As the music industry continues to morph and change, producers are diversifying as well. Steve Levine’s lengthy career includes work on classic albums by Ziggy Marley, China Crisis, The Creatures, and others. Of particular note is his role as Culture Club’s producer, a relationship that led to the massive worldwide success of Kissing to Be Clever, Colour by Numbers, and Waking Up with the House on Fire.
As an early tech adopter—he was famously the first English producer to work in an exclusively digital environment—it should be no surprise that Levine is now composing for video games. The legendary producer shares details about his workflow, describes the differences between working on games and albums, and offers tips for young composers.
Production to Gaming
Coming from your extensive pop and rock music production background, how did you transition into game sound design?
In a way, my background in record production and film composition was the perfect blend. The music has to have the same production elements that you might use on a band’s record. This soundtrack features high-quality recordings and, where necessary, high-quality lo-fi recordings to create the 8-bit sounds of some of the vintage games of the ’80s.
One key skill in regular record production, which I’m very experienced with, is the ability to sonically recognize specific instruments or tones, especially synthesized sounds in a pop context.
Many artists, when you work with them, may highlight a specific part of a track they admire. That might be the drum sound, the synth sounds, or even studio effects, like a certain type of reverb or delay. That knowledge is essential in the game world as the soundtrack must constantly convey a world, space, or environment. The melody and chord structures, however, probably owe more to TV or movie soundtracks. I have created a few movie scores, so I also have some experience in that area. Therefore, I found it a relatively easy transition.
Tell us about composing for Hyperbrawl Tournament. Did this game pose any unique challenges?
The main difference between game music and a regular pop session is how the composition and the production are very specific. For a game soundtrack, the music may have to be an exact length and it also needs to have the ability for the rhythm or melody elements to be looped. The looping has to be designed in a way that doesn’t get boring and, indeed, maintains the excitement of the gameplay.
"For a game soundtrack, the music may have to be an exact length and it also needs to have the ability for the rhythm or melody elements to be looped."
Cloud Palette
What role did Roland Cloud play in creating the music for Hyperbrawl Tournament? Were there any particular instruments that became the go-to choices for finding your musical palette?
The great advantage of Roland Cloud, especially in the rough demo or sketch stage, was having all the classic synths at your disposal. One of the wonderful features of Roland Cloud is the ability to initially have multiple instances of the same synthesizer running together, something that would be difficult and very expensive with hardware.
Once a track was created and approved, I could easily start printing or rendering the audio and, in some cases, double the sounds with my vintage hardware. This was especially true of the D-50, as I have the Roland Cloud version, the new Boutique D-05, and my original D-550. The latter has some of my own sounds I created many years ago but instantly evokes the sound of the ’80s. This was very important to the overall tone and vibe of Hyperbrawl.
I also loved mixing the JUNO sounds with the JUPITER sounds. I also used the JUPITER arpeggiator on many of the parts, as this added an extra melody or rhythm and is very different from the often more complicated DAW versions. The TB-303 was used with the sequencer, as that often created cool musical bits that I could render out of the track and reposition in different spots.
Finally, I used lots of TR-808, TR-909, etc. I also used the hardware TR-8 on a few tracks as I like the instant hands-on way of creating a rhythmic beat. Apart from Roland Cloud, I used many of my Eurorack modular synths and some of my vintage hardware drum machines, my Linn LM1, Simmons SDSV, and CR-78.
"I also loved mixing the JUNO sounds with the JUPITER sounds. I also used the JUPITER arpeggiator on many of the parts."
Platform and Process
Are there any challenges in creating music to be used across multiple platforms?
Not from my end, as the post-production team handled this. Most modern game platforms allow using multiple stems rather than a stereo mix. Having stems allows for a lot of creative balance in real-time so that the game soundtrack can always sound fresh.
How would you describe your workflow for a project like this one?
Milky Tea, the game’s production company, would supply me with both still images and gameplay. For gameplay, I created a lower-resolution video and ran that in sync with the DAW. I could cross-reference the music with action to ensure that the excitement was maintained.
The team at Milky Tea was superb to work with, especially if I did a bit they didn’t like. They would send very specific feedback. This was helpful early on as we started establishing sounds and beats they liked, so each new piece of music became even more focused.
Which DAW do you use in your process?
For this project, I mostly used Logic Pro. However, I also used Isotope RX. RX was really useful and extremely creative for some of the sound design elements. Eight percent of the sound effects I created myself. I found it much easier to create exactly what I needed, and it could fit perfectly with the music and the action.
I also used the stand-alone version of Melodyne. For example, if I used a sound library and needed to change the key or chord to fit the score, I used Revoice as a creative tool to pitch shift or time-align my vocal sound design.
"For gameplay, I created a lower-resolution video and ran that in sync with the DAW. I could cross-reference the music with action to ensure that the excitement was maintained."
Communication is Key
Do you work with the designers daily during production, or send music in chunks and let them chop it up?
The music and stems were delivered to the post-production house as completed works. I left enough wriggle room in the stems for them to adjust a level here and there. For example, if a specific music ride or hit didn’t work visually with the final gameplay. But they didn’t need to chop it up. I first made sure everything worked from my end. Milky Tea came to the studio sessions at regular intervals during the recording stage. They are located within walking distance of my studio, which really helped.
Conversely, if I was especially excited about a bit that might be starting too far away, I could ask them to pop around to double-check before I went too far. I would also supply Milky Tea with a ninety percent rough stereo mix to sign off on once that specific arena was approved. I would then create the final mix and stems for the post house, call them, and discuss what I uploaded.
"Having a good dialogue with the client about what works sonically—and indeed, what doesn’t work—makes for a happy production and session."
You have an amazing production discography, including seminal records by Culture Club, The Creatures, and The Beach Boys. What specific lessons have you learned in your career that have served you in the gaming arena?
Communication! In this case, Milky Tea was the client, and having a good dialogue with the client about what works sonically—and indeed, what doesn’t work—makes for a happy production and session. That’s also very true working with all the artists you mention.
The animation for Hyperbrawl Tournament is stunning. Did the characters inspire you, and do some even have individual theme music?
Yes, I agree. The rendering of the characters makes them look and feel so real. The specific colors of the outfits or head shapes inspired some of the music. Sometimes, the place where the arenas are set also lends itself to a certain time or tone. That’s heavily reflected in the music and even the choice of instruments I’ve used. It’s very similar to a movie in that respect.
