May 2021

Peter Scaturro, Senior Music Producer at Sony Interactive Entertainment, leads a team of innovative musical and technical professionals in creating interactive scores for PlayStation’s top games. His most recent credits include God of War by developer Santa Monica Studio, for which he received an Original Music BAFTA; Ghost of Tsushima by Sucker Punch Productions; Bloodborne and Demon’s Souls by From Software and Sony’s Japan Studio; and award-winning Death Stranding by Kojima Productions.

Music creation has been a constant in Scaturro’s life. Prior to his work at Sony, he had the privilege of working with many brilliant musicians while producing records and composing music for numerous television shows, films, and international advertising campaigns.

At Sony, he collaborates with trailblazing composers, musicians, writers, and directors, always striving to make every production a critical success that excites fans and pushes the boundaries of interactive music.

Let’s hear from the man himself…

MASA: Can you tell us a bit about how your interest in music began to materialise, and how your career started, then progressed to where you are today?

PETER: My career started in San Francisco during the '90s. There was an exciting music scene happening in the city at that time, and I was lucky to be a part of it. I was touring with my band while also working as a studio musician playing on records for other artists. I was interested in record production and pursued any opportunity to be in the recording studio. Eventually, I built my own studio and had the privilege of working with many brilliant musicians while producing records and composing music for ads, television shows, films, and production libraries. My interest in music production is still just as strong today, and I'm grateful to have the opportunity at PlayStation to continue to use the latest technologies to create interactive music scores.

MASA: How do you go about choosing the best-suited composers for a project?

PETER: Generally, composers are chosen based on their past work and how well that fits the creative brief. It helps if the composer has experience composing for film, television, or games and has handled big projects in the past.

MASA: During your initial brief, what elements do you stipulate when defining the sound of a project to the composer? What level of detail and guidance do you usually give?

PETER: Often the start of a project includes a meeting with the composer and creative leads. We discuss the details of the story and brainstorm about the style and musical elements in the score. Everyone has an opportunity to contribute. As production evolves, our team has access to the in-progress version of the game. We can advise on the music that's needed and create briefs for specific cues. We also guide the score production and ensure that the recorded material suits the game's music system.

MASA: With production often spread out over different continents, what systems do you have to put in place to make that work? Can language barriers cause problems when working with your colleagues in Japan?

PETER: We're very fortunate to have partners around the world with whom we regularly collaborate. In the UK, for example, we have recorded many scores at AIR Studios and Abbey Road. The staff and engineers there are familiar with our technical requirements, and we rely on their recording expertise. The same is true in Nashville, where we also do a lot of recording. Our colleagues in Japan are brilliant at collaborating and conversing with us English speakers, one of the benefits of working within a global company.

MASA: How has COVID impacted the gaming world? What has been put in place to overcome restrictions?

PETER: Remote recording technology has improved significantly over the past year. We are currently using Audiomovers to stream audio from the recording studio to our home offices with very low latency. We are also using Zoom with multiple camera feeds to see and communicate with the musicians and engineers. This combination has been very successful, and I expect that we will continue to record remotely even after travel restrictions are lifted. Internally we are using Evercast to stream content for creative discussions. There is something to be said for getting together in person, but I suspect that the tools that we are using out of necessity will still be part of our collaboration options in the future.

MASA: You and Keith Leary, Director of Music at Sony Interactive Entertainment and a 2019 Music+Sound Awards juror, won a BAFTA in 2019 with composer, Bear McCreary, for your work on God of War. First off, congratulations! Secondly, it would be great to hear about some highs and lows you experienced during this 3 year long project...

PETER: There were lots of highs and, quite frankly, not many lows except for the pressure of producing something that lived up to the fans' expectations. When we learned that the story was going to be based on Norse mythology and Kratos had a son, it was so shocking that it wiped away all preconceived ideas of what GOW music needed to be. The score eventually included elements from the past, like big strings, brass, and choir, but there was also an intimacy and tenderness that supported Kratos’s and Atreus's relationship. Bear did a brilliant job of incorporating Scandinavian instruments alongside the orchestra and placing GOW in its new setting. And the Icelandic choir, Schola Cantorum, singing in Old Norse, added a familiar yet fresh ingredient.

MASA: Death Stranding won Best Sound Design and was nominated for Best Original Composition at last year's Music+Sound Awards (and won a BAFTA for Audio Achievement and was shortlisted for Best Music!!). Again, huge congrats and could you perhaps give us some insight into your favourite parts of the project?

PETER: The best part was working with composer Ludvig Forssell and Hideo Kojima to realize their vision for the score. Ludvig had a clear style in mind, and we helped source talent for him, mix the score, and implement the music in the game. We also collaborated on the music system, which was quite sophisticated and did an excellent job of keeping the player immersed in the action.

MASA: Last but not least, the readers I'm sure would be very interested in hearing what you'll be looking for when judging The Music+Sound Awards later this year…

PETER: I like original ideas and audio that supports the game's creative vision in new and exciting ways.

Fantastic Peter, thank you so much for your time and for providing us with this window into what goes on behind the scenes.