Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546054
M OT I O N P I CTU R E S O U N D E D I TO R S 51 guitar, and lap steel—and a focused three-person taiko ensemble to sit naturally within the orchestral texture. One of the primary technical challenges was maintaining sonic and aesthetic continuity across a recording process that spanned nearly three years and multiple geographically separated sessions. Each element—orchestra, choir, soloists, and percussion—was captured in different acoustic environments with distinct room responses, microphone chains, and engineering teams. The orchestra, choir, and taiko sessions were captured in a 7.1 immersive microphone configuration to preserve spatial realism and depth, while the soloist sessions required more adaptive recording strategies. To manage this, we established a consistent recording philosophy across all locations, particularly around microphone placement, ensuring that the recorded material could translate reliably between studios. In the mix, although the source material was captured in 7.1, for the in-game mix, we worked in a quad- based presentation, particularly when integrating dense orchestral material with highly expressive solo instruments. This helped maintain clarity, focus, and separation while preserving a coherent immersive field that was ultimately folded into a 5.1 final game mix. The solo instruments in particular required a careful balance between modern production techniques and preservation of performance authenticity. We used contemporary mixing techniques to ensure clarity and emotional presence, while still respecting the natural dynamics and phrasing of the traditional instruments. The goal throughout was not to homogenize these disparate elements, but to design a single, cohesive sonic world where each recording retains its identity, while the spatial, tonal, and dynamic relationships feel unified and intentional across the entire score. What were the biggest technical challenges in recording and mixing a score that needed to function dynamically inside an interactive game? Kellogg Boynton ➤ One of the primary technical challenges in working on Ghost of Yōtei was ensuring that the score could function reliably within a highly interactive and non-linear gameplay environment. Unlike linear playback, the music needed to remain emotionally coherent and technically consistent across a wide range of unpredictable in-game states—often transitioning between exploration, combat, and cinematic moments in real time. From a recording and mixing standpoint, this required us to think beyond traditional linear album workflows and instead design material that would translate cleanly into stems and interactive music layers. Each stem must be able to work on its own, or in any combination with the other stems, From left to right: Rekpo sitting while Oki plays the frame drum in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Photo by Chad Cannon