Interview with award winning music composer Rod Abernethy

Recently I had the opportunity to ask the Composer for the new Wheelman soundtrack Rod Abernethy a few questions about his long and successful career in the music industry. He has created music for many game titles such as Alpha Protocol, Dead Space, and Transformers: Animated, As well as Black site: Area 51. He was also awarded best soundtrack of the year by the Game Audio Network Guild for “The Hobbit” soundtrack. Here are a few questions he answered for this exclusive interview.

Q & A

Roadkill: How did you get involved with writing music for the gaming industry?

Rod: My background was recording and producing music in the music industry. I was signed to a couple of major record labels and later worked in studios recording with some renowned music groups and in film/TV. One day I was approached by Southpeak Interactive to score their video game, “Dark Side Of The Moon” which was a blast and made me really curious about doing more games. Subsequently I decided to attend GDC (Game Developers Conference) and made some great contacts, and later landed some decent gigs that allowed me to build a good credits list.

Roadkill: Composers that create music for film sometimes have the movie there to look at as they write the music. How does it work with video games? Do you have something to look at visually to inspire your composition? Or do you just have a description about the part of the game you are composing music for?

Rod: It’s all of the above. Since I play a lot of games, I’m pretty tuned in to what I think works for games. Most of the time, they give me a script and a plotline, lots of images of the characters and the environment, and a list of the cues that they want. It’s great if I get into the process early on and I can be involved with where music is needed and how it will be implemented into gameplay. Sometimes I’m able to play the game as it’s being developed…that’s a great way to compose for a game.

Roadkill: Of all music composers of all time, who has inspired you most when it comes to your music?

Rod: Bernard Herrmann and Jerry Goldsmith are tied for first place. And John Williams is a music god; he’s not of this earth.

Roadkill: Out of all your work in the gaming industry what is the coolest thing that has happened to you so far?

Rod: Great question, I can’t name just one. Winning the Soundtrack of the Year for The Hobbit at the Game Audio Network Guild awards was great kudos in my games career. Producing at Skywalker Ranch for Dead Space was a dream come true, there’s so much history in that place, it’s very inspiring. Another big highlight was meeting Japanese game composer Hitoshi Sakimoto at this year’s GDC.



Roadkill: You use music software when creating your music. What type of programs do you use to create your music?

Rod: Digital Performer has been my main sequencer for years. I also use Logic and Ableton Live, depending on the project. For mastering and tweaking, it’s Bias Peak. I use tons of software plug-ins and libraries including Waves Platinum, PSP, Ohm Force, East West Platinum Orchestra, Vienna Symphonic Library, and Project Sam Brass. Spectrasonics Omnisphere is really amazing. I also have a lot of my own personal sample libraries that I’ve collected over the years. No matter what software I use, I always try to inject the elements of live instruments into my scores - like live vocals, guitars, drums, bass and live orchestra.

Roadkill: If someone wanted to start out making digital music on their computer. What would you suggest they use to start?

Rod: Get advice from other musicians to start with and maybe start on Garageband, but if you’re on PC, get the equivalent for Windows. There are lots of mags that cater to the beginner as well as the professional like Computer Music and Electronic Musician. Try and find archived issues on the subject and soak up everything you can read about digital recording, mixing and composing with a computer.

Roadkill: What is your favorite part about what you do for a living?

Rod: My favorite part is having great friends that I’ve met in the video games business. Both clients and other composers; I’ve met some of the greatest people through games.

Roadkill: When you see the finished product of what you’ve been working on, do you sometimes wish you could still tweak it here or there?

Rod: Yes, the compositions are never finished, you just work on a piece until you run out of time and you have to press “send”. I’m always tweaking, always trying to make it better.

Roadkill: What is your favorite video game of all time?

Rod: There are so many, I can’t just name one. I guess I’ve spent more time with Orange Box-Half Life than any other game; I’ve been a huge fan of Half-Life since day one. Maybe Resident Evil 4? The God Of War series is great and it has incredible music, too. It’s funny, when I just want to mindlessly zone out, I still revert to playing R-Type on my SNES



Roadkill: Your latest project is Wheelman, what makes this project unique from past projects?

Rod: Midway UK was great to work with on Wheelman, and they let me run with my instincts on what I thought the game needed. I love flamenco guitar and it was perfect for the mood, but just solo Latin guitar wasn’t enough. I wanted to mix flamenco guitar and Latin percussion with electronica/techno and action orchestra. It was a really fun project, and I think it’s a bit unique with those styles blended together.


Roadkill: You have a long history in not only the gaming music industry but also the music industry as a whole. What is your favorite memory out of all you have experienced while working in the music industry?

Rod: Another good but hard question. I’ve had a wonderful career in music, so many great experiences and great friends. Hearing my first song on the radio was incredible, something right out of the movie “That Thing You Do”. Living in L.A. and recording with one of my favorite bands, Arrogance, for Warner Brothers was unreal, something I’d always wanted to do. I also spent four weeks recording with David Lord at his studio in Bath, England…it was mind-altering. In that same studio, David had produced and recorded “Security” with Peter Gabriel. He also produced some other top faves of mine including Tears For Fears, XTC and The Pretenders. One of my most memorable relationships in the music biz has been with Paul Rothchild who produced so many great artists, including The Doors. I learned so much from Paul, it was a great privilege to know him.

Roadkill: In the future if Wheelman becomes a movie. Will you compose the score for it?

Rod: There was talk of a Vin Diesel film, but I don’t know what’s in the future.
Of course I’d love to contribute; I’ve got a lot more ideas left for Wheelman.

Roadkill: When will the Wheelman score be available to buy and where?

Rod: We’re working on releasing a soundtrack that will also include tracks from the game composed by Jorge and Guillermo Badolato. Stayed tuned….

Roadkill: Do you have a website that people can check out if they want to purchase your music?

Rod: Check with the Rednote website: http://www.rednoteaudio.com Thanks for a great interview, and thanks to your readers for playing games and listening to game music!!

Roadkill: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview! We all look forward to listening to the new Wheelman soundtrack!

Interview by, Todd Harvey (Roadkill)