Adam Fligsten – Composer/Audio Programmer @ Silen Audio

Julius Kukla – Senior Technical Dialogue Coordinator @ Naughty Dog

Kyle Vande Slunt – Audio Director, Team Audio

Nick von Kaenel – Audio Director, Respawn Entertainment

In our talk, we discuss the importance of Reaper scripting in many game audio pipelines, as well as how game audio professionals can begin to integrate the power of Reaper scripting into their workflows.

1) Why Should Game Audio Professionals Learn Reaper Scripting?

One of the best answers to that question is Julius’ excellent GDC talk about the dialogue pipeline at Naughty Dog

The short answer is that a well placed Reaper script can provide an incredible amount of time saving for just about any action that happens in a repeated way.

Do you find yourself doing the same thing over and over? Could you make a script to do that for you?

Every single game deals with a tremendous amount of files, in specific standards, with specific naming schemes. When dealing with these files, it can be absolutely overwhelming to fit them into standards, and fit them in as they need to be created.

Reaper scripting can also be used as a creative tool, helping a sound artist quickly iterate through ideas, or quickly create common structures to facilitate creativity. Does it take 5 seconds to load a plugin? What if it took 0.5?

2) Reaper Basics

People have asked about the learning curve of using Reaper. I will be honest, I have used most of the major DAW’s out there. When I made the switch to using Reaper as my daily DAW, I expected the transition to be much quicker than it wound up being. 

I made a video about how to begin using Reaper if you are coming from a Logic background:

Because Reaper is as customizable as it is, you need to learn where to look for the function you are looking for, or how to customize it for your needs, and this takes some time. 

There are some great Youtube tutorials, but the one that everyone goes to is Reaper Mania:

There is also plenty to be learned from in the Reaper forum:

https://forum.cockos.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20

3) Installing Scripts

One of the primary ways that most people install public scripts is through Reapack
https://reapack.com/

Reapack handles Reaper packages. Here is a Youtube video covering the basics of installing:

You can look around for some of the best script packages out there, but here is a good one to get you started:

https://github.com/ReaTeam/ReaScripts

4) Reaper Scripting Intro

Learning Reaper scripting can take many forms. The Reaper forums are an invaluable resource. 

The Reaper API has most of the technical information that you might need:

https://www.reaper.fm/sdk/reascript/reascripthelp.html

There are some good Youtube tutorials out there:

5) Reaper Scripting Basics

There are essentially three types of Reaper scripts: 

Reascript (Lua)

JSFX (EEL2)

Reascript (Python)

Personally, I would probably not recommend starting with Python scripting, even if you already know Python. The dependencies and Python versioning can cause many headaches, and Lua is really the default Reascript language. 

I didn’t know Lua before I started scripting in Reaper, but the more I use it, the more impressed I am with it’s depth and portability. It really is quite an impressive language, growing fast in usage, and the second most used open source language after Rust. 

There are some great technical tutorials to learning the basics of Reascript. I think this one is quite good:

https://www.admiralbumblebee.com/music/2018/09/22/Reascript-Tutorial.html

This is also great, from one of the best and most prolific Reaper scripters:

https://www.extremraym.com/en/series/reascript-beginners

6) Some of Our Favorite Scripts

NKV Tools

It should almost go without saying, but Nick von Kaenel has made some incredible scripts, which are available on his website: www.nvk.tools

Some of them require a license to use for a long period of time, but many of them are completely free to use. 

Ultraschall

An infinitely valuable set of tools that programmers can use to get even deeper into the functions of Reaper. 

ffprobe Scene Detect by Mrlimbic

Great for quickly seeing where camera cuts are in a cinematic or IGC, which is super helpful since we typically don’t want dialogue playing over camera cuts

Some of them require a license to use for a long period of time, but many of them are completely free to use. 

Reaper Update Utility by FeedTheCat

Makes the process of installing a new Reaper version significantly easier.

Radial Menu

Creates a ‘quick menu’ under your mouse to quickly select common actions. I use it mostly to load the plugins that I regularly use, quickly.

Check it out here!

Limited Time Offer: Unbeatable Value

To celebrate our relaunch, we’re offering Infinite Flow at an incredibly discounted price. For a limited time, you can get a perpetual license for just $78 – our lowest sale price ever! This is an unbeatable opportunity to get your hands on this powerful tool at a fraction of its regular cost.
Don’t miss out on this chance to elevate your music production with Infinite Flow. Grab this deal now and start creating the warm, analog sounds you’ve always dreamed of!

Get Infinite Flow Now for Just $78!

We’re excited to see what you’ll create with the new and improved Infinite Flow. As always, we’re here to support you on your musical journey. Here’s to a summer filled with incredible sounds and boundless creativity!

A Fresh Look: Our Modern Website

We’ve given our website a complete overhaul, creating a more modern and user-friendly interface. This redesign aims to make your browsing experience smoother and more enjoyable, allowing you to find the information you need quickly and easily.

Infinite Flow Version 1.11: Packed with New Features

Our latest update, Version 1.11, is a game-changer. We’ve incorporated numerous new features and made significant improvements based on your valuable feedback. Here’s what you can look forward to:

More Modulation Sources: We added the ability to use “Slop” as a modulation source, as well as individual voice modulations.

Macro Detune: In our oscillator macro section, we added the ability to detune all of the oscillators together, to create exciting multi-oscillator modulations.

Enhanced Presets: We’ve expanded our basic preset bundle, adding tons of new options. These presets are full of the warm analog tones that our customers love.

Compatibility and Licensing

Infinite Flow Version 1.11 is available for both Windows and Mac:
Windows: VST3
Mac: AU/VST3

We offer a 100% perpetual license for multiple devices, with no iLok authorization required. This means you can use Infinite Flow on all your machines without any hassle.

Hello! It’s Adam Fligsten, founder and lead composer of Silen Audio here to tell you about our recent project with Universal Production Music and Emperia Music Group: Memphis Phonk. 

Silen Audio has always been a modern audio house, focused on new and emerging genres, as well as traditional musical sounds.

Phonk is a somewhat recent is a genre that has become a bit of a meme in online circles. It is often used for workout videos or other “cool”, tough seeming videos. Sometimes used earnestly, sometimes ironically.

Personally, I love a lot of Phonk music. It is a clear homage to a early 90’s Memphis hip hop. This is a sound that has revolutionized music worldwide.

The 808’s are big, the cowbells are present, the vocals are loud. Everything just hits. 

We worked with the excellent songwriter and vocalist Zo Duncan. Zo made a bank of verses/choruses that I later cut up and reworked to fit the style of music.

I had a tremendous amount of fun writing these songs, as well as I believe I found a lot of deep creativity in the process. We hope that other people agree and can hear the love and passion that went into this banger of an album.

During his nearly 2 hour live stream, Markus showed the emotional range and immediately picked up on an important aspect of the synth design:

“Rather than a bit for bit recreation of a classic synth…this seems like a ‘feel’ approach for an instrument. Which I personally love”.

On the Sound:

He praised the presets and overall tone. Noting that many synths try for flashy, attention grabbing presets, which don’t necessarily translate to a full mix 

“Often times the best sounds that convert to most listening environments sort of come off understated. They are subtle and controlled, but let through the emotion. A lot of synths give very bright and harsh sounds, this is definitely coming across very soft, and that’s really hard to do.”

Similarly, 

They definitely know what they are doing on the production and mixing front here because it’s so precisely defined and controlled, very pleasant and that’s gonna convert nicely in the mix”

Noting the range of sounds Infinite Flow is capable of pulling off, he particularly praised the pads:

“So soft and so precisely put together, that just nails these kind of darker synth sounds”

As well as

“A lot of massive, big, juicy basses.“

On the UI:

“Right out of the gate, just opening this out it looks stunning, I love the way it looks. Everything about it is a 10/10 for me. All the colors, the shades, the layout and typography – everything here is super nicely done and it’s nice that it scales on my bigger screen”

“I like this interface so much that I want to get my hands in there and tweak things even when you have those brilliant presets.“

“I love that i don’t have to read a manual to understand any of this, which is fantastic, great design.“

On the Presets:

“There are a lot of great instruments out there, but there are fewer great sound designers out there and they clearly know what they’re doing with this stuff and it often is a very big selling point of a library.”

On the Final Product:

“You’re purchasing their production sense, their mixing abilities, their vision in that sound design department. You’re not just paying for their stellar library or instrument, you’re also paying for their knowledge and wisdom in that compartment.“

“This seems like a toy box for me like I want to get in there and use it, it’s so well designed and put together.“

“Super happy to have this in the arsenal now and to utilize this in the future. Just through and through very enjoyable and pleasant experience. It’s one of those tools that you look at and I’m excited to use. I like this interface so much that I want to get my hands in there and tweak things even when you have those brilliant presets.“

Emrah Gonulkirmaz tasked Silen Audio to create original audio and music for the new teaser of Fragments. Silen Composer and Founder Adam Fligsten wrote the music, while Matt Callahan provided the sound design.

Fragments is a Sci-fi, action-adventure, role playing game with an emphasis on puzzle solving and survival.

Dave is building a wonderful community of composers who talk about production music and what it means to make a living as a composer in 2022. It is a wonderful thing that he is doing, sharing knowledge and support.

We thought it was a great conversation!

What a year 2022 has been! We have been hard at work, but also hard at play. Although we haven’t gotten a chance to play every game, listen to every album, or watch every movie and TV show as we would like, we have enjoyed a lot this year.

We polled the employees at Silen, and brought together what we’ve enjoyed and what we would recommend to other people to check out if they haven’t already.

You might know some of our picks, but we bet you haven’t heard of all of them.

We hope everyone gets a chance to unplug during this holiday season.

Let us know what you have enjoyed this year!

Video Games

Elden Ring

Game of the Year!! The winner for Best Game Direction, Most Anticipated Game, Best Role Playing Game and Art Direction for a reason. Probably no other game took up as much time at Silen as Elden Ring. Not to be missed.

Trek to Yomi

A wonderful tribute to Kurasawa movies, with a powerful story and incredible score by Cody Matthew Johnson and Yoko Honda.

God of War: Ragnarok

How did they manage to meet (if not surpass) God of War? A pinacle of modern game design and storytelling. Won 6 Game Awards for: Best Narrative, Best Score and Music, Best Audio Design, Best Action/Adventure, Innovation in Accessibility, Best Performance.

Time on Frog Island

We had a lot of fun playing and interviewing Time on Frog Island, which released this summer. It’s an adorable and engaging puzzle island exploration game with lots of fun surprises!

Metal: Hellsinger

A heart-racing shooter with one of the most inventive real-time music components in any game up until this point. Great music by Two Feathers!

Music

BLK ODYSSY – BLK VINTAGE

Experimental, psychedelic soul. This album feels both modern and timeless.

Fans of classic Outkast and their team might feel right at home.

Joel Ross – The Parable of The Poet

Joel Ross is one of the most exciting artists working in Jazz today. His music is refreshingly understated but with a deep amount of subtle depth to every decision.

Iceberg Black – The Mothership

A whopping 50(!) song odyssey from an underrated rapper/producer.

The Mothership collects many of Black’s mixtapes over the past decade, as well as enough new songs to justify such a deep listen.

Ella Mai – Leave You Alone (Heart on My Sleeve)

This R&B single has beautiful writing and production as Ella sings her heart out. It really set the scene for the entire album release.

Steve Lacy – Bad Habit (Gemini Rights)

A cool, groovy mix between R&B and nostalgic indie pop with catchy and relatable lyrics. This Billboard Hot 100 chart topper never gets tired to the ears.

Rihanna – Lift Me Up (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

Rihanna’s beautifully sung ballad fits the powerful emotions of the film. Her music has been missed so it’s a delight to hear something new.

TV Shows

Severance (Apple TV)

The first season of this captivating sci-fi psychological thriller with an interesting take on work-life balance had us hooked and guessing until the end!

The Rehearsal (HBO)

Nathan Fielder continues with his brand of reality-bending comedic entertainment. Every episode will drop your jaw and catch you off guard.

1899 (Netflix)

One of the best new period drama, supernatural sci-fi shows of the year! It’s a trippy masterpiece that originated in Germany.

Abbot Elementary (ABC)

The second season release of a comedic angle on the U.S. education system. We love all of the character stories and uplifting messages.

Peacemaker (HBO)

Suicide Squad writer, James Gunn, presents a hilarious and super silly superhero show that brightens your day.

Movies

Black Adam

So many stunning VFX, sound, and animation moments. The story keeps you invested with awesome action scenes and funny conversations.

Belle

A colorful, futuristic virtual variation of Beaty and the Beast with touching and relevant storytelling. The music hypnotizes you with beautiful melodies and soul.

Everything Everywhere All at Once

An insanely creative, engaging, and dynamic adventure/sci-fi plot that moves you through all kinds of emotions. There are just so many flawlessly executed layers.

Nope

A crazy suspenseful and metaphoric horror/sci-fi with a compelling concept and interesting visuals. The story interweaves and comes together to an exciting build.

As the year comes to a close, we’d like to share our reflections about Silen Audio’s startup journey in 2022 – hoping to encourage and relate with others in their creative paths.

We have worked on many projects this year, announced and unannounced. Early in the year, we were lucky to provide sound design to Morbid Metal: a fantastic indie action game by solo developer Felix Schade. We worked with him to create early sound design during the prototype phase including various explosive, electronic, and light-based sounds in the demo. 

We wrote many songs for the fun and quirky Strings Theory (currently available on Steam) as our first official shipped game with the Silen banner. We provided custom, layered music and sound design with different hardware and software synth models to help sonically bring the mind bending puzzle game to life.

Our Infinite Flow development team has been working really hard this year to execute a beautiful classic-modern software synthesizer, which is almost ready for beta testing. A challenge has been getting this done in a timely manner without compromising the quality and vision of the product. We’re proud of the sounds and design progress so far and we can’t wait to have musicians and synth players try it out on all kinds of creative projects.

We produced over 100 songs (whew!) written and produced in a variety of modern styles for an upcoming music library project. We’re using cutting edge music technology to create albums for use in different projects and entertainment mediums with leaders in the music technology and licensing space. We’ve enjoyed collaborating with our composer friends and dealing with the diverse, ever-evolving aspects of this project so far. More news will be coming soon!

The game events we’ve attended have all been great opportunities to finally connect with other creatives in person again.

GDC 2022 showcased a lot of amazing independent games in the works from all over the world. We had a lot of fun playing and trying them out. We plan on going to the next one in 2023 and we can’t wait to meet you there!

In June, Adam spoke at NAMM  with “Expanding Your Sound and Music Tool Belt for Games and Interactive Music”.

Adam also spoke in October for GameSoundCon: “Imagining a More Generative Musical Future”.

“I had a great time at GameSoundCon this week. It was great seeing friends new and old. I enjoyed the responses to my talk, even the criticism. I just want people to hold onto a simple idea: Just because it is this way right now, doesn’t mean it has to be.”

Silen Audio is constantly working to build the tools to drive these cutting-edge and emerging, creative possibilities in the game audio space.

We’re grateful to see our Silen Audio Signal newsletter growing where we’ll continue sharing news with our fellow music and gaming lovers.

We’re continuously highlighting helpful blog posts like “How Do I Work With A Composer For My Game” and detailed audio tutorials created by Silen’s founder and veteran composer, Adam Fligsten.

As well as our Silen Audio Developer Interview Series, helping to spread information of existing and upcoming indie games that we really enjoy. We kicked off with Kainga: Seeds of Civilization by solo developer, Erik Rempen, during its early access. Next we asked Max Wrighten of the Half Past Yellow team about Time on Frog Island right after its release. We’re ending the year with Soul Passage where founder, Ozbay Emrah, shares his inspiring story for the incoming exploration game.

It has been a fun venture so far and we notice the appreciation. So, we can’t wait to continue this series!

Silen has kept a fully remote team all year and furthered our goal of creating a healthy, thriving, and creative workplace. We’re driven by a future of breaching connectivity boundaries to continue building a quality music company.

Solving challenges while learning, and building meaningful relationships at Silen Audio has been very stimulating during the ups and downs of a creative entrepreneurial adventure. We have been learning and thriving in the new “work from home” paradigm of 2022. 

“The only thing constant is change”  

Heraclitus. 

We’ve been improving on managing and balancing our activities to help gauge where and when to prioritize work, making mistakes and adjusting where needed. Resting with work to optimize productivity while avoiding burnout has been an important part of Silen Audio’s culture.

We’re proud and grateful for everyone who’s dedicated their time and passion to build with us and can’t wait to go forward in 2023!

Over on youtube, Silen founder Adam Fligsten breaks down the primary ways that almost every video game sequences music.

Vertical and Horizontal resequencing might sound like confusing subjects, but they are just making decisions about how and when music is playing.

Vertical Sequencing:

(also called “hamburger” while learning)

The concept with vertical sequencing is setting up your tracks so they are stacked on top of each other, and the volume of the tracks changes based on what is happening in the game. The key to this is that the files will sound good in most places if they fade into each other.

Often these are different stems or components of the same song, but not always; some games have found creative ways of doing vertical resequencing with completely different songs.

Horizontal Sequencing:

(also called “railroad” while learning)

The content of horizontal sequencing is setting up your tracks so that they will trigger one after another. There is often a little bit of overlap as a new track begins and the old track ends. Each track is connected, one after another (like a train!)

This can be entirely different songs or very short segments of the same song. There usually aren’t multiple tracks playing simultaneously (except for the overlap during transitions).

Combination:

Most games do some version of both of these techniques, switching between them when it makes more sense for a game. You could have a longer moment in a game with a big Vertical section, which then gets connected to shorter horizontal moments. There is no right way to do it, but different gameplay will work better with different techniques.

Get notified by Kickstarter for Soul Passage’s launch!

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S: We love seeing the beautiful Soul Passage universe develop. What inspired you to make this captivating indie game and how did your development journey start? 

E: Soul Passage is the story of one unknown warrior. Souls of the Family of the warrior captured by one entity. And the entity gives a mission to the warrior to save his family in a return. Capture souls from all the Universe and bring them to the Soul Keeper. From that day on, the unknown warrior’s name becomes Obligor, obligated to hunt for souls. This is the start of the Soul Passage story. From this part on players will write their own story until the end.

I was writing short stories for myself my whole life. Some of them were 1 page, some of them 100, but didn’t have a chance to share them with anyone. At one point I became an experienced designer and game designer. It was my dream to bring one of my stories alive. In 2019 during Corona time I was at home like everyone, but I focused on creating one cool story from some of my ideas and started to work on the synopsis. After that, I really connected with the story and decided to develop the game. I found one freelance developer to help me build the base and draw all the characters and environment. It is still a learning and improvement process. I believe Soul Passage is really unique in story and style.

S: You’ve created a lot of interesting and dynamic elements! What kind of game is Soul Passage and what features are you excited for players to enjoy?

E: We are in a really early phase of Soul Passage, everything that you have seen is from MVP. That means we have lots on the way. As you can see from the main story, Obligor has a chance to travel to different worlds. When I plan those worlds, I design and create them uniquely and 50%, 80% different from each other. It means you can have different physical conditions, enemy styles, and mechanics for each planet. Like gravity, upside-down worlds, etc. In MVP I focused mostly on the style of the game, cause I want people to see what kind of visual experience they can expect from my hand. Soul Passage is the game where players will have all the classic Metroidvania elements plus character development, side quests, abilities, and even nicely planned crafting for their own gameplay style. I don’t want to raise the limit for Soul Passage, but we will deliver our best in the release for every player. 

S: There’s so much mysterious pull and attraction into the Soul Universe. How did you build the exciting, heroic storyline behind One Soul – Obligor’s explorations and all the interesting game characters and planets?

E: When I wrote the first synopsis, I directly jumped on the character concept and created one warrior, but there were lots of gaps back then. After creating Obligor, I started to share the short story with some writers and game designers I know from the work environment. I got lots of bad, also lots of good feedback. From every bad feedback, I went back to the start of the story to fill the gap they mention. And it becomes a habit, “make the storyline perfect as much as I can”. At that moment lots of side characters, new areas, and challenges come up to balance the Soul Universe. It was my hobby, but it became more and more serious. I started to read game design and writing books that I found in university curriculums to learn and solve my own problems in the storyline. It takes lots of time, but worth more than 10000%. Now I have 4 main planets in the story to explore until their core and the characters with really good backgrounds. Every NPC and enemy has a story. Not just coming from a point, but their own story. I plan to make an encyclopedia about it after the launch.

S: Soul Passage has a very magical, appealing atmosphere and intricate graphic visuals that really enhance the adventurous experience, how did you execute this?

E: In 2007 I graduated from the Art Faculty in Turkey. I was in love with games from my childhood. Mario, Bomberman, and Pacman created a better approach to me in my life. I was a guy who jumped through different colored stones in the walking path to get more points, but still, I am. In university time, it was all classic art. Traditional sculpture, traditional painting – how to see, how to draw, how to bring your creation to life like Michelangelo, Bernini, Rodin, and more. But I was interested in something digital, and none of my teachers approved. But imagination is not something you can stop, I learn what they teach and learn with passion. Honestly, I believe if artists do not pass the journey from the classic to modern, they cannot shape their creations, it is not possible in my opinion. Anyway, everything I learned has improved by years and years of experience until now and I’m still learning. I’m working as an Interface Expert for a AAA company, did lot’s of good work for the industry and created lots of nice visions. All those experiences, learning, and imagination came together with good focus and here we are. Even in the early phase of Soul Passage, people feel my design perspective. I hope I will deliver an amazing adventure for all players.

S: The trailer is truly amazing! The music and sound effects have a nice level of anticipation for the epic journey to come. How did you create these sounds?

E: The 3D Announcement trailer is not what I expected honestly. My focus was creating 2D hand-drawn classic animation, but didn’t have a chance back then. Everything is connected with the budget and limitations you have. But after a few edits, we brought something good to the table. I worked for TV companies after university and have a really long list of producers, composers, and musicians in my hand. They are not from the Game industry but they helped me to build a trailer, not directly from a Game perspective but from an advertisement perspective. I selected all of the sounds for the effects and we sat at the table to compose the music together with the composers. As you can hear from the announcement trailer, in the section on planets there is different music in the background. All the planets have their cultural background and we managed to bring that alive with sound and color.

S: You’ve been sharing some of the exciting changes made so far to bring your artistic vision to life. What challenges have you overcome and what are your future goals for Soul Passage?

E: My whole life, I designed advertisement event graphics after university. Also working on the interface makes you a bit more of a mathematician than a designer. When I started the concept of Soul Passage, I realized I needed to relearn everything I forgot. It was hard, sometimes really frustrating, but I managed to bring Obligor alive. And when Obligor came to life in a few months of work, I got my vision back together in the process. How to create, how to plan, and how to apply because not every creation is applicable. Also in the environment, I started with a tile system, similar to Hollowknight, but there was something missing. After 5-6 months of development, and an implementation period maybe even 8 months after, I decided to return back and draw everything from scratch. And we recreated all the worlds. This was the most perfect decision I made back then because I learned a lot about implementation and proved my skills in level creation. Now our working speed is faster and decision making about the challenges we are facing is more clear.

S: We’re looking forward to playing and encouraging this beautiful project. How can fans continue to support and be a part of Soul Passage’s development towards the release? What do you hope to bring to them?

E: Right now the most important challenge for me is Kickstarter and growing on Twitter. If you like our work so far, please follow us on Twitter and also follow us on Kickstarter. We will launch our Kickstarter in March 2023 and if everything goes well we will deliver Soul Passage in late 2024, or early 2025. In the first launch on PC and Nintendo and after a few months or a year we will release the game on PS and Xbox. Before the release on PS and Xbox, we also plan to share a demo for Soul Passage 2.

S: What key advice do you wish you knew before starting your journey that you can now share for upcoming independent game developers?

E: If you want to develop a game, first check your knowledge of what you are capable of. What can you deliver without any other support? Focus on creating MVP with your knowledge and please learn in the process to be open to every bad and good feedback. These days, you can find all the knowledge about technical development on YouTube. Even drawing skills can be improved with time, but focus to do it. Make a plan for your day, every day for 2 hours, or every weekend for 4 hr, and don’t miss it. If you follow that basic mentality, you will succeed. And I wish you good luck.

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