International Digital Music Festival 2022: Lecture

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## Introduction

米哈游对音乐的投入，放在国内，一直都是超规格的程度。
miHoYo's investment in music has always been on an extraordinary level within China.

米哈游几乎是国内首家，在内部建立原创音乐工作室（HOYO-MiX）的游戏公司。我们曾提到，米哈游旗下几乎所有作品，从最早的《FlyMe2TheMoon》，到即将上线的《崩坏：星穹铁道》，其音乐创作都由HOYO-MiX包揽下来。
miHoYo is almost the first game company in China to establish an in-house original music studio (HOYO-MiX). As we mentioned before, almost all of miHoYo's works, from the earliest *FlyMe2theMoon* to the upcoming *Honkai: Star Rail*, have their music composition handled by HOYO-MiX.

米哈游对音乐的投入也远超其他游戏公司。据其幕后视频，《原神》音乐的制作规格颇高，经常邀请中国、英国、日本等世界各地顶级乐团来演奏录制。
miHoYo's investment in music far surpasses other game companies. According to behind-the-scenes videos, the production specifications for *Genshin Impact* music are quite high, often inviting top orchestras from China, United Kingdom, Japan, and other countries to perform and record.

今日（3月14日）在上海音乐学院主办、米哈游&HOYO-MiX承办的国际数字音乐节上，米哈游音乐制作人/HOYO-MiX成员苑迪萌，以《〈原神〉游戏音乐创作心得分享——以团队视角迎接挑战》为题，通过分享一些设计案例，介绍了HOYO-MiX整个团队在《原神》项目的研发思路，以及设计经验。
Today (March 14th) at the International Digital Music Festival hosted by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and organized by miHoYo & HOYO-MiX, Yuan Dimeng, a music producer from miHoYo and member of HOYO-MiX, gave a presentation titled "Insights into Game Music Composition in *Genshin Impact* - Embracing Challenges From a Team Perspective." Through sharing some design cases, he introduced the development approach and design experience of the entire HOYO-MiX team in the *Genshin Impact* project.

这场演讲或许可以解答大家对米哈游音乐设计的部分好奇……为什么米哈游要在音乐投入这么多精力？HOYO-MiX团队如何理解音乐对游戏与玩家的影响？他们具体又是如何设计，才能让玩家如此喜爱《原神》的内容？
This presentation may answer some of your curiosity about miHoYo's music design... Why does miHoYo invest so much effort in music? How does the HOYO-MiX team understand the impact of music on the game and players? And how do they specifically design to make players love the content of *Genshin Impact* so much?

以下是演讲内容整理（部分内容有调整或删减）
Below is a summary of the presentation content (with some adjustments or deletions).

各位好，我是米哈游旗下原创音乐团队HOYO-MiX的一员，苑迪萌，目前负责《原神》项目的音乐制作。今天我代表团队做一些以往工作经验的总结。
Hello everyone, I am Yuan Dimeng, a member of HOYO-MiX, the original music team under miHoYo. Currently, I am responsible for the music production in the *Genshin Impact* project. Today, on behalf of the team, I would like to share some reflections on our past work experiences.

一直以来，我们致力于在产品领域，不断地探索、尝试、创新，将音乐和游戏的融合做到极致。这一做法得到了不少玩家的认可，也与米哈游的企业文化「追求极致」不谋而合。
We have always been committed to exploring, experimenting, and innovating in the field of product development, striving to achieve the ultimate fusion of music and games. This approach has been recognized by many players and aligns well with miHoYo's corporate culture of "pursuing excellence."

今天我希望通过分享一些案例，聊一聊我们在《原神》项目中制作音乐的一些收获，给在座的各位朋友们带来一些启发：
Today, I would like to share some case studies and discuss the lessons we have learned from producing music for the *Genshin Impact* project. I hope to provide some inspiration to all of you who are present here.

## Design: Unifying Experience, Establishing Connections

某种意义而言，《原神》像是一本长篇小说，或是一部要播出好几季的电视连续剧。它的世界观宏大、丰富，如今仍在不断扩展。对我们来说，音乐就是《原神》IP的一部分，并随之不断成长。所以，每次创作大版本内容时，我们都会和策划同学去探讨关键的剧情设计，登场人物，故事线等等。也因此，我们为《原神》创作听觉体验时的首要课题就是：
In a sense, *Genshin Impact* is like a long novel or a television series with multiple seasons. Its world is grand and rich, and it continues to expand. For us, music is a part of the *Genshin Impact* IP and grows alongside it. Therefore, whenever we create content for major updates, we discuss key plot designs, character introductions, storylines, and more with the planning team. As a result, the primary challenge we face when crafting the auditory experience for *Genshin Impact* is:

「在其世界观下，我们该如何让音乐听起来足够贴合，并如剧情一样有着统一的逻辑。」
"How can we make the music sound fitting within its world and have a unified logic, just like the plot?"

《原神》的游戏背景是架空幻想世界，它位于名为提瓦特的大陆上。这片大陆有七个城邦。每个城邦都有自己独特的文化背景和美术风格。比如，最初的城邦蒙德，呈现的是欧陆风情；接下来的璃月，是以中国本土元素为设计基石；后来稻妻的灵感来自和风的元素；去年游戏更新到3.0的须弥，它的灵感则来自于中东和南亚等。
The game is set in a fictional fantasy world on a continent called Teyvat. This continent consists of seven nations, each with its unique cultural background and art style. For example, the initial city-state, Mondstadt, presents a European vibe. The subsequent city-state, Liyue, is designed with Chinese elements as its foundation. Inazuma draws inspiration from Japanese elements, while the recent 3.0 update, Sumeru takes inspiration from the Middle East and South Asia.

不难发现，《原神》有很多来自全球各地元素的参考。这些标志性元素既是每一个大版本的设计核心，也是我们创作这一地区音乐风格的主基调。比如从配器和调式上来说，璃月会以中国民乐与五声调式为主，稻妻以日本三味线、尺八等乐器与日本调式为主，而上线不久的须弥，则使用了NEY、DUDUK、BANSURI等中东、印度乐器，和当地独特调式作为其创作的主基调。当然，为了实现这一点，每次我们都需要从零开始深入学习这些全新的音乐语言，包括其乐器的演奏方法、旋律特点等。
It is evident that *Genshin Impact* draws references from various elements worldwide. These iconic elements serve as the design core for each major update and form the main foundation for creating the musical styles of these regions. In terms of orchestration and scales, Liyue primarily features Chinese traditional instruments and pentatonic scales. Inazuma incorporates Japanese instruments like the shamisen and shakuhachi, along with Japanese scales. As for the newly introduced Sumeru, it utilizes Middle Eastern and Indian instruments such as the ney, duduk, bansuri, and employs local unique scales as the main foundation for its compositions. Of course, to achieve this, we need to start from scratch and delve deep into learning these new musical languages, including the playing techniques of their instruments and their melodic characteristics.

在有了标识后，我们开始追求更多的表达：音乐要如剧情一样，有内在联系。一个显性的做法是，我们会对《原神》某些特殊地点、重要角色的专属音乐，做变奏处理，然后让其出现在不同的场景，以此来加深玩家的印象。比如，《原神》战斗动机的创作。
Once we have established the motifs, we strive for further expression: the music should have inherent connections, just like the plot. One explicit approach is to create variations of certain exclusive music for special locations and important characters in *Genshin Impact* and then incorporate them into different scenes to deepen players' impressions. For example, let's consider the creation of battle motifs in *Genshin Impact*.

每一个版本伊始，我们会先创作其战斗动机，确定主基调，使其能变奏并衍生出各种曲子和段落。而且由于战斗动机的音符足够简短，我们可以将它任意插入各种内容，适配到更多的场景和音乐段落当中，贯穿玩家整个大版本的游戏体验。
At the beginning of each version, we first compose the battle motif, determining the main theme, allowing it to be varied and developed into various pieces and sections. Since the battle motif consists of concise musical notes, we can insert it into various content, adapting it to different scenes and musical segments, thus permeating the players' entire gaming experience throughout the major version.

更进一步的是，我们还在曲目的内在联系上做过较为极端的尝试。比如，在2.7版本的层岩巨渊，游戏有一个叫《生死一刹》的过场动画。这段内容讲述玩家与众人逃离充满危机的空间，层层突围的故事。在面对走投无路的困局时，其中一名角色——璃月仙人「魈」——选择要牺牲自己，拯救众人。为此，我们挑选了一年前1.3版本为角色魈发布的PV主题曲，对其整合、变奏、发展，然后糅合进《生死一刹》的这段动画配乐当中。
Furthermore, we have made more extreme attempts at establishing intrinsic connections within our musical compositions. For example, in Version 2.7 "Beneath the Light of Jadeite," there is a cinematic animation titled "Moment of Life or Death." This scene depicts the story of the player and a group of people escaping from a perilous space, struggling through layers of obstacles. Faced with a desperate situation, one of the characters, Xiao, an Adeptus from Liyue, chooses to sacrifice himself to save the others. To emphasize this, we selected the theme song from the promotional video released for Xiao a year ago in Version 1.3. We integrated, varied, and developed it, then blended it into the music for the "Moment of Life or Death" animation.

对玩家而言，这一设计就是在音乐上回收了伏笔，并让大家因为听到熟悉的旋律而备受感动。事实上，这种主题的回收再利用是影视配乐中很常见的手法。而借助这一次《原神》的尝试，我们也证明了它同样适用于长线运营的游戏中。
For players, this design choice is a musical callback that evokes emotional resonance through a familiar melody. In fact, recycling and reusing themes like this is a common technique in film and television scoring. Through this experimentation in *Genshin Impact*, we have proven that it is equally applicable in a long-term live service game.

## Expression: Fusion and Innovation in Sound Design

《原神》除了宏大的世界观，最吸引人的莫过于个性迥异的角色们，包括前面提到的魈。这些角色们书写了提瓦特大陆引人入胜的各种故事……诸如支线、角色专属内容，并非简单的游戏资源复用，可以视为世界观的延伸，也可以视为内容的外传。
In addition to its grand world view, what makes *Genshin Impact* most appealing are its distinctive and diverse characters, including the mentioned Xiao. These characters have woven various captivating stories on the continent of Teyvat... such as side quests and character-specific content. These are not merely reused game resources but can be seen as an extension of the world view or even as spin-off content.

音乐在这里同样重要。刚才提到的角色PV音乐，作为专门突出角色特点的市场内容，也是原神产品的非常重要一环。因为音乐的好坏，或多或少会影响角色的人气，而且如此多的角色，要想完美的塑造每个不同角色是有挑战的。在创作这些角色音乐的时候，我们除了要定下一个贴合设计的音乐主题之外，还希望让音乐能给玩家眼前一亮的视听体验——为此，我们一直在尝试多种音乐元素的融合。
Music is equally important here. The character promotional video music mentioned earlier, which serves as dedicated content to highlight the characteristics of each character, is also a vital part of the *Genshin Impact* product. The quality of the music, to some extent, can influence the popularity of the characters. With such a large number of characters, it is a challenge to perfectly shape each unique character. When creating music for these characters, in addition to establishing a music theme that aligns with their design, we also aim to provide players with a visually and audibly impressive experience. To achieve this, we have been continuously experimenting with the fusion of various musical elements.

「融合」一直是HOYO-MiX的主旨。我们坚持认为，敢于尝试不同方式的融合，才有可能产生新的声音。比如说，钟离的角色演示曲《尘世闲游》，就以二胡为主奏乐器，融合了中国民乐和西方TRAP节奏。
"Fusion" has always been the principle of HOYO-MiX. We firmly believe that daring to explore different forms of fusion is what leads to the creation of new sounds. For example, Zhongli's Character Demo soundtrack, "Rex Incognito," features the erhu as the main instrument, combining Chinese traditional music with Western trap rhythms.

乍看之下，大家可能觉得二者很不搭——TRAP的风格偏街头音乐，而钟离是沉稳且不怒自威的神。其实我在制作之前，也担心这会不会太突兀。但是当开始尝试之后，我发现二者能很好地融合在一起：中国大鼓和某个特殊音色可以很好的合在一起，让鼓点听起来更加厚重，增加了那种仿佛有历史沉淀下来的特质；而TRAP速度偏慢的特点，很巧妙地匹配上角色不怒自威的形象。更有趣的一点是这段曲子的高潮段，当时我们不管怎么修改，都觉得它气势不太足。后来尝试在二胡上加入了电吉他的失真效果器，才发现终于对味。就结果而言，我认为这次融合是比较成功的。这首曲子在B站和油管上也收获了不少的人气。
At first glance, everyone might think that the two don't match — trap style leaning towards street music, while Zhongli is a composed and imposing god. Before making it, I was also worried if it would be too abrupt. But when I started experimenting, I found that the two can blend together well: Chinese drums and a certain unique sound can be combined, making the beats sound more solid and adding a sense of historical sedimentation; the slow tempo characteristic of trap cleverly matches the image of a composed and imposing character. What's even more interesting is the climax of this piece. No matter how we modified it, we felt that it lacked the grandeur. Later, we tried adding a distortion effect to the erhu with an electric guitar, and finally found the right touch. In terms of the result, I think this fusion was quite successful. This song has also gained popularity on Bilibili and YouTube.

另一个案例是雷电将军的角色演示音乐，因为这个角色设定非常复杂，她有着内外两个个体，从各种设计上都体现了一种两面性。为了塑造这种角色特点，尝试融合了管弦乐、和风元素、还有TRAP和Drum bass的风格。在动与静，快与慢的切换中，让这个角色演示的音乐能够符合她的个性而且配合画面做出很强的冲击力。
Another example is the Character Demo music for Raiden Shogun. Because this character's design is very complex, she has two entities, inner and outer, which are reflected in various aspects of her design. In order to portray this dual nature, we attempted to blend orchestral music, Japanese elements, as well as the styles of trap, and drum and bass. By switching between dynamics and tranquility, fast and slow, the music for this character showcase aligns with her personality and creates a strong impact in conjunction with the visuals.

又比如若陀龙王的战斗音乐，我们在史诗感的管弦乐、民乐、重金属摇滚的基底上，特意请了策划同学填词做了中文的楚辞唱段……这种大胆的融合，贴合了若陀龙王排山倒海般的压迫感，也照应了他设计中的中国元素。另外，还有像在女士的战斗音乐、散兵的战斗音乐中，我们在金属乐、电子乐的基础上还尝试融合了拉丁文和日文的唱段……最终，这种融合不只让国内玩家觉得新鲜，许多海外玩家也很喜欢。更多其他的例子这里就不再赘述。如果说要总结的话，我们认为融合的关键是要利用一些固有的刻板印象的同时打破常规。
Another example is the battle music for the boss Azhdaha. We deliberately incorporated Chu Ci by having the game designer contribute lyrics to the epic orchestral music, traditional Chinese music, and heavy metal rock foundation. This bold fusion captures the overwhelming pressure of Azhdaha and aligns with the Chinese elements in his design. Additionally, in the battle music for the character The Fair Lady, as well as for The Balladeer, we explored blending metal and electronic music with Latin and Japanese vocal segments. Ultimately, this fusion not only provided a fresh experience for domestic players but also resonated with many overseas players. There are many more examples, but I won't go into detail here. In summary, we believe that the key to successful fusion is breaking conventions while utilizing certain ingrained stereotypes.

## Challenge: Player-Centric Creativity and Team Growth

像《原神》这样二次元属性强烈的游戏，玩家其实对这种类型的作品，不管是画风、玩法，甚至音乐都有一个刻板印象。很多经典的游戏、动漫里面的音乐都让人印象深刻，比如FF系列的音乐、久石让的作品等。这些音乐元素早已扎根在大家的心中。当使用这些元素的时候，很容易唤醒尘封的记忆，更加感同身受。
Like games such as *Genshin Impact* with a strong anime-style aesthetic, players actually have a stereotypical impression of this type of work, be it the art style, gameplay, or even the music. Many memorable music pieces from classic games and anime, such as the *Final Fantasy* series and works by composer Joe Hisaishi, have already left a deep impression on people. These musical elements have long been ingrained in everyone's hearts. When using these elements, it easily awakens dormant memories and creates a greater sense of empathy.

我们在创作《原神》音乐的时候，就有意想打破这一刻板印象，并建立自己的记忆点。例如，原神的音乐设计基调就以传统管弦乐作为基底，也是因为管弦乐作为延续百年的经典，早早就在影视作品里被应用，创作成熟，且对大众而言有很强的熟悉感。
When composing music for *Genshin Impact*, we intentionally sought to break free from these stereotypical impressions and establish our own memorable points. For example, the musical design of *Genshin Impact* is rooted in traditional orchestral music. This choice is because orchestral music, as a classic art form spanning centuries, has long been used in film and television productions, making it mature in composition and highly familiar to the general public.

同时，我们也会去了解下最新的音乐流行趋势，比如说地下电音风格、billboard的新单曲……尽可能地与玩家审美保持统一。
At the same time, we also keep up with the latest trends in music, such as underground electronic music styles and Billboard's new releases, in order to align our aesthetics as much as possible with the players' preferences.

不过，单纯的拿来主义会让产品难出彩，过多的创新也可能会让玩家难以接受。所以，我们尝试在熟悉的元素基础上微创新，选择最合适的音乐元素，与游戏世界观融合，最终铸就了属于《原神》自己的音乐风格。
However, relying solely on imitation would make the product difficult to stand out, and excessive innovation may also make it challenging for players to accept. Therefore, we strive for incremental innovation based on familiar elements. We carefully select the most suitable musical elements and integrate them with the game's world view, ultimately creating a unique musical style for *Genshin Impact*.

当然，我们印证音乐构想是否正确，还是依赖市场反馈。在每一次PV、专辑发布时，我们都会从播放数据、玩家评论等多个方面，去评估、复盘一下过往的方法论是否可行，或者是否有新的尝试方向。音乐的艺术性和商业性的平衡，是很难取舍的。但我们认为它并非不可调和。在《原神》这种大体量的产品里，我们就希望音乐在拥有艺术性的前提下，满足更多人的审美。
Of course, we validate whether our musical ideas are correct based on market feedback. With each promotional video and album release, we evaluate and review our past methodologies based on factors such as playback data and player comments, to assess their feasibility or explore new directions. Balancing the artistic and commercial aspects of music is a challenging task. However, we believe that they are not irreconcilable. In a large-scale product like *Genshin Impact*, we aim for music to have artistic value while also catering to a broader range of people's aesthetic preferences.

我们知道，《原神》是一款开放世界游戏，同时有很快的更新频率——游戏在不断进化，我们的音乐也需要不断进化，并面对更多的挑战。为此，我们和项目一直保持很高的沟通强度，很多工作只有不断与各个部门密切的沟通，才能把内容打磨成最接近理想的状态。在产能允许的前提下，我们也尝试过在新的场景中增加多层互动音乐设计，去增加了玩家们游玩的沉浸感。
We are aware that *Genshin Impact* is an open-world game with a fast update frequency. As the game evolves, our music also needs to evolve and face more challenges. To achieve this, we maintain a high level of communication with the project team. Many tasks require close collaboration with various departments to refine the content to its ideal state. Within the limits of our capacity, we have also attempted to incorporate multi-layered interactive music design in new scenes to enhance players' immersion.

而在高速迭代的过程中，最关键的就是团队中的成员们也要不断成长。有挑战才有收获，有的同学从完全不了解中东乐器到非常熟悉，有的同学从负责单一曲子到负责整个模块。正因为《原神》的快速更新，我们也有更多的机会接收到市场反馈以成长自己，然后不断迭代。
In the process of rapid iteration, the most crucial aspect is the continuous growth of team members. Challenges lead to rewards, as some colleagues went from having no knowledge of Middle Eastern instruments to becoming familiar with them, and others transitioned from being responsible for individual tracks to overseeing entire modules. Thanks to the fast updates of *Genshin Impact*, we have more opportunities to receive market feedback, grow ourselves, and iterate continuously.

成长对我们而言至关重要。我们作为音乐人，也希望听到更多好的音乐，希望游戏行业更加成熟， 希望我们的作品也能成为像那些享誉全球的经典游戏或是影视主题曲一样，成为全世界听众的美好记忆。《原神》还留给我们很多挑战，只有不断成长，才能有所突破。如果有愿意加入我们，一起提高的同学，米哈游可能是一个很不错的选择。
Growth is vital to us. As musicians, we also aspire to hear more great music, witness the maturity of the gaming industry, and see our work become cherished memories for audiences worldwide, just like the theme songs of renowned global games or films. *Genshin Impact* still presents us with many challenges, and only through continuous growth can we make breakthroughs. For those who are willing to join us and improve together, miHoYo could be an excellent choice.

我的分享就是这样，谢谢大家。
That concludes my sharing. Thank you, everyone.