It’s been a little while since our last run of staff profiles, as we were all wildly busy launching our first title for the Xbox One. But as we look ahead to what comes next and welcome more staff into the studio, we’re getting back to showing you the people behind the games. Hopefully these will prove informative for those hoping to get into a particular line of work, but also entertaining enough to be worth a read for anyone interested in Rare or a general industry career.
In this edition: Jamie Hughes, musician, composer and sound designer. Basically an audio wizard. Take it away Jamie!
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Rare: What’s your background and how did you arrive at Rare?
Jamie Hughes: I was interested in music from a very early age, taking up piano lessons at six, then the trumpet at eight. In my teenage years I developed a passion for electronic music and around the same time I bought a Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) and got hooked. I used to try to recreate my favourite game tunes using MIDI equipment and instruments, with varying degrees of success! But I didn’t ever think it could lead to a career. I knew I wanted to do something related to music, so I did a degree in Music and Music Technology at the University of Derby. This covered all aspects of music, from performance and history through to acoustics and sound recording.
After I graduated, I saw a huge double page advert in Edge featuring a certain bird and bear duo. The job description seemed to describe me perfectly:
“Composers wanted, must be able to write music in a variety of styles” – “I can do that,” I thought.
“Must be able to use modern sequencing programs such as Cubase” – “I use Cubase!”
“Must be passionate about games” – Check!
I applied, and was sent a test to compose theme/level tunes for a cartoony racing game, an action-adventure game and a stealthy spy-type game. I got so close to the deadline I ended up driving down to Rare’s HQ to deliver the cassette (yes, cassette!) in person. It wasn’t until the interview that I realised what an incredible company Rare was. I looked around the interview room at the posters around the walls: GoldenEye, Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazooie, DKC. Receiving the acceptance letter a few weeks later was one of the most exciting things that’s ever happened to me (apart from getting married and having children, of course!).
Have you found yourself doing the job you always thought you’d do?
When I was little I wanted to be a fireman or a train driver, so I guess not! Seriously though, my job has changed over the years. I have evolved from a musician/composer into a sound designer, which still involves messing around with audio, just a bit less tunefully!
What are your main responsibilities on the average game?
My main responsibility is to design, create and implement the in-game sound assets that will hopefully enhance the gameplay and bring the game environment to life. Other responsibilities include documenting audio systems and processes, recording and editing audio for development diaries and interviews, producing sound for marketing and promotional videos, and occasionally playing instrument parts for Rare’s Head of Music, Robin Beanland.
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Which Rare games have you worked on, and what’s been your biggest achievement?
I started as a musician on the Game Boy Advance team, writing tunes for Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge and reworking the incredible score for the GBA versions of DKC and DKC2. Then I moved over to the Xbox 360, working on games like Perfect Dark Zero, Viva Piñata and Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise and later the Kinect Sports series. My biggest achievement? Probably winning the Rare spot the ball competition – twice! Creating the soundtrack to a Banjo game was probably the highlight of my career so far.
What do you see as the top perk of working for Rare?
The rural location of Rare’s offices is my top perk. I think the countryside surroundings have been a big influence on Rare’s games and I definitely find it inspiring. Having a drum kit to play in the recording studio is a pretty close second.
What do you find most exciting about your job?
Sometimes you don’t always have access to the objects you need to record, so you have to improvise. For example, there isn’t always a machine gun with a grenade launcher attachment lying around when you most need one, so the grenade reload sound for the M60 in Perfect Dark Zero was made by recording a guitar stand and a didgeridoo. I once made a paintball gun sound using a stapler and a bicycle pump. When those things end up in-game and working really well, I find that pretty exciting.
How would you describe your fellow workers in five words?
Dedicated, inventive, creative, inspiring, supportive.
Favourite Rare game, favourite game on an Xbox console and favourite game of all time?
• Banjo-Kazooie – If I had to pick one game that summed up what a Rare game was, it would be Banjo. The colourful characters and environments, the quirky yet instantly identifiable soundtrack and the oddball humour all add up to make a wonderfully enjoyable adventure.
• Skate – I used to skate a lot in my teens. I was a massive fan of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 on the Dreamcast, but it never gave you the feeling of being in control. The ‘flick it’ controls and the satisfying sound in Skate really gave you that sensation of performing and landing a trick.
• Ico – I became very emotionally attached to Ico and Yorda. The sparse and desolate sound effects and music mixed with the washed-out palette of the castle environment made a really unique atmosphere, giving you a real feeling of isolation. The ending was quite emotional too, though I didn’t end up blubbing down the phone like my sister did (sorry Anth!).
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Any good (printable) anecdotes or memories from within the walls of Rare?
The music department used to form a band for the Christmas parties which was always great fun (for us at least). The first few years I was part of the brass section, then I played bass for a couple of years. One year my bass amp got accidentally turned up too high which meant all anyone could hear was me. As soon as I started the intro to Ace of Spades by Motorhead, the fuse to the generator tripped and threw the whole party into darkness. Rock and roll!
In what ways has advancing technology changed the world of game audio design?
I think we’ve reached the point where we are no longer restricted by hardware limitations. Sure, more memory or audio processing would be welcome, but how you use what’s available is more important. Advances in game engines and audio tools are empowering audio designers to create and implement a lot of work alone, without the need for a software engineer to step in so frequently. This in turn gives us the freedom to be creative, try things out and iterate more rapidly, allowing us to spend more time honing the audio experience.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking of applying for a role similar to yours?
Get to know a variety of audio middleware programs, the main ones being Wwise and Fmod. Learn how audio systems are built and implemented within these, and how they operate in-game. Become familiar with third-party game engines such as Unity and Unreal. Many games are built using these nowadays and allow the sound designers to implement a lot of their own content via visual scripting languages such as blueprints. The most important thing, however, is the ability to design and mix unique sound that compliments the visual aesthetic of the subject and evokes the appropriate emotional response. Make sure your demo reel demonstrates those abilities above all else!
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Check out the full Rare Life category to see everyone we’ve featured in past instalments!
Weighing up a career in the games biz? What roles would you like to see covered in future Rare Life columns? Drop us a line and let us know.