Interview: Critical Role soundtrack composer Sterling Maffe (Hexany Audio)

The original soundtrack for Critical Role is now out, titled Welcome to Tal’Dorei. Published by Critical Role Productions LLC’s record label Scanlan Shorthalt Music, it features 17 tracks related to the Critical Role empire.

Critical Role, the series where professional voice actors play Dungeons & Dragons, has been a huge success and has even been spun off into an Amazon Prime series, The Legend of Vox Machina.

Show Snob thought it would be interesting to interview one of the soundtrack composers, Sterling Maffe, of Hexany Audio, regarding how Critical Role and the sustained popularity of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D).

Sterling Maffe Interview

Show Snob: Critical Role has been airing since 2015. How long have you been creating music for the show? If more recently, was it at all intimidating stepping into a show that already had so
much success?

Sterling Maffe: The team and I here at Hexany Audio were only recently brought on board for their third campaign. There was more excitement for being involved than intimidation. We were all
big fans of Critical Role during the earlier series so to be included in the creation process
was special.

Show Snob: Though the soundtrack has plenty of traditional, larger-than-life orchestration, was there any focus on creating new musical forms or translating any avant-garde music elements to the masses?

Sterling Maffe: The world of Critical Role, and TTRPGs more broadly, [will] explore larger-than-life stories and characters in massive realms which can hold this similarly epic music, so it’s always
so thrilling to be able to access some more classical tradition in the score. There are
certain tracks, especially those used for more suspenseful or scary moments that are
akin to what one might hear in the modern-day concert hall, and believe it or not the
context of a fantasy world allows that type of music, which might otherwise be off-
putting, to be accepted and even welcomed.

Show Snob: What can you tell us about the creators of the soundtrack (including yourself and your role)? What direction were you given for your tracks? A few other composers contributed to the score by Hexany Audio. Did you collaborate with them at all?

Sterling Maffe: The team at Critical Role exhibited a wonderful amount of trust in our artistry. They knew we were familiar with the show, and as such offered a number of general
emotions, (“peaceful,” “sad,” “mysterious,” etc.), then gave us the freedom to express
those feelings through our own creative lens.

Then they would offer their feedback as they saw fit, but we were very fortunate to be on the same page with the developers of the show, so most of the time what you hear is more or less how we envisioned the score originally.

We have a remarkable culture of collaboration here at Hexany, though none of the tracks were written by two composers in tandem, we are always in each other’s studios offering feedback and allowing for our collective knowledge to create a more well-rounded and effective result.

Show Snob: I know the album has been released digitally, but will it appear on vinyl or other physical formats? On that note, where is the soundtrack available (iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Spotify, etc.?

Sterling Maffe: There may be some sort of physical release in the future, but as of now the album is streaming on all digital platforms. We are so excited to share our work for this fantastic
show in the most accessible and modern form of media.

Show Snob: What, in your view, is the greatest factor contributing to the success of Critical Role?

Sterling Maffe: This is a great question! There has been a resurgence in the interest in role-playing games like D&D, and Critical Role is an incredibly entertaining form of it. It offers an ideal, exciting and emotional story, talented players who fully immerse themselves into their characters, and a sense of community amongst other fans of the show who follow along with the action every week!

Show Snob: Critical Role is a gaming television show that celebrates stories and how gaming and storytelling can take us to places we can’t even imagine. What is it about D&D that keeps
drawing people in?

Sterling Maffe: The biggest factor is the unlimited possibilities. There are a number of rules to keep the game structured, but those rules are a loose skeleton to guide the story wherein the
only limit is the imagination of the players. The game becomes something like a shared
novel or dream between the players and Game Master and can bring a group of friends
together in those common experiences for months or sometimes years depending on
the length of the campaign. Also, for me, the element of chance with the dice always
keeps things exciting.

Show Snob: What can you say to outsiders (like me) regarding the variety of heroes and villains in Dungeons & Dragons and how one can get into it?

Sterling Maffe: It’s true there is a daunting amount of lore, species, and creatures, but the sheer
vastness of the world of D&D makes it exciting because you never know what could be
lurking around the next bend. I have found that the people I play with are often very
helpful in filling the gaps in my D&D background and I never feel overwhelmed with the
unknowns. It’s all a process of discovery!

Show Snob: What are some of your favorite soundtracks, either for TV shows or movies?

Sterling Maffe: I am a bit of a traditionalist in my style, and so I have always been drawn to the master composers of films that employ a symphonic score. My absolute favorite composer is
John Williams (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, etc.), but I find myself drawing
inspiration from other composers as well such as Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, Alan
Silvestri, and some of the modern composers as well such as Johnny Greenwood, James
Newton Howard, and Alexandre Desplat.

Show Snob: How did you get into music, including the business side of it?

Sterling Maffe: I came into my musical career mainly through concert music. From a young age, I was fascinated by the magic a room full of musicians could create and had aspirations to
compose music for film and television. I was also lucky enough to study music at Biola
University for my undergrad and USC for my master’s. The professors there instilled
great habits in me which extend beyond just composition to business and interpersonal
relationships as well.

Show Snob: What other projects do you have in the works?

Sterling Maffe: Our studio, Hexany Audio is working on a number of different games and interesting projects. Many of them are unannounced at this time, but you can always find the latest news about what we’re working on at our site.

We’d like to thank Sterling Maffe for answering our questions, and you can obviously check out Critical Role, this soundtrack, and the series The Legend of Vox Machina on Amazon Prime!