The Musical Genius of Osamu Murata
The musical talents of Osamu Murata have left an indelible mark on the Shenmue series, captivating players around the world with his unforgettable compositions.
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| Osamu Murata (profile photo from Twitter / X) |
Fresh out of university, Murata joined the AM2 Sound Section at SEGA in 1997 and quickly immersed himself in a number of arcade projects - more than 10 titles during his time there, including classics like F355 Challenge and Virtua Cop 3.
Murata's exceptional talent as a composer led him to create an estimated 800-1000 songs for the Shenmue project, pouring his heart and soul into crafting the atmospheric pieces that enrich the Shenmue experience. His dedication to his craft was so intense that he once blacked out at the piano during a grueling composing session (as he shared in an interview with Shenmue World magazine, Issue 2).
When Murata first joined the Shenmue project, he was also responsible for recording voice lines for many actors and is officially credited as Voice Recording Chief for US Shenmue.
Among his many compositions are such standouts as Nozomi's Theme, Xiuying's Theme, and Yokosuka Blues (Goro's Theme) which became instant classics, each adding depth and emotion to the Shenmue universe. Additionally, some of his compositions, from the vast pool of unused music from the original project, were selected for inclusion in the latest chapter, Shenmue 3.
In today's post, we share a selection of Murata's tweets from recent years, where he recounts anecdotes and memories from his time working on the Shenmue project as one of the music composers. These tweets offer an insightful look into the creative process behind one of gaming's most beloved series, directly from the perspective of one of the individuals who contributed to its music.
Let's dive into Murata's firsthand experiences and reflections below!
Note: Additional images and videos accompany some of the tweets for additional context.
Sharing Shenmue Thoughts
May 12, 2011: Rediscovering Shenmue Music on YouTube
「シェンムー２」をYOUTUBEで検索するとすげー映像がたくさん出てくる。そのほとんどがその昔自分が作った曲だった。忘れていた曲がてんこ盛りで出て来て助かった。これパクろう。すげー数あるし。
Translation:
"When you search for 'Shenmue 2' on YouTube, a lot of amazing videos come up. Most of them feature music I made a long time ago. Finding so many songs I had forgotten about helps. I'll grab them. There are so many".
Now, many years later, and following the release of Shenmue III, Murata has announced his intention to add further stories to the ones he has already shared online, and relate further Shenmue memories and anecdotes with the community.
Jan 18, 2024: A Memoir on Shenmue’s Sound Production
書ける範囲でシェンムーのサウンド制作時の考え、経験を備忘録として書いていくことにした。これまでの作品や最新の作品のことも大切なのだけど、自分の音マンの最初の作品のシェンムーのインパクトは今だに自分から抜けないし、この時の経験を抜くものはこれまで現れていないからね。少しずつ書く。
Translation:
"I've decided to write down my thoughts and experiences regarding the sound production of Shenmue as a memoir, to the extent I'm able to share. While my latest works and others I've made up to now are important, the impact of Shenmue, my first project as a sound man, still lingers with me, and nothing has surpassed this experience so far. I'll write about it bit by bit".
I'm sure that the warm reception to date from the fans to his numerous iconic compositions that are woven into the Shenmue series (and even a guest interview in the Shenmue World magazine!) has helped provide assurance of a receptive audience.
Creation Process and Tools
SoftImage may be a familiar name to Shenmue fans because an earlier piece of software called SoftImage 3D was used in the production of the 3D animated graphics for the first two games in the series. It underwent its final release in 2002. SEGA even sold a plug-in for the software they named "Shenmue: The Tool", however it is unclear how many (if any) sales of this plug-in were made.
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| Leaflet advertising the "Shenmue: The Tool" plug-in for SoftImage 3D, circa 1999 |
Mar 6, 2014: The Legacy of SoftImage and Shenmue
softimageと言えばシェンムーだすよね。プラグインまで作って売ったんだもんね。なつかし。まだあったんだとちょっとびっくり。直接触ってよく音付けしたなー。ジャストタイミングの２フレ前くらいに音付けるとちょうどいい感じになるん...
Translation:
"When you hear 'SoftImage', you think of Shenmue, right? We even made and sold a plugin. It brings back memories. I'm a bit surprised it still existed. I remember I used to work directly with it and often added sound. Adding the sound about two frames before the true timing makes it just right..."
Murata's next tweet reveals that he was the composer of the iconic background music that plays while Ryo roams the Hazuki residence.
Jan 17, 2024: Composing the Hazuki Residence Theme
シェンムーで芭月家に入って最初に流れる曲は自分の曲なのだけどこの曲には永遠に聴いても飽きない要素を入れている。その要素はあるものを調べに調べて入れた。デバッグでこのシーンで自分は気を失ったことがある。かなり疲れている時に聴くと気を失うので注意。
Translation:
"The first song that plays when you enter the Hazuki residence in Shenmue is my composition. This piece includes elements that ensure you never get tired of listening to it, which I researched extensively. I once fainted while I was debugging this part of the game. Be careful - if you listen to it when you're very tired, it can make you faint".
Suzuki: Since Shenmue is a game you play at a relaxed pace, we wanted music that wouldn’t be too noisy or distracting to the player. That’s why I told Mitsuyoshi, “why don’t you try listening to some sutras first.” (laughs) For example, take the babbling of a stream, the sound of footsteps, or a bird’s warbling… these are sounds that no one is bothered by, and they have no melody to them. But to the extent that there is a melody, after listening to it for 3 or 4 hours, it will start to wear on your mind and annoy you… as such, my closest image for the music of Shenmue was Buddhist sutras. There’s something mysterious about them, and I asked Mitsuyoshi to try and match that image.
Jan 20, 2024: The Intense Work Behind Shenmue’s Cutscenes
シェンムーにはムービーシーンが多く入る。毎日シーンのPチェックをするのだけど映像ができるのが真夜中夜中。自分は朝７時に出社して朝10時から始まる会議までに15シーン程に音楽と音を付ける役目だった。15曲の作曲と15のMAをまだDAWが発達していなかった時代に毎日やっていたのはクレイジー。（笑）
Translation:
"Shenmue has many cutscenes. I conducted production checks of scenes daily, but the footage would often only be completed in the middle of the night. I would arrive at the office at 7 AM and was responsible for adding music and sound to about 15 scenes before the 10 AM meeting. Composing 15 tracks and performing 15 multi-audio edits daily in an era before DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) were fully developed was crazy. (lol)"
A mere three-hour window to create and add 15 music tracks with sounds to 15 cutscenes?! That's roughly 12 minutes per scene. Insane indeed!
Jan 20, 2024: Recording Nozomi’s Confession for a TV Commercial
「望の告白」という曲はシェンムーの中盤くらいのCMで使われた。CM用に麻布のスタジオのスタインウェイで弾き直した。ヘッドフォンをして録音を収録したのだけど実際に自分が弾くピアノの音とズレて細かい表現ができなかったので最終的にはモニターなしでクリックもなしで収録した。結果OK。
Translation:
"The song Nozomi's Confession was used in a commercial for Shenmue around the middle of its release period. I re-recorded it for the commercial on a Steinway at a studio in Azabu. I recorded it wearing headphones, but the sound through them was slightly out of synch with what I was actually playing on the piano so I couldn't achieve a fine expression. So in the end, I recorded it without a monitor* or click track. It worked out OK."
*"Monitor" refers to headphone output that allows the pianist to hear the sound they are producing while playing in real time, with a click track providing a steady beat. Murata found that the sound through the headphones was out of sync with his actual playing, hindering his ability to express himself effectively.
Jan 21, 2024: Orchestral Composition with Hans Zimmer’s Approach
作曲にスピードを求められていたシェンムーの仕事。究極のオケ制作で取った手法と機材はハンスジマー方式だった。その手法と機材を持ち合わせていたのは自分だけ。自前の機材を駆使したからね。それが出来たからサウンドが間に合った。アフレコもしながらの作曲はクレイジーでしょ。
Translation:
"Working on Shenmue demanded speed in composition. The method and equipment I used for the ultimate challenge of orchestral composition, were based on Hans Zimmer's approach. I was the only one who brought together that method and gear, using my own equipment extensively. That's how the sound was completed in time. Composing while doing the voice recording was crazy, don't you think?"
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| Murata was inspired by film composer Hans Zimmer for his orchestral compositions |
Note: Hans Zimmer is a renowned German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 150 films, including blockbuster hits such as The Lion King, Inception, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Gladiator, and Pirates of the Caribbean. He is known for his innovative approach to film scoring, blending orchestral and electronic elements to create powerful and memorable soundtracks.
Jan 22, 2024: Creating Real-Time Sequence Data
自分が書いたシェンムーの曲は全てリアルタイムでシーケンスデータを作ってる。ピアノ鍵盤を実際に弾いて民族楽器もドラムもパーカッションもデータにしている。ステップ録音はしていない。また作曲とアレンジを同時にやっていたので1曲ができるスピードがものすごく速い。
Translation:
"All the music I wrote for Shenmue was created in real-time as sequence data. I actually played the piano keyboard to create the data for ethnic instruments, drums, and percussion. I didn't use step recording. Also, since I was composing and arranging simultaneously, the speed at which I could complete a song was incredibly fast".
This gives some insight into how Murata was able to produce compositions so efficiently, as the song composition process was like a live performance. (By comparison, "step recording" is a method of entering musical notes or events into software one step at a time, rather than recording in real-time).
Shenmue's Story
11 July 2021: Treasured Shenmue Memorabilia from the Original Project
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| Special Shenmue treasures owned by Murata-san: framed photo reproductions signed by Masaya Matsukaze (Ryo Hazuki) and Hazuki Ishigaki (Shenhua Ling). |
自宅のお宝シリーズ。
色褪せちゃうね。24年前だもんな。
現存する唯一じゃないかな。
Translation:
"My home treasure series.
They're fading a bit, huh. Well, it's been 24 years.
They're probably the only ones in existence".
What beautiful custom items these are, from the days of the original project and inscribed with signatures of the cast.
Jan 22, 2024: The Completed Shenmue Scenario and the Secrets of the Ending
自分がシェンムーチームに入った時に既に7年もの基礎研究開発をしていてまさにシェンムーがドリキャスで産声を上げるという時だった。その時にはもう既にシェンムーのシナリオは全て完成していて関わった人は皆そのエンディングを知っている。でもそれは棺桶まで持っていくもの。
Translation:
"By the time I joined the Shenmue team, they had already been conducting foundational research and development for seven years, and it was right at the time when it was to debut on the Dreamcast. By then, the entire Shenmue scenario was already completed, and everyone was involved knew the ending. But that's something we'll take to our graves".
The ending to Shenmue's story... that's something all fans hope to learn eventually!
This tweet also confirms that, at the time when Murata joined Sega in 1997, the decision was just being made to move development of Shenmue's previous form, Virtua Fighter RPG, from the Saturn to the Dreamcast. (Yu Suzuki's research trip to China, which served as the inspiration for the development of the Virtua Fighter RPG project, had taken place a few years earlier, in 1994).
Sega & Shenmue Staff
May 19, 2011: Remembering Sega Chairman Isao Okawa
大川さんの誕生日だったのですね。亡くなられた時にセガ一号館に霊柩車で廻ってきてくれた事を思い出します。奥様も私のシェンムーの曲を聞いてくださいました。85歳ですか。今思うと若過ぎる死でした。生きていらっしゃったら自分も違う道にいたかもしれません。
Translation:
"It's just been Mr. Okawa's birthday... When he passed away, I recall the hearse stopping by Sega Building No. 1. His wife also listened to my Shenmue music. He would be 85 years old. Thinking back now, he was too young to die. If he had lived, my own path might have been different".
This tweet from 2011 marked the anniversary of the death of Isao Okawa, who remained chairman of Sega ever since 1968, including the period of Shenmue's development. He passed away at the age of 74 from heart failure in March of 2001, the year that Shenmue II was released in Japan.
Dec 6, 2021: Working with Shenmue's Team of Composers
This question was posed by 24G #Shenmue on Twitter:
Q: What was it like working with such a large team of composers on one project?
Translation:
"My boss, Mitsuyoshi, was around me, and I enjoyed studying and growing every day in a group of professionals.
There were many composers in S1, but I was almost alone in S2. At the same time, I was busy as the chief of the US version of dubbing, but it was fun".
Mitsuyoshi, of course, refers to Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, who had overall responsibility for Shenmue's sound as Sound Director.
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| Takenobu Mitsuyoshi in 2000 |
Shenmue Music on TV
May 6, 2011: Shenmue Music Featured in Japanese TV Programs
In this tweet, Murata shares his pride in the widespread use of his compositions on various TV programs, indicating that game music has broad appeal for different contexts beyond just gaming.
すごく嬉しいですよね。シェンムーの時の曲はよく中華料理作る番組で、ムシキングの時の曲はお笑いバトルのネームコールで使われてました。めざましテレビの世界一周する旅のタイトルでも使われてました。嬉しかったですよ。ゲームの曲は使いやすいようですね。
Translation:
"I'm so happy! Music from Shenmue has often been used on shows about cooking Chinese food, and music from Mushiking has often been used when introducing contestants in comedy battles. It was also used during the opening title of the Journey Round the World segment on Mezamashi TV. That made me happy. It seems that game music is easy to make use of".
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| Sega arcade game Mushiking: The King of Beetles, featuring music by Osamu Murata |
Feb 20, 2016: Shenhua’s Theme on a Variety Show
CXのバラエティでシェンムーの曲使ってる！すげー珍しいね。シェンファのテーマ流れてた、中華料理を彦摩呂が食べてるシーンで。選曲家の趣味だね。本当に珍しい。
Translation:
"They're using a Shenmue song on a CX variety show! That's so unusual. Shenhua's Theme was playing during a scene where Hikomaro was eating Chinese food. It must be the preference of whoever selected the music. It's truly unusual".
Although it probably went unnoticed by many, it seems that in 2016, Shenhua's Theme (composed by Ryuji Iuchi) played in the background during a variety show food report on a mainstream channel. CX is a station owned by Fuji Television, a major public television station based in Tokyo. Hikomaro is a TV personality who is known for his food reporting.
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| TV personality Hikomaro |
Shenmue Voice Recording
Jan 20, 2024: Shenmue’s Potential Impact on Voice Actor Fee Caps
Murata talks about the existence of a ceiling, or limit, on voice acting compensation for game recordings, and suggests that Shenmue may have influenced this.
正直なところ、声優事務所がゲームの収録の声優ギャランティを天井にしているのはシェンムーのせいだと思う。だって、それまでこんなに声優さんに入ってもらった作品はないし、ドリキャスのキラーコンテンツのポジションだったシェンムーは予算面でもクレイジーだったしね。
Translation:
"To be honest, I think it's Shenmue's fault that voice acting agencies established a cap on voice actor fees for game recordings. After all, there had never been a project involving so many voice actors before then, and Shenmue had a crazy budget as it had been positioned to be a 'killer app' for the Dreamcast".
Here Murata may be referring to how the large scope of the project and its significant budget pressures may have influenced the agencies to set caps. This would help them retain long-term partnerships with game studios, ensuring that large productions remained viable and didn’t over-inflate the market for voice actor fees.
Jan 20, 2024: Pioneering the Use of ProTools in Voice Recording
Murata provides insight into the massive scale of Shenmue’s voice recording process, highlighting the pioneering use of ProTools software for voice recording during the game’s production.
シェンムー１時の台本数は映画の約120倍あった。収録して切出しをしデータにする。DATからデジタイズはかなりの労力。当時出始めのProToolsがスタジオにあった。だけど使っていなかった。HDDに直接RECをやりはじめたのは必然的だった。多分ボイスRECでProToolsを使ったのはシェンムーの現場が世界初。
Translation:
"The number of scripts for Shenmue 1 was about 120 times that of a movie. We recorded, extracted, and converted the data. Digitizing from DAT was quite labor-intensive. The studio had just introduced Pro Tools at the time, but we weren't using it. So it was unavoidable that we started by recording directly onto HDD. Shenmue was probably the first in the world to use Pro Tools for voice recording".
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) that supports MIDI sequencing and automation and was originally developed and released in 1991 for the Apple Macintosh. It has since undergone numerous version upgrades and is still available today for macOS and Windows.
Jan 21, 2024: A Voice Actor Quit Over the Harbor Thug Dialogue
シェンムー1で港の不良の海外版のアフレコ時にあまりのセリフの汚さに孫に聞かせられないとか言い出して役を降りてしまった外国人声優がいた。気持ちはわかるけど。。そこはなんとでもなったと思うんだよな〜。
Translation:
"During the overseas dubbing for the harbor thugs in Shenmue, one of the foreign voice actors quit, saying the lines were too dirty for his grandchildren to hear. I understand his feelings, but... I think that could have been dealt with in some way..."
Those Mad Angels and their cussing! Now, we all know that some of the more unsavory characters around Yokosuka can produce some pretty cutting insults. But I have to admit, this makes one wonder which English lines in particular were the culprits!
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| A prime example of thuggish language being bandied about by the Mad Angels |
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