Michael McCann (“Splinter Cell: Double Agent”) Interview Part 2

by Louis Bedigian

“I had to keep in mind that Double Agent had a very important variable – which is brutal emotion.”

Michael McCann continues discussing his work on Splinter Cell: Double Agent.

Michael McCann Interview Part 1

Did the developers give you any source material to work from? Or was that not necessary, given how familiar we all are with the series?

Michael McCann: Yes, I definitely studied the previous Splinter Cell games. They were a really important reference point. However, with a totally new music system (one that allowed a very advanced scoring style) and a dramatic story to pull from, I used the previous games mainly as a reference from where everything was coming from. Shanghai was very clear that this was a sequel, but also new territory for the game. I had to keep in mind that SC: DA had a very important variable – which is brutal emotion.  

I don't know a lot about this sequel – I've tried to stay away from spoilers – but it's my understanding that you wind up in a prison. If that's the case, that will lead to a much different gameplay experience, and a much different sound. We know what suspense sounds like, but how should the music adjust for this new environment?

Michael McCann: The locations in Double Agent are amazing. You have civil war torn Kinshasa, New Orleans, New York, downtown Shanghai, Iceland and others. When I first got the list of locations I was totally impressed. Almost every one of them has a basis in strong acoustic tradition, and even the urban locations have a visual romance to them and a massive history to pull from.

Luckily, Romain had designed a music system for the Xbox 360 version that would give me the tools to really create something cool and unique. All the instrument layers I created could be treated separately. I could push for strong melodies and extensive backing layers, and once integrated, there would be very little repetition. The music could play as obvious score, and also as ambience and background. There is total musical control over every moment in the game. 

Suspense is very well treated in the game. There is a consistency to the musical language of stress in every map. Although the instruments change, stresses follow a definite template. Ubi Shanghai really knew how to deal with changing psychology in gameplay, and Romain was totally clear on how to integrate the music for maximum impact. Static layers are used to alert you to danger, but there are so many other layers that adapt to how you engage that danger. Literally, the music can shift from one second to the next, right up to point of direct engagement.

On top of the music, I also built numerous “stingers” that are used to alert the player to different levels of danger. Together with a constantly adapting and evolving score, this is definitely the most interactive soundtrack I’ve ever heard. Full credit has to be given to everyone who helped integrate the music. As several critics have already noted, not only does the music tell you when an enemy is close, but eventually you can tell if that enemy is in front or behind you.

What kind of feedback did you get from the developers on this game? I've interviewed a lot of composers over the years -- some have been lucky to get on board open-ended projects where they can do what they want. Others have more restrictions – certain guidelines that must be followed. As I said before, this a series with fan expectations, so you have limitations. But within those limitations, how far could you go?

Michael McCann: For most of the maps I nailed them very quickly. For others there was some additional experimenting required. Some of the revisions required taking more risks musically, while others were pulling back a bit.

For example, my first “stress” cues were fairly electronic and frenetic. I was hoping there would be a nice contrast between the acoustic infiltrations and the electronic stresses but it ended up betraying the tone of the soundtrack. Ubi wanted to revamp the stresses to be more acoustic which was a great idea, and definitely one of the key creative changes. I toned them down, made them more minimal, and the result was far more effective.

For a few of the maps, I went off on my own. Mainly for the city based maps where I wanted to get into more electronic but warm atmospheres. I made sure these cues were very solid before submitting them to Romain. I’ve definitely learned from previous projects that having your ideas complete and polished is far better than trying to verbally communicate a certain direction when you’re half way done.

Fan expectations were also present in all of this. But looking over the previous Splinter Cell’s, and then looking at the locations and mood of Double Agent, there was a very obvious direction to take in most cases. I think there are a few controversial choices like minimal stresses and halftime fights (although quite large and epic).

There are also some very unorthodox layers like the acoustic guitars in Okhotsk, which are more akin to a Daniel Lanois solo album. But for this map, I combined those guitars with very cold and steels ambiences, dub effects, break-beat drums and a very “spy” like stress and fight. There was definitely a balancing act going on. 

Were the developers or publisher communicating with you at all? Did you bring to them each song as it was completed, or wait until the entire soundtrack was complete before presenting it to them?

Michael McCann: Yes, Romain His was my direct contact in Shanghai for the Xbox 360 and PC, and Amaury la Burthe was the current-gen audio-lead in Montreal. I worked with both of them extensively. For Romain in Shanghai, it was an entirely long distance relationship, but we were in contact virtually every day for 6 months. In most cases, I’d put together an entire cue and then send it off. I was working on a Shanghai schedule – 12 hours ahead of Montreal, so I’d work all night and usually receive feedback early in the night, and then work on revisions ‘til the morning.

A few months into the project, I began full time work on the PS2 / Xbox version. So I’d be on both time schedules at the same time. But with Ubi Montreal, I could actually go in and see the levels, and how the music was interacting. It was much more hands on. But having both these two sides to work for, Shanghai and Montreal, worked out great in the end. There’s something to be said about building a soundtrack with someone half way around the world, simultaneously with someone a block away. 
 
Let's talk about how you got on board with Splinter Cell: Double Agent. Is this a project the publisher approached you about?

Michael McCann: I pitched for the game back in August 2005. I just started working with a company called Wave Generation – who represent game composers such as Jesper Kyd, Inon Zur and Tom Salta. When Wave Generation was given direction as to what Ubi was looking for in SC4 they pushed me to pitch immediately. All the musical influences Ubi had requested in the composer were word for word everything I would put on a list of my own influences.

I created four cues, which turned out to hit exactly what they were looking for. I met with Romain His at my studio in Montreal. He flew out from Shanghai in order to sit down and make sure we were both on the same page with regard to music style. I had already come close in the pitch but we both wanted to make sure how we could approach each map, given the unique influences in the soundtrack direction. The next month was spent on one map – Okhotsk – revising, testing, and experimenting until we got exactly the sound that was needed.

How far in advance must a soundtrack be completed in order for the developers to implement it into their game?

Michael McCann: At first, in the very early stages of composition, Romain was integrating and testing full mixes of long musical arrangements. I’d basically create a five-minute cue for “infiltration” and he’d test that against what was completed, visually, for the map. We eventually got to the “Alpha” testing phase, where I could break all the music down into individual instruments, and he could take each layer and integrate into his awesome music system. This was when the strongest feedback started.

The music system Romain designed for SC4 is very sophisticated. It reacts not only to danger, but also to environment and story. Music can shift depending on interior / exterior location, above / below water, etc. Also, each layer of music (infiltration, stress, fight) is also broken down into each individual instrument. Romain can control every individual layer in each of those larger
layers to create unlimited combinations in the game. He can basically “story board” all the gameplay in real time. He can pull a lead melody for a specific point in the map, or bring in a certain combination of stress layers for specific confrontation.

When the music is done for a map, there are about 60 layers of music to pull from – between Fight, Stress and Infiltration. The feedback I received was mainly whether certain layers were conflicting (sonically or psychologically), and if not, I could adapt a certain instrument until it worked. For a first time game composer, my learning curve was 90 degrees – and definitely the most intense / challenging experience I’ve ever faced. But I can't wait to do it all over again!

Once a deal is inked and you're set to start working on a game, how long does it usually take before the composing process begins? In Hollywood, they could have a movie deal signed up for years before it goes into production, and even longer before a composer begins writing music. Is that true for games as well?

Michael McCann: I met with Romain about two weeks after I pitched, and I started work immediately. This may have been an exception, I’m honestly not sure. But I was glad there was no wait time and that we got to work right away.

I think the big difference between games and film is that on a film you’re usually working from a final picture edit. With games, you’re composing as the developers are building the maps. So you really don’t have a completed visual reference. For SC:DA I worked from a script, sketches, and some very preliminary screen shots. You definitely have to use your imagination when composing for the game world but this is also where the previous Splinter Cell’s helped a lot. 

What equipment do you use? How was Double Agent recorded?

Michael McCann: For SC:DA there was a lot of acoustic guitar, percussion, violin and voice. For those, I recorded using everything from AKG414’s and cheaper AT mics, to direct line in for stuff that was going to heavily processed. As every instrument was recorded individually, I was only concerned that my raw signal was strong enough to handle some heavy editing and processing. 

Everything outside of that was virtual. I use a lot of Native Instruments, Spectrasonics, and East West instruments. Absynth for crazy ambients and fx, (granular sampling), Reaktor for ridiculously cool sound design (drums, synths and fx), East West stuff for orchestra, Spectrasonics stuff for bass, ambience and drums, as well as a few outboard keyboards and processors for specific sounds / effects.

I also use libraries from Big Fish, Spectrasonics, Sony, Pro-Sessions, Native Instruments, etc. In total, there’s about three hours of original music for the game and I think I used every resource I could find in the whole composition process.

Finally, what's next for you? Do you have any other video game projects lined up?

Michael McCann: I’m currently scoring a feature film. After working for 10 months on SC4, on a Shanghai schedule, scoring a 90-minute film seems like the easiest thing in the world right now. I’m hoping to work on another game in the near future and I have a few film projects to complete as well. I’ll be pushing hard for the next game project.

Thank you for your time.

 

Michael McCann / Behavior website:
www.behaviormusic.com

For Splinter Cell: Double Agent music samples visit:
http://www.behaviormusic.com/artists/michael_mccann/music.htm

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