DOOM Eternal is out and like always people are raving not just about its gameplay but its soundtrack. DOOM 64 also finally got an official release and its praise is much the same. DOOM’s sound has always been so important to its identity. It inspired a generation of metal heads, it set the mood for what is arguably the most important First Person Shooter in history and the failure to properly bring over the original soundtrack has always been a sticking point for many of DOOM’s ports. Most importantly of all though, the soundtrack is bangin’. And lucky for me, the man behind that soundtrack, Bobby Prince, has agreed to do an interview with me about his time at ID and his experience making the soundtrack to DOOM.

QC: How did you first get into composing music for video games?



BP: You may have heard that “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” (Roman Philosopher Seneca, 2000 years ago) The time I spent learning about MIDI late into the night in the late 80’s/early 90’s taught me how to use it to create backtracks for my brother and others and to bring my own song ideas into a physical form. I worked on backtracks of almost any genre of the time, including rock and roll, classical, gospel, soul, country, etc. And there were BBS’s (Bulletin Board Services) I could connect to with my 4800 baud modem to post/answer questions with other MIDI users. Relatively shortly after, came Compuserve, Prodigy and AOL, which had sections or boards dedicated to many subjects, including computer music and MIDI. I was on all of them — asking and answering all sorts of questions. I “met” some really brilliant people during that time.

One Sunday in 1993 there was a post on Prodigy’s computer music board asking was there anyone on that board that could write some music for computer games. It’s important to know that back a couple of weeks before this post showed up, I had downloaded the original Commander Keen. I thought it was a great game — and an inspired one. Now back to that post, I decided to reply to it, thinking that it was probably some wanna be game marketer, but, hey, it might be interesting to find out. The next day I got a call from a guy named Scott Miller. He said that he had received about 50 responses from his post on Prodigy, and he had decided mine was the most interesting. I don’t have a copy of that post or reply, so I don’t remember what I said. Scott said that his company worked with independent game developers and he marketed and distributed the games using shareware, where a part of a game is free and if someone likes it he/she can purchase the rest of the game. Several minutes into the conversation, he mentioned one of the games was Commander Keen. I told him I had downloaded and played the shareware version and thought it was as good as any I’d ever seen/played. He told me that the guys who developed it, id Software, were working on a second Commander Keen trilogy and they wanted music for it. I told him that I had professional equipment and had never bought a sound card. That’s because the rare game at that time had music and/or sound effects in it. Scott said he would send me the money to buy a card and any software I may need. Now, mind you, Scott had never heard any music I had written. I was sold that Scott was on the up and up the moment he mentioned Commander Keen. But, his willingness to put his money where his mouth was (pay for a sound card and software) sealed the deal tight. Before we hung up, Scott told me that he was going to have id Software call me. I said I would look forward to that.

The next day, I received a call from a guy named John Romero. We talked a long time about what they wanted for music in the Commander Keen trilogy they were working on. Toward the end of the conversation, John said that he had to go since he and the other id guys were going water skiing. This was when they were in Louisiana. From that point on through the early Dooms, I worked with Apogee and id and other companies. I worked alone at the first of most projects and would make a trip or trips to be with the game producers in the final stages of production. Sad to say, there are game producers I worked with whom I’ve never met in person.

QC: What were the musical inspirations behind DOOM’s soundtrack?

BP: Originally, id wanted only heavy metal music. Before I went to work with them on Doom at their offices, I did some “cover like” metal, hoping they would see that metal alone wouldn’t work. Luckily, they agreed. What I did from then on was music I based upon personal experiences in my life to that time — mainly from my experiences in the Army and later in prisons (I have a degree in counseling). I also read books about truly evil historical figures to (bluntly) piss myself off so I could tell them off with some music. I had done that same thing for the music in Wolfenstein.

QC: Where there any notable difficulties you encountered while developing music for DOOM?

BP: The biggest difficulty was there was a limitation on sounds you can use in the early MIDI music. There were also limits to the size of the music files. The game had to fit in a certain limitation of size. Also, the MIDI music player that was used in Doom (and many other early Apogee or id games) would balk if I sent too much music data in a short period of time. Oh, and there was a maximum of nine music/percussion notes allowed to play at the same time. Since the drum (percussive) part often took up more than half of the notes at one time, that left room for only four musical notes. The good aspect of the sound cards of the time was that they allowed for creation of your own instrument sounds, so I could tweak until things almost sounded like real.

QC: Have you listen to the modern DOOM’s soundtrack? And if so what are your opinions on it?

BP: I have listened to most of it, and what I’ve heard is top notch. I haven’t heard the latest Doom soundtrack yet, but it seems like players are liking it.

QC: DOOM’s music is such a key part of its identity, but apparently you started working on the music before the game’s engine was even complete. How did you manage to make sure the soundtrack appropriately fit DOOM’s level and aesthetics?

BP: Tom Hall wrote the Doom Bible as an early guide to what Doom might/would become. I took his descriptions and tried to create music that fit those descriptions. While not everything in the Doom Bible turned out, it certainly inspired what became the final version. It also inspired me for many of the sound effects I created. Some of those easily fit the game.

QC: Were there any key differences in how you approached composing DOOM 2’s music, in comparison to the first?

BP: Not really. Much of it was music I had created for the original game. Some of it was music that was turned down in the original but later received as perfect in Doom 2 🙂 A good bit of the music was never used, though I have always felt it would have worked with either of the first two Dooms.

QC: Of the music that you composed for DOOM, what do you think is your favorite song?

BP: I really like the one played between levels. I like the theme, which, no matter how many claims are made that it sounds like two or more different metal songs, was written by me before I had been introduced to metal by the id guys. Next favorite is The Healer Stalks. It’s got a latin beat in it. It was inspired by the first time I saw an animation of the Healer. The long legs were animated like he was doing a Latin dance. It may have changed after that, but it was enough to inspire that music.

QC: What was it like working with ID Software during the 90’s? Stressful? Fun?

BP: I never felt stressed. It was frustrating getting the sound effects into the game so I could see if the timing fit the animation. John Romero had to build the game each time I made a change. I would watch the animation with the sound effect, take notes on what probably/maybe needed changing, re-time the effect, ask John to build again. I got pretty good at getting it on the second build.

We had a LOT of fun! I loved watching Romero playing deathmatch with whoever he could get to play. He and Shawn Greene were a lot of fun to watch and listen to. I liked talking to John Carmack about what he wanted id to do in the future. In the days before Doom, the id guys would take off time after work to play Dungeons and Dragons. John Carmack would be the dungeon master, and he was really, really good at it. I liked watching their interaction during play. I was a bit sad when they moved to the Cube building where they worked on Doom and later games. They didn’t play D&D any longer (at least that I could see)

QC: The original DOOM’s soundtrack has become one of the most iconic OSTs in gaming. Why do you think it’s had such a lasting impact?

BP: I would have never believed it if you told me back in the day that it would be remembered as long as it has been. I think the impact is due to the game itself and the huge audience it had. Also, the game had a lot of heart in it, put there by the team that worked on it. Everyone working on it was wanting it to be the best, and that comes through STRONGLY in the final product. No one “phoned” anything in.

QC: In Dan Pinchbeck’s book DOOM: SCARYDARKFAST, it’s said that you wanted a more ambient soundtrack for DOOM. Do you still feel a fully ambient soundtrack would have been more appropriate for DOOM?

BP: I didn’t want all ambient or more laid back. Some levels just called for ambient music. Others called for really mean, angry music.

Since I was also working on the sound effects in the game, I tried to balance the music and sound effects to work together. I didn’t want the same frequencies of sounds to be in both the music and effects on a level if it was at all possible. One person having control over all sounds in a game allows for that kind of thing.

QC: You’ve retired from composing for games, but is there any game that you would have loved to compose for?

BP: Contrary to popular belief, I am not retired from composing. I ghost write music for other composers who have more work than they can handle on tight schedules. This is for all sorts of music venues, from advertising to movies to games to whatever. I think it’s cool to hear something I wrote and no one knows it was me 🙂 And the other composers pay me fairly, and I’m happy for them to get more work so they might give me more opportunities to compose. I’m also working on some songs I’ve written over the years and looking for the right vocalist to put them out. I like writing in almost all genres, too, and this ghost writing arrangements gives me opportunities to do just that.

QC: Lastly is there anything you’d like to say to the readers?

BP: I appreciate them more than I can say. Many of them wrote in support of me during my early stage 4 colon cancer “escapade.” I am in awe of those who have stayed with Doom through all these years, and I’m elated that it has given a lot of joy and fun to people over the years. Right now, health wise I am in a good place. After having several major surgeries, it seems that the cancer has (maybe) given up for now. I’m living every day as if it was my last (though I have to say that has been my philosophy for most of my life). I hope for each reader that you one day have the opportunity to death match with John Romero! Just make sure no children are in the room 🙂