Gotham Knights composers The Flight say “the sound of Gotham” comes from a CS-80-inspired synth
Over 20 classic synthesisers make up the Gotham Knights soundscape.
Image: QLOC, WB Games Montréal
Producers Joe Henson and Alexis Smith, AKA The Flight, have explained how a Yamaha CS-80-inspired synth, the Black Corporation Deckard’s Dream, exemplifies the true “sound of Gotham” in Gotham Knights, an action-based RPG by Warner Bros Games.
Speaking to MusicTech, The Flight explained that over 20 synthesizers were used to create the Gotham Knights soundscape, ranging from the Roland Juno-60 and Korg MS-10 to the Korg ARP Odyssey and Control Synthesis Deep Bass Nine.
However, according to the pair, the Deckard’s Dream synth gives Gotham Knights its dark sound, which is seen particularly in the character themes.
“It’s basically a recreation of the Yamaha CS-80 and we use it a lot,” Henson says. “That’s the sound of Gotham.”
“The guitars are just these distorted, ambient, pads that we run through pedals,” adds Smith. “They go with the upper string sections to give it that edge of filth.”
The Black Corporation Deckard’s Dream synth, or DDRM, features eight voices, each with two identical layered parts consisting of 100 per cent analogue voltage-controlled oscillators, and has been coined as a thin and light tabletop format of the original Yamaha CS-80 synth.
Much of the game’s sound was achieved by padding out recordings of The Chamber Orchestra of London with distorted guitars and jagged hip-hop beats, as well as the sounds of the Deckard Dream Synth.
“We could instantly see why [Warner Bros] came to us,” says Smith. “Because they wanted that grit – not just 100 per cent orchestral music but lots of electronics and synth too. [Warner Bros] were very advanced in their art style and production style, so the first part of the project was just getting our music to fit with that vibe.”
You can find out more about Gotham Knights here.
