Level 225: Maclaine Diemer (Firmament)

Level with Emily Reese

It's another delightful chat with composer Maclaine Diemer about Firmament from Cyan Worlds, the creators of Myst and Riven. The score is entirely synth with the exception of two or three other instruments, including an esraj and a Fender IV (technically a Squire, which only matters to people who know the difference). It's atmospheric, ambient and round, but with industrial grit thrown in occasionally. Maclaine calls it "industrial ambient." Or maybe "ambient industrial," you'll have to listen to find out. One of the best parts: Maclaine grew up playing and revering those early games and the music Robyn Miller wrote, which is similarly ambient and reverb-y, but with a lot of pizzicato (synth) strings. It was fun to hear Maclaine talk about his fantastic score! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists. PLAYLIST by Maclaine Diemer for Firmament unless noted otherwise 00:00 Ascent to Curievale 15:10 Atriums and Seed Vaults 16:42 Sun on St. Andrew 21:22 Batteries Casting Shadows 23:06 The Reservoir 26:26 Processing 27:48 Deep in the Mines 30:24 The Glacial Realm 31:04 The Glacial Realm 33:46 Sulfuric Pools 35:16 Robots in the Field 37:30 Echoes of Past Futures 40:01 Echoes of Past Futures 52:59 The Spire 55:08 Frozen Footsteps 56:45 Frozen Footsteps 1:02:48 Batteries Casting Shadows 1:04:12 Batteries Casting Shadows 1:13:42 Remnants of Margot 1:14:16 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan