Many thanks to James Hannigan, a freelance composer who has done much of the music for Republic, for taking the time out to answer some of my questions about his work. On with the show!

1) For those who don't know you, can you briefly explain your job, and sum up your specific work with Elixir over the last few years?

I'm a freelance composer and I'm writing the music in Republic. I have a close working relationship with Elixir on an ongoing basis.

2) How has working with Elixir (and specifically Republic) been different from your many other projects with other companies?

Republic is completely unique and very refreshing in an industry producing so many derivative titles. Elixir is brave and ambitious in undertaking to create a game of this kind, and I am thrilled to be a part of it. The people I encounter at the company are supportive and take on board my ideas for integrating music in games. I've been able to explore various avenues ordinarily unavailable to composers in this industry, both stylistically and technically.

3) What areas of the game have you concentrated on? Specifically background music, or have you been involved in the sound effects and the recording of the Sim-style language as well?

I have no involvement with sound effects and dialogue production at Elixir. Those are in the capable hands of the in-house audio department, run by Richard Joseph. My role is one of creating musical content and then devising ways of playing that back in the context of the game. In order to do that I do, of course, liaise with the audio department and rely heavily also on Andy Mucho, the audio coder on this project, to painstakingly implement the playback requirements of the music system.

4) What process do you go through when you sit down to compose a new piece of music for, say, a specific action in the game or a background tune?

Sometimes I think of an idea and then rush to my studio to get it down quickly. Time permitting, I try to match the music I am working on with the mood I am in. If I'm trying to create a specific feeling in others, I believe I need to bring about that feeling in myself as well. But there are obviously times when I have to go against my current mood in order meet deadlines. The whole process is certainly easier when a musical framework has been established for a project. When writing something for a specific Action in Republic, I am taking into consideration the way it plays out, how often it may be used, how dramatic it is and how it will blend with other elements in the game.

5) How was the apparent morphing from one style of music to another achieved?

Firstly, I'd like to thank Andy Mucho for implementing the system handling the playback of music in-game. I can't go into it too much here, but it's basically connected to 'branching'. Background music branches, often without noticeably stopping or pausing, and matches the overall game state. Sometimes branching tracks are stacked up as layers. One difficulty is in arranging content to keep the underlying process reasonably transparent, and the music seemingly continuous. Deciding when, how and where to branch in a game like this is challenging to say the least, especially with so much happening at once. The desired effect is one of a tapestry of un-intrusive music surrounding you as you play the game.

6) Did you look to current Russian music for influences, and if so, any specific artists or bands?

I didn't really make an attempt to directly derive ideas from Russian music. However, with some of the pieces I did want to refer slightly to Russian folk music styles in order to create an appropriate regional flavour. There are a handful of experienced folk musicians involved in the project and there is also a portion of fully orchestral music in there.

7) Have any of the tools used to create the music been developed in house (such as the graphics engine) or have you used off-the-shelf packages? Have you been using services like VSL?

The recently launched Vienna Symphonic Library sounds exciting and I will be trying that out at some point. But, when it is appropriate, I'd like to encourage more use of orchestras and live musicians.

8) Compared to other projects you have undertaken, how successful do you consider you work for Republic to be? Are you happy with the final pieces and general effect that your music has on the game?

I am never totally happy with what I do, but that fuels my desire to keep improving. I am happy, however, that the background music in Republic seems to be quite important in the experience of playing the game. It sets the scene and puts actions into an emotional context, which I hope goes some way towards immersing the player in the game.

9) Without going into specifics, of course, how much have you worked on Elixir's second title and has that brought with itself similar challenges to Republic?

I'm under strict orders not to discuss anything other than Republic at the moment! But thank you for asking.

I now asked James a couple of questions relating to his work and career away from Republic:

1) You have a pretty impressive list of credentials, including the new Freelancer game. How did you get into the industry and at what time do you think you had your first 'big break' into top-level games?

My first involvement with games was through Richard Joseph in the early 90s, with whom I have worked on and off on various projects since. I was getting involved in a few other industries at that time, but became excited about the creative possibilities offered by games. I went in-house at Electronic Arts for a few years, where I further acquainted myself with studio technology and methods for implementing audio in games.

2) Where do you see game soundtracks going from here? Do you see them rivalling movie soundtracks within time?

Yes in terms of delivery, but not necessarily in style. Hopefully we will get closer and closer to emulating the subjective process of mixing a soundtrack in real-time, with film mixing as a model for that. I am slightly suspicious, however, of the idea games and films ought to be similar in stylistic terms, unless there is a clear relationship in genre. I do concede the two mediums are visually led and, in some ways, share a similar purpose for sound and music. On the whole, I wonder if the spectacle of cinema equates to the intimate small-screen experience of playing games. Having said that, I see no reason why some styles can't be shared by both industries. Part of me feels that by deriving ideas from film we are enforcing the perception that games are secondary in some way, and mere spin-off material generated by another, more senior entertainment industry. Overall, I would say the future quality of soundtracks in general depends partly on how much developers are willing or able to spend on them and how seriously they take the implementation of sound and music in games.

3) Music in games has gone from a repetitive song in the background to be used the same way as music in the movies i.e. to create tension, lighten the mood, excite us etc. With the innovations in the game industry, do you see music taking on other roles in games other then creating the mood required?

I hope you don't mind a long answer to this one. I think it depends on how music is defined in the first place. Forgetting notated music for a moment, we are very much in an era of sound and recorded music. It's unclear where the substance of that is to be found, because a musical idea and its realisation in sound are one and the same thing. It could be argued that musicality emerges when a sequence of sounds heard together evoke an emotional response, impose a sense of order or perhaps tell a story of some kind. But a sound designer could equally well argue that sound effects create feelings in people. There is an interesting grey area, where 'music' ends and 'sound' begins. Over the years, music in games has been forced into this 'in between' state, more or less to fill the unforeseeable space in time between significant events on the timeline. The more elaborately structured music is, the less it seems to fit into games, moment by moment, and the less reusable it becomes. Of course, 'conventionally structured' music can be used, but I think it needs to be used sparingly and form only part of the content going into games. The problem is basically one of placing something we think of as linear in a nonlinear context. It's very hard to do if you plan to have music flow continuously, as in Republic. People in the games industry use the word 'ambience' a lot, but it's still a bit unclear whether this is a sonic or musical term. The composers and sound designers are left to fight it out! But, for me, this is a great example of sound and music evolving in games and being led by the medium itself. It's this kind of tension that leads to something novel and unique emerging in the end. You can draw your own conclusions about this, because I believe the jury is still out in terms of the ultimate function of music in games. It's even unclear who the audience for music is in the first place, because a games player is simultaneously audience to, and participant in, onscreen events.

4) Who are your major influences?

I listen to a broad spectrum of music, across a variety of genres. I like old and new orchestral works but equally anything else I find engaging and interesting, especially if it uses technology in novel ways. In terms of film music, my favourite composer would probably be Jerry Goldsmith, who manages to stay experimental and fresh despite working in mainstream Hollywood.

5) What advantages can you see for working freelance like you do to working with a specific company? Would you ever consider joining a development team full-time, like Richard Joseph did with Elixir?

I enjoy the freedom of movement as a freelancer, but that has to be backed up by discipline in getting work done. I also have to keep my studio up-to-date. It's nice also from the point of view of being able to work on diverse projects. Being in-house is probably preferable if your role is one of coordinator or involves liaising with others on a daily basis

Cheers for your time James!

Thanks for the questions and I hope you enjoy Republic when it hits the shelves.

(My thanks also to various forum members for offering questions for use in this interview)