The Audio of Half-Life: Alyx from Level with Emily

In June 2018, we began interviewing five of the people responsible for audio in Half-Life: Alyx from Valve Corporation. 

The Audio in Half-Life: Alyx introduces you to each person involved in the creation of sounds in the game, and highlights their individual roles for bringing the game to life.

Mike Morasky wrote the music for Half-Life: Alyx. 

Roland Shaw made audio for the creatures and monsters, and for all of the physics objects like matchboxes and lockers and footsteps. 

Dave Feise did the ambiences, UI sounds, and some of the tools like the Combine fabricator and the hacking puzzles. 

Emily Ridgway wrote and processed the dialog from the Combine soldiers, and designed the speakers that float alongside a player’s ears on Valve’s VR Index headset. 

Lakulish Antani co-invented Steam Audio, a tool for game developers to make environments and the objects in them react with realistic sound.

All of the source audio for this documentary is available to patrons of Level with Emily. The source audio includes seven interviews with Mike Morasky, four interviews with Roland Shaw, four interviews with Dave Feise, three interviews with Emily Ridgway and three interviews with Lakulish Antani.

Level with Emily Reese would like to thank Mike Morasky for this incredible opportunity and experience, and to Lakulish Antani, Dave Feise, Emily Ridgway, and Roland Shaw for the conversations, and to Valve for allowing it all to happen.

Thank you to Nick Marinelli for transcription, to Nick and Chase Bethea for their feedback, and to producer Sam Keenan.

PLAYLIST
composed by Mike Morasky for Half-Life: Alyx unless noted

Chapter 01

00:42 Exposing Hostile

07:58 Triple Laser Phaser from Portal 2

08:35 Cara Mia Addio from Portal 2

09:07 Scanning Hostile Biodats

Chapter 06

1:22:00 What Did It Taste Like

1:24:42 Vapor Trail by The Crystal Method from Vegas

1:25:20 Apprehension and Evasion by Kelly Bailey from Half-Life 2

1:26:25 Adrenaline Horror by Kelly Bailey from Half-Life

1:27:10 Echoes of a Resonance Cascade from Half-Life

1:28:28 B3PbIBONACHOCTb

1:29:12 Substation

1:30:21 Level-5 Anti-Civil Activities

1:32:24 Charger

1:35:44 Bozeman by Steel Pole Bath Tub from The Miracle of Sound in Motion

1:36:24 The Good Times by Steel Pole Bath Tub from Unlistenable

1:37:04 The Good Times by Steel Pole Bath Tub from Unlistenable

1:38:40 Quaranta Giorni

1:39:59 Quaranta Giorni

1:40:46 Quaranta Giorni

1:41:45 Terin #6

1:42:34 Terin #6

1:43:43 Quaranta Giori

1:44:32 Overload Protocol

1:45:43 Trans Human Crossfire

1:47:16 Extract. Resonate. Isolate.

1:48:11 A Gentle Docking

1:48:48 A Gentle Docking

1:49:59 Coetaneous (strings only)*

1:50:53 EMC2*

1:52:25 Music from the Vault*

1:53:07 Coetaneous (piano only)*

1:54:03 Coetaneous (for commentary)*

1:54:57 Lightning Dog

1:55:21 Lightning Dog

1:56:16 Lightning Dog

1:56:38 Lightning Dog

1:57:06 Rabid Lightning

1:57:24 Rabid Lightning

1:58:08 Rabid Lightning

1:58:50 Rabid Lightning

1:59:23 Sunset Vault

1:59:59 Sunset Vault

2:00:35 Sunset Vault

2:01:27 Sunset Vault

2:01:45 Xenfestation Control

2:01:51 Xenfestation Control

2:0219 Jeff

2:03:15 Elevatormuzik

2:03:35 Trash Compactor Waltz

2:04:25 Outbreak is Uncontained

2:05:40 Cauterizer

2:06:41 Scanning Hostile Biodats

2:08:40 Let Me Talk To Your Super-Advisor

2:10:51 Beasts of Prey

2:11:41 Beasts of Prey

Chapter 07

2:12:14 Valve Alyx

2:13:39 Hacking by David Feise

2:18:49 Icosahedron

2:19:58 Half-Life: Alyx Credits

*not part of the Official Sountrack