Dragon Age: Inquisition Audio Interview, Main Theme
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Category: News ArchiveHits: 1995
BioWare's official Dragon Age website is featuring another internal Q&A, with this latest entry chatting with Inquisition composer Michael Kent and featuring a link that allows us to listen to the the game's entire main theme. A little something to get you started:
What were some of the inspirations behind the audio in Dragon Age: Inquisition?
[MICHAEL KENT]: Early on in the project we set out to redefine the audio for the Dragon Age series. We started by reviewing the last two games and came up with a top 10 do's and don'ts list. We also spent some time figuring out what sets Inquisition apart from the other two games. We decided that we wanted the game to sound very dynamic, where the audio was always moving and changing, lots of highs and lows, loud and quiet moments.
The goal was to inform the player of the impact and worth of their actions through aural feedback when interacting with the world. By making the world believable and captivating through audio, this will help completely immerse the player as they explore the Dragon Age world.
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Is there anything surprising about how you created some of the sound effects or audio in Dragon Age: Inquisition? Any anecdotes about having to be creative?
[MK]: I think setting a vision early on with guidelines helps the creative process as a whole. When creating the sound for something, I like to write down the different aspects of what it is I'm trying to create and go from there. Iteration is key in honing in on what you are trying to achieve. Talking with the writers and visual artist is also very important in delivering a well-balanced experience.
Creating your source early on for the game is very important to locking down the sonic scape of the game. For Dragon Age: Inquisition we made a very large source library early on using the guidelines we set out in the audio vision. This was fundamental in creating a cohesive audio experience for a game as large in scope as Inquisition. It's like prepping before cooking and having all your ingredients ready on hand. Ensures a consistent style between sound designers.
