Sound design and composing blur together for me into one fluid, non-linear process. From there, I start thinking about melodic themes and harmonic language to set the right tone for the project. Those early experiments often evolve over time and become a core identity for the score.įor the Viking angle, I wanted to use wild, raw, and untamed sounds to contrast with the more controlled temperament of the Anglo-Saxon instruments and religious influences. That usually means experimenting with textures, rhythms, and musical gestures that I can use in many different contexts. If I’ve found an unusual instrument or performer I want to work with, I like to do a recording session to gather source material to have at my disposal to mangle, resample and process throughout the score as I’m composing. In the beginning, I’m looking for distinctive sounds that have a lot of character and convey the right emotion. I like to start with broad strokes exploring the textural possibilities of the instruments, and experimenting with production ideas that can help shape a unique identity for the score. When you come to begin your initial ideas for a score, where do you start? We did a remote 12-hour session over Zoom and AudioMovers, and it was awesome!
It has a very unusual harmonic series and otherworldly tone that I fell in love with right away. It’s essentially an elongated brass trumpet with a wild boar’s head on one end. He’s one of the few people in the world who has a reconstruction of the instrument and can actually play it. I recorded a bunch of source material with instrumentalist and professor John Kenny, in Scotland. The main horn featured across the score is called the Carnyx, an ancient Celtic war horn from thousands of years ago. I also incorporated some very interesting ancient brass instruments. When working in such a big open-world, there has to be a lot of sonic variety while still feeling cohesive. I was continuously trying to find new ways to write for it to keep the score from feeling too repetitive. The tagelharpa is harmonically limited and not easy to play which was a bit challenging to work with. I got a bass and alto tagelharpa, an Anglo-Saxon lyre, various horse haired string instruments and some animal hide drums. In what ways did incorporating Norwegian music into AC: Valhalla challenge you?Įach Assassin’s Creed is an excuse to add to my growing collection of regional and rare folk instruments.
You’ve done this with French music in Unity and you imagined a whole new soundscape for Origins. The Assassin’s Creed scores are great at mixing the music of the period in which they’re set with modern instruments. I’m also a big fan of Scandinavian and Pagan folk music so I was thrilled to get to draw from those influences for the score. I grew up pillaging and plundering in my backyard on a full-sized Viking ship replica from the Leif Erikson society, so you could say I’ve been ready for this project for a long time. I’ve always wanted Assassin’s Creed to cover the Viking age because that clashing and merging of Norse and Anglo-Saxon culture is really fascinating. What excited you about coming to work on Assasin's Creed: Valhalla?įirst and foremost the time period and setting.