Gavin as Andrew W.K
Miracle of Sound is a name well known through the video game industry and for good reason. Gavin Dunne started this project out as a way to pay tribute to the shows, movies, and games he liked. Since then through word of mouth he has become a notable name in video gaming as the geek music icon. He wears a title such as that with pride.
Rightly so as industry triple-A companies such as Bethesda and EA have taken notice and helped spread the word of his high quality songs that range from metal, pop, RnB, and even dubstep!
Needless to say, Gavin Dunne is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to creating music inspired from entertainment. Spanning over five albums now, Miracle of Sound has been a progression of lessons learned and creativity expanded to limitless heights.
Most notable is one of his songs “Cries of a Dead World” which has made it into the blockbuster game Wasteland 2. This song touches on folk roots and creates a haunting atmosphere to a game about the remnants of mankind after the apocalypse.
With each album going from Level 1-5 we see an ever increasing maturity and creative structure that just makes each album better than the last.
Gavin recently took time to speak with Contrast Control and introduce himself to you, the readers and to those who haven’t yet had the pleasure of diving into his discography of videos and albums.
James West: Gavin, where do your musical roots come from and when did you get into playing music?
Gavin Dunne: I always wanted to play music in some way, right from when I was a kid jumping around playing Guns N Roses songs on my tennis racket! I picked up a guitar at age 14 and never looked back.
James: Have you played in bands before Miracle of Sound?
Gavin: Yes, 2 other rock bands.
James: What lesson did you learn from previous music projects?
Gavin: Many lessons! Be careful trusting people who make promises. Try to control everything about your work yourself. I learned to self-produce my music over years of practice and now I don’t have to pay a mix engineer and work at a free pace. The years I spent practicing my songwriting in other bands has also been very beneficial to the quality of the MOS material.
James: How long does it take for you to create a song?
Gavin: Usually around 60-80 hours, but it can go well over 100 hours depending on the song and the mix (Dream Of The Sky and Fires Far are two songs that took a very long time to create & mix).
James: Is it easy to come up with lyrics for your songs? Such as songs for The Last of Us, and Wake the White Wolf and Dark Souls 2?
Gavin: No, I don’t find it easy. Telling stories through song in a way that subtly alludes to the subject matter without being really cheesy and obvious (like the early MOS songs) is challenging. Writing a chorus that has a sing-along quality without being cheesy is always very difficult too. But I like challenges!
James: How much do you time have to play games and watch movies and tv for all the songs you have created?
Gavin: Not as much as I would like! I am so busy these days I hardly get to watch any Tv or play all the games I want to play. I wish there were a few more hours in every day, haha.
James: Do you produce/mix all of your work?
Gavin: Yes, I do it all myself in my home studio.
James: Your songs unrelated to entertainment are truly special, what inspires them?
Gavin: Different things – life, love, happiness, sadness, persevering through hard times…. for example this upcoming metal album is entirely themed around the idea of healing & catharsis through art/music.
James: If you could have someone be a guest musician or singer on your songs who would it be and why?
Gavin: I rarely collaborate as I’m too much of a control freak, but my buddy Lorna who sings on a few MOS tracks is always lovely to work with because we’ve been friends for years and it’s easy & fun. I have one or two cool other collabs coming this year though!
James: What are some ways you keep your creativity going?
Gavin: Creativity is a strange thing, sometimes it takes over and pours out of you and other times you can feel very uninspired. I am lucky that way, I usually just have many ideas floating in my head all the time – sometimes too many to ever possibly physically record.
James: What do you do outside music for a hobby/relaxation?
Gavin: Spend time with my girlfriend, my friends. I’m Irish so we usually all go to the local rock bar and do some drunk head-banging! Ha. I also love gaming of course, and all the usual blah blah stuff like movies & books.
James: Do you have any advice for the aspiring musician?
Gavin: Practice! All the time. Don’t be discouraged if you suck or get rejected at first, we all do. Music/songwriting is a craft and you learn it gradually over time. You will get good! It’s 20% talent 80% hard work.
James: Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions Gavin, Are there any shout-outs you want to make? Parting words for readers of Contrast Control?
Gavin: Thanks for reading and hope you all have a rocking 2015 full of great tunes! P.S. BUY ALL MY ALBUMS. Haha.
There you have it from the man himself. While the music he has created thus far is a tribute to popular entertainment titles, Gavin has much more in the works on his own material that will be sure to please longtime fans.
I’d like to thank Gavin for taking time out of his busy schedule and speaking with me to share with you all the details on himself and open us up to the “Miracle of Sound”. The fires are lit far for this musician and time will only write an even more notorious tale of Miracle of Sound as the gamers, movie enthusiasts, and TV junkies continue to spread the word of this creative, musical force.
For more information on Miracle of Sound, please visit these links:
- http://miracleofsound.net/
- youtube.com/user/miracleofsound
- miracleofsound.bandcamp.com
- facebook.com/MiracleOfSound
Written by James West 3-2-2015
