Ged Grimes Grabs multiple nominations for The Bard’s Tale
Ged Grimes’ Celtic soundtrack for The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep has received multiple nominations from both the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) Awards and the Game Audio Awards, including Best Game Music and Best Original Song.
Crowdfunded through Kickstarter, Barrow’s Deep revives the innovative role-playing series for the modern era. Originally released in 1985, music has always played a key part in the Bard’s Tale games, not least with its most notable innovation: the bard, a character who casts spells through songs. The original character class is now a staple of the role-playing genre.
Music is no less important in the latest entry to the series, set in ancient Scotland. Ged explains:
“The vocals are at the centre of the Bard’s Tale gaming world. The gamer encounters Gaelic songs as you explore the virtual ancient settlements and landscapes of olde…”
To help him capture the forgone sounds of the highlands, Ged travelled to the Black Isle in the north of Scotland with a pair of Aston Starlights and a Spirit.
"Top quality vocal recording was a priority for me at the outset, which was why I bought the Spirit. I knew it would work across a range of singers and vocal tones and it made my life so much easier to not have to reach for plugins to sweeten the sound… it captured everything at source.”
Ged used his Astons not only for percussion and acoustic guitars but for a full Gaelic Choir, whose vocals form an essential part of the Bard’s songs, recording in a remote church in the middle of the Scottish countryside.
"I used a pair of Aston Starlights in an ORTF configuration and the main precentor was mic’d wth the Aston Spirit. The stereo image was stunning and the Spirit did a great job of isolating the precentor allowing me great separation between the choir and solo voice. I’m also using the Spirit for some of the main character's spoken voice acting in the game."
Ged premiered the soundtrack live at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall for their annual Celtic Connections festival on 31st January, accompanied by scenes from the game as well as live action theatrical performances. The ambitious show was received enthusiastically by locals and global visitors alike at the prestigious festival, attended by thousands of Celtic music fans each year, who praised its spectacular scope and authenticity.
The song "Across the Seven Realms" from the game’s soundtrack was nominated in the Best Original Song category at the 2019 G.A.N.G. awards, where it was also nominated for Best Sound Design for an Indie Game. The soundtrack similarly impressed the Game Audio Awards, who shortlisted it for Best Game Music.
The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep was published by inXile on 18th September 2018 to critical and commercial acclaim. Find out more about the game on the official website here: https://bardstale.com
Check out behind the scenes from the Celtic Connections rehearsals here
Read our exclusive interview with Ged here