Silent Hill’s Akira Yamaoka talks sound design

Surival-horror fanatics, despite their differences, can all agree that the Silent Hill series was revolutionary for creating both an immersive and creepy environment.  Through the use of haunting sound effects, and an original soundtrack, sound designer Akira Yamaoka was able to create a terrifying world that stood out to gamers for years to come. Attending GDC for the first time this year Yamaoka spoke on the power of sound, his theories on composing music, and his plans for the future.

Akira first introduced his culture, stating that the Japanese have a meticulous attention to detail, and are constantly seeking perfection. He explains that the recent advancements in technology have presented the opportunity to get much better results for sound design.  He also expressed hope that future videogames will incorporate all five senses, to fully immerse the player (Can you imagine tasting a videogame? Yuck…Donkey Kong). Akira discussed his different opinions on music design, and some little known sound illusions below:

Sound is a direct perception of the mind

As shown on the slide above, Akira describes the that sound is one of the few factors directly perceived by humans.  Rather than images, which are processed by our brains based on past experiences, music is directly absorbed. Because of the sensitivity of this medium, Akira believes that music and sound are the best way to reach the emotions of gamers. Akira also noted some interesting concepts of sound design that tend to evoke different reactions:

Mismatching sound and video

Although not entirely obvious at first, this concept is very truthful and can be observed firsthand in the cinematic cutscenes of Silent Hill 3.  Akira states that any sound effects preceding a visual counterpart will leave the audience feeling anxious and uncomfortable. When the audio follows the visual counterpart, the opposite effect is achieved and the audience will feel more comforted.

Contrasting noises

Akira is fond of using noise in his videogames, and other times he prefers to use a more classical instrument. The best music; however, comes when both of these two elements are combined.  By incorporating static and ‘industrial’ noises with the sound of an elegant instrument (such as a piano), Akira creates a musical contrast that can startle and irk gamers while creating an intense discomfort.

Silence can make players uneasy

It is difficult to explain this without having an audio track to listen to, but it is another examples of our mind’s ability to distort sound.  When a piece of music is played with with 5 second gaps of static implemented, the noise is not as noticeable.  When the piece of music is implemented with 5 second gaps of silence instead, the listener becomes more uneasy with the lack of sound.

What’s in store for the future

Akira discussed his idea for a new style of sound design called OSC or Open Sound Control.  This program, which he hopes to make a possibility in the future, will be able to share music data in real-time with players online. This technology seemingly allows the option of having new game music for each play through, and giving the game more variety in sound.

It was a great honor to hear Akira Yamaoka speak on his process for sound and music design.  He has been around since the original Silent Hill, and has continued to create great music for each addition to the series.  His music is extremely surreal and brooding, making it a huge part of bringing the SIlent Hill world to life.  Although he announced last year that he was leaving Konami, he is currently working with Grasshopper Studios on another survival horror game, so keep an eye out!

You can hear or download some of his works from the original Silent Hill 1 here.