Hi there, We are the audio team for the hugely popular browser based MMO RuneScape here at 6pm BST (1pm EDT) to answer as many questions as we can on making sound and music for games and on what's in store audio wise for RuneScape 3.

Answering your audio questions today will be JagexLord, JagexBond, JagexAdamR, JagexMik and JagexIan. The team!

We'll also have JagexJane and RevenantCrow from the RuneScape Community team on hand to help answer a few other questions.

So, ask away!

EDIT:Hey folks, we're going to head off now. We can come back and answer questions if you have anything else to ask, or catch me on Soundcloud. Thanks for coming along!

Comments: 423 • Responses: 38  • Date: 

GreatWhiteYark50 karma

Who wrote Flute Salad? What was the inspiration for this magnificent song?

JagexIan43 karma

That would be me!

I like all kinds of quirky music and wanted to do some humorous songs in RS, so I came up with this. It started with me messing about with some flute passages until something came together that I liked, and the song grew from there.

...I'll let you in to a little secret - the name of the song came from another song by a very unusual band called Gong :)

JagexLord19 karma

Gong... Ian is showing his age... which is older than me :)

JagexIan12 karma

Yeah but I only look about 18 :P

ZR_Crocodile3 karma

[deleted]

JagexLord4 karma

he's the oldest looking one ;)

myChairMyRules26 karma

Hi there guys; I'm crazy happy this is happening! RS was a massive part of my youth, and something that has driven me towards the game development industry - the music is as great as ever! nostalgia...

  • Something I've always wanted to know - will I ever be able to buy the Runescape Audio Album? Is that a thing? I want it SOO badly, but I'm loath to download them if there's another option.
  • How do you create your music - what software and process (reviewing and such) do you use?

JagexLord9 karma

Hey there! We'd love to bring you some albums. It's something I definitely want to pursue! I'd like to do extended versions of some of the tracks exclusively for download.

JagexLord17 karma

Hey there everyone!

Hope you're all having a good day. The whole RS audio team is here this evening. Mod Bond, Mod Ian, Mod Adam R, Mod Mik and Mod Lord. We are enjoying your company, as well as a few beers and food! :)

myChairMyRules8 karma

As a programmer, I'm guessing pizza? Or maybe chinese?

JagexLord13 karma

Haha yes pizza... the food of games developers! We have sandwiches too...

BertieRS13 karma

Will the new music be able to be downloaded in mp3 format from the downloads section the website when it's launched? Thanks :)

JagexLord16 karma

I'm intending putting our music on Soundcloud, it gives me the ability to get downloads ready quickly :)

Expect some teasers over the coming weeks!!

worncheese213 karma

Do you guys ever fell like your work goes to waste when people play with sounds turned off?

JagexLord6 karma

Good question. It's not a waste no. My remit is to make as many players turn on their sound as possible. For quests in particular there is a massive opportunity with audio to add depth and immersion to the stories. Audio will continue to get better and better and we will continue to offer players more reasons to turn sounds and music on.

Victor_Simek8 karma

BTW, to whoever reads this, please pass this on to the entire audio team...

I really appreciate the work you guys are doing in modernizing RuneScape's soundtrack and making it more immersive. Mo's Gold Teeth sounds great and I think it's kind of neat how there are still people in the world today that know how to play those kinds of traditional instruments. The orchestra sounds absolutely fantastic, and I think even the ambient sounds won't go unmissed. Not many RS players feel this way, but personally, I've wanted really nice music\sound for a long time now.

I've played enough video games to know the power a good music and sound score can have on a game.

JagexLord4 karma

We agree!!

BertieRS7 karma

Will every single song in the game be updated which is currently there? If so will you be deleting any of tracks or just reworking every one again?

JagexLord9 karma

We are not intending deleting any songs currently. We will eventually update all music but for launch we are looking at around 6 hours of music which includes the orchestra, folk music, and a lot of new contemporary content for 6th age

JagexLord6 karma

Follow us on Soundcloud!

www.soundcloud.com/RunescapeSoundtrack

:)

jshimmy5 karma

About how many tracks do you expect to have redone when RS3 launches? Safe to assume that the new ScapeBold will be the title screen track?

JagexLord9 karma

At least 100 tracks. We have lots of new 6th age music as well. ScapeBold will indeed feature as the title. We may also put other tracks at the front as well so it varies each time. What do you think of that idea?

Rob_Saget4 karma

Thank you for doing this AMA!

  • What's the funnest part of your job?
  • Do you guys actually play Runescape?
  • Would you be interested in coming on my podcast and nerding out?

Thank you again and look forward to your responses!

JagexLord4 karma

Funnest part of my job is definitely getting to play my mandolin and ukulele! Best part is to record orchestras. It can be such an overwhelming experience that makes everything worthwhile :)

ScryingGnome4 karma

1 what was it like working with james hannigan will you work with him again in the future? 2 what is your favourite rs track? 3 what you guys find more enjoyable writing new music or redoing old tracks or voice acting ? 4 do you ever think there will be a time were all npcs will be voice acted ? 5 how does working at jagex differ from past companys you have worked with? 6 many users choose do mute all in game sound is that upsetting to see that many people wont expereince something you worked hard on and what would you say to users to change there minds ? 7 when looking to voice well loved characters are you more careful to a sure you find the right actor then you would with say a new charcter? 8 how do you choose which areas to redo is it a matter of choice or do have to wait to the area is geting graphically update? 9 many users request downloads for tracks will this be possiable with the realse of rs 3? 10 what is your favourite aspect of runescape that you havent worked on eg lore, skills etc?

JagexLord6 karma

I've known James Hannigan a long time and worked with him previously on the Harry Potter games. He is a brilliant composer who instinctively knows what I'm looking for.

My favourite RS track is Harmony.

Can you separate your questions a bit haha or I might spend the whole hour answering this one :)

ChaosZeroX4 karma

Can you guys upload the tracks to Soundcloud?

JagexLord8 karma

Yes, lots more music will be uploaded to Soundcloud. We have a pro account and intend uploading lots of albums!

Malochov3 karma

The one on the right clearly lifts. Will there be much variety, even if only eventually? Constant orchestral can be very tiring.

JagexMik3 karma

There's going to be a lot of variety it won't all be orchestral, we're working with a variety of individual musicians also, our reworks are a mix between orchestral and folk and a lot of the new 6th age content uses a lot of contemporary ideas and varied instrumentation including eastern percussion and electric guitars.

JagexLord3 karma

some distorted guitars played backwards to be more precise ;)

there is some lovely acoustic guitar in 6th age music as well...

Rombom3 karma

What exactly do you mean when you talk about '6th age music'? Is this merely new music being written for RS3, or will it be playing during 6th age related content?

JagexLord4 karma

new content :)

JagexLord3 karma

Me, Mod Ian and Mod Adam R are still around to take more questions :)

ZOMGZ_CATZ3 karma

I recently started composing some music as a hobby. What programs and equipment do you use?

JagexLord3 karma

We use all sorts of programs. Each composer has his particular favourite programs but overall we use Pro tools, Cubase, Audition, etc.

Rombom3 karma

Hi there! I've played Runescape since 2004, and audio is a huge part of it for me. Here are my questions;

1) A few statements that have been made in various intervies and videos have me a little confused. It's been said that you have six hours of music recorded for Runescape 3. However, it's also been said that you will not be using any MIDI tracks. How does this work when there is (by my estimates) over 2 days of MIDI music and sounds in the game?

2) What are your favorite music tracks from the game? Mine is Face Off, from The Chosen Commander.

JagexLord3 karma

Hey there, it's our ultimate aim to update all music. We are starting with new themes and re-imagining some of the classic melodies into brand new compositions. This includes the orchestra and our more folky elements. We should have reworked over 100 tracks for RS3 launch and will continue post launch. This should cover most if not all the surface world music.

MassterKeef3 karma

Did you guys major in music in college? How many of you guys can play an instrument?

JagexLord7 karma

I have a degree in Physics and a masters in Applied Optics!! Apart from that, we are all musicians who play various instruments who have generally dedicated our lives to music.

aerotrumpet3 karma

So, as a trumpet player, I have to say - I really love the new "bold" version of the main theme! Very brass heavy, which is awesome!

What do you think the chances are of the composer getting the music published? I know there are a lot of music publishers that feature arrangements of video game pieces, but you almost never see the original, recorded sheet music for sale. Video game music as a whole is pretty under-represented in my opinion, and I think people would really enjoy playing/hearing it live. I just think it would be a really neat thing to have, depending on how the composer feels about it. Thanks for doing this!

JagexLord2 karma

Yeah the orchestra had a really big brass section, check out the BTS!

We will consider doing a soundtrack of the orchestral music.

aerotrumpet2 karma

Yeah, the BTS was pretty epic! Unfortunately, I worded my question rather poorly. I was actually asking about the sheet music, although I would definitely buy the orchestral soundtrack as well!

You guys should really talk to Video Games Live and get that main theme played on their tours - I think people would really dig it! Considering how well VGL is doing, it would be fantastic exposure for the music, as well as the game as a whole.

JagexLord2 karma

We could consider sheet music although the full score for the orchestral sessions is pretty huge!!

xandercore2 karma

How soon until we can hear more new songs on your SoundCloud, as opposed to the two (very awesome songs) that are already up there?

JagexLord2 karma

I will try and get a medley of stuff up next week. Maybe we will do a 6th Age medley and a reworked mix of old themes.

Victor_Simek2 karma

Do you plan on having any MIDI tracks left after you're done the steamrolling?

Will all of the MIDI tracks be replaced? And if so, will they all be replaced by the time RS3 launches?

I wouldn't want to see a schizophrenic music system where some tracks are high-quality orchestrated music and other tracks are low-quality synthesized MIDI...

JagexLord2 karma

Some of the tracks that are not replaced yet (mostly quest music) will be rendered out MIDI tracks that will be streamed from the server. We can then replace the audio files as and when we get the opportunity.

Draisey2 karma

What's the best song you guys have written for runescape in your opinion? This could range from most fun to compose to simply favourite to listen to. And thanks, I've always loved the soundtrack for runescape, a lot of my childhood went into that game

JagexLord3 karma

I've not written that many, the majority was Mod Ian and Mod Bond. I enjoyed writing 'Wending Through The Willows' and 'Valerios Song'. I like bringing vocals into the soundtrack and will be doing more...

insane_moose2 karma

Is there any artists you take inspiration from when creating your work, whether they are from popular culture and/or movie or tv composers?

JagexLord3 karma

I'm a massive prog rock fan! Oh dear, the cat's out the bag...

izziel2 karma

How did you guys came in touch with jagex? What did you do before jagex and how did you contact jagex or did jagex contacted you?

JagexLord4 karma

I've been around a long time haha. Previously working for EA, Realtime Worlds, Rage Software etc.

I have to admit though, I've never been happier here, I love my job and the people here :)

JagexMik5 karma

Shucks

JagexLord6 karma

Some of the people here... ;)

TheInnocents2 karma

Hi there can we expect future quests and all previous quests to be voice acted?

JagexIan3 karma

Hi!

Eventually perhaps, it's definitely something we'd like to do, but it will take a lot of time as there are so many quests to do!

TheInnocents3 karma

Thanks for answering! One other question regarding voice acting.

With all the hype and build up surrounding The World Wakes as such a groundbreaking and story changing quest, it was disappointing that it wasn't voice acted (Besides Cres' laugh)

Why wasn't such an epic quest voice acted and what decision making goes into deciding whether to have a quest voice acted?

Rombom2 karma

I believe this was answered when the quest was released. There would have been over 30 characters that needed to be voiced - none of the voiced quests so far have had anywhere close to this - and they were cautious because they were well-established characters and players might have their own ideas on what they sounded like.

JagexLord3 karma

This is true, yes. There are some parts that I would love to voice. Frail Guthix talking while the orchestral music is playing would have been a fantastic bit of drama I think.

There is loads of voiced content in the pipeline though and we've just recorded two full days of actors :)

TechKnows2 karma

So I figured this would be the place to ask about the RS Theme Competition, since it's your department and all. :P Will there be an opportunity for the players to listen to all (or at least some of the the best) of the submissions? Or will we only see the final grand prize winner? I personally would quite like to be able to listen to how others have taken the melodies. :)

JagexLord2 karma

Yeah I'd like to put a few mixes together of some of the best submissions as well as some quite 'different' versions. Maybe put them on Soundcloud. I could put some up next week to inspire people to give it a go! :)

SoftLove2 karma

I remember making specific trips to places JUST to listen to the soundtrack. Sometimes this involved danger, like going out to listen to 'undercurrent' lol. . . I'm so glad you guys are doing this AMA. So much nostalgia. Maybe enough for me to come back to runescape just for a very short time. . . :p Totally going to enter this remix contest. How could I not??

JagexLord2 karma

Come back! There's sooo much new fab music to listen to! :)

Look forward to hearing your music...

jonnyholmes32 karma

Just want to say thank you really, I started playing in 2003, and I'd definitely say that the music in Runescape was one of it's defining features.

JagexLord2 karma

Glad you like it... and we will continue to improve it :)

Lukeski142 karma

I really enjoy listening to the old music, it makes me feel very nostalgic. I thank you for the soundtrack of many good memories.

Anyways, I wanted to ask: what do you do on a day to day basis, and do you ever play the game during work?

Thanks for doing this AMA.

JagexLord2 karma

I look after my lovely team, making sure they are all happy :)

I sometimes have the live game running on my other pc but don't tell any of the others...

TechKnows2 karma

Here's a question I'm sure many are wondering. Mac or PC? ;)

JagexLord3 karma

I use both. But I have to admit I do love my Macbook Pro, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch haha.

izziel2 karma

Do you guys think music will play a much bigger role in the atmosphere in the game with the higher quallity music?

JagexLord3 karma

Yes, absolutely! There is much more to come as well...

risljaninasim2 karma

Where genre's of music do you guys/girls like the most?

JagexLord2 karma

I like all genres. I had to write music in many styles because of my job which helped developed a love of a real mix of music. My passion from my youth is prog rock though :)

feariousblack2 karma

Would it be possible for you guys to release an album of all the old RuneScape tracks before they are redone? Although I am very excited for the new tracks, the old ones really strike a vein in my nostalgia and I would love to have them to listen to. Thanks :)

JagexLord3 karma

We have all the old music saved, don't worry about that. I just to find a good place to ensure that it is kept available for everyone to indulge in some nostalgia! :)