Composer Lorien Testard didn’t have a historical past engaged on main online game soundtracks previous to his work on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Developer Sandfall discovered his work on SoundCloud and introduced him on board. Over the course of 5 years, he composed 154 songs for the sport, and in case you performed Clair Obscur, then you understand how essential music is to the sport’s general expertise.
We had an opportunity to talk with Testard over e-mail about his work on the sport, how Sandfall discovered him, his strategy to the music, and the potential of doing extra Clair Obscur work sooner or later, to which he mentioned, “The tomorrows are nonetheless unwritten!” You will discover the total interview under.
Recreation Informer: Is it true that that is your first main online game mission, and the crew at Sandfall simply discovered your work on SoundCloud?
Lorien Testard: Sure, that’s true. I used to be composing one observe per week and posting it on SoundCloud. After a couple of 12 months, I shared my work on an indie recreation discussion board, and that’s when Guillaume got here throughout it and provided me the chance to compose music for his recreation mission. I’m actually grateful the celebs aligned that day and introduced us collectively!
Lyrics are usually not typical in online game soundtracks. What influenced your choice to incorporate them so prominently, and what was that songwriting course of like?
Lyrics and voice are vital to me. They’re a private and direct solution to share emotion with the participant. By way of lyrics, I can share a imaginative and prescient of the story and specific my emotional sensitivity to particular scenes within the recreation. It creates an intimate connection between the participant and the world.
Usually, the lyrics aren’t instantly observed throughout gameplay, they mix into the ambiance. However for individuals who take the time to hear, or return and browse them afterwards, they’ll uncover hidden layers and secrets and techniques within the phrases.
I take pleasure in writing lyrics for the sport lots, and I like gamers’ reactions after they notice what the phrases are saying. It seems like we’ve created a bond collectively, by the music and the sport.
For the songwriting course of, I selected to jot down in a number of languages – largely French, English, and an invented language – relying on the sensation I needed to convey and the emotion I needed to share with the gamers.
Even with out its vocals, Clair Obscur has a really distinct sound that ranges from classical to rock. Why did you resolve to make use of these specific genres? How did you go about nailing down the sport’s musical id?
I didn’t actually take into consideration musical model or the sport’s general musical id. I let myself be guided by what I felt for every character or location. I’ve been fascinated about the sport like an enormous clean canvas, crammed with smaller work for example musically. It was the characters and the world that impressed the musical concepts.
That’s why the soundtrack shifts freely – from piano and strings for the Gommage, to saxophone for the mini-game on the Gestral Seashore, or to vocals with electrical guitars when the characters want it.
Many massive RPGs in recent times have shifted to a multi-composer strategy, the place groups of 3-4 individuals write large soundtracks collectively. Was this largely a solo effort for you, or did you’ve got further composers in your crew? For the tracks the place you labored with a number of composers, how did this have an effect on your course of?
I used to be fortunate to be concerned from the very first steps of the mission, which gave me the chance to find the world and story of Expedition 33 very early on. That allowed me to begin composing the soundtrack lengthy earlier than the manufacturing part started. It’s what made it attainable for me to hold the manufacturing and musical imaginative and prescient throughout to the tip of this large mission.
A couple of 12 months and a half into the method, [Alice Duport-Percier] joined me to collaborate on the vocal songs. She has unbelievable expertise and the voice of an angel. She wrote nearly all of the vocal strains within the recreation.
Alice Duport-Percier (left) and Lorien Testard
More often than not, our course of labored like this: I’d begin by composing the instrumental model of the observe, writing the lyrics, and sharing my emotions in regards to the music and his emotional context to her. Then she’d create her vocal line guided by her sensitivity and what the music made her really feel.
She got here to my studio as soon as a month to report with me, and we saved that rhythm going for 3 years.
This isn’t a criticism, however typically the sound combine within the recreation appears off in favor of the music. As in, dialogue will likely be a bit overpowered by music. Was this intentional?
No, it’s not intentional. Mixing the sport’s audio was an enormous endeavor, and every little thing was performed customized. For every cutscene, sound impact, songs, or line of dialogue, it’s at all times about discovering the suitable steadiness between all the weather to convey what we really feel is vital to share with the gamers in that second. The audio crew labored with nice care all through your entire growth to verify the combination felt as balanced and acceptable as attainable in each scenario.
You composed 154 songs for the sport over the course of 5 years. Why was the method so lengthy, and the way did you find yourself writing so many songs?
I shortly had a imaginative and prescient of the large-scale rating the mission would require, so I wrote out my very best setlist for the OST. To make it immersive and really reflective of the world, I made a decision that every degree would want a number of environmental tracks, battle themes, distinctive boss themes, and customized music for the cinematics.
That gave me an enormous checklist of tracks to compose, and I had a whole lot of enjoyable working by it, music by music, over the 5 years of growth.
Are you able to share a few of your favourite online game soundtracks, RPG soundtracks, and particularly RPG battle themes?
I like the soundtracks from the Zelda and Mario sequence, Majora’s Masks and Mario Sunshine for instance, however I additionally take heed to and revel in a whole lot of music and artists that are not from the world of video video games.
Clair Obscur strikes backwards and forwards between devastating, comedic, and in all places in between. How do you compose for thus many tonal shifts whereas sustaining a cohesive sound?
The usage of melodies and leitmotifs helped with that – bringing again a personality’s theme in a unique association or model created a hyperlink between completely different moments within the recreation, even when the feelings modified. There are a lot of connections between the tracks.
The battle music usually sounds extra modern and digital than the orchestrated major themes. Was this an intentional alternative?
Sure, that was an intentional alternative, however not as a result of these tracks are for battles. It had extra to do with the sensation I acquired from the particular enemy the participant is dealing with. Whether or not you are combating Sakapatate or Sirène, the music can’t paint the identical image across the boss. Every music displays the ambiance and persona of the enemy the participant is dealing with.
What instruments do you employ to compose and make music? Are there any devices within the rating which may shock listeners?
I take advantage of a software program known as Nuendo to compose the tracks, together with varied VSTs. For actual and natural devices, I play guitar, a little bit of bass, and a few piano. We additionally recorded many extremely gifted solo musicians for the OST, and the soundtrack includes a good number of devices all through, together with some you may not hear day-after-day, like saxophone, accordion, bawu, or cümbüş.
Clair Obscur is uniquely French in lots of, some ways. How did you apply the French aesthetic to the soundtrack?
I didn’t deliberately attempt to convey a particularly French aesthetic into Clair Obscur, however the Belle Époque theme and all of the French music I’ve listened to all through my life are positively part of me.
That mentioned, I had a whole lot of enjoyable making a extra intentional nod with the mimes’ theme. I insisted, wholeheartedly, that the accordion needed to be a part of the OST and a part of that music specifically.
How did Sandfall describe the sport to you in the beginning of growth?
The primary time Guillaume advised me in regards to the mission, he mentioned one thing like: “You arrive at the start of the sport after the heroes have already misplaced.” That set the tone.
Seeing the soundtrack on platforms like Spotify and YouTube permits you to see what tracks are the preferred and have probably the most performs. Have there been any surprises there?
Because the music follows the sport expertise intently, the tracks that stand out probably the most within the soundtrack are sometimes tied to every participant’s journey by the sport. However nonetheless, there have been a number of surprises for me.
I like feeling how personally the music connects with gamers. I get messages from gamers sharing which tracks stayed with them and touched them, and the range of their decisions is unbelievable, virtually no observe is left behind. Every one appears to seek out somebody it speaks to. It’s so shifting for me to really feel that our music resonates with gamers like that.
Would you be open to returning to compose for a sequel? Or composing a possible adaptation like a movie?
The tomorrows are nonetheless unwritten!
For extra on Clair Obscur, learn Game Informer’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review, take a look at our options, similar to other games to play if you liked Expedition 33, why it’s not a great game to play at home with a newborn, and why we liked the beginning so much.