Artists

Modular synth mayhem; behind the scenes of Quantum Break

Petri Alanko on composing for Quantum Break with Roland AIRA System-1M

Petri Alanko has your dream job. As producer, composer and sound designer for the world’s best video games, he’s scored music and created the atmosphere for a diverse range of games including Alan Wake, Trials Fusion, MotoHeroz and Death Rally. In 2016, you’ll be hearing Petri’s latest work as you blast through the hotly anticipated Quantum Break (developed by Remedy Entertainment for Xbox One). “With games, anything can happen,” he explains. “Sometimes, music leads, and sometimes it’s reacting to your actions.”

Quantum Break Gameplay Screenshot - Xbox One Game

Quantum Break gameplay screenshot on Xbox One

For this exclusive video interview, Petri Alanko invited us into his studio in Finland: a treasure-trove of equipment that has to be seen to be believed. His weapon of choice for video game work, he explains, is the modular synth, with the mix of tight control and free expression allowing him to create the shifting moods demanded by each new game. “You can control every single aspect. [But] you have to treat modular synths as live instruments, instead of a piece of electronic equipment. They’re not just some telephone centre.”

Petri also introduces us to some of his favourite gear, including the Roland System-1M Modular Synth at the heart of his setup, whose massive palette of tones will be all over the action in Quantum Break. “It’s just something that should have been invented much earlier,” he says. “Luckily, it’s out now…”