Payday composer Simon Viklund says writing video game music ‘isn’t easy’

Whether you know Simon Viklund as the composer of the emblematic dubstep/EDM/techno soundtracks of the Payday franchise or as the voice of Bain in the same series, his name is invariably associated with heavy-hitter action games. He is known for his work on Bandits: Phoenix RisingBionic Commando, Dead in daylightand of course, Payday: The Heist And Payday 2.

For Polygon FM — our weeklong look at the ways music and gaming intertwine — Viklund discusses his early inspirations and why strange rhythms make for good video game music.

Polygon: Was there a game soundtrack or song that inspired you to start making game music? Can you paint the scene of what that felt like for you, and why the music was so effective?

Simon Viklund: I was pretty obsessed with NES music as a kid, to the point where I would record Megaman 1-3 music from the TV onto a cassette tape so I could listen to it when I wasn’t playing. The music on the NES was extremely effective because the primitive sound chip forced composers to arrange economically and rely on great harmonies and melodies. In my opinion, the music wasn’t as good in the 16-bit era because the technology sounded more like real instruments, but not quite – it was like the uncanny valley of sampled instruments – and composers started to rely too much on the tools.

Can you break down one of your own songs and its influences? Was it inspired by game soundtracks, other music, or something else?

I made a song called “Inject” that was written specifically for the trailer where the name is revealed. Den of wolvesa techno thriller heist co-op game we’re working on at 10 Chambers. We wanted the trailer to make the viewer feel like “oh yeah, that’s awesome”, and I listened to some mid-tempo bass music for inspiration.

There is a song called “Arbiter” of Draedenwhich has what I would call a trap-inspired beat, and I’m not really into trap, but I loved what Draeden did and drew heavily from that particular track. “Inject” is basically drums and one synth melody, with most of the bass coming from an 808 that’s attached to the kick drum. In other words, there’s not a lot of layers to it, so each part really has to shine. I spent a lot of time making the kick really punchy, the snare snappy, etc.

Another aspect was my idea to make the music sound a bit “wobbly” and not pitch perfect or quantized (i.e. not rhythmically perfect). My idea was that it would make the music a bit more earwormy because it would feel a bit “strange”. I spent a lot of time making the groove sloppy timing-wise, and the synths kind of scream and wobble like it wasn’t intentional, even though it was. I had a lot of fun exploring new ideas, stepping out of my comfort zone, and learning new tricks while making “Inject”!

What are the main instruments used to record the soundtrack for the Payday series? How did you choose those instruments?

Payday has a lot of drum loops and distorted synths, but there’s also some real electric guitar and bass in there every now and then. When we were making Payday: The Heist In 2010-2011 my gut feeling was that the choice for the music was between leaning into the game’s Hollywood movie inspiration with a movie score, or leaning into the “outlaw power fantasy” with a bit more rock ‘n’ roll. I chose the latter.

Is there anything else we should know about your approach to composing video game music?

It’s not easy for me. It’s hard. I don’t use project templates, although I probably should. Every time I sit down to make a new track, it’s a blank slate and I’m like, “How do you do this again?” There are so many directions a soundtrack or an individual track can go that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. I need time, I need to try and fail, and I need other people working on the project to help me through the process — with direction and support through patience. So the process is hard, but I love doing it!