30 January 2009
Austrian-born Paul Haslinger has secured a distinctive reputation for composing unique scores, which incorporate both robust classical elements and compelling electronica. Prior to his solo career scoring films and video games, he was a member of the band Tangerine Dream collaborating for several albums and programmer for Graeme Revell, supplying memorable textures and atmospheric style to Blow, The Negotiator, The Siege, Pitch Black, and Tomb Raider. Haslinger’s solo film and TV credits include Sleeper Cell, Cheaters, Crazy/Beautiful, Blue Crush, Into The Blue, Minority Report (additional music), Underworld, Shoot Em Up, Crank, Vacancy, Death Race and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. In the world of video games he has composed the scores for Far Cry: Instincts, Rainbow Six: Vegas and their respective sequels. His latest game projects include EA’s Need For Speed: Undercover and Activision’s upcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Video Game Credits:
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Need For Speed: Undercover
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas
Far Cry Predator
Far Cry Evolution
Far Cry Instincts
M4G: What inspires you to create?
Paul Haslinger: A deadline, and the chance to try something I haven’t tried before.
M4G: Name composers or musicians who have influenced your writing style?
Paul Haslinger: Too many to name…I believe through music history everything has influenced everything… Bach adapted folk-melodies and made them into chorals, Bartok used traditional Hungarian music to come up with something new and modern. Everybody stands on the shoulders of many predecessors.
M4G: What games are you playing?
Paul Haslinger: I don’t get out much ;) Most of the time I spend twiddling with sounds in the studio… I do play the Wii with my kids (anything…) and I try to keep up with PS3 and Xbox 360 releases as much as they relate to my projects. Same as with watching movies… I am always curious to find out how music and sound are used.
M4G: What games are you looking forward to?
Paul Haslinger: Resident Evil 5, F.E.A.R. 2, BioShock 2.
M4G: What game(s) would you like to write music for?
Paul Haslinger: I love the vibe of the Silent Hill games… something brooding and dark.
M4G: What would you like to hear more of from game soundtracks?
Paul Haslinger: Most projects (film, tv, games) nowadays seem overloaded with too much of everything – I think it’s time to be more selective in production and arrangement.
M4G: What’s your current go-to hardware/software?
Paul Haslinger: Nuendo/Halion/Spectrasonics/NI/RME.
M4G: What do you wish “they” would invent that would make your job easier?
Paul Haslinger: A device that prevents feedback loops in my brain.
M4G: What’s the first piece of hardware you owned?
Paul Haslinger: Elka String Ensemble. Yes, I’m THAT old;)
M4G: How much do you like to be involved in the implementation?
Paul Haslinger: Very much! Extremely important to come up with a cool overall sound concept and then test it along the way. The ‘gaming experience’ is completely different from film or tv, and it’s important to test it in a gaming context (just as it is important to watch a movie mix in a theater).
M4G: What has been your favorite project thus far, and why?
Paul Haslinger: Probably the one I just finished for Activision/Raven: X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It was one of these rare cases where a project actually knows exactly what it wants to be, the communication with Raven/Activision was very straightforward, and everybody simply had a great time working on this. Of course it helps that we all thought the game was pretty cool, too! ;)
M4G: Which project presented you with the most challenges?
Paul Haslinger: I would have to say Need for Speed: Undercover – just for the fact that there were many cooks and changing opinions throughout the project. This is never fun, but it happens (in games just as in film), and over time one learns to handle these situations and make the most of it.
M4G: Predict the future for game audio/soundtracks!
Paul Haslinger: I hope there will be more integration between sound and music, more conceptual coordination and planning, and as mentioned before: a more selective use of means. Nobody needs to cram 6 symphonies into a single game, it just wears the player out. What we need is for some music to not even be noticed, while other signature pieces should give it a vibe that is unique and has the quality to stay with the player long after the game is finished.
M4G: Best advice for up and comers?
Paul Haslinger: This is about talent as much as determination - never stop learning, discovering and absorbing. And most importantly: try to get some ‘direct experience’ working with somebody in the field… experiencing the pressures and realities of music production for picture firsthand will be your best chance to find out whether you are cut out for this.
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