What Do The Sims, Google Doodles, & Taiko Drums Have in Common?: An Interview with Silas Hite.

We here at Earthworks are always thankful to be in the company of such great partners in the audio world - and we're also thankful that we get to share some of their insight with you.

Today, we're talking with Silas Hite. He's a composer who has dabbled in nearly everything related to sound - from composing music for Google Doodles to working on the Sims series of video games. His latest album Fushigi was just released.

Can you first give us a brief background on who you are and what kind of work you do?

"I’m a freelance composer and sound designer.? I write music for film, TV, video games, commercials, branded content, etc."

"I began my career as an in-house composer working for my uncle, Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo.? In 2010, I left his company and have been a freelancer since then."

You've made several Google Doodle compositions, including one earlier this month for Native American Heritage Month. What does the process for making a Google Doodle song look like?

"If you aren’t familiar with the phrase “Google Doodle”, you’ve probably noticed how the Google logo is always changing on their homepage.? Many times it is just an illustration that is linked to more information about a person or event.? Occasionally they create more in-depth experiences such as interactive games or short films. That’s when I get involved and create the music and sound design.? Usually these more intricate Doodles are celebrating a holiday, such as Halloween or the Fourth of July, but sometimes it’s for a special event, like the 2018 Winter Olympics."

"As for the process, first I meet with the producers, the artists, and the designers to talk about the overall themes and get an idea of their needs.? They usually tell me what they are looking for, like a song and some sound effects, for example, and then I will then share my thoughts about how I think music and sound effects can enhance their project."

"Next I am given some concept art or maybe a demo of the game to work with and I create the music and sound effects based on that.? I send them the audio files, they implement them, and we discuss what is working and what could be improved.? There’s usually a few rounds of revisions where I am refining the sound, trying different options, and then we settle on the final versions.? I’ve been fortunate enough to do quite a few Google Doodles over the years, so it is a fairly smooth process at this point."

One of your credits includes writing the background music for the Sims video games. Can you walk us through how you came to work on the music, as well as what the process was like?

"Yes, the first video game I ever composed for was The Sims 2.? I was still working at my uncle’s studio at the time, so there were multiple composers writing for that game.? After The Sims 2 became a hit, we did several Sims 2 expansion packs and quite a few Sims Wii games.? After I became a freelancer, I ended up being hired by EA again to write music for several more Sims projects, such as The Sims 4 City Living, The Sims 4 Get Famous, several Sims marketing videos, and most recently The Sims Mobile game."

"The process is usually fairly straightforward.? They tell me what kind of music they think they want and I write a handful of demos for them to choose from.? Then, we refine from there.? The Sims City Living process was more interesting though.? In that expansion pack, your Sim can sing karaoke, with different levels of skill, from a novice to professional."

"First, I wrote a collection of songs in different styles - country, disco, show tunes, etc. complete with lyrics in English.? These were demos, so I sang them knowing that we would be bringing in professional session singers (both male and female) to replace my vocals.? After my music and melodies had been approved, I then had to re-write and re-sing the melodies in Simlish, a made up language that is used in all the Sims games!"

"After my Simlish lyrics and melodies were approved, EA flew me to Nashville where I spent an intense yet fun week producing vocalists.? They rented a studio and engineers on music row and I had to produce the session vocalists singing the songs in Simlish.? Not only that, we had to record each song with a male and female vocalist, and record multiple versions of the same song at different skill levels.? So for example, the novice singer level would sound less confident and have a simpler version of the melody, while the professional level would have more complicated vocal lines and more difficult melodies."

"Then, when everything was recorded, I flew back to my studio in LA where I completed the final mixes.? It was a unique and special project to be a part of."

You've just released a new album called Fushigi. What was the inspiration for the album? And what were you looking to achieve with this project?

"Fushigi is my latest instrumental album. ? A few years ago I was a composer for a Netflix show called Street Food Asia.? Afterward I had a desire to learn more about traditional Japanese instruments. Fushigi became my vehicle to that.? My goal was not to recreate Japanese music or my impression of Japanese music.? My goal was to engage Japanese instruments to inspire the writing process and to learn more about them along the way.? To do so, I took taiko (Japanese drums) lessons and hired Japanese instrumentalists to teach me about their instruments."

"In Japanese, the word 'fushigi' translates to wonder, mystery, strange, miracle, marvel, and curiosity; a perfect description of the music I was writing.? Fushigi is a concept album, conceived to be enjoyed on vinyl.? Side A is an imagined underwater journey across the Pacific Ocean from California to Japan.? Side B is an exploration of my memories of traveling through Japan."

"The music is really a blend of sounds and ideas that interest me.? Live strings and woodwinds, synths and drum machines, lots of percussion, some Japanese instruments peppered in, vintage organs, and of course, catchy melodies."

You've worked on a variety of projects in multiple industries. Are there any core beliefs that you follow when going into a project, regardless of what it is?

"I believe it is my duty to give the client what they want, but also show them what else is possible.? I also believe working with a composer should be fun.? Ideally I want all my clients to be surprised and delighted by how much my score can enhance their project."

And finally, do you have any wisdom or advice from your diverse career that you could share with our readers?

"Music has so many facets, from instruments, to genres, to music theory, to business, to recording, etc.? There’s always more to learn, so keep digging and expanding your knowledge about it!"