Control Resonant composer says his inspiration comes from concept art, which brings forth ‘melodies’ and ‘a feeling’ — ‘That feeling combined with the ability to ‘hear’ pictures – synesthesia, to be exact – are my go-to tools at the ground zero point’

• Control Resonant composer Petri Alanko says he typically finds his inspiration by looking at Remedy’s “gorgeous” concept art
• He reveals that he has synesthesia, which allows him to “hear” music by looking at these pictures
• Alanko says there’s a “transparency culture” at Remedy, which helps prepare the team for a new project

Control Resonant composer Petri Alanko has revealed that he has synesthesia, which allows him to find much of his inspiration by looking at Remedy’s concept art.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming, Alanko, who also composed music for the first Control game and other Remedy titles, shared his process for creating the music fans hear in Remedy’s sequel.

“You wouldn’t believe, but quite often everything starts a little like that old Simpson yelling at a cloud meme, but in my case it’s more staring at the clouds instead,” Alanko joked, adding that it’s really about thinking and trying to find an interesting approach.

The composer went on to talk about the “transparency culture” at Remedy, revealing that every time the studio births a new game concept, it “has a habit of telling the whole company about it” in the form of a well-rehearsed presentation, and Control Resonant‘s was no different.

“That, by the way, separates Remedy from many others; the amount of detail and level of depth is unparalleled,” Alanko said. “Very unique. One would think they already have everything ready, albeit we’re only taking the first steps.”

When discussing what helps his composer mind come up with ideas, he explained that he typically leans toward Remedy’s concept art, because they “tell a story, and they usually are really, really beautiful.”

Alanko shared that he has synesthesia, a neurological phenomenon that causes sensory crossovers, such as tasting colors or feeling sounds, and in his case enables him to hear sounds when looking at pictures.

“Those pictures have a ‘sound’ in my head, and following those intuitional sources often bring me a few melodies, harmonies… a feeling, actually,” the composer explained. “To be able to hear music requires the background concept story as well as a presentation, and the pictures. I rely heavily on that. Plus, as a composer, I’ve always been an outsider and felt like I’m just watching everything from a distance, an observer, if you like.

“That feeling combined with the ability to ‘hear’ pictures – synesthesia, to be exact – are my go-to tools at the ground zero point.”

Control Resonant is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC.