Q&A with Jared Emerson-Johnson, Friday!

[nikasaur]

Hear ye hear ye, Jared is coming to the forums to answer some of your music and sound related questions! Pop in to hear the answers on Friday the 2nd from 10am to 11am PST (he chose this specifically so Europeans can be awake for it, what a guy!)

Let me tell you- Jared is a superhero. He sets the tone of the world with ease, he knocks out sound effects with a single blow, he makes what we do sound AMAZING. It's a fact that Telltale sometimes hires super-human automatons, and investigations as to Jared's actual humanity are pending. Some people are just too talented.

(Fun fact: he's also super-skilled at Beatles Rock Band.)

We're open for questioning, so load 'em up and keep him busy.

[LogicDeLuxe]

I wonder, what synthesizers did you use for "New Location Unlocked"? It's not mentioned in the CD's credits.

What software do you use for mixing in general?

Can we see some "Making-Of"-videos from the music production?

It's too bad that so many music is overcompressed nowadays. I'd like to thank you and the entire producer team that you kept sufficient dynamics in your music intact. Keep it that way! Thank you very much.

[PISLIX]

How did you start working with Telltale? How'd they reach you?

Can you shortly narrate one of your experiences about composing game musics? (It must be a special one.) (:

I totally loved both S&M seasons' OSTs. Will Devil's Playhouse's soundtrack be entertaining as others'?

Thanks for your time...

[Tjibbbe]

Great, I love Jared!

On voice acting:
Do you have a hand in directing(/casting) the voice actors as well? You did the voice for DeSinge in Monkey, what was that experience like for you? Will you be doing any more voices in the future?

On music:
Where do you get your inspiration? Was it a case of Chuck Jordan telling you about the 70s sci-fi theme and giving you a couple of movies for inspiration? Are there any movies/games/musicians in particular that serve as an influence this season?

Also, the same question I asked Ryan in his Q&A: If you could decide what game Telltale will make next, what would it be? It doesn't matter if it would result in a fun game or if it would even be possible to create a game out of that subject, just base your choice on the music you like to create.

I'm not really musically gifted, so I'm afraid I can't really ask any in-depth questions. All I can say is that I love your work, and I own both Sam & Max soundtracks (and I hope more will be released!). Oh, and I would love an MP3 of the music from the trailer.:D

[Laserschwert]

Regarding the soundtrack releases for S&M:
How much additional work do you have to put into the music to turn it into a "listenable" format for the soundtrack CDs? Do you already do preparations for a CD-release during the music production?

Oh, and here's hoping for a Season 3 soundtrack release! (Actually I'm hoping for a W&G release as well, as I really LOVED the music you did for those, but that's probably out of reach)

[Jake]

Hello Jared. What is the story behind that happy tune Chippy plays? Will Bluster Blaster be back this season??

[Avistew]

My question is about sound effects.
I was wondering, when you make the sound of, say, a door, do you actually record a door, or do you record something completely different? If so, what are some weird things that became completely different sound effects?

Also, I'm curious about the order in which things are done. Music, voices, sound effects, I'm guessing they all come into the game at different times, don't they? Do you had sounds to the already animated cutscenes basing it off of what's going on (say, someone taps his forehead, so you had a sound for that) or is there some kind a specific storyboard that allows you to work with the sounds earlier than that?
And applying effects to the voices (like the muffling you didn't get to put in the game for the bear heads in season one), when does that happen?

Also, Chuck said we broke you. Sorry about that. Did you get better? More seriously, how insane are you to work that much?

I think you're awesome and I love your music, although I don't know enough about music to ask questions about that...

[MalkyTop]

You are totally awesome and I love your music. This really isn't much of a question. Just throwing it out there.

...I don't really know much to ask anything about music (and I'm a string bassist!)...so yeah.

[Zenfirg]

Who's your favorite video game composer?

How long does it take for you to make one whole soundtrack?

How long is your normal day at work and what do you generally do in one day?

Thanks for making so many great songs. Desinge was really fun to listen and he was one of my favorite characters so I hope you continue voice acting in Telltale games.

[pwblaine]

You are totally awesome and I love your music. This really isn't much of a question. Just throwing it out there.

!! you took the words right out of my mouth. but its totally still true, the whole jazz feel of sam and max, the way the theme sounds like a crime comedy from the 50s, i just close my eyes and see myself in frank sinatraesque bachelor pad. when did you start doing music professionally? did you play any instruments as a kid? how has designing music changed for you over the years? (equipment, styles, etc)

[JedExodus]

Thanks for keeping us Europeans in mind with the timing :)

Apart from our usual dose of hard jazz and the sci-fi sound that we've already heard in the trailer (I really dig that wee theramin thingy over the main hook in the trailer) what other genres can we expect to hear creeping in this season?*

When you're writing say a big musical number or music to fit a cutscene do you have to time it around the animations or do the animaters work around the music?

Simon or Garfunkel?

Thanks for your time, i'm very excited to hear what's in store for us this season and I really mean that

*There was a vicious rumour of an auto-tuned sexy RnB song sung by Max flying about. Started by me

Ps. sheet music and chord charts please sheet music and chord charts please sheet music and chord charts please sheet music and chord charts please sheet music and chord charts please sheet music and chord charts please kthxbai :)

[Nojh]

Hi Jared!

Just one or two questions that might actually be out of your field but I thought I'd ask.

1. Do you deal with any of the technical side of integrating the music and sound effects into the game or just the creation of the music and sounds?

2. I assume the telltale engine take a "pre-rendered" approach to sound, meaning that you record what is going to be used and then wait for events to trigger that sound effect. Have you ever heard of or worked with the idea of generative music and sounds, where the game itself generates the music or sound effects based upon what is happening in the game or other input/output (probably from samples of music or algorithms)?

[Hassat Hunter]

Jake stole my questions. But yeah, listening to the commentary of season 2, will Bluster Blaster return or was that deemed too demanding for your health (or, he returns just less shouty).

Favorite song is "New location unlocked", gotta love that song. I know it's a remixed Midtown Cowboy's song, but after 100 times, I still can't hear that though... also really love the small bleeping song of 105 and 105. Should have used that one for the puzzle of 205 devs instead of the mimesweeper song! :D

Anyway, questions not dealing with TTG even. I saw a certain "Jarad Emerson-Johnson" worked on KOTOR2 cinematic cutscene movies. I assume that's just a typo'ed you though. Made any new songs there too, if so, which?

Back to the TTG territory... What's the song of season 3 that you most like and we definitely should keep on the wait for?

[GinnyN]

Let me tell you- Jared is a superhero.

Agree

He sets the tone of the world with ease, he knocks out sound effects with a single blow, he makes what we do sound AMAZING.

AGREE

It's a fact that Telltale sometimes hires super-human automatons, and investigations as to Jared's actual humanity are pending. Some people are just too talented.

I knew it, I KNEW IT! I knew it all along

(Fun fact: he's also super-skilled at Beatles Rock Band.)

Argh! Too much awesome condensed!

Ok... now the question: Which is the name of this song (http://www.brokenbutterfly.imaginefanzone.net/01/env_office_cs_opening_e1_1.mp3)? It's the one of the menu for Season 2 Bonus DVD (Also in the Beginning of Chariots of the Dogs. And Bright Side of the Moon). This is probably my really REALLY favorite song of the whole soundtrack, and, for some reason, is doomed to have not an stand alone "release" for its quality of Cutscene Song. I think. So, since I'm frustrated, I resorted to ask this.

Edit: Uhhh I forgot. When I recieved my Copies of both soundtracks, I play them in the Car with my dad in a long trip. He loves it. And he didn't know who are Sam and Max (He doesn't like adventure games). Well, he didn't actually say that, he asks me about the band ;). And considering those copies took a long trip to get to my hands, I'm lucky to still have it. (In a totally unrelated note, those copies survived a Mega Earthquake *thumbs up*)

[Remolay]

What was the most fun song to create?

can we expect any randomish musical numbers this season?

[Irishmile]

Being skilled in sound how often does poor sound design ruin a movie for you because its more obvious for you than for someone who isn't trained to notice?

[Fury]

Was it hard voicing the Marquis?

[RobD]

Geeky question:

What DAW/platform/mics/outboard stuff do you use?

:D

[Soracha]

Who are your top-3 composers?

[Giant Tope]

The Beatles or the Ramones?

[lastfuture]

What do you use to note down and listen to your compositions before you record the live instruments?

...and are the strings also real instruments or are you taking those from sample libraries?

Love your stuff, keep up the awesome work

[Shwoo]

Favorite song is "New location unlocked", gotta love that song. I know it's a remixed Midtown Cowboy's song, but after 100 times, I still can't hear that though...
I couldn't hear it for a while either, but try paying attention from about 2:50 on.

I can never think of any questions.

[Sp0tted]

How much actual written music is in an episode, vs. how much of it is looped?

Sam and Max has a jazz theme, have you ever considered recording several dozen solos over the same changes as a way of expanding the music?

**Edit: As a musician I know you have CONSIDERED it (we all have), but has that ever been a point of discussion vs. doing loops of music?

[Jake]

Ok... now the question: Which is the name of this song (http://www.brokenbutterfly.imaginefanzone.net/01/env_office_cs_opening_e1_1.mp3)? It's the one of the menu for Season 2 Bonus DVD (Also in the Beginning of Chariots of the Dogs. And Bright Side of the Moon). This is probably my really REALLY favorite song of the whole soundtrack, and, for some reason, is doomed to have not an stand alone "release" for its quality of Cutscene Song. I think. So, since I'm frustrated, I resorted to ask this.

I can answer this question before Jared gets here!! That is the instrumental backing for World of Max, the closing credits song from Season One. If you listen, you can sing World of Max to yourself over the top. I love that track, too. When that cutscene cue was delivered for 106, I might have listened to it too many times, and would maybe injure someone to get a copy of the full track. The Gilbert and Sullivan parts would probably make it weird, though.

[Cosplaybunny]

My favorite Sam and Max song is Just You And Me (And Ted E. Bear), it cracks me up every time I listen to it. When working on songs like this do you go at it alone or do you work with the Sam and Max creative team? How did this song come about?

[SamWagner]

Any songs / sounds / music that you liked that didn't make it into the actual games?

[Awesomepantsman]

When you have to write background music for a certain place, how much do the devs tell you about the place? Do they show you something like a description or concept art?

[GinnyN]

I can answer this question before Jared gets here!!

Really?

That is the instrumental backing for World of Max, the closing credits song from Season One. If you listen, you can sing World of Max to yourself over the top. I love that track, too.

O.O

When that cutscene cue was delivered for 106, I might have listened to it too many times, and would maybe injure someone to get a copy of the full track.

Oooohhhh... make it happen please!

[Astro Gnocci]

Not sure how to phrase it...
But basically how do you go about writing a theme ?
Do you start with the actual melody, or with some cliché lines to fit the mood needed, or just play around until you find something that clicks ?
I always thought instrumental music was much harder than just adding some fancy stuff to an actual song. It's really hard to come up with a good theme or melody, and even more when doing "ambience music", having to convey a certain mood or emotion...
Any insight on your overall musical life ?
Also, what is/are your favourite instrument(s) to noodle with ?

Have you ever considered writing a "max" hard rock song (i mean, a song max would write, complete with hyperkinetic lyrics and rabitty guitar solos - or vice versa) ?

Thanks a lot for the thread anyway. The "euro-friendly" timing is a nice touch, too ;)

[Weeblerjake]

Some simple questions.
Did you play an(y) instrument(s) when you were a kid?
Also, did you always want to be a composer?

And one harder one.
I'm sort of interested in composing. I like to make up songs on the piano and whatnot. What do you think I should do?

[Astro Gnocci]

I'm sort of interested in composing. I like to make up songs on the piano and whatnot. What do you think I should do?

I dunno what's Jared's advice to you will be, but mine is to go all jerry lee lewis and set the piano on fire. Gets you in the right mood :D

[Hyperkinetic_Martian]

Hey Jared! Two questions:

What kind of program(s) do you use to edit and compile the music, voices, and sound effects (or even compose)?

How long does it usually take to get all the sound work done for a single episode?

[Icedhope]

Actually I only have one question wich is this. When writing your music for any game what inspires you the most? Also what are the steps to writing masterpieces?

[leonardo8]

Hello Jared,
First of all, I'd like to thank you for all the wonderful music in previous Sam & Max seasons. I have three questions:
1) Who are your three favourite jazz musicians and why?
2) Do you prefer traditional or modern jazz?
3) Are all the solos in your jazz pieces set or do you allow improvisation?

[The Highway]

What time is that, GMT +8?

[The Highway]

Questions for Jared:

1. Do you know that I have a man crush on you?
2. Does that make you feel awkward now knowing that?
3. Is it alright if I come over to your house at 3am?
4. How many instruments can you play?

[corruptbiggins]

What time is that, GMT +8?

-8. So about 6pm BST.

[omiyage]

What was more challenging: doing the soundtrack for ToMI o S&M?

[GinnyN]

What was more challenging: doing the soundtrack for ToMI o S&M?

He didn't do the soundtrack for ToMI.

[The Highway]

-8. So about 6pm BST.

No, I mean't what time is that in Perth, which has a time zone of GMT +8

[corruptbiggins]

sorry, got confused there. Anyway, I think that would make you 16 hours ahead of PST so around 2am on Saturday?

[snotsnit]

I want to know if the Season 3 will have more long Jazz songs.

Also, I really liked the Consecutive Office song, and I was wondering why you decided to make that specific song an 8 minute long jazz ensemble?

[nikasaur]

It's tomorrowwwwww!

[thatdude98]

I loved your work on TMI, Jared. You're also great at being a crazed arcade machine.
:D

Anyway, I'm thinking about a career in computer music. I'm pretty handy with Abelton Live, and I wanted to know if you had any advice for me?

[Zeek]

Are we ever going to get a Useful to Boot instrumental track? I'm kidding. :p

Have you ever thought about rearranging the original Sam & Max: Hit The Road theme song just for fun and not as something that will play in the game? Jeremy Soule has done something similar at least once, although he posted that "for fun" project on OCRemix.org.

[Remolay]

Are we ever going to get a Useful to Boot instrumental track?



now I want one, just so I can attempt to rap to it

[Shwoo]

If you really want one, go into the files in any season 2 episode and find mus_Wizard.aud, and open it with something that can play aud files, like Audacity.

It's the music that plays during setup and the driving game in 203. I think it's the same as the music in Useful To Boot, but I don't think all the parts are in the same order.

I like it. I wish it'd been on the soundtrack.

[The Highway]

I loved your work on TMI, Jared.

Actually, Michael Land composed that music.

[GuruGuru214]

Ooh, if you listen to mus_Wizard.aud back to back with Useful to Boot (specifically, mus_EndCredits from Reality 2.0), they blend seamlessly. Awesome, it's like Useful to Boot with a long instrumental intro.

[puzzlebox]

1) To an outsider, music composition seems to be a very creative endeavour. What happens when/if you don't feel particularly creative or inspired - is it still possible to sit down and churn out the music? Is scoring as natural and procedural to you as, say, programming is to a programmer?


2) Until you voiced the Marquis de Singe in Tales of Monkey Island, we didn't realise you were freakishly good at anything other than music. What further hidden talents lurk in Jared's unplumbed depths?


3) The lives of successful musicians are often fraught with the temptation and vice that come with the trappings of fame. You, however, seem like a very down-to-earth young man. How do you manage to "keep it real"? Or have you simply been lucky enough to escape the glare of tabloid journalism thus far?

[Joop]

Hey Jared,

Just wanted to ask you what your favorite experiences were working for Telltale.
Anything particular you have learned by doing the music for all these games?

[corruptbiggins]

Jared, I was just wondering if you have played any of the games you were involved with making? Do you play video games at all for that matter? If so which ones?

[Scrawffler]

Hey Jared, love your work (music, voice acting, everything)! In fact I'm listening to the Bone soundtracks as I type!!

Here's something I'm always curious about with musicians. What is your favourite genre of music to listen to? And what is your favourite genre to compose?

A lot of your music reminds me of certain classic adventure games. Are there any adventure classics that you are particularly inspired by?

Your voice acting as DeSinge was awesome! Will you be voicing anyone in The Devil's Playhouse?

And of course, what is your all-time favourite Beatles song? :D

[World93]

Out of curiosity, how did you come up with the war song? If that wasn't you, sorry for taking your time.

[JaredEJ]

Hi everybody, and thanks to those of you who are staying up super late for this (if any). We tried to find a time that would work reasonably well for as many of you as possible, but as always some folks get the short end of the stick.

Before digging into all of these excellent questions, I wanted to quickly let you all know how much I appreciate all of your interest in, and support for me and my work. I got into this business because the work itself brings me a lot of personal pleasure, so the fact that the finished products are being enjoyed by so many folks all around the world is more than I ever hoped for when I started.

Now, some responses (and if you want more details, definitely feel free to pester me during the rest of the q/a)—I'll start by answering the first questions that came in on Wednesday, in order (apologies in advance for my lack of forum posting...I expect many double posts, and other noob errors).

[JaredEJ]

I wonder, what synthesizers did you use for "New Location Unlocked"? It's not mentioned in the CD's credits.

What software do you use for mixing in general?

Can we see some "Making-Of"-videos from the music production?

It's too bad that so many music is overcompressed nowadays. I'd like to thank you and the entire producer team that you kept sufficient dynamics in your music intact. Keep it that way! Thank you very much.

If I recall, for "New Location Unlocked" I used a combination of several different software-synths: Arturia Minimoog, Korg LegacyCell, Arp Oddity, and Arp2600. I generally do all of my MIDI sequencing in Digital Performer (old habits die hard), and all of my live tracking and mixing in Pro Tools. I also use Sibelius for my sheet music prep.

I would love to have a full "making-of" video put together at some point (there was a small one a couple years back that Jake and Nick make, and it is probably still available somewhere in the TT web archives); but generally we're so crunched for time during production—particularly during the recording sessions—that all I can really manage is to have a few snapshots taken. We have many of those pictures posted up on our Facebook page for Bay Area Sound, which you may access here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Bay-Area-Sound/60739756013?ref=ts To those of you who do not have Facebook accounts, I'm sorry!

Yes, overcompression is a real scourge, and it's been getting worse and worse every year, particularly in game audio. We work diligently, especially on the soundtrack CDs, to create masters that preserve the dynamic range of all the performances.

[JaredEJ]

How did you start working with Telltale? How'd they reach you?

Can you shortly narrate one of your experiences about composing game musics? (It must be a special one.) (:

I totally loved both S&M seasons' OSTs. Will Devil's Playhouse's soundtrack be entertaining as others'?

Thanks for your time...

We knew several of the founders of Telltale from back in the LEC days (Julian worked with most of them and we were all acquaintances. We met with them early on, as they were just starting production on the first Bone game, and it's been a pretty close working relationship ever since.

My process for writing any given cue for a game generally goes like this (you'll notice that the actual composition is a relatively small part of the overall production):

1. Meet with the designers to discuss the tone, story, characterization, etc. of a given space or sequence
2. Write up a "scratch" version of the music in Digital Performer using sampled instruments
3. Dub those parts to Pro Tools and make a rough mix
4. Master the scratch track and get it to the programming staff to drop into the game as temp during development
5. Go back into DP and export a MIDI file of the note data for all of the instruments
6. Import that MIDI into Sibelius and clean up/arrange/proof read the parts, adding all articulation and expression markings
7. Record the live instruments to replace the scratch parts in the initial PT session
8. Make a final mix, substituting the new live parts (and any improvised solo material) for the scratch
9. Master that file and get it into the game.
10. Play the game about a billion times, to make sure it's all working as it should, and make any mix adjustments if necessary
11. Sleep

Since it's all subjective I can't make any promises, of course, but I think you will really like the soundtrack to season 3. There is a LOT of new music this time around (much more than there was in the first two seasons), and I'm quite happy with how it's all turning out.

[JaredEJ]

Great, I love Jared!

On voice acting:
Do you have a hand in directing(/casting) the voice actors as well? You did the voice for DeSinge in Monkey, what was that experience like for you? Will you be doing any more voices in the future?

On music:
Where do you get your inspiration? Was it a case of Chuck Jordan telling you about the 70s sci-fi theme and giving you a couple of movies for inspiration? Are there any movies/games/musicians in particular that serve as an influence this season?

Also, the same question I asked Ryan in his Q&A: If you could decide what game Telltale will make next, what would it be? It doesn't matter if it would result in a fun game or if it would even be possible to create a game out of that subject, just base your choice on the music you like to create.

I'm not really musically gifted, so I'm afraid I can't really ask any in-depth questions. All I can say is that I love your work, and I own both Sam & Max soundtracks (and I hope more will be released!). Oh, and I would love an MP3 of the music from the trailer.:D

I definitely do have a hand in the voice directing (I split that work with my business partner, Julian Kwasneski). We also prepare all of the casting documents and auditions; however, we leave all of the actual casting decisions up to the designers (although we sometimes make gentle suggestions, if there is a particular actor we think they should (or should not) consider, based on our experiences working with them).

I loved playing DeSinge. What a guy, eh? I love acting, and I'd love to do more, but it's all up to whether or not a role comes along that I'm interested in trying—and, of course, on whether or not I get cast by the team. By the way, I always submit my auditions under a pseudonym, so as to keep the audition field level.

Generally speaking, I listen to a lot of music. I try to keep my ears open as much as possible, and that really helps me with any questions of inspiration. I also love collaborating with creative storytellers like Chuck and the rest of the team, so that is a huge factor, too. In the case of the upcoming season, they knew from the get-go that they wanted that 70s sci-fi vibe, so that was always a given for the season 3 music. As far as film and television go, we're all dorks of a similar ilk, so for the most part we all had the same frames of reference: the twilight zone, dr. who, the outer limits, etc.

As far as letting me decide what the next game is, heh, I'm not sure. More than anything I really enjoy variety in my work, so I guess I'd love to do something that'd feel very different from both Sam and Max and Wallace and Gromit, since those are the musical worlds I've been steeped in the most over the past years. I'd love to do something really dark, like a game of Transmetropolitan, or something in a David Lynch-ian vein. But it'd also be fun to do something with more of a foundation in rock or electronica. That is a great question, sorry I don't have a more coherent response for you!

We'll get you folks some mp3s from season 3 before too long, I promise!

[JaredEJ]

Regarding the soundtrack releases for S&M:
How much additional work do you have to put into the music to turn it into a "listenable" format for the soundtrack CDs? Do you already do preparations for a CD-release during the music production?

Oh, and here's hoping for a Season 3 soundtrack release! (Actually I'm hoping for a W&G release as well, as I really LOVED the music you did for those, but that's probably out of reach)

Quite a bit of re-mastering and some light remixing goes into preparing the music for the soundtracks. Obviously, the function of the music in the game, and what you'd want for casual listening are arguably pretty different, so we try to tailor the masters for both appropriately. I definitely think about the soundtracks while we're in production, but most of the work has to happen after the score is complete, mostly just because of schedule and time. Also, obviously, in many cases there are cues which are separate files in the games, but which we stitch together into single cues for the soundtrack (like the Jürgen's Lair Suite, the cutscene suites, and all instances where there are multiple versions of a tune in the game (like the two tracks in the oval office in Abe Lincoln Must Die (President version and Max version).

I would love a W&G soundtrack as well! I'm not sure if it's ever going to be possible, but I'd love to see it happen! I'm glad you liked the music.

[JaredEJ]

Hello Jared. What is the story behind that happy tune Chippy plays? Will Bluster Blaster be back this season??

Heh, Jake. Um...weeeell. Okay, so the story behind Chippy's little tune requires this convoluted backstory: in college my close friend Nick James and I had an ongoing joke about an imaginary rock opera version of Beckett's "Waiting For Godot," in which Godot actually shows up and the end and saves Vladimir and Estragon with the power of rock and roll. Over the course of a couple years, we actually wrote up several songs from said imaginary rock opera, and then finally, in the last weeks of my senior year, we actually wrote up the book, and did 3 staged readings of the show in the little 50 seat theater we had in our performing arts dorm. The show starred Nick and I, plus our friends Brad Wilson, and Sam Knowlton. Anyway, the tune Chippy plays is a little excerpt from the big finale of the show "I am the one," in which Godot arrives on his starship of dreams, and promises to take Vladimir and Estragon away to fly across the galaxy with him, and to save the universe with rock. It's a highly goofy thing...and very dear to my heart. So that's the story behind that...heh.

As for Bluster Blaster, let's just say I don't have any opera gigs lined up, so I'm all for thrashing my voice for comedy jokes. Let's do this.

[JaredEJ]

My question is about sound effects.
I was wondering, when you make the sound of, say, a door, do you actually record a door, or do you record something completely different? If so, what are some weird things that became completely different sound effects?

Also, I'm curious about the order in which things are done. Music, voices, sound effects, I'm guessing they all come into the game at different times, don't they? Do you had sounds to the already animated cutscenes basing it off of what's going on (say, someone taps his forehead, so you had a sound for that) or is there some kind a specific storyboard that allows you to work with the sounds earlier than that?
And applying effects to the voices (like the muffling you didn't get to put in the game for the bear heads in season one), when does that happen?

Also, Chuck said we broke you. Sorry about that. Did you get better? More seriously, how insane are you to work that much?

I think you're awesome and I love your music, although I don't know enough about music to ask questions about that...

Good question. In the case of doors, we do generally record actual doors. For more esoteric things, or more character driven things, etc., we do often get a little bit more creative with the source material. The ui popup sounds in the homestar menu, for example, are me making sounds with my mouth.

There is always quite a bit of overlap between the three parts of the audio, but generally speaking it goes like this: Voice usually comes before anything else, just because the rest of the team needs it from the start, in order to do all of the animation, choreography, and programmatic authoring/wiring. We generally try to get all of the voice processing in as early as possible, but we usually do it after the full set of voice has been delivered. Music rolls into production next, since it takes the longest of the three (starting with the environment loops). Sound comes at the end, since it's dependent on the visuals being locked in and finished. The music for the cutscenes also needs to come in at the end, since it needs to be timed to the finished scenes as well.

Heh, it's a busy lifestyle, that is for sure. In the thick of production it's not unusual to be pulling 80-100 hour weeks, but I do my best to focus on the parts of it that I love, the composition, working with musicians and actors, etc. I've always been a bit of a workaholic, though, even back in high school...so I guess I found a career that suits my personality.

[JaredEJ]

... (and I'm a string bassist!)...so yeah.

Contrabass FTW!

[JaredEJ]

Who's your favorite video game composer?

How long does it take for you to make one whole soundtrack?

How long is your normal day at work and what do you generally do in one day?

Thanks for making so many great songs. Desinge was really fun to listen and he was one of my favorite characters so I hope you continue voice acting in Telltale games.

Good question. Of the many talented folks I have worked with, Peter McConnell really stands out for me, both professionally and personally. To be honest, I don't actually listen to a ton of game soundtracks, so I'm probably not as good a source for recommendations as a more avid gamer might be. Of course I really love the greats like Koji Kondo and Nobuo Uematsu, and I really love some of the work by newer folks like Kō Ōtani.

There is some variation in how long it takes to make a soundtrack, and it mostly depends on the production schedule for the games in question. Telltale games tend to be extremely heavy on the music order, so for the previous two Sam & Max seasons it was around 5-6 months from start to end, and for Wallace & Gromit I want to say it was a little more, like 7-8 or so. For some of our other, smaller gigs, though, where we turn around a soundtrack in a month or two.

In a normal day I usually spend about 10-12 hours working (sometimes less, sometimes more). What I do varies hugely, depending on where we are in production, and what needs to be done. Today, for example, I'm answering these questions for the first couple hours!

[JaredEJ]

!! you took the words right out of my mouth. but its totally still true, the whole jazz feel of sam and max, the way the theme sounds like a crime comedy from the 50s, i just close my eyes and see myself in frank sinatraesque bachelor pad. when did you start doing music professionally? did you play any instruments as a kid? how has designing music changed for you over the years? (equipment, styles, etc)

The first pro gig I had was working as a part copyist and composing apprentice for Clint Bajakian's score to Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb, back in the summer of 2002. It was the summer between my junior and senior years in college.

I started playing the violin when I was little, 4 or 5, and I studied singing quite a bit throughout High School.

So far my process hasn't changed too terribly much. There is always new gear, and new bits of technology, but at the heart of it, my composition is roughly the same as it ever was (same as it ever was...same as it ever was).

[puzzlebox]

I would love to have a full "making-of" video put together at some point (there was a small one a couple years back that Jake and Nick make, and it is probably still available somewhere in the TT web archives) [...]

For anyone who's interested, I think it's here (http://www.telltalegames.com/videos/samandmaxbasd).

[JaredEJ]

Thanks for keeping us Europeans in mind with the timing :)

Apart from our usual dose of hard jazz and the sci-fi sound that we've already heard in the trailer (I really dig that wee theramin thingy over the main hook in the trailer) what other genres can we expect to hear creeping in this season?*

When you're writing say a big musical number or music to fit a cutscene do you have to time it around the animations or do the animaters work around the music?

Simon or Garfunkel?

Thanks for your time, i'm very excited to hear what's in store for us this season and I really mean that

*There was a vicious rumour of an auto-tuned sexy RnB song sung by Max flying about. Started by me

Ps. sheet music and chord charts please sheet music and chord charts please sheet music and chord charts please sheet music and chord charts please sheet music and chord charts please sheet music and chord charts please kthxbai :)

Without giving too much away, you can expect to hear some earlier american styles, like ragtime, and early pre-jazz—also some more classic film noir scoring.

So far, for the musical numbers, they've been generous in letting me write a full thing, and then they've tailored the animation to the music.

Hahah, um...that is a hilarious question, dude. I'd have to say Simon, just because I'm more familiar with his body of work, and it's so extensive. Garfunkel does have that awesome fro, though, so...hard to say.

Heh, I'll see what I can do about sheet music. I'm happy to get you the material I have from our sessions, but I'm afraid it might not be super useful since it's generally just part of the full score. I can definitely get you folks some MIDI files, if you feel like arranging some parts yourselves. If you do end up playing the tunes, I wanna hear it!

[JaredEJ]

Hi Jared!

Just one or two questions that might actually be out of your field but I thought I'd ask.

1. Do you deal with any of the technical side of integrating the music and sound effects into the game or just the creation of the music and sounds?

2. I assume the telltale engine take a "pre-rendered" approach to sound, meaning that you record what is going to be used and then wait for events to trigger that sound effect. Have you ever heard of or worked with the idea of generative music and sounds, where the game itself generates the music or sound effects based upon what is happening in the game or other input/output (probably from samples of music or algorithms)?

Yes, we do all of the sound implementation, and I do some of the music implementation as well. Basically any audio that occurs in a cutscene is hand scored by us. The environment music loops often need some special care from the programming staff, so they really help out with that side of it, but we're definitely rolled into the process.

Yes, I'm definitely interested in generative audio, but I haven't had a ton of personal experience with it. My colleague Damian Kastbauer has a lot more hands on experience with that side of things, and I'll bet he could go into a lot of detail about it. I think Telltale's games operate in a way that really requires the pre-rendered approach, since they are so cinematic, and since so much of the action of the games takes place in story driven cutscenes, etc.

[JaredEJ]

Jake stole my questions. But yeah, listening to the commentary of season 2, will Bluster Blaster return or was that deemed too demanding for your health (or, he returns just less shouty).

Favorite song is "New location unlocked", gotta love that song. I know it's a remixed Midtown Cowboy's song, but after 100 times, I still can't hear that though... also really love the small bleeping song of 105 and 105. Should have used that one for the puzzle of 205 devs instead of the mimesweeper song! :D

Anyway, questions not dealing with TTG even. I saw a certain "Jarad Emerson-Johnson" worked on KOTOR2 cinematic cutscene movies. I assume that's just a typo'ed you though. Made any new songs there too, if so, which?

Back to the TTG territory... What's the song of season 3 that you most like and we definitely should keep on the wait for?

See my response to Jake. I'm all for bringing him back. I've got my throat spray at the ready.

Regarding "New Location Unlocked," try skipping to 2:47 and see if you can make it out...the rhythms are adjusted, and it's generally slower and more chilled out than the actual theme, but it's there.

People have had more trouble getting my name credited correctly than I can count :) I've been Jerad, Jerrod, Jerod, Jered...and my last name has been just "Emerson," and just "Johnson," too. It's mostly just funny to me. My work on Kotor 2 was mostly in an editing capacity, but stay tuned for more information on the KOTOR music front.

[Will]

Ok, I officially want to make a Transmet game now.

[JaredEJ]

Edit: Uhhh I forgot. When I recieved my Copies of both soundtracks, I play them in the Car with my dad in a long trip. He loves it. And he didn't know who are Sam and Max (He doesn't like adventure games). Well, he didn't actually say that, he asks me about the band ;). And considering those copies took a long trip to get to my hands, I'm lucky to still have it. (In a totally unrelated note, those copies survived a Mega Earthquake *thumbs up*)

Awesome, and awesome!

[Jake]

Ok, I officially want to make a Transmet game now.

Same.

[JedExodus]

Cheers for the answers man, i'd go Paul Simon too ;)

If you do end up playing the tunes, I wanna hear it!

Trust me, you don't (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEi-N3jlUog)

[JaredEJ]

What was the most fun song to create?

can we expect any randomish musical numbers this season?

Hmm...the most fun. Tough question. If we're talking the most fun from the Telltale Games catalogue, I'd have to say...gosh, I'm really not sure. I generally like what I'm working on at the moment the most, so I guess I'd have to say some of the stuff I just finished for season 3!

[JaredEJ]

Being skilled in sound how often does poor sound design ruin a movie for you because its more obvious for you than for someone who isn't trained to notice?

Heh, it can be distracting. The most funny thing to notice are stock library sounds in big, high budget pictures. I can usually just laugh about how lame it is and move on, though. I try not to let it get me down :)

[JaredEJ]

Was it hard voicing the Marquis?

It was disturbingly easy, actually. I don't know what that says about me.

[JaredEJ]

Geeky question:

What DAW/platform/mics/outboard stuff do you use?

:D

I answered some of this a bit further up, but I use Digital Performer, Pro Tools, Sibelius, on a G5 running OS 10.4

We use a really wide variety of mics for the recordings, too many to list.

[GinnyN]

It was disturbingly easy, actually. I don't know what that says about me.

I got the idea when the character is actually really really diferent to you, is easier to play it. My stock characters when I was in the School Theatre Group were ussually really different to my actual personality. Well, that's a noob talking about that =P

[JaredEJ]

Who are your top-3 composers?

Oof...these questions are so hard. I gave a pretty extensive list in this interview from awhile back: http://talesofmi.net/?p=777

It's about halfway down the page. My list of favorites is always shifting around, and it's really hard to pick just three.

[JaredEJ]

The Beatles or the Ramones?

Ugh, now I'm gonna get my ass kicked, but I have to go with The Beatles. They're both great, but I really admire the variety and the scope covered by the Beatles catalogue. When I'm in the mood to just fully rock out though, you can't go wrong with "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down."

[JaredEJ]

What do you use to note down and listen to your compositions before you record the live instruments?

...and are the strings also real instruments or are you taking those from sample libraries?

Love your stuff, keep up the awesome work

Some of this is covered in some of the earlier replies (DP, etc.).

As for the strings, it depends. For single violin passages, it's often me playing, for larger, more orchestral textures, I do sometimes use sampled strings. It often depends on the context and the genre (and the budget).

[JaredEJ]

How much actual written music is in an episode, vs. how much of it is looped?

Sam and Max has a jazz theme, have you ever considered recording several dozen solos over the same changes as a way of expanding the music?

**Edit: As a musician I know you have CONSIDERED it (we all have), but has that ever been a point of discussion vs. doing loops of music?

Believe it or not, we actually do that at various points in the scores. If you listen to the soundtrack, it's all extrapolated out into a linear form, but we do often have several sets of solos that go over the same forms in various locations. I can go into more detail about this, if you're curious.

[JaredEJ]

My favorite Sam and Max song is Just You And Me (And Ted E. Bear), it cracks me up every time I listen to it. When working on songs like this do you go at it alone or do you work with the Sam and Max creative team? How did this song come about?

Generally I'll get a set of lyrics from the writers, and then I just jump right in and write it (sometimes making a few word adjustments here and there, but usually just setting the texts they get me).

[JaredEJ]

Any songs / sounds / music that you liked that didn't make it into the actual games?

Occasionally I'll write something, or start something, and it just doesn't quite go in the direction I was intending, so I'll usually set it aside. More often than not I'll end up finding a spot for it later in the season, though, and so I'll end up using it somewhere (in a cutscene, etc). Right now I think I have two sketches that are currently orphans, but I'm sure they'll find a home before too long.

An example of this: the track that ended up working out so well for the sewers in 205 was originally begun for an earlier episode...I'll let you all speculate as to which.

[JaredEJ]

When you have to write background music for a certain place, how much do the devs tell you about the place? Do they show you something like a description or concept art?

I try to get as much information as possible. Generally, there is some detailed description from the designers, and usually some sort of half-done environment to look at, so I usually have a pretty solid idea of how it should feel.

[JaredEJ]

Not sure how to phrase it...
But basically how do you go about writing a theme ?
Do you start with the actual melody, or with some cliché lines to fit the mood needed, or just play around until you find something that clicks ?
I always thought instrumental music was much harder than just adding some fancy stuff to an actual song. It's really hard to come up with a good theme or melody, and even more when doing "ambience music", having to convey a certain mood or emotion...
Any insight on your overall musical life ?
Also, what is/are your favourite instrument(s) to noodle with ?

Have you ever considered writing a "max" hard rock song (i mean, a song max would write, complete with hyperkinetic lyrics and rabitty guitar solos - or vice versa) ?

Thanks a lot for the thread anyway. The "euro-friendly" timing is a nice touch, too ;)

A lot of different composers work in different ways, and for me it sort of depends on the style and purpose of the cue in question. More often than not, though, I actually start with the harmonic progressions, since I feel like that has a bigger influence on the overall emotional/tonal feel of a piece of music. That's really just my own personal process preference, though.

My most comfortable instrument is the violin, but I also spend a lot of time with the guitar and piano. I probably do most of my composition "working it out" on the piano, just because it's the easiest instrument for me to play multiple voices.

Heh, so far I have not made any plans for a Max hard rock song, but hey...you never know what's coming down the road.

[JaredEJ]

Some simple questions.
Did you play an(y) instrument(s) when you were a kid?
Also, did you always want to be a composer?

And one harder one.
I'm sort of interested in composing. I like to make up songs on the piano and whatnot. What do you think I should do?

Some of these were answered earlier, but I'll repeat them here.

Yup, I played the violin for years and years. I also played a little clarinet in grade school, but only for a couple years. I picked up the piano and guitar in high school, and I studied voice at that time, as well.

I actually didn't always have my heart set on composition. In fact, I came to it rather late in my musical studies. I always had an interest in it, but it wasn't until college, after taking a pretty heavy load of theory courses, that I started writing. It only took a couple months for it to become my primary interest, though, and it's been that way ever since.

My main advice would be: go for it! Have as much fun, and try as many things as you can. I do think some kind of background in tonal theory at some point is a pretty critical step if you're interested in genre composition, but more important than anything is just doing the work, and doing it regularly. The more you write, the easier it'll be, and the more fun.

[JaredEJ]

Hey Jared! Two questions:

What kind of program(s) do you use to edit and compile the music, voices, and sound effects (or even compose)?

How long does it usually take to get all the sound work done for a single episode?

Some of this was answered earlier in some of the previous posts, but I use Digital Performer, Pro Tools, Bias Peak, Sibelius, and occasionally Cubase.

Again, it depends on the schedule for a given episode (and the side of the audio order), but the music generally takes 4-6 weeks per episode. Sound is about the same, with a big push at the end. Voice generally is recorded in 1-2 weeks, with a set of pickups for another half week or so. It all depends on the amount of content, and the crunch of the schedule, though.

[JaredEJ]

Actually I only have one question wich is this. When writing your music for any game what inspires you the most? Also what are the steps to writing masterpieces?

Hahah...I have yet to work out the steps to writing masterpieces, but if any of you have any leads, please pass them along!

I think the most inspiring part of the process is talking with the designers and getting their visions of the story into my head.

[JaredEJ]

Hello Jared,
First of all, I'd like to thank you for all the wonderful music in previous Sam & Max seasons. I have three questions:
1) Who are your three favourite jazz musicians and why?
2) Do you prefer traditional or modern jazz?
3) Are all the solos in your jazz pieces set or do you allow improvisation?

Boy, these are the toughest questions, always, since my interests shift so much. I think I'll refer to the list I gave here: http://talesofmi.net/?p=777

In the question of trad. vs. modern jazz, it really depends on the mood I'm in. I think both have a ton to offer. I probably listen to them about equally, though.

The solos are entirely improvised by the players. I wouldn't have it any other way, they're the masters of their instruments, and nothing I could write would have the same flow as we get from just firing up a mic and letting them go wild.

[JaredEJ]

I want to know if the Season 3 will have more long Jazz songs.

Also, I really liked the Consecutive Office song, and I was wondering why you decided to make that specific song an 8 minute long jazz ensemble?

That one worked out that way because there were 2 versions of the tune, one for when max is president, and one for before—plus, there were versions of the forms that had solos, and versions that didn't. So it's really a 2 minute form, repeated 4 times, in all of those different incarnations...if that makes sense.

It's safe to say there will be other tracks along those lines for the season 3 soundtrack!

[JaredEJ]

I loved your work on TMI, Jared. You're also great at being a crazed arcade machine.
:D

Anyway, I'm thinking about a career in computer music. I'm pretty handy with Abelton Live, and I wanted to know if you had any advice for me?

I don't actually have much experience with Abelton, but my general advise for aspiring composers of any kind is to stick to it, and to keep writing, as much and as often as possible.

[JaredEJ]

Are we ever going to get a Useful to Boot instrumental track? I'm kidding. :p

Have you ever thought about rearranging the original Sam & Max: Hit The Road theme song just for fun and not as something that will play in the game? Jeremy Soule has done something similar at least once, although he posted that "for fun" project on OCRemix.org.

That never did occur to me, and I'm afraid there might be some copyright infringement issues with LEC, but to be honest, I rarely have time for anything "extracurricular" these days, and when I do, I usually take to the mountains and go backpacking!

[JaredEJ]

1) To an outsider, music composition seems to be a very creative endeavour. What happens when/if you don't feel particularly creative or inspired - is it still possible to sit down and churn out the music? Is scoring as natural and procedural to you as, say, programming is to a programmer?

2) Until you voiced the Marquis de Singe in Tales of Monkey Island, we didn't realise you were freakishly good at anything other than music. What further hidden talents lurk in Jared's unplumbed depths?

3) The lives of successful musicians are often fraught with the temptation and vice that come with the trappings of fame. You, however, seem like a very down-to-earth young man. How do you manage to "keep it real"? Or have you simply been lucky enough to escape the glare of tabloid journalism thus far?

That is a really good question, and it's one that a lot of my friends ask me. There are definitely tunes that flow really freely, and some that are like prying a rusted door open. The reality of the work, though, is that it has to get done, and usually very quickly, so I've learned to live with the "blocks", and to work through them as much as possible. I have found that the more I write, the less likely I am to be blocked, or to feel uninspired. I can't speak to the question about programming, since I am decidedly not a programmer, but I do think learning how to carry on through a difficult creative moment is an important skill that needs to be honed by any composer. It sort of comes with the territory.

Haha. Um, I like to think I'm a decent cook...I certainly enjoy it. I do a lot of teaching work with junior high and high school age kids, and I like to think I'm reasonably good at that.

Haha! My life is not glamorous at all. I honestly think of myself more as a craftsman than anything else—lucky enough to be making a sustainable living doing the things I love best. Anything beyond that would just be noise, to me, I think.

[JaredEJ]

Hey Jared,

Just wanted to ask you what your favorite experiences were working for Telltale.
Anything particular you have learned by doing the music for all these games?

All of my favorite experiences are moments where I was in collaboration with the rest of the team. All of the recording sessions are high on my list, just because I love working with actors and musicians and building something together with them. I love working with the writers and designers, to help bring a story to life. I guess the main thing I've learned through all of my work for Telltale over the years is how to turn around huge amounts of music in a very short time.

[JaredEJ]

Jared, I was just wondering if you have played any of the games you were involved with making? Do you play video games at all for that matter? If so which ones?

It takes me a LONG time before I can play the games I work on and experience them as a player, not as a creator. For example, only now, in the last year or two, have I been able to fire up Psychonauts and just play it without thinking of the long nights implementing sounds, and tweaking the mix (and noticing things that I wish I could revise, etc.)

I'm nearly there with the Bone games, I think. I'll have to give them a go at some point soon.

I don't play a ton of games, but I play more than I ever used to. Honestly, the games I play most often are the classic 8 and 16 bit nes and snes games. I have been known to very occasionally spend entire weekends playing GTA: Vice City and Katamari Damacy, though.

[JaredEJ]

Hey Jared, love your work (music, voice acting, everything)! In fact I'm listening to the Bone soundtracks as I type!!

Here's something I'm always curious about with musicians. What is your favourite genre of music to listen to? And what is your favourite genre to compose?

A lot of your music reminds me of certain classic adventure games. Are there any adventure classics that you are particularly inspired by?

Your voice acting as DeSinge was awesome! Will you be voicing anyone in The Devil's Playhouse?

And of course, what is your all-time favourite Beatles song? :D

More "favorites" questions! They're so hard! I listen to a lot of classical, rock, and jazz. Those are probably what I listen to the most. The darker stuff is always more fun to write.

The scores to Monkey Island 2 and 3, and Grim Fandango were the main reason I first became interested in game audio, so it's safe to say those scores had an influence. I love all of those classic LEC adventure games, and since I started my career working beside Clint Bajakian, I think a lot of my way of looking at game audio is in that school of game scoring.

The COPS are back in the Devil's Playhouse, so you'll get more of them. Beyond that, we'll just have to wait and see, I guess! :)

Man, favorite Beatles. It's probably a toss up between the entire second half of Abbey Road and Happiness is a Warm Gun. And for sheer Beatles pop, probably I've Just Seen A Face or Girl...or I'm Looking Though You. I'm lousy picking these "favorites," I tell ya!

[Nojh]

Ok, I officially want to make a Transmet game now.

You have no idea how awesome of an idea that is in my head. I'm not even sure I have an idea. Wow...

Okay that was like two minutes of me sitting here thinking about how awesome a game of that would be. You'd be Spider. You'd have your bowel disruptor. Half the screen could be green, the other half red (okay thats a bad idea but still kinda funny) and mini games where you get to punt puppies! PUPPY PUNTING!

Okay maybe you do have an idea of how cool that is.

Will, Jake, Jared, please! Anybody, this /must/ happen! And you have to get Patrick Steward to voice Spider! He wants to. He said he did. Maybe he'll do it cheaply. :)

[JaredEJ]

Out of curiosity, how did you come up with the war song? If that wasn't you, sorry for taking your time.

The idea of doing The War Song originally came from Brendan and Dave, if I recall. They said they'd like to have a big musical number about War, and then got me a list of lyrics, which I believe were written by Brendan, but I can't quite remember at this point. I added the big dance break, though, since I wanted it to be sufficiently show-stopping.

[JaredEJ]

Well folks, I need to get back to work, but it was nice answering all of these questions for you. Sorry I'm so rotten at picking favorite things—there is just too much that I like.

I'll try to check in on this forum at some point down the line, to answer any followup questions any of you may have, but until then, be well!

[Jake]

The idea of doing The War Song originally came from Brendan and Dave, if I recall. They said they'd like to have a big musical number about War, and then got me a list of lyrics, which I believe were written by Brendan, but I can't quite remember at this point. I added the big dance break, though, since I wanted it to be sufficiently show-stopping.

I think the lyrics were actually written by Chuck. Pete and I thank/curse you for adding the giant dance break, but it really made that moment.

[puzzlebox]

Well folks, I need to get back to work, but it was nice answering all of these questions for you.

Thanks for taking the time to write such comprehensive answers to all the questions! It's cool that you took them all seriously, even the not-serious ones. ;)

A really interesting and worthwhile session - very much appreciated!

[JaredEJ]

I think the lyrics were actually written by Chuck. Pete and I thank/curse you for adding the giant dance break, but it really made that moment.

You're totally right, it was Chuck...and I believe "You & Me & Ted E. Bear" was Grossman...I think.

[JaredEJ]

Thanks for taking the time to write such comprehensive answers to all the questions! It's cool that you took them all seriously, even the not-serious ones. ;)

A really interesting and worthwhile session - very much appreciated!

It was my pleasure, really! In life, I think the not-serious questions are the most important ones to take seriously. :)

[JedExodus]

Cheers and Goodboo Jared, i'm sure you're knackered after typing like a mofo for the past while

[Nojh]

Yes! Thank you for answering my questions. And thank you for trigger such an awesome idea as a Transmet adventure game.

[Rather Dashing]

I honestly had no questions that weren't asked by the time I got here, and the answers were all amazing.

If Jared ends up reading this though, I'd LOVE to thank him for everything he's contributed. Sam and Max continues to be the only game series with a soundtrack that I'd even CONSIDER purchasing, and the songs really do stick with me. The songs have a permanent spot on my hard drive and MP3 player, and I listen to them extremely regularly. The music is a major selling point for me, and I'd honestly have to reconsider playing another Sam and Max game if Jared wasn't doing the score.

There's not a single question in this post.

[Avistew]

So much awesome packed in just one guy. It almost makes me want to cry (in a good way, not a bad one).

Thanks, Jared, great answers!

[snotsnit]

I guess this question is for the future if you ever pop back in to answer questions.

So for season 3, the whole vibe is film noir. So do you find it easy to adapt the music to any sort of style or genre? Like let's say Season 4 had a very 80's New Wave-ish vibe. Do you think you'd be able to adapt to a whole new genre easily? Also, do you prefer the transition to a new style, or do you like sticking with the same kind of style that was in Season 1 and 2?

[World93]

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions for us.

[Hassat Hunter]

Thanks for answering the questions, and looking forward to the "more information on the KOTOR music front" and the COPS return.

Question: Your doctor must hate you? :p

[thatdude98]

I don't actually have much experience with Abelton, but my general advise for aspiring composers of any kind is to stick to it, and to keep writing, as much and as often as possible.

Cool. Thanks!

[The Highway]

Thanks for taking the time to write such comprehensive answers to all the questions! It's cool that you took them all seriously, even the not-serious ones. ;)

A really interesting and worthwhile session - very much appreciated!

He didn't take mine seriously... (The one about going to his house) :(

[leonardo8]

Thanks for answering my questions. Good luck with all your future projects!

[Scrawffler]

Thanks very much for answering all of our questions! Best of luck for everything else you do, and now I'm really looking forward to Season 3 :D

[Frown]

When did you get to know about the iPad release of Season 3? :o

[Nintendo Boy1]

Aw Chesse & Crackers! I missed the question and answering!

[LuigiHann]

Hopefully Jared will come back eventually, but even if he doesn't, maybe some other TT staff can field this question

Have you guys thought about putting some of your crazy musical numbers on Rock Band Network? Jokey songs and nerd-injoke songs seem to do reasonable well there, with Jonathan Coulton (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkMIiQR1ZrE) and Flight of the Conchords (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-37rAaKryE) near the top, and a lot of hype surrounding acts like Ron Wasserman (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dej7ctOAWE4) (who did the Power Rangers theme song) and Midnight Riders (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTR4E5glsj0) (a fictional band from within the game Left 4 Dead 2). Can't think of a specific song to suggest, but I know people would also get excited about jazz (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mjqNMcMtpE). I feel like some Sam and Max stuff would fit right in.

Oh yeah, and our good friend Kid Beyond (Andrew Chaikin, recurring Telltale voice actor) has a catchy song on there (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0uXv6HO8Ks), you could ask him about it.

[Nintendo Boy1]

Oh yeah, and our good friend Kid Beyond (Andrew Chaikin, recurring Telltale voice actor) has a catchy song on there (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0uXv6HO8Ks), you could ask him about it.

He is? Oh boy!

[thatdude98]

Hey Jared, I thought of a couple more questions, if you'll be so kind. :D

1. So, I was kinda wondering... which comes first when designing a scene for a game? What I mean is, what does Telltale do first? The music for the scene, or the scene itself? Do they design the scene around the composition or... which is easier?

2. Wanna hear my completely unprofessional attempts at music?

3. Can he have a cookie? ------> :guybrush:

[Zeek]

Oh yeah, and our good friend Kid Beyond (Andrew Chaikin, recurring Telltale voice actor) has a catchy song on there (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0uXv6HO8Ks), you could ask him about it.

Wait, he sings?! And Jared hasn't capitalized on this?!

[LuigiHann]

Wait, he sings?! And Jared hasn't capitalized on this?!

I know, right? He sings, he worked at Wavegroup doing the vocals on the cover songs in early Guitar Hero and Rock Band games, and he's the world's greatest live loop beatboxer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSlc7M-NXTw). So it's a shame he hasn't been asked to use that skill in any of the Telltale games yet. Although to be fair he has been absent for a while (he played Max in s01e01, then had to leave for a while for health reasons), and only started working with Telltale again for Monkey Island, which Jared didn't work on... but now I'm pretty sure both Jared and Kid Beyond are both working on SM3, so hopefully something awesome will come of that.

[Hassat Hunter]

1. So, I was kinda wondering... which comes first when designing a scene for a game? What I mean is, what does Telltale do first? The music for the scene, or the scene itself? Do they design the scene around the composition or... which is easier?
If I listened at my audio-commentaries correct the scene is done first, afterwards the music. With the exception of songs like the Mariachi or War Song of course.

[thatdude98]

If I listened at my audio-commentaries correct the scene is done first, afterwards the music. With the exception of songs like the Mariachi or War Song of course.

I do wonder what would happen the other way around, though...

[Zeek]

I do wonder what would happen the other way around, though...

You get the Toy Factory in 103. The audio commentary for that episode said they tried to sync the background animation to the soundtrack. You'd be surprised how much character it adds to the environment if you, say, mute the music.

[thatdude98]

Yeah. I mean, I always thought it would be easier in some cases to do the music first... of course that's just me.

[PressidentMax]

Jarred, I loved the previous games tracks, I have Season 1 on DVD PC from amazon and the season 1 soundtrack is with it! Is there any music you can reveal? If not then can you reveal some of the music's titles?

[Nintendo Boy1]

I have a question:

1. How do you think up the music for your songs?

[Iron Curtain]

Jared:

"Radical" from Sam & Max: Chariots of the Dogs is my favorite piece from you, because it really sounds totally 80's to the max! Did you play all the instruments, or did you have session musicians play the guitars and sax?

[Strong Max]

Dear Mr. Emerson-Johnson,

Do you fiddle around until you find a nice-sounding melody and perfect it from there, or do you use another composittion method?

P.S. My favorite song of yours is "Wold of Max"

[Laserschwert]

and the season 1 soundtrack is with it!

Little info for you: The PC-release contains only a fraction of the soundtrack... you can get the full thing HERE (http://www.telltalegames.com/store/snm-s1-soundtrack) (and HERE (http://www.telltalegames.com/store/snm-s2-soundtrack)'s Season 2).

[PressidentMax]

I know this, because the propper non-2.0 Bosco's isn't on it, but I can't be arsed to get the full thing.

[Metiphis]

General Skunkape's spaceship theme is amazing! It really reminds me of 80's sci-fi, like the Explorers or something.

[rct2guy]

I love your music in-game. It's awesome. I was curious, how much of the music in this season was recorded with real instruments, compared to the past two seasons?

[Tjibbbe]

I don't know if anyone will read this now that the game is released, but I just wanted to congratulate Jared. The music in 301 is amazing. I particularly like the way the music warps into a twisted version of itself in Max's mind. Is it just me or does the music change depending on the way you move the camera in Max-mode? That's some great sound design right there.

Needless to say, this game needs a soundtrack release.

[Kaldire]

id have to friggen agree

im wondering if there will be something in depth on the evolution of sound of sam n max

and im SURE this will get a soundtrack release.. it has to .. right?

right??

doh

[Zeek]

I love the ending credits song because it actually sounds like something at the end of a TV show. It's probably the first time in a long time I keep playing the credits over and over again just to hear the music.

[BoneFreak]

@Zeek: Also I have to congratulate not only Jared but the whole TTG staff on stuff like that: The whole episode feels like a Tv show, especially now with the Narrator to drag us along, Twilight Zone-style.

[PressidentMax]

I reckon the narator is the devil

[The Highway]

I reckon the narator is the devil

Where does this fit in with Jared?

[JaredEJ]

I guess this question is for the future if you ever pop back in to answer questions.

So for season 3, the whole vibe is film noir. So do you find it easy to adapt the music to any sort of style or genre? Like let's say Season 4 had a very 80's New Wave-ish vibe. Do you think you'd be able to adapt to a whole new genre easily? Also, do you prefer the transition to a new style, or do you like sticking with the same kind of style that was in Season 1 and 2?

I really did enjoy the new tonal directions that the designers took with season 3--particularly the retro-synth 70s/80s sci-fi elements. It was fun to weave that new sound into the ever expanding tonal tapestry that is the Sam and Max score.

I actually think that this common thread makes the season 3 score more of a consistent, unified body of work than either of the two previous seasons. While I also had fun with the frenetic, ever-changing musical needs of the episodes in seasons one and two, it was fun to have a bit more of a focused through-line this time around.

That said, there was certainly plenty of genre variety across the different episodes in season 3, so I was also able to feed my love of doing-new-things-all-the-time.

To answer your second question: I really do love re-imagining the familiar themes and motifs through new genres, so I'd be happy to take future scores in further different directions. I also love the "classic" Sam and Max sound, so I'd be equally happy to do more in that style. The most important thing to me--and what made season three especially fun to work on--was that the new tonal directions in the music were always directly tied to the story that was being told, so it complimented the arcs of the episodes. That's always the most important thing to me.

[JaredEJ]

When did you get to know about the iPad release of Season 3? :o

I am fairly certain I didn't know about it until about the same time that you all found out--I knew something was going in on that back room but I had no idea what it was (I did have my suspicions, though).

[JaredEJ]

Have you guys thought about putting some of your crazy musical numbers on Rock Band Network? Jokey songs and nerd-injoke songs seem to do reasonable well there, with Jonathan Coulton (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkMIiQR1ZrE) and Flight of the Conchords (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-37rAaKryE) near the top, and a lot of hype surrounding acts like Ron Wasserman (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dej7ctOAWE4) (who did the Power Rangers theme song) and Midnight Riders (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTR4E5glsj0) (a fictional band from within the game Left 4 Dead 2). Can't think of a specific song to suggest, but I know people would also get excited about jazz (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mjqNMcMtpE). I feel like some Sam and Max stuff would fit right in.

That thought did occur to me awhile back, but I haven't had a free moment to look into it at all. I'd certainly be happy if any or all of those tunes showed up on the Rock Band Network at some point down the line.

[JaredEJ]

Hey Jared, I thought of a couple more questions, if you'll be so kind. :D

1. So, I was kinda wondering... which comes first when designing a scene for a game? What I mean is, what does Telltale do first? The music for the scene, or the scene itself? Do they design the scene around the composition or... which is easier?

2. Wanna hear my completely unprofessional attempts at music?

3. Can he have a cookie? ------> :guybrush:

1. The design process generally starts long before I am called in to start the music. By the time they bring me in to talk about the musical needs of an episode, the designers and directors usually have a fairly detailed sense of how they want the vibe of a given scene to feel.

The one big exception to this general rule has been the musical numbers and a small handful of the credits sequences, which tend to be timed out specifically to the music. I think the question of which is easier depends on who you ask :). I certainly like having some kind of existing reference before I get going, so I know what I'm scoring. If you asked the chore artists, they might have a somewhat equal and opposite take on the matter.

2. Sure, post 'em!

3. No, no he may not.

[JaredEJ]

Jarred, I loved the previous games tracks, I have Season 1 on DVD PC from amazon and the season 1 soundtrack is with it! Is there any music you can reveal? If not then can you reveal some of the music's titles?

Alas no, I am sworn to secrecy. It's nearly over, though, at this point, so all shall be reveled before too much longer!

[JaredEJ]

I have a question:

1. How do you think up the music for your songs?

It depends a lot on the specific cue in question. The most important starting place is what sort of emotional response we want to elicit from the listener in a given sequence. That usually has the biggest effect on where I start for any given piece.

To get a bit more technical: I tend to be a harmonic-structure-first type of guy, more than a melodic-material-first guy. Most of the composers I know tend to be one or the other (and there are also those whose brains allow them to develop both concurrently). My first step is usually working out what sort of harmonic foundation I want a piece to have, and I build the melodies and themes on top of that.

[JaredEJ]

Jared:

"Radical" from Sam & Max: Chariots of the Dogs is my favorite piece from you, because it really sounds totally 80's to the max! Did you play all the instruments, or did you have session musicians play the guitars and sax?

The guitars are rockingly played by the inimitable Bill Storkson, and the saxophones are all played by the one and only Jordan Wardlaw

[JaredEJ]

Do you fiddle around until you find a nice-sounding melody and perfect it from there, or do you use another composittion method?


I kind of answered this a few questions up, but I tend to start with harmonic structure, and build up from there. That said, it's a lot of fun to craft a new harmonic underpinning, and to adapt and overlay a familiar theme on top, to give it a new flavor.

[JaredEJ]

I love your music in-game. It's awesome. I was curious, how much of the music in this season was recorded with real instruments, compared to the past two seasons?

Thanks! It's roughly the same amount of live vs. sampled. The big change this year is that we added live trombones to the mix, so a lot of the material that would have otherwise gone to into the trumpets was able to be spread out (and down) into the trombones; so, I'd say the overall sound is richer this time around.

In terms of actual tracks recorded, though, it's more or less on par with the previous seasons.

[JaredEJ]

I don't know if anyone will read this now that the game is released, but I just wanted to congratulate Jared. The music in 301 is amazing. I particularly like the way the music warps into a twisted version of itself in Max's mind. Is it just me or does the music change depending on the way you move the camera in Max-mode? That's some great sound design right there.

Needless to say, this game needs a soundtrack release.

You are totally correct, it does do awesome things as you move the camera.

Credit for that actually goes to the one and only Andrew Langley, one of the lead programmers for the season, and a formidable audio ally! He rules.

[Icedhope]

Oh, now I want to ask a question....About how many tracks did you record for the whole season more or less than seasons 1&2?

[JaredEJ]

Oh, now I want to ask a question....About how many tracks did you record for the whole season more or less than 1&2?

Going by actual numbers of cues, it's quite a bit more in season three—I'd say around two times as many. Episodes in seasons one and two generally had 4-6 new live environment cues. Episodes in season three were more in the 8-12 range.

This was mostly because of the way the environments tended to tonally change over the course of the episodes in season three (whereas environments in the first two seasons tended to have a similar vibe across the entire episode's arc).

[GinnyN]

I now it's officially proved, again, Jared is awesome. Hands down.

[Hungryfreak]

I have to say that you've outdone yourself with this season Jared! I usually don't pay much heed to game sound tracks, but your work is continually fantastic, fitting each scene perfectly, and really stands out among some of my favorite sound work.

I really loved the Charlie Hotep themes at the end of episode four. Who did you get to do the chanting? Can you tell me what they're chanting?

[JaredEJ]

I have to say that you've outdone yourself with this season Jared! I usually don't pay much heed to game sound tracks, but your work is continually fantastic, fitting each scene perfectly, and really stands out among some of my favorite sound work.

I really loved the Charlie Hotep themes at the end of episode four. Who did you get to do the chanting? Can you tell me what they're chanting?

Thank you kindly!

The chanting is all David Nowlin, the actor who voices Sam (and all of the Sam clones). The texts for all of the chants were all written by Mike Stemmle, and I'm afraid you'll have to ask him about how he came up with them!

[lombre]

I'm amazed that this hasn't been asked.

Favorite C.O.P.?

[light_rises]

*gasp! (http://www.telltalegames.com/forums/showthread.php?p=363374#post363374)*

Jared: Rockin' even harder than usual for answering all of the questions asked after the initial talkback. :D

Hmm ... I think I've got one. One thing I enjoy doing with my favorite soundtracks is picking out and paying special attention to the leitmotifs, partly because I love how they're often associated with specific characters. The same goes with Sam & Max, both while I'm playing the games and listening to the soundtrack on its own. What would you say has been your favorite leitmotif these past three seasons?

(Adding, too, my admiration and appreciation for the thoroughness of your answers. I'm but a lowly, non-musical peasant who loves great music, so I found the information absolutely fascinating in an "I'm-on-the-outside-looking-in-but-I-can-still-see-when-totally-awesome-stuff-is-happening-in-there-and-I-want-to-know-how" way. Though I hope to someday figure out how to describe this without resorting to so many hyphens. :o)

[Hungryfreak]

Thank you kindly!

The chanting is all David Nowlin, the actor who voices Sam (and all of the Sam clones). The texts for all of the chants were all written by Mike Stemmle, and I'm afraid you'll have to ask him about how he came up with them!

Thank you for answering.

David's really been showing off his range this season, hasn't he? Haha. It really sounds great in conjunction with the music, though. Creepy with the right amount of hilarity. Speaking of which, I'm definitely going to have to press Mike for those lyrics, even if most of it is in evil Samspeak. Thanks again!

[The Highway]

I'm amazed that this hasn't been asked.

Favorite C.O.P.?

About halfway down the page

http://www.culturalzest.com/2010/08/18/jared/2/

[JedExodus]

Jared, here's a hypothetical question for you.

You must for some reason elminate one instrument from history forever, which one do you choose?

Personally I choose the harmonica, I can forfeit just about everything they've given us if it means never having to hear one bust out at a party again

[The Highway]

Jared, here's a hypothetical question for you.

You must for some reason elminate one instrument from history forever, which one do you choose?

Personally I choose the harmonica, I can forfeit just about everything they've given us if it means never having to hear one bust out at a party again

I'd get rid of the vuvuzela, but you're not asking me, are you?

[JedExodus]

I'd get rid of the vuvuzela, but you're not asking me, are you?

Ah, it's not like we have to deal with them that much. I was in Amsterdam when Holland played Uruguay, oh how we vuvuzed through the night *memories*

[lombre]

About halfway down the page

http://www.culturalzest.com/2010/08/18/jared/2/

I have the strangest feeling that I should have noticed that, being in your signature and all.

Well, that's all I got for questions.

[ttg_Stemmle]

Thank you kindly!

The chanting is all David Nowlin, the actor who voices Sam (and all of the Sam clones). The texts for all of the chants were all written by Mike Stemmle, and I'm afraid you'll have to ask him about how he came up with them!

Ask and ye shall receive...

I knew I wanted the songs to be nursery rhymes and lullabies, 'cause they've been stuck in my head lately because of my baby boys (Max and Charlie, no relation to lagomoprh or demonic dummy).

When I finally got around to slapping lyrics on them, I just sat around in the office typing out glotteral replacements for the real words, then singing them out loud until they sounded "cool." I assume that Mark and Will thought I was having an "episode."

Mike

[Avistew]

I assume that Mark and Will thought I was having an "episode."

Mike

They're probably used to it. I bet they tune you out by now.

[Hungryfreak]

Ask and ye shall receive...

I knew I wanted the songs to be nursery rhymes and lullabies, 'cause they've been stuck in my head lately because of my baby boys (Max and Charlie, no relation to lagomoprh or demonic dummy).

When I finally got around to slapping lyrics on them, I just sat around in the office typing out glotteral replacements for the real words, then singing them out loud until they sounded "cool." I assume that Mark and Will thought I was having an "episode."

Mike

Thank you for answering!

I noticed Eternal Darkness/You Are My Sunshine, which gave me a good laugh, but I may have to go through again to pick out the rest. Come to think of it, it makes a lot of sense, considering Junior's summoning. I must have been so caught up in the experience to use common sense, haha. Cool stuff, though. Reminds me of my childhood, when I would do something similar to come up with cool-sounding spells, or what I do now when I try to fake singing lyrics. I like how the chants sound. There's a good flow to them, like some sort of apocalyptic Jabberwocky hymn.

[The Highway]

Thank you for answering!

I noticed Eternal Darkness/You Are My Sunshine, which gave me a good laugh, but I may have to go through again to pick out the rest. Come to think of it, it makes a lot of sense, considering Junior's summoning. I must have been so caught up in the experience to use common sense, haha. Cool stuff, though. Reminds me of my childhood, when I would do something similar to come up with cool-sounding spells, or what I do now when I try to fake singing lyrics. I like how the chants sound. There's a good flow to them, like some sort of apocalyptic Jabberwocky hymn.

Hey yeah! I just noticed that Eternal Darkness is that! I feel like a dope...

[Hassat Hunter]

Enlighten the uncultivated savages (read: me) what "You Are My Sunshine" is? (Yeah, sure, google and all, still...)

[The Highway]

Enlighten the uncultivated savages (read: me) what "You Are My Sunshine" is? (Yeah, sure, google and all, still...)

its a bitching song

[Hassat Hunter]

Looked it up on YouTube.

I SOOOOooooo reget that...

[The Highway]

are you kidding? It's a great song!

[Hassat Hunter]

Not sure it's just pure nostalgia about a song that would be horrifying to you if you heard it for the first time this very day?

[The Highway]

nope, it's cheerful

[corruptbiggins]

It's also quite useful as a base for a football chant - like for my local club it would be "You are my Boro, my lovely Boro" and so on.

[The Highway]

Who's Boro?

[DrRocketGenius]

Jared, you and Telltale should put some of the musical numbers on the Rockband Network. That would be so awesome. :D

[corruptbiggins]

Who's Boro?

Middlesbrough Football Club. The town of Middlesbrough is locally known as Boro too.

[The Highway]

Jared, you and Telltale should put some of the musical numbers on the Rockband Network. That would be so awesome. :D

Jared DID do some gem mapping for Rock Band, so that could actually happen!

[DrRocketGenius]

Jared DID do some gem mapping for Rock Band, so that could actually happen!

I completely approve of this post.

[The Highway]

I completely approve of this post.

That's good

[Shotgun Diplomacy]

Probably a stupid question... but is the releasedate already been confirmed/announced?

[Javi-Wan Kenobi]

Enlighten the uncultivated savages (read: me) what "You Are My Sunshine" is? (Yeah, sure, google and all, still...)I have some strange memory of having heard that song sung by a very young Elijah Wood, but I can't remember where...

EDIT: Oh, wait, what is Internet for? I've just found it: Forever young

[LuigiHann]

That thought did occur to me awhile back, but I haven't had a free moment to look into it at all. I'd certainly be happy if any or all of those tunes showed up on the Rock Band Network at some point down the line.

Oh cool, wasn't totally expecting a response here. If you don't have much time to look into it yourself, I would probably suggest licensing songs to an existing RBN author or charting group, and have them do all the hard work for you. ;)

I'd say send an email to Ozone Entertainment (admin@theozoneradio.com), who has been working with Ron Wasserman and Eiffel 65 (he's saving "Blue" for Rock Band 3, when Keyboards will be added) and doing other pretty cool stuff. Or perhaps submit them through RockGamer Studios (http://www.rockgamerstudios.com/submit/), who put out those two tracks from Left 4 Dead. There are quite a few other options (http://www.rockband.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156832) but I could see that getting a bit overwhelming, so I just picked out a couple who would probably be reasonably well equipped to deal with the somewhat more complicated licensing of songs which were written for video games.

[allaboardfilms]

Any chance on getting some of those MIDIs, Jared? I'd love to play some of these with my school's jazz band. :)