Andrea Bellucci is a respected and prolific composer who has credits in dozens of projects across the gaming and film industries. Gamers will most assuredly recognize a few projects he’s composed for, including Riot Games’League of Legendsas well as Hi-Rez Studios’PaladinsandSmite.
In an interview with Game Rant, Bellucci spoke about the close relationships he develops with each of the projects he works on, and he offered some insights into how he tackles the unique challenges involved in composing interactive and expressive music for video games across a wide variety of genres.The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
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Q: Some of your recent projects include Hi-Rez’sPaladinsandSmite. Can you talk about your experience working with that studio’s soundtracks? Have these games differed from past projects?
Bellucci:Every project is different, and my job as a composer is to put a specific value on each project. That means that you have to treat everything like it’s something different from anything else, even if we are talking about similar games or general categories likeopen-world multiplayer online games. Every type of project is always different in a way. You have to find a way to start over again every time, and make sure that your own music not only matches the scope of the project, but is actually a unique voice forPaladins, for example, orSmite.Not just the entire game environment, but any single champion, any single event pass or new skin that’s going to be released, any cinematic, even if we’re talking about commercials like trailers and cinematic trailers, but also in-game scenes, gameplay scenes as well. Anything that I do with those guys is always a very unique project.
I’m grateful for that because it really helps promote the game to a new audience and makes the game grow so that you may reach more people and raise awareness about the new feature orthe new championand stuff like that. Anytime they give me something like a background or guidelines, it’s always very different from the past ones.
Q: You’re also working with Skydance on a new VR game. Has the VR space presented any unique technical challenges as opposed to creating music for flat-screen games?
Bellucci:From the technical side, I used Wwise in that case, but in any other case, it could be Fmod or whatever. From the music side, there was no difference. But sure, in a way, the attention I have to put on the player’s perspective plays a very important role, because it’s not just something on your screen, it’s a space. The music should reflect that. It’s a different way of describing emotions and situations for VR.
That’s something a little different. You have to imagine yourself in theVR space, so you have to make sure that the music you’re composing actually makes sense in that space.
Q:Working with games, you obviously have to stick with the developer’s creative vision, but do you have certain preferences in terms of style, mood, or sound? How often do you get to work your personal tastes into projects?
Bellucci:I have my own safe space, you know, the thing that I love most. I don’t know why, because I’m generally a very happy person, but I love dark things. Dark stuff is really what moves me in a way that I can produce hours and hours of diverse music and I can experiment and I can find my own niche there.
Of course, as you said, you have to be prepared and make sure that anything you compose and produce makes sense and is perfect for the project. That’s something that I learned throughout the years of my career. Whenever a studio calls me, it’s a sign they recognize that I’m a professional composer who can deliver something that makes sense for their project, but also because of my own voice and style.
My style isn’t entirely dark at all times. I’ve composed music for light games andfunny indie games, so even if we are talking about epic music and orchestral and symphonic music, with some electronic elements or even rock and metal elements, there’s always something that you have to blend together. You have to ensure that your unique voice can actually stand together with the guidelines set by the developers. It’s very good to see that they called you just because of the way you do things.
Something I love about music is how your personal tastes can bleed into your work. If you’re a big blues fan, then maybe a lot of your stuff will have some swing in it. It’s fun to see how people’s influences come out in unexpected ways.
Bellucci:And all those elements can come through in the instrumentation, the music structure, or the structure of the melody, or perhaps the harmonies are a little different. If you think about it, it’s the same thing that happenedwith John Williams: probably the most well-known film music composer.
He came from a jazz background, so if you analyze his music, you’ll really understand there’s something jazzy in those harmonies and even in the melodies. So it’s always something that’s really connected to yourself and to what you’re composing for.
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Q: You mentioned you’re a fan of darker music. Are there any soundtracks that you feel perfectly encapsulates that taste?
Bellucci:Pretty much anyResident Evilgame. To me,Resident Evil 2has probably the most balanced soundtrack, but also the more action-orientedsoundtracks ofResident Evil 3andResident Evil5, not to mention the latest ones likeResident Evil7andResident Evil 8. There’s less music, but when it’s there, it’s there.
Also,Bloodborneis another great one for me. It felt connected to a very good horror movie, Bram Stoker’sDracula, so you understand that there’s a sort of inspiration, and it’s very beautiful to see that kind of style in a game.
I definitely love any kind of sci-fi music likeMass Effector evenCrysisback then. I also rediscovered the soundtrack forWolfenstein, which is a very effective blend of jazz, some rock elements, and some industrial things, so I really love that too.
Q: You’ve worked on a wide variety of projects besides games such as various films and television projects. How does working on game music differ from other media?
Bellucci:From a creative point of view, they are very similar because, at the end of the day, you have to deal with the story. Anytime you write something, it’s story-driven music, even if it’s for a simple game. It’s just about giving voice to that project, and that could be the same with films or TV shows.
From a technical point of view, I really appreciate this aspect of game music where you have more rules to follow because you have to make sure that you make something that is usable for the players. It’sinteractive music, so it’s not something that you just put on the scene, it’s something that the player plays with.
In a way, you have more rules to deal with, but to me, it feels like you have even more ground to play with your own elements and tools to verify that that single loop makes sense with the next one. Then you have to create some sort of closing and beginning section for any kind of music and they have to work together. They have to be connected at all times. That’s something that really fascinates me: the ability to write something that’s always effective and usable from the first level of the game up to the final boss.
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Q: A lot of game soundtracks tend to fall into a few categories like orchestral, synth-heavy, and rock-inspired. How do your approach and workflow differ when working on vastly different styles?
Bellucci:It’s something that I’m really used to partly because of my background and starting my music career with a wider view of the whole thing that music is. Not just the classical stuff and not just rock music, but understanding from the beginning that “music” is just too simple of a word. That’s probably why we refer to a “piece” of music as if it’s a vast entity you’re picking from all the time, but at its core, the essence of the matter is always the same, no matter what genre we’re talking about.
That’s something really helpful, and it helped me through the years to jump from one thing to another in a matter of hours. Maybe you start the morning with a horror project for film, and then you end up with an animation project for kids or agame for mobile. So in a way, you learn the process as you go to ensure you can deliver four projects in two months, for example.
To me, it’s a huge push to sit there and say, “Okay, I have to do that.” It’s not something that I can skip, or that I can just delay. I have to do it. In a way, it really gives you that energy to go from one thing to another.
That’s a great point. It’ll take me three years to write an album for fun, but if I have an obligation to do it, I can do it in months.
Bellucci:It’s always like that. Even historical composers would say the same thing. When you have a commission, it’s really different. When you compose for yourself, it’s something that you have to scavenge in a way. That’s why it takes time because there’s nobody pressing you and pushing you and saying, “Hey, I need you to do this.” So anytime you have an actual deadline, it’s really a chance to express yourself as best as you can.
Q: In your mind, what makes a game soundtrack “good”? What kind of qualities do you look for in a soundtrack in order for you to view it favorably?
Bellucci:From a superficial point of view, I would say the production quality:how any single instrument soundsand how the whole thing sounds all together, including the sound effects and the speech as well. When you experience the game, it’s not like you’re just listening to its music, you’re listening to the whole thing.
From a deeper point of view, I would say I have to hear the composer’s inspiration. I have to, in a way, hear their way to have fun with that project. To me, it’s the same as when I have fun composing something. It’s clear to everybody that when you don’t have fun for any reason, the music isn’t as fun. You can hear it, and you can feel it. Whenever I hear something, I can tell if the composer had fun producing that music, just like I do.
I agree, I think people have a sixth sense for authenticity. you may tell when a composer has really put themselves into the music.
Bellucci:Exactly. From an industrial point of view, it’s what the client asks for. Even if they are not clients. Most of the time you always establish not just a client relationship, but something closer, something deeper. It’s something more than just, “Hey, I need this by six months from now” because it’s more personal. I think that it’s a way of respecting the client or your developer and providing the best you can do, and it’s actually what they are paying for as well. It’s a form of respect.
Q: In game soundtracks, you often have to make music that loops during gameplay. How do you approach creating a song that essentially never ends?
Bellucci:In my experiencethe most secure way to do that – though not the fastest – is having a lot of layers. Not because you are giving all the layers to the audio director or the audio lead or whoever implements the music, but because you can create different mixes and pick the best from those. That’s why having a lot of layers can give you many different perspectives on the same loop.
Also, you can create variations, which is always veryuseful for sound designersas well because they are able to play with your music and be inspired and say, “Okay, let’s put in this version of the same loop, and then we’ll use the other one.” In order to do that, either you go with many layers, again, or you create something that’s still melodic, but it’s kind of sparse and not as dense.
It’s not as specifically structured as how a lot of music is arranged into a very specific eight-bar melody. You don’t have to recognize the bars. When you can do that, the loops never end. You’re not able to understand the starting line and the endpoint, so you’re not able to count the bars.
Q: How do you approach interactive music that responds to player actions or in-game events? Are there certain things you keep in mind or techniques you use to make the music feel interactive?
Bellucci:Oh, definitely. From a music point of view, I try to increase the tension most of the time with louder layers, in a way. We’re not talking about putting more and more layers as the player approaches a dangerous zone or as the players approach the boss or any enemy out there; instead, it’s about how loud any single layer sounds.
That’s something that’s really helpful, because usually louder isn’t necessarily better, but you do get more tension. I’m not talking about being more scared, because if we’re talking about being scared, then it’s not about the loudness, that’s more about very disturbing sounds and stuff like that. So that’s adding layers because you want to add something or just to change the layers. That’s a technique that makes you create thoseinteractive music sections, but they remain very organic at all times with each other.
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Q: On the more technical side, are there any interesting tools or techniques you like to employ when you’re working on a soundtrack?
Bellucci:One technique that is very useful for any genre even if we’re talking about film, music, or game music is implementing someelectronic music productiontechniques like giving space for the kick or the bass drum. The kick could be anything like an electronic kick but also a symphonic bass drum or a timpani from the orchestra as well.
Whatever the low drum is, the usual sidechain compression and having room on the low end for very few elements so all the others just have to stay away from the low end. To me, that’s really helpful for any kind of project. Even jazz, something that you wouldn’t think, has to be heavily produced. Not to mention we are talking about game music, where you need to create that sort of focus for the players and whoever listens to the music. to create focus, those electronic music production tricks really, really help.
That technique is super useful. Sidechain compression is something we even use a lot in metal to help the drums cut through the guitars.
Bellucci:Absolutely. Sometimes I compress violins with something using sidechain compression. I need to hear the push, I need to hear that hit. Sometimes you just really have to have something in your face, and in order to do that, everything else has to create room for that.
That’s why I reallylove electronic music. Sometimes to produce something like that, you really have to rely on the sound designer and the sound mixer, but when you’re not able to do that, those tricks really help you.
Talking about effects, there are a lot of products like the Native Instruments suite of effects like DIRT, BITE, CHORAL, or PHASIS. All of those are just great. you may actually put those on a vintage synthesizer and they’ll sound even better. I always try to implement a lot of plucked instruments and I usually pack those with a lot of effects like that.
Q: Although we’re talking about a lot of software stuff, you’re also a classical pianist. Do you like to play a lot of your compositions yourself?
Bellucci:All the time! Mostly guitars actually, not the piano. I think you add more value when you actually play each part and not just write the part. Anytime you can actually give more, just like a performer would do. Musicians do the same thing: they add something more to your music. That’s why we really need to go for musicians andwe really need to use orchestrasor smaller ensembles because that brings the music to another level.
As for guitars, I try my best. I’m not a guitarist, and I try my best not to become a guitarist. I don’t want to practice guitars at all, I’m just happy with the kind of noisy and grungy results that I have with my guitars. It’s an added value and that’s something that probably the clients and the companies want. They probably call just for that, too.
That human element can really elevate music in a way that can’t be achieved with just MIDI writing, even if you spend a lot of time randomizing and humanizing notes.
Bellucci:Absolutely. I mean, randomizing some stuff would help a lot, but it’s not really about randomizing sincehuman performancesare not random. Every error, every mistake, and every hesitation that you have when you are performing is not random, it’s because your brain is telling you something about those notes. It’s the same thing with the guitars, and that’s why I don’t want to be good on the guitars. I love it when I miss something, I love it when I don’t know what I’m doing on the fretboard.
I read somewhere that Kurt Cobain said the same thing. He didn’t want to really learn the guitar because of that, and he wanted to keep that inspiration going.
Q: As we’re talking about musicianship, what advice would you give to musicians who are interested in stepping into game music? Are there things they should know beforehand, or skills that they should try to develop?
Bellucci:I do some workshops with students and with other professionals, and I also judge some works from other people at conferences and that question often comes up. I would say that you really have to trust your ears at all times. That, to me, is the golden rule. Of course, the more you practice in terms of the profession, the more you are involved in new projects the better, that’s for sure.
But it’s nothing compared to the importance of making sure that your ears are always working for you, and I’m not talking about the technical things. Problems like ear fatigue are real, but I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about trusting your ears, even if they are fatigued. When you know that ear fatigue sets in, you just have to stop and wait for a few hours and get back to work. But at all times you really have to trust your ears to make sure that anything – even if it’s something very noisy, very grunge, whatever it is – has to be beautiful. That simple word goes a long way: it alwayshas to be beautiful. The only judge of that is your ears.
Andrew Scheps, the great sound mixer and producer, said something similar to like: “I don’t care about gear. I don’t care about tools. I don’t care about anything. I just care about how that thing sounds.” To me, it’s the same for a sound guy or a musician. So for newcomers and new professionals, I would say to trust your ears at all times.
And of course, be curious about new stuff, about new tools you can use, and update yourself all the time. That’s something very useful as well. And listen to music. It sounds strange, but you have to listen to music. Even after 20 years, I don’t know music. I cannot say I know music. I would never say something like that. So I need to learn, and the only way to learn is to actually listen.
Q: Can you talk about some of your plans for the future? Do you have anything upcoming you’d like to mention, or if not, a dream project of yours that you’d love to participate in?
Bellucci:I wish I couldtalk about the Skydance game. It was presented during the game awards last year, but that’s really the only thing I can say. It’s been great working on that kind of project because they are huge. They are beautiful, and they are really produced with heart and inspiration, from the developers to the visual artists and the sound guys.
It’s really cool to be part of something like that, just like the other projects for Hi-Rez or Riot Games. All the big names are big for a reason. It’s not something like, “Oh, they got lucky.” It’s never like that, so it’s always very inspirational as a composer to be involved with something like this.
Just because it’s my childhood version of myself talking, any dream project for me whether it’s a film or a game would be something withBatman,Ghostbusters, orTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Those three franchises are what I grew up with, so a dream job would be something related to something like that.
Q: Do you have anything else you’d like to share that we haven’t touched on?
Bellucci:I’m producing aclassical piano musicalbum that’s going to be out in the next few weeks. I wouldn’t say it’s a side project, because that would diminish the whole thing, but in terms of my life, it’s a side project just because you also have to deal with the job, so anything that you do for yourself has to be considered a side project.
It’s going to be a five or six-track album of just piano, and it’s something that’s really intimate. I can’t wait to see it released on Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever else.
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