Burst mixes Stones with sounds of war

Post, March, 2005

NEW YORK -- Engineer/composer/mixer Mike Barrett of Burst (www.creativebubble.com), here, was presented with the challenge of finding a delicate balance between the sounds of war and the original Rolling Stones track "Paint It Black," which was licensed by Rockstar Games for a spot promoting its new videogame Conflict Vietnam.

"When the elements came in, the sound design, created by Gareth Williams [Human Worldwide], was very dense and dramatic," explains Barrett. "Paint It Black' was recorded by the Rolling Stones in 1966, and while it fit the mood perfectly, it didn't have the expansiveness to sit on top of all the sound design by itself."

Barrett solved the problem by using multi-band TC Electronic compressors and a bit of Focusrite EQ to tighten up and raise the low end, as well extend the highs. This solution, combined with picking and choosing which of the many layers of sound effects to highlight, enabled him to achieve a full balance. The result allows viewers to notice the sound of a twig breaking in the jungle and still get the full-on barrage of heavy machine gun fire a few seconds later without losing any of the music.

"You want to take full advantage of the instant recognizability of the song, which also happens to be perfect for the visuals and theme of this videogame, while integrating it with dramatic sound effects in order to give the spot maximum impact," says Barrett. Marcelo Gandola produced for Burst.