Over the summer, we had the opportunity to create our first Ambient Soundscape when composer and music designer Alvin Roobi joined the Chaptore team as part of an internship project with the University of Gloucestershire. We connected Alvin with one of our founding authors, A.R. Stern, to create an ambient soundscape for A.R.’s book, Scion of a Swan.
The project gave us the opportunity to explore the collaboration process in practice to refine how we work together as we prepare to welcome more authors and musicians to Chaptore.
From the first conversation to the finished soundscape
1. Understanding the author’s vision
We started with an initial call between Alvin and A.R. to explore the atmosphere, themes and emotions A.R. wanted the music to capture. Alvin then spent time reading the book, getting to know its world and using that understanding to inform his composition.
2. Creating the first sample
Alvin then created a short piano piece to establish the musical direction for the soundscape. He shared this with A.R. and they met again to discuss what worked, what could be developed and how the music could better reflect the book.
3. Developing the music together
Following their first round of feedback, Alvin created a longer, five-minute version of the piece. They met again to review the composition, discuss further tweaks and agree on the direction for the full soundscape.
4. Refining the final piece
After another round of revisions, Alvin had a clear direction for the full composition. He developed the complete soundscape, incorporating A.R.’s final comments before sharing the finished piece.
You can listen to a sample of the final piece here.
What did we learn?
The project was a valuable opportunity to understand what makes a collaboration work well, and how we can make that experience as smooth and rewarding as possible for both authors and musicians.
Author involvement makes a difference: This project included three rounds of revisions, giving A.R. the opportunity to shape the music throughout the process. We believe that music is a window into the imagination of the authors, so they must be placed at the centre of the creative process.
4-6 weeks is the sweet spot: This allows enough time for revisions without rushing the musician. Scheduling regular calls helped Alvin and A.R. track progress, discuss feedback and smoothly agree on direction.
A strong brief provides the foundations: The more a musician understands about a book's atmosphere, themes, characters and emotional tone, the better equipped they are to translate the author's vision into music. A clear brief gives the collaboration direction from the beginning, while leaving room for the musician's own ideas to develop.
What's next for Chaptore?
Projects like this are helping us refine the way Chaptore brings authors and musicians together. Every book and every musician is different, so we want a process that provides clear guidance while leaving room for genuine creative collaboration.
A huge thank you to Alvin and A.R. for their time, creativity and feedback throughout the project.
We're looking forward to building on what we've learnt as we continue to bring more authors and musicians together, creating original music that helps readers immerse themselves in the worlds within their favourite books.
Are you an author interested in collaborating with our talented musicians?