By employing the use of an assortment of rescued and restored instruments, along with the brain behind some of video game’s most prolific soundtracks, Unearthed Sampling’s instrument collection is one that is sure to impress. With products ranging from harsh, metallic bowed fences (yes, fences!), to heavy, impactful medieval siege drums, Unearthed Sampling ensures that the perfect cinematic sound is never far from reach.
Before delving into Unearthed's excellent sonic offerings, it's important to take note of the aforementioned musical talent behind such instruments; that being Rich Douglas. Renowned for his work as a composer, sound designer and mix engineer, primarily in the video games industry, Rich’s seemingly natural flair for audio production is certainly something to be celebrated. But just where does this sonic know-how stem from? Below, Rich opens up about his remarkable career.
What first got you into Sound Engineering?
I attended the Guildhall at SMU for grad school and studied video game Level Design. While there, I was the only one with an aptitude for music and sound design, so I ended up doing the audio and music for almost every game project there. After graduating I worked for Id Software and then was the Audio Director with a now defunct THQ Company called Paradigm. After going freelance as a composer / sound designer, I started dabbling in doing more than field recording… I was making my own Kontakt instruments for game projects and eventually fell in love with creating my own Kontakt libraries from unique / cool sources that could be used in a cinematic way. Thus, Unearthed Sampling was born.
How would you describe your sound?
Unique, simplistic, mostly low key, but at the same time usable in a variety of ways and geared towards cinematic writing for films and games.
What inspires your sound?
Current trends in film scoring as well as past film soundtracks which had elements I thought were cool or potentially useful to have immediately on hand. Really though, random things I come across that sound cool are what truly inspire me.
What do you like most about making sounds?
I really enjoy recording something seemingly benign, and then turning it into something completely different! Recording something like Bowed Fences, which was literally a violin bow on an old rusty barbed wire fence, and then turning it into something very creepy and cinematic in post production is unbelievably cool! Equally neat is stumbling on something randomly that I just have to sample and get out there... Bosque Piano comes to mind. It was an old upright piano in such a cool old space, so I’m not just capturing the instrument, but the space as well, which plays a huge part in that library.
What is your favorite place / the most unusual place you have heard one of your sounds?
Early on in my sample career, I would monitor who was purchasing my libraries... One of those people was none other than composer Mark Mothersbaugh, no telling if or how he used my library, but still pretty flattering and cool. On top of that, I’m pretty sure I’ve heard Esper Synth and Bowed Fences in a few fairly large game scores, but I can’t directly confirm that!
Who have you worked with? Do you have a favorite?
I have worked with a handful of musicians in the past, but I largely do things alone. However, for one of my private libraries I did a recording session in Nashville about 8 years ago with a small string section. It was creepy string stingers and ambient beds for a horror game. The game was unfortunately cancelled, but I have since used them in quite a few scores… and it was really fun to capture those sounds and essentially conduct them while doing so! Who knows, maybe I’ll release this creepy string FX library into the wild one day!
If you didn’t become a sound engineer, what would you be doing right now?
Before going to the Guildhall I was about halfway into the interview process with the United States Secret Service… so if I hadn't chosen that creative path, I’m fairly certain I would have been an agent with the treasury department. Wild!
What’s the quote you live by?
My wife tragically passed away two years ago, ever since then I would have to say it’s “you only live once, make the best of it!”
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?
I LOVE movies. I was actually a film major in undergrad (which is when I got into composing music), and up until last September, I owned and operated a small single screen theater here in the small town where I live, as a hobby. It was built in 1916 and has now survived TWO pandemics, pretty crazy! For those curious, here is the theaters webpage: https://www.thecliftex.com/
What can we expect to see in the future from you?
I have a couple of libraries from past game projects which I would like to release after those games are out, so we’ll see! These include cinematic percussion beds akin to something heard in Sicario, and unsettling string beds (mentioned above) akin to something heard in There Will Be Blood. It’s just a matter of finding the time to re-tool the UI and get them released!
You can learn more about Rich Douglas and his work at his website here: https://www.richdouglas.net/about
You can view all UnEarthed Sampling products here
