about doing this in New York City is that there is a wealth of theatrical talent from the big Broadway productions to choose from. We even auditioned some Tony Award winners. That’s very important for a game like NWN2 because those actors are accustomed to the dramatic Shakesperian style deliveries that it calls for. Whereas in LA and other cities, the actors in the talent pool often focus on TV and film and are used to much quicker, snappier deliveries that don’t work as well.

And yes, several of our actors have appeared on TV shows like Arliss, Frasier, Spin City, LA Law, Law and Order CSI, The Sopranos – even Miami Vice!

GamersInfo.net: One of the most often seen failures of voice acting is that the actors don't seem to have even read the entire script, which results in uneven, jerky dialog that doesn't have an authentic “feel” to it. Is Heavy Melody working to ensure that the voices are well-acted in addition to being well-recorded? How many takes go into dialog recordings? Are all participants involved in an in-game conversation present at the time of recording or are they recorded separately?

Heavy Melody Music: While the actors may not have the opportunity to view the entire script, the voice over director is working with the game developer to ensure the actors receive direction on the context of the dialogue they’re reading to avoid that uneven feeling. We want the end result to be as smooth as possible.

The number of takes is dependent on the actor. In some cases, we’ll record one take that’s just perfect and in other cases, it can be as much as ten takes – we’ll do whatever we need to get it right!

We had to record the actors separately, but we would have loved to get several of them in a room together to play off each other for some of the conversations we had to record. Budget and time realities don’t always allow for those kinds of things though.

GamersInfo.net: How much of Neverwinter Nights 2 is voiced versus text-only? Will we spend hours leaned forward squinting at text on the screen or leaned back in our chairs listening to it being masterfully recited for us?

Heavy Melody Music: The days of squinting are over. We’ll have a mix of text but the majority of the characters’ lines will be voice-overs.

GamersInfo.net: Thanks for letting us ask some questions. Based on Heavy Melody's previous work, I think it's safe to say Neverwinter Nights 2 will be a feast for the ears. I look forward to hearing your work soon.