Senior Project Overview!- Rescoring Undertale

This project is meant to be a culmination of everything that I have learned during my time at Capital University. Rescoring Undertale is intensive, as Toby Fox did an amazing job with the music the first time around. This project involves a lot of writing, a lot of mixing, and a lot of mastering. I think it can be done, but it is a lot. Who knows, at least it gives me an excuse to play the game again! Below is my full proposal, just so it is clear what I am trying to do.

"Rescoring Undertale" by Jack Sears.

Purpose- I want to rescore the music for the video game “Undertale” as a test to my composition skills and to pay homage to something that really inspired me as a musician and composer. Interest- This will solidify my skills in composition, mixing, and mastering. 

WHO- This will involve me and other musicians collaborating on this project. I anticipate a large portion of this project to be done electronically, but I do want to have some bands and orchestral instruments available to be recorded when I deem it necessary. Outside of that, this project will really be me and me alone as of right now. 

WHAT- The goal of this project is to write a cohesive and fitting score for Undertale. The game will be playable with the music within it, and this is something I plan to demonstrate on the day projects are due. I will have a playable copy of the game at the end of the project with my music in it, as well as an OST of my own. Throughout the project, I will be documenting the process of attaching music to media like this. It’s something that isn't talked about enough in music tech circles and I think it would be really informational to composers and music fans alike. The process will obviously be to play a part of the game, write, mix, master. It’s a process that can really trip me up with things like writer’s block, but there are so many elements to the game that I feel like I’ll always be able to write something. 

WHEN- Start of next semester. I really want to chunk this down, either by number of songs per week or by sections of the game, just to keep me on track. I think that will also determine important milestones as well. 

WHERE- A lot of the work will be done on both personal devices and in studios. It really will just come down to what I need when. Studio F, E, A, and C will be most useful to me. Other than that, I plan on experimenting with different DAWs I know well for this project, like FL Studio and Ableton. I will document updates through a document/blog style piece and maybe through videos as well. I typically talk better on video or in a live environment, so this might be preferred. WHY- I think the big test for me here is seeing how suited I am for the world of composition. I’m not a classically trained composer or musician in most areas, so trying to apply what I know to such a traditional field will be interesting. The tools I’m choosing to use are ones I know best and am most comfortable with, just to keep things simple and eliminate a potential snare. 

HOW- This is a large project, it will take the entirety of the time I’m allotted. I’m going to accomplish this through being what I am at heart: a creator. This project will test how strongly I believe in that. I’ll document progress in a blog style format, with potentially some videos showing progress as well. Schedule- I really want to chunk this out by the amount of completion for the score. This is hard because of the amount of music that exists and with the differing lengths. I think my deadline to be done is week 6. There are technically 110 tracks on the original OST, with 32 of them being hidden in the game or exclusive to the soundtrack. I want to rescore all 110 tracks, and maybe add a few secret tracks of my own, to keep the continuity of the project. However, in an emergency (that will NOT happen) I could just do the pertinent 78 tracks to make the game playable. My schedule will look something like: 

WEEK ONE: Play the game with no music, begin writing 

WEEK TWO: Continue writing, mixing, mastering 

WEEK THREE: Continue writing, mixing, mastering, goal is to be “halfway” 

WEEK FOUR: Continue mixing, writing, mastering 

WEEK FIVE: Continue mixing, writing, mastering, hopefully begin implementing

 WEEK SIX: Catch up if necessary, finish implementation 

WEEK SEVEN: Tie up loose ends, present 

Major Milestones: 

#1- Jan. 28th- 40% finished

#2- Feb. 18th- DONE or wrapping up 

Contribution- I want to really give a good look at the process of scoring for media. I want this project to be a resource, but also a story leading up to my final product. I also want to release this music in an unaffiliated way with the game, just to have for myself and to share with others. Both of these things really are contributions in their own way, but I think they are both fantastic ways to cap off my academic career thus far. 

Pre-Production- I need to play the game with no music first. This is the most important part of the process for me right now. Then, it’s going to be immediately jumping into writing, probably with the most inspiring part first. I will need to contact bands I have in mind asap, and also find backups when I deem it necessary. I will need to plan mass recording sessions for efficiency and possibly find helping hands where needed. 

Deliverables- I will turn in a playable copy of the game, my separate OST, and my blog style documentation of everything that I did along the way.