Welcome to the second part in our series of anecdotes from Shenmue composer Osamu Murata, continuing on from Part One, giving us fascinating insights into his experience.
 |
| Osamu Murata (profile photo from Twitter / X) |
Sound Effects in Shenmue
Jan 22, 2024: How Shenmue's Sound Effects Were Crafted
The sound effects in Shenmue are subtle but contribute immensely to the atmosphere of the gameplay. Murata explains that most of these sound effects were created internally by the team, simulating real-world sounds with a large amount of custom data.
シェンムーの効果音はほとんど全てを内作で作っていた。しかも関わっていたサウンドクリエイターは皆効果音制作を体験していたと思う。実際フォーリーとか、ない音はみんなであーでもないこーでもないと作ってた。世の中の音をシミュレーションしたのがシェンムーだからね。そのデータは膨大。
Translation:
"Most of the sound effects for Shenmue were created in-house. I believe that all the sound creators involved in the project experienced making sound effects. We actually made Foley effects* and sounds that didn't exist, by experimenting together to get them right. Shenmue simulates the sounds of the world, so it needed a vast amount of data".
*Foley effects: custom sound effects created to match specific actions in a film, video, or game, like footsteps, rustling clothes, or clinking objects.
Jan 22, 2024: Adapting Sound to Player Movement in Shenmue
Murata points out the dynamic sound system in Shenmue that allows sound effects to change based on player movement.
Unityでいうところの3Dサウンド的なシステムはもちろんドリキャスでも動いていたのだけど、音の変化として面白いのは噴水の音とハトの音。アバディーンにいるハトを追いかけると様々に音が変化する。オブジェクトに近づくと音が変化する、もしくはし続けるというシステムはゲームならでわだね。
Translation:
"Dreamcast of course ran a 3D sound system, like the one present in Unity*. What's interesting about the changes in sound are the sounds of fountains and pigeons. When you chase pigeons in Aberdeen, the sounds change in various ways. The system where the sound changes, or continues to change, as you move closer to an object, is something that's unique to games".
*Unity, along with Unreal Engine, is one of the most popular software development platforms used to create 2D and 3D games and simulations.
 |
| Three-dimensional sound is employed effectively with the pigeons in Aberdeen |
Shenmue Instruments
Jan 22, 2024: Simulating the Erhu for Shenmue’s Score
シェンムーに似合う音は中国楽器の胡弓。実際にリアルな胡弓を持っている先輩がいてそれを借りて練習などもした。でもレコーディングに耐えうるだけの技量を身につけることはできなかったので自分の楽曲の胡弓の音はサンプラー。でもかなりリアルに再現はできるようになった。
Translation:
"The sound that fits Shenmue is the Chinese instrument called the erhu (Chinese fiddle). One of my senior colleagues actually owned a real erhu, and I borrowed it to practice. However, I couldn't get good enough to do an actual recording so I used a sampler for the erhu sound in my compositions. But I was able to recreate it quite realistically".
 |
| Kai plays an erhu on Dragon Street |
Jan 22, 2024: The Technology Behind Shenmue’s Ethnic Sounds
Murata used a variety of samplers to recreate ethnic instruments in Shenmue:
シェンムーのリアルな民族楽器を再現するためにいろいろなサンプラーを多様した。AKAI、EMU、YAMAHA、Roland、GIGA160などなど。
自分が多様していたのはEMUとGIGA160。その時のデータは今でも自分のLOGIC X PROの中で生きてるよ。一番出音が良かったのはEMUかな。一番心地よい音だった。
Translation:
"To reproduce the authentic sound of ethnic instruments in Shenmue, I used various samplers like Akai, Emu, Yamaha, Roland, and Giga160, among others.
The ones I used the most were Emu and Giga 160*. The data from that time still lives in my Logic X Pro. The best sound output was from Emu, I think. It had the most pleasant sound".
*GigaStudio 160, released in 1999, was a highly advanced software sampler that revolutionized sample-based music production with its ability to stream samples directly from a hard drive, enabling large-scale orchestral and film scoring.
 |
| The GigaStudio 160 interface |
Jan 27, 2024: Learning Chinese Musical Techniques for Shenmue
中国音楽、音に耐性があったと言っても実際に自分の曲に入れるとなるとそれはまた別の勉強が必要だった。かなりの数の中国の新旧の作品を聞き、各楽器の奏法も頭に入れてサンプラーを鳴らした。フレーズサンプリングはほぼ使わずに細かくMIDIで打ち込んで音を再現した。シェンムーのデータ量は異常。
Translation:
"Even though I was familiar with Chinese music and sounds, incorporating them into my own compositions required additional study. I listened to a considerable number of Chinese works, both old and new, and learned the playing techniques of each instrument to play them on the sampler. I hardly used phrase sampling, instead meticulously inputting the sounds with MIDI. The amount of data for Shenmue was enormous".
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technology first devised in 1983 that allows electronic instruments and computers to communicate and control each other. MIDI uses digital instructions to generate and manipulate sounds. Phrase sampling, on the other hand, involves recording and reusing segments of audio.
Feb 8, 2024: Ethnic Instruments and Orchestral Music in Shenmue
基本的にシェンムーのサウンドは民族楽器、オーケストレーション、ピアノの３つで構成されているものが多い。
オーケストレーションは一部は実際にリアルなオーケストラを使ったものだがインゲームのBGMはGIGA160、AKAI CD3000iにシェンムーテンプレーションを作ってトラックを作ったものがほとんど。
Translation:
"The sound of Shenmue is mostly composed of ethnic instruments, orchestration, and piano. Some of the orchestration used a real orchestra, but most of the in-game BGM tracks were made using templates on the Giga160 and Akai CD3000i".
 |
| The Akai CD3000 was a sampler that included a built in CDROM drive |
Feb 2, 2024: Using the Roland 808 in 'Nozomi's Theme'
オケの入っている”望のテーマ”は808を使っています。808のタムタムのリフを入れるのが当時の自分の流行りでした。キックもディケイの長い音が入っているのだけど今聴くと使い方が下手だなと反省することが多い。まぁ、右も左もわからないままやってたシェンムーの曲作りは全て反省だらけなんだけどね。
Translation:
"'Nozomi's Theme', which includes an orchestra, uses an 808. It was my trend at the time to include 808 tom-tom riffs. The kick also had a long decay sound, but now when I listen to it, I often reflect on how poorly I used it. Well, all the music I made for Shenmue, not knowing my left from right, is full of things I look back on and self-critique".
"808" is a common name for the Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, a drum machine manufactured by Roland Corporation between 1980 and 1983.
 |
| Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer drum machine |
Shenmue I & II
Oct 2, 2010: Debugging Shenmue: A Grueling Process
ちなみに、ゲームもです。自分でやったものも実はあんまりプレイはしてません。アーケードで最後に関わったのはヴァーチャコップ３だったけど、最初以外はぜんぜんプレイしてない。シェンムーは１２時間交代のデバッグをさせられてたから何十回もクリアした。
Translation:
"By the way, I don't play games much, even the ones I worked on. The last arcade game I was involved with was Virtua Cop 3, but I didn't play it much after the initial stages. I had to debug Shenmue in 12-hour shifts, so I cleared it dozens of times".
The scarcity of bugs in the games speaks to the effectiveness of the extensive debugging effort on Shenmue, which involved not only dedicated debuggers but members of teams across the project.
 |
| Virtua Cop 3 (2003) |
Dec 5, 2021: Murata’s Top Picks from the Shenmue Soundtrack
A fan question from the Shenmue Dojo account - Murata's response was in English:
Q: Do you have a favourite song from the Shenmue series that you have composed?
Response:
"Thank you for the question.
It's 'Hazuki Residence'. The production was so exhausting that I fainted while listening to this song and was awakened by my boss Mitsuyoshi-san.
Also, 'Swallow Flip Teaching (Xiuying's Theme)'. This is a song I composed when I was in high school".
It is incredible to hear that the music that plays during Xiuying's Master Chen's Swallow Flip instruction scene, then later in Xiuying's Counter Elbow Assault instruction scene in Shenmue II, was composed when Murata was a high school student!
Dec 5, 2021: Murata’s Go-To Instruments for Shenmue Music
A question from Shenmue Dojo co-owner Matt Oliver, answered in English:
Q: When creating Shenmue songs did you have a favourite instrument or instruments to use?
Response:
"The main instrument I handle is the piano, so there are many piano songs. I often used it on my favorite instruments such as the piano, the Chinese instrument Erhu, and the Indian tabla".
A tabla is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent.
 |
| Tabla (hand drums) |
Dec 6, 2021: Emotional Inspiration for 'Memories of Distant Days'
A question from Richard Cartlidge (whose faithful Shenmue covers and arrangements are highly recommended!):
Q: What helped inspire you to write “Memories of Distant Days”?
Response:
"'Memories of Distant Days' is because Ryo was a kid and I wanted to express a little lonely feeling in music, like remembering my mom when he was eating".
We know little about Ryo's mother, apart from the fact that she died when he was around 3 years old. While in the game this piece is accompanied by the famous carrot scene with Ryo's father, it equally evokes a feeling of loss and nostalgia for his mother.
Aug 10, 2023: Creating Music to Fit Shenmue’s Cinematic Moments
The next tweet was in response to praise for another memorable piece of music composed by Murata, which plays in the cutscene of the first game where Ryo visits his friend Naoyuki's house late at night and borrows his motorcycle to rescue Nozomi.
完全にシーン合わせで作成した曲だから短いのだけど、以前この曲とマイケルジャクソンの音声をMIXした人がいてね。それも格好良かった。
Translation:
"It’s a short piece because it was created to perfectly match a scene, but there was someone who once mixed this track with Michael Jackson’s vocals. That was pretty cool too".
I haven't been able to track down any version of this song that mixes in Michael Jackson's vocals but would love to hear it!
20 Jan, 2024: Music Development Under Time Pressure in Shenmue II
シェンムーのFREE時に流す曲は環境に沿ったものを作っているのだけど、シェンムー１と２との違いはBGMをサウンドディレクターが充たかそうでないかの差がある。２はサウンドディレクターが付けたが桂林くらいになった時に間に合わなくなって私がシーン合わせて即興で作ったものをそのまま載せている。
Translation:
"The music played during Shenmue's FREE mode is created to match the environment, but the difference between Shenmue 1 and 2 was the BGM having the oversight of a sound director, or not. For Shenmue 2, a sound director was assigned, but by the time we reached Guilin, we had run out of time, so I matched up the scenes directly with compositions that I created on the spot".
Given the quality of the music in Shenmue 2, and the way the pieces fit so perfectly with each scene - especially the relaxing melodies in Guilin - I would never have guessed that they had been composed and assigned so rapidly!
 |
| Murata was under time pressure in assigning compositions for the Guilin section. |
Jan 22, 2024: Complex Piano Arrangements for Shenmue’s Ending Theme
シェンムーのエンディングのメインテーマや他の曲のピアノアレンジは自分が編曲してプレイもしてデータを作った。あえて弾きにくい編曲にしたのだけど自分にとっては弾きにくいわけではなく自分の手癖。当時同じアレンジでF355チャレンジのフェラーリプレゼン用ムービーの曲を作ってる。
Translation:
"I arranged and played the main theme of Shenmue's ending and the piano arrangements of other pieces, and created the data. I intentionally made the arrangements difficult to play, but for me, they weren't difficult due to my playing habits. At that time, I also made a song with the same arrangement for a Ferrari presentation movie for F355 Challenge".
The music for the Ferrari F355 "Challenge Presentation Movie" was also created by Murata.
Jan 22, 2024: Shenmue’s Sound Design: The Ultimate Challenge
多くの作品の音の制作をして来ているけども、大変さでは今だにシェンムーを超えるものはないのでどの仕事も苦ではない。シェンムーの時の苦労があるから他の作品でも音の答えを知っているので悩んだことはない。唯一ディズニー作品の効果音を作った時の１つの音を除いては。
Translation:
"I've been involved with the sound production for many works, but none have surpassed Shenmue in terms of difficulty, so no job feels too hard. The struggles during Shenmue taught me the solutions for sound in other works, so I've never had any trouble - with the exception of one sound when I was creating sound effects for a Disney piece".
The intensity of working on the first two Shenmue games is something that has been echoed (many years later) in interviews with other former project members. For a new employee in their first job, it must have been something akin to baptism by fire!
 |
| Sound Section for Shenmue at the Sega offices (from the NHK Making Of video) |
However, it provided immense satisfaction and enjoyment, as expressed in the following text.
Jan 20, 2024: Experimenting with Music and Soundscapes in Shenmue
映画やアニメの音楽や環境音なども同じと思うけど、ゲームは音を聴いている時間がプレイヤーによって様々。シェンムーでは実験的なことをいろいろやって、調べてそれを入れ込んでいます。当時新人の自分であったけどほとんど寝ずに毎日勉強と研究の毎日。でもそれが苦ではなかった。逆に楽しかった。
Translation:
"The approach to music and environmental sounds in movies and anime is similar, I think, but in games, the amount of time the player spends listening to the sounds varies. In Shenmue, we experimented with various things, researched them, and incorporated them. Although I was a newcomer at the time, I studied and researched every day without much sleep. But it wasn't hard; on the contrary, it was enjoyable".
Jan 27, 2024: Murata’s Background in Ethnic Music and its Influence on Shenmue
子供の頃、民族音楽が町中に流れている国で育った自分なので民族の音というものは身体に染み込んでいました。シェンムーで民族音を入れた曲を作ったのは必然だったのでしょう。また、教授のラストエンペラーで中国系の楽器や音に対しての勉強はがっつりしていたのでそれがすぐに活かせた。
Translation:
"Growing up myself in a country where ethnic music is played throughout town, ethnic sounds were ingrained in me. It was inevitable that I would create music with ethnic sounds for Shenmue. Additionally, I had thoroughly studied Chinese instruments and sounds from The Last Emperor by my professor, which I could immediately apply".
 |
| Photo from Osamu Murata's Facebook |
The Last Emperor soundtrack was created by Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Score. Sakamoto was also the creator of the Dreamcast console's startup sound.
I think it was Master Chen that taught Swallow Flip in the first Shenmue, but they did use Xiuying's theme during that scene
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the track was originally planned for...
DeleteIf Murata wrote it during high school years, that makes it the first Shenmue-related element created, even before - or right around the time - Suzuki joined SEGA in '83!
Perhaps it was 'Destiny'...
(did he compose that one, too?)
I just recalled: That was one of Ryuji Iuchi's pieces...
DeleteThanks for the correction! I'll note that in the post. It seems that it is played also during Xiuying's instruction of the Counter Elbow Assault.
DeleteMario E. It fits in so well that it's hard to believe it was composed many years before Shenmue!
Delete