Myst-ified: An Interview with Tim Larkin
Written by Jonathan Shearon
February 1, 2004
Tim Larkin is a veteran touring musician and video game composer who has worked on numerous game titles like Prince of Persia, Middle Earth, and Lord of the Rings and peformed with pop artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Huey Lewis and James Brown. He also performed the sound design duties on The ChubbChubbs, which won an Oscar in 2003 for Best Animated Short Film. I recently got the chance to talk to him about his new score for Uru: Ages Beyond Myst and to get a glimpse into the world of a game composer.
Q. What is your musical background? Did you study music at a university?
A. I studied trumpet performance at Cal State Hayward. Before that, I had been studying trumpet and piano privately for years, and played professionally all through college and some of high school.
Q. As a trumpet player, you have worked with some truly monumental musicians. How did those experiences help you in your compositional career?
A. I think that every person you play with adds something to your internal library. Each experience I've had with various artists seems to nudge you just a bit in any given direction. I remember not being an avid fan of James Brown before I had played with him, but after, I couldn't get enough. The soul and how hard that band grooved changed the way I perceived and felt about music forever. Part of that was the fact that those gigs educated me in a way that just listening could never have done. I've also played with quite a few symphony orchestras, and sitting in the middle of some 90 players gives you a whole different type of understanding of how the orchestra works. I'm thankful that I've been able to experience music in ways that the majority of people haven't.
Q. When did you compose your first piece of music? What was it?
A. I'm not sure what the exact first piece is, but one of the very first was called "Yesterday's Memories, Tomorrow's Dreams". It's on a Tito Puente album and several Pete Escovedo albums as well.
Q. Who are some of your favorite musicians/composers?
A. There are too many to name here, but I'll name a few. Miles, Thomas Newman, Gino Vanelli, James Newton Howard, Terrance Blanchard, Mark Mancina, Stravinsky, Mahler.... I could go on and on.
Q. Did any particular composer or composition inspire you to do what you are doing now?
A. Specifically, probably not. By that I'm guessing that you mean composing for games. I think that every time I hear a piece of music I like it inspires me to do what I'm doing, and hopefully to do it better.
Q. Do you prefer composing on paper or at an instrument?
A. Definitely an instrument now. I used to compose on paper quite some time ago, but with the technology available today, it's hard to get away from the keyboard and computer. Occasionally I'll write an idea down if I'm away from my studio before it gets away, but not too often.
Q. Besides trumpet and piano, what other instruments do you play?
A. That's about it, and a boat load of samples.
Q. Could you tell us a bit about your work on "The ChubbChubbs"?
A. I was hired as the sound designer for that film when it was being tried out as an experiment for Imageworks. I initially created a rough track for some storyboards, then after forgetting about it for about 4 or 5 months, I was called to start audio production for the final product. I went to L.A. and spent a day with Eric Armstrong, the director, spotting the film, then came back to my studio here in Spokane and worked for a few weeks sending daily mixes to Eric and the editor. The process went extremely smooth, and after a few weeks of production, I headed down to Sony studios for the final mix.
Q. How did you become involved with Cyan Worlds, the company that produces the "Myst" series?
A. I had done sound design for Riven while working at Broderbund who was Cyan's publisher. I established a relationship with them during that time, and when they needed a sound designer/composer for the next project, we decided to hook up.
Q. Do you find it more difficult to compose for games, where you don’t necessarily have the rigid pre-defined narrative structure that exists in a film?
A. Actually I think that composing without the structure is much easier. More freedom without the predefined in, out and hit points. Although there are times when I have to score cutscenes that require those practices, for the most part I'm creating moods and underscoring environments.
Q. Do you prefer composing for games more than films or vice versa?
A. I'm searching to stretch out a bit more and explore the film end. I think that in the long run the goal is the same, and that's to create the best music for the situation that you can.
Q. You are both the sound designer and the composer on "Uru". That’s interesting, because frequently game music is accused of being sound design. How do you feel about that, and what kinds of things do you do to help give the music its own personality without being obtrusive within the game?
A. Good question. First off, I'm not really aware of the music in most games getting confused with sound design, but I can see where it's often misunderstood because of its non-linear format. The music is often more ambient in nature due to the fact that the events in a game are not always controlled and can't be scored as such. However, there are plenty of opportunities to have the user focus on the music. It can be a transition from place to place, underscoring a story element or character, or setting up an event that hasn't yet happened. This really is quite similar to the needs of a film, but it often happens in more subtle ways. I think that the ways to avoid being too obtrusive is to be careful with the arc you create and how it's used. Often the music will be repeated during the gameplay, and if there are identifiable points that reach out and grab you every time, you'll get tired of it. However, if you use those moments sparingly they tend to sit back a bit more. Not that the music shouldn't grab your attention once in a while. I'm always in favor of having the player listen as well, just not bombard them with sound. As far as the sound design goes, I think that it's almost just as creative of an endeavor. You're still underscoring moods and story, just with a different set of elements.
Q. Did you write the various themes in the game first and work outward from there, or were the compositions created in a more linear fashion?
A. For URU, I would have to say they were created in a more linear fashion, as that was parallel to the design and creation of the game itself. New areas and story continually evolved over the course of the development cycle that were impossible to predict or create assets for ahead of time.
Q. "Uru" features unique instruments and sounds that can be associated with lots of different cultures from all over the globe – Native American, Aboriginal, etc. Was there a conscious attempt to make it sort of a patchwork, since you are essentially inventing a musical history for a fictional civilization?
A. In part yes. But we were also trying to do something a bit different, so it seemed only natural to use instruments that aren't in your usual palette.
Q. How did you come to work with some of the culturally diverse musicians featured on "Uru", such as the Maasai singers?
A. The Maasai is an interesting story. They happened to be staying in Spokane of all places for about 6 weeks. They came form Kenya to perform at churches and schools in order to raise money to bring back home. I heard them singing locally, and went up to the leader of the group after they were done and set up a recording session. It was just incredible. I also had them all over to our house for dinner one night, and after they were done, they sat down in our living room and just started singing for about an hour or so. They were a great group of people, and I'll never forget that experience.
Q. Were there any specific challenges related to scoring "Uru" that you had not encountered before in other projects?
A. I think that in planning an online persistent experience had some unique situations, especially since you're dealing with multiple people in a place at any given time. But other than that, the score itself was a joy to create, and I'm lucky to have been a part of it.
Q. Do you think that as video games become more cinematic, the traditional boundaries between film and games will begin todissolve? Or have they already?
A. I think that you could argue that they have already. There are not only games that are derived from film licenses, but also films derived from games. And as far as the music is concerned the quality of the musicians and composers writing for games has definitely come a long way in the last five to ten years. There's no reason that quite a few of the top game composers couldn't score for film. It's already happening. I'd like to see Hollywood take a good look at the game industry composers and tap into that resource. It would be great for both industries.
Q. What are some of your upcoming projects? Do you plan on getting involved with more film work?
A. There are a few project possibilities I'm looking into at the moment with regards to film, unfortunately none of which are finalized or publicized. I'm really hoping to continue to be involved with both. Each one gives a fresh perspective and insight into the other.
...You're still underscoring moods and story, just with a different set of elements...