Sam Hulick is a multi-award winning and BAFTA award-nominated composer
who began his voyage into the world of video games at the tender age of
six, with his Bally Arcade console, later graduating to a ColecoVision.
He turned to computer games during middle school and by high school he
had progressed to his earliest compositions with a keyboard he had been
gifted.
After attending Indiana University, he entered the work force as a
computer programmer and administrator, which he enjoyed initially,
though in time he felt the pangs of a different calling: to combine his
passions for video games and writing music, and pursue a career as a
video game composer.
Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad
Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect Downloadable Content: Bring Down the Sky
Mass Effect
Rise & Ruin
Maximo vs. Army of Zin
"Everyone knows it's extremely
difficult to make a living with an artistic trade, and working as a
composer in the game industry wasn't something I could just jump into."
Sam Hulick
Composer Sam Hulick shares about his
technological path to the world of video game music composition -
from MASS EFFECT to RED ORCHESTRA 2 - HEROES OF STALINGRAD.
Interview conducted by Marius Masalar
MM - You grew up in
something of an
interesting
environment. A
custom-designed
geodesic dome? Tell us
a bit about how your
younger years prepared
you for your current
path.
SAM HULICK - Yeah, my
dad played in a lot of
bands throughout his
life and even produced
an album, but he
earned his living as a
contractor doing
construction. He
designed and built the
house where I spent
about twelve years of
my life. For a while,
we had a normal living
room, but eventually
it was converted into
a music studio
complete with a mixing
board, microphones,
keyboards, guitars,
the works (much to the
disappointment of my
mother who didn't get
much peace and quiet).
Definitely a
music-centric
household to say the
least.
I started off in my
early teens with a
strong interest in
computers, in a broad
sense. I was really
into video games, of
course, on both
console systems and
computers, but I was
interested in
programming and
learning how software
works. I have fond
memories from college
of spending a lot of
time in the computer
labs, one of which was
full of NeXT computers
which ran an operating
system that was
essentially a very
early version of Mac
OS X. I guess it's
kind of funny how
things have come full
circle and now I work
pretty much
exclusively on Mac OS
X. I'm also a pretty
big Linux geek, but
that's another story.
Anyway, I digress. On
a totally separate
path, I developed an
interest in writing
music. I had an Amiga
computer at the time,
and started writing on
that when I was about
sixteen or so. I used
a tracker called MED
(and later OctaMED),
which was pretty
simple and allowed
someone like me who
could not read music
to easily create my
own pieces using
samples. Around the
same time, my dad was
adding keyboards to
the studio and I moved
over to the Ensoniq
VFX-SD workstation.
That's where things
really started to take
off and I began my
journey into
composition on a more
serious level.
MM - You started in
the workforce as a
programmer and
computer
administrator...that
seems to be a common
thread for composers:
arriving at the job in
a sideways manner. How
did those skills
translate to the world
of media scoring?
SAM HULICK - I did
spend several years
working in programming
and web development to
pay the bills.
Everyone knows it's
extremely difficult to
make a living with an
artistic trade, and
working as a composer
in the game industry
wasn't something I
could just jump into.
I had a passion for
programming and so I
pursued that as a
stable career path.
For me, programming
was more about the
creative aspect of
building something
from scratch, rather
than any mathematical
or logical aspects to
it. And so there was a
parallel between
programming and music
that I found, though
they are definitely
different types of
creativity.
Programming feels more
like I'm using the
left side of my brain
to create building
blocks and build a
complex program that
does something
interesting, whereas
composing engages the
right side of my brain
to translate emotions
into something audible
that others can hear
and feel deeply. So I
consider myself a very
"center-brained"
individual. But yes,
there are a decent
amount of composers
who are pretty heavy
computer geeks, some
of whom have also at
least dabbled in
programming. There are
certainly some
paralles there for
some people.
MM - What was it like
to work with such a
prominent figure in
the game audio world
as Tommy Tallarico on
your very first
project? Did that
connection end up
bringing you more work
later on? Have you two
stayed in touch and
considered
collaborating since
then?
SAM HULICK - We do
keep in touch now and
then, and I see him
every year at the Game
Developer’s
Conference. He’s a
really great guy and
working with him was a
positive experience.
We haven’t worked
together since then,
but I’m sure working
on Maximo vs. Army of
Zin contributed in
some way to other
connections and
opportunities after
that.
MM - You've described
MASS EFFECT as your
breakthrough scoring
assignment. How did
you end up getting
that call? Was it
something you pursued
or did the project
come to you?
SAM HULICK - It came
quite unexpectedly,
actually. BioWare got
in touch with me and
invited me to demo for
a new sci-fi game they
were working on, and
of course I was
ecstatic. As it turns
out, Jack Wall had
recommended me to
BioWare since he was
unavailable at the
time. Funnily enough,
though, just a couple
days later he wrote me
to tell me he was free
after all, so we wound
up being in
competition for the
project. Following the
demo process, Jack was
chosen to score MASS
EFFECT. Fast forward a
bit, in January 2007,
I got a surprise call
from Jack, inviting me
to join him in
co-writing the score.
Both he and BioWare
really liked my demo
submissions and felt I
had something valuable
to contribute to the
soundtrack, and so I
was brought on as
co-composer.
MASS EFFECT: Music by
Jack Wall and Sam
Hulick
MM - Once again, you
found yourself working
alongside an
influential figure in
the game audio
community. What was it
like working with Jack
Wall? How
collaborative was the
scoring process for
MASS EFFECT?
SAM HULICK - Jack and
I worked independently
on our own cues for
the most part, and
collaborated on a few
pieces here and there.
There was a lot of
communication between
us during the process.
We had spreadsheets we
shared to keep track
of what was getting
done and by whom,
sometimes we'd email
patch presets back and
forth to get a more
cohesive sound. For
the most part though,
it was a team effort
to pitch in our
talents and our time
to take on this
massive score, and we
definitely needed all
hands on deck,
especially toward the
end of the project
when Richard Jacques
and David Kates were
brought on to help
wrap things up. I
think in total, all
four of us wrote over
two hours of music.
Jack acted as not only
lead composer, but
also manager, and
would assign each of
us different cues to
work on, provide
feedback, and handle
most of the
interaction with
BioWare. It was a
pretty smooth process
and it worked out
well.
MM - The score is
often lauded for its
beautiful blending of
synthetic and organic
instrumentation; how
did you go about
crafting that balanced
sound and what kind of
inspiration and
creative direction
from the producers did
you draw from?
SAM HULICK - Casey
Hudson, the producer
of the MASS EFFECT
franchise, had a very
clear vision from the
start as far as what
he was looking for.
Vangelis and Tangerine
Dream were strong
references in
developing the strong
vintage synth
influence that MASS
EFFECT’s musical
signature is based on.
There were other
stylistic ideas that
Casey had, such as
placing the analog synths in the same
orchestral hall
ambience as the
acoustic instruments,
and that’s one of the
defining qualities of
the MASS EFFECT sound.
So we took those
elements and ran with
them, adding a bit of
our own style to the
score to make it
something very
memorable and unique.
MM - What are some of
the tools and
techniques that you
employed to realize
the final product? Are
you more of a software
or hardware kind of
guy when it comes to
music production?
SAM HULICK - I'm
definitely more of a
software kind of guy.
I keep my studio setup
pretty minimal,
basically my Mac Pro,
a pair of Dynaudio
studio monitors, an
audio interface, and a
MIDI keyboard. I’ve
got a couple other
minor pieces of gear
for routing audio from
different sources but
that’s really about
it.
MM - How much access
did you have to the
game itself while you
were working? Is it
important for you to
be able to see your
music in context as
you work on it?
SAM HULICK - BioWare
loaned me an Xbox 360
dev kit with a beta
copy of MASS EFFECT
pre-installed, so what
I’d do is hook up the
Xbox 360 to an
alternate input on my
monitor and switch
between that and my
sequencer so I could
work on an idea, and
then switch back to
the game and play
while I played my
music. This is really
the best way to write
for games, I think.
It’s an instantaneous
feedback system that
gives you a good sense
of how the final
product will look and
sound.
MASS EFFECT 2: Music by
Jack Wall and Sam Hulick
MM - When the sequel
rolled around, did the
trust you established
with the developers
from working on the
first title afford you
more creative freedom?
Would you say that the
creative direction of
the MASS EFFECT 2
score was
significantly
different from the
first?
SAM HULICK - We were
given about as much
creative freedom as we
were given on the
first game I’d say. I
don’t think the
direction was
significantly
different but it was a
gradual shift towards
a more cinematic and
darker tone.
MM - What lessons did
you learn from the
first and apply to
working on the second
score?
SAM HULICK - Well, the
first game was a whole
new learning
experience for me
since it was my first
large scale scoring
gig. So by the time I
worked on the sequel,
I knew a lot more
about how the game
production process
worked and what to
expect as far as
workload and how much
time it would take to
write the music. And I
think MASS EFFECT 2
was more streamlined
and structured, just
from an organizational
perspective. We used
an online database to
keep track of our
progress and pass
notes to Jack’s
assistant Brian DiDomenico for
implementation; we
used Dropbox to sync
and share our cues
with Jack’s studio so
everything was always
up-to-date in one
place.
MM - Has DLC changed
the way you approach a
project? Knowing, for
instance, that the
world of music you're
creating will one day
need to be expanded.
Do you plan for that
or do you treat the
DLC situation as
entirely independent?
SAM HULICK - I think
it’s a case-by-case
basis, but usually
it’s a pretty
straightforward matter
to carry themes that
have already been
established into DLCs.
With the DLC I worked
on for MASS EFFECT, a
new theme was
developed for the Batarians, so it
didn’t borrow anything
thematically from MASS
EFFECT but the style
of the original score
was still there.
MM - Your work on MASS
EFFECT has obviously
started catching the
attention of more and
more people. Did that
have anything to do
with you being brought
on as the sole
composer for Red
Orchestra 2: HEROES OF
STALINGRAD, or was
that unrelated?
SAM HULICK -
Definitely, it had
everything to do with
me working on HEROES
OF STALINGRAD. I was
at the Valve party at
the 2010 Game
Developer’s Conference
and I kind of randomly
met these guys that a
colleague of mine
introduced me to. I
had no idea who they
were, and I’d never
heard of their company
before then. We
chatted a bit, they
told me about
themselves and their
work, and they told me
they were big fans of
the MASS EFFECT
soundtrack.
Incidentally, all of
their favorite parts
were pieces that I
wrote. We exchanged
cards, and they said
they had an
opportunity for me.
Right after GDC they
invited me to demo for
Red Orchestra 2:
HEROES OF STALINGRAD;
about a month later I
was chosen to score
the game, and so began
one of my biggest
undertakings to date.
MM - How did HEROES OF
STALINGRAD differ from
your previous major
projects, besides the
fact of being on your
own for it? For
example, did the
interactive music
system force you to
reconsider your
workflow at all?
SAM HULICK - Actually
the interactive music
system was not the
most challenging part
of the project. We
decided against
looping and using
stems for layers of
intensity because it
wouldn’t have worked
for this particular
game. For MASS EFFECT
2, it worked perfectly
but for HEROES OF
STALINGRAD, a
different approach was
needed. We needed
something that
wouldn’t tire the
listener as they would
likely be playing for
potentially long
stretches of time on
different maps. We
opted for a “playlist”
type format where the
music doesn’t loop,
but rather it plays
all the way through
and then skips
randomly to another
cue. And then the cue
that’s playing will
transition into a low
morale cue if your
team starts doing
poorly or transition
into a high morale cue
if things start going
well. Lastly, of
course, different
music will play
whether you’re playing
on the Russian side or
the German side. So on
my end, I was
fortunate enough to
just focus entirely on
the emotional and
creative aspects of
writing. It might have
been possible to write
in a way so that
there’s one central
neutral morale cue,
and then separate
stems that could be
layered in to give it
either a negative or
positive feeling, but
I don’t feel it would
have allowed for
enough flexibility to
produce a really
interesting and
powerful score in this
particular case.
Red Orchestra 2:
HEROES OF STALINGRAD -
Music by Sam Hulick
MM - Did you get the
opportunity to work
with some live
musicians to help
cement the realism of
the score? What was it
like integrating their
work into a
sample-based score?
SAM HULICK - I had the
pleasure of working
with a good friend of
mine, Jeff Ball, who
replaced the sampled
violin I had on a
handful of cues.
Naturally, the
difference was
astounding! Having
someone as skilled as
Jeff in the mix adds
such a breath of life
and emotion into the
score. When I started
writing the initial
cues, I added solo
violin to add an
element of loneliness
and sadness to the
music, and I knew from
the start that I had
to work with Jeff on
this. He's based out
of Seattle and I live
in Chicago, so all
work was done
remotely. I'd send him
a MIDI file and a full
stereo mix with
sampled violin so he
could hear what I was
going for, and a full
mix without the violin
so he could drop his
performance in. No
printed score, no
click, and I'd have my
cue back within a day
or two. It really
helps to have
professionals you can
rely on when you're in
crunch mode and you
need it done right in
one shot.
The choir I worked
with was the men's
chorale from the
Philadelphia Boys
Choir & Chorale,
except I used only the
men's section as I
needed a heftier sound
from the choir. There
was no doubt I had to
have a live choir for
this project; I knew
that from day one.
Having a sampled choir
attempt to
convincingly sing
lyrics in Russian is
asking for trouble. I
flew out and spent two
days in Philly to
oversee the choir
recording session. It
was a group of about
30 vocalists, tenors
and basses, and it
took about one evening
to get all the
material recorded. I
really love all the
work they did, but in
particular their
haunting performance
on "The Bitter End" is
my favorite. It still
gives me chills when I
listen to it!
MM - Do you find
yourself doing a lot
of research when
attempting a score
based on actual
history versus
something like MASS
EFFECT where the world
is fictional, or do
you approach every
project intuitively
and take it from
there?
SAM HULICK - It’s
interesting because
MASS EFFECT had this
50-page style guide,
basically a mini
encyclopedia on the
MASS EFFECT universe,
covering every race,
galactic history,
currency, ships,
everything. So in a
way, I spent time
researching a
“history” that never
really existed in
order to get a grasp
of the world I’d be
writing music for.
With any project,
there’s research
involved in getting
acquainted with the
context in which
you’re writing; it’s
just that one is from
someone’s imagination
while the other is
based in reality.
HEROES OF STALINGRAD
had an added component
of research though,
from a musical
perspective. To add
hints of classical
music, I referenced
German and Russian
composers: Beethoven,
Wagner, Bruckner,
Mussorgsky,
Tchaikovsky, and
Rachmaninov. Between
going over the history
of the Battle of
Stalingrad, and
logging many hours
listening to material
by the aforementioned
classical composers as
well as Soviet
marches, I spent a
substantial amount of
prep time before
really diving into the
score with both feet.
MM - You've said that
a priority of yours is
making sure that the
music you write for a
project works well not
only in context but
also outside of it, on
album. With the
release of a HEROES OF
STALINGRAD CD expected
along with the game,
what can you tell us
about preparing the
album? Do you get to
arrange the cues
yourself into an
optimal listening
experience or is that
out of your hands?
SAM HULICK - It’s been
tough! I’ve got a
spreadsheet that I was
using to keep track of
which cues I’d
completed, which ones
needed live violin,
and which had gone
through prep for
mixing/mastering. I
also checked off which
of the cues I
considered my
favorites, potentially
for inclusion on the
soundtrack, and there
were just too many. I
took a second pass and
narrowed it down to
maybe twenty, a bit
more workable. It is a
collaborative process
with the developers to
select the cues we’re
going to put on the
soundtrack album, and
in what order and how
to name them.
MM - What are you most
proud of in terms of
this score?
SAM HULICK - Well,
certainly having taken
on the task of writing
ninety minutes of
music was a major
undertaking as my
first solo project, so
I’m really proud of
that. And I feel we
achieved the goal of
adding enough
classical influence
into the music while
maintaining a core
video game experience.
I’m proud of the whole
project, honestly, and
I think the music is
some of the best I’ve
written to date. I
can’t wait to share
the music with
everyone when the
soundtrack is
released!
MM - If you had the
opportunity to work on
any project or
franchise, which one
would it be (or list
several that you're
inspired by if there
isn't one in
particular)?
SAM HULICK - The Elder
Scrolls comes to mind
right away. The Lord
of the Rings, Dragon
Age, Neverwinter
Nights...is it obvious
I’m a big fantasy fan?
I’ve always been into
fantasy RPGs and would
really love the
opportunity to score
music in this genre.
MM - As a parting
thought, are there any
other interesting
projects (personal or
professional) on the
horizon for you that
you can talk about?
There is some new
material that will be
surfacing in the fall,
but that’s all I can
say for now. Thanks
very much for having
me!