Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546054
42 M PS E . O R G approach authenticity and collaboration when recording traditional performers and instruments? Peter Scaturro MPSE ➤ Authenticity was a priority from the very beginning. Both Sucker Punch and our team felt that if we were going to tell a story set in Ezo, we needed to engage directly with the musical traditions and performers connected to that region. For the traditional Japanese and Ainu elements of the score, we traveled to Japan and recorded many of the musicians in their home country. One of the most meaningful parts of the process was recording in Hokkaido with renowned Ainu musician Oki Kano and vocalist Rekpo. Oki is widely recognized for his work preserving and revitalizing Ainu musical traditions, particularly through the tonkori, a traditional Ainu stringed instrument. Their performances brought a level of cultural authenticity and musical depth. We took the same approach with many of the traditional Japanese instruments featured throughout the score. We worked with master performers, including Yutaka Oyama and Masato Shibata on shamisen, Kinya Sogawa and Akihito Obama on shakuhachi and fue, Mana Yoshinaga on koto, and Daisuke Kiba on kokyū. These are musicians who have dedicated their lives to these instruments and their traditions, and their artistry shaped the character of the score in profound ways. At the same time, Ghost of Yōtei has a strong Western influence in its musical identity. Part of the creative vision was to blend traditional Japanese musical colors with the cinematic language of the American Western. We recorded some exceptional musicians in Nashville, including Biff Watson and Justin Johnson, whose guitar performances brought an unmistakable frontier quality to the score. Their contributions helped establish a musical connection to the Western genre while still keeping Japanese instruments at the center. We also recorded vocalist Clare Uchima, whose performances became an important emotional component of the score, as well as a taiko ensemble, featuring Isaku Kageyama, Kaz Mogi, Blaine O'Brien, and Wolf Finn. The larger orchestral ensembles were recorded in both London and Nashville, allowing us to combine orchestral performances with the more specialized traditional recordings. When you look at the game through the lens of music editing, what made this project unique? ➤ Ghost of Yōtei builds upon the musical foundation established by its predecessor, Ghost of Tsushima, while expanding that palette in exciting new ways. The earlier game's score was rooted in a blend of Japanese traditional instruments and orchestral writing, creating a sound that felt both cinematic and deeply connected to its setting. For Ghost of Yōtei, we retained those influences but introduced a stronger Western sensibility through instruments like guitar and lap steel. Those new colors changed the entire editorial process. Suddenly, we had to manage textures that expressed both tension and beauty through a different emotional language. Where a scene might previously have been supported by low strings and a mysterious shakuhachi line, Ghost of Yōtei could use lap steel Sonia Coronado Lead Music Designer "Ultimately, the objective was for the music to do more than accompany the player's actions. We wanted it to immerse players in the world, deepen their connection to Atsu, and help define the emotional and stylistic identity of the entire experience." — PETER SCATURRO MPSE Kellogg Boynton during a recording session in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Photo by Chad Cannon